Haaaaaappy December folks =)

Winters always do this to me! I love December, no not just because it’s my birthmonth; there’s a whole lot of things about the month that just make it the best. For one, my calendar is scribbled the most on this month, so many happy occasions! Well I’ll ignore the fact that there are so many to steal my thunder but w-o-w so many birthdays in and close to December!

Studying at St.Ann’s, this was the one time that we would look forward to the most;students and teachers alike. The entire atmosphere in school would turn festive and there would always be that cheerful mood about everyone and no not even exams could dampen them. Christmas time! Santa visiting school, giving out gifts, Christmas decorations adorning the place, Christmas carols, just every thing Christmas! Holiday season; even now after all these years.

The food! It's called holiday weight for a reason ;) And it's pardonable, the world can cut you some slack there it's the holidays! So go ahead, BINGE!

Ooooh and the weather! I don’t mind early morning sunshine but I’m more of a Winter person. I’d rather go teeth-clattering my way than sweating; ANY day. The woolens, the warm bed, the comforters, the feel of a cup of hot chocolate in your cold freezing hands…wowie right!? I know a lot of people crave for some sunshine but I don’t mind, I mean we have enough of it throughout the year can I not have just ONE month of my favourite weather? Not like we aren’t doing enough to see to it that we never have winters again; we’ve done enough damage already.

Also the fact that this is the last month of the year would have a lot to do with it being different, special if I may say so. The year’s gone by, I speculate, going through the past events, my life the last year, knowing what I’ve done right, accepting my mistakes, realizing where I went wrong, wanting to change things, wishing to end the year on the positive note that I still have myself, I still have those who love and cherish me around, getting the right perspective of things, seeing how things happen for a reason and finally feeling glad they turned out the way they did even if then they seemed horrid, being thankful for all of it, getting the wish-list for next year ready too ;), and finally getting ready to bid adieu to the year, letting bygones be bygones, and stepping into the new year with a high that’s got nothing to do with alcohol :P

DECEMBER! I love thee :D You’ve always been a happy month for me and I hope that continues to be the case forevermore.

Go *brrrrr..* Go green. Save my December! Oh and HAPPY HOLIDAYS =)

Sit with me

Their incessant chatter and laughter made the clamorous platform a lot more noisy. Passers-by rightly guessed they were students. Young 16 year olds, off for a college vacation..yes..there was no doubt about that given the enthusiasm and excitement their laughter and merry talk was exuding.

It wasn’t infectious though. She wished it was. Standing a little away from the group, she looked at them with a feeling she couldn’t quite describe…these were her college mates, familiar faces, yet….
yet none was her friend. She admitted it. This was clearly a mistake. She regretted her decision. How could she be a part of it when she clearly wasn’t one of them? She tried in vain to find that initial eagerness she had.

She tried to tell herself she would make new friends. *sigh* No.

No she wouldn’t. She never could. She was the life and soul of a party, she was the centre of all things fun with her friends. But…she was bad at making new friends. Shy. Silly. True. She was but 16. Still. She told herself she’d enjoy the place. I doubt it said a voice inside her. She needed company. Her friends had bailed out. Alone. She looked at them again. Apparently she was invisible.*sigh* They were clicking pictures, their vacation had begun. Fun.

She felt alien. The other girl was voicing her exact thoughts. Prattling away about how she regrets not staying back. Shut up already! Damage done. Now she wistfully thought of the her friends, the cute guy she had a crush on forever, they had planned for the holidays together, they still would carry on with it. Without her. She was off on a vacation. With strangers. She wanted to cry.

There’s the signal. They get in. Too late.. too late…she thought. Bade goodbye to her parents, completely ignorant of the uneasiness she was feeling. Smile. For them. Wave. A little more enthusiastically. Turn. Pretence not needed now. Her shoulders drop. *sigh*. She walks along the long corridor to get to her compartment. Empty, save the ranting girl. *sigh* She sits next to the window. Great start she thought bitterly. The others have all disregarded the instructions given and were all assembled in one compartment, having a ball.

Lonely. No… it will be good. It won’t.

