Two and Two Squared

Twenty four days left for me to turn Twenty Four. Sigh. If the plans I hatched over a decade ago had worked out, I should've been happily married to Daniel Radcliffe, with a couple of Harry-Potteresque kids along the way by now. But life (or the delusional one I had back then) changes. And now I get to write this ridiculously long Birthday Post instead! (Don't blame it on my narcissism. Blame it on my age.)

So. When I hit the Second Decade of my life, I wasn't ready for it. A Year Later, I made a wishlist, that, miraculously, came halfway true at least (have you read the bizarre things on it? I'm surprised even some of them were met!). After That, I listed out my eccentricities (because, you know, they're not that obvious at all.). And finally, Last Year, I resigned myself to growing old.

After the hyperlink infested paragraph, I come to this year. With the Grammys (No, that word does NOT mean a couple of grandmothers and I'm capable of being musically knowledgeable too.) being in the news, I decided to give this year's lengthy list a new melody. This is the soundtrack of my life. A playlist, if you must, with the songs that keep recurring dangerously in my mind, thanks to odd situations they represent. (After twenty four years, I've realized that 'odd' is ordinary in my life.)

24. 'I have a Dream', Abba - I have the weirdest dreams. Seriously. When I was sixteen, I dreamt that a classmate of mine from college was a serial killer and I was his next target. The dream was so life-like, I actually avoided the poor boy like the plague until I graduated! This year, I'm going to turn this song back to what it originally was. And maybe ping the chap if I see him online (oh dear. That means I'd have to unblock him first.)

23. 'If you're not the One', Daniel Bedingfield - Does anyone else read Daniel Bedingfield and wonder if he's sitting on a mattress in the middle of a paddy farm? Oookay. Maybe not. So this song used to play over and over again in my head, only because I had no one to sing it to and wallow in heartbreak. I still don't. But I wonder sometimes, if people really do feel as emo as this dude felt.

22. 'Kitabein Bohot Si Padhi hogi Tumne, magar koi chehra bhi tumne padha hai?', Baazigar - Seriously. If one more person asks me if  I can read faces/minds/hands/feet/endocrine glands, I will push them off the rooftop of wherever we're standing. (I'll bet Shah Rukh did that to Shilpa Shetty for the same reason.) I'm a psychologist. Not a clairvoyant.

21. 'Be Happy', Aqua - Hehe, I just added this song because I really liked it. And I still do. Despite the balding Ken and the blue-mascaraed Chick and the very cheesy everythingelse. And sometimes, it just starts playing in my head and the day looks brighter.

20.  'Hot Child', Nick Gilder - I heard this song only a couple of days ago, and I can't get enough! It *totally* represents 2009, 2010 and 2011!

19. 'Can't get you out of my head', Kylie Minogue - I don't even like this song, but I can give you a handful of bizarre things that I just *can't* stop thinking about. My current obsession? Chocolate Bread.

18. 'Wuuudn't It be Luverly', My Fair Lady - Wuuuuudn't it be luverly if we got to eat Chocolate Bread for breakfast everyday?

17. 'Hips Don't Lie', Shakira - No, they don't, my friend. Not even when you've indulged in chocolate bread and hoped the calories would disappear as an early birthday present. Sigh.


16.  'I am sixteen, going on Seventeen', The Sound of Music - And I always will be. :) However old I get and however long and painstaking the birthday posts become.

15. 'Apologize', Timbaland & One Republic - Admit it. Even you've tried to hit the highest pitch on this song and attracted weird looks in a crowded market. If you haven't, then it isn't tooo laaaaate  to begin now. The stares people give you? Priceless.

14. 'Big Girls Don't Cry', Fergie - Haaah. Tell that to me in a movie theatre, as you try and waterproof your surroundings. Won't work. Now. Or ever. Movies were made so I'd cleanse my eyes. Even the slapstick, horrible, I-so-want-to-kill-the-guy-who-made-this type of movies.

13.  'Superstition', Stevie Wonder - I've heard this song, ok? I've not just randomly written it here because it fit the number and my personality.


12. 'Leaving on a Jet Plane', Justin Timberlake - If you don't already know about how my aerophobia has driven me crazy, then this title should explain it. And also, the fact the I like the Justin Timberlake version more.

11. 'Firework', Katy Perry - So I don't burst crackers because of child labour and environmental pollution. Doesn't stop me from singing this number like there's no tomorrow! (God help you, if you're around when I'm in the 'Firework' zone.)

10. 'Crazier', Taylor Swift - Does this need any more explanation?

9. 'Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast', RandomAkshayKumarMovie - Is it weird that every time I listen to this song, I think about a person being unnaturally obsessed with cheese?

8. 'Kal College Band ho Jayega', RandomEarlyDaysOfMr.BajajMovie - I want to go back. To college. And sing this song around the green trees and wide roads...and stick my tongue out at that rude librarian.

7. 'FunkyTown', Lipps Inc. - Because I feel like dancing every time I hear it. (And that's usually a rare phenomenon. The dancing, I mean.)

6.  'Hey, Soul Sister', Train - Best. Song. Ever. For the best soul-sisters ever. :) This includes the Foo Foos, The Glove and the gang of gal pals I've had all through my life. Also, best Bathroom song ever. Seriously. I could win a Grammy with this one and a soundproof shower.

5. 'Jaane Kyun Log Pyaar Karte Hain', Dil Chahta Hai - I've wondered this every single day of my life. (You know, when I'm not over-indulging in Mills and Boons. Which...uh...I only read on flights, of course. To combat the aerophobia. Only.)

4.  'Vaadi Vaadi Vaadi Vaadi Cute Pondatti', TamilMovieDon'tBeShockedIUnderstoodTheLyrics - okay, so the Youtube video had subtitles. But if all Tamil songs have such a kickass beat, I really need to brush up my language skills. (The last time I heard a Tamil song, I thought they were singing an ode to an egg. And the shame of it all? I speak Tamil at home. Or parts of it, clearly.)

3. 'Yeh Taara Woh Taara', Swades - Because counting stars on a moonlit night is the best way to forget all troubles in life. Instant dose of happiness, this gives me. (The counting, not the song.)

2. 'When You say Nothing At All', Ronan Keating - I'll bet a LOT of people feel like singing this to me. Or maybe you feel the same after having spent half your lifetime reading this post. Sometimes, I worry if God will tell me one day that I've finished up the quota of words I can talk in a lifetime. That can't happen....can it? I really should start talking less. :-/

aaaaand....we reach Numero Uno! So if you've survived this literary-ily challenged gabfest, and are two seconds away from murdering me in your minds for having wasted SO much time of yours....what can I say?  I was...

