2005 … the wind up

Hey you guys!!! Can’t believe a year has passed us by like a flash of lightning! This year has been a really good one for me. I’ve learned a lot from the many incidents that took place in my life. And also from others. It was this year that marked me doing the following things.

1. Me blogging!!! [I’m sure most of you are thankful for that 😛]

Okie-dokie … Wisecracks apart, let me tell you why I started blogging in the first place! My sis is a blogging veteran, and she is an awesome writer. A magician with words… La Regina of the English vocabulary. She inspired me to blog a bit! She is the one and only Rain. One fine day in November, after my lab exams, I decided to vent out my frustrations … so created a blog in 360.

1. My friend also followed suit … but later we shifted to blogger. Lets just say things have never been the same since …
2. Me conducting and actively participating in my symposium 😀
3. My brief stint in sports … for TIES!
4. Me being more of a regular orkuttie.
5. Me performing on stage [for the last time in college life 😦 ]
6. Absolute neglect of studies …I can hear wisecracks of “when have u ever paid attention” coming. [Hence the above points]. Hey I at least took my project seriously na?
7. A part-time job… I was not vetti this summer!!!!
8. I actually participated in a radio-show … hardly something to brag about, but I’ve never done it before!
9. Me going somewhere with my love for Latin and Spanish … people with good useful links please feel free to share them with me …

But what a year it has been … some really unbelievable things have happened:

1. The death of Manjunath and the amount of attention that media paid to it. Usually they cover hypochondriac celebrities and their stupid fans praying for them in the prime-time slot. But I respect the media a little more nowadays … Manjunath is actually nominated for the NDTV Indian of the year award … so people please vote for him. Others are also worthy of the award, but he gave up his life to fight against corruption. Vote for him people … like I did! An idealist in the real world.

2. Veerappan’s death: When I got up that day and saw the front page, I could hardly believe my eyes … Veerappan, the undefeated forest brigand, who had eluded the police for decades, was nabbed and killed! :O

3. The unbelievable downpours in Chennaipattinam, my exams getting postponed!!!
I was lucky enough to witness 2 seasons this year … unlike the usual hot hotter and hottest weather here 😀

4. The Live8 concert … [which unfortunately had zilch impact on the G8 summit]: A valiant effort, first of its kind. Although I think I was the only one who actually sat down and watched the whole thing on TV. Featured some superb performances by my favorite artistes – U2, Dido, Green Day, et al.

5. The last rites of Dada [as one of my blogbuds had written]

6. The men in blue actually winning the finals of tournaments :O

Here are somethings I have learnt from 2005:

1. Sometimes, miracles do happen.

2. Stop cribbing about things and try to do something about it.

3. Don’t stereotype …

4. Any knowledge gained, at any cost, is not in vain.

5. Never take anyone for granted.

6. All that happens … happens for good.

7. Pessimism won’t get you anywhere.

Ultimately, An excellent year’s progress.

Almost done with 2005, but many adventures await us, as we dare to explore the realms of the beyond … beyond 2005 that is. 😀 Either way, you know where to look to be updated right ???

People, this is my last post for 2005 … May 2006 bring you all that you desire …I pray for you all to have a wonderful year ahead and god will shower his choicest blessings on you. Rock 2006 Baby!!!

Vat ij eggjadly the burbose of this bost ???

Vat ij eggjadly the burbose of this bost? You might wonder … this is one of those times when my mind races … but nothing comes thro ! So, exams started again!!! Yay 🙂 Sorry eggjams started again … yipeee …Seriously I never thought a day would come when I’d actually rejoice the onset of exams … Hmmm … but this year has been one heck of a tumultuous ride … [material for my last post for this year] so people, do stay tuned! But what to post on at this moment, I mused … so I decided to dedicate this bost to one of our most favorite brofessors, the wan and wanly, Brofessor Brozezure. The man! The icon! Who knew all that was to know about brozezures, bositions .. fungsions … et al.

It was the beginning of the semester … we’d heard legends about this particular brofessor from our juniors, they are all palsy-walsy with him. We were in great spirits … you know the free-birds of the college … the works. Then we heard that Brozezure was going to take a super cool paper for us. [I am not a geek by any standards, but as compared to other blunt rusted papers, this was awesome :D]. Door opens … footsteps audible … Professor [I am sorry for typo], Brofessor Brozezure walks in to the noisy class…lighting dims … the illumination of one single focus light lit the path which he walked … my gang of amigos were hushed by his dynamic and majestic persona that enraptured everyone …one would think he was capable of aerodynamic stunts … pin-drop silence [more like deathly silence…], one could almost hear trumpets and drums playing [or more like marauding pachyderms] in the background. Me and my gang looked at this stunning personality in expectation … then he did the one thing that tarnished all this build-up… he spoke.

