KENYA

Finally! I guess most of you do know that i am in kenya now... nevertheless, i want to mention it once more...I'M IN KENYA!! Its been a good 4 years (almost), and it feels great! I couldn't stop laughing at how nothing at all has changed...i mean, not only the buildings or the trees.... everything at home too. The sugar is kept in the same drawer...n my dad still wears the same slippers at home! Anyway....Its nice to be back. I wont be around for the next 2 days. Going on an over-night safari for new years. So, i wish u all a very HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! Hope u have a great time...and may you get the best from the coming year...

Signing off...

Touched

Today....26th december 2005, marks the first anniversary of a day that devasted thousands of people...took away beloved ones, stole belongings, extinguished the candle of hope...changed some lives forever. This day, we dedicate to the victims of the killer wave - the tsunami. I would never have posted this had it not been for something i just watched on tv now... Something that showed how people try to make a difference...a gesture that could only show the goodness in people...for other people. 2 things i watched infact... the first, was a concert by A.R.Rahman at karaikaal (close to nagapattinam, one of the most affected areas). They had this whole group of singers, with all instrumentalists and stuff by the seaside....and they sang. For the crowd...which was marvellous... the kind of welcome singers get in our world is something truly respectable...they're people who reach out...everyone loves music.

The second was this song...that was done by many many singers together... S.P.Balasubramanium, Sujatha, chitra, karthik, unni menon, malgudi shubha, Usha utup, Vijay yesudas, Srinivas...and one or two more whose names i don't know....they made up this song dedicated to the sea...all wearing white (that really turns me on...when albums have people wearing white)...with the waves as the backdrop...it was beautiful....very touching. Things like these sometimes do re-kindle the flame of hope...or atleast make the affected people know there's still more to life...that people do care.... its very heart-warming.

Well, i guess one thing thats totally unpredictable is nature....and i realised that more when rains hit chennai hard and made all our exams get postponed...and drowned villages...and led to stampedes...and deaths.
I would like to end this post with the lines of a song...a beautiful compostion by rahman...its from the movie 'kannathil muthamitaal'...Vellai pookal

Vellai pookal ulagam yengum malarave
Vidiyum bhoomi amaidikaage vidigave
Manmel manjal velicham, vizhugave
Malare sombal murithu ezhugave....

The exact meaning of those words, i may not be able to give you...but it potrays the idea of peace...white flowers, tranquility, the yellow sunlight, flowers stretching and waking up...

God....I'm feeling so touched. Bless all...

Signing off...

Saving Stranded Divya!

With reference to my previous post... thank you all for the 'sympathy'! Something really funny struck me when i was listening to people react to the incident... almost all of them asked me "didn't anyone come to save you?" And all i said was...'who do you expect would come?'

And my mind raced... to having a great Captain Jack sparrow hang down from one of the trees with a rope... his characteristic hat on, with his one-bulleted gun....! Or... a William wallace wearing his skirt...with all his long hair...and his spear...trotting into the street closing in on the creature...! Or...Mr.Archillies running in from the rear end of the street with his armour and shield and one big sword, charging in my direction....! OR... or... Legolas and Aragorn both screaming...on horses...one with the ethereal air and the blonde hair...the other with the hard looking bearded face and the black hair..Bow and arrow...and anduril the sword...coming from opposite sides of the street! Or perhaps, all of them together, appearing out of thin air??!! LOL LOL... can someone please tell people... Life's not one big Tamil/Hindi movie... its funny that even though i mention only tamil/hindi movie, all the heroes i've mentioned come from english movies... but i guess thats whom i would have preferred ;-) ...so all the right-on-time saving happens just in the movies....!

For those of you who didn't quite understand the 'heroes'
Captain Jack Sparrow - Johnny Depp (pirates of the carribean)
William Wallace - Mel Gibson (Brave heart) i don particularly like Mel, but i liked Will Wallace.
Archillies - Brad Pitt (Troy)
Legolas and Aragorn - Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen (LOTR)

BTW... Merry christmas! Ho Ho Ho!
(I've always wanted to celebrate christmas...with all the snow and the hollies and the tree...and the gifts! Just for the 'effect'... Sigh...someday! Definitely! For that, i gotto be in a place where there is snow.....)

Thassallll

Signing off....

Reality Bites?

Murphy's law states that

If something will go wrong, it will.

Talk about...being at the wrong place at the wrong time...
Talk about...some things being pre-destined to happen at a particular time, no matter what.
Talk about...how smooth you're day had gone so far, and experiencing something the next moment that ruins that feeling...
Talk about the phrase.... REALITY BITES

Well... maybe its not reality, maybe its just a DOG. Bloody hell.... had to happen. And my motto for life...

