The K-Files

Are You Just Going To Stand There And Die?

2009-03-29T23:58:00.002+04:00

Yesterday.

28th March, 2009.

One hour.

8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

The world. [Or so they claimed]

Lights out.

Earth Hour.

First off, let me give a huge shout out to the Earth Hour group for doing their bit to try and save Earth. Getting so many people to religiously take part across the globe! Although, all it seems like is 60 minutes, 60 minutes multiplied by the number of people taking part amounts to a whole lotta sixty! And eventually, ensures that much more longevity for us as LIVING beings. So, keep it up, Earth Hour!

However...as you know, there's always something else coming. Lol.

Now, as much as I love the environment, our planet, our hope for a long existence and all that green talk...I couldn't help but see that the way we go about this great idea is hypocritical, farcical and almost gimmicky.

And no, I don't mean that the Earth Hour group is responsible for any of those things. Like I said earlier, they're doing their bit in uniting the world in an effort to save itself. And kudos to them for doing that! It's a fine idea, and at least they're doing SOMETHING instead of NOTHING. So, good on them!

But, what I mean is that the rest of the world. Us. It's our job to make it something meaningful after that. But, we're pathetic people. Why can't we do it everyday? On our own? All these corporations using it as a publicity gimmick for the most part. The true significance lost somewhere in the darkness of it all. Funny, isn't it? That the world needs some ONE person, group, or organization to set a day, an hour of a day, for the rest of the world and tell them to try and save their planet and themselves, watt by watt. And yet, there's a HUGE number of people who look the other way and couldn't care less, despite that! It's almost as if we need constant mothering no matter how old we are. Can't we all see how bad our situation as a race is? Can't we all see how fast we're depleting our resources and destroying our planet? We read all these articles, watch all these movies, discuss these issues, and yet once that's all done, we continue adding to the toxicity with even more ferocity?

What?! Why?! How?

How can we be SO self absorbed and yet not care about ourselves at all?

It's almost as if, we couldn't care less. Couldn't care less that our atmosphere is slowly disappearing. Couldn't care less that our world is overheating. Couldn't care less that in our efforts to keep working for the future, we're overlooking the present, and thus, may not even have that future! Couldn't care less that our children, and others will have to pay for the mistakes we're making. How convenient. How inconvenient.

Why am I so worked up despite Earth Hour, you ask? Well, apart from the glaring fact that our planet is deteriorating almost too fast to save at the rate we're going, because, last night, between the hours of 8:30 pm & 9:30 pm, nothing changed. My neighbourhood was as brightly lit as it would be on any other non-Earth-Houry day. Even the bus stand booths had their bright white lights on, and that's Government property! There were barely any 'black spaces' between the rows and columns of the whites and yellows on each building. I also realized that those who bother participating in Earth Hour, once it's over, continue with their exorbitant and detrimental lifetyles. Whatever little we accomplished in that fruitful one hour, was barely of any use at all. So, as I gazed outside from the blackness of my room, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, a feeling of impending doom, and it wasn't just because my house was the darkest it has ever been in a long time. I realized a terrible and unavoidable truth.

We're all murderers, masochists, suicidal & have an evident deathwish.

Yeah, you can laugh all you want, but, it's true...look at it! Look at us! There are LOADS of people who couldn't even sacrifice electricity/power for ONE HOUR. 'Just 60 minutes', right? Isn't that what you said? Well, even then it was too much for you all, wasn't it? If that's the case, and it is, then what hope do we have in the long run? If we can't do the little things, how on Earth can we expect larger results? Obviously, there are still lots of you who still don't see the need to worry, or remedy the situation we're in. What on Earth, whatever's left of it, are you dimwits waiting for?! MORE Incentive??

How much more? How much more incentive do you need? How much more will you keep pushing the limits?

I'll tell you what, there's no way I can list out everything that will go wrong/wrong-er, and explain in-depth, how badly we're F&*^#d! Not unless this post goes on for a few pages. Or unless I rename this blog the Earth Files. So, why don't we do this. Lets say you guys can keep doing what you are. No, seriously. Keep up those toxic emissions, the pollution, the excessive power and resource use. Let the glaciers and ice caps melt down. Let the fresh water and salt water ratio get blown out of proportion. Let the ocean levels rise and the ocean currents system get thrown off. We can live with New York City, Calcutta, Australia and South America's periphery, submerged beneath the rising sea, yes? Bring on the ever-approaching ice age, The deserted lands, the deaths! Lets say, we let it all just happen, with the help of your contributions, of course. I wouldn't want to take away credit where it's due! -.-

Lets say, we get 'globally warmed'. Basically, lets say we let the temperatures rise by 4 degrees. That's right, ALL THAT, just because of 4 ºC. Once that happens, life won't be much different from death anymore.

Still confused? Let me show you an article. No, it's not exactly another one of those 'what will happen and why we shouldn't live like we do' articles, but in fact, it's a guide of sorts to living in a much warmer world. Oh did I say living? Make that SURVIVING in a warmer world. Because very soon, the question won't be how we should live, but if we'll even live, to begin with. So, since we're all on the path to a world affected by global warming, I suggest we read this article and brace ourselves for the drastic change that's inevitably approaching our stubborn world population. Since you don't wish to change and we're all so hell bent on ruining ourselves, I guess we'll all just have to learn to live--I mean survive with the change. We've reached a point where we can no longer think of prevention but survival...A point where if the wars and terrorism don't kill us, this definitely will!

So, take a look at this ARTICLE. So, you'll know what you're up against.

Take a look at this MAP. So, you'll know what you'll be drawing for your next few geography classes. You may find a few more deserts.

Oh and take a look at this other MAP. So, that you can take a closer look at where you may want to travel in the coming years. Because, yeah, destinations will look a lot different. Don't be afraid to zoom in. Then again maybe you should be.

And hey! While you're at it, rent or get yourself the DVD of Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' and watch it.

Not into documentaries, fine, get yourself the movie 'The Day After Tomorrow' and watch that. It may be a little exaggerated but, it gives you a quick enough idea.

And then tell me...Are you honestly 'cool' with all that?

I seriously hope not.

So wake up! We've gone way past the stage where we were supposed to be 'aware'. And the world STILL isn't even aware enough! So if this helped you wake up, wake someone else up, and someone else, and so on, because, trust me, this is one disaster NO ONE can sleep through.

Would you be willing to live that way? I mean, as you can see, and you've probably, heard or read before, life after all our various "contributions" and "developments" will be a lot different from that we are used to now. So, the question is are you up for that? Not that asking ourselves that will be an option, after a while. Soon, we won't even have a choice. Soon all we'll have is the new and far from improved lifestyle. And no amount of Earth Hours will be able to save us then. In fact, there wouldn't be enough Earth Hours left, to begin with, anyway. In a while, all we'll have left is just one big, long, everlasting Earth Hour. Lights out for good, anyone?

But hey, it's no big deal right? So, why don't we all, just read this, feel upset for a bit, and then forget as we leave for the mall, work, or school and continue living in our little bubble of ignorance, till that dark time, shall we?

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My blogtrack, you ask? Well, can't you hear it already? Listen. Listen to the wind. Listen to the waves. Listen to your steady heart beat. The blood rushing through your veins. Listen and feel. For that is the ultimate song. The song and sound of life itself. Listen. Can you hear it? Listen. Now save it.

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On a slightly lighter note, as there always is one, why don't you all give this Earth Hour Game a shot before heading out to save the world. But make it quick!

PS - Thanks, Esperanca! x)
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Jai Whoa!

2009-03-22T01:36:00.024+04:00

Haha! No way!

While Slumdog Millionaire and A. R. Rahman raping the 2008 Academy Awards, was pretty much one of India's biggest highlights of the year so far, I think this other 'latest development' makes for some uhh rather strange new headlines altogether: The Pussycat Doll's version of one of the songs on the movie by Rahman, titled 'Jai Ho'. That's right, PCD takes a bollywood style of approach to their latest single. I'm not so sure I can attribute it being such a hit and all to much work by the Dolls, themselves, if it's the tune you're into, as it's still mostly Rahman and the original song, other than a set of steamy, bordering on disturbing [if you know and compare it to what the original song meant] new lyrics. But I guess if you like the new meaning it brings[ =\], in a way, then you can thank the Dolls. Depends why you like it really. [More on what I think of it, is around the end of this post.] Why I thought it was blogworthy, though, was mostly because it has got to be one of the most, well, interesting musical partnerships, I have seen till date. And this is counting Asha Bhosle and Brett Lee a while back. ;P

Also, and I never got to say this earlier, so I'll just say it now: I'm super proud of India and how we're finally proving ourselves to be the talented and kickass power nation that we're meant to be. Even if, in this case, it's only in the music [yeah the song is weird, but hey A R and PCD who woulda' thunk? :P] and entertainment industry so far. Because, it's still a start. And a big one at that! Academy Awards for A. R. Rahman [& Gulzar] and Resul Pookutty. Now, that's hot!

However, this doesn't mean that I'm saying that the AAs & Hollywood are the ULTIMATE, even though they're pretty far ahead in some ways, and that Bollywood is nothing in comparison and all that rubbish. So, loyalists, don't bother attacking your own teammate, here. We deserve to be just as recognized, many of our films are pretty damn brilliant. But, the fact is that, the perception tends to be that Hollywood is the benchmark. Not only for Bollywood, but for all other countries and their films. And I must admit, in a big way, that's deservedly so. I LOVE Hollywood films and they really do raise the bar, and exploit all aspects of technology and talent for their benefit. And that's the formula for their success really! PLUS THEY'RE IN ENGLISH. Lol. So, Taking all that into account, perception-wise et al, we did pretty damn awesome for ourselves and basically went to Hollywood to say: "That's right, bitches, we're here too!", is all I'm saying. I mean, I can't help but wonder, if the film would have been considered for the nominations if Danny Boyle and gang hadn't directed it. So, next time, lets try and get there and ahead all by ourselves. Get internationally recognized, more than we're already starting to, even if we don't go to the oscars. I may be an Indian and a Bollywood fan as well, but that doesn't mean I turn a blind eye to the fact that Bollywood also needs to start realizing it's true, untapped potential.

Though, I must say of late, it has. They've started showing some pretty amazing films that can match up to one from Hollywood [because accept it or not, they rule the big screen for now, and justifiably so, in many ways, like I mentioned earlier] and hopefully soon be able to rival it like CRAZY as well! Starting by changing their name! Why make it rhyme with Hollywood? I prefer calling it the Indian Film Industry, like most of our stars, honestly. And that's good enough for now, I guess. Lol =) Anyways, we should and can give more of a competition, and not in hindi, because the language barrier comes in the way and subtitles and dubbing can only get you so far. Plus, we can't really compare our kind of movies to theirs that way. It's a whole different concept. And it would be unfair to. Because in that case, all our movies are...Musicals! xD That's how I like to look at it, at least. A lost art, which we keep alive! Lol. But what I meant was, english films but by Indians, about India or anything, with our actors or not, but BY our Indians YES! Like Gurinder Chadha's Bend it Like Beckham, Mira Nair's The Namesake etc. Maybe even Hinglish like Slumdog Millionaire and Monsoon Wedding! And I'm not saying "lets kick Hollywood ass, man" and all, but I'm saying lets get globally recognized as well, and collaborate like we're starting to with other film industries! Start performing on the world stage instead of just on a regional one! =) So, I'm hoping we see this soon enough and that good things for us on the world stage don't stop with Slumdog Millionaire, but that they'll be catalysed by it!

Though, really, this is turning into a whole other giant discussion in itself, and I can't do justice to it right now, as this post was supposed to be a quick one! So, don't bother telling me my argument is crap, 'coz, firstly, it isn't :P and secondly, I didn't have the time today to go into it all much. Sorry! But, please, do feel free to share your opinions on the song and our various film industries and let me know what you think, as you're obviously supposed to! ;)

Overall, I'm extremely glad that A. R. Rahman has been appreciated for the maestro that he is, and this collaboration with the Pussycat Dolls, is kinda awesome news! xD May there be more brilliance to come from our country and may it not only be in the entertainment arena! And you know what screw 'may', there WILL be more brilliance to come from our very own 'bhaarat'! Because we CAN, we just have to WANT to! ;) Good on you, Rahman, Sir! And what more can I say, except for, Jai Ho!

As for my verdict on the song, itself, it's nothing spectacular really, I mean it's tune is the same, so no difference, except for the um lyrics. Nothing I'm going crazy for. I'm quite happy with the original, as it's not like it lacked energy or this cover added much. Pretty much the same. Nothing great. Except that they managed to pervert something so pure and inspirational. It was creepy listening to such a different grind-worthy version of an originally classy, song about perseverance and victory! Jai "Hoe" anyone? =\ *sigh* But, it'll still be a hit, no doubt.

Blogtrack (In case you didn't already guess by now xP) : Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny) - Pussycat Dolls<--- Link 1 [Only audio, but works for sure in all regions. The official music video is 'Link 2', but may not work in certain regions.] Also, if you're interested in the lyrics, click here.

Link 2 ---> Here's the link to the official music video: Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny) - PCD

Enjoy!

Let me know what you think, though!

Until next time, Kaylias out! x)

This Side Up

2009-02-25T20:04:00.022+04:00

So, it's been a while. A funny while. Not because life's been something to laugh about so far. Oh no. Definitely no. But, because seeing my previous post and reading through what the wildly optimistic and hopeful me had to say about it, while comparing how my NEW year's gone and been going, made me laugh. Not a hearty joyous laugh, but a hollow sarcastic one. It started out on a pretty great note with AC Milan and Ace, our new puppy ushering in the new year with us. And then without warning, life changed tracks, more like got derailed off the one it was on, for no apparent reason! And we...I...took a tumble for the worst. And I'm still falling. Falling long, and despite the lack of a bottom surface so far, I'm falling hard. Been falling for over a month and a half now. Barely enjoyed half a month of my supposed 'Year of the Kaylias'. Hah.

It started with my terrible health and speed bumps in my regular college and teenage life due to that. And then as if the rest of my life wasn't irksome enough already, the sudden, unexpected and untimely passing of one of the most amazing and influential people in my life. A teacher, a friend and more importantly as good as family. Mrs. Etta D'Souza, Ma'am. She had been ill for a while, and as usual the medical teams here just don't seem to do justice to their degrees on the wall. But, the bright side for her was that she passed soon and God took her into His arms before she had to suffer any longer. She was an angel before she passed and there's no doubt she continues to be one. Mr. Mario, Sir, was pretty much shattered. As we all were, pretty much beyond repair. She had touched so many lives! Especially mine and, more so, my younger sister, Disha's. She was her first grade class teacher and pretty much breathed life into her. She sowed the initial seeds that had Disha sprout into the creative, comic "pataka" [firework] of a person that she is now. Ma'am was a super friend. And we were all a lot closer than people knew. And they didn't have to know. Just because one has a facebook doesn't mean that every aspect and event that takes place in their lives needs to be broadcast for the world to see [Anyway, I digress]. The last time we had met Ma'am was when she and Sir had come over to our place on Diwali, around the end of October 2008. It was a brilliant evening as usual, with Ma'am and Sir's hilarious jokes and anecdotes. We laughed and laughed till they drove back home. And oddly enough that evening dad wanted us all to click pics with Ma'am and Sir. They've been coming over since we were kids, and it had been a while since we clicked pictures. However, I'm glad dad asked us to pose, for that was sadly the last time we ever saw Ma'am again. At least the last time mom, dad and I did. Disha may have seen her in school. After that it was just calling her on the phone and having those famous multiple hour long chats. =) She always knew how to make anyone burst out laughing. Be it a joke about someone else or even themselves! You just couldn't stop yourself. Laughter and fun was inevitable with her. And a lot of that will be missing in our lives without her. May she rest in peace and keep God happy up there like I know she will. He probably really missed having her around. =) Love you, Ma'am. You'll remain in our hearts and memories forever and longer. Till we meet again. <3

...And then...Before any of us had any time to properly grieve for Etta Ma'am we had yet another tragedy strike us. There were complications with Ace. Are, in fact. That by itself is a long, depressing and complicated story, but in short: He was said to be possibly ill as his mom was, and as a result some of his litter mates too, so was taken to be tested and if need be "treated". After that we never saw or heard from the breeder [who took him] again. It's been a month now. Still no word. And it feels like it's been so much longer.

I am not going to go into any more detail about and beyond that.

Why, you ask? Well, firstly, the most obvious reason: It's too damn hard. I'm all out of tears and I'm out of answers. I've gone over this way too may times in my head and each time the answer's the same. Nothing adds up. I most certainly don't deserve this. And neither does Ace. The price for someone else's lapse in judgement is being payed by the innocent. Yet again.

And secondly: Because the case still isn't closed. And I'm still hoping. No matter how slim the odds. I'm still holding on. Barely but still.

I've been going through a lot of crap for the past few years [from my health, to people, to family to SO MUCH MORE I can't possibly mention for this isn't supposed to be a sad site], lots of it I haven't mentioned because I am not one to complain, which isn't always the best thing, but that's just how I'm wired. Now, I know that bad things happen to everyone and I'm not saying that your problems are any less than mine, and I am certainly not comparing mine to the world's. But, everyone has a right to worry about their own problems. And just because others may have worse problems, I too have a right to grieve or worry over mine, for they are mine to be. And once you've been through the seemingly endless tunnel of crap I have been in for the past few years , you'll see that it's about time I stopped with the "Why not me?" attitude and finally adopted the "Why me?!" one. Lol, seriously. You may not believe me, but it's true. Yet, through it all, I've had some time to reflect and I think I'm gonna...still go with the whole "guess it's all part of life" thing, even if I don't believe it as much now.

Some people may think this as ignoring problems, and faking joy. But, it's not, it's battling them and those people are just stupid. It's a lot easier to be a cynic than it is an optimist in this world. Just remember that. Whining is really easy, just see things for how bad they are and say it out loud. Simple. But, seeing how bad something is, spotting the way out of it all and finding a light in a black hole, now that's the true achievement. And don't for a second think I'm just sugar coating it and don't know what the heck I'm talking about. 'Coz if anyone does, I do. I've been on both sides of the fence. The good and the bad. I've tried being that cynic too. Seemed simpler than trying and fighting anymore. And it's not a great place to be at all. In fact, I slipped into cynicism for quite a bit due to my recent problems, and just decided to revert to my optimistic ways, as I was getting nowhere but further down. All you do is bury yourself deeper and most of the time you piss people off way too much to have anyone even bother to lend you a helping hand anymore. I tried that route once. It seemed simple enough, only because, you're already always disappointed so no more disappointment can come your way. But, it does nothing in helping solve the problem. So if you wanna stay bitter, be my guest.

But, if you don't...snap out of it! And get your angry, hopeless butt off your pity chairs! It's time you did something for yourself. Higher powers, if they exist, can't do it all! And accepting the wrong in your life is the first most important step. Figure out what the problem is or problems are, and then you're on your way. I wrote this post as my form of realization and awakening. You can probably see the trend change or so, if you look close enough. Sick of life, but still looking to fight sort of a thing. Unwilling but not a defeatist yet. Lol.

So, you're in hell. Okay, so am I. Now, in order to get out we have to go THROUGH hell too. So a little way longer and then you're home free! But, wake up and press the pedal first, only then will you eventually end up zipping off towards the horizon and beyond.

You see, the point of my post is not to gather sympathy and 'aww's from you lot. I learnt something from these two tragedies. After all the pain and anger started to clear a bit and I began to accept what was happening, I learnt something. We're all living for death anyway, no matter what we do. We all seem to begin for an end. At some point in our lives, we're all going to burn out whether we like it or not. And if there's one quote I really like and believe in it's Kurt Cobain's "It's better to burn out than to fade away." It really is. Since the light has to go out eventually, either way. I'd like to go out with a bang, given the choice. I don't want to be just another candle. I want to be one which ends like a firecracker! Because, everyone is a light. Everyone. But very few shine. And I want to shine on. Even after my light goes out.

I know Etta Ma'am and Ace both did [Even though, if God listened to me, Ace still hasn't really gone yet and will come back to us =)]. And I'm pretty sure they don't regret much at all, if anything. Etta Ma'am lived a full, complete life with the little time that she had and impacted the lives of those around her a much greater deal than many of us do given an entire lifetime! She changed people for the better. I can attest to that and I know loads more people who can too.

As for Ace, that guy gave so much love and joy to everyone he was with. He really lived for the moment and was one of the most good natured and amazing dogs I've ever seen and will ever see, I'm sure of that. I just wish we had more time with him and I hope that he enjoyed and loved the time he spent with us too, 'coz I know I did. So much. And there's no way I'm keeping another dog. At least definitely not any time soon. He was my ideal concept of a dog. Ever since I was a kid, I had wanted my 'perfect labrador named Ace'. And when Ace came he gave that dream a face and a personality. He gave it a completeness and a reality. And I'll never ever be able to replace it, or even see myself with another "perfect dog" of mine. For, no matter what happens when anyone says dog, I'll see his doleful eyes and innocent expression, and there's no way I can ever see any other dog in his place, not for a long long time, possibly never ever again. I hope to God that he isn't really gone but, at the same time, I have to learn to accept that in all probability with the condition we've been told he has and the way he's been taken from us, the odds are very slim. And no matter how hard it is, I have no choice but to move on and relish his memory.

If only every corner and item in this house wasn't a constant reminder of him. If only we could mess with our memories and keep the ones which didn't hurt so much. Because, no matter how much we say that the memories "keep them alive", they also keep us haunted by them. And in some cases, it's just not cool.

Anyway, they really lived it up, in the best way they could! And though some of you are laughing at the fact that I'm using a dog as an example, all I can say is that: well, that just proves that either you've never really had a dog or that even if you did you haven't been lucky enough to share that awesome owner-pet bond yet.

Life is truly unpredictable. Sometimes scarily so. And at any point we could lose the ones we care about so much or they could even lose us. So, instead of becoming mindless drones and followers, why don't we all take a leaf out of Ma'am and many others' books, and blaze our own trail. Why don't we take control of living instead of whining about things we can't control, like life itself. Make the best of every moment, day and opportunity, because, trust me you're fortunate to be given it, even if it doesn't seem that way to you at that point. And if you feel like doing something different form everyone else, then go do it! Provided you're not doing any harm to yourself or others of course, but you get what I mean. You don't need your peers and friends approval for being who you are and living your own life the way you want to! And if they don't approve, then they were never your true friends to begin with anyway. But, yet again I digress and that's a whole new post I'll be writing. Lol.

So, let yourself free, and tell the people who mean the world to you how they feel whenever you can and feel like it, because you'll never know when you'll never get to it again, and if you worry about how some of them may react or how you'll look, don't. Trust me everyone likes to know how awesome they are and that they are loved. So you can never go wrong there. ;) This life is way too fast and confusing and the best way to get through it is to stay true to yourself and those around you. And if I didn't do it enough earlier, I know I will now.

Most importantly, stop letting the little things get to you. The trivial things that just annoy and serve no other purpose, let them go! Stop procrastinating, and go do whatever it is you have been wanting to do. You say I'm waiting for the right time. Well, there will never ever really be one, so just book that next flight and go see that country you wanted to. Buy that bag you've been eyeing for years. Hug that person you love so much and thank them for being so awesome all the time. Start writing that book you think will take ages to get done, if you don't start how will you finish? And SO MUCH MORE!!! Just get out there and LIVE! With certain limits on yourself of course, the sane kind, but you know what I mean. Don't over crowd yourself to a point where life is a burden. If you don't love what you're doing, you're better off not doing it in the long run. Trust me.

So, take this moment, like I have, to reassess your life. And not so much as to see how much you have wasted but to see how you can remedy the situation and make up for lost time. Because it's never too late to right a wrong! But it can be too late to have another chance to do so. So, wake up now, if you haven't already and make your bucket list/life list. What is it that you have always wanted to do! No one says you can't do it along with your daily responsibilities. No matter how tiny the wish or how big. Start, and work towards it. You'll see what I mean, when you get that smirk and feeling of fulfillment that you get when you cross off an item on your list thinking "Yeah, I actually did it!" So get on off this blog page and pull out your writing pad. Make that list and get to ticking! And while you do all that remember to never stop hoping and believing, because, that's your first step to taking off! Remember people, make it count! Think about it, if you [God forbid] had to go tomorrow, can you confidently say that you LIVED? Can you go without regrets? If the answer's no, don't panic. Just take a step back, change and MAKE IT COUNT!

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Also, you can start off by being a better person. You see all the world problems and think: "I wish I could do something!" Well, here's good news. You can! It's nothing major right off, but it's a start and you can do it from your very own room, while you're online! And what's more, in the long run it not only makes a big difference to the world, but to you as well!

www.freerice.com

Feeding the poor and less fortunate, is just a click away! Seriously. It's a reliable site that has sponsors donate 10 grains of rice to the UN WorldFP for every correct click. Pick a subject and answer multiple choice questions based on it. Be it Vocabulary, or some of the other subjects there. And you can track your progress if you chose the option. So get smarter and make a kid a lot fuller. =) I've already donated thousands and thousands of grains and am continuing to do so, everyday! It makes me feel great! It's fun and you actually do something good. So go ahead and join this amazing cause! Be a part of the change you all demand!

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So, with that I'd like to wish you all Good luck and a Happy Rebirthday! =) The least we can do is to try and get back on track, we owe it to ourselves and the life we've been given. Here's to making it count! It won't be easy, but giving up isn't nearly as much fun. Besides, since we're already down, going up is the only way out right? I hope. Lol.

So, as for it still being the 'Year of the Kaylias', perhaps? Haha, I don't know about all that, but, it's worth a shot. I guess unless we try, we'll never really know for sure. So here's to nothing...yet everything!

Peace out!

Blogtrack: The End Where I Begin - The Script

[These ends, in a way, can be a rebirth for us. Let us begin.]

Note: Despite the tone of this post, I admit, I'M NOT FINE. I'M NOT FINE AT ALL. NOT EVEN CLOSE. AND NEVER SAID I WAS. I'M VERY MUCH IN HELL. BUT, WHAT I AM SAYING IS THAT, I'M GOING TO FIGHT ON. And hopefully in the end I will be fine. Hopefully. What about you?

The Year Of The Kaylias?

2009-01-13T19:38:00.022+04:00

And another year draws to a close. Nope, I won't look back on it. I don't want to. And not because everyone says, looking back is for wallowers, because, I believe that sometimes looking back is what helps us move forward eventually. Sometimes. The reason I won't look back, though is because, it wasn't that awesome. Not like my 2005 summary, anyway. 2008 was hardly a year I want to relive, in reality or on paper. Except for summer '08 and a few events thereafter, that is. Now THAT was awesome! Apart from that, though...lets just say, I just can't wait to wake up from the nightmare of '08 with the new year's alarm! Yes, THAT bad.

Now, I've never been this excited to usher in the next 365 and a quarter days of my life! And this time, I plan on planning it out a whole lot better. I'm picturing my slate of deeds up with the Lord to be wiped clean, or his MS word page to be backspaced entirely, whichever you prefer. [Though, somehow I've always seen God as more of a simple traditionalist, mocking our attempts at advancing our technology, for no real need, while he times our D-Day with great sorrow.] Aah, anyhoo, I drift. So, yes, my slate/document wiped clean and the heaviness above me replaced with pure oxygen of the mind and soul and on the 1st, I wake up and take it all in! My to-do list finally given a fresh take, and I may just get it all done this time! Actually, scratch that! I WILL get it all done this time! The same people, same dreams, same world...but, a new approach, new chance, and new beginning. Now, that's a NEW year!

This whole concept, though...Overhyped, mayhaps? Just a change in the date on the calendar? Well lets look at it this way, then. Some people are going through a real bad phase in life and if there was no clear cut definition of time and markings on a calender to help arrange moments in slots, then the phase would seem to have no end and psychologically, it's exhausting. However, drop in that whole, "it's a new year, a new start and a new hope" and you got yourself a billion happier people! They see it as a chance to start afresh, continue with the new, and just leave out all the rest [Linkin Park reference NOT intended.]! So, don't hate, appreciate, foo! If you don't see the point, then just continue like it's any other new month or day, don't ruin it for those people who find significance or another reason to partay all night long! xD

I'm really looking forward to the days after tonight. I mean, I've really got a super long life list or bucket list and I intend on ticking them ALL off as soon as possible! I also found that I have been happiest towards the end of this year. I've had a great last week or so and feel on top of the world. Resurrected almost. I've rediscovered my purpose, aim and plan in life and am ready to chase after my dreams again! It's a wonderful feeling, getting geared up to chase after your dreams. I'm sure we've all been through it at least once in our lives, yes? I hope so at least. But, if you haven't, make sure you experience it soon!

At first, upon realization of your ambitions and what you really want at that point, it's this feeling of total calmness, serenity and peacefulness with yourself, your life, and no longer is there any hatred, disappointment or irksome source anywhere! You're suddenly liberated and feel almost spiritually higher than everyone else around you. Like you know something awesome that they don't, but they just wish they knew! Then the insane amount of adrenaline kicks in! You can't wait to just race on home and get out your notepad and write strategies away furiously or to talk to that person you share that special bond with! The problems you had yesterday are no longer an issue, 'coz you have bigger and better things ahead of you! =) What follows as a result is loads of insomnia and the need to get a notepad and note down every possible way in which you can make said dream a reality! Your heart beats faster, your mind is minus half the mental blocks you had earlier and the drive you have is more than you knew you could ever have! Alas, the sun does rise and eventually you're gonna have to sleep, 'coz enthusiasm will only get you so far, but yeah, you can wake up 'coz now you're no longer supposed to JUST dream. =)

Now, I don't know know if this is a resolution or not, but I know I don't see it as one. For I don't believe in the fact that one needs a New Year to make one. The fact that I found new meaning near the New Year could be coincidence, or not. But, what I do know is, the start of something new and fresh, like your first day of school or work, has that effect on you automatically. It's a combination of nerves and excitement. You pack your bag with new stationary and books or you wear a new suit and get a new briefcase, and you leave your house/enter those school or office doors, with a renewed outlook and the hope that this is a chance to do things better.

So, as for this year being The Year Of The Kaylias? Well, one can only hope and strive towards it, lets see how it all pans out! ;) Good morning everyone, it's SHOW TIME! |-)

Blogtrack: The Resolution - Jack's Mannequin

Yes, I love JM, so sue me! =P

[You will find inner-peace and living in the past isn't what you want to do for too long, so, you'll soon find your way, just give yourself the chance and that breakthrough, be it 'coz of the new year or any other reason, just do it! Good luck, everyone! ;)]

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year to you all! *<<<-| (Yes that's my personalized christmas tree emoticon - Copyright Kaylias! I know it's horizontal and all but, come on, I tried, and I'm rather proud of it either way! Lol xD)

Note: Sorry for the delay in posting this, it was supposed to be up by the 1st. But, had some issues with blogger while publishing this. So, yeah. =)

Emotional Quicksand

2008-12-23T02:28:00.017+04:00

You know those moments of extreme excitement and adrenaline? Where you feel like you can conquer the world in a heartbeat. Everything you thought was lost or impossible, suddenly seems like the easiest, most achievable thing in the whole world. The bitches in your life, suddenly turn out to be wronged people just acting out and hardly seem as painful anymore. Your mishaps and tragedies then appear to be nothing less than a newfound disguised opportunity. There is a renewed spring in your once crippled step and much needed zest. You know those moments of extreme excitement and adrenaline?

