Infinite Emotions...

Photo a Day Challenge - January 2012

2012-01-31T21:22:00.001+05:30

I guess you all know that I have been exploring Instagram and I absolutely love the app and what it does to your photos and I tried it out with a whole bunch on my own photos from last year. While I was still getting my self familiarised, I noticed that a lot of people were posting pictures as a part of a challenge, the Photo A Day Challenge hosted by FatMumSlim. The challenge required you to click and post pictures using the prompts as inspiration.
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Dear Mr. Stalker

2012-01-22T23:35:00.000+05:30

I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time, butevery time I got around to starting this, something important and urgent wouldcome up and I thought this verbal bashing could wait a day or two. After finishing all of my important tasks, Ifinally have time to do something I would have totally not bothered about if ithadn’t gone this far.

I have only done this once before and I hope I don’t have to do this again because this is my happyplace and despite someone’s best efforts for over two years now, I have managedto keep it that way. That’s more than I can say about my strong will anddetermination.

Before I start out, I want to make a few things clear.This post has a purpose and for that it is a very long post, probably muchlonger than the longest one I have written yet, and in no way am I going tocensor any part of it and that may take a toll on my usually flowery languagethat I use here. But the situation demands that as much as it demands this post itself. Sohere goes...

John Grisham - The Confession: A Review

2012-01-09T21:24:00.001+05:30

I love courtroom dramas - the thrill of the witnesses being questioned and cross-questioned, evidences being produced that would help prove the defendant guilty or innocent, the word wars and wordplays that happen in the courtroom; it's all very exciting whether I'm watching them on TV or reading them. John Grisham, lawyer that he is, somehow manages to incorporate that into all of his books.

the gift of time

2012-01-06T20:49:00.001+05:30

Over the past few months, I have NOT been using my bike (scooter, whatever) to travel in and around Navi Mumbai and the reasons may or may not include the fact(s) that it is too chilly in the morning (and I almost freeze) too sunny in the afternoon (which leads to tan) and too dusty any (actually, every) other time of the day (which ruins my face even with the helmet.) So I decided to chuck it and take the bus, train or auto whenever I need to go somewhere that's simply too far away to just walk.

2011 in Pictures {'Instagram'ized}

2012-01-04T01:40:00.002+05:30

I know I am three days late for this, but better late than never, right?

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

For the last two years we've been hearing about the world {possibly} coming to an end this year. So let's make it a year where we live our lives to the fullest! Do everything that we've ever dreamed of doing so that in the event that the world does come to an end {not that I believe that it will because Kaliyuga has thousands and thousands of more years to go. But who said you have to wait for the world to end to achieve what you want, right?} we would have fulfilled most of our dreams. Let 2012 be the year of achievement and accomplishment.

One {more} for 2011

2011-12-29T00:21:00.001+05:30

I am pretty sure I am not going to be able to write just before the end of the year and every time I start the computer, there always seems something better to do than write. So I'm writing on my phone using the cool Blogger app that google released a few months ago for iOS users. Oh wait, I remember the app being there even before that, but they recently made it free and thats why I have it.

Anyway, there's too much on my platter now. Since I've kicked the CA course on it's behind, I have taken up a lot more than I can handle, like writing a novel, signing up for a creative writing course, making cards and of course, still continue teaching.
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Untitled, simply because I can't come up with one

2011-12-08T06:09:00.000+05:30

I was half expecting the Blogger login page to say 'Sorry, we don't remember you. Do you have an account with us?' when I logged in because it has been ages since I logged in (duh!) But then I realised Blogger is just a bot and it doesn't care whether you stay in touch or visit or whatever. It'll still let you in as long as you remember your username and password. Thankfully, I didn't have any trouble remembering those.

When I did log in, the first thing I did was, read a few posts from the blogs that I've been following but there have been so many that I could barely manage a fraction of what I missed while I was away. And when I say away, I don't mean that I was disconnected from the internet, I was just disconnected from blogging (and reading blogs, or books. Gosh! I have read just four books this year!! That's a bad record!)

Is that your only responsibility?

2011-09-28T02:53:00.000+05:30

Why do people have children? I mean, I know a man and a woman do stuff (yes, I'm going to call it stuff till I'm okay with being all bold on the blog!) and then a baby is born (some people may not believe it, but I'm quite past the bird and the bees stage.)

I mean this in the larger sense. Why do people decide to have kids? Let me elaborate on what I think could be (or rather appear to be) the reasons.

Difficult Question, my ass!

2011-07-03T03:28:00.000+05:30

I think I'm back to the writing-at-3-AM phase again. Not that I didn't have time to write before. I had close 4 hours to sit on this but I chose to utilise my time watching re-runs of the third season of Castle (that I had completely missed this past week.) Now that the three episodes that they showed back-to-back are over, I think I can get some work done here.

It's not us, it's physics.

2011-06-28T23:27:00.001+05:30

If you think everything that happens in your life is fate, I'm sure this will make you believe otherwise. Fate does have a role to play, a huge one; but it has got to play by a few rules and sooner or later you figure out what those rules are. You could wish you'd known about the rules sooner, or you could feel you were better off not knowing. It's totally up to you. And what fate plans for you, while playing by the rules.

It took me eleven years to figure out something that affected the biggest part of my life. And when I did realise, all I could think was, How could I not see it? It was right there all along. Undisputed, and proven right time and again. It was Physics after all.

Umm.. I guess I'll have three!

2011-05-18T00:04:00.000+05:30

Last year, I posted about how I loved mangoes and how I got pimples every time I had even two slices. I got a tremendous response where people agreed with me, told me what they did or how they could eat mangoes and not get affected by it at all.

However, there was one very nice lady by the name of Jane Amanda who said (and I quote)...

Yes Woman

2011-05-14T12:40:00.002+05:30

I am at a crossroads in life, at a point where I have to choose. At this moment I feel a choice between this or that would've been easier than saying yes or no; which could be the difference between welcoming an opportunity or closing the door on its face. Either way, whatever the type of choice, I still have to decide, weigh the pros and cons and make a conscious, adult decision; an important decision. It's something I can't get out of without cursing myself for the rest of my life that I didn't even give it a chance.

An ode to the Indian Burger

2011-05-11T20:44:00.002+05:30

I'm sure you all know what cravings are like, and that the only way to get rid of the nagging feeling is to actually get what you're craving for ASAP! I had this craving yesterday for a vada pav. For my international readers (and if I'm talking vada pav here, that includes those even outside of Maharashtra) Vada Pav is the Indain burger. It's a spicy potato patty with a covering of chickpea dough (the dough also known as Bengal gram, or more popularly as Besan) - which is the Vada; held between a soft bun like bread - Pav. Hence, Vada Pav.

There's Porcupine Tree's "Blackest Eyes," there's Jaundince "Yellow Eyes" and then there's me with "Red Eyes"

2011-05-01T22:00:00.004+05:30

Even in my wildest dreams, I did not think this possible. Not that I thought I was immune, but this was something that wasn't even in my vocabulary anymore. One evening, everything's normal; and the next morning I wake up to see the reflection of a girl with bloodshot eyes in the mirror! I could've expected that, had I gone off to sleep in drunker stupor or woken up without the requisite amount or sleep or (worse) both. But I had done neither of those. I was sober and well-rested! What the hell was up with these red eyes then? In a few minutes, I was about to be told!