1. 'Born This Way', Lady Gaga. =) 

Happy Birthday To Me!

P.S. For further details about what to gift me, kindly contact in the comments page. I've activated comment moderation, so don't think I'll publish stinky opinions of what you'd like to get me instead. 

The Illusive Eyes

Illusive eyes. They peek at you from behind the bushes. They seemingly camouflage amongst the rustling leaves when you look at them. You can feel them watching over as you drink your first cup of tea in the canteen. You feel as though they laugh with you when you crack up over a joke with your friends at the 'adda'. They're always around. Sitting two rows behind you in the bus. Driving behind you as you customarily peek in the rear view mirrors at the signal. You picture them sitting in front of a screen not unlike this one, reading your every word, feeling every emotion.

Why are they illusive? Because they don't exist. But the trauma of one experience is good enough to make you believe that they do. The eyes gaze at you once, and you just know. They'll never be satiated with one glance. The eyes will return to torment you in nightmares, day-mares and probably year-mares even. They have the power to turn you into a paranoid twitcher who constantly glances over her shoulder, almost as if the eyes were to descend on this very second.

*That's* the power of being stalked. Words can never probably justify the feeling, because the eyes do the talking. You haven't seen the eyes before, maybe not in a long while, but you know that they're there somewhere. Watching.

But then again, maybe they're not. Maybe the stalker was content with one look and disappeared into oblivion. How would you tell, though? The paranoia that the stalker leaves behind as a remnant of his deed lurks about you constantly, enveloping you in a cold blanket of suspicion.

It is a strange phenomenon, stalking. Perhaps not everyone falls in the category of those people who seek voyeuristic gratification. Maybe they're simply shy to walk up and talk. Maybe they fear, or even resent, rejection. But how can one tell the difference? Once stalked, the victim pigeonholes all peeping toms into the category of treacherous villains. It isn't easy to extricate an innocuous follower from that pigeonhole, once he has been categorized. Attempts to do so would only show a momentary lapse of caution, maybe vulnerability even.

The illusive eyes fade away with time, one hopes. Maybe, just maybe, the phase is transient and the eyes find another object. Or maybe the eyes come to terms with the fact that some meetings and relationships are simply not destined to be. The Illusive Eyes that they are, the illusive eyes they'll remain.

Chennai Chronicles

I like Chennai! What can I say? Put me in a city with friends, a brilliantly stocked library, a dessert parlour and you've earned a loyal fan for life! Delhi and Bangalore became my soulmates like that as well....and finally, after much prodding and nudging, Chennai has entered the list!

Its been eight years since Chennai became my 'semi-home town', and each trip to the place consists of Fruitshop, The Beach and the library. This time was slightly different. So here's a tribute to the city, and the smart trio (that includes me too) that made history there! :D

I spent three blissful weeks lying around doing the best of nothing and being completely pampered with food and remote control. The porch swing and I became inseparable as I devoured book after book after book until I suffered from an overdose (not that it's a bad thing!) The week in Bangalore whizzed past me like a colourful comet and I had some fun reunions with old friends (including a hilarious lunch with my college gal pals...really, it's amazing how we've stayed so wacky even now!) Then came the weekend when the trio got together.

Their bus journey, I shan't describe since only Sneha can do justice to it on her blog. At least that way, SOMETHING will come on that poor blog. (Oh, off topic, but I'd like to tell you, Sneha, that your blog is rusting. You might want an intramuscular tetanus before you venture near it.) So my job only began with picking them up and bringing them home. And for some strange reason, I feel like narrating the rest point-wise. It just cuts out the fringes and makes everyone's life simpler.

1. The movies we saw. Shopaholic was only seen by me, as the two tried to sleep off their justified 'jet lag'. Bride Wars was nice ok? And totally cry-able. Sorry, but I get a little sentimental when friends give up weddings for each other. Wait till it's your wedding Reenu! The day's not far when you'll need to get your wedding hall waterproofed! :-P and He's Just Not That Into You was slightly confusing since I had not slept too much and the movie had too many characters for me to comprehend. So there went the movies, kaput.

2. The BEACH! Marina beach, not-so-early in the morning reeks of fish, but what's more fun are the characters that hang around there. There was this drunkard who warned us to stay away from the waters since the Tsunami was coming. There was a flasher who decided to sit right in front of us. There were two men who kept talking to the waves and urging them to come to them...and when they heeded, they'd run like sissies (the men, not the waves.) there was also a man who had walked right out of a board meeting and decided he'd play Baywatch for a day. Sigh. Those poor formal clothes. The waves were really high (high tide, new moon day) and the water was refreshingly clean....except for the occasional unidentifiable black objects and coconut husks. Anyhow, clearly we had enjoyed enough to bring back most of the sand! (See Sneha? Now I don't need to pack it in a friend's economics paper to get it for you! :P)

3. The BEACH part II! Elliot's Beach is the most awesomest place in this part of the world. Really! There is no other place I'd have the guts to wear identical shirts with my two wacky friends and go gallivanting on the sea shore acting completely crazy on a Sunday evening. Honestly, we gave Chennai people SO MUCH entertainment that weekend! :D That carousel (ok ok, merry-go-round) ride, the funky fluorescent wands, the loud songs we sang all around Besant Nagar..made the beach part II even better than the first one.

4. The food. When we're around, can food ever be ignored? Not only did we eat some very interesting stuff in the form of that lebanese wrap (guys, please don't ever let me try that again ok? I'm still not too sure about what went in it.), we had a one-by-three Jughead Special that warranted dirty looks from the waiters at Fruitshop. We finally ended it with that late night pizza dinner. Seriously, sometimes I think that waiter still wonders what mistake he made with our bill and why he gave us free overpriced ice creams instead of the usual scoop in a cup! :D And yes, Reenu does eat a lot of food. There, I've said it on cyberspace! :D

5. The Pictures! It was Diwali that they'd come for after all...so the pictures not only were colourful but FUN! The elevator picture that we finally perfected, our star wars themed powerpuff movie starring the wands, the beach and the beach thingamajigs, home and the convocation ceremony! :D The entire trip was chronicled in pictures that spoke more of the fun than this blog. For a change, I managed to send them on time! * Applause *

So anyway, Chennai was fun this time around, being with friends and family. Maybe enduring that 2 hour 30 minute flight in the dangerous skies is always worth it! :)

Colourful Roominations.

My room is pink. I was born into a pink room. When my grandfather was overseeing the construction of the first floor in our house, he decided that a grand-daughter would merit a pink room. A couple of days later, when I was born, the pink was commissioned.