Well, they are partnered with, or often preceded/followed by moments of extreme depression and submission. Suddenly, that energy is no longer present, as if siphoned out by some random disease-like force. Suddenly, that very same moment you saw everything as conquerable and worth the effort, now appears like a lapse in judgement and ludicrous! Those people are still the bitches you'll have to battle. The tragedies are just as tragic and there's no more blood pumping through your entire body. Those gigantic dreams and visions of grandeur and achievement are no longer plausible and you feel like you'd rather keep them in your head. You know those moments of extreme depression and submission?

I do. And they can really suck. Bad.

All you can do is try your best to take solace in the fact that sooner or later that moment of extreme excitement and adrenaline is going to make a comeback. When? Who knows. But, they do. So you keep working on those life plans in your head until that moment. 'Coz the second you let go and surrender yourself to the mental turmoil, you'll get dragged down eventually. And I know that. Sometimes you just can't fight your own gravity. What goes up must come down at some point. But, the beauty of it, is that it can go up again as well.

Just thought I'd get that out there.

Blogtrack: Caves - Jack's Mannequin

[The walls will fall. Eventually.]

The Artful Roger!

2008-11-15T23:45:00.017+04:00

www.facebook.com

I enter my email and password.

I check out my notifications.

I barely skim through the list, for I'm too busy with some other more pressing matters. Just as I was getting closer down to the end, something catches my attention.

"Anjali Agarwal has written on your wall."

Now ordinarily, I would have just continued scanning the list, however, this was no ordinary notification. Simply because, there were three of the same! Yes, THREE!

"Anjali Agarwal has written on your wall."

"Anjali Agarwal has written on your wall."
"Anjali Agarwal has written on your wall."

Could she have written and deleted it a few times in order to correct her wallpost and finally post it? I open my wall in a new tab and scroll down. My eyes widen as I spot three rather large, detailed wallposts. Nope, she actually posted THREE! I'm perplexed, yet curious. I start reading...

"You missed one heck of a match. so, it starts out well. Roger wins the first set 6-4. But gets broken early in the next set 0-2. it finally becomes 2-5, with Andy serving for the match. But Roger breaks his serve gets it up to 3-5. breaks ONCE MORE! 4-5. holds his serve. 5-5. they go into a tiebreak, and murray wins there. third set starts. and this is where I am so proud to say that I am a federer fan.

Fed's back pain starts getting worse and he calls the trainer on court. oh and get this. he informs Murray before he does it. I mean, who does that any more? What a classy guy! So he's getting treated for his back. they start to play the third set. andy breaks early once more. so nor roger is down 0-3. at the end of that game, roger sits on the linesperson's chair behind him, in complete pain. his back is killing him immensely. and at that moment, the commentators were all like - "he should retire. he's hurting. he can't go on any more. his back is gonna kill him" etc."

Post one ends. I'm hooked! The words practically aid my mind to recreate and replay every moment, move and ball. I could feel Federer's agony. I could feel Murray's frustration. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through me with great gusto! I could feel....more. The anticipation was eating me alive! I had to read on! I swiftly scroll up to the second post...

"and then, all of a sudden roger stands up with this determined look, shakes his head and gets the ball from the ball boy. he is not going to quit. He serves a great game. it's 1-3. then the next game, there's this brilliant drop shot. it was phenomenal. he breaks andy's serve! goes to 2-3. holds his own serve. 3-3..."

By now, I'm on the edge of my seat, just hanging onto every syllable! My fingers crossed so hard, all blood flow to my fingertips had been cut off! Come on, Fed! You can still do this! My heart starts beating faster, my breathing a lot heavier! I read on anxiously...

"...and all this, while his back is killing him. i mean his first serve % was a measly 25. which is really pathetic. despite that, he breaks andy once again and goes up 4-3 and lets out this huge roar - "C'mon!!".. this is when i was like, ok, he can do it. he can win this. but unfortunately, andy broke back and so now it's 4-4. roger serves. it went to deuce 7 times. Andy had 2 break points. Roger didn't let him convert. its 5-4. andy serves. its 5-5..."

My head is pretty much a packed stadium of imagery by now! Each thought echoingand resonating throughout the chambers of my mind! The cheers. The screeching shoes on the court. The rackets thwacking the ball. The umpire calling out the score. The challenges. The...

"...andy breaks unfortunately."

SHIT.

"...its 6-5. and in the next game, andy had 7 match points. but roger denied them all!"

THAT'S IT, ROG! COME ON!

"...finally, andy won!"

Silence. The adrenaline reduced. My breathing slowed down. My mind started to wipe itself clean. I remain fixated at the screen. I am held spellbound and in awe of the legend, that is Roger Freakin' Federer!

Expected a different reaction? Lol, well, I expected a different game.

You see, as much as well say, it isn't about who wins and loses and that how you played through it all is what counts. That's not the case. I mean, it is. In a perfect world. But, as you all may have noticed by now, this world, our world, is faaaaar from perfect. In some ways that can be a good thing. But, in THIS case, it sucks. Why? Because, contrary to what the scoreboard showed, Roger Federer won that match! Roger Federer kicked Andy Murray's butt! Roger Federer walked off that court a champion in the end! And contrary to the ATP rankings as well...Roger Federer IS World Number ONE!

So, shut up, throw your various score charts and newspaper clippings away and make sure as hell that you've actually WATCHED the afore mentioned match and all the previous ones played by this tennis superstar before offering your genius opinion at the end of this post!

Thank you.

Now, the truth is, that the game of tennis has evolved and come a long a way form the peaceful, sometimes boring, gentleman's game it once was. And, evolution isn't always good, I mean, take us, homo sapiens for example. Quite the curse to this planet, if you ask me. Hence, I stress on the word GENTLEMAN'S. Don't get me wrong, I know that women are aces at tennis as well. I watch their matches with as much interest. And they're awesome! =) However, this post is with regards to my favourite, Roger Federer, who, undoubtedly is a man, so I am going to discuss this sport from the male side of things on court for now. And either way, it's the men who constantly need controlling and manner checks. Women hardly, if ever, behave like hooligans or need to be disciplined. Their tennis has always been a pleasure to watch hence the stress on the men being gentle. xD

So, MEN'S tennis was and is still supposed to be a gentleman's game. Sort of like cricket. Which is another insult to the term gentleman, now as well. But, that's a different matter altogether, so don't even get me started on that! So, as for tennis living up to that tag. Sadly, it doesn't anymore. Yeah, so we all sit mum when they're playing their shots, and the umpire yells if we don't, but, that's pretty much it, in terms of discipline during the match. The point was, that the PLAYERS were the gentleman part of the sport. And over the years they've just screwed the gentle part of it and just come on court as men. And crazy ones at that. No, I am not asking for a gender change. I'm asking for an attitude change! Allow me to elaborate.

Where has all the classiness of tennis gone?! The etiquette, the politeness, the off-court camaraderie, no matter what the on-court rivalry, but more importantly...Where is that sportsmanship spirit?! =O

Nowadays all we see is tantrums on court and off, tactics to distract/annoy the opponent, any form of cheating they can come up with, and disses in the press from one player to the other! And trust me, all these temper tantrums et al are far from flattering when had by GROWN men! I don't care who broke your serve, shut the hell up, be mature and get on with the match! Spare your dignity, lads! I'm not saying I don't find it amusing, I mean the soul yearns it's fair share of entertainment, but selfishness aside, it ruins the game [not to mention your name!].

However, if you're one of those people who wanna tarnish your tennis rep! Be my guest! In fact, here are some pointers for you when learning modern lawn tennis, noted down from the antics of some of this sport's greatest!

How to play...Menace! =@

1. If you find yourself losing, just retire from tournament/match! Say you sprained an ankle or you pulled a hamstring or anything along the lines of physical injury during play. It's as simple as that!

2. If you're doubtful of a win, before you've even started playing the match, just fail to show up entirely, citing an illness of some sort. The flu, Mono, SARS...whatever your index finger lands on in the medical dictionary.

You think doing that is ridiculous? Well, one player even retired from a match because, get this, he had a sore throat! =S And last I checked, you didn't require your adam's apple to serve! Besides it's better off they can't speak, 'coz then they can't throw their extravagant tantrums or grunt while making shots. xP

Which brings me to my next point.

3. Do anything. I repeat...absolutely ANYTHING to mess up your opponent's concentration/mood during a game. It'll save YOU loads of stamina and play-time. Some tips that have shown to work on even world number one, Roger Federer [Yes he STILL is in my books!], are:

a) Grunting when you hit a shot, whenever you find yourself losing the point.

b) Calling time outs saying you need your trainer. Even when nothing's really wrong. 'Coz how will anyone else really know, right? It'll disrupt your opponent's concentration and give you plenty of time to rejuvenate and rest yourself!

c) Challenging at the drop of a hat helps too. Sometimes, even when you KNOW it was out when you played or it was in when your opponent did. Challenge the shot anyway.

4. When being interviewed make derogatory comments about your rivals and act like a complete ass. If interviewed after a match don't EVER compliment the player who you played against, irrespective of whether you won or lost, just talk about how awesome you were and that you can't wait to play again next and do way better like you're meant to.

5. Curse a lot. Loudly. When you miss a shot or lose a point. And cheer for yourself real loud whenever you get a point. Be very animated. Throw your racket about while your at it. Props help.

6. Get the umpire involved in your outbursts as well. He's got the best seat in the house, for God's sake! Give give him the total experience. Surround sound and 3-D! Yell a bit at him too! Just 'coz he's high up doesn't mean he can make the rules, right?! -_-

7. And last but not the least for sure, try your best to be an overall pompous arrogant ass, please? Don't smile. Look disgusted. You're the best. It's obvious. Own it. Everyone else is shit. Show off as much as possible. Spit on the court. And most importantly, make sure that you constantly pull out wedgies form your butt! Yes, I'm serious. And make sure EVERYONE can see, even those watching from home.

Good. Now, that you've got all that nailed. You're all set to be a pro at Menace...I mean modern tennis. Which, if you ask me, is basically being a menace at tennis. *sigh*

Believe it or not, the points above are based on stuff well-known players ACTUALLY do! I've seen it and so have you! Agh! See what I mean?! IDIOTS, I TELL YOU!

I didn't name any players along with the above-mentioned antics, out of sheer respect for them and the fact that they too have skill. It's their behavior and tantrums that make them annoying. That's all. And even though that's a lot, I didn't want to make this blog a personal attack or distasteful in any way. So, guess away! Lol. The last point may be obvious but who doesn't talk about that anyway. Besides, he seems pretty comfortable showing the whole world his underwear-pull routine so, I'm just increasing his publicity, in that aspect of his "game". Haha! Anyways, like I said the point of this post was to show you that tennis is more than just playing well. It's about behaving well and having good on-court etiquette along with it all!

And that's another area where Roger Federer beats out all the rest! And his skill at being an amazing person comes in! While he's busy being awesome on-court and he knows he's the best, he's still as humble as ever! And so charming! And as my friend, Anjali, also rightly said, he's got CLASS! Loads of it! He's always so calm and composed whether he's winning or losing. Playing a clean and disciplined game. No matter what! I mean, he even told Andy Murray that he would need his trainer because of his back, in advance. Anjali, you're right again! Who else does that anymore?! Who's so dutiful and awesome as to go and inform a player of a delay before hand these days? No one! Yet, he STILL does. Yes, people he's that perfect, so get over it! He had the worst back ache ever! He was practically on the floor, writhing in excruciating pain! And yet he fought on and played the entire match! And almost won it, at that! He had every right and, more importantly, every reason to retire from the match injured, but he bravely tried his best under the circumstances and attempted to beat Murray, who despite a VERY injured Federer had to REALLY fight for that win! A truly inspirational performance, by the world number one! This is WHY, we Federer fans, love the man! A fantastic player aside, he's a brilliant competitor and human being! And him being adorable and good looking is just an added bonus! Federer is poetry in motion. Even when he's not playing. xD

He's always so polite, and dignified, even after losing his world number one title to Rafael Nadal! Seeing Nadal you don't see the same regal and larger-then-life personality and charm that Federer effortlessly emanates. Come on, even Nadal fans have got to admit that! Whether you like it or not, it's the truth. Even though, Nadal's number one right now, you just can't tell. I mean, you still feel Fed is! If it weren't for the rankings constantly reminding us the change in ranking, we'd have all forgotten by now! And none of this is bias just because I support Federer, it's true. It's just the way he carries himself. Nadal's never been more under the radar in his career than he is now, at the top spot. Federer and Nadal are miles apart, in more ways than one! Fed's just oozing class and humility from every pore in his body and he doesn't even have to. That's the beauty of it! He's just naturally nice, he chooses to be! You can't help but fall in love with the guy! An amazing player and an even more amazing man. Roger Federer - World Number 1. Always. Got that?! Good! I rest my case. Tennis is more than just gaining points and rising up the rankings. It's more than just being a good player. It's about being a good sport. And as far as that goes, Federer's one of the only players, if not the only one, out there who qualifies as the perfect tennis player. Both on-court and off. He's a true star! He renews your faith in the entire sport. And a bit in the human race too. And the truth is, my love for the sport will die along with Roger Federer's retirement. And that day I will mourn the end of tennis, itself! At least for me.

So, here is a post which apart from celebrating Roger Federer the player, is mainly and actually a celebration of Roger Federer: The man. [Hence, the image choice for this post. Instead of the predictable one of him in poetic action! xD]

Anyway, this is not a post to insult any other player but, a post to congratulate and recognize Federer's brilliance. A tribute to him. I don't need to bring any other player down in order to show Federer up. He's a natural star! Roger, you rock! And no matter what the press or anyone else says, you're the best! And we can't wait to see you back at the official number one rank! [even though unofficially you never left that spot!] =)

Allez Roger!

Blogtrack: World's Greatest - R. Kelly

[A beautiful song! Perfect for this post. Come on, Fed! You can do it! =D <3]

Note: Big thanks to my friend, Anjali, for triple-walling me =P and thus allowing me to somehow be a part of such an eye-opening match and eventually end up writing this long overdue tribute post. I thought I was a die-hard Federer fan, earlier, but after that match...WOW! Federer truly is my idol. And I'm pretty sure I'll make a believe out of those reading this too! Whether you want to admit or not. So, hop on board the FedExpress, there's ALWAYS room for more and no you won't be judged. Lol. Next stop: Official World Number One Rank! Huzzah! ;)]

Quantum Of Bollocks?

2008-11-09T01:36:00.030+04:00

WARNING: This blog post may contain spoilers, so if you haven't already watched the movie and are planning on doing so, don't read any further!

Picture this road full of traffic going both ways and a black car speeding up in an effort to overtake them and make it to the point of destination unscathed. It's a battle for time and the black car swerves left and right, just barely dodging traffic and skidding professionally to a halt in front of the door. The automatic glass sliding doors of Grand Cineplex, that is.

Gotcha!

No, I wasn't describing the beginning of the movie. And to those who haven't watched it, don't even bother figuring this one out. In fact, you shouldn't even be reading this yet! =P I exited the vehicle, far from a Bond-like manner, and entered the building. I had finally got tickets and was on time. Bring on the double O Heaven, I thought! However, I was fed a rather modified version of the dish I had ordered...

Quantum Of Solace, 007's latest adventure, has had quite the varying yet predominantly colder reaction from viewers. Which wasn't something I agree with entirely but, I'm not here to merely imprint my opinion in your mind. So, let me give you all the facts and analysis and YOU decide!

In this second installment of Daniel Craig's Bond series, we find a sequel of sorts. Which is cool since Ian Fleming's books tended to follow that pattern. Each book was a follow up to the previous one. Nice to see that they've finally caught on to that! While some people found that disappointing. I saw that as interesting, for once. I mean, it was a change in the typical trend we see in Bond films and gave us a chance to see some sort of connection and feeling from Bond. Feeling? You may ask. Well, we're so used to seeing James Bond as a relatively emotionless, killing/action machine, who starts every film with a fresh slate. No past emotions or reactions to love lost or any such thing. But here we see him emotionally wounded by Vesper's loss and he actually feels hurt and betrayed! And when he later realizes she wasn't at fault, he goes about avenging her.

The movie picks up minutes after Casino Royale's climax thus, bringing in the sequel aspect of it. And so begins the fascinating and nail-biting car chase. The action in this movie was phenomenal! It was everything you expected it to be yet more. Though, sadly the camera work wasn't as sensational and could have been a lot better. There were way too many edits and one could barely see what was going on, which would be a big minus especially when you have such well executed and dead on action scenes. The whole "scene-jumping" effect was overdone there and was a pain in the...eye! =\

I found a lot of Bourne-isms in this film too [similar concepts and scenes from the Bourne series of movies starring Matt Damon]. Which would be partly because of Dan Bradley's involvement, the former stunt coordinator and second unit director of the Bourne movies. However, Craig added his own style to the whole mix, of course.

What I really like about this movie is this new side we see to Bond. Some may see it as a weakness and the total opposite of what James Bond is meant to be, but I see it as something amazing...a truth. James Bond is just like any one of us, minus the well-defined body, accent, insane skill in combat and blue swim trunks, of course. =$ Especially, when he tells Camille how to go about killing somebody, because he too knows how it feels, it really humanizes this man, who we have always seen as this come, conquer and leave person. This time, instead of seeing the usual Agent 007 at work, we got to see the man, James Bond deal with everything and that was a new yet refreshing twist to things. For normal people to be able to accomplish so much, it makes Bond all the more relatable and realistic to me! And I'm sure most die-hard fans find this concept hard to stomach but, the truth is everyone slips up and despite Bond going through a bad phase, he still makes things work and kick ass! Now, that's awesome!

M, played by Dame Judi Dench, also features a LOT more in this film than any other Bond film, and this gives us a chance to learn more of her character as well. This film, in totality, I think is one in which the main purpose is to shed more light on the characters and help us see them for the people that they are and get to know a little more about them. It was a movie with more depth than gadgets and all that jazz, and as much as I love the gadgets and the ass-kicking, I give Paul Haggis [Also the writer for the oscar winning movie 'Crash'] props for taking such a risk with the Bond franchise. I mean, come on guys, there's no need to be that brutal in your judgement. Be a little flexible and look at the positive aspect of this movie! It's a rather interesting trend I've noticed with critics/fans alike, when most superhero-like movies are released and the hero's still finding his way and is showing signs of being more human than expected, they blacklist the film entirely or whine about those scenes excessively. I saw this with most of my friends and others when they saw the 3rd Spiderman movie and The Dark Knight. Yes, I know, Parker did tend to cry a bit too much, but my point is that he is ALLOWED to! He goes through the same problems we do, and just 'coz he can shoot web fluid doesn't mean he can't pine over lost love! See my point now?!

The bond girls seem to be less damsel in distress and more badass with each film so that's a big plus in my book! Haha!

Dominic Greene, portrayed by Mathieu Amalric, was hardly your typical villain. He seemed unassuming and after water?! All he seemed to want was money and didn't really have nearly enough demonic motivation as most Bond villains. However, yet again, this was an interesting concept to me. Just like in 'The Dark Knight', we found it spine-chillingly and psychotically brilliant how the Joker was evil for no real reason. Similarly, Greene has that part nailed! And as clueless as we all are about his Quantum group and how it came about, it's obvious that the next film will deal with all that and more and make things clearer. So, calm down! This movie seems to have been some sort of build up to the next, in my opinion, and I can't wait to see what else is in store for us! As for the 'after water' aspect, it's quite understandable, especially in these times...water is getting scarcer and more expensive by the minute! So, imagine being in control of a whole country's water supply! Major cash inflow if you ask me! =P

Now, don't get me wrong, I know Bond had this certain way of doing things and a certain style which is what makes his character so memorable and awesome! I too was disappointed with the lack of a traditional story-line and demonically suave villains, but, in all fairness, the new concept didn't fail to impress, entirely either. At least not to me. Trust me, I'm with you, when you say, "Don't change the character!" But, what I'm trying to make you all see is that they never really changed the character. You just never actually got to see the deeper, real man that is, James Bond. And this movie showed us more than usual! Just like Scooby Doo cartoons can get boring and monotonous with the whole 'enter house-see ghost-chase ghost-unmask ghost-solve mystery' routine, the same thing could happen to the Bond series! Sometimes, it's nice to have one odd movie go on a different tangent and show us something new. After this one I can guarantee that the next Bond flick will be so kick ass, you'll wonder whether you paid for 3-D!

Frankly, I think the main problem with everyone was that they went in expecting too much and with the typical story-line. I guess I was lucky enough to have caught it in the second week of it's release and by then had heard enough negative criticism from friends so I wasn't expecting the world from it. That probably helped a lot! So, watch it again, when you get the chance, and this time go in with an open mind, minus the assumptions. Then see what you think and let me know! ;)

So overall, taking into consideration all the stuff mentioned above...Quantum of Bollocks?? I think not! What do you feel?

Blogtrack: You Know My Name - Chris Cornell

[I know it's the soundtrack for Casino Royale, but I think it's way better than the new one 'Another Way to Die'. I mean the new one was not bad, but when you're talking about Bond..."Not bad" is just not enough! xD]

Note: In case you all didn't know already, my blogtracks are now hyperlinks, so if you click on the song now, you'll get transferred to a YouTube page and can listen to the audio. =)]

I Can Explain

2008-11-05T23:44:00.017+04:00

Firstly, A BIG SHOUT OUT TO BARACK OBAMA FOR FINALLY MAKING IT! I'm absolutely ecstatic and am finally proud to be an American. =D Can't wait for his term to officially start! The people of the world seem to have overcome time difference, age, race, sexual orientation, political and religious views, etc. and woken up together, for once. It's more than history being made. It's a future being made. And a damn good one at that by the looks of it!

Okay, so before I let this election be the centre of this post (like almost every other blogger/person), I thought I'd get to the main reason I started this post.

As you all may have noticed by now, I'm guilty of vanishing from the blogosphere yet again and I apologize profusely uhh yet again, as well. =\ But, I can explain. You see, my life's been taking a kind of unexpected turn of sorts, what with my sucky health, sabbatical from NYU and total social spin cycle mode...Despite all of this, however, I've been the calm, cheery, appearing-to-be-in-denial-to-some nutcase that I usually am. :P I haven't given up on HOPE. Our new President, Barack Obama, is the best example of conquering all and overcoming unbelievable odds to get to where he is! And even though, I can NEVER compare myself to the likes of him, I'm just trying to share my tale of keeping the faith and hoping. Hope helping on a much smaller scale. Unlike most people who sit back, retract and feel sorry for their "cursed life", I decided that I had done enough whining and worrying and that I would make the best of what fate had dished out to me and would probably continue to dish out.

Granted it's not easy to just get over it, I figured it wasn't like I could really do anything about my situation or that what was happening to me was even in my control to begin with. But, the least I COULD do was make the best of it all and continue on the track of awesomeness I was meant to be on in the first place. [No, I'm not arrogant. We are all put on a track to some kind of awesomeness. Some of us continue on that mysteriously interesting yet challenging path and figure out just what kind of awesome we can be, while others follow the sign to the well-lit "detour to awesome land" and find they were led astray to some dead end (life)]. Anyhoo, as I was saying, I decided to get on with my life no matter where I was or what I was being forced to do at this one point. I saw this time given to me, due to treatment and illness, as a way to get in touch with my many passions and dreams. Those that I figured I needed to abandon while at school in the US. I saw this time as a chance to reconnect with myself and do what I always wanted but never could because a little something called life intervened. The beauty of this second chance was that funnily enough, this time life intervened, I actually got to do what I wanted! See how that all worked out! ;)

Okay, okay, I must tell you, though. I'm not that perfect a soul either. I mean, it's not like my thought process went anything like this when the doctors first told me that I had to take a break from college in order to sort my health out. I mean, I was this unstable, overflowing cocktail of emotions! I was furious, depressed, shocked, critical of God, confused, lost, but most importantly I was FRUSTRATED. Frankly, I was sick of...well being sick! I mean, I was always accident prone through high school and stuff, but, at least those kind of accidents healed in a few weeks and were external injuries mainly! This time I was informed of a condition attacking me from the inside. It had been ruining me since my last few years as a senior at high school, but it wasn't detected. And now that it was reaching extreme levels, it was becoming more apparent and lethal. I must say, I'm glad I seem to have caught it now and am working on trying to treat the condition. But, other than that I was stuck watching everyone else move on, while I was going in, what appeared to be, reverse mode. I flew to Bombay and Chennai to get treatment options and figure stuff out. And I was suddenly chucked into this ginormous whirlpool of uncertainty and chaos!

The worst part is that I wasn't just being scarred physically. It's an emotional and mental effort for me too. And as I type to you from my room, back home in Dubai, I feel myself feel lighter. Because, quite frankly, this is the first time I've tried to open up so much about what's happened. I've had loads of people ask me questions and wonder what's really wrong because, the truth is something IS wrong. Very wrong. But, I just can't bring myself to telling people what exactly and how wrong it really is. And I can see them constantly trying to study my face and my demeanor, in an effort to gauge me and hopefully get an inkling as to what's up with me. I, on the other hand, remain guarded and try to change the topic, promising some that I would tell them later, when we're alone and then hope that moment never came. Quite the emotional hide-and-seek, if you ask me. And after a while it gets tiring. For both parties. This may come across as being selfish in some ways but, the truth is...it's hard. It's really very hard to watch the people you know and love feel sad or burdened by you or feel bad for you. I mean, when all else is going pretty crappy, you really just want to be able to hang out with your buddies and for that one evening or few hours, pretend that everything's alright and nothing's wrong. Because, I know that they'll all get protective and overly worried and there'll be this awkwardness and change in everyone's attitude in some way or another. Be it minor or major. And it'll change everything. So, if everyone would just understand that and help me keep this one aspect as normal and care free as possible, it'll be cool. =) I know I owe them an explanation too. But, right now, unless someone literally throws me against a wall and yells at me, I doubt I'll tell them. =P SORRY. But, I still really DO love you all. I just don't like burdening others with my problems at all. It's just who I am. I rarely have confided in anyone other than my sister, Disha. Lol. Bear with me. Not like me not telling you should affect you all in anyway, right? I mean, you have your own lives. Enjoy that! I'll be fine in the end, I'm sure! I have faith. And I'm not gonna give up on HOPE. =)

Even though, this blog post barely grazes the surface and doesn't reveal nearly as much as what's going/been going on in my life it's a start. 'Coz trust me it's a really BIG DEAL for me to open up this much, especially about this and problems in my life. I'm sure some of you relate and know what I mean. And to everyone who's been worried, or been an ass because they thought for some stupid reason that I was ignoring them for the fun of it. Now you know (sorta') why I've been so out of stuff and unlike my usual self. So, hope we're cool now. Presumptuous losers. Lol.

ANYWAY. I apologize for having gone a bit off track! On a much lighter note, as I was saying before I dived into the intricacies of my aloofness, a couple of months after being diagnosed with whatever, I decided that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing ENTIRELY. I mean, I was being given a chance to have some time with myself and my old friends, family and MOST IMPORTANTLY my passions! =D Some of which are: Sketching, writing, video making, music making, basically being creative somehow and all in all having a blast! I've always had a head full of ideas and dreams, but somehow never had the means or the time to do something about it. But, now I had both, well almost and I wasn't going to waste this newfound opportunity! This medical leave time could be some kind of twisted way of fate intervening and gifting me a chance to make it all happen somehow. My sister always says "Everything happens for a reason" and of late, I've really started believing in that! I mean, if life throws you lemons, take a hit at it anyways. You won't always get thrown baseballs, but, you can still try and hit a home run! ;)

So, presenting to you my latest exploit, with the help of my sister and some of my friends: Kaylias Productions [Our YouTube channel! - www.youtube.com/Kaylias] There's a sidebar on this blogpage with our videos as well, if you're interested. We've only just started out so, be patient and I promise you in due time, we'll be a lot more regular and set. =)

Other than that, I've got quite a few interesting professional projects lined up for me. Involving my music, videos, art, writing and what not. So, I'm pretty psyched about all that and have my fingers crossed twice over! haha. Don't wanna jinx or oversell anything so that's it for now and watch this space for more on that front of my life! ;) As for my education, I'm doing some courses from here and transferring my creds back to the US so I'm managing.

I guess that's quite an update for one post and I'll be a lot more regular now, just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive and that I'm making the best of what's up. So, you'll be seeing me and my many exploits soon. It'll take lots more bad luck to knock me out for good, yo! xD The main point of this post was to attempt to get you all to see how important having FAITH and HOPING is. As soon as you give up. You're signing your soul's death order. So, PLEASE people, no matter what your problem, DON'T EVER GIVE UP ON HOPE. God never gives us more than we can handle. ;) And thank you all for being so patient and supportive, once again! Peace out, Kaylians! xD

Blogtrack: Unwinding Cable Car - Anberlin

[Even when all seems lost and you can't go on anymore, "Don't drop your arms", don't give up on hope...EVER, and keep on fighting. It's worth it. You're worth it. Like I said earlier, President Barack Obama is a living example of making it against all odds! GObama! More like PrObama, now, though. I'm so excited! Lol! As for Prop 8...Ugh! Disgraceful! America appears to be a paradox of a country. =\ But, this isn't the place for this so until next time....Kaylias out!]

*** The world lost a genius on Tuesday. Rest in peace, Michael Crichton. =| ***

Where are you now?

2008-06-18T19:47:00.009+04:00

Do they?

Every now and then we tend to stop our lives for just a moment and look around. We look around ourselves and see how far we've come and how things may have changed. And more often than not, we find that we've come a VERY long way from where we started. In fact, we've come such a long way that it's almost as if we're completely different people leading entirely new lives! It's like all those years prior to this were part of a previous lifetime altogether and the people in it, who, once upon a time, seemed to be our everything are now nothing more than pieces of our past or has-beens...

Aah yes, now that's where we feel this eerie nostalgic moment of sheer confusion bordering on pure horror! Hard to explain in words, really, but, I'm sure everyone has experienced it once in their lives, and every time they do, there's always that one nagging query at the back off their minds..."Where are they now?" Those people who meant the world to us, who were our world, best friends, lovers, even those who were our worst nightmares. Where were they all NOW? I mean, usually we move away, join a new school and find new friends, enemies, etc, or find all that again in the VERY SAME SCHOOL/CITY. And this is the part I'm concerned with...if we move away then losing touch and altered relationships are more or less inevitable.