It was all crashing down. Every effort to look cheerful. This was a vacation! She should be thrilled. Then why was she so upset? She felt like now she could cry… or was she already? No. No she wouldn’t. Distraction. She looked outside the window. Stare out at the passing fields. Kids waving. Yes. Distraction. She shouldn’t be miserable. No she wasn’t. This was a vacation. Smile. Smile. Be happy. She wasn’t! Why wasn’t she? She couldn’t. Upset. Forlorn. She hated that very instant the fact that she was incredibly shy. She didn’t want to be. She didn’t have to be. But she was. Silly. Making new friends was daunting? No. Still. Getting past a few minutes seemed laborious! She had the entire week ahead. Depressing. She wished she was not on this train. She could now hear them sing. Stupid. Stupid me, she thought to herself for the millionth time that evening. She closed her eyes. Feeling the wind on her face as the train picked up speed, chugging along noisily. The sounds unsuccessful in drowning the singing. She tried to also block out the rants of the other girl now painfully describing what might’ve been. A smack on the face with her heavy bag would shut her up, she thought. She smiled at that picture. She sighed. She heard someone rush past her compartment giggling. She returned to concentrating on the rhythm of the train. Giggling. Block it out. It was getting closer, they would pass by again. Eyes still closed. Concentrate. Calm. Why aren’t they giggling their way back?

‘Hey!’ ..she opened her eyes. A curly haired girl from the group had stopped right in the middle of the compartment, smiling. A subdued hi was all she got in reply. ‘Why are you sitting here all alone?’. She too seemed to ignore the irritating girl who thankfully was quiet now. “Well I don’t really know anyone that well’’. Apparently it was amusing. The bubbly excited girl without a moments hesitation smiled the warmest smile ever. “Arre..that’s no problem yaar..come sit with me!!!”

:)

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A royal engagement

Her father a businessman, formerly a flight dispatcher for British Airways, her mother a former stewardess in the same and she from a normal middleclass family, a commoner, Catherine Middleton.


His father, the Prince of Wales, is first in the line of succession to the thrones of 16 independent states, his late mother the most beloved Princess, his Grandmother the reigning Queen, and he a Royal Prince, known as His Royal Highness Prince William, the Prince of Wales.

The two had met while studying at the same university; what started as a college romance has survived the long years and now finally has taken form of an engagement and what we have is a Royal Wedding to look forward to. A true fairytale of sorts where a commoner (though a wealthy one) and a Prince fall in love, are college sweethearts; face the many problems that being a Royal and being associated with a Royal automatically trigger, the constant media glare and the various speculations. We have a break-up due to all these factors and more but we also have a reconciliation. And then the big happy announcement, that the Prince has finally asked the question which is answered in the affirmative, and as we all know there’s always a ring to seal the deal there was one here too. It was not just another ring but the very ring worn by the late Princess Diana, the Prince’s late mother, on her engagement, that was used to seal the 8 year long romance; a gorgeous blue sapphire surrounded by a cluster of diamond! *swoooonnsss* Sounds like straight from a fairytale book doesn’t it, like the one’s we used to read and fantasize about, well good to know that someone out there is living it for real!


One happy event that 2011 will bring is assured, as this will be the biggest Royal wedding since Prince Charles had married Lady Diana almost 30 years ago. Kate Middleton’s fairytale turned true with her handsome prince popping the question; aah well your story will be told over and over again for a long time now about how reality just got a touch of royal magic. And to the rest of the female population watching their most beloved and precious Prince being taken for real, let’s just wish for each one’s Prince to turn up and real quick too!


Till then, here’s to “happily ever after”.. Cheers!

Alone

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

- Edgar Allan Poe

Another favourite of mine, this poem speaks of sorrow, rejection, the feeling of being marked an outcast,  but also of courage, of the truth that beauty is still prevalent and there's much more to an individual than what meets the eye. Different people have a different way of interpreting this poem of Poe, which was a clear reflection of what he had gone through. A troubled childhood, being a 'misfit', reaching out to hope and happiness but constantly being surrounded by a 'demon'.