I have very few, but fond birthday memories in that pink room for the first couple of years before we trotted off to Delhi and lived in rented homes (where thankfully no one had an insight to paint the room pink for a prospective girl to stay in!) with off-white colours. It was only when I returned to my pink room did the troubles begin.

My classmates from school would come over for project discussions and what-not, and I would continually be embarrassed at the pinkness of the room. The boy classmates would be stunned to see anything that pink, and the girls probably thanked their parents silently for not being subjected to such a torture. I tried very hard to disguise the colour though. I went through a distract-people-from-room-colour-by-drawing-attention-to-bright-curtains phase, a cover-every-inch-of-visible-room-colour-with-animal-posters phase and finally when nothing worked, I bought myself a can of blue paint (oil paint actually, something I bothered reading only after splashing it around) and began to paint the room, my cupboard and a bookshelf.

The bookshelf and the cupboard were completed in time, but when it came to painting the room, the ADHD in me lost interest and that resulted in a huge square of blue in the middle of a very pink wall. It brought out the pink of the wall, really!

I finally gave up and convinced myself that pink is a fab colour to live with, and I should really focus of enhancing it rather than camouflaging it. (That was because my mother put her foot down refusing to let me try painting it another colour after the blue fiasco.)

Today, the room has finally changed colour. The house was being repainted, and my parents thoughtfully decided I should get my wish and have this room painted a different colour. They chose a beautiful orange cheesecake type colour and really, it looks very delectable. But it's no longer pink, and I actually miss that. I miss seeing my blatant attempts to hide it, those fading scotch tape marks that held my animal posters, that blob of blue (which incidentally took the painters a FULL day to scrape off the wall!), the growing up pictures, birthday poems, Topaz house flags, the loud curtains that tried to steal the limelight and the bed covers (which were also pink!).

Of course, I no longer live in that room, so I should technically not be bothered what colour it is/was, right? But the room represents my childhood, and I have memories related to every little scratch I have made in that pink room. It's now changed colour and matured, maybe so should I.

Time to fly? Sigh!

I was four when I stepped into an airplane for the first time. I was allowed to wander down the aisle, collide into the stewardesses who loaded my fists with candy, and basically smile benignly at all the passengers as if they were attending a feast thrown in my honour. I remember thinking back then that I should do this kind of thing more often and flying is the best thrill of life.

Fast forward sixteen years and you have a different me. One who steps out of the plane and looks upward in silent prayer that she's landed on solid ground. Whose knees are actually shaking (not because the pilot is cute) but because she is finally out of the big bird of the skies. I have 3 weeks of fun and sun to look forward to, but at some teeny tiny corner in my brain, I'm dreading the flight back! What makes me think like that, you ask? Here begins my 'adventure in air' (like those Famous Five books...except mine was not all that adventurous, but for my decidedly boring life, I'd like to call it that, thanks very much.)

1) I enter the airport two hours early, misjudging the distance between the airport and my college (which is only 10 minutes, but I conclude that it is halfway across the universe.) I check in, complete security check and rush towards the McDonalds counter gleefully to grab myself a humongous glass of Iced Tea to last me the wait.

2) I meet a kindred spirit who is also going home and we indulge in a lengthy conversation about everything and beyond. (I asked her name about an hour after we chat!) My flight is now boarding and I step into the plane.

3) It's a new airplane and there are screens in every seat. My antiseptic alter-ego makes me use my iPod headphones instead of the ones they provide. So ear infection has successfully been prevented. The flight takes off and I settle down to watch some weird movie involving a camera that sees the future. (It was called Aa Dekhen Zara, something I figured out when the credits were rolling and the title track came on at the end!)

4) The food is served, I devour the chocolate brownie, spinach quiche and indistinguishable paneer and check the time- around two hours to go, I realise, and look out - the fright begins then.

5) It is considerably dark outside, and the sun is melting slowly into the sea of sky. The aircraft wing lights are blinking in rhythm and the flight cruises on the blanket of clouds.

6) Suddenly, I feel the bumps. What begins as a harmless thud escalates into positive bumping, like the plane is riding on the Gurgaon road filled with potholes. The pilot switches on the seatbelt sign and the stewardess screams in the PA about not getting up from the seats. At one point, she actually screams 'Get back to your seat MAAM and don't get out until I SAY SO!' (she sounds exactly like a hijacker and I begin to wonder if they learn these dialogues from them.)

7)I distract myself and look outside the window. Big Mistake. I can see the sky lighting up every couple of seconds. Lightning, it suddenly strikes me! (Not the actual lightning, but the thought.) I see it stab the clouds viciously every few seconds, inching closer and closer to the aircraft. I look around frantically if anyone has noticed it - everyone is so engrossed seeing Bipasha Basu gyrating in a sleazy Thai pub, that they apparently don't deem it necessary to write out their last wishes (which might never be found anyway, so they have a point.)

8) As the flight trembles more violently, I wonder if it's a good time to listen to that devotional channel in the aircraft audio and bribe god to make us land carefully. I look out again, the lightning becomes brighter and closer. I wonder if I should try and salvage my original certificates and passport from that overhead cabin while jumping out of the plane. I wonder when the stewardess will instruct the emergency exit passengers to 'co-operate' and open the doors in mid-air.

9) The flight stops trembling and swoops down, as if to attack it's prey. I cautiously look out again, and this time I see an iridescent city glowing below me. The lighting has passed, so have the clouds, and all that remains is the city below the aircraft. I wonder if he's making an emergency landing in some other city.

10) It turns out that we've finally reached our destination, and as the flight touches the runway, the breaks come on at full speed but the flight just goes on and on....the airport passes us (or we pass it) and the flight still refuses to stop. (The aeromaniac in me tells me that we might have skid on the wet runway and will end up overshooting it). It finally stops thunderously close to the boundary wall and I hear a collective sigh of relief. It turns out everyone on the flight has been just as paranoid.

I've flown a dozen times this year alone, and this has GOT the be the worst flight ever. Blame it on the weather, or the grudging pilots (incidentally, the airline I flew is on an indefinite strike since yesterday!) or my aeromania, but in three weeks I'll have to fly again. Sigh.

Head over Reels

I like Hindi Movies and I cannot lie. To frown down on them disdainfully, I really try. But it just doesnt work. On the outside I can appear as a pseudo-artsy type who will discuss French and Iranian films, Mis-en-scene and Montages. But inside, I'm a Hindi movie freak. I can burst into a little jingle if the movie of my choice is playing anywhere around me. 