The Indian Railways owe me Rs. 5!

2011-04-23T08:42:00.002+05:30

I've been away from my blog for a really really long time and this probably isn't the best ‘come back’ post for me, but I'm going to write it anyway (and hope that it doesn't turn out to be one of those half-written posts that I could never manage to go back to and complete. Believe me, in the last two months, there have been more of those than anything else!)

Also, since I haven't written anything in the last two months, I'd take any chance that comes my way and just write anyway.

Blogging on the go... for February's sake!

2011-02-28T23:45:00.004+05:30

It's the last day of February and I can't believe I haven't blogged at all. Actually when I think about how hectic the entire month has been in terms of targets and events, I'm not that surprised. I'm not sure if I have the time to give you a detailed recap of the entire month, but I sure can make a list; that seems fine.

I get it now...

2011-01-29T12:28:00.000+05:30

You know how I am nocturnal and how much effort it takes for me to wake up at the break of dawn. Well, today I did do that; I was up at 7.05 AM really. Now of course I would like to mention that I had to be tricked into doing that, but it worked. You see, this sleeping till late and staying up late, even though tremendously enjoyable, was...

a) not so good for my health in the long run and

b) messing with my ability to work.

I am not going to delve into the reasons or the ways in which my ability to work (creatively) is getting messed up, but it's safe to say that it is.

I think someone just "Burn"ed themselves..

2011-01-18T20:19:00.000+05:30

So remember I just mentioned my our addiction to That 70s Show and how Natasha and I totally LOVE IT??? And how we love the 'Burn!!!'s??? Yeah.. Well, my sister just 'Burn'ed herself. Here's how..

2010 - Books, Movies and more...

2011-01-18T17:48:00.000+05:30

Again, this post is more or less for me.. to be able to keep a track of the books I read, the movies I saw and other stuff that everyone else may dismiss as totally not-worth-blogging-about. But when I sit back 10 years later (when I'll be in my thirties but because of the information overload, my brain might react like an eighty year old's) and I would want to know if I've read a particular book or not, or seen a movie or not; I'll have this post to help me out. Laugh all you want, but it may happen to you too. You don't want to watch a movie all the way till the end only to realise that you'd seen it a decade ago and didn't like it even then. This whole thing has a purpose, you see?

2010 in Pictures

2011-01-08T04:01:00.001+05:30

In the previous post, I wrote A LOT! And I mean a LOT! That's the reason why it took me so long to post - because I had soooo much to write. But I'm done writing for the day. And I think I've heard somewhere that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sounds familiar, right? So I'm going to let pictures do all the talking! The entire year of 2010 summarised in pictures - one for each month :)
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2010 - An Overview

2011-01-07T22:10:00.000+05:30

First of all, my apologies for such a late first post in the new year - much later than 99% of the bloggers out there. There were quite a few that blogged about their New Year's resolutions on the first day of the year, and here I am - 6 days late. So sorry for that. And Happy New Year!! :) (I think as long as it's still the first week in the New Year, it still counts.)

I am not going to talk about what I did on New Year's eve or make resolutions (wait. I might do that... the resolutions that is.) This post is a way for me to reflect on and analyse the year that went by and it may not be of any interest to you. Also, as of now I don't seem to be in a position to decide how long I'm going to go on. My past experience shows that it's safe to say that it's going to be reaaaallly long. So feel free to skip this; or read on. Whatever! It's up to you.

Meet my mutt Matt.

2010-12-30T17:58:00.000+05:30

A few days ago on my other blog, I mentioned that I had a new stuffed toy - my FIRST stuffed toy; and I had said that I would upload its picture soon. I guess 'soon' came around ten days late. So sorry for that.

I got this toy as a spontaneous present. Sandeep and I were at R City Mall in Ghatkopar on one of our usual evening outings and after dinner we were just roaming around, checking the shops out. I needed to use the restroom and he said he wanted to buy some things at Big Bazaar. So I told him I'd meet him there.

There's no room for Vanity in Bigg Boss's house.. well, at least not anymore

2010-12-25T05:49:00.001+05:30

Before I start off, I want to admit to one thing - I have loads of time at hand and I choose to utilise it by honing my writing skills (obviously, blogging is my first choice.) That's the reason there've been a lot of posts; especially in the last few days. Also, in my free time, I've been watching (among other things) Bigg Boss Season 4 (which is the adaption of the British reality show Big Brother) and I have soooo much to say about it. Well, just one of the inmates actually. I wonder why I haven't written about it till now?

Santa is a Mumbaikar

2010-12-24T15:06:00.001+05:30

This is in the 'Top 5' section of today's Mumbai Mirror and I wanted to share it with you guys (especially my friends who aren't in Mumbai.) It's the perfect post for Christmas Eve. So enjoy!! :)

Theories why Santa's a Mumbaikar

[and according to Mumbai Mirror, it's apparently good news for Bal-T ;)]

1. He comes really late, after the children have slept.

2. He goes on a social visit once a year.

3. He has a large belly.

4. He insists on travelling in his personal vehicle despite the traffic.

5. He speaks Marathi. Tonight, try asking him "Tumhi Mumbaikar aahaat ka?" (Are you a Mumbaikar?) and he'll go

{photo via weheartit}

("Ho" is yes in Marathi! :D)

And ultimately good sense prevails

2010-12-24T03:33:00.000+05:30

I don't know what had gotten into me a few hours ago. I had been toying with the idea for quite a while but I'd been unsure about whether I should do it or not; and by "it" I mean this extremely nasty post that I wanted to write. (I shocked myself when I read it.)

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-18T23:24:00.001+05:30

With Christmas just a week away and New Year a few days after that, there are festivities everywhere you go. I was at the mall sometime ago and it was totally lit up with colourful lights and decorative and glittery snowflakes made of thermocol. And it just made me feel soooo good and happy.

I was at Cafe Coffee Day and even the coffee had a festive touch. Take a look!

Just wanted to say, Happy Holidays!!! :D :D

Who said to Whom

2010-12-18T02:11:00.000+05:30

I'm not sure if the title is grammatically correct but we used to have this section in our language exams in school where we had to quote who said the statement, to whom and under what circumstances. My sister and I play this game where we quote dialogues from FRIENDS and ask one another to guess. It's really fun. It's also funny how my brother used this as a problem solving technique in real life. You'll see how.

My Current Obsession

2010-12-16T21:56:00.004+05:30

I don't want to start talking about Gizmos because lately I've been obsessed with quite a few. My obsession started when Sandeep bought the iPod Touch 4 and I was awed with the technology. Till that moment, I was never a fan of Touch Screen gadgets because I felt that it was too easy to press the wrong button because all it required was 'a touch' and hello, you can't use a gadget without touching it.

Why I'll never buy an expensive painting

2010-12-09T01:43:00.001+05:30

The blog has a new look... again! The last time you checked, you probably saw a mixture of brown, orange and yellow; blue and pinks before that; and an assorted range of varied colours before that. Point being, I keep changing the colour scheme of the blog and also the fonts for the post and gadget titles. I don't know much about designing a web page, so I operate within my limits when I give the blog a makeover. Earlier, it used to be once in four or five months, but the frequency has increased of late. I think it was only November when I changed the colour scheme last.