I HATE DOGS, I HATE DOGS, I HATE DOGS, I HATE DOGS, I HATE DOGS... tends to infinity times infinity.
For those of you who don't agree with that, no offence, but dogs really suck, and their teeth suck more.......... no wonder i've always hated them.

Signing off....

Long winding road...

Exam time's here again... a small thought....

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep
-Robert Frost




Is that how i'm going to feel through out my life? Its funny.... the road just doesn't end... can't reach a summit... can't culminate in... paradise. So, we design our notion of paradise....and live with that...Human nature... the mind... wow.

Signing off....

Double birthday!Double fun?

I always associate this time of the year with birthdays... december, january... birthday season. And today, being December 12th, we acknowledge the birthdays of 2 'thalaivaas' that we know...! One.... thalivaa Rajnikanth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I dont know how old he is, but definitely looks 10 years older than his true age....Happy birthday to him, and please may he not try concealing his age and rugged looks any further... its just not nice.And the second... thalaivaa Bharat! Happy birthday tsb! (who apparently is being mistaken to be much younger than he is! Sure appearances are deceptive!) I hope you didn't get offended by what i said about thalaivaa rajini... we all know you're a hardcore fan! Anyway, have a great day, and wonderful year to come. Just don't try baking a cake... and making the fire alarm ring...! ;-) We all wish we could parcel some ratna cafe sambar vadai, but that doesn't seem too feasible through international courier, so, adjust panniko! Have a blast! (atleast try...even though your exams start tomorrow!)

May both of them live to blow many many candles and bug their grandchildren to their bones!
;-)

Signing off....

Germany - 2006

Its here again! 2006....in Germany! FOOTBALL WORLDCUP!! I don't know why i am already getting so excited...well, its because the 2006 draw just got over... wow wow, the groups are out! They do look quite reasonable...though it is quite obvious which team is going to qualify from most of the groups... anywayz, there's many many months remaining for june 9th, 2006... so i don't think much can be done. And i hate chennai for bringing in this whole set top box scheme... damn damn! There were times in kenya when we'd all sit in one room (all the kids in the colony) and switch all the lights off....and have an adrenalin rush for 90mins...man, good old times...and we'd scream and shout...i remember that was the time the finals had France Vs Brazil... and i was supporting brazil that time... France won. Zidane's 2 goals and Petit's one... Well, that was the last time i ever supported Brazil... they're a great team... but i still cant like them! And the world cup before that, the finals had Italy Vs Brazil (1994)... and thats when i fell in love with Italy...mainly cuz of Roberto Baggio... That match ended in penalty shoot outs....and Baggio missed a goal for Italy...But he was always good...And even though they haven't been playing too well recently....my heart still goes out to them! Anyway... am sure those of you who're not too interested in soccer are definitely yawning..... More abt the draw here....

Favourite footballers, teams (countries), clubs in the comments section?

Signing off...

!!!!!!!!!!!

Well...exclamations...excitement...a feeling of completeness!!! Soccer ball...oh man. Am sure not many of you love football...but hell, its one thing i love and enjoy...and i got a new football today!!! Yiippppeee!!!!!!! My old one just had to burst... :( Am just so happy....thats it. I don't want to write more... Nidhee, thanx a million for accompanying me and putting up with my 'no, this shop wont do, this ball wont do, lets go somewhere else' tantrums... and Nilesh and bharat...am sure you understand how it feels... :)

Yours 'this is the best feeling i've had in months'ly
Signing off...

Comfortably numb

Have you ever been in a situation where words no longer have a meaning...?
When language can't help you express your thoughts...
When you think there's no longer a verbal mode of communication...
When you feel like the whole world's closing in on you...
When you think everything around you is just shattering to a million pieces...
When you have to force yourself to say you're fine...when you're not, just because the person you're saying that to means the world to you...
When you're feeling so broken...and you're still smiling because there's nothing you can do about it?
When you feel like running...just running...and never looking back.
When out of all the pain and confusion...and nothingness...someone makes you laugh...
When you leave things to take their course...because there's nothing you can do to change them...rather than accept them.
When you're helpless......
trying to be....comfortably numb...immune....careless...

Really can't blame them though...

Signing off....

Shall we dance?

I don't know why i've been starting my recent posts with the same line...just one more time - Another exam postponed... Am sure this is isn't getting us anywhere! And...my exam was s'posed to be tomorrow...which means i'd studied quite a bit! Couldn't they have anounced the postponement yesterday... anywayz, STOP.

Well...this post is titled 'shall we dance?' I don't think am writing a movie review...i watched that movie only for Richard Gere. Man...what charm, what charisma... Anywayz... this post is about an incident i found extremely laughhable...but at the same time, it was an 'experience'!