It started with Hum Aapke Hain Kaun....a fitting movie title for my first tryst with cinema, dont you think? While my parents fidgeted in their seats, waiting for those fourteen songs to get over and be done with, I was starstruck! I watched in delight at Salman's gaudy clothes, Madhuri's gollywog hairstyle and her sister's Colgate smiles. Even now, Pehla Pehla Pyaar hai happens to be my all-time favorite song despite the small pleas of my sensible mind which tells me that they are mutilating the pool table on which they sing it. 

Then came Baazigar and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. My folks recall how my cousins and I would squeeze into the boot of our old Maruti 800 and sing Yeh Kaali kaali aankhen. They never gave up hoping that we'd stop if some passing car might take pity on us and give some loose change! And Mere Khwabon mein jo Aaye made getting wet in the rain the ultimate ambition of every little girl! Baazigar was actually censored for me, I was not allowed to watch the last few scenes, due to their gory nature....actually, I still havent watched them......and I have no idea how it ends....but I'm sure Shahrukh takes his revenge and the hero shall triumph...not letting me down. 

DDLJ, however, I have watched over and over again. I never get tired of those songs, the ridiculous dialogues and Kajol's weird clothes. Everytime, I sit on the edge of my seat biting my nails as Simran runs down the platform to grasp Raj's hand in the last scene. It just has some magic that will never fade away. 

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was my next muse. I think I wanted to watch the movie on the day before my Math exam....the only time I had ever rebelled against studying! I clearly didn't have much practice in rebelling because I didn't get my way and had to finish fractions before watching Rahul explain the funda about Romeo and Juliet. The little kid in the movie was so charming, and a flood alert was issued at the very beginning of the movie in Swagath theatre, as I began my crying spells the moment the movie began with the funeral. 

Then came Kaho Naa Pyar Hai....I still remember the shock Sneha and I got when Hritik fell off the bridge and drowned. We could NOT accept that the hero dies, that too in the first half of the movie. The duplicate never convinced me completely...but I decided to adjust. :-P and take it with a pinch of salt. 

Dil Chahta Hai was THE film in my 10th std. I remember how the songs became such a rage, as did Goa. Incidentally, I did go to Goa that year, but came back hugely disappointed with all my filmy expectations thrashed. Aamir Khan, however, became my perfect Hero and in some quaint corner of my mind, I cherish the dream of being shown Sydney the way it comes in the movie, with the helicopter et al. 

Since then I've fallen in and out of love with Shahrukh in Swadesh, Veer Zaara, Main Hoon Na, Don, Aamir in Lagaan, Fanaa, Ghajini, Rang De Basanti, Ranbir Kapoor in Saawariya, Imran Khan in Jaane Tu and even both the protagonists in Dostana! 

I have never disliked a movie that I've watched in a theatre. (Ok, except Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne lage...I mean, even the actors will second me on that one). I've laughed, cried, sang and danced in all those movies. I wonder how people can frown upon these movies being shallow and lame. But that's what retains the charm and the distinction of something being a fantasy and not a boring chunk of real life. 

Logically, the plots makes as much sense as scubadiving in a sewer. Still I get tickled to no end while watching Andaaz Apna Apna (The king of logic defying movies). The first thing I do every morning is scan the papers to see if any over-the-top, melodramatic, ultra-filmy movie is playing. My day is made if it is! I know after reading this blog-long torture of the magic in hindi movies, you all would be rolling your eyes and saying 'Grow Up'....what can i say? I'm head over reels in love with Hindi Movies! 

Yo! It's Yoga!

My demented title name gives the secret away. What yoga has done to my sanity and creativity...or the lack of it. It isn't all bad though. Sure, yoga lives up to every one of my glossy diet magazine expectations of staying fit and healthy. My temper has been at bay for so long, I have forgotten how to lose it. And I spend my days blissfully ignorant about my scary future college prospects and urge my family to 'breathe deeply' when they panic and decide to panic for my sake. 

But it ain't all good either. Here is a general overview of what happens everyday. I mean it, it's almost like a dejavu. 

I enter the hall. There is an eerie silence which is penetrated by a grunt from Mr.Reebok at one corner. He attempts to stand on his head, an aasana that we wont be taught for another couple of months at least. Anyhow, he still attempts it, half successfully and Reebok can be proud of the extent to which their stretch pants, well, stretch. I turn away so he doesn't catch me giggling from his upside down position. 

I look to Mrs. Smiley. She smiles. Asks me which college I come from. I reply politely that I have graduated. She smiles (sympathetically now) and asks if I am searching for a job. I smile back (reassuringly) and say, no, I'd like to study further. She smiles, puzzled, and turns away to the wall, smiling. 

Another Mrs.100% attendance sits next to me and asks what I'd like to study. I reply 'Psychology.' She puts in her two cents rather enigmatically. 'Psychology and Yoga. One science compliments the other. Do you teach your patients yoga? ' My mind fights with me. Tells me to convince her that perhaps, just perhaps, Schizophrenics might not like to be taught Vajraasana. But I take in that deep breath and cross my legs. 

The instructor enters. Mr.Soul Reason, I call him. We all begin, an eclectic few. As we do the stretching exercises (Mr.Reebok is on Cloud 9), I glance around to see if anyone can make out that I cant even touch my toes. I am the thinnest in the class and yet so inflexible, that cardboard makers could earn a fortune by using me as their mascot. I spend most of my exercise time in looking around to see how much I can accomplish in that race to the toes. 

The aasanas begin. They are fairly simple. And fun, since I can do most. Until we reach trikonaasana. We are supposed to form three triangles with our body and the ground. You do the geometry. I just end up looking like a twisted jungle gym (who still cant touch her toes, rendering her triangle incomplete) while the rest of the class manages to achieve the perfect pose in synchrony. I sigh. And pray for the seconds to pass and Mr.SR to say 'Sloouly Staap'. Immediately after this aasana comes the Ekapaadapavanamuktaasana. Little kids are charmed by the name. So charmed that they don't really bother trying the aasana itself. Older people try desperately to get their kneecaps and foreheads to meet. Surprisingly, I manage to do it perfectly. I look around triumphantly as I see everyone around me writhing and struggling to make the ends meet. Just as I re-do the aasana to teach these poor mortals, Mr.SR looks at me sternly and says 'close your eyes'. Hmph. So much for achieving the perfect pose. 

We move on to Praanayama. No snide comments on this because I still keep my eyes closed, and so do others. 