He spoke in our native tongue [accompanied by raucous noises from pachyderms in the background] and after getting acquainted with us … took the roll call …

Roll no 32: Branav … [Pranav]

Roll no 33: Bramod… [Pramod]

Roll no 34: Brernaaaa …[Prerna] …

Aaah .. aarrgh … since then I clog my ears with whatever I could find when roll call reached 32 … till mine comes of course . But this guy has one heckuva sense of humor. I’ve never laughed so much in my life as I have during his classes … all his discussions about maliziouz godez and every question appended with a “eggjagdly” in it. Most of you must’ve known that Shakespeare is famous for coining many words in the English vocabulary [like “assassin” for an example … oopsie … eggjambel]. Well this super-kewl dude will go down in history for coining some really stupendous pronunciations!!!

This super cool dude deserves a brofessor’s job in Cambridge or Oxford. For his manipulation of the English language, alone… as far as his domain knowledge goes … well, lets just say, Words can’t describe it!!!

I even remember jotting down some of his pearls of wisdom, so that I could spread this enlightenment onto the other unlucky students in my college … who were not as fortunate as us. Once catching me off guard in the corridor, he’d once said “Bleaze fill it up the forms and put it the table, students not the submit…” I was facing him front, while my senior who was blessed enough to be standing behind him … got to laugh out loud!!! I am no good at suppressing laughter … so I stifled it, hurriedly muttering a “Yes sir”, before running out of his earshot, so that I could enjoy a hearty laugh as well …

Since then, every class of this esteemed person became an episode of SNL for me and my gang … eventually we stopped jotting down his wise percepts… [How much can one write when they are enraptured by the on-goings in the classroom???]. So here’s to you sir! You rock!!! Or should I say .. you rule!!!!

Others envied us, some would wonder about the gyaana oli-vattam surrounding me and my classmates’ post-brozezure’s class and think where it suddenly came from … hmmm .. any guesses???

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20 reasons why exams SUCK

20 reasons why exams SUCK:

1. You don’t get the mood to study during the study holidays…amidst all the holiday planning… so you do good ol’ 12^th hour preparation.
2. 2 days before the exam, you can’t find your syllabus book.
3. When you actually locate it, you realize that you don’t have material for half the subjects.
4. You get into a frenzy of panic and take deep breaths.
5. You call up your friend who lives nearby.
6. She doesn’t have it either.
7. Then she gets psyched out and you end up consoling her, feeling a hell lot better.
8. After hanging up, you forget the whole purpose of the call…
9. After gathering all the relevant material, you look into the pages and wonder how Lord Murphy could write Greek and Latin, and that too in your syllabus!
10. You skip a few topics. [Given the hectic schedule of panicking and mugging alternatively].
11. The very same topics appear in the @#&^ing paper … that too in the detail section.
12. You walk out of the hall with a firm resolve to gather material in time prior to the next exam.
13. You runaway from the scene when your friends and classmates do a post-mortem of the question paper … who the @#$% wants to remember it anyway???
14. You spend sleepless nights during exam seasons…
15. You do the next exam very well.
16. You try to enjoy your holidays … but the thoughts of results always linger in your mind.
17. When the results do come out …and you realise the whole ordeal was not worth it ! You fare better in the paper you thought you screwed up in and get mediocre marks in the paper you thought you’d ace.
18. You use expurgated words to describe the soul who corrected your papers as well as the university…
19. You pen down similar and other such useless thoughts on the eve of an exam…. get close to nervous breakdowns when you get the news that …. Exams are postponed !!!!
20. Twenty reasons aint enough!!! I can give you infinite reasons why exams SUCK!!!

Duality of nature

The thought of duality struck me one fine evening, amidst heavy Chennai waterspouts. I was sitting in my balcony and taking a good glance outside, enjoying the rains. My sis and me were having one of our arbitrary conversations, when I can across a few points.
Think about it:

• In Hinduism, we have the Ardhanareeshwarar. This form is actually a representation of Shakti and Shiva together as one, implying the equal might of both.
• In Taoism, we have the ying-yang: which quite plainly balances the equilibrium of good and evil.
• In Christianity, we have Adam and Eve, the first two humans, representing Male and Female.
• In good ol’ programming, we have Boolean variables: True or False.
• In Logic gates, we have: on or off. [Don’t care about don’t care]
• Coming down to bits: 0 and 1.
• Good and Bad.
• Heads and Tails.
• Jedis and Sith lords.
• Rebels and Agents.
• Neo and Agent Smith.
• Love and hate.
• War and peace.