My cousin, who runs a very successful software business, was holding a get-together/party/whatever to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary. I thought the party was going to be at their house...and was planning to skive cuz i had to study... (actually i had enough time, but they stay too far away, and i wasn't too interested). But when my cousin's wife called me up, and said the party was at 'the rain-tree hotel'... i really couldn't say no... because that places look awesome from the outside, n is 2 mins from my house by walk!

So we were all there on time, actually the first people to arrive. He'd made it a family cum friends party. So the first hour passed... And the food...was super cool. Its always cool when you're not paying for it! And i was sitting like a good girl with all my 'family' folks... aunts and uncles...i was the 'representative' for my family,cuz neither my mom, nor my dad is here. SO we were having small talk after dinner...and suddenly someone grabbed the mic and said 'the dance floor's open to anyone who wishes to have some fun'. The music started...

I wasn't too surprised when people just screamed and shouted and started dancing right away... but i was DEFINITELY not going to be among them. My 7 year old nephew (cousin's son) made a whole scene by pulling my hand in an attempt to drag me to dance... n when it didn't work, he pulled my dupatta! Now that... was something that didn't look to good... cuz my dupatta pulled my hair 'band' out...which left my hair lose, and i had a very strong feeling i looked like a hulligan in a mess...well, he gave up on me... n i just sat down again and was just watching people dance. There were these 2 particular guys (both in black) who were really VIGOROUS dancers...they reminded me of nilesh. More particularly, Nilesh in black! (anyone wud remember that 3/4th sleeve black, slightly shiny t-shirt he used to wear...) Then, one of my other cousins, who had just come from work, got her dinner and sat next to me. So we were kinda catching up...and suddenly, I heard this voice saying 'excuse me'...and i looked up. It was one of the guys in black...

'Will you dance with me?' Oh my... those words i was dreading! He had both his hands out-stretched and it looked funny (was he beggin for alms..?)... i definitely DID NOT want to do this... so i said 'No, please...' and he was like 'please, just for sometime...please'. I had my mind set... i was not going to do this...NO WAY! And then it started from behind... my cousins, my aunts, uncles, everyone... 'hey just go dance for sometime, wats the big deal?' My mind was
screaming NOOOOO...i was literally pushed off my chair by one of my cousins...and i guess those out-stretched hands just caught hold of mine, and thats how i got to the dance floor!

After that... the whole world was a hurricane... i just remember that the black-tshirt guy kept twriling me round and round and round...and kept making me twirl him...It was in that moment that i realised that when you're dancing, truly, its enough if one out of the pair actually knew what had to be done...and how to do it. i couldn't even hear the music cuz my head was spinning like crazy...I was so unbalanced, and fazed, and in such a 'life's a one big circle'situation that i needed to HOLD on to something...and... the guy always had his palms open and ready! Gawd...after sometime i started to think it was an old trick! If u understand what i mean...

I finally BROKE out of the twirls... and said 'thankyou very much' and walked away (in my mind, i was running as fast as my legs could carry me!)...HUFF, over. I sat down...my head still spinning. sat there watching for sometime...laughing at those who were holding glasses in heir hands and trying not to pour the alcoholic contents while they 'danced'. It was amusing... i got
bored of watching drunk people dance...and eventually, told my cousin i was leaving...i was walking out of the door...and the black t-shirt guy just appeared out of thin air and said 'thankyou' and shook my hand...I just smiled...weakly...cuz even the sight of him was making my head spin! Heavens...

I then walked up to the roof top of the hotel... which looks beautiful from my terrace...so i really wanted to see it. And... it was one of the most beautiful restaurants i'd ever seen... and i came back home... long evening, dirty dancing!

Points to be noted :

a) The guy was six rounds into his drinking... so he was probably half drunk.
b)Mr.Black T was married.
c)We weren't waltzing...(GAWD, one of my friends just assumed we were having a slow romantic dance...arrgghh)...indeed the songs were kajrare, dhoom,kohi kahe...
c)He danced with ALL the aunties and paatis in the room before asking me and my cousin to dance... and my cousin, after my feedback, told him she wouldn't allow herself to get twirled...and just danced with him WITHOUT holding his hands... GAWD.

(btw... i knew the guy was 6 rounds into drinking...cuz my uncle came and told
us a minute after he'd taken my aunt on the roller coaster ride...n my unc din
look too happy!;-) )

bottom line....Dancing's not my cup of tea...but it'd probably be more fun if i was dancing with the right person ;-) n not getting twirled so much....!!!Life's one big circle.... seriously.

One last thing...today is SHRUTI's birthday...vm. So shruti, HAPPY
BIRTHDAY...may u live to blow 1001 candles...have a blast!!! And this msg... is
from all of us.

Signing off...

Ironies...in life.