Finally we reach my favorite part - the shavaasana. We lie down and I contemplate life (or mentally replay yesterday's prime time soap). As Mr.SR (who incidentally begins this everyday by telling us to relaaix the soul reason - it took me three days to figure out he meant sole region.) The silence is pierced occasionally by Mr.Reebok's abrupt and scary snores. Clearly, when the brand says comfort, he takes it too seriously. 

We turn to our right and get up. I open my eyes slightly to watch Mr.Reebok. He seems to be in his own REM world and continues to lie down. It takes me all the patience and constraint that I have learnt in Yoga not to laugh out loudly. We recite the finishing shloka. In our second line, Mr.Reebok's Baritone joins our weary chorus. (I am sure Mr.SR prods him to wake up everyday, but I still have to find the proof. One day, I'll spy a little more keenly.) We all finish and stretch our legs. Mr.SR thanks us, and we all spill out of the class, rather sleepily. 

I smile at another classmate while getting out, and in an attempt to make polite conversation, I ask her where she works. She says, 'I'm studying in II BCom.' And gives me the cold shoulder since that day. Hmm...I guess Yoga is a solitary pursuit after all! 

A deerly written post.

The mind, as they say in Sanskrit (and Hindi), is like a deer (or some equally frisky animal). It keeps moving from one topic of interest to another. I managed to take a note of everything my mind touched upon in just one hour of English class on a particular Thursday afternoon. (Actually, this happens every Thursday afternoon in that particular English class...I've just given up trying to figure out what she is teaching.) 

So anyway, it amazed me to see that I was able to think in and out of a hundred various thoughts which were totally disconnected. 

The two incidences of multiple murders of old people in Jayanagar that occurred within a span of 5 days. I always thought of Jayanagar as the safest, non-controversial and greenest locality. Looks like the first adjective has to be knocked off. The next two seem to be on their way out as well, what with the Metro prying its way into Rose Garden Road. 

Ms. Malathi Holla. What a remarkable woman, really. It wasn't just the way she drove all around Bangalore in her modified car (She is a wheelchair user, by the way) , but her attitude towards everything in life amazed me. It also made me squirm rather guiltily because I had just about decided that my world was coming to an end because I couldn't understand my Journalism project. 

Chaat on Clothes. Will I ever learn to eat like the English do? Or even the French? I almost attack my food in a barbaric way and my clothes decide that they want a bite as well. I always drop chaat on them. Never anything else. (but of course, nothing else matches up to the stains of chutney anyway.) 

Development Communication: Huh? What's that? 

Indian Politics: One amazing history it has. From the time Nehru, Patel and Gandhi together decided to take India by the reins and run it smoothly, till today, when Dr.Manmohan Singh is at AIIMS for a bypass surgery. It's like one long movie. Did you know that Laloo Prasad Yadav named his daughter Misa after the MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security) act? It was the time he shot to fame in the political scenario. 

Slumdog Millionaire: My English lecturer slammed it by saying that it rose to fame only because it fit the Occidental perspective of Inida. The audiences lapped it up and poverty was glamorised to a large extent while the vast middle class population of India, the true heroes, was blatantly left out. I will have to satisfy myself with that opinion until I watch the movie. 

Indian Of The Year: For the first time, the Indian of the Year awards by NDTV made complete sense. (I have my doubts about a certain category but that is not too relevant here). Really, the unsung heroes of Mumbai, including the staff of Taj and Oberoi were given standing ovations as they received awards. I don't think there was a dry eye anywhere, including in my living room, especially when Karanbir Kang spoke. 

The Presidential Ceremony: Schoolchildren in Delhi were cheering for President Obama on his big day. Do these school children even know the name of our President? Can they be blamed really for not wanting to know? 

A's wedding: This is one event that has been coming and going out of my mind for the past several days. A's married now, and it's been a week! She's all wife-y and everything and here we are, trying to understand Developmental Communication. No complaints though. Given the time, place and situation, I'd rather be cramming up pages of theories and approaches to Dev Comm. 

Histrionic Personality Disorder: I've diagnosed a participant on a very popular reality show to have this disorder. She fits into every single criterion for diagnosis. Now I have to somehow convince parents that watching this mindless show can actually help me further my prospects in the career. 

See? If one calls the Mind a deer (or some equally frisky animal) then mine sure did a lot of exercise that day. Sigh. If only I was as active as my mind. I wouldn't have had to replace Dairy Milk bar with Granola Bar (which are available in India, thanks to the LPG model by Dr.Manmohan Singh, I hope he gets well soon. He's one politician who has appeared in my class X textbook and is still living to tell the tale, albeit slightly monotonous.)  By the way, dont you think Abhinav Bindra and Dev Patel resemble? (See? there my deer goes again!) 

Change! – be warned- it’s nothing short of a full blown rant

Ok. The oh-it’s-a-new-year-so-i-have-to-make-drastic-lifestyle-changes-in-the-form-of-resolutions-that-are-never-met phase is over. While the world (and some friends in particular) implores me to Change! Change for the better! Be cooler and more conformist to the society’s vision of being cool! , I have chosen to go on and live like how I did in 2008. All you hear in the first few months of any New Year is Change (and I am not referring to President Obama’s campaign rally). People almost want to erase their follies in the past year and start on a crisp new page. So I encountered various friends these weeks who made me think about ‘Change’ and it’s importance in my life.

 Anyway, my first encounter was a call from a friend. Or so they’re called these days. It was someone who met me, decided I was not good enough to hang out in their company, and just returned a call of formality. Reason? Maybe I’ve changed. Maybe they’ve changed. Maybe one of us has changed we’re incompatible as the friends we used to be.

 Another encounter with friends (although this one was wa-hay nicer) changed my ideas of incompatibility. We met, we laughed, we goofed around and we talked ‘twenty’ to a dozen. I realized that we’ve not really changed at all. We’ve known one another almost forever and I guess that’s what made the difference. No matter how much I change, it wont make an iota of difference in our relationships – we know each other beyond concepts of Change and fitting with the ‘In’ group. Sure, our tastes will change in food, clothes and movies. But our tastes in friendship will not change because we’ve matured beyond frivolous things like that.

 Then came an unexpected day out with college pals. We headed out on our bikes, buses and autos to give out invitations for a seminar. That part of the outing occupied about one-fiftieth of our time. We decided on lunch instead of attending English Class and trooped into a restaurant. We became the objects of observation for the entire place as we laughed and held sizzling brownie sundae eating competitions. We didn’t need to change and look all ‘Sophisticated’ because that’s what ‘everyone’ does. Nor did we look like dehaatis who have never seen chocolate before. We looked like us. A bunch of self-assured, intelligent (in terms of the worldly ways dude!:-P), jovial girls don’t need to change just to be noticed.

