AND SPRING IS IN THE AIR….

…ha ha…because I am enjoying my “Spring Break”!!! Well ‘back home in England’ that’s the season in the calendar and so here I am…enjoying the V a c a t i o n…….

and so that I am not entirely disloyal to the spirit … am indulging in a bit of “Spring Cleaning”…rummaging through my neglected hoards of books, bags and shoes…let me share with you the experience…!

I started with the noble intention of re cataloging all my books…the unread & unreadable ones that I possess to show off that I am erudite; the pulp that I buy and read to show that I am NOT a nerd ;the favorites of bygone days that I intend to savor ‘on another day’; the naughty ones that my son must not find…not yet; the utter trash that I hope to dump on people who are too dazzled by my reputation as a “reader” and will thus not dare to comment upon ; the “texts” that I must read or have read due to my profession and which I hate and cant get rid of simply because of the fear that I might “teach” them once again….. the numbers add to 700 plus….. and my math is bad!!

And thus with my newly acquired skills in Excel I started off : genre wise, author wise, title wise…a veritable professional librarian!! And then the picnic started….how can you not read a few lines…how can you not read the ending to check whether what you thought had happened had actually happened…how can you not make a separate list for the books that were before & after or by the same author and which you should have possessed and you DON’T…!

It was a banquet….and seven days down I am still savouring….and what a dandy time I am having….ofcourse nothing is still back on the carefully labeled shelves( yes…did that too …neatly typed & all!!)…nobody can enter the room and I have only two days of “break” left….

When I was young …we always got books as gifts…nowadays people give me purses( not that I mind purses!! and yes I haven’t sorted through them yet!) ….but isn’t it a pity after all……….

Anyways so that’s what I have been doing dears…and yes in a way this has been a true Spring for me…the winter of ennui ( I wrote…. but only curriculum plans, pedagogy issues, strong official mails that bore even me) is hopefully over and I possibly needed my two harbingers of Spring to say : Mrs. D!!!! It's been ages! How are you? ♥ and Ditto…..

Thank you dears!!!

So lesson of this blog: even though the Sun glares at me at 38 degree plus… I shall “look in my mind’s eye” and remember the “Spring Break” as I travel 45 kilometres one way till June 15 when the skies will open over Hyderabad and I shall start on my SUMMER BREAK! Ha…..

Twists

Ever since I've joined college, it has become inevitable that I sprain my foot every year…well it's been three years in a row now, hopefully the final year's going to be better. The first time, of course, I was absolutely unprepared for the tragedy. While on an outdoor painting class, I twisted my poor little foot on an uneven rock, moist after a light drizzle. The pain certainly killed me and I could barely even limp, but it was the embarrassment of hopping across the campus with my arm on the shoulder of a rather concerned friend that made things miserable. Particularly when I got some sarcastic sniggers instead of sympathetic glances.

The second time it happened, almost a year later, it wasn't as painful or as dramatic as the first. I was even more mentally prepared to deal with the sprain (and the pain). A minor thing such as this would probably have healed really soon-all it needed was a little rest and a little care <3 <3 <3 ...but it turned out I'm not much of a 'rester'...and I managed to sabotage a potential quick recovery into a long, painful period of limping!

And just when I thought that the limping episodes became a thing of the past- I was in for a pretty rude shock this morning when I twisted my foot (yes, yet again) while hurrying to class. I was in denial for a while- I denied that it hurt, I denied that it was swollen (even though my foot was no smaller than a fat pumpkin) and even denied that it seemed to be turning a little blue. Hmmm…alright, so it took a while but I was finally convinced, that perhaps I should get back home while I could still limp.

A peek into the future!

Want to know what our future'd be like?
This might help :D

Enjoy! This clip is awesome!

A place for everyone!

If you're not on facebook yet, what are you waiting for? Because it's a big big world out there- and you're sure to find thousands of people with the same eccentricities like you! (Yippee!)