But, what about if you haven't gone anywhere at all, physically at least! What if, you're still at that school, or still living in that very same neighbourhood? Then why? Why do things change so drastically? Why do people drift apart and never relate to one another again. Where do they all go? Before we even get a chance to blink, they're gone. We're gone. Be it because of a stupid argument, a misconception, even for no reason at all...we just drift away from one another! And what seemed like an eternity together became nothing more than a few broken hearts and another reason to say: "That's just life...". We have a brand new circle and brand new priorities. A brand new life. Just like that.

But, is that really "just life"!?

What about the old ones? Is life really supposed to be so abrupt and brutal!? Are we just supposed to move on and screw the past?

This is a very debatable topic, I admit. But, it's about time someone asked these questions out loud. I mean, did it every occur to you what life might have been if those people had continued to be a part of our current existence? Why do we just move on? Why don't we ever fight to have those people back in our lives!? Why can't we stop accepting things as they are and make them what they should be?!

I mean seriously, sometimes, contrary to what people say, you CAN change fate, destiny. Nothing is totally pre-written. It's all part of a flexible plan! "Fortune favours the brave!" And what I'm trying to say is, sometimes we just need to FIGHT for the ones we love and care for! Even if it seems like a long shot. Because, if we don't then we risk losing them forever...the one thing in life that kept us/keeps us going strong...GONE! Imagine that.

We all have something/someone without whom life seems like a wheel-less race-car! And I can say, from experience, without these things/people...life really effing sucks! There's this void that only they can fill, and if they're not there...lets just say nothing functions with a giant hole through it's soul! =S Duh!

YET, knowing all of this! People leave and we LET them! And things do change...It's like there's no winning with life, huh!? =/

Which leads me to ask myself again:

Do people really always leave?

Well, I guess MOST of the time, they do. In some way or another.

Is there no way to make them stay?

Now, there's a question that can be answered by YOU. And ONLY you.

*sigh* I don't know. I guess, I just constantly find myself asking such questions when I do just stop and look. And I know we all happen to do this in our moments of solitary reflection and deep pondering. The truth is, I may have lost a similar someone/something that means a LOT to me. And I can't imagine living my life without them. The funny part is, we know how the other feels and reciprocate completely! So, where does the problem arise then, you ask? Well, it's simple. We're all too proud and afraid to accept that and fix it all.

Aah, life...fate's evil and bitchy game of chess.

And yet I stand and ask out loud...We said we'd always be there for one another and that it was forever...Where are you now!? And this is what knocks out my soul and makes me wonder...Why do we just let go...Trust me people, fight and hold on to those things that matter...'coz losing them is no fun at all...don't ever let those moments slip away...

-------

Blogtrack: Feeling A Moment - Feeder

["How do you feel when there's no sun"? That 'sun'...could be anyone/anything in your life...can you live without them?...Think about it. I guess we all have the same problems...and I guess I am "just like you". In the end, we all are.]

Peace.

Wtf, indeed!

2008-03-11T15:14:00.008+04:00

Jason likes Kady.Kady likes Jason and Matthew.Matthew knocked up Elizabeth but, says he didn't.Karl has been telling people that Jason doesn't really like Kady and is gay.Rita thinks that the whole world hates her and constantly victimizes herself. Naomi's an ultra bitch!Sally's a whore.Did you know that Amy and Jason are going out.But, isn't he gay!?No, I heard he likes Kady!WTF!?How come you never told me!I trusted you!But, I was kidding!How can that POSSIBLY be a joke!?Aaaagh!You f*****g moron!Did you hear!?Natalie cheated on Ashley's brother so all her BFF's are like totally icing her out of things!Also, apparently, Nate lied to everyone and started spreading rumours about Adam and Lisa so that he could get them to break up!How lame!

How Pathetic! Abso-friggin'-lutely pathetic!

Numerous undocumented statements. So many complications.

One word ---> Gossip.

Admit it. We ALL fall prey to it, spread it, sometimes even thrive on it, at some point in our lives. The consequences? Dire. Insane. Unforgiveable. And we ALL know that yet, we still do it. Talk about things we shouldn't. Interfere in areas that are, quite frankly, none of our friggin' business! So, then why do we STILL continue to ruin the lives of others and actually, derive some kind of absolutely perverse pleasure through their misfortunes. You want to know what I think? Well, I guess that has to be a yes, considering the fact that you decided to read on.

Honestly, I think it's...undoubtedly the most twisted aspect of human nature that I could possibly discern. It's flat out sick and very very sad how most of us just love to prey on the misfortune and despair of others and many times be the cause of it to begin with. It's like these people...uhh...lets call them the Vultures of society, really have nothing better to do than to feed off the carcasses of others. They practically survive on our remains. The remains that are left behind after all the brutal nonsense being spread around about us or our close friends or loved ones. And all we can do is ask people, beg people, not to believe these 'Vultures' and to trust us as that is the only evidence we have of our innocence.

TRUST. A very interesting word. One that is often taken for granted and tossed about loosely by people whenever they're in trouble. That's why when it's most needed and can help save relationships and lives, it's hardly easy to make people trust us that easily anymore. Why are relationships taken for granted?. Why can't be just be true to others and more importantly ourselves!? Don't bonds formed over years and years mean ANYTHING to people anymore!? Doesn't a pure, unmarred track record of a relationship/friendship account for anything or provide any kind of security during taxing times!? I mean seriously people! Wake up and smell the effing Vultures in your 'trusted circle'!

They're the ones that claim to be your friends and always be there for you no matter what and then when troubled times come...they add to the complications and ditch you. They're the ones who just can't stand a 'happy ending' and need to play villain just so that someone is hurt and they can claim to pick up the pieces! They're the ones who when everything seems to be going well, are awesome and oh too good to be true, but when the going gets tough you get to see their true colours and how bitchy they really are. How they never really cared to begin with and just wanted to be "involved" in the current hot topic! They don't care if they bitch about your closest friends, or the people you've practically grown up trusting. They don't care whether you're really happy with your life. They just want that juicy bit of gossip and something for them to be the centre of attention for. *Phew*

There's so much more to add to this vent-ful post but, the truth is no matter what is said about them, they won't die out. They won't stop. They will never be extinct. All the genuinely nice people in this world could all die out but not these vultures. Sadly, this is the truth. All we can do is try our best to brave the odds and stay true to our hearts, trusting those who have truly always been there for you and done only good. Those who genuinely love you and care for you no matter what anyone else says or does.

As far as I'm aware of it, I have never taken part in this madness voluntarily or with any underlying motive. However, I have, indeed, fallen prey to it and have been a victim of it on numerous occasions. Specially of late. Some people just change. And those who don't are easily swayed by the 'vultures'. So, what are people like me left with. Nothing. Nothing to go on but, our gut instinct and whatever little integrity and trust that we have left. Sheesh! What a world we live in! But, I know that I'm a fighter and that no matter which son of a mother tries to mess with me I'm ready to kick his/her butt all the way back to hell, right where they should be!

The point of this post, other than venting, is a beacon of hope for all the other victims of this soon to be all crass society and world (at least at this rate). I know what many of you are going through. I won't be mentioning any names but, I think you all already know who you are and which part of this post is meant for whom. All is I ask of you is that don't believe EVERYTHING you hear. Clarify any form of doubt or rumours heard, rather than insulting people and causing more drama. It's better than opening your mouth to others and causing unnecessary misnderstandings and disaster. You could be responsible for a destroyed relationship/friendship or even worse, some tortured soul could take the news so bad that they could even contemplate or commit suicide! =\ What may seem absolutely harmless to you could actually be a lot more complicated than you could ever imagine so please just do us all a favour and STOP!

Note: For all those this is meant for I hope you get what I'm trying to say and I hope all this BS didn't cause any lasting damage. Next time, remember, the truth and clarifying things won't kill you. Peace!

<3 [I end this post with a heart as a sign of better things to come and as a tribute to one of my closest, rather confusing yet, awesome friends, Snowy. Take care and I hope what happened helps. There was more to it than meets the eye, you'll understand soon enough and hopefully it helps] =)

Blogtrack: Get Your Way - Jamie Cullum

Bonjour!

2008-03-03T01:38:00.004+04:00

A little friend of mine reminded me on my last visit to school this time, that I had been away from the blogosphere for quite a while.

4 and a half months.

Off the site.

Off the radar.

Well, for the most part.

I mean, apart from some random facebook wall posts and sms', I haven't really been in touch with a lot of people. Some may have taken this personally and others probably didn't give a damn. But, for those of you who did and still do, I was on what ultimately turned out to be a life changing few months. As profound as all this may tend to sound, I'm sure every now and then we all have these inevitable dawnings, realisations, so to say. I guess, I too had an epiphany of sorts. Now, usually people only have an epiphany when confronted with a life-theatening illness or any other form of life-altering experience. And yes, so have I. However, I shall refrain from going into any details on my reason as that isn't why I re-entered the blogosphere at all.

I couldn't help but, write about how, even though we're "only 18", we tend to take our lives and ourselves far too seriously. And when I say this I don't only mean 18 year olds but anyone above and below this age marker. I too, have been guilty of this 'crime' of late. Ever since I had gotten admission into the "prestigious" NYU, I found myself trying ever so hard to prove myself worthy and of "new ivy" league material. I had completely passed up on all my hobbies, both creative and athletic and focused my attention purely on the academic side of things. Now, for most of you who've spent all your life, acing your courses and being the "nerd" of the lot, I really don't expect you to understand my plight. But, for those of you who are or have been somewhat of an all-rounder at school etc. and a "free spirit", so to say, this sudden change can lead to a rather climactic change in your life. As it did in mine.

I was suddenly thrown into a brand new realm of education. One where I purposefully 'trotted' along the streets of New York to my various lecture halls. I joined a few very interesting clubs but, stopped all sports related activities or any other activity I had been actively involved in earlier or found even remotely interesting. All that I thrived on for my first semester was my iPod and my books! I partied, studied, spent long hours at Starbucks and the Library and hung out with friends. I was on a mission to establish myself academically in my new environment before taking any giant leaps and trying something new. Now, I'm sure most of you are slightly confused as to why that's such a "bad thing". Well, it's NOT. But, only if the path you chose to take wasn't the one you necessarily wanted to take. Yeah, I was half forced into ultimately majoring in something, I really wasn't that "into" doing.

Was it society and it's concept of what is an acceptable job or not? Was it my family? My ignorance? A bit both I guess. But, all in all, those are hardly any excuse to ruin one's future. Luckily for me, I realised soon enough and we had to pick our majors only in our sophomore or second year of college. Yay me!

My point is, that for 5 months or so, I was utterly clueless of the damage I was inflicting upon myself! But, something inside me always felt trapped and almost dying. Something didn't feel right and it wasn't until my family gifted me my new Sony Camcorder on my 18th birthday that I had that epiphany. I LOVE Film and music. For those of you wondering how music fits into the equation, I began planning out "super awesome" music videos which soon resulted in me missing my guitar and my book of music compositions. =$

When I got back for my Winter break, I happened to meet three people, other than my sister, Disha, who would change my life so drastically that I would begin to question my whole educational approach, if not more. Shoba S., Nikki S. and Shruthi A. [I shall not reveal their last names, for obvious security reasons]. These four, and I had surprisingly enough, never had a proper encounter at school earlier at all. But, over time they had become rather close friends with my sister and thus, a meeting with them at home was more or less inevitable. I first met, Shoba and Nikki when they were to go hang out with Disha at our very own Dubai's MOE [Mall of The Emirates]. I happened to be over, and Shoba and I had started conversing a bit via facebook hence I was forced to come along since I had no better plans that evening. I barely even knew Nikki and pretty soon, I found myself forging a friendship with them both that would quite frankly, stand the test of ANYTHING. =P Later, I met Shruthi at the school's Children's Day and by then we were practically inseperable. Be it our Hotness or our fetish for boxers and sick-isms. =P On having realised, my stupidity on having ditched my passions and dreams for what others thought I should do, I decided to start off with my videos and music with my newfound partners!

In the period of Kom Shanti Kom, After Dark and many more insanely awesome projects I had truly had a BLAST and discovered my inner child and self. The one that was dying to be unleashed. The one I had suppressed for so very long while I aced my courses with A's and B+'s and dropped my extra cirriculars. I was ACTUALLY living life! A's and B's don't always make EVERYTHING alright! ;)

To sum it all up, I had finally realised my true calling, if you would. I have ALWAYS, ever since I could remember, had fascination with making films, be it covers/spoofs of originals, or short ones of my own. It began with me insane idea to make the second Harry Potter film with some friends from school, in the 7th grade before the actual film had released, to making music/horror videos for our sheer thrill and entertainment. I had sourced out some video editing software and embarked on a journey of amateur film-making and editing, writing scripts that I would never forget.

The same with my musical side. I LOVE music. And all things related. I think it would be safe to say that I would not be alive without music. ;) Playing the guitar and composing my own songs for my band, Kaylias and/or myself would be another one of my passions.

The problem was of course that at that time, I wasn't crazy enough about it to realise that that was indeed my real aim in life. Achieving in a more creative sphere. Be it, writing...short stories, blog posts, poetry, scripts, music to editing movies, videos, images etc. to making music and singing. My heart lay in an area far more rewarding, to me, than Law and International Relations. I now know that I truly longed for a career in Journalism and Film with music as my major hobby. And here I was, at the NYU: College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) instead of NYU's fabulous Tisch School of the Arts. Good for me, I realised sooner rather than later! =)

Disha, Shoba, Nikki and Shruthi have truly helped me make the best of my sudden 'wake-up call'. And I was saved me from making one of the gravest mistakes in my life. I was about to bury a live soul. MY live soul and pursue a life where I would have been, quite honestly, dead inside. Was it all them? Maybe not. But, I do know one thing...without them I would never have been able to have so much fun, and achieve so much, despite my illness/other obstacles.

What I'm trying to say is: People! Fight for what you believe in. I mean it may not always be reasonable but when it is, then FIGHT. Seriously. By following others and doing what they say, in certain situations, you're only living their life and not YOURS. You only get one shot to do it your way. After that, you're either your own boss or someone elses b**ch. ;) This is actually, the case in life, love, ... anything. Follow YOUR heart. It can never lie. =)

Here's to the songs I have now written and composed, the scripts, videos, but more importantly the life I've been living! I'm not sorry for my absence for so long as I have been truly blessed!

Bonjour, indeed! In more ways than one! ;)

And, Happy New Year! I'm FINALLY back, baby!

Blogtrack: Say - John Mayer

[We really gotta' make the best of this life! Say what you need to say and do what you need to do! Or else, spend your whole life regretting the sudden end and wishing you'd done things a whole lot differently] =)

Sleepless In New York!

2007-09-03T03:28:00.001+04:00

After waiting months to say this, I stand before you in 'The City that Never Sleeps' and am finally able to yell: "Hello, New York City!" from the rooftops! ;D

Indeed, folks, I have finally made it to my final destination, amidst all the delays, cancellations and bad luck, I have emerged victorious and stronger than ever. Proud and delighted to be in the vicinity of my prestigous University! We enjoyed our stint in New York as a family and now I am left to live on, alone, in this city, a freshman at college, and very near to entering adulthood. That's right people, coming this October 4th, I will be 18 and well, closer to 21! lol! xD

The city is absolutely amazing, from the spray painted suburbs, to the concrete jungles on the urban side. Tall skyscrapers reaching high in their attempt to conquer the heavens. The bustling subways and streets. Hot dog and Bagel vendors, umpteen limousines and countless celebrities. We got to expreience New York City in all it's glory. Unlike most famous cities and other sites of interest, one of the most special qualities, I found that New York possessed, was the fact that no matter how much hype was created about it, once you visited you would never be let down or disappointed. It would live up to the hype and yet be so much more! It was unvelievable. Times Square was amazing, with the flashing billboards and the sea of humanity that tends to drown you as you walk. I was experiencing New York, as I had always imagined it. Alive, bustling and ever-vibrant!

However, I must say, many people tend to present a very warped view on how safe New York is. I mean the whole day I find it to be very pleasant and the people here are pretty friendly. Of course if you travel late at night, after hours, you are bound to find an oddball or two on every corner but, then which city is ever safe at that time, anyway? All in all, I am loving it here. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the people and most of all my University!

NYU...New York University, my future alma mater, I stood in front of one of the many campus buildings spread across SoHo and Greenwich Village, and took in the whole atmosphere. Third Avenue North (3N), My Residence Hall and the best there ever will be, I might add! ;) Friendly and helpful staff and security guards, a transportation service for when it's too late to walk, a lively courtyard, the Best RA EVER...(love you, Kyle!) haha! And, awesome apartment-style suites. What more can one ask for!? xD

I made my NYU ID card, while my folks and relatives shopped at Bed Bath and Beyond and moved my stuff into my dorm. Apart from some rather irksome roommate issues. Everything else worked out fine! We had this awesome ceremony which was attended by one and all outside Stern School of Business, where our mascot, the Bobcat and the NYU cheerleaders entertained us with dances and routines that in Dubai would have probably landed them in Juvie! xD The Steinhardt Quartet sang us a beautiful rendition of New York, New York, while the band ensured our eardrums were not left idle! ;) After listening to some pretty interesting and inspiring speeches from the NYU President, John Sexton and others, the extravagant ceremony ended and I headed back to the dorm with my good friend and fellow suitemate, Danielle. She's such a sweetheart seriously! Both my other suitemates, Marija and Danielle are awesome and my roommate JiHye is also pretty cool! I'm glad I was asked to dorm with them! ;)

Orientation was awesome, so was our Coney Island trip, floor meetings with our RA, Kyle and the various clubbing and partying endeavours we had! Welcome Week was indeed a complete success! Kudos to the IRHC for that!

It's now Labor Day Weekend and we're all still recovering from events like the 'Freshman Beach Ball' at the Kimmel Centre and the 'FYRE and Ice' Extravaganza at our very own Third North Courtyard last night! Sleeping at 5 am, waking up by 9am, snacking at Weinstein or Palladium Hall, playing basketball, cards and video games...our days are pretty much the same. The difference is the new people we meet everyday and the experiences we share with them. That's what makes each day interesting and keeps us looking forward to the next. Some experiences are good, others not so good. But, College life so far has been fascinating and there is still so much more to do and learn! One good example of learning is cooking! Thanks to college and Danielle, I can now make a mean Mac 'n' Cheese, among other things! ;) And if that doesn't work out and do somehow manage to burn the dorm down, there's always the neighbourhood Taco bell to run to! =P

Ultimately, it's a whole new phase of my life, our life and although the past may be clinging on we try our best to look ahead and make the best of what's laid out in front of us. We still call one another, use facebook to the maximum! And, if you ask me...my lpast is what keeps me going strong and I'm sure that our "past", and I think I speak on behalf of each and every one of us, is something that I see as being a huge part of my present and my future as well. =)

Classes commence on the 4th of September, and after lugging heavy bags of books and stationary back to the dorm, I think I'm all set to face the music. Lets see how that goes! Until then, I shall enjoy facing a different kind of music, one in a more literal sense! haha! xD Peace!

Blogtrack: Crank Dat (Superman That Ho) - Soulja Boy

(In the spirit of parties and celebration, the song of the moment! xP)

Texas And Moving Closer

2007-08-25T16:57:00.001+04:00

Hobby Airport, Houston, Texas. We were finally here! =D The flight was 2 hours long and I was seated next to a pretty sweet african american lady who slept most of the flight. I on the other hand, had occupied myself with Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby which by the way is a must read. We lugged our bags through the familiar airport and I took a deep breath of Texan air. Home at last! =) We had braved all adversity and made it, against all odds. Or so we thought. Everything was fine up until we headed off to claim our baggage. We reached there alright, happy, content individuals...only one teensy weensy problem....there was NO BAGGAGE! =S

We arrived at the conveyer belt searching for my new suitcases et al and there was no sign of them. None whatsoever! Maybe it was late, we thought. A hopeful twenty minute wait suggested otherwise. Damn. More trouble. By now I wondered why I was even surprised when something went wrong? Inquiring at the help desk wasn't much help either, as I guess here help means simply stating the obvious.

"Your luggage appears to be lost."

No kidding, lady! = So, the stroke of bad luck was far from gone, but that wasn't going to stop me from enjoying myself. Not in a million years. And guess what, it didn't! =)

***

My short yet enjoyable stint at Texas was one of the best few days of the vacation I've been taking! We stayed at my Mom's brother's house and had one heck of a time with my cousins, Rishi and Sonia! They are two of the most adorable kids ever! We spent most of our time playing video games...The Wii, Gamecube etc. They have quite the collection and I had no complaints whatsoever! =P Donuts for breakfast, Jack in the Box for lunch and Mexican for dinner! I was living the life! The days were also interspersed with the essential college shopping: clothes, books, electronics...everything I would possibly need while residing at NYU for the next few years. I was pretty enthusiastic about all the preparation, so naturally when we had all our bags stolen from under our noses (well, kinda) at Baybrook mall, I was devastated. We all were.

Yea, unfortunately, my dad decided to put down our bags in front of the cashier where it would be "safe", as he got tired of waiting about for us to finish. He took a few rounds of Macy's and before you could say Longhorns...my converse shoes, disha's birthday gifts, my new pair of jeans etc. were GONE! Without a trace. Attempts to search for the bags around the mall and the lost and found were fultile and eventually we abandoned all hopes of ever finding them again. I grudgingly made my way towards Fry's Electronics to purchase my new laptop and before long the dilemma of having to chose between a Mac and rehular PC had occupied my already troubled mind. After listening to our salesman and running back and forth from one laptop to another at the store, I finally decided to stick with an HP laptop. Which was pretty neat. The reason being that since the Mac was slightly different and would take a couple of weeks to get used to, I decided to go with a personal notebook I was already familiar with since if I ran across any issues at the University, I may not always find someone to help me. Perhaps, I could get a Mac some other time. Perhaps. Till then I was loving my glossy white, new HP! xD

Over time, we got over the bag theft and enjoyed spending time in my Uncle's pool and having late night movie marathons with my Aunts and Uncle. I was having a great time. So were my parents and sister. Boy, was I gonna miss them when we left for New York a few days later. My Aunt and Uncle decided to come and drop me as well. Which was pretty darn awesome! We had booked the flight to New York via Atlanta, for the 24th of August, a day after my sister's birthday (mentioned in my previous post 'Silent Hero'). I had planned it all, her gifts, the dinner...the entire day! Although, everything didn't go according to plan, due to unavoidable circumstances...we had a blast at dinner! We went for Mexican and had the staff sing loudly for her while she sat grinning under a sombrero! Frilliant! Cheese enchiladas, Margherita's, chilli, nachos and quesadilla's were the highlight of the evening and this time I drank a Margherita too! Pretty fiesty drink! And the best in Texas! ;)

The 24th arrived sooner than expected and we were busy packing and making sure we left NOTHING behind. This time, it was the real thing. I was nearing my final destination. Getting closer to the end, for now. It felt weird again, yet for some reason I was still oddly calm and felt no emptiness. I took it all in my stride, surprisingly.

The flight was an hour late to take off and we were bored out of our wits on board the aircraft, clicking goofy pictures and chatting with our cousins. We passed our time listening to music and hogging on snacks we had brought along. The wait was soon over and we cruised over the large land mass, that is the United States, in the direction of Atlanta. Everyone slept on that 2 hour flight, except me. For some reason, I was very pensive, listening to slow, thought provoking songs and thinking. Thinking about the signs taht had been prevalent in my life anf throughout the duration of this trip, as mentioned in '...And again', and those which continued to haunt me even then and NOW. Signs relating to certain someone's and people special to me. Initially, I felt I was perhaps reading way too much into rather normal incidents, and that they were in fact, coincidences and nothing more. However, as the days went on the signs became unmistakable and ever-prominent. Even Disha agreed there was something to it all. And for her to agree, would mean there INDEED WAS something! Unfinished business involving those people/person, a stronger connection, a reason to be closer to them. Who knew, all I knew was that there was something. Inconclusive and at a loss for what to do, I ordered a Virgin Mary and looked out as the city lights of Atlanta shone brightly below.

We soon landed at the already familiar airport and ate something while my dad and Uncle tried their best to get us on a flight to New York. Since the flight to Atlanta from Houston had been delayed due to bad weather conditions, we had missed our connecting flight to Laguardia Airport in New York City. Bummed out and extremely exhausted we spent the night at the Marriot Hotel at Atlanta and booked a new flight to NY which departed at 9 am. We had to eb up by 6am, and we slept at 4:30 am. Painstaking and friggin' annoying but we HAD to make it. It was all about ensuring the success of my education and in turn, my future.

8:47 am. We boarded the flight to LaGuardia Airport and I knew then as the plane flew steadily through the clouds, that we were almost there and I was closer than I ever was before...

Blogtrack: Closer - Travis

(I was getting closer to it all, and the signs made me wonder about that person/people more and more...I needed to get closer to the answers to the questions that haunted me for so long. I was confused. The song seemed eerily soothing and apt enough)

Silent Hero

2007-08-23T01:19:00.001+04:00

Today is a very special day in the yearly calender. Well, at least in mine. Today is a day which honours one of the most, if not the most, amazing and influential people in my life. She is my rock, my reason to be as awesome as I can be. She is my soul. No, I am not gay....she is my best friend, my younger sister, my 'Silent Hero'. =) Disha Korla, the world's best sister and sibling, without a doubt. The date: 23rd August, 2007...her 14th Birthday. And this post, oh Toadstool, is just for you: A tribute, a more personalised gift, a necessity. You are everything I need in a sister, and a friend, and so much more. Without you, I am truly nothing. Though of course, I can shed my modesty for a minute and go on to say that you aren't much without me either but, hahahaha....anyway. ;)

Disha, is the best thing that could have ever happened in my life. If she wasn't born I would be far from where I am and what I am today. Without her, nothing would be the same, there would be a whole new void inside of me and in my world. Without her, I would most definitely cease to exist and even if I did, what existence is that which is a dead one. I would be dead inside, unable to function...soulless and incomplete. You think I'm going a bit extreme, right? Well, you're wrong. I have known Disha all my life, obviously and she has been unbelievable, almost too good to be true. For those of you who claim to know Disha, 99% of you actually don't know her at all. Some of you would probably describe her as a class clown, with a 'whatever-type' and ignorant attitude towards kids who annoy her and an awesome attitude to those she knows. But, guess what, you're only half right. She would help anyone of those "annoying kids", if they ever needed it. Beneath that seemingly tough exterior lies an extremely pure and angelic soul. Hard to believe? Yea, a few years ago...I probably would have agreed with you. However, now I am in awe and in complete appreciation of her. Many people ask us if we ever fight, and can't believe that the answer is no, mainly. But, it's true. Over the past few years, Disha and I have formed this everlasting and enigmatic yet beautiful bond that only the most special of friends and sisters can have. And since I have gotten to open up to her and confide in her, my life has become so much less of a pain and more of a mathematical problem...one which with effort, concentration, focus and healthy discussion can be unravelled within minutes. Truly fabtacular!

Whenever, I feel like my world has come crashing down on me in a gigantic landslide. She was there to show me the way and pick up the pieces. When I was unreasonable and unhappy, she stood by my side and took the brunt of it all. When I whined or complained, she listened. When I was over the moon and ecstatic, she was there sharing my joy, even at the risk of masking her own misery. When I need her advice, her opinion, she stopped all her high priority work and helped me out without a sound. Occasionally, she can be annoying and somewhat unreasonable, but who isn't...and with all the support and help she has given me she deserves to be.

Forget me, she has helped so many people without them even knowing it. She has saved my life everyday just being there to lend a hand, an ear or a shoulder. No matter how absolutely shocking or boring an issue or complaint, she listens and helps people, and loves them unconditionally. The best part of it all is she never judges you. She may pull your leg but, it's all in jest and her humour is one of her strongest qualities, apart from bravery, intelligence, geniosity, patience, diligence, a positive attitude, compassion and so much more. I mean it's amazing how some people go unnoticed despite being better than your more obvious hero. It's true. Even though she is one of the most popular people in our school, she is hardly given the recognition she deserves and despite being a victim of so much injustice and underhandedness, she always emerges the bigger person and the victor. In the face of adversity, she is so calm and composed that one can't help but stare in awe of her maturity and dignified personality. I, for one, really look up to her and have learnt so much from her that leaving her now is so friggin' hard. I mean what will I do without her!

She knows some of my most deep and cherished secrets and if I don't have her with me, I would probably explode. Sometimes I wish I was as awesome as she is, I wish I could have been as magnanimous and understanding. I wish I was as open-minded and intelligent as she is. I hope I was. I hope I am. I hope I will be. I hope I can be...I could go on forever about her, but what I really want to say is:

Disha, you're may favourite quirky idiot =P with a stupid manatee face and self obsession. I'll never forget your 'Burn in Hell', your chubbiness, your insults and gay remarks, your hot and sexy self poses, your randomness, the Double D's (LOL!), our stud wannabe escapades, our band sessions, my lame-ass moments which you always just happen to be present for, your awesomeness, your 'endra'-ness, your toadstoolness, your high pitched whining when we have that rare argument, and oh so much more!

Disha, we love you. Each and every one of us. And even though we may all have our own reasons, we are grateful to you, our saviour, our friend, our 'Silent Hero'. Thank you and...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Love ya, kiddo! ;)

May you rock on always. If you ever need anything, know that I am always there for you....no matter what and I mean it...=)

Blogtracks:

Look After You - The Fray (I will always "Look after you"! )

Incomplete - The Backstreet Boys (Without you, as I mentioned earlier...I am nothing)

Touchdown!

2007-08-22T12:53:00.001+04:00

At the rate we were going initially, I would have expected my new post to be titled, 'Yet Again'. But, thankfully, this time we actually left Dubai. Yes, I am currently blogging to you from Houston, Texas: My birthplace and one of my homelands, and my second stopover before finally heading off to the Big Apple.