Another exam postponed. And this time, it'll be between 19th n 23rd dec. Beat that...rains are bad. Well... this just means that the trip i was s'posed to make to kenya around the same time is not likely to happen...damn. I was looking forward to it. WHY!! For people who do not know... i stay in chennai with my grandparents and my cousin. My mom shuttles between Kenya (where my dad works and stays) and good ol chennai. My brother's studying in australia. So... i was
s'posed to spend some time with my parents in kenya, where i began my schooling... i stayed there for abt 11 years. And its one place that is very very different from chennai in every Goddamn aspect. But i like both places equally... I've been in chennai for the past 5 years... i must say its taught me alot. To start with, chennai gives the freedom i couldn't have experienced where i stayed before...And...living with your grand-parents alone ( i mean, without your parents being around) is a different experience altogether. Has its own pros n cons...You really don't know what the hell they expect from you. Sometimes, i feel like i'm s'posed to play my mother's role in the family when shez not around here. And that has made me realise how much she does... n how much her presence means to people around her. Beginning of a life long
admiration...

U know its funny how we do a few things in the absence of a few people...and we'd never bother to do it if they are around...Let me explain. My mother likes the house clean (as all mothers do i expect)... she'll keep tidying our living room, arranging newspapers, changing the water in the flower vase, making sure the 'divaan' sheet is in place, and screaming at me if i leave something out of place... and I wud never bother. I'd claim to have other work to do... will have any excuse to not tidy up. But, the part of the year when shez not here, i do her work religiously... just cuz she would like the house to be that way. I keep my study table clean cuz she usually insists on it...I don't even know why...Everytime i eat, i remember not to make any noises, loud or not, cuz my dad doesn't like it. But hell, my dad's not here! I see him once a year or less often! I still make sure i stick to it...Its really funny...Sometimes, i even iron my already-pressed clothes, cuz my brother believes that properly pressed clothes are very very important... i used to make fun of how much time he spent every morning pressing his clothes.I use the word 'spent' now... used to use 'wasted' before! Wierd things in life huh?

And living with old people... or people 2 generations ahead of you...in the absence of the generation that's s'posed to fit in the middle... is something i think everyone should do at some point in life, even though it gets very frustrating at times. All the cuddling and the spoiling and pampering is when you meet them rarely... You know people say that grandparents and grandchildren have a common enemy...? Maybe its not so true... because the enemy is someone
who is 'needed'. Without who the generation gap's problems just become as prominent and clear as a black spot in the centre of a plain white sheet. Atleast i feel like am in a generation lost in space... But more than that... u don't know who needs to take care of who. My parents have left me under the care of my grandparents...and yes, they do take care of me alot. But its so mutual...sometimes i feel like i'm the one taking care of them more! They can be so obstinate, throw tantrums, put on long faces when they cant get their work done, and obv need the younger people to do all the 'buying' work...all the households...in addition to what is done inside the house. And they expect you to handle it... I'm definitely not complaining... because i believe that what's going on, is sort of wrong, and very unfair to my grandparents. Its like they
haven't had enough of bringing up their own kids... and now they've got more responsibility. Its their turn to rest...to dwell in the silent hills of their childhood...and enjoy time's olden memories that are good and sweet. But again...you can't explain something of this sort to helpless parents... who know what they're doing is not the best thing in the world, but really can't help it.
And that leaves all of us here helpless... which has made me come to the conclusion that helplessness is one of the worst feelings in the world.

So...as life moves on...and we've accepted things the way they are...we share bliss in small things... i love sitting on the kitchen slabs while my grndmom's cooking and hold small talk with her (invariably she'll be talking abt her family, and my mom as a kid)...and i really don't mind chauffering (on my bike) my grand-dad to the temple anymore...and i make sure my grandmom does the least work possible, cuz shez not even s'posed to be doing anything if you look at it
from a 'what's fair' point of view...and now, i think my grandmom's the sweetest person in the world... and i think my grand-dad's one person whoz learnt alot from life, and that he wants to impart his worldly knowledge to his children's children, which is not a bad thing at all. And the kind of smile that comes on to your face with those slight tears in your eyes which do not trace their way down your cheeks, when your grandmom's telling your parents how proud she is of
you and how happy she is... is something to die for. And i mean it.





Am not going to apologise for boring u...kinda do that in almost all my posts.
This post was straight from the heart...and something i never thought i'd ever
post about. And after all... its my blog...


Signing off....

TAGGED

My Math exam got postponed... wow wow... i really didn't ask for it. Actually, i wanted to be done with it... get rid of the damn thing. But NO....somebody else thought otherwise. Its been postponed to 17th dec! Beat that....damn! So, this has left me in a very irritated and vetti/jobless state! And....am thankful for this blog. Love u blogger!