Here's a random list of some of my favorite groups- chosen on the basis of how amused I was to know of their existence :P







1. I believe the word 'studying' was derived from the words 'students dying'
2. If you Didnt study in an ICSE school..Then well i Just pity you.. :) /

if u aint from ICSE then stop faking that attitude..duh!!!! (okay okay, I'm a little partial to these :P)

3. Doing work at the absolute last moment…
4. sometimes when im walking i try keeping my feet in the little square tiles.
5. SHUT UP You Made Me Forget What I Was Going To Say !
6. I don't read the Terms & Conditions but I accept them anyway.
7. I love it when i know something i'm not supposed to know :)
8. Texting the person next to you stuff you cant say out loud
9. I Love CHOCOLATE !!!
10. I hate people who are irritating but love to irritate people
11. People that don't know me think I'm quiet, people that know me wish I was
12. GET UP!.... I AM UP !*goes back to sleep*
13. No I'm not lying, but when you look at me like that, how can I not smile?
14. I sleep less, i'm tired. I sleep more, im tired. What the hell?!
15. I TRY SO HARD NOT TO LAUGH WHEN IM GETTING IN TROUBLE!
16. How Headphones get Tangled up on Their Own, I'll Never Understand...
17. I hate those who ask For Extra sheet in an Exam!What the Hell r u writing??
18. Find your lookalike in the world
19. People who don't sleep enough because they stay up late for no reason
20. "Yes mum im nearly home!" *Hang up*... shit, i better leave now.
21. I regularly open my fridge and stand gazing inside for no reason at all
22. I don't smoke. There are cooler ways to die.
23. I LOVE TO SLEEP!!
24. I love the smell of rain.
25. HYDERABAD MEIN AISI ICH HAIN YAAROON...
26. ppl who say wassup even wen they kno d ans is ntn much..
27. yanna rascala, mind it!!!
28. When I Was Younger, I Put My Face Close to the Fan to Hear My Robot Voice
29. Sleep is the best form of exercise!
30. I PROBABLY SLEEP MORE IN CLASS THAN I DO AT HOME
31. I know someone that should be hit by a bus

Smile.

Happiness is contagious. This we have all heard. But to start the epidemic sometimes it takes quite an effort!!

The Vine

Just a poem I wrote when I had a lot of things on my mind...

I feel tears on my face; why

Have they sprung forth?

Salty ones, bitter ones,

Hopeful ones; and all I did,

Was glance at that grapevine.

I gazed for a long while;

How beautiful, how perfect

It seems! The way it coils

Seductively; in deep purple and green

Its leaves glimmer in dull light;

How the tendrils delicately curl

And cling tight around my finger.

How strongly yet gently it climbs its way

To the sky; oh, how it shines!

How its muddy roots stick deep in earth,

Yet how high it climbs!

How can some things be beautiful,

And others not so?

How can one shine in brilliance,

While the other is dulled by misery?

Why do You give your hand to some,

And wave it past some others?

Is this the game that life plays,

To taunt us to our own graves?

Drowned in giddiness, I swung,

And I gripped the wooden stake

That held that wretched vine.

I felt my fingers scrape at knotted wood,

I looked up at the pole that took the vine

To its abode; it was no different.

The perfect wood for the perfect vine,

Of course it was to be.

Lean, in shades of brown

Streaked with yellow, tinged orange,

And a sprinkle of black; a mix of colours

For a mix of passionate emotions.

It was rounded to perfection, yet there left

Certain ruggedness in its look;

And like the vine, its tall being,

Pointed straight to the heavens.

Almost as if they had journeyed there,

At the same time.

At that, my heart stopped;

With a thought, a question:

But how?

I studied the vine feverishly,

But I could sight nothing.

My mind fizzled, my heart stung.

How could that vine, so fragile,

With smoothened silk stem,

Un-hooked, un-roped, un-spined,

Un-lined with resinous glue,

Claw its way, with no hold,

Up that smoothened pole

To its destiny?

Another of Your miracles,

Is that not?

But I swear, I saw the true miracle,

As I turned my eyes to the stake

And back to the vine.

The sturdy wooden stake.

And the delicate purple vine.

Their muddy roots both buried

Deep within the earth;

Yet both their heads

Seeking to reach the skies,

As one.

They were entwined; not only

In fate; but in need, in love.

No hooks need bind them,

No ropes need hold them,

No glue need stick them

Together; nothing, but a need

To grow and flourish together,

In the sun, in the rain, in the

Harsh winter nights.

Nothing but need, and destined fate,

Knitted them together,

United.

As one.

Am I the vine?

Am I the stake?

Whose life is destined

To be entwined with mine?

Tears on my face;

They sprung forth.

Salty ones, bitter ones,

Hopeful ones; and all I ever did,

Was glance at that grapevine.

Never too old! Never too late!

‘Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things.’