There are times when you know the world is not entirely a bad place,  you see, you feel, you know that there is hope, but then there is always some reason to feel not good enough. There's always something negating it. You always find something that stops you from experiencing for yourself the happiness that surrounds you, and you are all but trapped by this constant demon taking various forms at every turn of the road. The knowing that it's just better to be alone than to have others subjected to your  misery..and have them abandon you eventually anyway.

This poem is about existing on a different wavelength, and loneliness as the consequence. But then again being different doesn't necessarily mean being depressed always. For there is still that one force that binds us all.  Instead of giving way to the external influence, holding on to your beliefs and passions. It's also about finding inspiration. Being proud and finding beauty. Truly being able to see everything for what it is. Changing your perspective. Also being mindful, whether you're on the path of light or dark, keeping sure that it is YOUR path that you choose. Being mindful because you may never find someone like you that you can compare your life to. You can never know for sure if your actions and feelings are good or bad for that reason, you can only question yourself and move on.

Be alone. Be yourself. Have no regrets.

And what would you wish for?

My  biggest worry at one time was a knot in my Barbie's hair (What was that? It is not that big a problem? Try telling that to a 5 year old!!), I wished for it to untangle, fall straight and smooth and if that didn’t happen I’d chop the problematic hair off. What followed would most definitely be my crying and bawling at how weird my beautiful Barbie looked in the new hair-do. Times have changed drastically, so has the cause of my worries, but even today more often than not when I find myself in a mess, in a complex knot where I’m caught between practicality and fantasies, reality and dreams, reason and emotions;
I wish for it to all smoothen out, I wish for my life and the world to be a simpler place. Without getting confused or dragged to the extremes of being a pragmatist or totally whimsical. When we’re done lusting after the farfetched luxuries, the million things we tire ourselves out to achieve, the reason why we keep rushing at a great pace so as to not lose out on time and in turn doing just that, and when you pause a while to think, to ask yourself that one question ‘why?’ and ‘what for?’ , and then? A penthouse in a skyscraper in almost every big and happening city in the world, a ride worth an entire third world country, a wardrobe fit for the Royals… and the likes, would the list ever end? I’m not saying we wouldn’t or shouldn’t want these, heaven knows how long my own list is!! But it grows, and somehow the most constant things that I myself have wished for from the core of my being are something else altogether.., simpler. By that I don’t mean they’re easily achieved, quite the contrary. There are things that appear to be mere flotsam and jetsam but what would we not do to have them come true.

The past seems to be a wonderful place to dwell in; between the uncertainty of tomorrow and the struggles of today. I get nostalgic and wish for those days to return, to relive those carefree days, the problems long solved look trifle, almost laughable. Of them school days top the list. Those days which seemed torturous back then(I couldn’t wait to get out of school and be a grown up!) now appear to be the best phase of my life ever. (Where is the guy who had to invent the time turner!?!)

There are times when all I wish for is acceptance; acceptance of things as and how they are(wouldn’t that make life so much better?). Live and let live, might be cliché and so no one takes it seriously but that is the need of the hour, the most important one too. Almost always I wish human beings were a better race, a better people; and trust, honesty, love were  not just words we know. For us to have a little more compassion, a little less hatred, a little more empathy, a little less evil, a little more action, a little less indifference.

The one common wish we all have (for some against our more sensible selves) is to have someone who would bring life to your existence, prove to you that there still might be a little hope for us after all; with who you can be who you are, flaws and everything. If not the entire world maybe just one with who acceptance, trust, faith and love hold true (Implausible in today’s world; hope against hope!).

For a fair world!!! Every single one of us has wished for this one! A considerable part of our lives goes away in grumbling about how unfair the world is, quoting Bill Gates when he said ‘Life is not fair, get used to it’, and then complaining about how he cannot say such things with that kind of money! (You don’t? Ok I do!)

Wishes wishes and more wishes! I remember as kids we had so many ways we could wish for what we wanted and had a child’s belief it would all come true. The sight of a mail van, a goods train crossing the bridge over you, this one’s really funny but wishing every time you saw a Sardarji (Sikh with a turban; no offense but every kid did it, even my Sardar friend who would get up every morning, look at her dad first thing and wish happily!), and then there was that very famous song from the movie Pinocchio which got every kid to Wish Upon a Star. So I’d end up wishing for a holiday during a school week, for a fever during exams, for rains, for attending a real Hogwarts, for a never ending-self refilling-glass of coconut water…you get the picture. Here’s a thought; would you still want something as much you wish for today later?