 It’s really a complicated thing. Something that I will not blather on with. Expecting your friends to change just so that they can be your friend is not really the best way to describe friendship. If you’re my friend and have changed drastically, and expect me to do as well, then it’s not going to work. I just wish you behave normally with me or at least spare me the trouble of acting all plasticky with sugar-coated flattery thrown in. change is something one does to make oneself a better person from within, not to appear as a better person from the exterior.

 

 

One Self-obsessed tag coming up.........

1. What is your occupation? I am really occupied with the television right now. I fell from the stairs so there is little I can do without moving many muscles except watch hours of mindless television. When movies are coming non-stop, why not? 

2. What color are your socks right now? They are purple with yellow smiley faces all over. I kid you not. Bangalore is cold and these socks are incredibly warm. My dentist actually complimented them! (One of my rare happy moments during those 4 years of torture) 

3. What are you listening to right now ? There seems to be a huge traffic jam outside. So I can hear a couple of frustrated, clinically depressed megalomaniacs who seem to find it therapeutic to use their honks generously. 

4. What was the last thing that you ate ? I ate a couple of cashew nuts and dried apricots. I've taken a strange liking to them. 

5. Can you drive a stick shift? I can, but I don't want to. Do you know how easy it is to drive in a car which has automatic gears? I spend half my driving time doing complex mathematical calculations about the speed of the car, the distance from a potential speed breaker and the gear I must switch to in order to prevent a thud thud thud thud......screech.  

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Dude, where is my phone? I've been searching for it since yesterday and have found a lot of other interesting things instead (like sheets of sparkly red wrapping paper). I need to go hunting for it now. The irony is, when I have my phone with me, I don't get any calls. When it's languishing somewhere in the depths of my clutter, I get tons of calls. 

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I will always like this person who sent me the tag. Although I must say Iysh, you've found an excellent way to fish for compliments! :-P 

8. How old are you today? I feel about a hundred and twenty four, having sat on the couch all day. But I think I am 20 years, 9 months and 14 days old. Does that make you feel happy Sneha? 

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? I really like watching rhythmic gymnastics. Really. Ice Skating is also very nice. But since both these programs come on DD Sports with the commentators' voice being as dull as boiled cabbage, I have switched over to Tennis now. 

10. What are your favorite drinks? Hot water with Honey, tender coconut water and cold cold milk without sugar (not all of them at the same time though.) 

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Not yet, but apparently my hair is naturally streaked with strands of brown and black. Or so I've been told by people who just like to watch me getting flustered about the oddities I have. 

12. Favorite food? Hot aloo paranthas with dollops of butter, dal makhni, cold cold curds and jalebis to finish this meal. Anyone planning to cook this for me? These restaurant places are soooo crowded. I want to eat this meal by the seaside, with only the chatter of waves being my companions. Weird combination, I know. Paranthas and seaside - but Hey! I can fantasize about these things cant I? 

13. What is the last movie you watched? Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. I really really liked it ok? OK. Actually, I just like all movies....so this is no exception, and if I show off once more that the lead actor was my batchmate from college, I'll only invite groans....so I'll end it with 'It's a nice movie'. 

At home I saw Casino Royale - I'd like to change my favorite food to a serving of Daniel Craig please. 

14. Favorite day of the year? March 4th. Because I know there are 6 days to go before my birthday so I can wait for it with anticipation...and yet not feel bad that it's too close. I always hate March 11th. I feel OLD. these days, I feel OLDER as little things around me are still in their teens and I'm asked to tell them 'How it feels like' 

15. How do you vent anger? Well, I generally vent it out AT the person. If you have been at the receiving end and are still (remarkably) on talking terms with me, then you would know best. I shout, yell, stomp and head bang in true filmy style. then I calm down and apologize (If I started the fight or was being unreasonably angry). I haven't lost my temper in a while though, so either it's a very good sign or the calm before a storm. 

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Ooh..I had a Doctor Doctor Set...with the cutest and tiniest Stethoscope and pretend bottles of medicine and a syringe. I would assume the world has been struck with an epidemic and would run around treating everyone...by checking their heartbeats in the shins! (Don't blame me...I could only reach that high) 

17. What is your favorite season? My birthday falls in Spring, so I like that season. I like summer for it's fun incentives - like ice-creams, beaches and holidays. I like the monsoon season because I love walking in the rain, or reading a good book by the window. I like autumn because the trees give the orange sun an inferiority complex. I like winters for that smoke thingy that you can blow if you step out early in the mornings. Ooh...and eating spicy chat in the cold weather is the best treat! So basically, I like all seasons. 

18. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? Ok. If you really want to. Chances are I will be replying only three weeks later, but you can take a chance. 

19. When was the last time you cried? Ahem...shall we return to question no. 13? That would be the last time I cried. Yes, I cry at all movies. Even in those terrible Amisha Patel ones where she is torn between crying and wheezing. It just means I involve myself completely in all movies. If you've accompanied me to some movie and are reading this, STOP SNICKERING. 

20. What is on the floor of your closet? Dude, it's not the floor, it's just the bottom-most rack. All my skirts are down there. Once in a while, I rummage through, find them, sigh wistfully about wearing them someday and shocking everyone, and then go back to plain ol Jeans and a shirt. 

21. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? Well, technically Varun would be the friend I have had the longest, with our ties going as far back as our parents. Since he will be extremely busy right now, I'll fast forward to Sneha, whom I've known for 16 years, so that's pretty long as well. Here is something you can do in your hols! (instead of messaging me and making me feel jealous that you're free and I'm at college) 

22. What did you do last night? Umm....I ate a huge Ice cream sundae and watched Shrek III. :) I think I fell asleep halfway though...I dont remember how the movie ended......

23. What are you most afraid of? Lizards, and Robbers entering my house from the balcony. (Really weird innit? Most girls dream of Romeo entering through the balcony and here I get nightmares that Robbers will use the same passage.) 

24. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburger? Cheese, not so much. I like mayonnaise on my burgers. I like mayonnaise on anything. I like those HUGE HUGE burgers that smear ketchup all over your face when you take a bite! Of course, I like eating them alone, or with people who've seen me in more hideous avtaars. 

25. Favorite dog breed? Irish Setters and Cocker Spaniels. Fine, even that mongrel outside my house that gives me puppy eyes if I walk past him with a sandwich.

26. Favorite day of the week? Thursday. It's close to the weekend, but college still hasnt closed. I LIKE going to college dude. It's not that abnormal also. 