— Noam Chomsky

I still remember how delighted my dad was when I first taught him how to download music- now our computer's filled with the 'golden oldies' :-)

There's always a thrill in discovering something new- exploiting available potential! For instance, my dad introduced me to bitter dark chocolate when I was about three years old just to see how I'd react to it (my very first encounter with the food of the gods!) And boy! Have my parents realised my potential as a hardcore chocoholic J Because even today he recalls how enthralled I was at my first tiny little nibble- my eyes widened, and I quickly and firmly caught hold of his hand, and tightened my grip around it- 'Give me MORE…'

Or like how my mum discovered Sudoku- how regularly practicing it bettered her memory. It was wonderful initially because she remembered all that we needed from the stores, or all that we had reminded her about before leaving for school/college/work. But we were a little disappointed we she also began recalling all the things that we took for granted that she'd forget (Okay okay! I'll finish those chores!)

The other day I discovered how to add texture to photographs- and it amazed me to see how excited I was! Anyone would think I discovered aliens on Mars. The fact is, well, it really is impossible for anyone to be too old to learn something new or find excitement in a new discovery. We're learning all the time- whether we like it or not.

Almost year ago my parents finally bought us a seven and a half octave key board- learning the piano was always a childhood dream- but at nineteen? I mean kids half my age already played like professionals. I learnt, however, to never let an opportunity go- because it gives me immense pleasure today when I sit down and play Beethoven's masterpiece- 'For Elise'- flawlessly (well almost J ) So what are you waiting for? Life's short and there's so much to do. And if my grandma can text at 65, I'm sure picking up that guitar ain't gonna be that hard ;-) because "The man who is too old to learn was probably always too old to learn." ( ~Henry S. Haskins)

Ohmigod! I'M FAT!

I can’t even count the number of times this little scene has taken place in my life:

Friend: “Hey, take a look at the new pics! They’re awesome!”

Me: “Ooh, show me, show me!!”

… (A few seconds of stony silence)

Me: “Oh. My. God. I look so fat! Delete that picture, NOW!”

Even if you’ve got a figure that makes even Megan Fox envious (fat chance of that happening!), when you look at those cheesy pictures of yourself, you can’t help but blanch. When did your hips become so wide? After all, hips don’t lie. And those thighs look like mega-sized salami sausages. And you don’t even want to get started on your backside, or even your face, which seems to have acquired multiple chins especially for the picture-taking occasion.

After years of agonising over ‘pounded’ pictures of myself, I set out on the ultimate quest: to unravel the mystery behind the extra pulpy flesh that magically adorns my body in all the wrong places in every picture of mine.

Turns out that we have someone else to blame for our apparent fatness…thank god I’ve got nothing to do with it.

Studies have shown that camera pictures DO make you look a little…err…fuller. The easiest way to say this is that light bends around the outlines of your body (i.e. your hips, tummy, backside, chin, cheeks, etc.) and makes them appear minutely diffused. This causes it to look a little bigger. Many photographers say that cameras add exactly 10 pounds (about 4.5 kgs) to a person in a picture.

However, your posture, clothes and lighting also play a role in determining your picture’s figure. Heads bowed down give images of triple chins; placing the arms directly down your sides makes your arms look fatter; feet and knees stuck to each other enlarge the hips, and so on.

Anyhow, in the end, it’s not your fault you look fat in those hideous, blackmail-worthy pictures. So take a breather…and continue your diet.

Happy New Year All! :D

Turning over a new leaf!

"Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits."

~Author Unknown

Once again, it's that time of the year when we all decide to turn a new leaf. When we leave behind an amazing experience of three hundred and sixty five days. Over the last fifty two weeks, we've all tasted success, confronted failure- we've laughed-cried, perhaps lied. We've hurt and have been hurt. But most importantly- we've all learnt something to take with us into another wonderful opportunity called the New Year.

Its it funny how we resolve each year to be better, nicer, kinder or stronger. Because I've tried it all- resolving to take out time to exercise, to work harder, wake up early, submit assignments on time or just help mum in the kitchen more often! But as you probably would have guessed- I got caught up with my routine all over again - and all these wonderful promises naturally took a back seat. I guess that's one of the reasons I stopped making resolutions a long time ago. Besides, it sounded ridiculous to wait for the end of the year to make amends.

But when I do think over it, the beginning of each new year gives a lot of us a chance to reassess ourselves and our lives- despite it being just another ordinary day on the calendar.

Either way- this year's been great with all those ups and downs, tears and smiles and much, much more! Because one thing's for sure, I'm all set to battle another year now and make the most of it too.

Happy New Year All!