15 reasons why I looooove Winter

2010-12-07T17:24:00.000+05:30

Finally after having wished for it day and night for over a month, our prayers have been answered. The untimely and uninvited rains have disappeared, and have taken with them the gross and sticky humidity that had been around for almost six months! Phew! What a relief!

The last few days, things have been pleasant and wonderful to say the least! Although I've always known and said it, I just want to make sure that it's clear. I just looooove winter. Here's 15 reasons why...

All and sundry

2010-12-06T03:51:00.000+05:30

Wow! Five days into the month (well, okay! Six now...) and third post already? This must be some kind of record! I guess I'm in the writing-about-everything phase again where every single thing that happens or is said to me during the day has chances of turning into a blog post. Not that every single thing that qualified in this category made it to the blog when I was in this phase a few months back; but it's just nice to know that I'm itching to write again.

Multilingual

2010-12-02T22:12:00.000+05:30

So Sandeep and I were having a regular phone conversation and I said something in Marathi. Our conversations are generally a mixture of Hindi and English, and we use Marathi occasionally since we both know it.

"Our conversations are so multilingual!" he said.

"I know! I'm just short of speaking in Konkani (his mother tongue) and you, in Tamil (my mother tongue - mother's tongue actually since my dad's family is Punjabi) and then it would really be a multilingual conversation," I added. "Maybe we should brush up on our French as well so that we could use even that in our conversations."

"I know a little bit of German too," he said.

I got to say, just because you listen to Rammstein, doesn't mean you know German.

the red dress club - Prompt #1

2010-12-02T03:37:00.005+05:30

I recently joined this site called the red dress club that hosts writing challenges. I’d seen a few other bloggers participate and I couldn’t resist. For this week’s challenge we had two prompts to choose from and write a fictional story between 100 – 2,000 words. I managed to complete it in 1,968 words barely missing the maximum limit. So yeah, it is long ;)

The prompt I’ve chosen is the last line of this story that’s written in italics. Let me know what you guys think! :)

NaNoWriMo - Day 30

2010-11-30T21:01:00.000+05:30

Well, technically it's just day 22 for me because I signed up eight days late, but no one's going to wait for me. I guess I knew this when I started out that it was a death sentence. I may have even mentioned that when I started writing.

It's just a little over three hours left until I can submit my word count, but I am not going to, because when did 10,800 become great when winning the contest required at least 50,000 words. So even though I was on leave today, I didn't write much because I knew there was no way I could reach 50,000. I have decided to take my time, build the story and characters and do this systematically.

Caught the bloody Prankster!

2010-11-30T19:35:00.000+05:30

For the last few months we've been facing some kind of trouble. Someone has been ringing the doorbell and running away. It's so annoying; followed only by the sound of the bell rung two times in one go. You hear the bell ring and rush to open the door, and then you see that there's no one standing there. The thing is, since we live on the ground floor, it is so convenient for whoever it is to just run off either to one of the floors above ours or right outside the building.

Flipping out

2010-11-19T23:36:00.002+05:30

It's day 19 at NaNoWriMo and my word count has continued to remain at around 3,000 (which I managed to accomplish the first day I started writing.) I just have 11 days to finish and reach the 50,000 word mark which means around 4,300 words per day, which is not a bad thing if only I get around to actually sit and type the shit out.

Fill in the Blanks Friday #6

2010-11-12T23:01:00.000+05:30

Oh Gosh! It's been so long since I did this. After such a long time, I'm filling the blanks again from Lauren's blog. If you're new to this, here's what you have to do. Fill these blanks with your own answers on your blog and link up here or you can leave a comment on her post. Ready or not, here we go!

NaNoWriMo - Day 1

2010-11-10T05:06:00.001+05:30

I finally started writing today. I was toying with an idea for the last two days (since I signed up) and was wondering if it was the right way to go. I thought of other options but I nothing struck me as worth writing a novel about. So after talking to Sandeep and Ratz, I decided to stick to my original plan and start writing already!

If I'd started writing on November 1, in order to reach the 50,000 word mark I would have had to write 1,667 words per day and I was already eight days behind. So I calculated and decided that to still be able to achieve my target I would have to write 2,272 words per day. Oh boy! Targets and plans!!!! I'm never good at them.

I'm in sooo much trouble

2010-11-09T13:36:00.001+05:30

Sometimes I do things that I really could live without. There are things that even if I hadn't known about, my life could go on without a hitch. But I am a curious person and I ask a lot of questions. And that got me here. It's not that I am regretting it, because it maybe the most wonderful thing that could ever happen to me, but right now I am shit scared and I have to get going, which is why this is going to be a very hurried post (except for the spell and grammar check once I'm done writing! :P)

I am the worst when it comes to achieving targets. I make brilliant plans, I really do. And the plans are made to yield, even if I am able to keep up with even 60% of it (I'm not kidding!) But it's not in my nature. I am a very lazy person and I love to procrastinate. There always seems to be something better to do than what I have planned. Fortunately this time, I have to make plans for something I actually enjoy. (Well, we'll see about that!)

I could live without them...

2010-11-07T05:50:00.000+05:30

I wish I could really write about the 'people' I could live without, but no. There is no room for hate on this blog! Or in my life too at the moment. I'm trying to make my world a better place, you see. But I don't think others get the idea; and I mean literally in the sense of making "this world" a better place.

It was Diwali two days ago, and since it is a long festival, the celebrations are still on. It is supposed to be the highlight of the year in India; when it comes to festivities I mean. Otherwise the IPL (or anything to do with 1. cricket and 2. football) takes precedence over everything. People live for cricket here; well, most of them at least. I'm not sure what the situation would be like if Diwali and cricket coincided!

Idea!! Idea!!

2010-10-31T22:02:00.004+05:30

I thought I'd cook up at least one (more) post for October, but couldn't come up with something worthwhile. This doesn't mean that I didn't try. I did have a few things in mind. But they chose to remain as drafts until I pronounced them unworthy of being published. And then I deleted them.

So I have nothing more to contribute to the glory of October 2010. There is one thing noticeable though. Including this ridiculously insignificant post, October has performed better than the last two months, which is something in itself. Not something that I can be proud of, but at least something I can feel better about.

The Void!

2010-10-13T05:29:00.001+05:30

It has been a little over two months now and I still feel the same. I thought that with time, I would feel better. But I guess it's never going to go back to the way it was - for another five years at least, and by then, "the way it was" would have a whole new definition. Ugh! I am the worst when it comes to dealing with change; I'm like a little kid, or a really old person.

Change is good, or so I've heard. But I don't see any "good" in this. What's so good about my best friend being a thousand miles away from me, in a totally different time zone, who sleeps when I'm (supposed to be) awake and who's awake when I'm (supposed to be) sleeping; especially when I barely get to speak to her once a week (as opposed to being able to speak to her ~~almost~~ every day!), not to mention that I have been able to see her only because of skype???

Cruising over the Sea Link...

2010-10-09T03:32:00.001+05:30

Sometimes I doubt if I actually live in Mumbai; and when I say this, most of my friends would scream "Yeah! You don't!!" because they don't consider Navi Mumbai to be a part of Mumbai. I defend myself saying (almost screaming as loudly as them) Navi Mumbai is Mumbai as much as any place else, but then I have to admit that I do agree with them a little bit. It's just so far away from everything else in the city that it takes an entire day and a whole lot of planning to go and get something done.