***

I had only barely settled down at home after returning from the airport that fateful night (refer to my post '...And Again!'), when my mom announced that she had in fact gotten hold of four tickets to Houston, Texas via Atlanta, Georgia, as mentioned in my previous post. This incredible feat was achieved thanks to my very resourceful Aunt and Uncle back in Texas. They managed to book the tickets from the US and thus, facilitated, what would earlier have been our otherwise unlikely arrival. I owe them, for if we hadn't managed to get those tickets I would most probably have missed my orientation! (The only other tickets available were for the 30th!) Damn, indeed. Anyhoo, dwelling on the past and the 'would-haves' is hardly the best thing to do, the fact is that we made it...however, the trip wasn't all hunky dory either...as is expected in my case. ;)

We ALMOST missed this flight AGAIN, believe it or not! I had been rather ill, the past few days and thus, didn't get to hang out much at all during my extended stay in Dubai. So, much for that! =S Thus, naturally when it was time to go, it turned out to be quite the herculean task for me. My mom felt bad for me and brought over some Chinese Take out, which was awesome. I struggled to eat my tofu and rice while the rest of the household got ready and rushed about whining and finishing the last minute packing. It was definitely tough and for a while it seemed almost impossible for me to get ready and make it to the airport in time for the flight! Talk about annoying re-runs! =

To sum it all up my attempts to get ready in time, were not entirely in vain. I mean, I ultimately made it to the airport with Mom. Yea, my dad and Disha had to head off to the airport with our baggage so that they could ensure that our baggage was checked in and that we wouldn't be bumped off the flight. As our driver tried his level best to maneuvers us through the traffic and get us to the airport before my mom flipped out completely. I was busy trying to calm her down while clutching my aching ribs, yes, the costochondritis had fired up again, amongst other things. We zipped through the traffic putting the likes of Fernando Alonso to shame and after what seemed like hours in a 15 minute journey, we drove up in front of the terminal. My mom leaped out and I scuttled along behind like a schoolkid...

***

Tickets in hand and baggage just about checked-in, we ran towards the plane. As usual, my belt et al had to be taken off and for the most part I was running behind my family with my jeans half-hanging off my ass! At immigration, which we failed to get to the last time, my dad encountered some trouble and had to go sort that out while we went for yet another security check. Damn my belt!! =S

***

Because we arrived a little late, we didn't quite get seats together and my mom wouldn't stand for it. Disha and I were fine with it, but, as mentioned in my earlier post, my mom didn't want to be separated from me before New York. So, naturally when we got to the aircraft, she tried switching with someone who gave a damn anyway. I had a window seat, fortunately, and luckily the man on the aisle, was nice fellow and gave my mom the seat. The seat in between was empty and we decided to let Disha sit there till the person who owned it came by. Or if we were lucky maybe he won't! He did. =S

My mom requested the flight attendant to switch earlier and she said that it would be fine. The owner of the seat in question was a middle-aged Indian man, with one heck of a temper and no appreciation for reason or settling things amicably. The seat we had asked him to switch to was the one one row in front and EXACTLY THE SAME KIND OF SEAT...between window and aisle!! But, he wouldn't hear it!

"I have also been separated from my family of eight, so what!? That's my seat, I want that one!"

Whoa! Talk about immature and unreasonable! First of all, EIGHT friggin' people!? I mean, come on, get a life, dude! =S Secondly, it's just ONE row ahead in the SAME damn seat!!! And thirdly, if you're split anyway with no sign of sitting together, then it shouldn't make a difference anyway! Why ruin the chance of another family sitting together? We were hardly altering his lifestyle anyway! The rest of the passengers agreed with us and started laughing at the guy as he went all emo and psycho on us and continued to yell at the poor stewardess! By now, the entire airbus was annoyed and his own family was embarrassed, including his daughter who by the way was a complete 'Bajpai look-alike'! Seriously, I mean Disha almost started waving to her when I told her Bajpai was STILL in Dubai! The resemblance was uncanny! Talk about strange flights! Many fellow passenger started telling him that it wasn't a big deal moving exactly one seat in front and that he was being a complete ass! I almost got up to give him a piece of my mind when he finally shut his trap and sat down like he was the most magnanimous person on the planet and had sacrificed an arm and a leg just to let us have that seat! Whacko! A dude behind us commented on the guy saying: "How the kids of some people turned out to be..."

I was both suprememly irked, pissed off and most of all embarrassed. Not embarrassed for myself or my family but for that guy and our country. I mean, it's people like them who bring our country and it's people down with their ridiculous behaviour and arrogance!

The rest of the flight was relatively uneventful. I was getting sicker by the minute but as long as I didn't have to resort to the air-sickness bag on any occasion, I was happy. Till then inflight entertainment and Pepsi rocked my world!

I must say, Delta Airlines was pretty impressive. I mean Emirates would still be my number one choice, but the food, entertainment and flight minus the Indian dude fiasco was pretty good. Thanks to them a 13 hour flight was shorter than usual!

I gazed out at the dark skies, thinking of life both ahead and left behind, reminiscing, anticipating and then I decided to just live in the moment!

***

Atlanta Airport! We were finally there! Well, at the last stop before Houston! But, still I was pretty excited we had landed in the 'Land of Opportunity' and I could feel the change in the atmosphere around us already. The weather was pretty chilly and one couldn't help but shiver a bit in the terminal building. But, I was home! Well, kinda...the US isn't all foreign territory to me. I mean I was born and lived a while in Texas to be precise and am a citizen of the US! So, luckily for me I knew my way around pretty well. Unluckily, I wasn't going to Texas to study, I was going to New York City instead, but hey! I was psyched anyway! New experiences are what life's about so bring 'em on! ;)

The people were friendly, the Bajpai-look-alike and family caused more havoc (thank God, the real Bajpai isn't like that at all! =) and since our flight was delayed we missed our connecting flight to Houston. But, the airlines compensated us and put us on the next flight so that was cool.

Once we realised we had some time on our hands we decided to explore the airport. The bookstore was our first stop and a pretty long one at that. We bought a couple of books to add to my already heavy bags and headed over to the foodcourt for a bite. Disha had some 'peculiar McDonald's' and I indulged in some Starbucks with Mom and Dad. While waiting for our coffee we had our first experience with celebrities, well kinda. We saw the actress Gabrielle Carteris, who played the role of, Andrea Zuckerman, in the 90's hit TV series, Beverly Hills 90210, a favourite of mine as a child and now. It may not have been such a great thrill for some people but I was pretty happy. She was a bit far off and in a rush so I didn't manage to exchange pleasantries but I was pretty content. Content until we realised that the gate to our flight was in another termnal and had to be reached via the airport train! Damn! Talk about bad luck! We ended up doing some more 'airport dashes' and barely managed to catch the next train, praying we made the flight.

Guess we weren't as lucky as the last time! We just about missed it and watched as it and our checked-in baggage flew over the continent to my beloved Texas! Bummer!

***

So, that would summarise our rather eventful journey and trust me when I say getting home never felt this good. We booked another flight, which took off within the hour and apart from knocking my guitar somewhere we did fine. Luckily, it was STILL in one piece, the last time I checked at least and so were we when we finally just landed! Our baggage was misplaced since it came on the previous flight but we got that back by the evening so in the end it all worked out great! =) My Aunts picked us up and as we drove by in the land I call my other home, I couldn't help but feel a renewed feeling of excitement and enthusiasm building in the pit of my stomach. And if only for a second, all those pre-mentioned jitters and self-doubt vanished and I felt pretty damn good!

Blogtrack: (You Want To) Make A Memory - Bon Jovi

[This is a time where most of us are going through quite the emotional rollercoaster and life's pretty confusing...conflicting emotions, a solid past and a yet unknown future...but, basically, we're all trying to 'make a memory' or hold on to those we have, most of the time...specially now, when we need them the most.]

Note: Sorry for posting this so late as I had a lot of college preparation and purchasing to do, including my new laptop, which I am typing this post on! ;) I have been in Texas about a week now and we shall be leaving for New York day after, which is pretty awesome! This trip to Texas has been brilliant and if I blogged about it here, it would be way too long. So, for more on Texas hang on a bit, a new post is on the way pretty damn soon! Lol! Take care! =D

...And Again!

2007-08-14T02:10:00.001+04:00

I bade farewell, took my "last few looks" and headed out the doorway, into the car park and withing minutes was watching my neighbourhood, the metro construction nearby, the cityscape, unbelievable traffic and other familiar sights go by...one last time...before I left. This time it felt like I'd be gone forever, since I was so used to only leaving "home" for a couple of weeks or a month on end WITH family the whole time. This time the whole 4 months I would spend away from home would be alone and in a totally different environment. I was ready. Excited. Yet nostalgic. But, I won't lie and tell you I didn't feel bad or wasn't holding back tears just to show you how "strong I am". I was sad, I admit. And the song being played on the radio that "one last time", just happened to be Avril Lavigne's 'When You're Gone'. Talk about mood music. =|

As my driver pulled up in front of the terminal I reflected on my last few days and my rather jinxed trip to college. We've been trying to catch a flight to the US since the 4th of August! Yes, the 4th. But, somehow things just never went our way. Either my mom fell sick, I fell sick, the travel agent failed to book the tickets for our connecting flight to Houston, Texas from London, the travel agent misinformed us about the baggage allowances and visas or Qatar Airways sucks. The bold and highlighted reasons are why we didn't manage to catch last night's flight. Yep, we missed that too! The whole nostalgic and sentimental moment was kinda pointless and ruined once we reached the check-in counter. Why were we flying Qatar Airways? Well, that's exactly what I asked my mom as well. Apparently all the other Emirates flights et al were booked and these four seats were the only ones available this soon. Damn. As long as we went right? Well, we didn't end up going, as you know, so that backfired pretty well. =P

Things were looking bad the whole day. There were lots of 'weird signs' and 'omens' which suggested that either we wouldn't go or we just wouldn't make the flight. Terrible thoughts yes, but there was no denying the negative vibes I was getting all day. Not that I particularly believe in such things. I somehow just got that feeling. Anyways, the first set of airport mishaps started off with the dude passing the luggage through the X-Ray machine, practically flinging my guitar in! Thank God the case was pretty protective! Secondly, the metal detectors started going wild as soon as I passed through the sensors (As usual...*sigh*). One by one I took off my chains etc. and placed them in the plastic box as I walked through the sensors again. The same loud beep filled the airport.

"Take your belt off."

I look at the security officer and raise my eyebrows. I took it off and passed through the sensors without a problem. Great! I watched as my guitar came out through the machine, and started wearing my 'bling' again and walked towards the check-in counters passing my belt through my jeans loops. Weirdly embarrassing but, what can you do right!? The line to the check-in counter was huge! And we were already kinda' late thanks to our slower driver. Sheesh! Even a Tortoise with polio could beat us when we're being driven in a car by him! However, we finally made it so...that was cool! After what seemed like ages: watching a little girl staring at me and my new and improved open hair look and guitar slung across my shoulder, and listening to my mom and Disha laugh at my 'airport theories', we finally reached the front of the line. That's when the major issues started. While the dude behind the counter checked us in, I watched as two Keralite men stood in front of the counter next to us. They were on a flight to Trivandrum and I smirked as a Pillai-ish thought came to mind. I labelled them as potential husbands for Astha and turned my attention back towards our own counter. Trouble was already brewing as my mom and dad argued with the Qatar Airways employee over the fact that our agent hadn't booked us connecting flights from Gatwick, London to Houston, Texas! He had also booked my seat some five rows behind my family. My mom evidently didn't like the idea of being separated from me before I went to college. And the whole muck up was uncalled for. She rang up our agent and deservedly reprimanded him! Disha and I stood idly in line observing other passengers and passing pointless comments about various things. The situation was in no way solved entirely but the QA employee was fortunately a very helpful and decent young man and made sure that he improved the situation by sending a letter to the airlines for our connecting flight tickets.

We finally moved on from the counter as there were barely ten minutes left to board our flight. Disha and I hadn't eaten anything the entire day, apart from a sugar donut each and were absolutely famished! However, there was no time to stop at the nearest McDonald's or anything...we had to make that flight! So, we rushed on towards immigration, the clock ticking and the crowd slowly ambling on like it was an Art Museum or something! Just as we were about to enter the immigration area, my mom remembered she had a question to ask about the visa requirement at Gatwick. She ran back to the aforementioned QA employee as we all waited and watched the planes take off and land on the tarmac from the window. I was slowly taking it all in, the Dubai atmosphere and people as I neared my departure. I had a nagging pain in my stomach. It wasn't hunger. It was something else. More like a feeling of foreboding, a warning. As I struggled to stay on my feet till we boarded the plane I saw my mom walking back with the QA employee. They seemed to be in a hurry and didn't look too happy despite the stupid and confused expression on my face. Something was wrong.

"There's a problem with the UK Visas, " said my mom frantically. "He says we need them to enter Gatwick! Even if we're not leaving the airport!"

We all gaped at Mom and the QA employee. My dad explained to the employee that we had travelled to Texas only a few months earlier for my head treatment via Gatwick and we didn't need a UK visa. The employee explained that his boss claimed they did. What!? Damn! There had to be a mistake, I mean if you're taking a connecting flight and not entering the country/leaving the airport, one didn't require the visa. But, apparently, now we did. Crap! =S Now what!? Mom and Dad took the man aside and they discussed the grave matter for a while as Disha and I bet as to whether we would eventually leave or stay back. All signs pointed to us staying in Dubai a few more days. That was great for me and bad! I mean I was happy to stay a while longer but, I mean, I was also damn excited about college and the US as well! And I really had some awesome plans for the US before I started college! But, thanks to this newfound dilemma, our trip would definitely be cut short! Bummer! And it wasn't even our fault! Geez! We had asked the agent many a time whether he was sure we didn't need a UK Visa if we were transiting and he had clearly said no. The QA people also didn't tell us that we needed one until we had checked-in and confirmed our tickets! Smart asses! My Mom was furious and my Dad threatened to sue the airline! Lol! They were pretty pissed off and stormed off to speak to the man in charge that night.

"Wait here!" My Dad had said, as he and my Mom followed the employee to the QA office. Disha and I stood watching them head off and settled ourselves down in nearby seats. I propped my guitar on a seat next to me, tempted to play some tunes while we waited. But, I decided I wouldn't be able to hear anything over the excessive airport chatter anyway. Besides, I was too afraid to see whether that man at the X-Ray machine had dented my guitar earlier! =|

We listened to music from my cell phone, and heard the announcer make the final call for our flight and minutes later we knew we had missed it. Crestfallen, yet excited with the mini-airport adventure we watched other passengers scuttle off in an effort to catch their respective flights VISA AND ALL! =S Lucky, indeed! I should have asked them for their travel agent's business card! =P As we waited impatiently for our parents to update us on the latest developments and take us for some grub, I started to sing 'Summer Love' by Justin Timberlake and 'Pop Goes My Heart' from the movie Music and Lyrics! Don't ask! =S I was quite engrossed in my singing when we noticed Eesha Shah, a girl from our school, approaching us. Neat! We exchanged pleasantries and passed our time chatting and discussing the summer hols and the disastrous trip we were having so far. The conversation was interesting, yet short-lived as, unlike us, she had a plane to catch and joined her family at the check-in counter. Brilliant! =S Mom and Dad still weren't here. I had called my good friend Anjali a little while earlier and had explained the situation to her as well! Excited that we could now plan some more outings together, I started planning the next few days in Dubai. Suddenly, Dad calls us and tells us to meet him and Mom back at the QA check-in counter. Oh boy! We gathered our luggage and my guitar and headed back the way we came. I didn't expect to see Dubai again this soon! =P We met up with our folks and they handed us some cash to go spend at the food court, which I enthusiastically added to the allowance already in my wallet. ;) We were starved and food was only a couple of escalators away! =)

***

We were officially stuffed! Like Thanksgiving Turkeys or the Public Transport buses during the evenings! A couple of Veg. and chicken wraps, fries and Pepsis and we were on cloud 9, content as ever and laughing at the incidents that took place earlier. The laughing was of course mainly done by Disha and I, as my parents and Uncle were busy planned their next line of attack on the airline, not weapon-wise of course, but more like verbally and stuff. Apparently there was a lot of other stuff that went on in that meeting my folks just had with the manager. Anyhoo, it was now 3 a.m. and we were pretty damn tired since we had barely slept two hours the previous night due to some last minute packing. Our checked-in luggage had to be picked up the next day and I was hoping it would be picked up early next morning since unlike everyone else, ALL my good clothes had been packed in them and I barely had anything cool to wear at home! =S We soon got up and walked towards our car. It had been quite the eventful day and we didn't expect any more surprises that night! So, naturally when we saw Mrs. Murthy, Our school's Senior Supervisor Girls, heading toward us with her husband we jumped back with a start. A pleasant surprise, considering the trauma we had experienced that night! After formal hellos etc., my parents, Ma'am and her husband soon got into an animated discussion about the night's events. Hearing the unavoidable catastrophe over and over again was not helping and I zoned out for a bit. They spoke of how the Airlines should compensate us and that we in fact, didn't need UK visas if we were not going to exit the airport! Ha! We knew it! =P Then they joked about how since I had an American Passport, I didn't need a visa anyway and could have gone by myself while the rest of my family would have been stuck at the Gatwick Airport. A disturbing thought indeed! Disha and I kept shooting each other sideways glances and grinning as the two couples bonded. Ma'am had just dropped her daughter, Swati, at the airport, who was heading back to her own college and thus, the conversation then shifted to Universities. Ah well, it was bound to happen at some point, I thought and sipped my Pepsi.

After what seemed like hours, they finished their enjoyable, yet lengthy conversation and parted and we headed down the escalator half expecting to run into someone else or have something else surprise us! What a night! I couldn't wait to just fall onto my soft bed and sleep! The day had been quite eventful and rather peculiar, as we waited for our clumsy and rather comical driver to bring the car up front. [That by itself was a whole new adventure and deserves it's own blog post =P].

***

As we drove down I couldn't help but ponder and reflect on the evening and the disappointing events that took place that night. My thoughts then drifted to signs, omens, and destiny. Despite the unlikeliness of me foreseeing the mishaps. I couldn't overlook the fact that I had indeed felt something wrong and more specifically predicted the postponement of our already cursed and jinxed trip that afternoon. Strange. I smiled as I remembered 'K'ostradamus and my earlier predictions. Nothing as eerily accurate as this. I mean those were accurate too, yet this gut-feeling was strangely accurate. I can't explain it and at the risk of sounding almost mental, that night I actually believed in signs and superstition, if only for a moment. =| I was very pensive for the rest of the drive home and when my mom told me that we had got a flight a few days later directly to Atlanta, Georgia, my heart totally skipped a beat. That was the same state in which the equally prestigious, Emory University, was in! Now, let me explain why that was such a big deal. Among other Universities, I had been accepted into Emory University and it had been in my top two choices to accept. The second being NYU. Somehow, Emory seemed to be a great choice, but New York City and NYU just felt right to me. Yet, initially there was always a nagging thought that maybe, just maybe I had picked the wrong University for me even though everyone was impressed with NYU. Of course, now NYU is all I can think of, which is cool! However, there were various 'signs' pointing to Emory, including emails being sent to me despite me rejecting the University! Weird. I mean I couldn't avoid the rather strange occurrences! And now, of all the states I was going to fly to, we landed up going to Georgia! Wow. Call it what you want. Coincidence. Crap. Divine intervention. All I know is, there was something that night...and there is something about my University drop off...

As we turned into the building parking lot my dad turned back and grinned: "Looks like Dubai doesn't want to leave you, Komal!"

I looked at him and smiled: "The feeling is most definitely mutual, Dad...most definitely mutual!"

Taking a break from my signs theory, I shifted onto more frivolous possibilities: Either someone missed me so much they wished for me to stay, or I just had really rotten luck. Even though the latter seemed the most likely in my case, I sure as hell hoped it was the former! ;D

Blogtrack: Warning Signs - Coldplay

[This blogtrack is one to be read into...and the lyrics have a deeper meaning than is interpreted at first. Those who get it, that's great and for those who don't, no problem, just enjoy the song. It provides the perfect mood.]

Note: Some strange ideas have been tossed about. The situation and the events leading to it were definitely mind-boggling despite it's apparent simplicity. We later caught a flight as mentioned on the 16th to Atlanta and hopefully, we'll make it safely to the US this time without any further interference. As they say in theses parts, Inshallah (if God wills!)! This time it's REALLY goodbye! ;)

The Final Bow

2007-08-07T19:34:00.001+04:00

Seventeen. Seventeen years. Seventeen years of what would most probably have been the best years of my...our life. Over. Never to be forgotten. Yet, never to return again. Just like that.

School is now something we refer to in the past tense, as if it were centuries ago that we experienced childhood and our teenage years in all their glory...

Walked through those cream painted hallways. Lost our colour pencils and cried. Named Gluestick. Were punished for talking. Had our first crush. Fights in the Gym. Celebrated our birthday at McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Sang in the choir and Sharon Ma'am's Music Room. Fought over best friends and "whose gang was cooler". Collected our awards on Prize Day. Fought with friends and made up like nothing happened. Trevor and April Fools. Bashful, Christopher (turtles) and Oysters. Played a prank on our Maths Teacher and "Saved her"..."Later in Life". Were taught by a Lizard. Unforgettable lunches in the foyer. Smart Slobs. Parties, Voldemort and 'Yellow Fever'. Hide and Seek and Phantoms. Directing Harry Potter Films. R.I.P. Christopher. Hello Gromit. 'Kiran' and her wall nail. 'Saturday Night Fever'. Won the first basketball match and best player award. Got to know and love almost every person in school: senior, junior and teacher. First Elocution Victory. Broke the ceiling fan with our basketball. Got crutches. Danced with mic stands in front of the whole school. Swimming and medals. Maths Olympiad. Had a piece of chalk get thrown into my eye. BASKETBALL. March Past. Our various mothers. A Mass Bunking. Bandages. Met "Georgia" and learned to "forget" and forgive. Got closer as a class. More bandages. Circle of Life and the 'Unfortunate Incident'. Movies and Bur Dubai. Drunk on ice cream and lying on the road. Juhi's "Get closer". The love triangle. Tenth Boards. Total Freedom till the second term of 11th. Global Village, rollercoasters, Gandhi talk, 'Randy' and "F**k the free world!". Loads of Concerts. Maths Homework at my place and Aarthy T's "Come in". Student Council and the Charity Fundraiser. Quad Sessions with the Twins. Niki Mone's Love life. Our Super Awesome Teacher's Day Play and the politics that followed. Appendicitis and an emergency surgery in India. Rudin and Royden. The Red Connection and Lame Tealers. "Ermm". Darling and Lindze. A surprise birthday and BSB. Al Mu'atamar. Inter School plays and Clean Up Drives. BAND. Na na na naa and Oprah's Head. Hitting on Wires. Children's Day and Wacky hair. Lunch and Jelly clubs. Battle of the Bands. Videos and Photographs. Labs and screaming. Bellydances and Ohh Accha's. Creative Fest and Drums. Ligament tears and crutches again. As We Like It and a Cast on the leg. Inter School Plays and some competition. Limbo and a head injury. Treatment in India and the US. Missing Exams and Classes. Casino Royale. Excursions, more turtles and Welcare Hospital. Birthdays, Cakes and Chocolates. Childrens Day and Guitars. Music Competition and more politics. Poker with food court tokens. R.I.P Kurt. College Stuff. Winter Holidays and extra long breaks. Snowy and AJ. Music, drumsticks and Chris Red. More Videos and pictures. Christmas, New Year and Prelims. Farewell and Speeches. Sports Day and the Last Week of School. Goodbyes and Boards. Clowns: Tights, heels, wigs and paint. Romantic link ups. Chubbs and I. Aerosmith. Visits to school and Facebook. Admission Decisions and NYU. More farewells and Tears. Internships. Blue Shoes, MOE and Ibn Battuta. Arcades, Movies and Ski Dubai. Walking with Aarthi K. Gossip with the Twins. India. And back to Dubai...where I now type this post.

This is but a gist. We, as a class, as a family have done SO MUCH MORE. And it'll take more than just a few years apart to forget it all. In fact, we never will. =P

I'll be leaving for the US soon and I needed to end this one major part of my a life in this one major chapter in the K-Files. The end of the Dirty Dozen and Co. as we know it. Sure, we'll come back and visit and meet up now and then, but, everything would have changed. Things would be different whether we want to accept it or not. Our focus and priorities would have changed in life. We no longer share the same schedules or lead similar lives. We are on our own now. New people leading brand new lives. Wow...It's certainly a lot to take in, now that I think about it properly. One can already start feeling the change as most of our friends have left and begun their new lives. Feels strange. But, it's my turn now to turn the last page of the first part of this epic saga and start writing out my own, new chapter in a whole new part.

I take a good look at my room. My things. Say most of my goodbyes online. Having that empty feeling at the pit of my stomach despite eating my last few plates of home-cooked food, I still feel like I have so much more to do. Like I have forgotten something. I wasn't ready. But, then we will never ever truly be ready to make such a change. I smiled as I had a nostalgic moment, staring at the book in which my friends had written and sent me their blessings. I looked at the collage of photos framed up in the passage. I was smaller then. Unaware that I would one day, grow up. Aah, the good 'ol days!

However, there is the rest of my life ahead of me! A whole bunch of new memories and awesomeness to create! New people to meet! New places to go! And I was all set to make a fresh start! Keeping my past in my heart and my future in mind, I leave my home and favourite city. This may be goodbye...But I'll be back, folks, soon enough! Till we meet again! =)

So, this is yours truly, signing off, for now...saying...Goodbye Dubai, and hello, New York City! ;)

Blogtrack: Leaving On A Jet Plane - Blink 182 (Specially dedicated to Snowy and AJ)

Note: To all those I knew and grew up with: Thank you for the best years of my life! I love you guys a lot and am going to miss you like crazy! It's been a blast! Look forward to many more years of friendship. Keep in touch! Good luck! See ya around! ;)

From Redlands to Reds!

2007-08-05T04:47:00.000+04:00

Manchester United. The world's most popular and awesome football club. Giants and current champions of the EPL. Boasting the likes of legends like George Best and Denis Law and current superstars like Wayne Rooney, Cristian Ronaldo and oh yeah...9 year old, Rhain Davis. What's the big deal, you ask? Well, for starters, he's been recruited all the way from Brisbane, Australia [Oh yeah...now, I see some eyebrows being raised.] and secondly, he was recruited after his grandfather showed the United Youth staff a DVD of his matches!

That's right people...a DVD! The English Giants have recently signed on this whiz kid for their Under 10 squad! His video is one of the most watched on popular video site, YouTube, and trust me when I say, that kid's got skill! His unbelievable ability to maintain possession of the ball despite the presence of THREE defenders is simply a treat for the eyes. His amazing ball control and killer passes serve for some major sporting entertainment! All in all, he definitely shows a lot of promise! His family has accompanied him to Manchester in order to complete talks and finalise his transfer. The fact that he possesses a British passport made it easier for the Brisbane-based Redlands United player, to arrive in England. The young star has since been enjoying his stay there, in the company of his football heroes at Old Trafford.

This just goes to show the great lengths to which technology has helped us advance in practically every "field"...including a that of football. ;P I mean it's incredible how one can now scout players merely by watching their DVD's or videos on sites like YouTube! But, what's even more amazing is the vast range of opportunities that have opened up, thanks to this, for other young, aspiring footballers WORLDWIDE. Now, their fantasies to play for the big leagues are actually just a 'click' away! Now, if only I'd known earlier... ;)

Magical Transformations!

2007-08-02T03:18:00.000+04:00

A rather long break from the 'blogosphere'. My sincere apologies to you all. I returned from my vacation to India a little over a week ago and so that's my excuse for not writing till then. After that, I had J.K Rowling's 'Deathly Hallows' to blame. Lucky me! =P And yes, the rest of my days of being idle blog-wise have to do with the fact that laziness tends to take over the teenage soul more often than not. ;) Anyhoo, the purpose of this post is not to blab on about my absence from the blogosphere or the teenage mentality. This post is mainly about my day back in Dubai, awaiting the release of the seventh and final book of the very popular Harry Potter series and the rather interesting events that took place during that lengthy wait. =)

I had finally returned to my beloved city and was barely able to take in the Dubai air when it hit me like a Rambo on steroids (Yikes! =S)! We were all heading off to Ibn Battuta to watch the fifth Harry Potter film. Our car bubbled with excitement as we began driving out of the building parking lot. Suddenly we heard the RJ on Channel 4 FM hosting his show live at Ibn Battuta Egypt Court. Ordinarily, that wouldn't cause much of a stir in the car, but on this rather 'special day' we all had a near myocardial infarction! ;P

"Turn it up, Dad!" I asked, sitting up straight in the backseat as Disha turned away from her window and gave me a quizzical look.

"We are coming to you live form Ibn Battuta mall as loads of Harry Potter fans stand in queue for the latest book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows..."

"WHAT?!" Disha and I yelled in unison, "BLOODY HELL!"

Bloody hell, indeed. It was 7:01 p.m. and the 20th of July, 2007...a few hours before the 7th Harry Potter book was scheduled for release worldwide! And we hadn't even reserved our copies yet! Forget about standing first in line for it! Damn! A few weeks in India and we were totally thrown off schedule! =S

There was no Ibn Battuta now and my dad knew it..."What now?" He asked, tapping impatiently at the steering wheel.

"The nearest Magrudy's!" I said. There was a pause as we planned the journey. Seeking the best and fastest possible route to the "nearest Magrudy's". My mom comes up with the idea that we reserve two copies (if it's still possible) at the Magrudy's at Bur Juman and head off to City Centre, the nearest other Magrudy's. The reason for going to two different places? Bur Juman is hardly the place one would want to be lining up to get a book. (Not that there was a line to begin with) =P but, it was the best bet we had of beating the traffic to reserve whatever copies were left to reserve. Besides, I would probably meet Anjali at City Centre. Sounded cool for a spur of the moment plan. Now, the only thing left....was to execute it.

***

7:16 pm: My mom, Disha and I clambered up the steps to the Magrudy's outlet in Bur Juman. We charged into the store and reached the counter panting. The man behind the counter stared at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Two (gasping for air) copies of the (more gasping) Deathly Hallows please!" I said in between gasps.

He reserved them and handed us the receipt. As we walked calmly across Starbucks and listened to Disha comment on a rather eccentric couple, I suddenly noticed that the receipt mentioned only ONE copy of the book and not the TWO we had requested. Drat! =S My mom called the store as we headed towards the store again. There was no way we were going to reach the City Centre outlet in time to stand somewhere at the front of the queue. As my mom engaged in a conversation with the store employee on the phone about whether there was some mistake in the receipt or not, Disha and I raced to the store. As we neared it we saw the salesman talking animatedly on the phone, no doubt to my mom. As my mom came into view they both started waving to one another! =S I stared at Disha and we ran on ahead pretending we knew neither one of them.

***

Problem solved, correct receipt in hand, we marched back to the car and headed purposefully to City Centre! I sms'd Anjali telling her I was back and asking where she was, secretly hoping she was at City Centre. But, you all know my luck...it kinda sucks. =P She ended up at Borders, Mall of the Emirates. I would have loved to have gone there but, there would be no time...besides I had already reserved the books at a Magrudys outlet. D'oh! Ah well...we were going to go solo this time. No problem. As long as we read the book....FINALLY! "Woohoo!"