Duality is all around us.

Slam Books galore!

Well, its that time of life again, to distribute a book to all you know, to pen down all their thoughts on you and just about everything and anything under sun. From the interrogative ones with teddy bear watermarks to hard bound notebooks, et al. A manuscript of memories. A potpourri of treasured praises. A Slam book.
Most of you must be puzzled as to why I’d called some of the slam books as “Interrogative”. Well that is because, they don’t give you scope to write what you really want to write, instead pointing out specific fields like, for an e.g.:

• Date Of Birth
• Likes
• Dislikes
• Your First Crush [and other such nonsense]
• And the most important portion deemed with absolute frugal insignificance, being “Lines for me” [Not Crooked lines, Parallel lines and stuff]

I’d always thought that such books were very impersonal, cold and kind of gave one the feel of filling up a form for registration, or similar. So, what does one write in a slam book? A slam book, [if unlike the prototype specified above], generally will contain a torrent of sweetness and praises. Every time you flip through this book, you’ll get an instant feel of greatness. Something like,
“Oh, whenever I walked across the campus, I’d catch you doing a faultless slam dunk, and be in awe. Man that player rocks!!!”
(Or)
“I was enthralled by all your stage performances, your sweet voice always kept us juniors glued to our seats!!!” [That person probably wants all your notes and material next year.]
A slam book is, ultimately, a hardbound placebo. A feel good piece of work. It’s everyone you know writing his or her own version of “Chicken Soup for this slam book owner”.
Allrighty , time for a Slam book FAQ.

1.What is a Slam Book?
A Slam book is a way of collecting memories of people you once knew, who you cared about and hanged out with. It’s a way of getting all misty-eyed in the future.

2.What is its purpose?
Everything that is created [or in this case, manufactured], has it’s own purpose.The purpose of a slam book is … is … Unfortunately, no one can be told what the slam book is for, and you’ll have to know it yourself!!!

3.What does one write in a slam book?
Whatever strikes you at that moment, whatever comes from your heart …

4.Can we write nasty stuff in the slam book?
You crazy? You have the rest of your life to be nasty to others. This person has given you their slam book because they like you. So you better write something nice. Or else, you’ll probably never ever get invited to their wedding, like it happened to you, DEF and ABC.

5.(Question from DEF) Is ABC married?
Of course ABC is married, you dimwitted imbecile! How dare you write nasty stuff in ABC’s slam! Now ABC hates you for life!

So, people, remember, when someone gives you his or her slam book, it’s not protocol. It’s only because they want to remember you. Pen down your loveliest thoughts. Be sincere. Be sweet. Be nice. Because what you write in those few pages, shows them how much you liked them, and how much you cared for them. And how much they meant to you. What you write in a slam book may not mean a lot to you, but the person on the other side would look upon it someday, while clearing out their old gear, or putting belongings in their attic. They probably wipe the inches of dust on that tattered notebook, take a break, laugh at all you wrote and think, “God, she/he was so nice, wonder what they are doing now”. And you’d probably choke on your food, wondering who’s thinking about you that very moment, minutes later recieving a mail or a phone call, remembering all the good ol’ times.
Isn’t that worth it?

The Monday Morning Blues

Aaargh …. It’s a Monday morning and she’s in bed. Wondering, should she get up or not? Mom shakes her and says, “Better get up, you’re late”… She mumbles “ma, give me 5 mins … 10 mins ….” Eventually [about 20 minutes later] gets up and see that she’s @#$% late for daily work!!!! And you what’s worse… Having all of this happen on Monday.

Cyan and Teal Productions proudly present – “The Monday Morning Blues”, *ing:

· TT, our heroine
· Mom
· Brenda, sidekick
· Big sis [guest appearance]

[The scene is set in a grungy bedroom where the prologue took place]

TT (in deep thought while brushing teeth): Aarrgh … today’s an exam, and I overslept!!! I wonder what… Wait… what are the objectives of financial management again … oh bloody hell!!!
I hate Mondays! I hate Mondays!

Mom(screaming to be heard over a rather loud powerhouse blaring out “Wake up” by Rage against the machine .. ironically enough): Your coffee’s going cold hurry up!

TT: yaya, I’m coming …

[The scene is set at the breakfast table where our heroine arrives gallantly and takes a seat… sips at coffee whilst mom throws her a disapproving look]

Mom: have you studied properly?