As if I didn't have enough to worry about already, last year, Mumbai got another jewel on its crown in the form of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. And I hadn't even seen it - until May, this year. Two days ago, I ~~got~~ grabbed the chance of driving through it. I would've loved to cruise over it on my scooter, but unfortunately, two-wheelers aren't allowed on the bridge.

“Angel Song” by Sheila Walsh & Kathryn Cushman - A Review

2010-10-03T14:44:00.002+05:30

Ann Fletcher, has been away from her home in Charleston and works for a home staging company in New York. But there is one thing that pulls her towards the place that she’s forgotten long ago – her sister Sarah who’s graduating. What was supposed to be a happy vacation turns into a disaster that leaves her alone; almost!

Ann realizes that she can hear a beautiful tune that no one else around her can, except Sarah’s twelve year old neighbor Keith who has Downs Syndrome. Keith also believes that he can see angles and they talk to him. In the midst of struggling with the fact that she’s all alone and trying to get as far away from Charleston as possible, Ann discovers that she’s drawn back to a place that she’d detached herself from long ago and to people who are nothing like her.

The story line of the book is good, although I felt that it was stretched a bit long. But the story is very expressive and as a reader I could imagine the scene described by the authors extremely well. Ann’s discomfort at being continuously surrounded by neighbors she didn’t know at all and offering to help without her wanting them to, has been described in great detail. Although I’ve read books that have more gripping twists and turns than this one, it was still hard to keep it down once I started reading. I guess that says a lot about a book.

Jinx the Jinx

2010-09-06T00:53:00.000+05:30

Here's the deal; I'm superstitious. Actually I'm not even sure that 'superstitious' would describe what I am exactly. We may have to come up with a whole new word for what I am, because I am not traditionally superstitious; I have my own issues - some of which may fall under the category of "crazy."

Being superstitious in itself is not the problem; it's the craziness close to OCD that sometimes comes along with it. For instance, during an exam if the first day I followed a particular schedule and say the paper went well, I would follow the exact same schedule - waking up, brushing my teeth and taking a shower, getting dressed, taking the train, etc. at exactly the same time as the previous day and not try to alter that schedule as far as possible. Following a particular schedule, again, is no issue at all, but the pressure of keeping up with it and then worrying when something goes wrong is too much to handle.

I'm Alive..

2010-08-13T22:53:00.000+05:30

Given the scarcity of posts during the entire last month, I'm sure those reading my blog must be wondering if I've been thrown off the face of the earth. Let me assure you, I'm still here. Just haven't had the opportunity to sit and think straight for long enough to produce a sensible post.

Things have changed, circumstances are different and so is the state of my mind. And now that I have the opportunity as well as the patience it takes to write a post, I'm sure I can cook something up for ya'll.

That was just me with a short and sweet post, letting everyone know that I'm here... Alive and kicking.. not kicking really; just alive! :P

And this time the next few posts won't be so far apart. :)

'A Summer Secret' by Kathleen Fuller - Review

2010-07-12T16:57:00.000+05:30

“A Summer Secret” by Kathleen Fuller is the story of an Amish girl who lives with her parents and three brothers in a small town called Middlefield. One summer, Mary Beth, who is tired of her brothers playing pranks on her; finds a secret hiding place - a desolate barn that keeps her away from her brothers. She spends her afternoons in the barn drawing and writing in her journal.

But suddenly she gets the feeling that she her secret place may not be a secret after all. There is someone else who appears to not only know about the barn but also seems to visit there regularly. The thirteen-year-old girl and her twin brother, Johnny, set out to find who the intruder is. In doing so, Mary Beth and Johnny are faced with a dilemma - whether to obey their parents, or do what they feel is right even if it might make their parents unhappy or angry with them. And through all this, Mary Beth realizes that Johnny isn’t the insensitive brother who always plays pranks. There is also another side of him that is compassionate, caring and understanding – the side that she had known all her life and the side that she can trust.

It is a great read for a teenager. It describes in great detail the Amish way of simple living that doesn’t consist of things like electricity, a television or even a telephone– things that non-Amish people (or Yankees as the Amish call us) may consider necessities. The bond between the brother and sister that is re-created during the summer when they try to unfold the secret of the intruder in the barn is beautifully described.

Accolades… and my 100th!

2010-07-12T16:26:00.001+05:30

It’s a bright and sunny day outside these four walls. I am acknowledging the fact because I hadn’t stepped out of my house in the past three days. I was down with a fever, cough and eventually, got a cold too. I was so tired of being at home and having nothing concrete to do that I decided to get up and come to work even though I haven’t recovered completely. Anyway, I was tired of postponing my 100th post, especially after I knew what I was going to be writing about.

Over the last month, this blog - that has been my baby for about a year and a half; has been appreciated by quite a few people and they have been generous enough to let the fact be known by presenting me with blog awards. I am really very very grateful to each and every one of them. I delayed posting it on the blog because I didn’t want to brag. But as it turns out, it is not considered bragging in the blogosphere because you get to share these awards with other fellow bloggers. Awesome, isn’t it?

Fill in the Blank Friday #5

2010-07-02T15:36:00.000+05:30

It’s not that I am short of ideas for blog posts; I never am. But I’ve got just two posts left before I hit a 100.Yes, this is my 99^th post and I have something special planned for the 100^th. So I gave a lot of thought to the 99^th but then I gave up. I decided to write whatever came my way because I wanted to touch the 100^th mark. So here I am. It’s Friday again and I’m filling blanks from Lauren’s blog… You know the rules. Fill them on your own blog and link them up here.

At Work

2010-06-29T17:36:00.001+05:30

Surprisingly, that is true. Well, not for me. I knew I was going to be starting work in sometime. I meant surprising for you guys.

Over the last few posts I have been talking about making a career switch and given that fate was on my side all this while and its not-so-subtle indications right in front of me, I grabbed the opportunity with open arms and very happily, I am on my way to where I want to be.

Booksneeze

2010-06-24T14:02:00.001+05:30

A few days ago, I came across the best thing ever on the internet - a site called Booksneeze.com. And why am I calling it the best thing ever?? Because for an avid reader (and occassional writer) like me, it is.

Booksneeze is a book reviewing site. You join the site and become reviewers for the books offered by them. You wanna ask how??? It is very simple really. To register, all you need is your own blog.

Baby TV... Really???

2010-06-17T03:44:00.001+05:30

The media never ceases to surprise me. Whoever comes up with such ideas? Anyone who's been around a kid long enough shall tell you that too much TV is bad; and that goes even for adults because you seem to forget that you have a life of your own. But that is another topic, which by the way if I start rambling about, might fill a whole book.

I have cousins who are still in school and given the age difference, you can say that I have seen them grow up. And I remember each phase of their growth right from when they needed support for their heads, to when they didn’t anymore, to when they started to roll over on the bed, to when they started to sit up, to crawl, to point at stuff, to recognize colors, to their first tooth, to saying their first words, to standing up, to walking and then running behind them; everything.

Fill in the Blank Friday #4

2010-06-04T23:52:00.000+05:30

I know its been loooong since I did this, but Friday’s here again and I’m filling blanks from Lauren’s blog. She has great blanks this time. So fill yours and link up here!

If I were...

2010-06-02T22:08:00.003+05:30

I’m back with a meme this time. I’ve got too much on my mind now to write about it in detail. I would prefer to do that when everything is sorted out.