27. How many states have you lived in? Delhi and Karnataka. 

28. Diamonds or pearls? Ummm...Diamonds all the way! I'm not the dressy type, but even I would fall for those glittering pieces of heaven! Pearls are pretty but you really neednt invade a sea creature's privacy just to wear earrings. 

29. What is your wish for this new year? It's a secret. I hope it comes true. *Fingers crossed* 

30. New year resolution? Hmm....I have a couple. But they're secret as well. There are things in life that even I dont disclose on world wide web. 

A poem..dedicated to fate. My fate.

Tonight I'm off to the Cyber City

With a terrible bout of allergity

Triggered off by filter coffee

This ought to be lotsa fun. Wheee! 

Marooned!!

You know, I had this dream once where God had decided to be considerate on us Bangaloreans and bring a beach to the city. One day I would step out and see my house turned into a houseboat, right in the middle of a vast endless ocean of aquamarine blue and the only way I could get to other places would be with the help of a raft. Very Famous Five-ish.

But today I realized...dreams do come true. I'm beginning to regret the fact that I didnt pay too much attention to the coach during my swimming lessons. Now there is no way out of this place.

Oh dear.

I'm drowning.

Glub
Glub
Glu........b.

Tagged again! :)

What have you realized recently?
Chocolate muffins can release endorphins that not only elevate your mood and remove stress, but they also apparently eliminate your paltry will power to study!

Have you given your first kiss away?
Nah. I'm single, not yet ready to mingle, and haven't met anyone who makes my heart tingle! OK.....so it's a pretty lame rhyme...but can hearts tingle?

If you are stranded on a deserted island, who are the 11 blog buddies you will take along with you?
Hah! Firstly, I don't have 11 blog buddies. I might have a couple, but since I'm stranded, I might as well take the book Snow, by Orhan Pamuk with me.....it's been lying unread for the past 5 weeks...I'll end up finishing the book at least.

Where is the place you want to go the most?
Hmmm.....I want to see ALL of Europe and South America..but for now, I'm content with just going to that new mall and sizing it up. It's supposed to have a Westside, Landmark and Inox...clothes, books and movies....and I can get 'em all with a hop, skip and jump from my place!

If you have one dream to come true, then what would it be?
Well, literally speaking..I got a dream yesterday that my English HOD presented me the Nobel Prize for Literature after she read my answers in the exam. If Freud had his way, then I guess it means I'm suffering from an inferiority complex of writing literature answers...but it's only a dream....so I wouldn't mind it coming true! ;-)

Do you believe in seeing the rainbow after the rain?
Well, the raindrops have to be at the correct angle for dispersion to occur and rainbows to be formed. But on a sunny day if it drizzles, yeah, I look out for a rainbow. Besides, I've seen TWO rainbows together as well....just scroll down this blog....you might catch it there!


What are you afraid of losing the most now?
Dude...I'm afraid of losing my Literature notes right now. I've written pages and pages about the plight of Oedipus...if I don't find it in my room then I guess I can kiss that dream of winning the Nobel Prize goodbye! ;-)
What I want to lose, however, is my weight.....I've discovered this most divine bakery that has chocolate muffins...and from the business I've been giving them....I need to start searching for my sports shoes and lose it all.

If you win $1 million, what would you do?
Haven't I already answered this? I'd like to go backpacking across Europe, please. And probably buy a permanent suite at Hotel Hershey.

If you meet someone you love, would you confess to him/her?
No...I'm too shy to do that. I swear! If you're reading this and wondering whatever happened to that irritatingly loquacious and bubbly kiddo who squeals out everything...then I guess you must know that I'm not all that kiddish...or irritating...or bubbly. Sigh, but I cant dispute loquacious.

List out 3 good points about the person who tagged you.
Iysh?
1) She is extremely determined about doing the IAS, here is one person who believes the country has to change and is actually working towards it! Hats off to you, Iysh!
2) She is very prompt and punctual...something I noticed when she would be the only person ready bang on time everyday!!
3) Thanks to her, all of us ended up feeding our faces with Rum Cake and acting like lil kids on the terrace at 12 in the night on 27th May! ;-) Did the birthday girl get a bite of the cake at all??

What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?

Well, I'm a southpaw, so I want my right half to be just as competent in writing and handling spoons and forks. In case I fracture my arm (Like that's ever going to happen..considering my dangerous sedentary lifestyle) my other half will work just as well as my left half!

Wait...you mean the life partner-other half types? Aaaah...then I require good genetics-probably including an incidence of twins in the family, someone who doesn't have the genes of protruding teeth, obesity and weak eyes and hypertension. Otherwise, I just like powerful, intelligent, handsome, funny, intriguing, happy people. Not too many expectations there! :-)

What type of people do you hate the most?
Unqualified Cynics. The kind of people who have never stepped into a BMTC bus and yet go on and on about the mismanaged transport system of the city. They anger me to no end.

What is the one thing that you cannot live without?
Sigh. I've answered this before as well. I cant live without my gift of gab. Also, that bakery with chocolate muffins.

If you have faults, would you rather people tell you about it or keep it to themselves?
Depends on who is doing the telling. If it's someone I know well enough to really point out my flaws for my benefit and not just out of spite, then I might like it. If they're not too close, then they can keep my faults to themselves, thanks.

This question has gone for a walk!
Excellent. Even questions have begun to go for walks and here I am...wanting to do it for months. Was this question supposed to give me a hint? Point taken. Hmph.


Are you a shopaholic?
Yeah! Only when the shopping is for me.

Find a word to describe the person who tagged you.
Zealous! (Sorry, it's a word I haven't used in a really long time...and it really describes you when it comes to your ambitions!)

If you have a chance, which part of your character would you like to change?
There really isn't anything I want to change about myself. But I'd like some people to take me more seriously and not just consider me a floaty-happy-bubbly person.

What's the last shocking thing that you have seen or heard?
Haha..it was this article I read about Sarah Palin in the Newsweek. Shockingly Nasty! But it was the kind that makes everyone chuckle and wonder about the plight of Palin if she does succeed in becoming the Vice President.

Would you rather have money, but no love, or love, but no money?
I want lovely money! My answers seem to get cornier by the question!
Seriously....I think I'd rather have the money since I haven't found love yet...so I'm not willing to bet on love.

Okay..since I have to tag this to another person, I pick Sneha! Welcome to the blogging world and pass on this chain!! ;-)

I'm tagged. Finally.

Blog Tag.