Now.... baggy tagged me. So... i wud like to honour that tag cuz it wasn't the types that said ' u have been tagged by the blue dog or the red elephant and if u dont send this to 1 billion people, u'll have a screwed up life / love-life...' ;-)

Seven things i plan to do

a)Learn driving
b)Pass these exams decently...
c)Buy my dad a birthday gift that he'll like (u know how difficult that is?)
d)Spend one day doing noting but watching movies back to back
e)Develop what people call 'soft skills'( my friends made me realise i actually have some!) i.e Practice singing and make my music classes worthwhile, write more poetry... and sketch Legolas, Aragorn, n captain Jack sparrow (depp) PROPERLY (the last time i sketched legolas, the only resemblence was the pointed ear....*sigh*)
f) Tell my dentist to check up the meaning of the word PAIN in the dictionary
g)Start charging people for pep talks...!!! or become a part-time counsellor! ;)

Seven things i can do

a)Remember birthdays
b) Makes Dosas!!!!! and chappatis...and pasta, and blah...
c)Watch any unheard of movie just cuz Johnny Depp's in it
d)Spend alot of time staring at my wardrobe and finally wearing a kurtha that my mom totally hates...and will insist on my wearin something else.
e)Play football for hours...and enjoy the 'sweet-summer-sweat' and the swollen red face!
f)Read a book without realising passage of time,and scream at anybody who tries to talk to me at that time!
g)Watch the sunset for eternity...or the moon passing through the clouds... aah, what character!

Seven things i can't do

a)Grow my Nails
b)MATHS (and the exam had to get postponed...i want to be done with the subject!!damn damn)
c)Sit in a room temporarily inhabited by a dragonfly/grasshopper/wasp/anything that can fly
d)Sit and watch my grandmom do all the work
e)Drink milk that has aadai/yedu/cream... or, drink payasam
f)Watch old people run to catch buses...
g)Take/stand lies...

Seven things i say the most
a)Bloooddy...
b)Shucks
c)Yeah right
d)Big deal!
e)Haiyo.....
f)Ehu ehu (cough)
g)Cross the bridge when u get to it

Seven untagged people i want to tag

Well... i don't think i want to tag anyone. This is quite a nice thing to do, so fellow bloggers, u can do it cuz i think people don't mind reading such stuff!
Atleast i enjoyed reading baggy's...

Signing off...

Should I be thankful houses in Chennai don't have Fire alarms?

Lesson learnt : Never ever make fun of tsb again!

If u guys havent figured where this post is heading after reading the title and the first line... i wud suggest you take a look at tsb's blog first. Anywayz...the story.
I was studying...sincerely. Cell biology. And there was this reader's digest sitting infront of me...very inviting, face to face wih Charlize Theron, nice photo on cover...some survey about men hiding emotions...So i decide to become a little in-sincere...and i open it. The last few pages of RD usually have these health tips and stuff. This time... there was something on how taking short naps can improve your concentration...very nice article with hard evidence, surveys and all. So what do u think any normal person would do? YES... its what u're thinking. I closed my book... and went to sleep...! K... then i woke up after a while. U know we have this crave to EAT something on a cold/rainy day after waking up in the afternoon (which reminds me, its raining here again)... There's a very beautiful scientific explanaion for that which i will not go into now....definitely some other time... so i had that crave... and there was NOTHING at all to eat... except this packet of pori (puffed rice). So, i decide to add some seasoning... i cant eat it just like that for chrissake... Thus, i switch on the gas and put an 'illipa chatti'/kadai/pan...whatever u call it. Add some oil, and pour the whole packet into the vessel... aah...and am mixing the salt and the chilli powder... smells nice. oooo. Then... turning point - phone rings. I pick up, i talk, i forget about the pori. Smell changes, not nice anymore. Sort of like its.... burning. Shucks... paaaaaaati adi pudikardhu! Grandmom comes into kitchen... by this time i've switched off the stove...and the stuff's smoking like a chimney...paati is no tension, no panic, no big deal types... she takes the stuff nd pours it into a container... and chucks the BLACK remains... and I...as of now... am eating the unburnt, seasoned, slightly burnt- smelling pori... all for a crave for carbohydrate to touch my tongue...
Maybe i shud stress the first line of my post again. Even though my lesson was s'posed to have been...do not talk on the phone when something's on the stove, or switch the stove off when you're yapping... or don't ever try seasoning your pori!

I was s'posed to post something else... but THIS, just had to be menioned...

Last thing... its my cousin's birthday today... so HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARTHIK from me, and all the lovely people who visit this crappy page and leave comments... God bless u all.


Signing off....

A Letter...to...