I saw this meme posted by janjan at between me and my thoughts and I’m just going to dive right into it.

Forbidden Fruit

2010-05-27T03:55:00.001+05:30

No! I am not talking about the apple that Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden; but something totally different. Before I go to what I’m about to say, can you do me a favor and check something on the right sidebar? Again, no! I’m not talking about the new buttons I’ve created although I’d love for you to place one of them on your sidebar. :P

What I’m asking you to look at is the blog archive for the last month (April 2010) and this month (May 2010). See the difference? I’ve written fourteen posts in April, and just five this month (including this one) and it’s less than a week until June begins.

Buttons, anyone????

2010-05-18T21:38:00.001+05:30

I know I have been MIA for almost two weeks now. It’s a long story and will be covered in the posts that’ll follow. But there is one important thing that I need to do here. I had almost forgotten that the poll ended Sunday night and I should have declared the results by now. Sorry… Was genuinely busy.

By popular demand, we have chosen Option 1 and Option 5 as the buttons of this blog. So grab one for yourself! :D :D

Say hello to Button(s)!!!!

2010-05-09T00:41:00.004+05:30

Remember how I talked about wanting to create a button for the blog. Well, I went ahead and did that. But there’s a problem. I ended up making five of them; not just one or two, five of them! And now I can’t choose.

I was hoping my readers could help me choose. So I’m putting up the buttons that I made, and at the end of the post, there’s a poll. Just vote for the ones you like the most and I’ll put the code up when ya’ll are done with your votes. You can choose multiple options and you have one whole week. Let me know!!! :)

I need a Button...

2010-05-06T23:30:00.002+05:30

Okay... Now that I’ve been in this bloggy world for longer than a year, I think it’s about time. I need to have a button because quite a few of you read me (or the stats on the right sidebar are totally bogus.) It’s not that I haven’t tried, but I just can’t have the right image or the right kind of button that is in sync with the theme of this blog and it’s gotta be pink(ish). How would a blue button look on a pink blog? Right?

Ideas, suggestions, even a mock up (I know it’s asking for too much) are welcome. If you can tell me where to look for a nice picture and what kind of picture to look for, I think I can handle the rest. I have like a gazillion fonts on my computer and I know how to work my way around HTML a little bit. I can edit a picture on Picasa and I have a Photobucket account. The only hitch here is that my creativity is choosing to leave me alone this time.

Ohh... And I’ve put up quite a few of your buttons on my sidebar... Yes, you’re welcome.

If you’ve made these on your own, you’ve got to tell me how you designed it and how you went about it. If someone made it for you, let me know how to contact them! You could leave a comment or write an e-mail to me at infinitedreamzzz@gmail.com

Whatever works for ya!

Talk about Meant to Be...

2010-05-05T18:34:00.000+05:30

One down, six to go – although I’m not planning on writing the last two which means I have four more papers to write before I can come out of the aforementioned metaphorical box that I’m in and I can’t wait.

The paper was good and for the first time and I can happily say that my marks this time are going to show that – although for the amount of efforts that I (hadn’t) put for the exam; I got off pretty easy.

In a Box

2010-04-30T01:31:00.001+05:30

I feel like I am in a box; which quite literally means this house. Also, when used as a metaphor, I guess I want to say that I’m stuck, trapped; and I don’t like it. Its not just about not being able to get out of the house more often or not having many places to go around here (because with all the heat, I’d rather stay at home!) but more about the feeling of not being able to do what you want to or rather doing something that you absolutely don’t want to.

I may not make any sense to you, because I am just letting some steam off so bear with me.

My First Blog Post!

2010-04-25T20:50:00.002+05:30

You all know that this is not my first blog post. I have written loads of them; and their frequency has increased a lot lately. But this has something to do with my first post on this blog. There’s this blog game and I’ve been tagged by Ratz from ‘What Can I Say!’ where we have to repost our first blog post. That’ll help the readers know how much of the writer and the writing has changed since the first post. I’m going to oblige. Also, I’d love to know how much has changed. I can’t seem to figure (much of) it out myself!

But before I repost, I must tag five other people to play along. So here are the others...

1. FM at Balamiya’s Calamities

2. Erika at Dear Dear Closet

3. Ekanthapadhikan at The Truth About Me-self

4. Kellie at kelleidoscope

5. Melissa at Little Mrs. Married

So here’s what my first post was!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

My First Blog!

Posted by Nikita

Every time I went through an emotion; a very strong one, be it happiness or extreme sorrow I have felt the need to pen it down. And this led to a lot of diaries with only the first few pages filled as I could never write about my feelings on a regular basis. Although these ‘Dear Diary’ moments have been very frequent in my life, I had been too busy brooding about them to actually do anything else.

And one day a friend introduced me to blogspot. It sounded very interesting. The very fact that you could have your own web page and write stuff about your own life was fascinating. And today, after yet another emotional debacle I couldn’t resist having one for myself.

The worst part is, now that I have actually begun to write, I am at a loss for words, which is very very weird since I am known as the talker who can’t shut up even when specifically asked to. But knowing that I have an unrestricted outlet to release my thoughts (this one being the second) gives me a little more comfort. Also, the fact that these frequent outbursts of sentiments will be a permanent record is an added advantage as they will serve as memoirs (hopefully having a complete account and all the pages filled this time...)

There… Now tell me how much has changed!! And those of you tagged, play along!! :)

Pimples are Mangoes' Best Friend

2010-04-24T13:40:00.002+05:30

Summer is here (though it was here even when winter hadn’t properly ended, but that’s not the point) which means its MANGO season; YUM! Aren’t they the best thing you’ve ever tasted? I haven’t eaten any other fruit that’s as tasty as mangoes. Strawberries maybe, but they are sort of sweet and sour and I for one believe that they taste better when they’re used as flavors in ice-creams or chap stick – not that they don’t taste good naturally, just that they’re better when used in other stuff.

Fill in the Blank Friday #3

2010-04-23T13:04:00.002+05:30

The rules are simple! Fill the blanks with your own answers and then link up here. Oh! And today's post has quite a musical feel to it! They're fun questions. Enjoy!

1. One song that always takes me back to my youth is “Do Re Mi” from the Sound of Music and a few others from the same Soundtrack; and “Papa Kehte Hain” from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in Hindi.

Early Morning Date

2010-04-22T17:31:00.004+05:30

Mushy post alert!!

If you’re the kind that doesn’t like to read mushy stuff, I suggest you just close the window. If you still want to go ahead and read this, don’t say I didn’t warn you! And you know me, I have a habit of going into details!!!

I haven’t gone on a proper date in so long, that I am tempted to call a visit to the Temple in the morning with Sandeep, a date. And if you see, once we were done with the darshan at the temple, it was kind of a date.

The Konnection (1) - Short Story

2010-04-20T22:16:00.001+05:30

Disclaimer:

The idea for this story is so totally not mine. The concept was forwarded to me by my cousin Kritika and she has been pestering me to write this story for almost a year now (though she says that she’s gave me the idea two years ago!) Anyway, it’s totally her story, I’ve only put it into words, and that too only because she wanted me to write it. Since writing is my hobby and story telling one of the things that I can do well, I decided to oblige. (I actually jumped at the opportunity!)