***

7:21 pm: We reach Deira City Centre and zip up the escalator towards Magrudy's. Up the first. Up the second. The Third. We skidded to a halt in front of the bookstore and gaped at the entrance. There was one dude standing there. One friggin' dude with a red backpack. What the hell?! All that rush and the maddening journey to the "closest possible mall" was highly unnecessary. Apparently, I would still have been pretty close to the front of the "line". [More like queue of air molecules]. It took us five minutes to take in the whole scenario.

SECOND IN LINE FOR THE SEVENTH AND FINAL HARRY POTTER BOOK!!! YEA BABY!!!

We stood in line for a few minutes and then looked at our watches. We were all still pretty exhausted due to lack of sleep, the flight and late nights throughout our vacation. And for some reason the whole prospect of standing in the "queue" for about 7 more hours just seemed preposterous! I mean I am definitely a HUGE Potter fan but the whole standing in line for hours on end under the intoxicating effects of 'sleep deprivation'. Then it struck me! Our initial plan was to watch the fifth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. And, we had waited days since it's release on the 17th in Delhi. It was pure torture waiting that long...and then having the added disappointment of missing Transformers which released on the 4th. I looked at Disha a glimmer in my eyes. She was yawning when she saw my 'mad scientist'-like expression and stopped midway.

"What?!" She exclaimed, "You ruined my yawn!"

"Uh...Riiight!" I said,"Look, lets face it! We're not gonna last a second more in this uhh "line"!" I said.

"Your point being?"

"My point being, Toadstool, that we've been waiting to watch the Harry Potter film for a while now and we have time...and no energy....so...."

Disha leaped up immediately, "I'm game! Lets go!"

I smiled. Mom and Dad were at Starbucks. As we were about to head toward them we realised that going for the movie meant sacrificing our pristine spots SECOND in line! =S A dilemma indeed! Damn. I hesitated before finally just turning my back on my spot and watch some people move forward enthusiastically. I mean come on, lets be realistic. We were all dead tired and waiting in line was not an option. Besides we knew that we were second and that's all that mattered. =)

***

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who had this "brilliant idea". There was a HUGE crowd in front of the ticket counters and it looked liked they were selling the book THERE! =|

After what seemed like hours we finally got to the counter and evaded the smart asses trying to sneak their way and cut into the line. We barely managed to get seats but we got some right at the back. Endless joy filled my tired soul and we walked back proudly with our tickets in hand. =D However, there was still one more problem. The show started at around 11:30 pm. And it was only 8:45 pm! So, much for avoiding a long wait! =S I was most disappointed. We all were. Immensely disap----Then it struck me again! Disha saw the very same glimmer in my eyes and raised her eyebrow.

"Now what?" She inquired.

"How about we catch another movie before that?!"

Everyone exchanged glances and shrugged. Apparently, watching two movies in quick succession was not a problem. But, finding a movie playing at that opportune moment is what stood in our way of extreme cinematic pleasure. But, as luck would have it...IT WAS OUR LUCKY DAY [For once]! =D Transformers was showing in 15 minutes!! It would end just in time for the Harry Potter film. I admit it was cutting it a bit too fine but, we could leave during the credits and miss a few trailers before the next movie! Another incident to add to our list of WACKY THINGS we've done! A crazy, spur of the moment thing! Wow...we were tired but we weren't creatively exhausted! So, Disha and I traipsed on towards the "mob" in front of the ticket counters...our excitement a catalyst to the slow reaction of getting our tickets...

***

TRANSFORMERS

Well, what can I say except...TRANSFORMERS was Da Bomb!! Gangsta!! Unbelievably awesome! I mean, we had waited like crazy for this film to release for months, but, nothing could have prepared us for the total awesomeness and sheer brilliance of this Michael Bay directorial! The effects were simply mindblowing and the action sequences were just WOW! Shia LaBeouf was extremely good in his role as Sam Witwicky and his comic timing was a key element in making the film the huge box office success it was. Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel were also great in their roles of Makaela Banes and Captain Lennox, respectively. Overall the movie was definitely an engaging and gripping action film and one heck of an entertainer! Worth a watch/rewatch in the theatre and well worth the sacrifice of our position in line!

***

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Next stop Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. We were pretty blown away by Transformers and after a quick toilet break and phone conversation with Anjali, we rushed to theatre one for our second flick of the evening. Well, what can I say except enjoyable and enthralling in it's own way. A more mellow film after watching Transformers, of course, but hey! You can't compare the two...they're 'world's apart'. Seriously. ;) The special FX were "out of this world" [quite literally] and the newly cast characters for example that of Professor Umbridge, Bellatrix Lestrange and Luna Lovegood were well chosen and lived up to the expectations of the audience. The only thing I found rather amusing and extremely uncomfortable was the 'much awaited' on-screen snog between Cho and Harry. But, I'll spare the details and let you judge that for yourself. =P All in all, a brilliant film by David Yates, based on an even more brilliant series written by J.K. Rowling. A must see, again, though advisably not directly after watching Transformers as one tends to draw comparisons. ;)

Note: In the end, we lost our place. But, it was so worth it. Besides, we weren't as far behind as we had expected. I mean 37 isn't that bad considering we lined up only an hour before! And as long as we knew that we could have been second and voluntarily gave up that position for something even better, it's cool! ;P We finally got the book, read it and are STILL in awe of it's utter BRILLIANCE! =) Unfortunately, that's all I can say in order to avoid giving off any hints and spoilers! Enjoy! ;)

"Sweet Emotion"s - Aerosmith LIVE!

2007-06-01T14:53:00.001+04:00

Abso-bloody-lutely awesome! That's about the 'closest-to-apt description' of last night's Aerosmith concert as one can possibly come up with! Words fail to explain the brilliance of the show and the awe in which every single spectator stood and watched the masters take the stage and kick concert ass! We had been waiting for this day, the 31st of May, for months! We, being Disha, Anjali and myself. The concert was significant to us for more than one reason. Firstly, obviously because it's...AEROSMITH, baby! Secondly, as this would most probably be Anjali's and my last concert here in Dubai before we move off to college in the U.S. And thirdly, **drum roll** because our parents had agreed to buy us Cage tickets, which meant we'd be standing right in front of the friggin' stage!!! Talk about awesomeness!!! =)

Which leads me to my next statement...

Some wack jobs (and you know who you people are!) have been spreading crap or presuming, that we got the tickets free!!! Well, frankly speaking, we couldn't care less what you people think...but, I shall still post it in case you actually don't know...We bought the friggin' tickets because yes, we can afford them and there's NOTHING wrong with that...and it's our last concert and our folks felt we deserved it! Also, think of it this way...if we knew of any way to get the damn tickets free, why wouldn't we have taken that opportunity or even better why would we try to hide the fact! That's just plain stupid. I mean, it's even cooler to have got them free considering we would've saved nearly Dhs. 1000 each for the tickets. So, it's pretty obvious we purchased them...so all you sour losers or genuinely unaware people can put a sock in it! =P

Anyhoo, moving on! So, we had PURCHASED our tickets and were all set to have the time of our lives. That day finally arrived and boy, was it eventful...in more ways than one!

***

Before we had even left for the concert, the madness began to unfold! Disha gets home from school and logs onto her facebook account. Meanwhile, I, who happened to already be logged on to the blasted thing started up a wall-to-wall with her. Bloody stupid, if you ask me! I mean it was almost 2 and we were supposed to have been reaching Anjali's place in a few minutes. I, of course, realised our blunder in a couple of minutes and started parading about the house in a rather comical fashion...cell phone in one hand and shoe in the other! My dad STILL hadn't returned from his meeting and was supposed to drop us all to The Dubai Exiles Ruby Club for the concert!

"What?! I was supposed to drop you now?" he asks, on answering my calls.

"Well...YEAH, dad!" =P

Somewhere in the other room...Disha was balancing her shirt and laptop in either hand! Multi-tasking it seemed. Suddenly, my phone rang...It was Anjali! Damn! I bet she was going to start panicking since we hadn't left as yet. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the call...

"Hey Anjali I can expl---"

"Hey Komal...Are you taking your camera?"

Wha?! I was stumped. She obviously hadn't checked her watch as yet. Thank God for that! =P

"Umm...yeah."

"Good. You sure, they won't take it from us?"

"We'll hide it."

"Good because I'm taking mine as well."

Good, indeed. It was almost 3 and we were supposed to have reached by now, so that we would beat the "crowd" and stand RIGHT in front! Fat chance now, huh? =|

I sit by the door waiting anxiously for the intercom phone, cell or the doorbell to ring. signalling my dad's arrival. Silence. The clock ticks. I tap my feet impatiently. Disha whines about an empty stomach and how her camera's missing. Camera!!! Damn! I had forgotten to pack it. I ran into my room to find it. Perfect timing! My dad calls.

"I'm waiting in front of the building."

I finally find the camera...and a totally full memory card! Double trouble...Now we had to upload the pictures onto the computer and then make our way towards the door.

"Komal, the chart!"

Aww man! Our Aerosmith poster could NOT be left behind. I grabbed the chart some deco markers and we ran towards the elevator. My phone rings again.

"Komal, come to the back. The cops moved me there...said I couldn't wait in front that long."

Great...we had to walk all the way around. How brilliant is that?! Two teenagers running around a building with black chart paper and glitter pens in their hands. A rare sight, indeed! We finally saw it....the black BMW glinting in the sunlight...Never had we been more relieved to see the car! We leaped in and sped off in the direction of the Fairmont Residence. Next Stop. Anjali's house.

***

**Clocks by Coldplay** My phone starts to ring. It was Anjali. We were 10 minutes away. She told me to call her when we were there. Cool. Dad drops the bomb on us all at this point. "So, where exactly are we headed?" I smacked my forehead with my hand and Disha started laughing! We pulled up in front of Anjali's building and she got in to the car. Apparently she wasn't very sure of the directions either. Wow. She did, however, have an Aerosmith flyer with a sketchy map which managed to give us SOME idea as to where we were headed. The rest of the 45 minutes were spent with my Dad and I trying our best to "be the map".

"Okay, so we're headed towards Nad Al Sheba, yea?"

"Yeah..."

"So, turn the map facing that way, that means in a while we should see a 'sharp and curvy turn' like that, which we should take."

=S

Oh Boy! Yes, Automobile comedy at it's finest. Talk about hating to ask for directions. The worst part was that my Dad kept confusing the venue with the Country Club. Thank God Anjali and I didn't take a nap like Disha did, or God knows where Dad would have landed us! =P

It took us 45 minutes and 3 wrong turns, but in the end we made it! Awesome! We were a little disappointed as we drove into the sandy entrance. Hmmm...Not the best of organisation or crowd. There were barely 7 people waiting there! Weird, indeed! My dad dropped us off and drove away to work again. It was like we had entered some kind of cheesy western movie. The sun blazed overhead and sand blew in our faces. The venue was practically deserted. There was no shade and no chairs. Just a ticket booth, security and sand. We walked towards a pavement and settled down. The strong wind had us chasing after our blank chart paper every now and then and if we hadn't found those rocks,...lets just say all we'd be missing was a net and scorekeepers. =S
Anjali took out her iPod and 'invisible cards' and we decided to play some Rummy to kill the time. It was fun while it lasted, which was exactly 7 minutes as the pavement we were sitting on decided to have us 'well-done'. Our butts were steamed and our throats dry. We needed refreshments or else Welcare Hospital seemed like a good idea. A bit of quick scanning had us discover a Supermarket a few metres away. Perfect! So, we trudged on toward it led by Anjali and eyed by the bodyguards like vultures. We watched as more people entered the gates and met a few people from school. The walk there and back had us feeling like we were in a remake of 'The Flight of the Phoenix' or something. Hot as hell and only the prospect of watching Joe Perry and Steven Tyler up close in a few hours keeping us going! Disha clicked unflattering pictures of our backsides and sweaty selves as we dodged the industrial construction vehicles and trucks. Our very motherly friend, Anjali, kept us from jaywalking and made sure nothing ran us over...even air! I tell you the amount that woman worries! ;) Our saviour went by the name, Madeena Supermarket, and the people there, had Anjali wishing she had a rifle...just in case. Pepsi, water and chips. We were all set! We paid and left. Now, the only thing standing between us and Steven Tyler and Co. was time! And with all our newly purchased 'supplies' there was surely no need to get our underwear in a bunch. Or so we thought! Our pants may not have been in a bunch...but they would soon have more than a dozen ants crawling in them!
Yes, folks our next stop was a wet, sandy area infested by ants and Anjali discovered it! ;)

"At least it's shady!" She reasoned. And we agreed.

Our bottles of water half empty and pants full of ants, I started to work on our Aerosmith poster. Disha started her photography escapade and Anjali, along with her iPod, started to dodge the camera and yell out death threats if we dared to upload the images. That surely scared Disha off and she proceeded to attack me instead. Joy! I began messing around with the deco markers and started doodling a guitar, an amp and some fancy text. The ants and wind didn't exactly make my job any easier and Disha's textbooks (Yes, she actually brought them!), came in more handy as paper weights than anything else that day! =P When they said knowledge was power, heck they sure were right! ;)

Another hour passed by as I worked on my poster and hoped to God it would dry in time! The time was now 5:30. The gates were to open in another half an hour as per the flyers. But, we knew we had yet another hour to kill. The poster was finally done and thanks to Disha, my camera was half full of my pictures. People passing by stopped to look and some even asked to see it during the course of the day. It wasn't half bad considering the circumstances under which it was made. I was content and we decided that it was now time to head towards the gates and line up. There were a lot more people by now yet hardly enough considering the fact it was a concert in Dubai. A limo that showed up had everyone under the false impression that Steven Tyler decided to check out the crowd. Boy, was everyone disappointed when an elderly lady stepped out instead. Though some people still yelled "Look! It's Steven Tyler!" =P As we waited in line, we sympathised with the people who had to attend our school's Prize Day ceremony. They were bound to reach the venue late, thanks to Dubai's complimentary traffic! ;) And even if the show started late, they wouldn't exactly get the best places to stand and watch from. By now, I had smudged my poster, spilled Pepsi all over myself and stamped in gum. Lucky me! =S Disha continued to mock me and Anjali tried to spot her ballet friends. Lovely day this was turning out to be!

It was 6:45 and we watched in amazement as the gates finally opened! People rushed in and we followed, clutching our things and smudging the poster even more! We got past security and smirked at one another as Disha got through with her camera going unnoticed! Anjali however had quite the experience.

"Do you have a camera?" Asks the security officer.

"Nope." Replies a very confident Anjali.

The officer dangles the mechanical device in front ofAnjali.

"I can see it!" The officer accuses melodically.

Anjali stutters.

"Just don't let anyone see you with it!" Says the officer and send us off.

*Phew* Next...the wrist bands. Ours were yellow in colour. Disha and Anjali got their bands and waited as I got stuck with a less experienced dude. He attempted to put the band on for me a total of 6 times and used 3 new bands before he finally gave up and asked the other dude for help!! I mean come on...even I knew what he was doing wrong. He didn't pick up the button to clip on both sides of the band to one another! D'oh! 5 minutes gone there!

At last we entered the snack area and were given the complimentary bandanna's et al and tied the 'orange advertisements' to our knees and arms. There! Now, all we needed was some food. FOOD! Finally! We were famished! Anjali of course needed to make some space first and headed towards the washrooms. =P There was music, food, miniature guitar replicas and loads more we could entertain ourselves with. Naturally we'd head towards the food stalls first. Disha leading the way this time! We bought our tokens and then waited to start our next adventure of the day...The 'Nacho'ral Disaster, as I call it! Yes, you're right it has something to do with the nachos we ordered. ;P Shawarmas, fries, nachos, pepsi. Seemed filling enough. Except they had only added salsa and no cheese.

"Could we have some cheese please?" I ask politely.

"Cheese? There!" The man behind the counter points towards a bottle of what appeared to be very obviously, mayonnaise. Did he think we were that gullible!

"Cheese?! But, that's Mayo!" We piped up in protest.

"No! It's cheese, " he argued and squeezed some out.

We glanced at the white blotch and looked up at the dude. He seemed sure. And anyway, why would he scam us..it's not like we were paying extra if we used the bottle! Or so we thought. I sampled the "cheese" first. Gross! It was definitely not cheese, in fact it HAD to be Mayo! Disha tried it next..."I can't taste anything!" she announces. Oh brother! We were too hungry to go back and argue. Maybe we were mistaken. A few more nachos later, it was clear to us that we weren't...It WAS mayo! Aaagh! Anjali laughed at us as she enjoyed her Shawarma and fries. Disha and I got ourselves a Wrap as well and shared it. The Nachos were a complete flop! And I started to feel rather queasy. Only the beginning of the illness that would follow! It was now 7:45 and we headed towards the stage and decided to sit on the grass and resume our wait. After a shock encounter and one less nacho, we passed the food stalls on our way to the stage! =P I still don't know why we were so surprised to see a full fledged machine full of melted cheese!! The dude behind the counter had scammed us! But, why the bloody hell did he?! Aah well! Screw it! We had Aerosmith to look forward to and besides I had to use the washroom and had no time to argue with him.

***

The rest of the wait was pretty uneventful. We sat on the grass of the cage area and passed our time watching snippets of Heroes and Grey's Anatomy on Anjali's iPod. The weather was a lot better and the music being played had us all smiling. We also met Sonu, who was in charge of lighting the show. He hung out with us for the most part and even had an all access backstage pass which was frilliant! The band's helicopter could be seen as a tiny dot in the sky, bringing in our performers for the night and we knew that the wait would soon be over. The arena was slowly getting more crowded and we soon decided that it was time we took our place RIGHT IN FRONT! The sound of dramatic music and an awesome presentation signalled the start of Aerosmith's first concert of their world tour, and our super awesome night!

***

The show was definitely effing brilliant by Dubai Concert standards and one heck of a wild night! With Steven Tyler's unbelievable vocal ability, stamina and showmanship and Joe Perry's larger than life persona and skill! It was one superb show! Though, by Aerosmith standards, I must say it could have been a whole lot better, considering they didn't play many of their better songs. However, they definitely gave us our money's worth and so much more! Playing songs like Jaded, Dude (looks like a lady), Eat the Rich, Walk this way, Sweet Emotion, F.I.N.E. and Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, among others. Overall, a super charged, highly orgasmic and truly memorable concert, thanks to Steven Tyler's out of this world stage antics and sexual displays and Joe Perry's sheer brilliance. The highlights of the evening for us would include: personally being asked to pose by the press, having the band read our poster and having the bassist, Tom Hamilton, strike a pose for our camera. All in all, a night we would never forget...for more reasons than one!

After the show we met Anish, Ali, Mr. Axel Roderigues, Sharon Ma'am and all and took some photos. This lovely meeting was followed by us racing against the rest of the thousands of people to catch a cab. Yes, we actually thought we had a chance! After ditching the never ending line and walking all the way to the highway and open road, we started sticking our hands out in an attempt to hail a cab before they turned into the Club. Apparently, we weren't the only smartypants to do so. By now, my earlier Mayo-inflicted queasiness was replaced by more queasiness and a splitting headache. I followed behind a very determined Anjali and exhausted Disha, clicking pictures with my cell phone. After nearly an hour of: walking, being passed by half of Dubai Transport, hearing Anjali plot, encourage and curse, and almost reaching home by foot...we finally had a cab stop for us. We ran towards it, in the process of which I stubbed my shoe against a stray rock and ended up with a broken toenail and a shoe full of blood. 'Bloody' brilliant night indeed. =S Our driver turned out to be quite the chatty fellow and was apparently majorly impacted by Ta Ra Rum Pum as he drove the camry like a camero! Swerving it through each lane and acclerating till the pedal made a hole in the ground! He was also aspiring to be in the movies as he cranked up the volume on some CD of songs sung in a rather incoherent Indian dialect and sang along!! And not in tune, I might add. He almost got us killed at one point and had Anjali holding onto Disha and summoning the Gods! I, on the other hand, couldn't give a rat's ass as to what happened to me, since I believed that NOTHING could be worse than the headache I was experiencing. The result of the 'Bollywood display' was a wrong turn and conversations including apologies and Raveena Tandon! =S Yes, I'm serious, folks!

After a rather interesting ride we finally reached Anjali's place and got off before he could rev up the engines again! After going up and reflecting on our night over a much needed glass of chilled water, Anjali bid us farewell and Disha and I took another cab home. This ride was far more sane and just when I thought I could just sleep, I was hit by a strong wave of naussea and extreme pain and spent the rest of the night puking and coughing and whining in pain and paying for the heat stroke I suffered. No one was home and thanks to Disha, I made it through the night. I've been ill since that day and God knows I've lived the entire rock 'n' roll experience, with the crazy show and musical hangover.

But, despite it all, at the risk of shocking a few of you, all the physical strain and trauma was totally worth it!

Yea Baby! ;)

Blogtrack: Jaded - Aerosmith

(Man, I think that's what I was suffering from =P...they sure had us all "j-j-jaded")

Kaylias, A Resurrection Of The Soul

2007-05-28T03:46:00.002+04:00

The warmth of summer, yet, darkness and chills.
An eeriness envelopes our very existence.
Friends war.
Foes thrive.
Hello.
Goodbye.
Life goes on.
The soothing sound of acoustic strings.
The steady beat of snares and cymbals.
A vocalist whines.
The piano echoes.
A band is born.
The strumming gets louder.
The beats more complex.
Kaylias is no longer a dream.
Kaylias is a reality.
Kaylias is nothing.
Kaylias is everything.
Kaylias is confused.
Why?
How?
The mind is a web.
The spiders, the poison.
Spinning their webs, trapping the thoughts.
Freedom is a luxury.
Entrapment of the mind. The soul.
Pure frustration.
A venomous reality.
An effort to break free, thwarted by an unprepared and cowardly body.
The soul enslaved and dying.
A sensation of guilt and nothingness.
Life, an everwinding path.
Mine, a detour gone wrong?
A dead-end?
A road block?
Perhaps a door.
A key?
A combination. Emotional. That of character.
One that I lacked?
A shadow of doubt.
Apparently not. Yet, something was amiss.
The road had ended.
I needed something to move on.
Something.
What?
Questions.
Answers, a factor absent from the equation.
The sounds of Kaylias, guide me through.
The passion keeping me alive.
Yet,
A pain deep inside.
A burning.
An emptiness.
A voice.
"End it."
Foolishness!
Or was it?
Silent contemplation.
Disturbia.
A storm. Fire.
Waging wars within myself.
The burning grows.
The emptiness spreading.
A virus.
No cure.
Panic. Paranoia.
Clutching my bleeding heart.
A flash.
A change.
A cliff.
The edge.
No face. No name.
I am numb.
I was in my mind!
The webs blown away.
The sun blazing down.
No wind.
No sound.
Behind me...nothing. A black veil.
Ahead...a steep fall.
The eye of the storm.
A vulture watches.
It's eyes a hollow.
It's wings scorched.
Kaylias, My soul...missing.
Tears stream down.
No water. Just blood.
To Jump is to die.
To Jump is to fly.
Dare I part the veil and seal my fate?
Dare I jump and my soul, terminate?
A risk? Or a detour?
One is an escape.
The other a chance. A life renewed.
No Kaylias to guide me.
The vulture. The sun. The cliff. The veil.
A realisation!
An answer!
My fate. My destiny.
Detours were in my past.
Life was a one way street.
The rules were simple.
The stakes were high.
Oblivion was an option.
So was eternity.
A smile.
Emotion.
Alas! No more Kaylias!
Despair. A void. Where? When?
The veil parts. The door...opened
A path....
My heart. My spirit. Rejuvenated. A rhythmic beat.
The vulture a space. Filled by an eagle.
Soaring across the skies.
Saved by something. Someone.
But, who?
A silhouette.
A shadow.
A ghost?
In the trees. Behind the leaves.
A rustle.
A clatter.
My eyes widen.
My saviour. My Kaylias. My guidance. My light. Is me!
We smile. We join. I continue to smile.
The person and the personality.
One and unbeatable.
Finally, at peace.
A body and soul reunited.
I was free.
On the wings of the eagle.
I was alive.
I was Kaylias.
I am Kaylias.
Kaylias is you.
Kaylias is me.
I emerge. Victorious.
The darkness inside me...defeated!
A mere memory of a nightmare once had.
I was free.
Or was I?

Somewhere in the dark forests, a sound.
A shadow.
Lurking.
Evil.
No form. No body.
Simply, another temptation.
Another weakness.
Another "detour".
More webs. Spiders. Lies. And pain.
The darkness would soon return.
But, not today.
Not now.
Someday...
Note: Don't ask. Just feel. Reflect. Associate. Experience. Believe.

Blogtrack: Clocks - Coldplay

Bravo and Adieu - An Ode, A Plea!

2007-05-06T10:31:00.001+04:00

And so it begins...The departures and the goodbyes have begun being exchanged by us ex-students of Modern High. Many people in my batch believe that 'it's all senti crap', or that there is simply no need to post the same old 'I'm going to miss you' junk, and give you the whole 'we're leaving' routine. But, I think that that's just a load of bull. lol! Frankly speaking I think that if we don't express those emotions now, we may never be able to let our friends and loved ones know how much we really care. Cliched? Yes. But, factual as well. I believe I had to post this because, after months of joy and laughter, friends who have known each other for YEARS...8, 10, even more...are soon to be separated from one another and keeping in touch will be a challenge. What brought about these sudden intense thoughts? Juhi's farewell. Yes, folks, the Rodman is leaving us. In fact, she left us this morning. *Sigh*

Her fabulous farewell dinner was the night before, and boy, was that eventful...and hell was it a blast! =) We all met up, hung out and laughed like the good 'ol days. Well, most of us. ;) After 10 years of an AWESOME friendship, it was time to split! Sentimental? Well, for some reason, this time I was more of a stoic than anything else...well, at least in the tear shedding department! I half expected to burst into tears at the very sight of my best friend, but...nope...just hugs and senti talk! The same went with most of the others. Hmmm...It's not that I don't miss her...because...BOY, TRUST ME WHEN I SAY...I DO!!!! :( It's just that I guess, it STILL hasn't quite sunk in yet. We are yet to come to actually, and truly realise that we are going to be separated. I have no idea if you understand what I'm talking about but, this is the best I can do to try and explain this weird situation/emotion. We've been a class for 2 years now...this ex12th grade science batch. And those two years have been some of the most AMAZING of my life! I am so pensive and reflective at this point, all of a sudden, that I don't even bother formatting my post professionally...I am just typing away 'informally' with the dots and colloquial English! The emotionless emotion flowing out in gushes through me as I struggle to keep pace with it and accurately document the whole feeling.

It's funny how time flies. Just a couple of years back, we 10 G1 and 10G had become 11G (Science batch) and we were all struggling to find a place and get to know one another. And now, come May 2007, we struggle to stay together. Held together by a mere thread as fate pulls us apart. A meaningful thread, yes, but simply a thread, all the same. Easily broken, and difficult to keep intact. It will be hard to keep up. But, I find we all want to, and should make an effort to. Too deep and thought provoking? Far from my usual style isn't it? Well, the occasion calls for it and I'mtruly very pensive these past few days. I apologise if you find it too trashy or lame. But, I'm not afraid to say what I feel. And neither should you.

The end of an era. As Monica and Rachel would have described it. As I see it fit to describe our friendship and the time spent together. Juhi and I. Everyone else and me. Never before has a bond been this strong in any class. Never again shall I ever encounter such a phenomenal group of friends. I am pretty sure of that. What we had...and hopefully have, was and is something truly special. Too senti? Well, deal with it. It's about time someone said this sappy sh*t! ;P And if I have to take the dive...so be it! Becasue keeping your feelings bottled up till it's too late is worth nothing! Trust me. I know, now. Now, after Juhi, the first of us to leave, is gone. Now, when I may never see her...at least not anytime soon. Pessimism? No. Reality. That's reality. In one life. we end up living two. One with school friends and family. And the other with, college mates and colleagues at work. Strange, how life is. And how easily we all seem to just adjust and forget. But, heck, I'm straying. Another reason I am writing this post is due to the recent squabblings and petty nonsense our dear 'mature' batch has been involved in! I mean c'mon you guys! Give me a break! We've already said goodbye to one friend...a brilliant soul! And before we know it...we'll all be gone. So, instead of this bitterness, why can't we just have fun while we can?! Is that too much to ask?

Today, I realised, I had many regrets too, Juhi. You're not the only one. I wish we could've done more...fought less! ;) There is sooo much I still want to tell you. Do with you. I wish I could hug you one last time. While you were here, I said little. And now, when you're gone, I have pages and pages to write you! Life, is truly strange. So, guys, come on, don't ruin this awesome friendship with childish arguments and pointless worries. Regrets are something you don't want. Because ultimately, you'll wish you had done things differently. Done things better. Had more fun. Told one another how much you really cared instead of keeping it all inside. After all, who's benefitting from that, right? I wish that I could've told you, how much I'll miss you, Juhi. I wish I could have hugged you properly and not been so friggin' brave. It was worth nothing. Now, I stand alone in my room. The letter you wrote to me, in my hand. Debating as to whether I should read it. Whether I dare read it. Or whether I'm braver keeping it back in my drawer.

It's just a letter. I open it. I read it.

It suddenly hits me.

The emotions come flooding to the surface.

It all becomes clear. You're actually gone. Not forever, but for a long time none the less.

And for the first time in years, I cry.

Alone and vulnerable, I feel the blasted tear roll down my cheek. I was no longer brave enough. And I wished I had realised all this a few hours earlier, when I had come early this morning to bid you farewell. Damn me. Damn this unavoidable reality.

And damn, your crazy squabbles! STOP IT, YOU GUYS! You DON'T want regrets!

So, here goes people...I will really miss you losers! =P You rock! And, now thanks to a letter and a late yet welcome realisation...now, I am not afraid to show it anymore!

Bon Voyage Juhi...Bon Voyage all! Because friends NEVER say goodbye! =)

Blogtrack: You'll be in my heart - Phil Collins (from the movie, Tarzan)

Note: Too emotional, or lame? I apologise. It was essential. But, I know you all feel the same way whether you want to express it or not. This time, I chose to and it doesn't make me less of a person or 'less cool'. I love you guys! ;) Now, lets cut the sappy-ness and fights and have some fun! What say you? =D

Shazaam!