Cause of this post- Partial insomnia and hunger both of which made way for a tomato and cheese sandwich at 4a.m and itunes running over and over again the recently played songs one of which was this track that’s been running in the author’s  head for quite sometime now.

Can You Keep a Secret?

Long ago I’d spent almost an entire year reading just the English Classics, from the Brontë sisters to Jane Austen, from Alexander Dumas to William Shakespeare, from W.Somerset Maugham to O.Henry, J.D Salinger, George Elliot etc(one year, 365 days, has to be a long list!) I was craving for a change from it and I happened to come across Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella. After a year of spending time in the countryside of England, in the stately manors where the only entertainment for the young was dancing at the balls, playing on the pianoforte et all, I was in for a refreshing change. I love the classics mind you, but then a genuinely funny, light read novel was the need of the hour and this book fit the bill.

The story starts off with Emma Corrigan (the heroine), on a plane ride back home from a disastrous meeting, blurting out her most embarrassing secrets to the stranger sitting next to her. This due to a turbulence in the plane causing great panic which leads her to think there’s going to be a crash and she’s going to die. Safe landing, a very much alive Emma Corrigan and a very amused stranger (who wouldn’t be when you tell them all about your…).

But to her surprise she finds that the very stranger is the CEO of the company she works in as a Junior Marketing Assistant! The fun begins when she also finds out that he remembers every single secret of hers! What follows is their many funny/awkward encounters, Emma Corrigan’s place in her family, her snob of a cousin Kerry, her office crisis (boss who won’t give a raise, colleague who treats her like another paperweight on her table etc), and her ‘perfect’ boyfriend Connor.

This story might be just another addition to the style of chick-lit fiction but I found it quite entertaining, probably since this was the first of Sophie Kinsella’s that I read. Yes it has a dash of the fairy-tale element to it but hey who says fairytales are only for kids?! The part where we read her deepest secrets is the best because it suddenly dawns on us that even though they’re plain silly we too have a number of such secrets which we would NEVER share with another soul although they are very very petty and insignificant. Oh and not to forget, the happy ending! I enjoyed it much more than the rest of Kinsella’s books, for after reading the entire Shopoholic series and the rest of her books I found a repetitive pattern in them and the same formula was being used which got a bit tiring to read.

This book is a light, funny, quirky and enjoyable read that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy. For all those who think age does not necessarily shatter the illusions(illusions with a probability of turning into reality maybe!) that you endeared as a child, and it doesn’t stop you from enjoying a pleasant read, Can You Keep a Secret will prove to be just that.

It’s been more than two years since I first read this book, but even now when I feel like reading without troubling my grey cells I almost always pick this book again.

Happy reading!

When we two parted

When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this

The dew of the morning
Sank chill on my brow
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken,
And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o'er me
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well:
Long, long shall I rue thee
Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?
With silence and tears.

~Lord Byron.





Four years back one day en route to some place I don’t remember I see this sign board that said ‘A1 book store- for all book lovers’. I step in and find a huge hall filled with books, old and new, mostly old. Every inch was covered, they reached the roof of that place and so I had a very good feeling about it. It was my treasure trove! After spending nearly 3 hours in that place I had with me 15 books I wanted to take back home. One among them was an old copy of a collection of poems by Lord Byron, Keats and P.B.Shelly. (For some reason I love the smell and feel of an old book) I found in that book this amazing work of Lord Byron, I instantly fell in love with. This poem was the first of Lord Byron’s work that I read, and one of his best. This one undoubtedly makes it to my list.

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Poetry

To Think..,

To Love..,

To Suffer.., is to seek poetry…



Or a major part of it at least. Whatever the history, the various forms and conventions, the genre, the culture, there is always this that Poetry is beautiful. Period.


These are the same words used by the entire world, and yet they are not. They are woven around emotions and thought in a way that gives them a life of their own, a beauty unparalleled and a meaning so simple yet so deep. I for one have always loved this game of words, its simple complexity, the way it sounds, it has been something I’ve turned to when I needed to put forth my thoughts in words in a way that would do justice to them. It’s like the Midas touch, every word, every syllable, the rhyme, the rhythm all turns into something precious, like pure gold.