It took me a while to get into the right frame of mind to write a Love Story (I hope I didn’t give away too much already) but now that I am, I didn’t want to delay it any further. So let me not ramble any further because I have given due credit to the person whose idea this is. Here goes…

Fill in the Blank Friday #2

2010-04-16T13:04:00.003+05:30

Here it is again! Fill in the Blanks for this Firday hosted at Lauren’s blog! Glad that I’m posting this on a Friday and not on a Saturday like last week. And we’ve got good stuff today. If you want to play along, fill up the blanks on your blog and link up at her site. Yes, it’s THAT simple.

Chop Chop Chop!!!

2010-04-14T16:35:00.008+05:30

Sounds like I’m in the kitchen making some mixed vegetable dish; but I’m not. It’ll be a while until I step into the kitchen for good, because I know that when I do that, I won’t be able to get out – not easily at least. So I’m taking my time there. But that’s not what I’m taking about, is it? I’m talking about my hair.

Summer has just begun about a month ago and already we’re all in a stage where it is impossible to feel comforted by just the moving fan and we cannot have the AC on the entire day. Although the fan does provide air, it is still the warm and sticky air that keeps moving around the room. The body can still take it to some extent, but not the hair – especially not my kind of hair.

Fill in the Blank Friday #1

2010-04-10T12:50:00.002+05:30

I was getting bored of studying as usual and logged on to see what was going on over the internet when I came across this blog through another blogger friend’s blog and this is what they had both done. So I thought, why not? Sounds like fun! So here goes… And although it is Saturday here, it was Friday when they did this on their blog! ;)

Side Effects of Studying: #5 Addiction to Caffeine

2010-04-08T20:57:00.002+05:30

I’m going to do a very small post here because I have a splitting head ache that begins around my eye-brows and goes all the way down to my cheek bones, not to mention the pain I feel all around my skull every time I even move my head slightly.

I am done analyzing cause-effect relationships here because I am so sure that anything that’s going askew with anything in my body (and/or mind) these days can only be because of one thing! And for people who actually enjoy studying, I can’t even imagine how you can get yourself to enjoy it. You are in a totally different league altogether. I am only short of saluting you; and I am not even being sarcastic.

Kya Family Hai: #1

2010-04-06T18:49:00.003+05:30

It was a normal Sunday morning in our house (actually… in my Grandma’s house) and I had just reached there before ten. The kids were still sleeping and I was a little surprised when I saw three kids (all familiar faces :P), because only two lived there. I concluded that even Kritika was there. It just meant that I had to wake three of them up instead of two. No biggie!

I started to pull their cheeks and ran my fingers through their hair (which only made them feel nice and sleep even more). When that didn’t work, I nudged them and that’s when they realized that I was there. I was sitting on the edge of the huge bed and Rudransh was the closest to me. When he opened his eyes and saw that I was there, he didn’t wake up; instead he put his head on my lap and caught me by the waist and went back to sleep. Kritika opened her eyes a little wider when she realized it was me and asked me what I was doing there. I said I would tell her once she got up. It took a few more minutes of cajoling to actually wake Ananya up.

Just sayin Good Night...

2010-04-05T19:54:00.000+05:30

Far far away,
In almost another land,
As I tuck myself in,
I miss holding your hand.

I long to see you smile,
And meet your gaze,
That never fails to leave me,
In an eternal daze.

I want to hold you close,
And feel you here,
From all my heart,
I wish you were near.

It is painful knowing
That you are so far away,
I miss you every second,
Every moment, each day.

I know this is a test,
And we are going to make it through,
But no matter how huge the distances,
or trying the circumstances,
I will always love you.

Sec. 274(1) of the Companies Act, 1956... The Story of My Life

2010-04-02T20:43:00.001+05:30

I was on the phone yesterday night sitting in my study room talking to Sandeep when my mom walked in. The time must’ve been around past eleven. She walked in and just started talking to me about something all the while knowing not only that I was on the phone, but also fully aware of whom I was talking to. I was almost expecting to listen to a long lecture about how I was wasting time over the phone and on the computer (I generally also play FreeCell on the computer while I’m talking over the phone – full utilization of the break time by multi-tasking).

Fortunately, right about when she walked in, we were discussing something about studies after giving up on talking about the Deccan Chargers vs. Kolkatta Knight Riders’ match which by the way Deccan – the team that he and therefore even I support – lost. I don’t know how badly we lost because I didn’t watch the match, but from the disappointed tone in his voice, I’m guessing quite badly. These days apart from my CA syllabus, I’m also getting educated about cricket… bit by bit, but its happening and I’m getting there.

Short Story - You don't want to, but you HAVE to...

2010-04-02T02:00:00.002+05:30

The children playing in the colony compound, the guy sweeping the streets, the birds fluttering in the tree just outside the window, even the trail of ants on the sill of her kitchen window did not miss her eye as she stood there sipping a cup of coffee that was letting off steam when she started drinking it. It had been twenty minutes since then and she wasn’t even half way through. Somehow she sensed that there was something else that she was supposed to be paying attention to; there was something else going on somewhere around her; and yet she found herself distracted, and concentrating on everything but that sound in her background.

“Ma! Are you even listening?” said a voice behind her.

Lines from 'Chicken Soup...' - Updated

2010-03-27T19:26:00.001+05:30

I did a little book shopping at Crosswords yesterday and bought two things; one of which I had been really looking for, for about two months now. I bought ‘Breaking Dawn’ – the fourth book in the ‘Twilight’ saga by Stephenie Meyer and ‘Chicken Soup for the Indian Romantic Soul.’ I haven’t been reading my novels for quite sometime now for obvious reasons; so it didn’t make sense to start with ‘Breaking Dawn’ because I know that once I start reading it, I won’t be able to put it down. So I decided to start with the ‘Chicken Soup…’ because it has short stories hardly four pages long and it’d be like a refreshing break.

Side Effects of Studying: #4 Social Outcast

2010-03-26T23:55:00.001+05:30

Do you know who your best friends turn out to be when you’re locked up inside your house for weeks… ok… that was exaggerating it a bit… days together? Well, you would, if you remembered any of them at all. Ok, even THAT was exaggeration, but the margin is really tiny.

Being indoors for a long period of time, especially when it is self imposed can do wonders, really. It totally (and I mean a hundred percent) changes the way you look at things. Here’s a little story that’ll tell you exactly what I mean.

Side Effects of Studying: #3 Mood Swings

2010-03-20T18:44:00.000+05:30

For the last few days I’ve been shuttling between “Wow! I’m feeling so great!!!” and “Ugh! This sucks!” kinda feelings - regularly! This very obviously seems to be the third in the series of side effects that I’ve been suffering from on account of studying – Mood Swings!

Mood swings generally happen due to hormonal changes or chemical imbalances in the body (here’s how I’m so sure about it... :P) I can bet that THOSE aren’t the reasons for my mood swings. Then what could possibly be causing mine??

I Have Feet... So I Danced!

2010-03-16T02:57:00.002+05:30

Here’s something that tells me I had a little bit of life the last few months apart from my studies (and I have never been happier to write about something like this before... oh no! Wait... the time we climbed the Kalsubai maybe!!! But that doesn’t reduce the excitement about writing THIS one!)

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier it has been two whole months (and a few days) since I joined SDIPA (Shiamak Davar’s Institute for the Performing Arts) and my ‘Beginners’ course’ came to a sizzling and dazzling end on Sunday. The last two months have been quite an experience, to say the least :) Here’s why!