2007-05-04T13:35:00.001+04:00

May 2nd...The midnight screening of Spiderman 3. Awesome! Though...sadly, we didn't manage to make that show. Anjali had work the next day and Disha had school. Ah well, no problem May 3rd would do. The rest of us were more than happy to postpone, as long as we went, was the criteria, I believe! ;) So, the day finally arrived. Anjali, our savior, had bought our tickets for us and booked the best seats in the house! Thanks, bud! The day proceeded as usual. Disha woke up EARLY (=P) and went to school. I woke up LATER and got ready. Anjali went to work. Bajpai probably went for another coffee dip and Juhi was online. I went on to meet my dear amigos, well virtually, on facebook and msn. The wall posts began to take form and photo comments were out of control. Aarthi K's dream gave us a lot to worry about, specially for me, since it apparently was about me to begin with! Hmmm... =S Juhi of course, had a jolly good laugh and I was 'weirded out' yet curious as to what had happened to me in it, as Aarthi said that she was worried about me after she had that blasted dream. After creating all the suspense humanly possible, the woman decides to call me and tell me about it instead. Joy! I am still waiting for that promised 'dream call'. =P

So, the facebook-ing went on and the chatting began soon after. The twins and I had ourselves a little online deal. I had informed them of my latest efforts to kidnap or rather twin-nap them. Yes! I was going to bring them home to hang out! They live too far away and it was about time we met. They thought so too. It was all set! There would be NO ransom, thus ensuring they are not taken back after payment and they were to be home before 12. Sounded reasonable to us! =P Good. Things seemed to be moving that day! ;) Bajpai informs me of her plans to crash at my place before leaving for the movie. Fine by me.

***

4:45 p.m.: Linda and I are ending our rather interesting chat conversation. I had informed her of my mental plans to twin-nap her as well as those of my Spidey attire! That's right! Since this would be our last Spidey flick to be watched together and more importantly the last movie we'd ever watch with Juhi before she leaves...*sniff*...I was going to do something SPECIAL. lol! I know! I can hear the groans. =P Unfortunately for me, I didn't have a Spidey suit at home to wear and do justice to my much discussed *ermmm* and I quote, "small butt". (lol! Juhi! =P)
Thus, I had to make do with whatever resources were at hand. What resources were those, you ask? Well.... ;P

1) Holographc Spidey cards I had collected with Disha's help. ;)

2) Spidey posters...if only Disha would let me flick hers! =P

3) My Spiderman action figure

4) Red and Blue bands to be worn on one's wrist.

5) The mind of a mental yet creative genius! ;)

6) A flabbergasted audience. =P

Step 1: Take the holographic spidey cards and stick them onto your shirt in an interesting pattern, with normal scotch tape. Though, I was soon to learn, that won't be strong enough! =P So use double sided tape or something if you don't want to walk around holding the cards on your shirt and pushing them on, occasionally picking them off the ground and groaning. ;)

Step 2: Take your spidey action figure and hang it from your chain. Awesome! ;) He'll dangle like a maniac and you'll, well, you'll look sorta' cool, I guess! =)

Step 3: Argue with your sister for 7 minutes about borrowing her huge spidey poster so you can stick it on your back! (Like that'll ever work...She'll NEVER give it) =S

Step 4: Step out and enjoy the flick and the stares! ;D

Anyhoo, so, Disha comes home and gets ready. Bajpai comes over, witnesses the madness and after a mental and enjoyable conversation with Lisha, we left. Unfortunately, we couldn't find either of our cameras. Thus, we decided to click with the aid of our digital video camera! There was no way I was going to miss recording this journey! ;)

***

We drove towards cineplex, in my car, beginning to get a little high on life among many other things. Alas! Our joy was short-lived! Just as we were posing for some pictures, we heard a terrible, ghastly, noise come from my speakers. =S Before we could take cover, Girlfriend, by Avril Lavigne, was playing loudly in the car!! Noooo!!!! Bajpai and I yelled in pain as our ears were pushed to the very limits of tympannic exertion!! It was horrible! Of all the songs why this one? We had enjoyed Keane's Crystal Ball before that! And now! We had to sit through it with horrible images of Spidey running around in his suit with pink pom poms dancing to the damn song! =S Gack, indeed!

***

We neared our destination, well on time, and hoping that Anjali, who had all our tickets, would make it before our 6:30 show began, as well. ;) Our ears were being soothed to the sounds of the Spidey trailer on the FM, as we pulled up near Grand Cineplex. Yea baby!! We were there!! Closer to the awesomeness, that is Spiderman! =D Suh-weet! We enter, as I'm busy fumbling with my holographic cards, trying to stick them on and make sure they stayed that way! People looked at my shirt and smiled, telling their friends to look as well. lol! I didn't care, I was in it for the fun! =) Just as we climbed the escalator, we heard a familiar voice boom, "Komal!" There was no mistaking that voice...Juhi!

Juhi and Meenakshi had arrived. Brilliant! We were all on time. And I was sure Anjali would be there soon too. Well, I hoped so. We all did. They approached us, and we exchanged the usual pleasantries as Disha madly clicked away! It was like a British tea gathering. The 'hullo's' 'how are you's' and the annoying photographer clicking pictures of you! =P It was not long before Bajpai had to go and grace the Cineplex washrooms. Well predicted, by the way, Lisha! ;) And in that time Juhi, Disha and myself occupied ourselves with the movie posters around us. Meenakshi had accompanied the 'Royal Bladderness' and left us to unravel the world of 'now showing' and 'coming soon'. Cool.

The rest of the wait for Anjali was characterised by extreme uhh shall we say, MENTALNESS:

We met Ashiq who was waiting for friends to finish their Spidey show.

While Bajpai and Meenakshi chatted with him, Juhi, Disha and myself engaged in a little innocent mischief.

We clicked pictures near a poster with a woman's decapitated head. Yes, we posed too.

My spidey action figure was abused as well. We pointed at his butt and laughed. Photos were clicked. =P

The Road to Tarabethia was MOCKED and I mean MOCKED, that is, until we saw 'The Rise's poster. The suffocating woman was indeed a topic of great debate. =S

We saw many ex, present and probably soon to be (=P) Modern High students and parents roaming about. We said hi to Aanchal and waved a bit. After that we bugged Anjali on the phone, hoping she'd reach in time.

It was 6:26 p.m.

**Drumroll**

ANJALI ARRIVES!! =D Yay! lol! We knew she would'nt let us down! =) We ran into the hall.

Of course, we had to struggle with removing the movie cameras battery before entering. =S That was uhmm a little entertaining to watch and then a certain long haired fellow had us doubled over with laughter and loud 'eww's! Juhi and Meenakshi take our cash and buy snacks and Anjali drags Bajpai, Disha and me into the hall....cinema 1!!

Wow...we were actually there about to watch the friggin' movie! Bajpai and I started going a little high until Anjali yelled and warned us all that if we didn't shut up she'd kill us. Now, normally it's a joke but, uh this was Anjali...we'd do well if we just shut up. Juhi and Meenakshi arrived with our food and drinks and the lights dimmed...Sweetness! =D

***

The ride back was well, lets just say CRAZY..hahaha...for more info on that refer to my facebook images! =P

Now, I guess the obligatory verdict...hmmm...well,

It didn't exactly live up to the hype that surrounded it. It was kind of a let down to the massive build up created by the sneak previews and trailers and crap but, I still don't think you should skip watching it. I mean, apart from the fact that the sentimental scenes were more "mental" than "senti" ;), the movie was good.

THE ACTION SEQUENCES AND SPECIAL EFFECTS WERE ABSO-BLOODY-LUTELY MINDBLOWING AND AWESOME!!!

Overall: Good, but not great! I mean...still I would say go and watch it. I was more impressed by characters like Harry (James Franco), Venom/Eddie (Topher Grace), Sandman/Marco (Thomas Haden Church), J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) etc. than the leads Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. The film was also dragged a bit too much. But, negatives aside, I STILL believe it was enjoyable and worth the 30 bucks, in a way. ;) Enjoy!

Just don't sit in front a bunch of 'I-think-I'm-so-funny-and-cool-even-though-my-jokes-make-no-sense' Indian students. They tortured us and despite Anjali and Juhi's efforts to shut them up...carried on their dating and hindi movies discussions! Of course, we got our dosage of gossip from them as well ;)...apparently Tina is going out with Amit! =S Wow! Well, who woulda' thunk?

=P
Blogtrack: Signal Fire - Snow Patrol ( The Soundtrack)

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: Epilogue

2007-03-30T17:18:00.001+04:00

The 'March' to Freedom is over. The last exam had been written, the papers had been collected and the ISC saga was complete. School had officially come to an end for us. However, I'm not going to drone about how we're really going to miss one another and how we're all just going to have to live with parting our separate ways. Perhaps another time, a little later. Right now, we had a few more months to hang out and enjoy ourselves. There's no need to mope about. We were going to make the best of it!

Our boards were history! We were elated and ready to go wild! The malls were no longer forbidden territory. Movies were a weekly outing. The beach was OURS! ;P

The house was rarely empty. My driver was pretty exhausted! =P Life felt great! There was nothing holding me back! I was actually let loose! I was no longer a victim of Modern High tests and exams! No longer a prisoner to Reeta David et al! Was I going to miss it all? I guess so! Those days shall be cherished forever. Am I excited about what the future has in store for me? Hell, yeah! These few months have me playing the roll of an 'emotional cocktail'. I'm sad, leaving people and things that I have grown to love and having to move on. I'm excited, for I'm entering a whole new phase of my life. I'm nervous, as I hope I can adjust and handle the change. I'm determined, to do well and make a difference in a whole new set of lives. I'm hopeful, that I can get to know more people and love them, as I love those, here. I'm confident that I'll never totally leave behind the life that I have lived here.

As lame and crazy as this post may sound, I had to post this and I believe that one should never leave their feelings bottled up inside. So, there! ;) But, I should probably leave that philosophy to a new post! =P

Now, that I've expressed those sentiments and bored you to death, I think I shall publish this and head off to fulfil some long postponed dreams! I shall now leave you all to enjoy your lives, as I know I definitely will! ;)

Gotta run, folks! Fun and parties await! Family and friends await! The rest of my life awaits! =)

Blogtrack: Open Road - Bryan Adams

(Time to take life by the reigns and just...LIVE IT!)

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: Objection 'Eco'!

2007-03-28T13:08:00.001+04:00

Two weeks of Study leave! AWESOME! I mean there's so much time to do so many things. It was too good to be true! A utopian fantasy! A miracle! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

"Komal! I hope you're going to start bit by bit and finish the course a few times in these two weeks?" yells my mom as I throw down my school bag after returning from my Physics exam.

Study?! Now?! Who said anything about studying?? =S

"Uh...sure, mom!" =P

***

Two WHOLE weeks characterised by fun, friends, a Shakira concert! It felt awesome! We were on the threshold of freedom! Unbelievable! =D Yet, we were still far from finished with the 'board ordeal'. =S Joy! We tried to cram in as much fun as possible in the first week. However, Goyal was not going to leave our 'divine souls' alone! No way! He haunted us till the very end of our exam! The blissful feeling that filled our hearts kept us rather high for most of the "holidays". The 'two week fiesta' began with a long overdue, 2 hour phone conversation with Juhi! We cracked jokes and indirectly established 'facebook contact with a certain Abraham twin! Splendid! ;) My pasta was cold by the end of the conversation and I soon sat down to update my blog. (Finally! ;P)

***

Before I could hang my tie and blazer in my cupboard, the two weeks were over! D'oh! =S

What happened in such a short span of time? Loads!

1) Clowns soon became an integral part of my 'two week life'.

2) Disha was no longer the remote God! =P

3) My guitars no longer have layers of dust on them.

4) Sounds of my drums and my neighbours' ears have been re-acquainted! ;)

5) 300 kicked ass!

6) Mother's Day was uh rather memorable! ;)

7) The guitar dust has now settled on my text books! =P

8) Biology and Computers students are show offs! ;P

But, Economics students are shameless so, there's no point in them showing off, is there?

9) Goyal is annoying.

10) Sethi and Andrews are annoying.

11) I believe Reeta David may be a fan of one of them. =S That explains a lot! =P

12) My mom pulled my cheeks while my webcam was ON!

13) Shakira was pretty cool! =)

14) Anjali punched a 'sandy rock'. (Again, don't ask!) ;)

15) University admission decisions would soon "flood in" and either "drown us" or help us "rise with the tide". ;)

Between the fun and 'frolic', and after much persuasion, we all finally did start with economics! ;) The text book was pretty much in shreds and it's a miracle I could read the whole portion. But, of course, in the end the portion was 'read through' and we were 'read'y to face the music! Don't expect rock or R 'n' B...this music was no billboard chart topper! It was the sad and dreadful music that only Andrews, Sethi and Goyal were known to produce! Sick! ;P

***

28th March 2007: I stumbled out of my car and landed in front of a small bus heading to Jebel Ali! Luckily no one saw that! ;) I regained composure and headed on towards the school gates where I met Annika. I said hi to Aunty and we trudged on through 'Mr. Naidu's foyer' and entered the quadrangle. There we met Udai, the rambling donut ;) , who was enjoying a game of basketball. How I wished I could have joined in. Instead I was left hoping for a slam dunk in Eco. Everyone was left praying it wasn't going to be a slam 'flunk' for them, instead! =P

I sat down next to my 'Eco Pal', Lisha, she was calm and collected as usual. No books out, she just sits and waits. Fascinating! =D I have always admired that about her! However, the rest of us, including me took out our books and started our infamous 'cramming sessions'. What fun! Ankita was busy yelling random stuff out from the platform to Nikeeta and Tanya. I watched the madness underway and soon saw Mrs. Murthy signalling to us to come to a class to revise together. We slowly got our lazy selves up and headed towards a free classroom. We soon found out that we were going to be writing our exam in the Boy's Gymnasium instead of the Auditorium. What?! Why?! How would we fit?! Well, I guess it couldn't be that bad, right? Wrong. When the exam started we weren't as comfortable as we would have liked to be. After eavesdropping with Mrs. Murthy and taking notes as Mrs. Balachandran gave the boys last minute instructions, we finally entered!

1) Our roll numbers were all messed up and we were sitting at differently labelled tables. Instead of Aditi Zaveri, I was now sitting at the table where Astha Srivastav from the 10th grade sat.

2) It took our dumbfounded grade a little longer than usual to settle down.

3) Bright side: I WASN'T sitting in front this time! =) I was third from the back! lol!

4) It was very hot and for the first time ever, I took my blazer off. I rarely do that, which would prove it WAS pretty damn stuffy. =S

5) I used 3 supplements! =D

6) I almost forgot to do a whole question and realised my fatal error 5 minutes from time.

7) I managed to finish that silly question in the end. ;)

8) Linda provided no sound effects.

9) Akshay attached his question paper to his answer script as well and was ragged about it later!
=P

10) Ankita managed to complete her paper in time and I could see her furiously writing away in front. It's a miracle the answer script wasn't torn due to the heat generated by the pen!=P

11) My fifth mom was extra doting and I shall miss her, I guess! ;)

12) The paper ended and celebrations followed.

Of course, there were a select few who, amidst the ongoing celebration, chose to discuss the question paper. They were, of course, yelled at and forced to indulge in a fake confetti throwing session we were busy working out! Mrs. Murthy then managed to catch all of us and discuss the paper, anyway, so.

We discussed away.

Ankita knocked over the, "Do not disturb, Examination in Progress", sign. Typical! =P

"Oh well," she said, a little embarrassed, "We won't be needing that sign now, anyway!" She grinned.

The Modern High grounds echoed with our laughter and chattering as we all made our way towards the school parking lot, our parents eagerly waiting to hear of our paper. Well, they wouldn't hear much. We had parties to attend and friends to meet. Superb! First on the agenda: My friends and I had decided to watch 'The Namesake', minus a Bengali translator. lol, indeed!

So, the car pulled out of the lot and all one could hear was the sound of my mom trying to learn a little more about my paper and me trying to avoid her questions. There was no way I was going to 'supply' her with that information! Freedom was a luxury and in this case, we were EXTREMELY privileged! ;)

Blogtrack: Bringing Sexyback - Justin Timberlake

(Why Sexyback? The exams were OVER and now, it was time to PAR-TAY and have a BLAST!)

=D

300 Unleashed!

2007-03-23T05:30:00.001+04:00

22nd March 2007: The board exams were still underway, for the science with economics batch as well as the commerce batch, anyway. There was STILL one more exam left...Economics. Joy! However, that is definitely not the reason, that I am writing this post. In fact, most of us had forgotten that we even had an exam. =P Two weeks is a long time for us and studying was certainly not the only priority. There were a couple of 'events' that had us counting the days and trying hard to contain our excitement. 'Events' like the Shakira concert, and none other than the release of the much anticipated movie...300! That's right, it was finally that time of the year! That time when I got to buy those tickets and sit down in front of that big screen, ready to watch what was probably going to be one of the greatest movies ever made. Yea baby! =D However, in order to attain something truly awesome, certain sacrifices have to be made. Yes, the day wasn't without it's fair, or rather unfair, share of challenges. The process of going for 300, turned out to be much more complicated than any of us could have possibly imagined! The process was a war by itself!

***

The day had been relatively uneventful apart from some webcam madness. In the evening, some of our family friends had come over for dinner. Disha and I were busy surfing YouTube and watching some mental videos. There were no kids at this gathering and we were quite content to remain in the confines of Disha's room. I was strumming on my guitar and singing 'Unwell', when my aunt, Shobha, decides to cook up a funky vegetarian chicken and noodle snack(That's right, mock chicken, made of soy) ;P. Sounded good to me! And trust me it was! While we snacked and surfed the net, I was busy mourning the fact that, I, the 300 fanatic, was unable to watch it! The next day was Shakira and there was NO way I'd be able to do both! Damn! The less than concerned 'adults', were busy making dinner plans and figured we'd go for Thai that night. Fine by me. I needed the fresh air. My uncle, Kuna (Aunty Shobha's husband and my famous Uncle Pathman's brother), soon steps into the room and starts talking about 300. Great, the more I talked about it the worse I felt. The conversation went onto the effects some interesting scenes from the trailer and so on. My mother than enters and asks about Namastey London. =S Geez, woman! ;) My aunt Shobha hears my mom and joins in excitedly!

"Is there a show now?" she asks us.

"I'm not sure", I said, and went online to check out the timings.

"11:30 p.m.!" I announced.

"Hey! Why don't we all go!" My aunt shrieks, she's around 30 something, a total kid, so don't imagine a shrieking Amma! ;)

Within moments, my mom and her are doing a weird jig and on the phone making enquiries about the seats.

That's just great! Of all the friggin' movies we had to watch Namastey London! Specially when I knew that a couple of theatres away some lucky asses were watching 300! Life can sure suck! But, only if your mom isn't as cool as mine! ;P

"Koms!"She suddenly exclaims,"Isn't that movie of yours, uh 300, playing as well?"

My eyes widened and my heart filled with hope!

"Yea!" I replied.

"So, then check out the time and you guys can go for that one!"

Yes! She ACTUALLY said it! Awesomeness! My uncle Kuna, Disha and I had a brief struggle with the laptop, as each one was desperately trying to check out the timings. Could we be that lucky? I know for a fact that I usually am not. ;) This would turn out to be an exception to that 'law'. Bingo! 12:15 a.m.!

We turned to my mom, with expectant looks and our wallets ready to bribe her. Luckily none of that was needed, she called Ibn Battuta. But, we all knew that getting tickets for ANY show NOW would be near IMPOSSIBLE. A herculean task! Yet, a glimmer of hope inside of me forced me to try. No harm there, right?

Wrong. The only seats available were in the front row, right in front of the screen! Ack! I was a big fan, but I wasn't about to sit right in front and ruin the viewing experience! None of us were. I'd rather go another day and ENJOY watching it in the last row! Damn, the overly-eager public! =S

Next call. Mall of the Emirates. No luck there either! Within the next couple of minutes we had tried every possible cinema in Dubai!

Cinestar, Deira City Centre.

Grand Cineplex.

Mercato.

Al Ghurair!

Same story everywhere! As we all know, calling a few hours before the movie, is usually never the best thing to do when you need to buy tickets. Disappointment filled the air and the Namastey London loyalists were ecstatic! They now had the three of us to join them. Five including my dad and my uncle Krish! Nahinnn! There was no way I was going to give up that easily and there was definitely NO FRIGGIN' WAY I would go for Namastey London instead of 300! Never! It would take more than that to stop me, Komal Korla, 300 loyalist! I had waited almost a year for this movie and I was GOING TO SEE IT! I felt a sudden surge of power and newfound determination. One could just hear the 300 soundtrack in the background as I got up and marched to the laptop again. Everything was in slow motion now. Everyone gaped at me. My mom started waving frantically. =S Weird, I mean, okay, so I looked cool at this heroic point but I was no celebrity! Stop waving mom! Before I could understand what she was trying to say, I felt my foot hit the rug and before I could figure out what had happened I found myself hurtling through the air like a pebble off a slingshot and landed on Disha's desk! Thank God my arms stopped me from hitting my head or else I'd soon be seeing 300 in the form of stars. =S

I grinned as my mom stopped waving and shook her head. C'mon people, I knew what I was doing! Really! =S

So, slow motion mode was over and for a second I was staring blankly at the wall, trying to remember what my plan had been before I so comically tripped on the rug! Oh right! Again the 300 soundtrack started up and I typed and started checking out....(drumroll)...SHARJAH CINEMAS!!! =D

No, seriously. I was willing to search the poles of the Earth for a seat in a decent row for that movie!!! I was NOT going to just give up after building up all that excitement and hope! The logic behind the decision? Most people love Dubai theatres and that's about it. They won't bother to check any other emirate. They would simply postpone their viewing date. So, naturally Sharjah was our best bet. We were also prepared to drive to Abu Dhabi! A spontaneous and wacky outting in the making! Don't laugh! certain movies are worth that extra effort!=P We scrolled down the list of Sharjah cinemas. Aha! The mega mall! Our first shot! My mom dialed as we read out the number. The 3 second wait till someone answered was more than agonising. The suspense growing with each ring. Finally, a loud squeeky voice could be heard at the other end. A minute later my mom puts down the phone and looks at us.

"Namastey London tickets are available. As for 300, the entire hall is....EMPTY!"

It took us half a minute to take in what we had just heard! EMPTY! The entire hall! Then it hit me, it was stupid Aaron's emirate and he obviously had no interest in any good movies other than a jurassic park remake or something! =P A feeling of immense body numbing joy swept through me as I realised that I was actually going to see the movie that night! Suh-weet!!

We wasted no time wearing our shoes and getting into the car, stopping to admire a Bentley on the way. The journey to the ultimate movie began and I was grinning from ear to ear. Yes, I looked crazy. ;P

1) We almost ran a red light.

2) My dad found it annoying that a certain red car we were behind wouldn't drive fast enough. There is a lower speed limit too, you know!

3) I rolled down my window as we passed Ajdan and yelled "I'm going for 300!", hoping to wake up Juhi. ;)

4) All that came of it was shocked expressions from these tired contruction workers in a truck near us. The rest of the people in our car pretended I was only a hitch hiker. =S

5) The traffic was unbelievably slow and we feared they had all discovered Mega Mall's strange vacancy.

6) The red car overtook us. Dad cursed loudly.

7) Mom and Aunty Shobha thought Namastey London was going to kick 300's ass! Ermm...whatever you say, women! I know they secretly desired tickets too! =P

8) Disha is the last person you want to sit next to in a car if you want to make it out alive! =S

9) Dubai traffic has the worst timing! 10:45 and we had to make an 11:30 movie(Namastey London) and one at 12:15(300!!!) and we were only near Garhoud bridge, crawling!

10) Thoughts like "I knew it was too good to be true" and "hey! Nice car!" were running through my head!

11) The same truck passed by us twice and the construction workers wer still recovering from my yelling spree!

12) Sexyback is still one of the coolest songs to listen to when in traffic! =P

13) The red car was now a major competitor as far as my dad was concerned. I think the driver of the red car knew that by now as well.

14) Oh yeah and 300 rules! ;P

Honk. Drive. Stop. Drive. Stop. Stop. Keep stopping. No, seriously don't move. Yep, that was pretty much how the journey went. We were probably moving slower than a slug with polio. =S

The tension was mounting, specially for the Namastey London losers! It was 11 and we were still near City Centre!!!

The clock ticked fast and the traffic was merciless. Of all the days! I was beginning to wonder how stupid I was to have expected to have made it! So much for being positive! I could hear Juhi laughing from Ajdan! D'oh! ;)

The red car passed us again, the driver smiling proudly. Damn him! Apparently my dad agreed with me! He zipped across into the next lane and attempted a formula one take over! Mindblowing, dad, except, it would probably have been way more effective if there was no traffic! =P

Time was running out and so was our patience. Just when I was about to smack my head with my hand in frustration, the traffic started moving! We had entered Sharjah by now and were already half way there! Could this really be happening? We all lifted our heads off our pertners' shoulders and stared outside in amazement. Instead of seeing the clear route ahead, we saw something else! Something I wish I had never seen, at least not that day at that particular time! Damn this world! Just ahead of the lane in front of us, we saw a huge concrete road block! Gack! No wonder the 'traffic' was moving! They were smart enough to have taken a U-turn and headed onto an alternative route! I slammed my head onto the seat in front of me. The pain was hardly my concern at that point. A few minutes later, however, it would be, but that's besides the point! We soon followed and hit another traffic junction. Aww man! 11:16. Namastey London was soon to be Goodbye London! The loser club was panicking. At least my movie was a little later. But, God obviously didn't like seeing me calm.

"Which way was the Mega Mall again?" My dad's voice rang throughout the car. WHAT?!

Everbody was stumped including me. My mom pretended like she knew what was going on. Yeah, moms usually do that a lot. But, the truth was that she had no clue. You have got to be kidding me?! Disha asked me what we should look out for. I just couldn't restrain myself, "Probably a big fat building which says 'mall'!" I replied laughing at my lame comment. Laughing at her booming laugh. Laughing at my situation. This could not be happening!!!

300! My dear 300! Why are we being subjected to such torture! The forces of nature trying ever so hard to keep me away from you! Oh, 300, why?

As I had my head against my window, mourning the unavoidable circumstances, Take That's patience was playing on the radio! Great! Just what I needed! Advice from a metal box! I imagined the movie playing an hour from now. The lucky people who lived next door, sitting in their 'neighbourhood mall' chewing their popcorn and sipping at their coke. Damn them! Damn me! Damn this friggin' traffic! Damn this fuc-! I stopped. The car had stopped. The engine had been switched off! Wha?! Had our car broken down now??? I peered outside and saw the 'big fat building which said 'mall'! No friggin' way! We had made it! It was 11:27! The Namastey London Club would make it too! Lol! Who am I kidding, I was mainly happy because, 300 was closer than I thought! =D

Up the escalator, past the stores, past the posters, to the ticket counter.

"Five for 300, please!" I said enthusiastically.

The screen showing the seats flashed on. WHAT?! If I didn't know better I would have said the hall was almost FULL! The only rows left were five and below! Which moron said it was EMPTY! Namastey London Society had a hearty laugh as we, the 'Lame-ous' Five, groaned and moaned and whined about our fifth row seats. However, the minute we had our tickets in hand all one could hear were shouts of joy and 'Yea Baby's!!! The passers by were amused. So were we as we soon learnt that Namastey London wasn't showing yet! The disappointed Londoner's settled for 'Because I said so'. lol! Whatever! 300 still kicks ass! ;P Whoever answered that phone definitely had us fooled! Though, if she hadn't sent us on this 'wild goose chase' we would never have even considered watching the movie that day! The fifth row was pretty high up and we could see just fine! We waited till 12:14, said goodbye to the rest and marched into the dark cinema hall...

***

That was how we ended our wacked out 300 adventure. Was it worth the effort? Well...100,000,000,000,000,000,000^infinity times YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The movie was AWESOME!!! The music was superb, the effects were MINDBLOWING! The experience was altogether surreal! Brilliant! 300% a must-watch, in a theatre, that is! ;)

The only thing I must warn you about is the graphic nature of most of the scenes. Of course, quite a few are omitted in this part of the world however, there are still plenty to worry about for some. ;) There are a couple of scenes involving sex or sexual references but, the main issue for most people might be the blood and gore. The movie has quite a few decapitated heads flying about with blood squirting out of the body. If any of you are afraid of blood or extreme violence, I would advise you to wear a bag over your head and enjoy the nachos. ;P If you're strong enough to watch without feeling sick or barfing on the unsuspecting viewer next to you, you're good to go! All in all, a fantastic movie and a definite addition to one's to-watch list! So, head on ASAP and grab the last row, because this is one movie you just CANNOT miss! =D

For a movie summary and trailer refer to my post: 300 [Click to follow link]

This movie is rated 18+ and rightly so. =P

Hope you enjoy it! If you ask me, I think you should, without a doubt! ;)

Blogtrack: Speed of Sound - Coldplay

("How long" till I got to watch it? "How long before it begins?" You need to see it to "understand" and "know what it feels like")

"You WILL enjoy this and unfortunately it WILL end quickly..."

P.S. You'll understand what I mean after you watch the movie! ;)

'Picture' Perfect!

2007-03-18T22:06:00.001+04:00

Today, March 18th 2007, was the United Kingdom's Mother's Day (The US celebrates it on May 13th). Madness and havoc erupted in Bur Dubai, as the Pillai Chillers roamed the deserted lands in search of flowers for their beloved mothers. They encountered many obstacles, before the perfect Mother's Day could be celebrated...

1) A child's pink shoe from bata stopped the curious Pillai's in their bird-shit covered path.

2) The previously mentioned bird shit. =P

3) Bicycle man or Komal's twin. As you can see Komal chased after her long lost brother.

4) Astha began her affair with the parking meter. Poor broken-hearted child doesn't seem satisfied with Komal (Complicated love story). =P

5) Disha, of course, then banned and censored 'P'arking meters altogether.

6) This new 'law' definitely made Komal's day, who didn't waste time making fun of Astha and her ex-solar-powered boyfriend. ;P

7) They were happy together again in a while, with their child. I don't know what Astha meant...It's a bag, woman!=P

8) After what seemed like ages, they finally decided to get to spinneys and pick a gorgeous bouqet for their respective mothers. After a couple of well, hours the perfect bouqet had been found. ;)

9) After gaining enlightenment under the tree, Disha advised them out of trying to steal the bag of shit hangging on the tree, which they thought would make their skin shine more. :P

10) After this Disha decided to "dig" up some ancient treasures. Unfortunately, all she got was Komal. =P

11) The 'treasure' turned into a model...(blech! =P)

12) Disha happily earned commission from the 'model's' salary...

13) The model gets no share in this 'commission' and is left a broken and miserable soul...

14) Komal threatened to sue Disha and was all 'studly' about it.

15) Disha got pissed...

16) ...And she decided to bury a reluctant Komal back in the sand.

17) Komal's funeral was next on the agenda and Komal's useless lawyer, Astha, was dressing Disha for the solemn occasion.

18) Somewhere in the distance, Komal's ghost appeared to have returned...

19) ...However, we later realised Komal was ACTUALLY standing there and had returned to seek vengeance on them...(notice Komal's 'twiddly-toes')

20) Astha and Disha were horrified by Komal's ghost, or perhaps, they were just laughing at Komal's weird expression. =P

21) Astha resorted to a ghost-warding-off ceremony...

