List of sites which have lists

Since I am a list maniac I decided that my blog should have a list of websites that have lists.

1. Mental_Floss

 Let me tell you that I absolutely adore Mental floss.  They have been around for a very long time now. I don't subcribe to the magazine which started in 2001, but I am a regular at the site. Apart from lists like 11 dog breeds that no longer exist and 30 thing sturning 30 this year, they have a lot of fun articles, facts and trivia. And they research on and answer user questions. Anyone can submit a question to them! So over all it's a pretty good to place to get new trivia without feeling like you're being lectured.

2. Buzzfeed

I stalk their facebook page for new stuff. I literally go through  their whole feed and almost always end of reading most of their articles. All articles are in list format, and each point is accompanied with a pic of a GIF or a video.  Now, buzzfeed does not have original content. They collect viral content from stumbleupon, youtube, reddit and other places and compile them and then they post it. All their posts or feeds are collected from all over the web. The BuzzFeed homepage consists of a time-sequential list of posts from users and staff members.They encourage community posts and you can vote for your favourites . I have discovered so many recipes, projects, people and interesting information through buzzfeed that now I can't imagine not using it.

Check their    15 absurd fashion predictions and 27 things every parent does and you too will be clicking on all their posts like I do.

3.  List25

I came across this site by accident. I was going through some videos on youtube and found a video by them. I am so glad I did.  The site basically compile lesser-known intriguing information on a variety of subjects. They have incredible lists like 25 bizzare lawsuits you won't believe are real and 25 gift ideas for cat lovers. I could spend hours of my free time there. The design and interface is clean and it's very easy to navigate.

4.  Book Riot

This one has a niche audience. They are all about book reviews, writing and book related articles, and ofcourse book-related lists. It's a little difficult to find their lists but since I am a fan I look for them anyway. They have this feature calledcritical linking, which is their daily round up of bookish lists. Once you scroll down their feed, it's easy to spot. They do have other lists, here and there and you will eventually find them if you stick around. I would recommend it to all book lovers AND aspiring writers. 

 And Now  the mother of all list websites!

5.  Listverse

 

List maniacs will go crazy on this site! They have all kinds of lists, categories for lists and it's almost endless. Like mental_floss it's a site for trivia and facts on all topics. The lists you will find here are more diverse. You can spend hours and hours exploring all the lists they have. It is after all the original top 10 list place and has been featured on BBC Radio, Radio Scotland, Alabama Radio, BBC Television World News International, PBS, and in the New York Times. Very swag.

While writing this post I discovered a site for bucket lists; where you can track your bucket lists and connect with like minded people. I registered instantly, though have not started using it. 

P. S: ohyemzee so many lists!

A very expensive love affair

The other day I went shopping with my mom (Chi, wyak thoo) and we ended up going to jewellery shops. There was this one particular shop we went to,  the owner  is such an excellent salesman that he convinced me to buy stuff I would not have even considered. 

And the more I tried on stuff, the more I fell in love with the idea of wearing jewellery. I have hardly ever worn jewelry and don't think I will ever be a regular wearer of bling. Mostly because I can't be bothered and also because jewelry digs into mys skin.

But that day I was liking loving all the pieces I looked at. Maybe I was caught up in the beauty of it all. And maybe because I realised that jewellery ( when I wore the kind I liked) suited me. 

And now I actually own jewellery. (Even though I don't even know if I 'll ever wear them!) 

Though I am still not sure if I want this love story to last. 

Of whatsapp and helplessness and LDRs

The most important thing in any relationship is communication. But for people in a LDR it IS our lifeline. It's the only thing that keeps us going through days, weeks and months apart from the person we love. 

When communication fails because of technical  problems, it is frustrating. Not only frustrating but greatly annoying. I depend a lot on whatsapp to talk to A. And for some network problem, my messages are delivering really late, for the last few days. We haven't been able to chat properly. Phone conversations everyday are not possible. 

It is still possible for us to call each other up. A friend of mine is also in  LDR. His girlfriend is in USA. They can't even call each other up every time the net is down. 