I Dream of Cup Corn

2010-03-10T19:40:00.003+05:30

My (maternal) grandparents are leaving for the US tonight (I just realized that this post should have been more about how they’ve already gone there about three or four times when I haven’t been able to visit even once! Some other time maybe.) My mama and Mami (uncle and aunt) have given us a list of things that they need from India; like farsan (snack items), some music CDs, etc; the regular stuff you know. One of the things on the list was colors used during Holi.

Apparently my little cousins there want to play Holi and the colors are available only in India. So we had to go buy them. Let me remind you all that it’s been 10 days since Holi and finding regular colors itself is a big problem 10 days after the festival is over; let alone organic colors (did I mention that they needed organic colors, not the regular ones??? Sorry... Doing it now! :P)

Side Effects of Studying: #2 I'm Always Soooo Sleepy

2010-03-10T00:04:00.000+05:30

Last time we discussed Insomnia; being unable to sleep. So what happens when you’re unable to sleep properly for a few days?? You become sleep deprived, since you spend most of the time rolling from one side of the bed to the other thinking, worrying and by extension not sleeping, when you’re supposed to be giving your brain and body sometime to cool off and refresh.

Lately, I’ve been having some trouble sleeping immediately after I lie down and that to some extent has been handled because I don’t get that feeling everyday. But it happens often.

Side Effects of Studying: #1 Insomnia Attacks

2010-03-04T15:11:00.000+05:30

It’s not even been three whole days since I’ve started making an effort at studying, and I’m already in THAT phase; the phase which dawned during the last thirty one days when I was preparing for this very same exam last year in June. And honestly, I’m a little worried already.

Last May, when I realized that my butt was on fire and I really needed to buck up; I can’t believe I actually was able to achieve it, but I studied for around twelve hours each day. The worst part of the whole deal was that I was so shit scared, worried and anxious, that I was unable to sleep. Yes, unable; how, don’t even ask!

Inspired!

2010-03-02T23:12:00.001+05:30

I was watching Legally Blonde (again) today and I realized something, that I had missed the last few times I saw the movie. For those who haven’t seen the movie; it’s about a girl called Ellen Woods (obviously blonde) who loves a guy, Warner something. Now this guy has an ambition in life; to be a senator by the age of 30, and plans on going to Harvard to study Law. Ellen on the other hand is a fashionista, loves pink, is the President of her sorority and has a cute dog named Bruiser Woods, who goes everywhere she does.

When high school ends, she feels that Warner will propose, but he breaks up with her instead because even though he loved her (or so he says) he couldn’t marry her – whatever that meant! So Ellen decides to study for the LSATs just to be able to get into Harvard to prove to Warner that she is good enough for him. But in the process, she takes the entire ‘studying Law in Harvard’ thing so seriously, that she ends up becoming a helluva student, the class Valedictorian and a helluva lawyer; and also gets the opportunity to turn Warner down when he decides to come back to her.

ICICI is Awesome!!!

2010-02-24T00:54:00.000+05:30

Finally, there’s something that gets a good review from me. They should be proud of themselves!!! :P

It was tentatively decided almost two days ago that we would go to the CA Institute to submit our examination forms; and I had my exam form delivered to my place around last Thursday (courtesy Sandeep :D). So any normal person would have been ready with everything that they required by Monday night at least. But for someone who is as lazy as I am, leaving-things-until-the-last-moment reaches new levels really.

Reverse Poker... ummm... What???

2010-02-16T04:04:00.001+05:30

Yes! It is exactly what it sounds like. Not the game per se, but the procedure of betting.

Suddenly, out of nowhere all the people in the group (excluding Aditya, Sandeep and me) have started enjoying playing poker. I have tried to understand how that works, but it’s something beyond me (like I already don’t have a lot of jargon to remember than having to learn about what ‘flush’ or ‘royal flush’ or a ‘full hand’ is… I think these are the terms that I heard everyone using and I hope they are used in Poker, or else this is as close as I am to bullshitting); so I didn’t bother further.

What I did like about Poker, was the conversations that happened when everyone was playing, the jokes, the pulling of each others’ legs and of course, the swearing; and that kept me tuned to the game even though it was the others who were playing, I was just watching and was not able to make head or tail out of the damn thing.

Has this happened to You???

2010-02-13T04:14:00.000+05:30

People, who know me, know me as a lively person, who keeps chattering and goes on and on even hours after people stop listening to or caring about what I’ve been saying. Obviously that’s the truth, but only partly. Recently I have discovered another side to this chirpy-talkative personality, and it has shocked me to my very core. Before I go on to that, let me give you a background about the way I am.

I obviously talk a lot (not immediately when I meet someone new, but once I’m familiar with a person and have spent quite some time with them). I love listening to loud music – my stereo must be tired of playing songs from all genres at such high volumes that right about now, it’s happy to be resting for a while. When I’m not doing anything else, I’m almost always on the phone talking to friends – if not discussing recent events in each others’ lives then reminiscing (because I always have something to talk about and it is not imperative for the other person to participate in the conversation; just fueling it would more than do the trick).

There's Someone Else

2010-02-06T21:12:00.002+05:30

I knew you’d eventually figure it out, but I have to confess anyway; make my guilt go away even if just a little bit. I feel terrible, and I don’t know how to break it to you. You must’ve noticed that I am spending lesser time with you over the past few days; and yes, I have someone new in my life.

I don’t know how it started, but I know that I have been a lot happier since then. Maybe it started when I realized that I was complaining a lot about all that’s wrong. You were always there – my confidante, my friend and my shoulder to cry on. You listened to me like no one else ever did, you understood every word I said; every emotion I felt, you were there for me whenever I needed to talk; let my innermost feelings out, I never had to think about what to say or how much to say; and in that aspect no one else can ever be compared to you. But I was tired of complaining, tired of all the things that I was doing wrong. That’s when I decided I needed a change; and that’s when I found him.

The Angel and The Demon

2010-01-29T00:40:00.007+05:30

Last weekend, I was on my way to Andheri (as usual) and these days my route has changed. Instead of taking a train to Wadala and then changing trains for Andheri, I take a detour to Mulund, to meet my beau so that we can spend sometime together while traveling from Mulund to Andheri to meet our friends.

There is always some timing mismatch between when Sandeep gets free and when I actually reach there, so this time, since he got off work much before I could reach there, he decided to meet me at Thane station and we took an auto from there to Mulund check naka (as opposed to meeting him at the bus depot directly).

Blogaversary!

2010-01-27T23:25:00.008+05:30

Every once in a while, we go through days that are a tad bit clumsier than; or not as normal as the rest. On one such day when my mood was a little on the lower side after an argument (almost certainly with my mom) I started writing about it, and well, since then I have been writing about anything and everything that I feel like.

And today, it's one whole year since THAT day. Yes, it's my Blogaversary!!! (clap clap!!!)

Cigarettes and Censorship

2010-01-25T17:27:00.008+05:30

I was watching Grease on Vh1 yesterday and noticed something weird during the movie. Every time any of the characters was smoking a cigarette, it was blurred out; and by “it” I mean just the cigarette. So there was the actor’s face and a small black cloud just outside of the mouth.