22) She was transported to a safe heavenly land...where sunglasses are like headphones...=S

23) Disha and Komal get so bored of suing each other, that they decide to publish their first joint post...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

P.S. The pictures were not clicked with the intention of gelling with the captions. The caption idea was thought off much later and were written to suit the pictures.

I couldn't have written this post without my sister, Disha (http//:dishakorla.blogspot.com). It was our first joint post and Disha suggested we try to make the process of getting our mom a bouquet a little interesting. Hence, I adopted the idea of writing a picture post. Hope you enjoy this mental visual journey... ;)

(All the weird dating related statements have been unfortunately added by Disha =S) Idiot! =P

In the end, we bought a big bouquet of red roses. Love you, Mom! =)

Blogtrack: Sway - The Perishers

Mom thanks for everything...I'm sorry if I've ever "hurt you" and I promise not to ever again...Thank you for being "my solid ground"...It's great that we're more than just mother and child...It's great that we're "friends"...Best friends! Love you, Woman! ;)

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: 'Traumatic' Aberration

2007-03-14T12:31:00.001+04:00

14th March 2007: Physics. The last of our scientific endeavours. The last exam that we would all take together as a science batch. Of course, Biology was still left, but some of us had taken economics instead of biology with science. Weirdly enough I don't think it had hit everybody as yet. In a way it was a good thing it hadn't, or else they would be whining and talking about taking photos instead of photons! =P The atmosphere was a little more tense today, as compared to ES, at least. Heavy Bhatnagar and class notes in hand, the 'Dozen' and gang, paced nervously back and forth. As soon as I had arrived in school with my self tutor in hand, I had Linda pounce on me!

"Oh...(whining and moaning)...gimme that one second!" Linda starts her 'examness mode' of things and takes my self tutor. ;)

Within seconds I was holding 'air' and gaping at my friends who, in their nervousness, managed a feeble chorus of laughter. Lisha was ecstatic as usual. How, woman, how?! =S She patted me on my back and I joined Lakshmy and Bajpai for a while. They seemed calmer than others. Good. I didn't need any additional tension! But, I needed my self tutor to skim through the chapters once last time and went to join Linda over at the...uh...dustbin! =S She panicked and thrust the book back into my hands:

"(more whining and groaning) I better not..this is killing me!" She says and walks off.

I open the book and start pacing like the rest.There were some other students at school for various activities: Clowns (our annual play), athletics practice, basketball/cricket/ football practice, swimming practice...and what not! And they call them holidays! =S But, I guess it's fun as long as your friends are there with you. Besides, as far as we were concerned, there were always other more mental ways to satisfy our hunger for fun and adventure! ;P

While reading the page describing chromatic aberration, I heard these rather shrill and loud 'hi's, coming from the platform area. I look up and tried to figure out who it was. Unfortunately, I didn't have my glasses on and couldn't make out the two young and enthusiastic souls running towards me at first. But, on further squinting, I recognized them instantly. There was no mistaking that orion house shirt, long silky hair and bright smile. It was Anushweta! Behind her was my 'less-than-excited-to-be-alive' sister, Disha. ;) I smiled and walked towards them. I had forgotten they would be in school. A little chat with them calmed me a bit. However, that was short-lived. Within seconds, I was having a serious panic attack. Juhi, engrossed in her own worries, just stared blankly at me, as I started flipping out! Big time! It was time to enter the hall and we all realised that the moment of judgement had arrived! Damn! Chaya and Saloni wished me luck as I entered the hall. *Gulp*

I was so nervous, that I took ages just to get my ruler out of my bag. I mean it was right in front of me and I was rummaging for it like a maniac! My eyes finally spotted the dratted piece of plastic and I slipped as I raced to enter the auditorium. I then almost tripped on my untied shoelace and landed straight into my seat. Aah, a perfect landing! uh...I...uh...ahem...planned that you know.. ;P

My fifth mom seemed amused. =S Joy! Our 'energetic babu' was at the podium announcing stuff and I started my daily sessions of staring at the stage. Another long day. The paper was finally given to me by my fifth mother. I picked it up immediately and skimmed through it to assess 'the damages'. Hmm...not bad at all. I was a little more relaxed. It was okay I guess. The exam had begun.

I wrote furiously and tore a part of the first page. =S

Vidhi began her thesis. ;)

My fifth mom was modelling at the front of the hall. =S

The supervising examiner thinks he's an ultra stud! (ha! ;P)

My pen stopped working. Damn. The second one had no ink. But, as they say third time lucky. I tried my third pen. Perfect. Thank God for that. =P

I left two 'love notes' for the person correcting my paper. lol! Don't get too excited people. It was nothing romantic as such...I had forgotten to write the answer to the second part of a question and had to answer it at the end. So, I wrote something like this above the answer:

Dear Ma'am/Sir,

I apologise for the inconvenience and hope you don't have too much trouble correcting my paper. Hope I did well! ;)

Yes, I put a winky smiley as well. =S Now, I know I have done EVERYTHING! =P Yea baby!

Two questions (though now it might only be one...damn!) were out of our portion so we're getting 'free marks'. However, I still made up answers for them. lol! =S

Linda was silent. Hmm...

I was so tense initially I drank up the water they gave us and pretty soon the pressure on my bladder was getting a bit too intense. A word of advice: Never load up on water or coffee or coke, before going in for an exam. There is no way you can avoid a trip to the toilet if you do. And if it's an important exam like physics, you can't get up and waste your precious writing time in the toilet! =S In the end, I was squirming like a stupid 'blue' caterpillar and DIDN'T go! Damn me! =S Luckily for me, the 300 movie soundtrack was keeping me occupied. I was obsessed with it! I hummed it and tried to keep my mind off the horrid thought of my kidneys bursting! =S

The clock ticked on and I wrote on. Silly Aaron was obviously still depressed about discovering that the rest of his species had been eradicated from this planet. God only knows how he survived. 'Unnatural selection', perhaps? =P

Alternating between fantasizing about the toilet and the upcoming two week long "study" (lol!) leave, I finally finished my paper and considered using the toilet. Too late. It was time to submit my paper. Ah well, might as well just go after that. However, I failed to make that trip, due to temporary memory lapse. Isn't it weird how when you actually CAN go to the toilet, you either don't need to go or you forget that you have to! =S

As we all try to slip past Mrs. Menon, we could hear the boys yelling out their answers, hoping to get her approval. They did. Ma'am was like a tiny christmas tree decorated with over-zealous 12th grade males! *Sigh* The poor soul! We took that as an opportunity to avoid the post exam interrogation! ;) Fat chance! She may be short but that helps her see through people's legs! =S Damn! =P We met her in the end and the interrogation wasn't as brutal as expected as she was being bombarded with questions from the guys. We successfully slipped away this time, the whole lot of us. Great! The paper was over and was good. Cool! Kari and I walked out and made Ski Dubai and Russell Peters plans. Awesome!

We got to our cars and were all a bit high. Karan's dog had come in his car and was busy frolicking about outside the gates. Disha popped up again and dragged me away from my friends before I made too many plans. Two weeks didn't mean I could have fun for 12 days and study for the other 2! Then again, one just couldn't expect anything more from our batch! ;P

As we drove out of school, it struck me! Damn, I forgot to use the washroom! =S

Blogtrack: Just Like You Imagined - Nine Inch Nails (The 300 soundtrack)

(It was in my head the whole time! And anyhow, it seemed pretty appropriate considering we were going to war with Bhatnagar! Physics exam...war....no difference! ;P)

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: Eco'logically' Challenged

2007-03-12T12:59:00.001+04:00

Four days. Study leave till Environmental Science (ES). Aah yes! The subject that we were all expected to get 99's and 100's in. A cake-walk. A 'gift' from the ISC, perhaps. A 'thank-you' for being 'the-most-gullible-haha-you're-a-loser!' batch ever. But, as always, there's a catch to such 'awesomeness'. In this case, that would be having to 'mug up' an entire text book. Most of it is common sense, of course, which in our class is...ahem...well, very rare if not lacking entirely. However, it's not the 'vastness' of the portion or it's 'difficulty' (NOT!) level, but rather the manner in which it was presented by none other than the author...Reeta David. Trust me, you don't want to get me or any of my fellow classmates started on her. But, I guess that's too late now, right? A post on ES and me not mention Reeta David?? Impossible. =P

Anyhow, back to the "study" leave. (lol, we all know that's hardly what it really was =P). Disha was 'tutoring' or rather testing me out again. We started our 'session' after 3 days were over but, so what? When you're reading a text book written by 'Reeta David', you'd do better postponing your 'date' with the book to as late as possible. ;) If there wasn't an exam, I probably wouldn't have touched it at all despite my love for the environment. I might have used it as an extra large coaster or something. Or even better...I'd RECYCLE THE FRIGGIN' THING! (Happy, Shalaka? ;P) Muhahahaha! That's right Reeta! You're going 'bye-bye'! Asta Lavista, lady! =P

Why do I, along with others in my grade, think Reeta David needs to get a life? Well, here, take a look at a certain quote from her book and decide for yourselves:

"Development is a never ending process to which there is no end." (Pg 87, Chapter 13, Unit II, line 3) =S

(WHAT?! That's just crazy! How many 'never ending' processes does she know to which there is an end?? =S Not a typo, surely!)

I rest my case. =D So, we were stuck reading a million lines like the ones above, laughing our butts off at the constant references made to reproduction and multiplication of our species. That's okay if the chapter is about biodiversity or our continued survival as a species on this planet, but why in a chapter involving sustainable development? =S Ah well, Reeta probably has her reasons. My job, however, was to learn up and understand the book. Cool. Well, not cool, but I had to anyway, so yeah. 87% of the time Disha and I couldn't stop laughing about the ridiculous statements made in the book. There was hardly any serious learning going on. With the amount of 'rolling on the floor' and 'tomfoolery' going on, I was surprised that we actually managed to finish my portion! In between my 'mental' walks, and meeting some friends, I squeezed in some time to study ES and physics, which would follow soon after ES, on the 14th. Oh the joys of academic torture!

***

12th March, 2007: Mother Nature, bless me and help me make you proud! =P I had some pasta and a glass of coke and we were soon headed towards school. Today was the last day of school for Disha and the rest before they were promoted to their new grades as well as the day they got their results. Ha! Good luck, folks! Well, I'll soon be in that situation so, I better shut up. ;) I entered school, wished some tenth graders luck and headed towards a group of jittery 12th graders. My friends! lol! The usual madness followed. The different crowds of people obsessing over numerous doubts and still 'unlearned portion'. A few months from now I'll be reflecting on our 'March' to Freedom' and saying:

"Aah! The good 'ol days!" =)

Avani, Dhwani, Tanya, Aayushi, Aarthi K, Ankita and I were hanging out by the 'platform' in the quadrangle. ES books in hand, huge grins plastered on our faces and witty, as well as rather lame, remarks at the tip of our tongues, we stood in a gang mocking Reeta David, recapping our work and calming Ankita down. Yes, our 'Deputy Head' was reaching panic overload and there was apparently no pressure release valve for her. Her problem? 'Irrigation through the ages'. The ancient and modern methods of irrigation. No problem, we'd help. Of course, when I said we, I forgot that Aarthi K was part of that 'we'. Poor Ankita was probably better off without 'us'. =S What happened? *Sigh* Well, if you must know...

Ankita: "Okay, so how do I remember these various irrigation techniques?"

Avani: "Well, here's a sheet I have. Lets go through it."

We all huddle close and take a look. There were a couple of 'oohs and aahs' exchanged as many people saw the paper for the first time ever. Bear in mind that we were about to take our ISC examination in the subject. ;P While running through the list we finally come across a type of irrigation known as "Kundi". Weird name. Even weirder description for us to learn. It was something flat and curved like an upside down bowl. Hmmm...hard to remember so many irrigation methods? Well, that's exactly what Ankita thought. What could we do to help her?

Diwali flashback! 'Captain Planet' to the rescue...ahem...Aarthi K, that is. Quite appropriate seeing as it was an ES examination. Aah the daily dosage of 'Aarthiness'. However, I think todays dosage was a bit too much. We had overdosed...OD'd on 'Aarthiness'. Yikes indeed!

Aarthi K: "Kundi...huh?"

Ankita nods and I shot her a confused look.

Aarthi K: "I remember Kundi because in our language, Kundi means 'butt' and the shape of a kundi is just like a butt as well, so..."

Wha?! Our jaws dropped open in shock and disgust and within seconds, Avani and I started the 'howling with laughter' marathon. It wasn't long before news of the newfound 'kundi' had spread to the rest of the 'Dirty Dozen and Co.'. Laughter knew no bounds and Aarthi K still couldn't figure out why everyone found it funny. Okay, Aarthi, I'll give you a clue...it has something to do with the fact that you managed to blend in the beauty of our environment with the not so beautiful human backside! =S Yet, Aarthi, amigo, we still love you're quirkiness! Who on Earth said that any of us were sane? ;P

The rest of the revision session we were STILL laughing our 'butts' off at the 'kundi incident'. =P Hilarious! Some students came down to wish us luck or just say hi, which was pretty cool...Niranjana, Neha and some others from the 7th grade gang, Nikita Philip and some of her friends from the 6th, Disha and Shruti from the 8th grade (=P) and some others from windows and stuff. lol! Thanks for the good wishes you guys. With all the 'Aarthiness' prevalent amongst our gathering, we'd all definitely need it. As the time to enter the hall approached, despite, the "simplicity" of the subject material, we were all a bit nervous. The wind wasn't exactly helping us. It seemed to be 'mocking' us and enjoying moments of 'silent splendour' blowing up our skirts. I must say, we ARE quite the talented batch! I mean, who can be so skillful as to be able to 'gracefully' balance their ES text book in one hand and hold their skirt down with the other?! Damn good! I'd say we were ready for Hollywood! The big stuff! Broadway! Spielberg! Cameron! In fact, we can all make a trip right after the boards! Oh...Right...the...uh...boards. =S uh hehehe! Back to that then...

(looks about nervously)

Mrs. Ghosh came by to dish out advice. We took it. No harm there. I mean, she was no Aarthi, right? ;)

12:01 p.m.:It was time. We entered.

***

Seated and bored, we all stared at the supervising examiner. His energy levels never seemed to reduce. Weird. Anyway, we went on with the usual drill.

The prayer was said.

The papers were distributed.

Linda provided an 'exam-track'.

Vidhi wrote a thesis. This time, so did I! =D

Aaron was shocked to finally find out his species was extinct...Stupid Bronto! =P

Shrivats coughs pretty loud.

The stage is the most boring thing to stare at.

Our school is obsessed with pink or lilac for their font colour. Staring at that isn't too interesting either. =S

I took an extra supplement and felt good.

Whichever answer I didn't know and guessed, turned out to be right. Sweetness! ;)

The other female invigilator is my fifth mom. =S

The air conditioning system was drowning Linda's 'soud effects'. It should tryeating breakfast every once in a while! =S

The exam actually ended.

Phew. 'Another one bites the dust'. The verdict: A good paper! =)

We scuttled out discussing various post-exam plans and hounding Mrs. Ghosh like she was a giant 'human cheese cake'!

Anjali was getting 100. No, 99. No wait, 98! Aah one of my favourite nutcases of all time! Rock on! ;P

Kari was upset about some 'stuff', not her paper.

Disha has a horrible habit of sneaking up on me when I'm talking to my friends! She did it again! =S

My car is always hidden till Disha 'appears' and then as if by 'magic' lands up in the spot right in front of you. It's a conspiracy I tell you! And no, I'm not on drugs. =P

The school watchman keeps pointing at empty parking spaces and says he sees my car! Hmm...no comment there! =S

I got into my car and decided to call Kari to help her with the 'stuff' a little later. My parents had that elated expression on their faces. I sat quietly waiting for them to ask me. They waited, as well, for me to tell them. Both parties were equally stubborn. I was curious as to whether they're faces would explode under the pressure and they tried their best not to seem 'desperate'. They're faces didn't explode and their desperation was rather obvious. Dad soon asked me how it was. Good, dad. It was good. My mom smiled. Thank God she didn't have a sandwich to stuff down my throat this time. In her excitement she may have shoved it down my lung instead, and with renewed vigour at that! =S I blasted the FM and tried to get the hideous picture of my 'sandwich related death' out of my mind. I guess that wasn't too hard considering the fact that seeds of 'physics related' worries were slowly being planted in my head. Now that's a 'tree' I would definitely not feel guilty cutting down! ;)

Blogtrack: Trees - Marty Casey

(An Environmental Exam...I'd say apart from being an awesome song, it's pretty appropriate! Enjoy! ;P)

P.S. Rest in Peace, Chris Red Jr.! You were one of the most awesome turtles to ever crawl on this planet and will be missed by all! 'Shell'dom do we find terrapins like your fine self. Peace out my friend, peace out... =)

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: Life, a 'Complex' 'Equation'

2007-03-07T18:00:00.001+04:00

A long gap. At least longer than anticipated for my next exam. Maths was a disaster. Not because the paper was bad but, because I didn't show up for it. No, don't get any wacky ideas, I DIDN'T BUNK. It's a board exam for God's sake! The cold got 'virulent' and the costochondritis turned acute. Even then I would have just gone for it no matter what. But, it was bad. I could barely move...coughing with an inflamed ribcage cartilage. You should try that once. Seriously. Do you know what that's like?! Well, I can tell you this much...It aint fun, especially if you have to study for a board exam through it all. It's times like these that I ask the 'Dear Lord':

"Why?? Why me?!"

And of course the philosphers of this world will say..."Don't ask why, but ask...Why not me?"

Well, guess what you guys, I've got news for you. My situation, as most of my friends know, is a little more complicated than that and trust me...when you've gone through what I have, Why?, is the only question you can ask. *Sigh* A whole subject, down the drain. Just like that. I am now stuck taking the average of my best 4 subjects out of 5 instead of from 6, like the my other friends. So much for 'choice', huh? I was prepared for my exam. I had stayed up the previous night and was ready to hit it big. I was actually confident and not nervous before my mathematics examination...

Alas, I should have known...It was all too good to be true...

***

7th March 2007: Chemistry. The next 'big one' in line. The previous night had been quite the 'study marathon'. As for the previous day(s)...well, they had me quite depressed, to say the least. 'The Maths Incident' was making my life miserable. A living hell almost. People tried to tell me:

"It's okay, Komal. You have the rest of the exams to do well in."

"Relax, everything will be fine. Don't mess up your exams just because you're worrying wbout maths."

"Just forget about it and focus on the rest. It'll all be fantastic!"

Thanks guys. But, being there is a totally different feeling. You feel miserable and low and 'crappy'. You feel guilty because there's this one question at the back of your mind that's haunting you till the very end:

"Were you so sick that you had to miss the exam?"

Hmm...Let's see. An inflamed ribcage cartilage. The left side of my ribcage sticking out of my chest. A major viral. Coughing and sneezing every half a minute at the minimum. High fever and a terrible body ache. The world's worst headache and stomach ache. Unbearable pain and difficulty breathing. All that plus the added tension of the borad exams I was giving. I'd say I was probably not in a position to go. But, I don't know...I still feel awful. And you know what the best part is...The paper was a breeze. Everyone is going to do very well. Damn. Good for you guys, by the way. But, I'm also obviously going to feel worse about myself, right?

The morning of the chemistry exam was nothing special. I was still very sick. But, was comparitively much better. Besides, even if I wasn't totally up to it, there was no way I was going to miss this exam. Even if it was cancelled. That's right. I'd still ask for the damn paper and solve it. Laugh if you want, but I meant business. I reached later than usual. Everyone else was already seated and Mr. Joseph was about to say the prayer. I entered the hall with Mrs. Ninan, Mrs. Shajan and Dr. (Mrs.) Murthy by my side, wishing me luck. I coughed loudly as I entered and everyone turned to face me. Embarrassing indeed. =S

With most eyes on me and my coughing getting increasingly annoying, the prayer was soon said and the papers were distributed. I looked at mine. Oh boy, this was going to be a long day. How was it? Well, I can't really say. It was okay I guess. And yet, most or rather all of us couldn't really say for sure. It was a paper that left us feeling weird and unsure. We didn't know what to think. All we were sure of, at least most of us, was that it was FINALLY OVER. Chemistry and I were officially seeing the last of each other. Muhahahaha! Stupid Chugh! =P The long and annoying six year 'relationship' with the friggin' subject was actually over! Awesome! =D

I felt a little better. But, still the Maths and the 'okay-yet-good-yet-not-sure' chemistry paper had me feeling majorly low and instead of cracking the usual jokes and having the post-exam chats, I rushed to my car saying 'bye' to some friends on my way out. I was feeling sick and my lips, I was told, were "very pale". It wasn't my best day or rather couple of days, however, I shall post about it all the same. The experience is to be documented and this is truly something I'll look back on some day and hopefully laugh a little about. Hopefully...

Till then I have the rest of the exams to do well in. Let's see how that works out for me...for all of us...

Blogtrack: Trouble Sleeping - The Perishers

Note: I'm sorry if this post is a little heavy and unlike my usual humourous and lighter style, however, my aim is to give you a 'virtual board experience', through my eyes at least, and I like to tell it as it is. Good luck for the rest of the exams! And thank you Disha for publishing my previous post for me. You didn't have to do such a 'dramatic' job of it, but, thanks all the same. =)

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: A Comedy of 'Terrors'

2007-03-02T22:30:00.001+04:00

1st of March 2007: English Language rocked! No, duh! ;) I come home all enthusiastic and oddly relaxed, considering I had an English Literature exam the following day. I headed for the T.V room and watched a bit of yesterday's KBC. There wasn't much coming on the telly, really so, I decided to start on my English Language exam post. I finished within the hour and was about to publish it when my connection goes all wonky. Damn you, wireless! =S I wasn't sure whether the 'DubaiMetro work' was responsible for messing with the network again but, whatever the reason for the poor connection was, it definitely ruined the whole effect and 'awesomeness' of my previous post's predictions. Damn. But, the important thing is that I, for one, know for a fact that 'Kostradamus' rocks! =P Nya na nya na boo boo!

*FLASH*

The text book image of Richard and Bolingbroke's followers and loyalists being weighed against one another on this 'larger-than-life' physical balance comes to mind! One of Bolingbroke's followers is making a face at Richards 'lighter' and less armed side!! lol!! Hilarious! But wait! Could it be a sign...! D'oh!

Time to get down to some serious work then...Hmmm....uhhh...ummm.....ahem....Oh yeah right, my books...I knew that....!! =S *Gulp*

Slog, slog, slog...blog....(lol)....slog, slog, slog! This cycle goes on till about 4 a.m. then off to bed (yay!) with an alarm set for 8:30 a.m. (Damn!) =S

***

I jump up with a start. I was drenched in a pool of my own sweat. So, we were a bit tense then. Thank God for that! I was beginning to doubt our very existence as human beings! I took a quick look at my watch...8:21 a.m. I was exhausted! I still had nine minutes to sleep. But, I was sweaty and needed to take a shower et al ASAP! Damn. I leapt out and began the lengthy bathroom ritual!

***

9:17 a.m. I sit down with my books and 'treat' myself to some last minute cramming. It all seemed like some sort of weird recipe which ultimatley left a really bad taste in your mouth:

'English' 'Short' cakes with 'Rich' 'Poet'o Sauce

Ingredients:

1 text book of Richard II
1 text book of ISC Poetry
1 text book of Timeless Short Stories
1 folder full of Mrs. Bakers notes
1 glass of cold coffee (to ease the pain)

Method of preparation:

Divide Richard II into 5 acts of approximately 3 to 4 scenes each. Some with 5 or 6. Add these into a bowl with a couple of sheets of Mrs. Baker's notes. Mix thoroughly. Repeat till all the acts and corresponding notes are mushed into a nice paper ball which is easy to swallow.

Now, add one poem and one story in alternation with one another until there are no more to add. Stir well but don't overdo otherwise whatever you had stirred properly earlier shall be ruined as well. ;)

Heat the dish in the 'mental' oven and garnish with left over notes. You can sip the cold coffee at regular intervals to add to the taste. The dish tastes much better and is more effective when taken hot. Bon Apetit! Uh..well..not exactly! =P

***

The rest of the morning went on in this lame manner, interspersed with the occasional, jealous glaring at a "happily sleeping Disha". Hmph! Soon, it was a quarter to 11 and we all, including a now wide awake and ready Disha, left the house.

***

The car ride to school was relatively uneventful apart from my regular sniffling thanks to this slight viral I may have vaught from my Dad. Damn. Then there was the weird car next to ours. Oh my Lord, what a weird car. Well, the car was pretty okay, but the driver was obviously well, having a bit of trouble. Yeah, trouble pulling something out of his nose!! =S Eww! I was just scanning my surroundings and turned to face my window on the left, when I saw a black BMW...sexy!! =D Disha, being a Mercedes fan, just grimaced. Although, I know that deep down inside she just can't wait to drive a brand new BM convertible! Loser. =P

Any'hoo', moving on, so I'm looking out of the window, right? And, all of a sudden I see this awesome BMW 2007 convertible, 5L engine, 500 HP...and this one was black! The dude driving it...uh...never mind...it was baaad!! He was...hmm..how can I put this in a pleasant manner, he was...inserting his right index finger and thumb into his left nostril and 'invading' his nasal cavity..there! That's the best I can do, folks, sorry!=P That's right...DIGGING HIS NOSE! hehehe...lol! ;P It was well, to put it mildy,...GROSS! Blech! =S I mean...sunglasses and gel...cool...but the NOSE THING! Geez... =S Drive, dad, drive! Thank God the light turned green in time. He was just about to insert his other hand in as well!! lol! Hahaha!! Gross, indeed! =P

We zipped off towards school, my Richard II in hand and Disha staring blankly at my face, trying to find some feature or the other to laugh about..the jobless twit! ;P

***

11:37 a.m.: I enter school, with an ISC Poetry GUIDE IN HAND! Why would I commit such an offense?! Because I missed the the second term entirely, at school, and I needed someone to let me know what was going on. (Refer to post: Black Monday - The Downfall). Mrs. Baker, however, didn't quite understand my "plight".

"Komal?! I'm insulted!" She said with her 'classic smirk' and her hair 'flamier than ever'. One would think she fell into a vat of mangoes and swam about a bit! =S

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but, I was absent when 'Journey of the Magi' had been taught in class."

"But, I mailed everyone notes last night! Didn't you receive them?" She asked bewildered.

You all know my internet problems, so I obviously couldn't have accessed them.

"Ma'am, my computer is giving me a little trouble actually." I reply, grinning and mentally cursing Windows et al!

She smiles and asks Vidhi to give me her notes. Fine with me. We shared them, nervous as ever! In the midst of all the 'cramming' of course, there was..Aarthi K. And when there's Aarthi K, there's uh...lets just call it 'Aarthiness', shall we?

"Roy!"

"Roy!"

I heard someone yell out my math nickname. ;) It was Ru, better known as Juhi!

"Come on! You have got to hear this!" She continues, when I turn to look.

I shake my head apologetically and point to Vidhi's notes. Sorry ju, gotta cram!

I knew I was missing out on some really awesome 'Aarthiness', however, 'The Magi' were priority. In the distance, I could hear sudden excalmations from 'Aarthi the Great' about a certain dream she had. Then there was her famous 'heaven' related exclamation! Damn, I was missing all this! =S There was laughter from the mini-crowd surrounding her. Of course, we all know that they were laughing AT her! The poor soul! Love ya, Aarthi, you nut! ;P

The little time that was left to revise was over. It was time to enter the hall and write crap. Nothing to worry about, folks, we were all experts at that by now. =P So, I trudge on, knowing fully well, courtesy 'Kostradamus',that 'The Journey of the Magi' was a definite question. I bump into Juhi and Bajpai who have rather graphic and, unfortunately, detailed descriptions of their toilet and excretion preferences. Yes, you're reading this right, sadly. I, on the other hand, was worried that all the 'crap talk', quite literally that too, would drive away all that I had learnt. That would truly be a tragedy. A summary of that brief yet, highly impressionable, chat:

Bajpai wanted to uh "pee" and "crap" but, wasn't sure which to do first. =S

Juhi announces that Bajpai's dilemma was unheard of as in her case, she did both at the same time! There were no two ways about it!

Sheesh! *Sigh*, don't bother asking. And to think we called ourselves 'seniors'. Perhaps, seniors at an 'Excretory Facility'! Sick! Executives for sure! Sicker! =P Any'hoo', back to the 'real world' and the real reason we were at school to begin with. ;)

LITERATURE!

(dramatic music in the background accompanied by dancing jackals! Muhahaha! Yes, jackals. Got a problem with that? =P)

And scene!

***

I won't bore you with the process of writing the exam as it was well..BORING. =P Apart from:

1) I almost jumped out of my seat with immense joy. My predictions were pretty damn accurate! =D

2) Shrivats needed a supplement booklet! Shock, indeed! ;) Yes, people, there were gasps. =P

3) There was MORE coughing and sneezing and sniffling and...yea ... coughing.

4) The invigilator is my fourth mom. (It's a game we play. =P)

5) Astha called my fourth mom, Sir! Nut! =P

6) Disha and I are apparently related. Who woulda thunk?=P

7) Bajpai has bladder issues. Major! ;)..oh and she sat on her own finger! =P..lol...well, who am I to talk, right? =S

8) I almost asked for a supplement but, then my super-ability to continue writing crap failed me. Damn, that would have been friggin' awesome! =P

9) Vidhi writes a thesis EVERY exam.

10) Linda provides awesome sound effects and keeps me awake during my paper. Thanks, Lindze! ;)

11) My Dad has given me this awful cold. I hope it doesn't develop into something extremely 'virulent'.

12) Note to self: Make a deal with God before entering your next life...No Costochondritis...PLEASE! =S

Aah yes! Fun times, the ISC. Fond memories indeed...

"Stop writing!"

Suh-weet! The paper was over! The verdict: Kick ass! ;P Obviously, my mom(uh the first one =P) would get to know soon. She was waiting for us, Bajpai and I, outside. Hello, woman! We meet AGAIN! =P

***

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

That's all one could hear from our car, on our journey back home. Disha and I were on a roll. Though, a now silent Bajpai, would think we were on drugs! =P High, indeed.

A man walking. We'd laugh.

A red car. We'd laugh.

We were out of petroleum. We'd laugh EVEN harder. Hmm...and we'd look out for a filling station. =P

Bajpai was holding on to her finger and trying to figure out which planet we were from. Good luck with that, you 'bladdy full'! =P EVERY DAMN THING JUST SEEMED SO FRIGGIN' HILARIOUS! I just went with the flow. My 'lameness' was top notch! =P and Disha was a wonderful partner in 'lyme' (lol..the lameness!=P). It was no wonder, when we passed Juhi's car, Juhi and her mom got a shock.