Last movie seen in a theatre: Jodha Akbar, I think. It seems ages ago. The last movie I saw on DVD was John Tucker Must Die. Interesting movie. Very interesting hero! ;)

What book are you reading? P.S.-I Love You.So far, it's been delightful...cant wait to get a copy of the movie.

Favourite board game: Snakes and Ladders. A bit primitive, compared to the fundoo Computer games now but nothing beats the joy of landing on a ladder!

Favourite magazine:The only thing I have managed to read so far is the menu in the Google Cafeteria. I shall proceed to more intellectually challenging topics once I get back to my oh-so-interesting life at Bangalore.

Favourite smells: The smell of butter that lingers on the fingers after a Benne dosa, Hot Apple Pie, shampooed hair, Johnson and Johnson's baby cologne, Heavenly!

Favourite sounds: Wind chimes in a mild breeze, the 'ping' in Gtalk, listening to my own self jabbering away endlessly.

Worst feeling in the world: Stomach Ache :( and Lonliness which are often connected.

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up? What's for breakfast?? ;)

Favourite fast food place: McDonalds, The Google Cafe (technically , it isnt fast food because we waste hours lingering there....but the food still rocks!), This benne masala place in NR Colony and Sugarcane juice stalls in the dirtiest streets of Hyderabad!

Future child’s name: Anything that doesnt begin with a V. All my life I've come right at the end in the roll call. No child of mine will suffer the same fate.

Finish this statement, “If I had a lot of money I’d… go backpacking across Europe in style. (Since backpacking would save a lot more money, I'd spend the remaining on an Island off the coast of Australia.)

Do you drive fast? I have won a slow cycling race at School once, do you think I would classify in the 'Fast Drivers' category? but on a more serious note, I have driven fast a couple of times, when I accidentally pressed the Accelerator instead of the Brakes! ;)

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Yes I do. And two of them. For the past twenty years. So sue me. :P

Storms - Are a lot of fun to watch on TV where houses fall like a pack of cards. They are fun to be in when you are stuck with a nice company in a deserted house by the Sea (this fantasy is yet to come true though.) And they are fun to listen to when it's dark and the only company you have is backstreet boys music. (this has, sadly, come ture several times).

Do you eat the stems on broccoli? I still cant spell broccoli if you throw the word randomly at me. Do you think I would eat it then? I am a desi vegetable person.

If you could dye your hair any colour, what would be your choice? I like my hair just the way it is. Thankyouverymuch.

Name all the different cities/towns you have lived in: Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and currently Hyderabad.

Favourite sports to watch:Tennis. Only when Roger Federer is playing. And winning. And offlate, I've begun to love playing and watching Foosbal. is a good friend.

One nice thing about the person who sent this to you: PS - he gives me a fresh perspective to things in life, and for the first time, I have actually begun listening to an opinion different from mine. And of course, he's always there online for me to bore.

What’s under your bed?I haven't really bothered looking under the bed in my room. I go to sleep only at unearthly hours everyday so the top of the bed looks way more inviting than under it. But since this behaviour will only last till June 21st, I'm very content with my sleeping habits. (Or the lack of it).

Would you like to be born as yourself again? I dont really mind. I guess then I have another life to act upon the ambition of being a successful and gorgeous neuro-surgeon in LA! :P (Yes, I know I watch too many medical soaps on TV)

Morning person or night owl?Morning Person. We are a rare species but we do exist :)

Over easy or sunny side up? neither. I like ruining my plans of a 'perfect diet' by choosing Cheese Omelettes everyday at work.

Favourite place to relax: The washing 'katte' behind my house. My room, anytime and off late, the Google Office, but that's where I've been practically living.

Favourite pie:Apple, Pineapple (Mcdonalds used to make amazing Pineapple Pies...they've stopped them now) :(

Favourite ice cream flavour: Mint Milk Chocolate Chip, and anything with a hint of toffee :)

You pass this tag to – Blesy, Varun , Poorva , Iyshwarya
Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first? The last two. But that's because I sit next to them at work and will make sure they pass on the tag if it's the last thing they do.

Two Whole Decades

Twenty days to go before I turn twenty. And here are twenty reasons why I am not old enough to be twenty.


1) I prefer the ‘if you don’t forward this e-mail then bad luck will persist’ mails to ones that I get from the British Council talking about post grad universities.

2) I like the colour pink. And will continue to do so. ‘Nuf said.

3) I like reading Enid Blyton books. I still smack my lips at the descriptions of the midnight feasts Darrell and her friends have at those boarding schools.

4) I run down half the flight of stairs and slide on the banister for the remaining half. And I get yelled at for almost breaking my bones. For the 1,56,734th time.

5) I still jump into a muddy puddle on a rainy day just to get my friend’s oh-so-pretty pair of shoes wet.

6) I watch Disney Channel incessantly. If Alladin’s Genie granted me three wishes, I would want Lizzie Mcguire’s mind, Hannah Montana’s voice and Raven’s psychic powers.

7) High School Musical is one of my favoritest movies. And I know most of the songs in the movie by heart.

8) I drink Bournvita whenever I’m in a bad mood. I live in the blind belief that it will make me grow taller and thus elevate my mood in the process.

9) I eat a bar of Cadbury’s chocolate before every big exam I write. Almost as if I’m swallowing the answers to the next day’s paper.

10) I have a lucky Parker Pen. I hyperventilate if I lose it. My pencil box (yes, I still keep one) is decorated with pictures of the Powerpuff girls.

11) I only read the horoscope and cartoons in the newspaper everyday. It’s a disgrace for a journalism student, and an even bigger one for someone who will be twenty.

12) At Shivajinagar, if I see my bus coming, I give a whoop of joy, push everyone out of the way and grab my favorite seat. (as opposed to a mature way of getting inside)

13) I believe that 13 is an unlucky number and I don’t like black cats. And no amount of growing up will change that attitude of mine.

14) I still shriek and run away if I see a lizard anywhere in the vicinity. (Vicinity meaning a radius of 2 kms)

15) Everytime I hear the song ‘Pehla Nasha’ or ‘Animal Song’ I smile widely and start singing along. Loudly and out of tune.

16) I can’t keep secrets. This is probably why I’m blurting out all this on worldwide web.

17) I live in my sandals and sneakers. Any pair of heels or girly chappals I’ve tried on have torn within 3 weeks of wearing them.

18) I don’t know the meaning of sesquipedalian words. I just pretend I know and smile very benignly at the speaker.

19) I giggle every time I hear Piddle, Poop or their synonyms.

20) My English literature book is filled with clouds and mountains instead of footnotes about the authors.

I want to go back in time and wake up to yesterday until I reach 1988.