My first exam sucked. And that's an understatement. But i am not going to rant about it...because its OVER and done with. And i do not plan to write an arrear paper...and God help me on that. Like that phrase 'Do your best, and God will do the rest'!! I don't know why i am saying this, but i am going to have a 'head-bath' tomorrow... to 'thalai muzhigify' the subject (for people who din undertsand that, am sorry but there's no english translation...anyone who knows wat that means and are capable of explaining, kindly put it up on the comments section) This post....is a letter. There are things i've read before titled 'letter to God'... and they're quite nice to read u know. They're nice because you can relate to them, atleast here and there. Some of you might find it ridiculous, but hell, people do write stuff like that...and others read them. It
helps if you're under some sort of stress/strain/tension...pardon the jargon. Its the after-effect of my chemical engineering paper...which reminds me that though the 3 words convey the same meaning in this context, they are VERY different in chemical engg! Not deviating. Coming back the letter.... i am going to write a letter....but not to God (actually, i could do with writing one to
Him...in the situation i am in!).

Dear, respected, admired, loved, (u can add more) Ms........,

I hope our dear Lord is keeping you and your family in the best of health and spirits. I think there are millions of people out there whose lives you have affected. In small ways or big. Some may have had sleepless nights, some may have caught colds standing in the open in the middle of the night... some may have a cried a river. Some may have gone through all of that. Maybe i don't belong to any of those categories, but u've been one big influence in this mundane life of mine.... Master of the pen, embodiment of creativity...this is a tribute to you, and your writing, and the influence you have all over the world, and to your life... what you were and what you are now...Maybe your life's an example of how one's career can be born from the ashes... very like a
phoenix...maybe not literally, cuz a phoenix symbolises 're-birth'. I have never been 'crazy' or maniacal about anything in the past...atleast not in this manner. u have the honour of making me go gaga/bananas about something...that is out of this world.
(if u still havent guessed who am talking abt...i have no words for you)

Joanne Kathleen Rowling.

What do i dedicate to you? Sleepless nights (my eyes glued to every word,sometimes in torch light brightness,or rather dim-ness!), the enthusiasm, the craving, the madness, the 'am-not-hungry-cant-you-see-i-am-reading-harry-potter' moments, the tears (oh my...its albus...and oh my, its snape, how dare he!), the wait, the anticipation....i hope its not going to be long.

I can just about wonder how it feels to be the most hyped writer in the world...but that hype didn't crop up from nowhere...you definitely earned it! Just a few chapters into 'philisopher's stone' and you have your readers... for years. They just increase in number... However busy a schedule, people take time off for HP...people skip meals, skip the bliss of slumber-land, skip feeling anything but what harry's feeling. I read somewhere that someone almost met with an auto accident reading goblet of fire on his way home! And as for me... i was climbing up the stairs with 'half blood prince' held opened in my hands... and the consequences were quite ugly, though i din fall... missed a step, and its scary when that happens! I bunked one day of college...and sat curled up on the couch, stretched out on the bed, in a funny sitting position on the floor...and
even in the loo with the book! And it was definitely worth that bunked-day! And you're not hungry, and you tend to scream at anyone who asks you something just because they're spoiling your continuity, and you laugh out loud...people in the house think you're sick up there. And when you're done reading...your head is clogged. You cant think of anything else! The whole thing's happening again in your mind...you're visualising it. Feels like you want it all to be true... u feel like fiction rocks. You want to trade the unreal for the real.

And there are the movies...I hear you are very very accomodative...don't interfere much. I think bringing a book onto screen itself is a daring attempt...cuz u have to be true to the novel... and in your case, there are people who are hard core fans...its difficult. And now...when the 4th movie is in the theatres, i just have to get myself stuck up with exams without which my life would definitely be a colour-filled rainbow! I cant watch it...for now. and i have come to realise how much HP affects me! How much of a fanatic i am. I don't like being crazy about anything...i don't like being affected or influenced by anything so much. But i love this! It feels nice to belong with the fans... to feel craze...it feels normal.
How the hell do YOU cope with all this? Doesn't it feel great? Sincerely my lady, you should be on the list of the 10 most influential people in the world or something! Did you know that the New york times had to re-arrange the pattern of its best seller list because your books were just clogged at no.1?

I could go on forever Jo... but i'm sure MY readers are getting bored now... cuz am just RAVING and maybe Ranting too....Bottom line... you rock! And we're waiting for book seven.... please please please....(tends to infinity) start writing soon...try not to kill Harry, Ron or Hermoine, and make it the biggest, fattest book you have ever written...and the one that will be remembered to any day as the glorious ending of a wonderful series...
Yours Truly,
an admirer.



If you guys are still reading... assuming u like Hp. Tell us if u saw Movie 4 and how u liked it...tell us any funny incidents u can relate to the books... tell us if u're as crazy as the admirer who wrote that crazy letter....The exams are definitely having an effect on the right side of my brain.... or is it the left? ;-)

Signing off...