So for the love of Poetry, here in this category I’m going to post a poem each from among my favourites (in no particular order), for you to read and appreciate.

This corner is for all those who love Poetry and for those who think otherwise here’s a little something…

Sir, I admit to your general rule

That every poet is a fool

But you yourself may serve to show it

That every fool is not a poet!

Hahahaha.. Right back at you! Enjoy!

The in-between we spell L-I-F-E

With nothing interesting to do I was reading up random quotes, poems, articles etc., when I noticed one common point of contention. Life. Life and everything related. And the most common question that every thinking soul ponders upon at some point almost always is “What is the purpose of all this?” Other similar questions “Where are we going?”, “What is our purpose here?”, “What have we come to exist for?”, “What IS the ulterior motive…?”. I turn to my family and friends with the same questions, first they dismiss me and my silly talks as always, but then when I insist on knowing they give me the answer which doesn’t quite answer the question… “You’ll find out, eventually, that’s what we’re here for”. Ok, you’re as clueless as the rest of the world!



For the most part we tend to take no notice and ignore such insights; be oblivious to it and go on with our normal daily lives, no matter how tedious and monotonous this wont gets, being irrational about the place we’re headed to, smothering what we want to do to make place and time for something we HAVE to do. It maybe our sub-conscious self telling us that the likelihood of the universe conceding to out innermost wishes is few and far between, so isn’t it wise to move ahead and reach for that which we yearn and crave for as opposed to the many frivolous and petty affairs and pursuits? Here’s a thought, honestly I think the perseverance we’re endowed with is all for the wrong reasons, to meet misguided ends! Isn’t it unbecoming of us to think eminently of ourselves as the most supreme creation? Why do we assume such self-importance among all other things? We have a certain exaggerated opinion about ourselves that makes us bathe in vanity and self-conceit.


Wonder why we ignore the fact that we will, come hell or high seas, cease to be! There might be a why and a wherefore for our being and the one who solves this paramount, most substantial mystery becomes omniscient…all knowing! I have a metaphor quite apt for the whole purpose of life…a well, an indestructible unfading well. The purpose of life is exactly like a well. We know it exists, that fact is established. Yes, at the end of our journey there will be the answer as to the purpose of it all. The question to actually think about is whether the well is brimming with water or just dried up, whether we have lived all this while to find that there is some relevance to it OR to find that there is in fact nothing to it!.. So there is a purpose, the findings differ. So in the end we might just find out that life genuinely has no meaning, and mankind serves no end. There is a possibility that life is insignificant and death without consequence, it may be immaterial whether or not we live.


I’m reminded of what Somerset Maugham had once mentioned, that ‘..why can it not be that man, no more significant than other forms of life, had come not as the climax of creation but as a physical reaction to the environment?’


And so I think I shall give this question of the purport of life a rest, wait till I get to the well to find it either empty or full, but in the due course have my mind open with wonder for the possibilities of all things is so high and great. All we can do is not be insufferable insolent know-it-all’s when it comes to this, let each one figure it out for themselves and most importantly accept that all things considered we’re part of a very stupendous and immeasurable universe, a very modest, ineffectual and trifling part.


Peace…

Calvin and Hobbes

I remember reaching for the newspaper first thing in the morning and flipping past all those pages with incomprehensible intimidating words to the page with all the wonderful looking, coloured cartoons being funny, comic strips! My all time favourites are Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes, and of the two the latter tops the list. And that hasn't changed, even today as soon as I'm up I need to say hello to my favourite pair ever(even though the comic strip ended more than a decade back)and so I start my day with a smile.. a quiet laugh too sometimes.. :)

From Calvin's fantasies about adventures and his friendship with Hobbes, to their humorous antics, to the thought provoking philosophical and ethical questions these two raise, they are simply adorable in their best and worst days.

''Reality continues to ruin my life''

''As a math atheist, I should be excused from this.''