TT: Ma, you ask me that every single time…
[Looks out of the window… a splendorous downpour of rainfall enamors the heroine] Oh wow! It’s raining like crazy… wish I had time to appreciate this weather …
[Daydreaming heroine is rudely interrupted by the raucous ringing of a mobile phone…]
oh, where is it … oh there it is .. yo Brenda , tell me.

[Brenda is the school friend of our vibrant heroine, who incidentally is her college mate and ever-faithful sidekick]

Brenda: Yo! You know something… [Pauses]
TT: how am I supposed to know unless you tell me?
Brenda (in a mystifying tone): Do you believe in providence, TT?

[Mysterious music plays in the background…]

TT: Ya right! Now don’t waste my time and tell me ‘sup?
Brenda: You remember cribbing about the weather … and our papers … well guess what, the rain god has spoken!
TT: You mean…
Brenda (in true yoda fashion): our university website check out go and … [includes the giggle as well…]
TT[now our heroine is truly pissed]: Fine I will, Jedimaster Brenda.
Brenda: Be with the force, may you… btw call me afterwards ok? We got to plan out.. bbyeee .. [Hangs up]

[TT shrugs shoulder, mutters “mental” and logs on to http://www.AUisJailUniv.com, the usual crappy flash work and home page loads]

TT: what the …[clicks on link that goes “exam notification”…]
[the page loads with the following contents ….]

This is for notifying that all exams will be postponed by 30 days owing to the rains.
Timetable of the postponed exams are as follows:
20/11/200_: Subject A – Monday
27/11/200_: Subject B – Monday
Professors and Lecturers, chill , kick back and relax …
TT … Muwahahahaha Gotcha again!
The University has you … ahahahahaaa …
Knock knock TT…
By Order
Mad. Vileman
Chancellor, AUisJailUniv
PS: Follow the cartoon …

[Knocking is heard; heroine turns around as mom goes to open the door]
Mom: TT!! Brenda’s home … come on down.
[Heroine glances back at the screen, the cheesy messages have disappeared! All that’s left is …]

This is for notifying that all exams will be postponed by 30 days owing to the rains.
Timetable of the postponed exams are as follows:
20/11/200_: Subject A – Monday
27/11/200_: Subject B – Monday
By Order
Mad. Vileman
Chancellor, AUisJailUniv

TT: ya, that’s better …

Big Sis: hey have phun writing exams … hahaha

[lightning hits the surrounding areas, lighting flickers … violin quartet plays “midnight”]

TT: well my exams have been postponed to … wait a minute … it can’t be!!! [looks back at the screen with a look of absolute apprehension in her face.]

20/11/200_: Subject A – Monday
27/11/200_: Subject B – Monday

TT: Holy Crap, for crying out loud …
[Big sis emits evil laughter and walks out of the house]
Mom: TT, Brenda’s waiting …
TT: oh, right …
[Grits teeth and grimaces while approaching Living room where Brenda is seated, sporting a T-Shirt and Jeans.]
Brenda: hey u look a l’ll grumpier than usual … ‘sup?
TT: Could you blame me? You ever had that feeling .. when you don’t know if you’re awake or asleep …
Brenda : Ya man.. it’s called “daydreaming”.. hey looks like you need to unplug man! How about we go out for some coffee …?
[Focus shifts to the sidekicks belongings… which consists of a cartoon collection of a l’ll boy and a tiger…]

TT: [looks at cartoon… ponders] Yeah, sure …

IF you think that episodes elicited above can never happen, well think again, because Fact is sometimes stranger than fiction!!!

Me and my vortex of void

It’s a stormy night as I walk alone
Shivering and wet in the cruel cold
Armed only with my regret and anguish
As my dud life unfolds

Across the windows I see faces
Smiles and laughter seem so far away
My trifle existence is devoid of mirth
All that I had has gone astray

The restaurant yonder is full of merriment
Clinking of glasses, making of toasts
People sing and some of ‘em dance
Almost frightfully, as if in a trance

I look up at the gloomy sky
And what do I see?
Reflections of my gloom and pain
And starlight gone bleak

Who am I now but a shadow?
That crawls along the surface
Without a soul to claim, a life to love
Like a sunflower gone dry

Spring becomes everyone
Everything comes to full bloom
But I thrive in perennial winter
All that circumvents me is perpetual gloom

Across the alley I see a light
Wonder if it’s shining for me
Because in spite of all that I’ve sought
I’m stuck in this vortex of void