A Different World

Though my exams are putting considerable amount of strain on my head... they're helping me realise a few things which i think belong to the world of science....and you need to feel them to belong with science....Some things can't be put into words..... thats why u have the scientists.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.
- Einstein

I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.
- Isaac newton


Two quotes.... not exactly my state of mind, but the things that have been dawning upon me. I like what i am doing because there is this enigmatic element involved.... you can question so many things about your own body and not have a single answer, or have several answers.

I read somewhere....that science is like a forest we're trying to clear. And the more you get into the job....and look at the heap you've cleared, the more you realise you have a long way to go. So, the more you unravel... or the more you discover.... the more you realise your ignorance. And maybe that's what Sir Isaac Newton was trying to tell us... you look at the small details... and forget there's so much you don't know. So much nobody knows...Or maybe even the small details are so captivating that it seems impossible to step further into the ocean...But hell, its a step by step process... and i don't think anyone's reaching the summit. Maybe its because there can be no summit. Look at the pebble and you don't want the revelation of the ocean of truth...We're happy with a pebble and shell...
Ignorance is the fuel.

Welcome to the world of science.

(i think the post got a li'l out of hand....too science seasoned. sorry!)

Signing off...

Serendipity!

Its not a very common question that's asked around, but when it IS actually asked, it is my personal oservation that many many people who have been asked about it mention 'the-smell-when-rain-touches-the-ground'. You must have figured that the question is 'favourite smell' or something close to that....Some other nice answers i remember are petrol and freshly ground coffee. Maybe i remember them because they are among my favourites too...including the holy ash 'vibuthi' and any yummy smelling food...!! (who wouldn't like that!) Anywayz, thank i don't know what for our olfactory senses....even though we cant be as good as dogs. Ok, am starting to blabber.... so i'll finish this.

A while back.. i was browsing the net looking for some info that my damn text book did not have...microbiology BTW. And i happened to come across something abt the organism in question, but obviously not exactly what i was looking for (serenditpity, i've heard they call it)...hell, if i write what i just read, in my answerpaper, they'd probably strike off the whole paper!
Anyway, i think serendipity is a nice word (other words that i think sound nice are 'rhapsody' and 'placid' They somehow seem to convey the meaning with just the way they're pronounced...now u know why i have both words in association with my blog)..... cuz the concept rocks! Even Alexander Fleming is said to have been serendipitous, because he was merely cleaning up his laboratory when he discovered that the Penicillium mould had contaminated one of his old experiments. Apparently, the word has been voted among the 10 English words that are most difficult to translate! isn't that cool? Before i completely deviate, and forget what i wanted to post....the article.

Most people notice a distinctive smell in the air after it rains. It's frequently linked with spring, as the smell of fresh cut grass is associated with summer. You'll find it in a lot of poetry and also on many inspirational lists of things to be happy about. But what causes it?

As it turns out, the smells people associate with rainstorms can be caused by a number of things. One of the more pleasant rain smells, the one we often notice in the woods, is actually caused by bacteria! Actinomycetes, a type of filamentous bacteria, grow in soil when conditions are damp and warm. When the soil dries out, the bacteria produces spores in the soil. The wetness and force of rainfall kick these tiny spores up into the air where the moisture after a rain acts as an aerosol (just like an aerosol air freshener). The moist air easily carries the spores to us so we breathe them in. These spores have a distinctive, earthy smell we often associate with rainfall. The bacteria is extremely common and can be found in areas all over the world, which accounts for the universality of this sweet "after-the-rain" smell. Since the bacteria thrives in moist soil but releases the spores once the soil dries out, the smell is most acute after a rain that follows a dry spell, although you'll notice it to some degree after most rainstorms.

Aaaah.... i had to look up something about the history of dear actinomycetes... ('dear' now, cuz i know wat they do...it was buggin a while back!)....n i ended up with something i've wanted to know for long! Funny....the way things work...

Why don't u tell us all what kind of smells you like? The Comments column awaits you!

Gotto get back to main stream microbiology...... :-(

Signing off...

What's in a name?

Is it a bad thing to keep posting abt the same thing over and over again? Even though this is only the second post with the same subject...anywayz, who cares!Like i already said in my previous post, i think the boy wizard saga needs a nice, elaborate post....but, am posting something else now....which again, is in bits....and is not doing justice to the series. Anywayz, i was just getting really bored....the loooong post is for some other day....For those of u who don't know, JKR said long back that the last word of the 7th book is going to be 'scar'...well, she said she may be changing it, but it will hold good with respect to what you will be reading below....for now, here are some proposed titles for Harry Potter book 7....or are they?