I then noticed something weirder. The cigarette was blurred only when it was between the smoker’s lips. When someone held a lit cigarette between their fingers after taking a puff, or an unlit cigarette it wasn’t blurred out! Huh?

In a week's time...

2010-01-20T11:48:00.004+05:30

In exactly one week, it's going to be a year - a WHOLE YEAR - since I started blogging!!!!! Yay!!! And I want to do something special because well, it has meant a lot to me. So yeah, I'm going to make that day count.

So wait up to see what I come up with. It has been an awesome first year and I hope you guys have had fun journey along with me.

- Azaad!!

P.S. So this is what a short and sweet post looks like???? I thought I'd never get to know!!!! :P

Best of "2 States"

2010-01-18T13:45:00.011+05:30

Remember I went on and on about how hilarious the book, 2 States was??? I couldn't stop myself from giving you a few (a lot actually) bites of the awesomeness I was talking about. So here are a few snippets directly from the book and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did. I couldn't go through the entire book once again. So as and when I come across a few more lines, I'll add them to the list. Laugh away! :)

Pretty girls behave best when you ignore them. (Of course, they have to know you are ignoring them, for otherwise they may not even know you exist.)

Have feet, Will dance...

2010-01-16T17:25:00.006+05:30

Have I ever mentioned that between 1996 and 2002, I have had at least two dance performances on stage each year in school??? Well, I’m mentioning it now!

Right from the fifth standard till the eleventh, I was up on stage twice a year to put up dance performances for Teachers’ Day and Annual Day (not counting the two dress rehearsals before the actual Annual Day function.) The next time I danced after eleventh, was three years later, in 2005 during our college festival when I was in my second year of B.Com. I haven’t performed on stage since, and it had been driving me insane; until Saturday (the 9th of January).

Alll izzz Well!

2010-01-16T17:12:00.009+05:30

Okay compared to the book reading score, this was a little delayed, but my first theatre experience of 2010 happened within 10 days (and I saw Sherlock Holmes 2 days later.) I saw 3 Idiots on Sunday and absolutely loved the movie.

Aamir Khan doesn’t look a day older than 25 (although he is above 40), Sharman Joshi’s performance has induced laughter as always and Madhavan, even with a completely different personality has succeeded in complimenting the other two excellently.

Well Begun..

2010-01-08T13:22:00.009+05:30

Its's just eight days into the year, and I have finished reading one book; already! Ahhh… feels like a good start. With the surprisingly pathetic record of last year, 2010 already seems a step ahead in every way.

So about the book I read - ‘2 States’ written by Chetan Bhagat; it’s a story about two people who meet at the finest B-school in India, IIM Ahmedabad and the strenuous effort it takes them to finally get married, the hitch being the cultural differences among the states of India to which these two belong. Contrary to majority of the reviews that I got from people who read it, I seemed to enjoy the book.

Facts of 2009

2010-01-08T12:22:00.013+05:30

Apart from the detailed story of 2009, here are a few facts (that I wanted to incorporate in the previous post, but it was already longer than I intended it to be! :P)

2009 - An Overview

2010-01-03T03:36:00.017+05:30

Note: I started writing this post on the 31st of December and wanted to publish this post just an hour before midnight, but I wasn't able to finish it. So the content will still be as I wrote it as on the 31st and not as if I am writing this one just now! :P

With just an hour left to spare, the year has almost come to an end; and along with the gazillion firsts that happened to me this year, it has truly been an eventful year – full of surprises. I’m going to try my best to summarize the entire year and still manage to have a short and sweet post, but knowing the way I am, it seems doubtful. So brace yourself, because there’s an entire year I am going to be writing about and I have a habit of going into details! :P

Another First

2009-12-18T23:53:00.009+05:30

2009 has had a lot of surprises for me (all of which I will summarize in a separate post at the end of the year, or the beginning of 2010, whenever I find time) and I’m gonna call it ‘The year of Firsts’. Yes… a lot of things have happened to me for the first time this year and I’m going to make a quick post out of this one, because my hand is killing me.

I have not mentioned this earlier, but in September this year, I made my first big purchase!!! I bought myself a bike!! Yay! So yes, I learnt how to efficiently ride it without hitting anything or anyone and within three days of its delivery, I was able to drive confidently on the road with traffic et all. I have been driving everyday since then (I’m not going to use the word riding here… I somehow don’t relate to that word. So even though a bike is ridden, I’m still going to drive it!). In the beginning it was just so that I could practice but later on I actually started using it for travel.

Hypocrisy and Indian Television

2009-12-10T05:22:00.014+05:30

I know I am more than three years late on the issue, but hey, I discovered blogging only recently and even with that, you need something called inspiration (or in this case, something that gets on your nerves so badly that you would want to vent!)

During dinner time in our house, we generally watch the prime time soaps (on weekdays) because that’s the only time during the entire day when my mother gets to choose what she wants to see and since we have the TV to ourselves the entire day, we don’t dare to object, although our preferences when it comes to television programs do not match at all (my mom watches all the stuff that my sister and I watch, but the same is not the case the other way around). So even though we don’t want to, we end up watching all the Hindi soaps (that's her idea of 'entertainment' :-p)

The Sky is Falling!

2009-12-01T07:34:00.012+05:30

After a long and tiring day at the office about two years ago, it was natural for me to fall dead asleep as soon as I was done with dinner. Those days, I had absolutely no track of time. It was as if all I did was, wake up to go to office, stare into the laptop screen for about ten hours and work my fingers through the MS Excel shortcuts, format workpapers, and take a long journey back home almost fifteen hours later only to have dinner and slump onto the lower bunk in my room. I don’t remember watching any movies, hanging out with friends; but since it was a long way to Andheri (where most of my client offices were located… Imagine, having to travel almost two hours each way to reach there when almost five years ago I lived just about fifteen minutes away!) the only way I had any social life was through my phone and I made the best of the traveling time by getting a lot of reading done.

A Perfect Circle

2009-11-26T12:10:00.009+05:30

They say, ‘What goes around comes around,’ and as of this moment, for me there is no other statement that emanates more truth than this one. At the risk of sounding like a little girl (I was a little girl when it all began,) all I want to say is that I can’t believe its true and its happening, but it is!

As a nine year old girl, the vibes that I released into the universe completed a full circle two weeks ago, almost thirteen and a half years later. And was the wait worth it??? It definitely was! :)

Even two weeks ago, I was no where close to thinking that it would actually happen. But life is full of surprises and this awesome one hit me when I had stopped thinking about it and left it all up to fate to decide what would happen. After thirteen years that comprised of not talking, (for a major part of it :-p) then becoming friends, having the best times, misunderstandings and everything else that is normal and mundane between two friends, life took a sharp unexpected turn on this Friday the 13th!

Drawing the Line

2009-11-13T03:26:00.006+05:30

I know I’ve returned to the blogging world earlier than I thought I would and this is a totally unintended and unplanned blog post but I have to have to have to write about this. Not forgetting that I have an exam in eleven hours, I’m going to be as blunt and straightforward and as to-the-point as possible (well, I’ll at least try!)

I haven’t been blogging over the last month or so but I haven’t disconnected myself from the World Wide Web! I have been accessing e-mails, checking (and updating) Facebook and twitter and about four hours ago I received an email to which I choose to reply via my blog (I've done enough of costing anyway!) and thereby lay some ground rules.