Calvin: I'm a genius, but I'm a misunderstood genius. Hobbes: What's misunderstood about you? Calvin: Nobody thinks I'm a genius.

''I think life should be more like tv. I think all of life's problems ought to be solved in 30 minutes with simple homilies, don't you? I think weight and oral hygiene ought to be our biggest concerns. I think we should all have powerful, high-paying jobs, and everyone should drive fancy sports cars. All our desires should be instantly gratified. Women should always wear tight clothes, and men should carry powerful handguns. Life overall should be more glamorous, thrill-packed, and filled with applause, don't you think?''

"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?"
"I'm not sure that man needs the help."

"I'm learning real skills that I can apply throughout the rest of my life ... Procrastinating and rationalizing."

...Some of my personal favourite C&H quotes... :) A smile ensured!

Bill Watterson, THANK YOU! :)

P.S.Today's strip=SO ME!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson"][/caption]

Monday Movie Marathon!! ♥

A Monday like no other indeed! With a mug of coffee and Sleepless in Seattle!!! And oh did I mention I absolutely LOVE romantic comedies!.. One place, no, the only other place apart from books where you always find happy endings and the best guys ever… I’m not the romantic kind, oh no I’d end up having a fit of laughter if reality was anywhere close, but movies I don’t mind, I totally love them!...Melodrama looks good as long as you know it’s made up. Hypocrisy? No, it is knowing what is and what will never be.

Whatever my views on the emotional sensitivities of the world in general, I totally love to watch it on screen or read about it in books, and genuinely like them even. There are a couple of movies that I’d watch over a million times and never once feel I’ve had enough (Ok maybe not a million but you get the idea). Oh no not the overdose of emotions with unnecessary weeping, unrealistic events, over the top icky romance, no that’s downright pathetic. Those are just plain dumb, exaggerated a little too much for normal sensibilities to live with.

Easy going movies with the perfect ending…♥

I love the idea of a lone heart with just a cat for company finding herself in the middle of a big adorable and loving family, a fiancé she always had a crush on and eventually finding the Mr. Right one Christmas (While You Were Sleeping).

How a single day, even if nothing seems to go right, can turn out to be the best ever (One Fine Day).

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are always so good together, be it in ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ or ‘You’ve Got Mail’.

And the Classics! Witnessing Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet putting aside their pride and realize they’ve found in each other what they’ve always been looking for (Pride and Prejudice). When the proud Miss. Emma Woodhouse realizes that her heart, which she had been sure would never love, is no longer in her power, and her fate in this matter is now uncertain due to her own misdoings; the dangers of misconstrued romance! And then to see Mr. Knightley fix it all is a delight (Emma). The stately manors, the lush grounds, the carriages, the balls…the feel of 19^th century England…who’d think any different?!

A good start to my week surely, Monday morning blues? SO not for me!

No Tacit Temper

Warning: The author was at the time cranky, irritated, frustrated, depressed, angry, exasperated, affronted..in an indescribable mood. For better effect of the post imagine the author in the most animated form with arms flying all over, eyes popping, eyes rolling, draaaaaaaaaagggging accent at the mossssssttttt feeling words. Also appreciate the author’s herculean efforts to remain civil throughout the post, something that is a formidable task given the state of mind.

AARGGGHHH!!!!... Sometimes.. no scratch that.. Almost always things go awfully wrong and one such incident plunges you into an abyss of such melancholy it’s more vexing than depressing really! Like the vacuum sucking out all the light of the place.

What is really annoying is that the very undesirable bad luck waits lurking in the dark for that one moment when you absolutely need no miracle or a great stroke of luck for things to go smooth and make them work. Smooth running, no glitches, job done. But NOOOOooooo…. Bad luck comes and comes with a force that knocks the day lights off you. Casting its shadows on every turn, a curse upon the happening and there goes the simplest of things that COULD’VE been. And the result? A restless, agitated, frustrated mind! When nothing goes your way, when every attempt of yours comes right back to the ground, and it seems like the universe is conspiring AGAINST you as opposed to doing it for you, nothing else seems to be making sense either!.. You’re thrown into a world on confusion and a restlessness that keeps dragging you back into those murky waters you’d rather stay clear of. Like you’re running amok with the “Target me” sign around your neck, with a bulls eye mark and so the continual bombarding. And this is how I find myself at this very moment. How many times have we shouted out at the sky with the question “WHY ME?”, “WHY THIS?”, “WHYYYYYYYYYY?” .. Ok maybe not everyone is as dramatic but I certainly have. And find myself doing that yet again. :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