Harry Potter and the Last Grab for Your Wallet
Harry Potter and the Funding of Post-Graduate Study
Harry Potter and Voldemort (a wedding)
Harry Potter and the Extremely Exausted Author
Harry Potter and There's-Not-Going-To-Be-Another-One
Harry Potter and the Clash With Voldemort Which We All Know He's Going To Win So We Might As Well Save You The Trouble Of Reading.
Harry Potter and the Last Word is Scar
Harry Potter and the Tying Up of Loose Ends
Harry Potter and Lord Voldy
harry potter and the rediculosly long book
Harry Potter and the rest of the story.
Harry Potter and Magical Plastic Surgery (assuming that the last sentence will be "and finally he had a life without people recognizing him because of his scar.".)
Harry Potter and Sunshine
Harry Potter and the it was all a big joke
harry Potter and the "what are we going to do now?"
Harry Potter and the One Big Happy Weasley Family
Harry Potter and the 2008 US Presidential Election
Harry Potter and the Race to See Who Can Finish Reading it First
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Pepsi
Harry Potter and the Romance Between His Two Best Friends That They Never Told Him About
Harry Potter and Case of the Missing Mudbloods from 12.00am the day book 7 released
Harry Potter and the 7 year dream
Ha rry Potter and the Constant Deprivation of Sleep and Eating while you finish the 1000+ Pages
Harry potter catches a cold
harry potter; the godfather
the harry potter that jo couldn't come up with a title for
Harry Potter and Jo-Sincerely-Hopes-That The 7th Movie Doesn't Turn Out To Be Like Catwoman
Harry Potter and the Final Marathon To The Bookstore
Harry Potter and Oh Poor Dear! Bloomsbury Goes Bankrupt
Harry Potter and the stairway to heaven
When Harry Met Voldemort: A true story.
When harry met voldy : A Romantic comedy
Harry Potter and the Holy Grail
Harry Potter and the Over-Analyzed Book Series
Harry Potter and the Never ending Debates
I suppose one of the worst things that could happen to Book 7's title would be if Harry died in Book 6. We'd be left with: Ronald Weasley and What Do We Do Now
Voldemort's cookbook, a guide to boiling muggles
Harry Potter and the red-haired Tribe
Harry Potter and voldermort plee (will you please just walk into the veil?)
Harry Potter and I can't believe how many Harry Potter titles we've come up with
HARRY POTTER AND THE CAPS LOCK IS STUCK
Harry Potter and J.O.I.N.M.E.N.T.A.L.I.N.S.T.I.T.U.T.I.O.N
Harry Potter and HAHAHA (the Unforgivable Laughing Curse)
Hairy Potty and the Underwear of Justice
Ronald Weasley and the Funeral of Harry Potter.
Harry potter and whatever happened to Jo having her title
and just for Peeves.....
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Poo


huff... i din want to put in more...you'd get bored of reading. Though i personally found some of them hilarious.One small request...you guys could put in your own titles on the comment page...lets c how creative, jobless, we can get! Which reminds me...the title in green is mine...

Its thanks to leaky cauldron for those titles...

Signing off...

Its Mania...Fever...craze

It was my wish to have a much longer, more elaborate and nicer post on this topic... but something i just saw has left me flabbergasted.... and has made me realise that i am indeed a fanatic. I just saw on NDTV and Headlines today, coverage of the UK premiere of Harry potter and the goblet of fire.... and i havent been able to think about anything else for the past 1/2 hour.... damn the movie's releasin on 18th nov... n my exams start on 19th. How sad is that? Its frustrating.... anywayz, one thing.... the movie looks GOOD. and EXPENSIVEly made.... hope it does well. And Ma'am J.K.Rowling..... u rock. If only u'd hurry up with that 7th book... we're all dying to read it....

I'll have a better post later... Harry Potter's one thing that deserves something better. Sorry abt this... i just HAD to mention it.

Yours "i love harry potter and am dyin to see the movie"ly

Signing off...

birthday birthday

I forgot to do this in the morning... anyway, better late than never! Today, Nov 6th is My friend Sandhya's birthday....
Sand - Wish u a very very happy birthday and many more to come! Have a blast!
May your year be as happy, n successful as you would like.... n like i already told u, May the sun shine upon u and show u the way thro' the curtain of rain till the rainbow leads the way into tranquil and joyous days!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

signing offffff.....

What study holidays can do to you

Well.... i think the title of this post and the picture following it make this post quite self-explanatory..... damn damn....'Examinations are a humbug, from the beginning to the end'
Why don't people realise that study holidays are meant for anything but studying....but the sad part is that we can't stay without trying to study....for the first few days, its total fun...movies, books.... but then........ as the D day moves closer.... there's the 'guilt' factor and the 'fear' factor....

For now, i stick to "In examinations, the fool asks questions the wise can't answer" I guess Mr.Oscar Wilde knew his stuff right!

Signing off....