"Why is Komal crying?" Juhi's mom asks my mom, their windows rolled down.

Bear in mind that at this point I had my 'gelled head' thrown back in laughter and was holding my sides in pain. Man, do I laugh loud! The tears were rolling down in rivulets by now, and Juhi was 'sign-languaging' away to glory. I couldn't speak. The vision of the wide-eyed and 'nose-digging' (yes, yet AGAIN!) truck-driver, had me in splits. Disha tried to decipher our 'Aquilian' friend's message. Futile, even though we ultimately did get it. Make sense? I didn't think so. None of us did, at that point. You know those weird moods you get into sometimes, when you just CAN'T stop laughing and EVERYTHING seems amusing? I'm sure we all experience those wonderful moments. All your cares seem distant, almost non-existant. It's a fantastic feeling. You feel weightless and free. And totally in control, even though you're not. Confusing? Well, what can I say, describing it isn't easy, you have to just experience it. AWESOME, indeed! =D

We dropped Bajpai off and headed home. Hope the connection wouldn't be much of a problem so I can publish this post on time. ;)

Apparently, it IS giving me trouble. No worries. I guess I'l just have to ask Disha to do it when she's taking her break. As for me? Well, I have an appointment with my maths book and I'm already 12 minutes late, so...till we meet again! Cheers! ;)

***

Blogtrack: Make me pure - Robbie Williams

(Random yet meaningful and enjoyable...like my day...Dunno...it just seems very apt)

Note: This post has been written by Komal, yet as stated earlier published by Disha, her sister, when the internet connection was finally established. Shortly after writing this, Komal fell seriously ill and missed her maths exam, hence there will probably be a major delay in writing and publishing her posts. The cold ultimately DID get virulent and the poor, 'still bathing' (the hygiene freak!) yet bed-ridden soul, apologises to her readers. Her condition is improving yet, she finds it hard to move and talk. However, she promises to return ASAP and continue with her normal and active lifestyle. Looking forward to your return, 'Kaymeister'! Godspeed, Komal, Godspeed!

~ Love,
Disha and many more! =)

(Get well soon, you nut!)

(Written by Komal on the 2nd of March and published by Disha on the 6th of March, 2007)

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: Behaviour Beyond One's 'Comprehension'

2007-03-01T16:21:00.001+04:00

27th March 2007: Two days till the board exams officially began for the 10th and 12th graders of the Indian System. *Sigh* The countdown had begun and we were slowly nearing the 2, 1, 0 part of it all. Our nerves were in a bundle..or at least they should've been. =S Yes, we were still 'thick' as ever and failed to realise the 'grave' situation we all were in, in the words of our parents, of course. ;) My mom was flying back to Dubai from Mumbai today and I had planned to pick her up from the airport as a 'break'. A break from what...God only knows. Or maybe even He doesn't. =P Any'hoo', we greeted her with the roses I had bought(aint I sweet? ;P) and drove home anxious to see what she had brought us from there. I knew what one of the gifts were...Lungi's! Yes, she had a meeting in Cochin and I was insistent that she get Disha and I a pair. =P So, it was only natural that I would want to try it on! I ran to my room, ripped open the packet, droped my pants and tied the lungi (not too well, but it stayed)! Brilliant! =D I admired myself in the mirror and started dancing to a tune I remembered hearing once. Then the madness began! I ran out of my room in the gorgeous South Indian attire like a maniac! Yelling some tune, which I'm sure made no sense !=P

"Inna Poda! Inna tucchi! Inne Vinne! Idli pidli! Pidli chidli! Tanna viddi!" =S

(Please note, I had no idea what I was saying and if it actually means something, wow. If it means anything obscene or offensive, I apologise, as I , again, had no idea what the hell I was saying!) =S

The words that escaped my big mouth were mad enough, but, the dance! Oh the dance! It is when you see me dancing in a lungi, that you truly realise how blessed the blind are! Only when you see me dance of course! =P Disha lost no time laughing her ass off and my mom was too used to the 'mentalness' in our house, to be surprised. However, my 'pillai-like' joys were short-lived as just when I was reaching the bridge before the last chorus, disaster struck. Every 'lungi-wearing' 'stud's' nightmare became my reality...the lungi came loose! That's right, the pletes came undone and it opened up! Yea yea...laugh your butts off, folks! Hilarious huh? Well, not to the person who's waist the lungi fell off from! =P

As you can see, not much work done there!

***

28th March 2007: One day till it all began, I was cramming literature down my neck. Yes, down my head into my stomach. I was living the damn subject. I had English Language on the 1st. Easy sh*t! No need to study there...it was a universal law! =P I attempted to master 'Journery of the Magi', as Disha drew on my pants! =S Yes, you read, right. She was drawing all over them with her pencil! Nice, Disha, real nice! =P It was a more productive day than yesterday as I zipped through poetry and the short stories! Relax guys, we shall see how much I actually remember! =P Apart from some lame jokes and me getting to watch American Idol (finally! yay!=P), the day was uneventful! Not that it could have been very eventful. My costochondritis (inflammation of the rib cage cartilage) was giving me major trouble! The pain was unbearable! I think picking up my mom's suitcase from the airport that day aggravated it! The inflammation had definitely increased...my ribs (the left half of them at least :P), were sticking out of my chest! =S I looked like I was 'malnourished', from one side! =P I couldn't talk, move or take any calls and the shower process...OUCH! (There you go, Juhi and Anjali ;)) ... I did the ususal...packing my bag, and checking my uniform. Only this time I made sure to check the time as well. (lol Anjali!)

"And so it begins..." I trailed off, staring at my time table.

"Indeed," Disha suddenly said, entering my room and grinning.

***

The gist of the whole study leave, then...but wait let's do something a little different...a Study Leave Rap, perhaps...or a 'SLAP' (more like a slap in the face of the 'study leave')! ;)

Enter twelfth and a have a board exam,
Hey, what the heck, aww damn!
They finish the portion and leave us be,
Stay at home study and you'll see,
The marks hit high and the smiles on your face,
But, what we actually did was, well, a disgrace,
We stayed at home and opened our books,
No! Not maths silly, here, have a look!
The new addiction that is facebook!

YouTube, MSN, write a wall post,
That's the only way to top, we boast!
Lock our rooms and have a party,
Dance all night to the sound of Daughtry,
Grab your guitar and play a riff,
Have a couple of cokes so you don't look stiff!

American Idol on TV,
Sanjaya Malakar, an Indian, finally!
More MSN and a photo comment,
A little blogspot through which we vent!
Read this, our guide to ace the ISC,
Oh right, one more thing, spare some time to study! =P

Peace!

;) lol...I tried! Anyway, moving on! I can just see the looks of relief on your faces! =P...Aah yes, English Language!

Oh right, the countdown...3...2...1...0...

***

The first of our theory exams seemed to be a rather 'motherly' one. Confused? Let me elaborate. For some reason 1st of March was a day when all our mothers decided to, well, 'show their love rather excessively'. A little too much for our liking, in fact. It started with my 'dear mother', disturbing me during my 'morning ritual' of 'hair gelling'. She kept insisting on my eating a sandwich that she had made. I wasn't hungry. But, she wouldn't listen. You'll suffer during your exam, she wailed! Way to go, 'woman', curse me before my first exam. =S We finally left the house with me racing to the elevator, and my mom close behind with the damn sandwich sitting 'cosily' in her hand! The 'stupid thing' finally made it's way into my unsuspecting mouth in the car. Yes, while I gazed out of the window in awe of the 'DubaiMetro work', she found it convenient to thrust the 'blessed chunk of tomato and chilli's' down my throat! She smiled. "There"! she said, satisfied! I, on the other hand, looked like a bull with my mouth full of grass and fodder, my eyes wide in shock! I was surprised that I was still able to get any damn air into my lungs! "Blasted sandwich!" I yelled, through it all.

Of course, with the 'mass of carbohydrates' stuffed in my mouth, it was a bit muffled and sounded like so:

"B (*muffle*) ich!" =S Yes, well...

"What did you say?" My mom says sternly and turns to face my tiny frame in the back seat.

"Uh....Bwfasted Sthanwich!" I repeated, sounding a little clearer.

"Oh...." she said and smiled again. Sheesh! =S

We turn into school at 11:05 a.m. Apparently, due to an accident that morning, the tenth graders had turned up an hour late and the exam had to be postponed. So, we were told to report to school an hour early!! =S The only other girl in school was Nikeeta Mehta. Her mom and her were snacking on some aloo parathas. Heaven! =D Damn, that sandwich! I was full now. Mrs. Mehta offered some to me. Aww man, Mom! =S No thanks was my feeble and disappointed reply. Nikeeta seemed to be undergoing major torture.

"Bus, Mama!" she said in Hindi. (transalation: That's all mom, I'm full)

"Aur khaa lo beta, subaah se kya khaya hai tumne?" (translation: Eat some more, child! What have you eaten all morning?!)

Her mom said rolling up another paratha and almost putting into Nikeeta's mouth like an 'edible flute'! =S Uh oh! Sandwich flashback! Looks like I wasn't alone when it came to 'Amma trouble'! =P Her mom wished us luck and then left. Thanks, ma'am.

Enter Tanya Guzder, a fellow 'Amma victim'. Her mom wouldn't stop peeping into the classroom. It was too funny! She kept coming in and smiling! Damn cute! =P And Tanya kept trying to wave and send her out! Aww the doting women, our mothers...NOT! Agony, I tell you, agony! =S

Being language there was no tension. Well, there are always the select few who panicked despite that. That's when Nikeeta, Tanya, Ankita (who had also arrived by now) and me started wondering whether we were crazy to be so calm. Eventually Tanya had to make a rather 'interesting observation'..."Hey! I have the same book!" she exclaims, pointing at Ankita's 'Past 10 years ISC Papers' book. Uh, Tanya, just so you know, almost every single 12th grader has that book. It aint that rare! ;P We laughed for quite a while.

Time flew on by and it was soon time to assemble downstairs. After meeting a couple of people in the hall, Disha, Shalaka, Sakina, Aparna, Malvika, Ranjini, Niranjana to name a few. Best of Luck's were exchanged and Shalaka advised me on my comment dilemma...Thanks dude! =P The 'jing-bang' of 12th graders assembled outside the AC Foyer. After going a little mental with Mrs. Anju Shajan, we were told to enter the hall. I was, as I had mentioned earlier, sitting RIGHT IN FRONT! Damn me! Aditi Zaveri was the tenth grader I shared the seat with. Cool. Soon Mr. Bloud introduced our head examiner who started briefing us about the rules and regulations. I don't think anyone gave a damn and we all just fiddled with our stationary and stared at the stage. Then, he asked Aaron and I to come up on stage to 'inspect' the package with our papers in them. No tampering there! Good. =P We returned to our seats. He was busy trying his level best to open the package! So much for being extra careful, Council Studs! Now, we can't even do the exam! =P Just when I was going to start rejoicing..he rips or rather snips it open. Damn! =S

The paper soon begins. (seven minutes late, FYI =P)...The essay topics are good. Lame but, good. I choose to write on the topic, "Failure is the passport to success. Argue for or against the motion." For, it is! Grammar was a breeze. Comprehension. Precis. Report...the lamest topic ever. Lol, Charolene, the trench! =P The two and a half hours went by pretty damn quick. One down six more to go! Ah well! People were pretty excited! Uh guys remember, it's a LANGUAGE paper. Aw what the heck...Yay! Awesome paper! =D =P

We all start walking to our respective cars and Mrs. Murthy is happy with us, for a change!;) Bajpai asks if she can come along. Sure! But, only when my driver actually shows up! =S Pretty soon, three fourth of our batch has left the school premises. Some in their own car. Some in someone else's car. Some had no idea as to who's car they got into. They just did! =S Bajpai, Lem and me get talking about 'Twee-ish' stuff. Bajpai was enlightened because she just learned that the nickname for someone named Richard was Dick and for someone named Andrew was Freddie. Also, William is Bill. Boy, was she surprised. Apparently, everybody else knew. Poor Bajpai! =P My mom finally arrives in the car with my driver looking like he had driven through a storm to get to school. Bajpai and I jumped in. The car ride was pretty uneventful apart from Bajpai sharing some of her 'nostril related tales'. I don't think I should elaborate there. Lets just say she had a bit of a 'leaky' situation. Also, her empty stomach seemed to have provided a 'soothing' soundtrack to her examination session. =P The car ride interspersed with odd and awkward silences soon came to an end as we dropped Bajpai off. I'm guessing the silence was mainly because of the fact that my mom was sitting right there. Uff! The friggin' sandwich! =S

Hmm...Lets see something a little different this time. English Literature (2nd of March) predictions from yours truly, 'Kostradamus': ;) (Questions in no particular order)

I. Richard II

Q1. Extract from Gaunts speech (The one before he dies - England speech or something from that scene)

Q2. Extract from Act 1: confrontational scene between Bolingbroke and Mowbray)

Q3. Extract from Act 3 Scene 2

Long Answers:

Q1. Discuss the significance of the Garden Scene/Discuss the garden scene as a political allegory.

Q2. Differentiate or compare the characters of Richard II and Bolingbroke.

II. Timeless Short Stories:

Q1. The Punishment

Q2. Jeeves in Springtime

Q3. The Last Dance

III. ISC Poetry:

Q1. Journey of the Magi

Q2. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

Q3. Kubla Khan

Blogtrack: Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

(Because that's definitely what was in the air after our language exam!)

Note: I apologise for the delayed publishing of this post as my internet connection was at an all time low. =P As for the predictions, call them flukes or whatever you may, they were pretty damn good, if I may say so myself! ;) Please bear in mind that even though this was posted after the Literature exam, as stated earlier due to technical difficulties, the predictions as well as the rest of the post had been written yesterday itself. Believe what you may, but, I ACTUALLY predicted this crap! If only I had listened to myself and stressed a little more on those topics while studying! But, the paper went well anyway, so...'That's great!' ;) Wanna know how close I was? Well, that's part of my next post, folks! =P

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: 'Our Chemical Romance!'

2007-02-23T12:57:00.001+04:00

I was sitting on the bed. My bed. Disha was holding my organic chemistry practical sheets. Her expression stern and focused. Her forehead wrinkled slightly in a frown.

"Well?" She asked a little urgently, gazing up at me. It was getting late and tomorrow would be yet another early day!

"Buff!!!" I replied, with new found enthusiasm.

"Uff!"She exclaimed slapping her forehead in frustration, "You and your friggin' buff! You know what you are?!"

"Buffalo!!" I yelped! She smiled. The fascination with 'lameness' was obviously mutual! ;)

It's true, though. I have to admit. For some lame, unexplained reason, I just couldn't seem to give any other answer...Initially, that is. Before I was finally prepared! =P I had an obsession with the damn word. Buff! Buff! Buff! Buff! =D...Ahem...moving on!

"Muhahahaha!" I suddenly burst out, causing the poor child to get startled and slip off the bed, landing on my carpet, "Don't worry, I was only messing with you, toadstool! It's red at the junction of the two liquids. With a white precipitate, turning violet!" I beamed with pride!

Disha had a huge grin on her face. A satisfied one. "Good. I think you're ready." My 'little tutor' was happy and now, so was I.

***

I reflected on last night's study marathon with Disha, as I drove to school. She was sweet enough to stay up with me and test me! Thanks, toadstool! =P I flipped through the 'mixture analysis' sheets as we turned the corner into the school parking lot. Imaad had just gotten out of his car and was entering the Admin. Block. I stepped out of my car and followed close behind, my face buried in the sheets. The external examiners were seated on the sofas looking through some papers. I flashed them one of my toothy grins and soon entered the quadrangle. The cool air felt good and refreshing after being stuck in the house for so damn long. =P Ameya was sitting on the steps outside the library foyer. I bumped into Ritesh, who seemed rather hung up over the ten dirhams everyone owed for the farewell. I soon reached the area outside the labs. Aah, my class! Tensions were high, and apparently, so were they! =S Nothing seemed to dampen the spirits of these young fools, even the obvious lack of any form of 'chemical knowledge'! God, bless their souls! ;) Lisha greeted me with an enthusiastic, Hi! I grinned and waved. Then I made the 'damn, I'm scared' expression and joined the 'gathering'. Juhi was prancing about with her sheets, blissfully unaware that in a few minutes she like most of the class would blank out. The sheets in every ones hands seemed to be more of a 'fashion accessory' than a 'life-giving source'. Tsk tsk.

Anjali sat me down next to her on the steps almost immediately and started talking to me about my previous posts on this blog. Not the topic of discussion, one would expect before a chemistry practical board exam. But, then again, you wouldn't expect our class to actually end up taking the exam either. So, hats off to us there! ;) It was tough, but we did it guys! =P Mrs. Ninan soon emerges from the labs, and we were all drawn to her like 'pins to a magnet'! She was soon lost in a sea of humanity! No wait, 12 G1, you say? Sorry! My mistake...sea of insanity! There were shouts of "Ma'am this!" and "Ma'am that!" interspersed with the occasional random "Ooh! One Tree Hill blah!" Yes, the madness was at it's peak! Of course, there was no way I, or any one of us for that matter, was going to be normal for even a second! Despite, being a chemistry exam, 'Normality' was the last thing our class would 'exhibit'! It just wasn't in our genes! =P While Mrs. Ninan was buried under some of our dear classmates, Juhi and I were busy making sure that we hadn't forgotten to bring anything. Admit Card. Check. Lab coat. Check. Journal. Check. Goggles. Che- Ermm...Oops! Make that a half check. I had my goggles. But, the 'part' which fulfilled it's purpose was missing. The front, the part which protected my eyes had popped out in my bag...AGAIN! These were my second pair of goggles and sadly they had suffered the same fate as my previous ones. They were 'blind'! Aah, the lameness! ;) lol! While Juhi tried her best to stop laughing like a 'Hawaiian trumpet' (Don't ask me what that is! =P), I was busy trying to get a spare pair of 'trendy eye wear!' Unfortunately, no Oakley's today! Though, what I received was a pretty good substitute for a ski mask! =S

Soon, it was time to file in! Necessities in hand and post-prayer, we entered the 'dreaded' labs. Today's chanting was 'Om Bashir, Shaanti, Shaanti! Om!', everyone had touched my 'lucky charm' after 'my ceremony'. Anjali, doing the most justice to the 'blue gadget'! ;) The invigilator smiled as she checked my admit card. "Go in, beta!" She said, to me, smiling! 'Beta' goes in all confident, unaware of the fact that a certain burette won't be functioning too well! But, of course I would soon learn later that, that would be the first of many problems to come our way. The head examiner called Kaushik and me to the Bio lab to watch as he opened the sealed question papers. We had to be present to 'ensure' that this was the FIRST time the papers were ever being opened by anyone. They were packed in 'canvas-like' envelopes..two envelopes! There was no way that stack could ever 'accidentally' be torn or opened in advance! Once we had finished playing 'witnesses', I returned to the Chem lab and sat down on my stool, waiting for the exam to start, so that it could finally, just end! ;)

***

Aah, volumetric analysis! 'Blah 1' in the burette! 'Blah 2' in the pipette and 20 more ml's of 'Blah 3'! Of course, initially I forget and pipette the third 'Blah' out as well. =P I was wondering why all my 'loser-ish' friends were asking for big 20 ml test tubes! Komal, you ass, reading time is meant for something other than staring out the window! =P But, it didn't matter. Either way the amount of 'Blah 3' pipetted or 'test-tubed' out was 20 ml, so I got the titre value right in the end! Sweetness! ;) Aah but wait, step two involved heating of the contents in the conical flask...and heating, as you all know requires fire. Good. At least we know something!=P Just one problem though, our school forgot one tiny, 'eensy-weensy' detail...There were no flames!! The damn bunsen burners were faulty too. A grave situation indeed. The labs were being flooded with teachers, lab assistants, and external examiners, as we all stood staring, dumbfounded. "Don't worry, we will give you extra time!" They reassured us. You better, we thought. A couple of "Illai, Bashir"s and water bath/flame manipulations later, the issue was resolved.

I'm done with my first titration by now, and had discovered my burette leaked like hell! One second, it would be releasing the Potassium Permanganate solution drop-by-drop and a 'knob-turn' later, the damn nozzle would be spewing pink puddles all over the friggin' table. Damn! Kari had a similar problem, and unlike me, voiced her complaint to the invigilator. Her burette was changed...twice. I, on the other hand, was busy struggling with the stupid burette. The experiment taking longer than usual thanks to the fact that, in order to avoid a pink fountain from erupting, I was letting the KMnO4 'drop' slowly into my flask. The second titration, however, was a disaster of massive proportions! Just as I had gotten the concordant titre values and was going to show the reading to the invigilator, the nozzle of the burette goes crazy and appears to have taken some form of laxative! The KMnO4 solution comes flowing out into the conical flask! Yeesh! Aww man! I should have been calculating values by now! I was going at a slow rate as it is, and now this! Komal, you 'silent sufferer', you! :@ I chastised myself silently in the corner. But, wait! It's a bird! No, it's a plane! No wait, it's a bird in a plane! Hmmm...It's Bashir!! Yay! =D God's one and only "deputy anointed" in His holy sight! "It's okay, I saw your reading! Just proceed," he said smiling. Somewhere in the back of my head I could hear violins...There is a 'God', I thought! =) Amidst the silence, I could hear Charolene and Aarthi K..."What's your titre value?" and I smiled...20.2!

***

Organic analysis...it was time to put tuitions with my younger sister, Disha, to the test! ;) I 'do as directed' in my paper and after 12 minutes of following instructions obediently find myself watching four of my test-tubes boiling in a water-bath, as I waited patiently for results. Lisha had a little trouble finding, a free 'tub'! =P I being the 'realtor' in the area, helped rent her one. She almost dropped one of the 'tenants', an unsuspecting test-tube out, in the process, but my jobless hand was of great use at that point in time. ;) At last! I saw results! Buff, being one of them! =P Bashir was impressed with us, for a change =P! No need to help us here! I was happy. But, I knew mixture analysis would be another nightmare altogether...We all knew. The exam progresses, with a couple of minor glitches, a broken test-tube, concentrated Sulphuric Acid on my fingers and eating through the towel I decided to wipe them on! =S The invigilator and Mrs. Anju Shajan, in her pink salwar (lol!), were sweet enough to help me with that. ;) But, then the glitches became a 'little less minor'! Linda, while adding the concentrated sulphuric acid in her test tube accidentally spurted the solution onto Shireen's face as well as her own! Of course, the 'ever ready' lab crew was at the scene of the 'accident' within seconds! Faces covered in cream and 'thoroughly' rinsed by 'Ninan and Co.', the two of them were back in the 'game', speeding along with their exam! Right on, guys! ;) The rest of the analysis, was eventless apart from a sudden and bloodcurdling shriek from Anjali. The cause for that remains a mystery for us all. I suppose we shall never know. But, 'the truth is out there' and so was the sheet with the answers, apparently. As usual, it never came by me. Not that I'm complaining...much. I wouldn't be able to look at it anyway. Don't I suck? Honesty is good, yes...but, come on there's a limit to that too! =P

Mixture Analysis in progress...Bashir (while the invigilator is outside the lab, he stands at the front of the lab): "Okay everyone, one more time, 20.2, zinc, barium, nitrate, and acetate!"

The invigilator returns to see a happier and smilier bunch than usual. Definitely, not because I've come back...she thinks. She's right! =P Perhaps, the paper is easy this year, she concludes. Whatever you say! =P More good news, we don't need to show our confirmatory tests to the examiners to sign! Praise the Lord! This results in some people doing less of the experiment and writing more (from memory =P) and others still doing more and writing less. Either way, we all 'did' and 'wrote'. The mixture analysis was a 'rare success', apart from a few 'blank-outs' here and there for everyone! I guess there's a first time for everything! ;)

***

Wow. The last time most of us would ever do a practical exam again! Awesome! Yet, sad. I'm going to miss the mishaps and 'Bashir-ness' of it all! ;) We walked towards our cars, chatting away. Some whining, others laughing! Some whining while laughing (Ahem, Meenakshi!) =P. Juhi, of course, despite fussing over forgetting her confirmatory test for Zinc, made a couple of lame comments and did some weird things. I want to hit something, she says and holds onto a pole. =S Not exactly what you would call "hitting"! One can just hear the pole shrieking in pain! ;) The empty 'Lays' packet on the floor tempted us and somehow led us to discuss 'Desperate Housewives', which Aarthi K was "caught" watching by her dad! Oh no! lol! =P Meenakshi, we discover, hates the show. (and you wonder why she's an out caste!=P) Mrs. Murthy bumps into us, overhearing our Desperate Housewives discussion, and wonders where, "Rex died", was mentioned in our organic sheets! "Uh ma'am he died 'titrating'", was the lame cover-up! =P The sun shone bright, matching our smiles and soon the 'gang' had split like a banana, each one on their respective way home. The practicals were successful and over (except for the Biology students), as for theory...well, that remains to be seen! ;)

Blogtrack: Hero - Nickelback

I dedicate this blogtrack to Mr. Bashir, a God among men! A tribute to a 'Lab Legend'! He truly was our 'Hero'! =D We're going to miss you and your 'fellow lab studs' a lot! =P Cheers! ;)

P.S. Like some of my other friends, this, was my last practical...ever! I think the picture for this post couldn't be more perfect! Aah, the memories that are linked with this lab! I love you guys! =P

ISC 2007 - The 'March' to Freedom: Lack of 'Concert'ration

2007-02-21T13:25:00.001+04:00

Three. Three entire shows! That's what my ISC Board exams are costing me. ;) Obviously, I know how important these exams are and that my whole life will be determined by their results. But, I am also a passionate musician and a 'kid' who doesn't want to miss out on 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunities! The 'mature teenager' inside me says, "Study...you have to forget the shows!" But, the 'kid' in me says, "Aw c'mon! You'll probably never ever get to see them live again!" Who do I listen to?! It's obvious but, it isn't easy. Like my other friends, I too am compelled to pass up on three of the most awesome shows to ever 'grace' Dubai. Why?! Why couldn't 'they' have come last year or any other 'non-board' year for that matter?! What could we have possibly done to deserve such a brutal sentence?! I sit and curse myself for every little white-lie told and insult given, hoping that by blaming myself for the, ultimately unavoidable, turn of events, I may find solace. However, that's not the case. I'm going for the Shakira Concert, but that isn't helping! Of course, she isn't what you'd call a 'good substitute' for the three 'shows' I'm missing! But, she is a pretty good performer and the concert is bound to be fun, specially with all my friends there! I'll need the tension relief before my last exam! However, 'those three'! I still can't get over 'them'! I still find myself staring longingly at 'the adverts' in the paper. I still find myself 'flinching with pain' everytime I learn of a friend purchasing their tickets for the 'shows'. Extremely happy for them on the outside, yes. But, devastated at the thought of missing the 'shows' myself, on the inside. I felt like an 'Eclairs Crunch' advertisement. =S I'm sure you're all wondering, who is this 'they'? What 'shows' are 'they'? What could be driving Komal so nuts?! That, my friends, is the part which hurts the most...naming 'them'. But, for the sake of my readers, I shall try and be strong. At least here you can't see me cry.

1. ROGER WATERS

The one and only, creative genius of 'Pink Floyd' will be performing, live on February 21^st! Yes, TODAY at Dubai Media City…and I won’t be there!! The legend, here, in the same city as me! Here breathing the same 'Dubai air' as me! Here on the same piece of land as me! Wow! But, not on the same square kilometer as me. =S While he'll be busy performing and auctioning his kick-ass guitar on stage, I'll be thinking about the show at my desk! Imagining myself in the crowd, waving my lighter. The flame insignificant in the light of his sheer brilliance! Awesome! Yet, only a fantasy...

2. THE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL - 2007

March 8^th, 9^th and 10^th. Three nights of music, food and fun. The atmosphere is laid back yet charged up. Calm yet excited. Last year was great. This year it's going to be even better! One of the main reasons being...Jamie Cullum! Now that's going to be one electrifying performance, I can tell you that! What I wouldn't give to see it! *Sigh* The cool evening air, the jazz, the ‘bean bags’ (lol..Anjali and Juhi!)…Catching drumsticks and picks thrown off the stage by the performers! Awesome! Yet, only a fantasy…

3. DESERT ROCK - 2007

The best of all three! The one I’d pick if I was given a chance to attend any one of these three! March 9^th and 10^th! Featuring the likes of Iron Maiden, Incubus, Stoned Sour, The Bravery…and many more! I missed it last year, courtesy my mom. But, this year...the only year I can go...ever...I can't miss it! I just can't! The adrenaline rush! The packed venue! The enthusiasm and energy that emanates from every soul present there! And...THE MUSIC ITSELF!! Yea baby! \m/ Awesome! Yet, only a fantasy...

Awesome! Yet, only a fantasy...

If fantasies were reality and reality but a fantasy, wouldn't life be eternal bliss and heaven no longer a myth?

Then again;

If all fantasies were reality, hell would no longer be a myth either!

Interpret the lines above as you may. What I'm trying to say is there are always two sides to a coin, every cloud has a silver lining however, every silver lining also has its cloud! Pros and cons! Newton's third law nips us in the 'buttocks' yet again. Action and consequence! I'm confronted with two different types of dilemmas. They are both different yet, somwhere along the line...they're all the same! One set deals with my mental aproach and attitude towards the situation while the other set deals with my actions. My train of thought: If my fantasy of going for the concert were fulfilled, my academics would suffer. If I continued to slog my ass off, I would miss the one and only opportunity to see my idols and favourites perform. If all my fantasies, like those of attending the concert and doing well in my exams, came true without a problem...Heaven! But, if billions of other people had their dreams and wishes granted...then Bush would invade the world and the UN would finally accomplish their life-long aim of attaining world peace...Heaven?! =S Oh Hell indeed! On second thoughts, screw the 'utopian fantasy world', I think I'll stick to reality. In the end it's all about making a choice. There is no right and wrong, really. Just more important and less. The key is to prioritize! Choice...We can't have everything we want, even though we may want everything...the cons of life. The pros...at least we can blog about it and thus, vent our frustration. ;)

Blogtrack: Trouble - Coldplay

(The ISC Board has definitely "spun a web for me" and my friends! =P)

P.S. 10th and 12th graders...hang in there! We can get through this! To those who are going for the concert(s)...Damn, you lucky asses, you! =P However, on the other, slightly brighter side...Aerosmith shall be performing live on May 31st and Russell Peters on the 14th of March...'windows of opportunity', perhaps? ;)

Damn it, I'm missing Led Zeppelin as well, now! =S D'oh!

The 'windows of opportunity' seem much less in number than the setbacks! =S But, I guess that's just life! Sometimes, we all just have to deal with it!

Peace out! =)