WHYYYYYYYY?? :-( Can you not give me a rest? Can you not find a rock to torture?!!!!!Can I not have one single thing go smoothly without any struggles and so much of head-breaking/nerve-wrecking/maddening complications that have me on the brink of insanity? Well apparently no. That’s all the answer I get and a very subtle ‘get on with it kid’. OK SO BE IT!... HMPH!... I may not win but I will definitely put up an undeniably good fight that will make things considerably difficult for the universe to ruin it for me! HA! There you go!.. *deep breaths* *calming down process* Ok I cannot do it, I need yummy food, bye!

P.S. I had to delete all the unnecessary exclamation marks, a direct consequence of my mood!!!!!!!! Poor keyboard of mine..

Romancing the Rains.

Pitter patter they fell; drenching the world,

Soaking the mud the trees and men alike,

A varied set of emotions they unfurl

Of gloom, of hope, of simple bliss or love?

I’ve always had a super liking for the rains, right from my school days when we were made to wear those horrendous coloured raincoats, all through my teen years and now. All I feel like doing is stay cuddled up in my blanket and stare outside, something I found out a lot of us would love. And it makes me do one more thing I totally love.., write.

No more a child, no more a teen even(although that’s a bit difficult to sink in), and still the sound of the threatening thunder, the whiplashing lightening, the soft calming drizzle and the total downpour each hold something special…The weather has always known to be a metaphor for one’s thoughts, feelings, moods et all, for none the same..

And so our mood interprets the rains as well, but the one common ground is that it is always welcome.

Of Gloom and hope...Even for those who think rains are gloomy, sadness is still beautiful. The feeling that the sky knows you’re in pain and is crying along with you, and then goes on to give you the most splendid rainbow lit up across its bosom gives you the hope needed, to tell you it’s all alright, that the worst of storms come to an end and that it all happens for a reason, that in not giving you what you want the universe is getting you something even better…you only have to wait for the sunshine, and together with the glistening raindrops a rainbow is formed. And so we live on with this hope, following nature’s example.

Of the simple joys...For some like me, the simple task of watching the rain splash across your window while you sip at your hot chocolate, reading one of Jane Austen’s classic, makes it the best time ever spent. Having oneself for company, it’s a very satisfying sign of being completely content, at peace with yourself and surprisingly with the world at that very moment. If there is any feeling that would describe harmony, between mankind and nature, between the heavens and earth it is this. The smell of earth during the showers is divine; it is the smell of tranquility, of nature, of purity and is easily every human’s favourite. (So that implies… think about it)

Of love...And then there is that lot who simply love the rains for somehow... for some strange reason they find it very (for the loss of a better word) romantic. And no not just the ones who’re in love with someone, even those who’re in love with the idea of love, love rains… right! This mostly is due to our highly creative and entertaining cinema, apna Bollywood where we have from time immemorial witnessed the suave dashing handsome ‘hero’ and the shy rosy cheeked (no mention of makeup it would ruin the whole mood) ‘heroine’ dancing around trees in the rain, or just looking into each other’s eyes while it rains with that deeply-in-love look, basically an overdose of the lovey-dovey coochie-cooie sentiment they want to convey.. ok we get it, you’re madly in love…Paani ki barsaat se gaano ki barsaat aa jaati hai, as we croon the cheesiest of rain-themed songs.

So here we are, linking rains with romance and why not, it’s a time when we all want to feel warm and cuddle up, be it your soft toy, your dog or the person you love.

End of it all, each one of us loves a rainy day, we have all found immense joy in getting drenched against the elders’ warnings, standing alone facing the sky hugging the rain, riding our bikes in the drizzle, craving for garam pakoras, sipping hot tea, chocolate, coffee whatever your taste.. Easily the best time of the year, no summer days, no cool winters will ever be anticipated as much as this splish-splash season.