Technology is apparently a great boon for people like us. But we are so used to it that when it fails we tear our hair apart. One feels so very helpless. 

The internet is vital. It makes talking everyday easier. But it does in  no way replace the security, the warm fuzzy feeling of us being in the same city. Of being able to meet whenever we want.

Communication is important. It sucks to have to depend on the moodiness of net for it. Hopefully A's whatsapp stops being moody and works properly again. Soon. 

P.S I hope that the long distance part is temporary. It's not something I had planned o. But things don't work according to our plans,  do they?

Here's a cute youtube sog about goodbyes by  regular indie youtuber Bryarly Bishop Hard to say goodbye



"And I won't lie - it's hard to say goodbye

 It's one of those things that won't get easier with time
But if you wait, I promise I'll wait, too
Until the day that I can make my way to you "

The "When I finally get my own place" list

The list maker is back. I was bored of studying nutrition yesterday so I made a list of things I want  when I have my own place.

1. One wall will have a huge bookshelf. From one end to the other. And Agatha Christie, OHenry, Pablo Neruda, J.K Rowling, Paelo Coelho, Kahlil Gibran, Jacklyn Moriarty, Alexander McCall Smith will have pride of place on it

2. I will have a red wall. 

3. And a desk. 

4. And a softboard placed over my desk. I will stick a huge world map on it. To be wistful about places I want to visit and to mark the places I have been. 

5. I also want loads and loads of pens on my desk, ready to be used. So that I never run out of ink. I keep losing my pens.. I will buy the 3 rupee ones. So I can keep on buying them without feeling guilty. 

5. I want a small terrace. With a deck chair. To come up and look at the stars. To grow flowers. And for long glances at the moon. 

6. I will have a hammock. To laze around with a book.

7. I will have an espresso machine. For the instant caffeine high. 

8. I also want a landline with an answering machine. I always wanted one. Whenever I read about them I was fascinated. I want to record fun messages for callers. I have a list of funny answering machine messages, somewhere. 

9. I want a huge bed loads of pillows. I do love pillows. 

10. One of the walls will have framed photographs. To look at. And smile. I wish we had framed pictures at home. I already know which photographs I want framed. 


There will be other things in the house too. But for now, these are the things I really, really want. 

P.S: The Title of this post is inspired by a song by Aqualung. You can find the lyrics here

Y: Yes, you know it

You know you're  a hostelite when...

• You believe that more detergent means cleaner clothes.

• You try to find ways of making the hostel food more interesting.

• You glow when you recieve a parcel from home.

• You would eat anything your mother cooks when you get back home.

• Going out to withdraw cash is an event.

• You start comparing prices of  everything you buy.

• Sleep is the biggest luxury of your life.

• A month before  going home, you start counting days.

• You need to 'shotgun' a bathroom every morning.

• You shift places to get the best network.

• All  phone conversations take place in the corridor.

• You periodically   borrow ketchup, pickle, maggi, earphones, shoes, clothes, laptops and everything else from anyone who is willing to share. 

• Your room is sacred. Your bed, even more so. 

You know you're a hostelite when you are a hostelite. Even though we crib, at the end of the day it's not that bad. 

Update: 5.2.2014 I have a guest post by Amateur at this on what you learn when you relocate to a new city and experience hostel life. It's a fun read on gaining independence and learning new things. Read it here  

Today just got better

It started raining here right now. Talk about surprises. 


I went out to get wet. Getting wet in the rain is one of my favourite things to do. 


I didn't look sexy. (not that I expected to or wanted to) More like a mess. I jumped in  puddles. What is life without jumping in a few puddles? 




"Let the rain fall, I don't care" 




My day just got better. 

I am smart now

I got a new phone in February. A smartphone. Very smart. I was very excited. For the first time I  would be able to experience the thrill of browsing the net through my phone! The very next day I went and subscribed to the Vodafone 1GB Internet data pack.

As instructed by more-knowledgeable-already-using-smartphones-for- ages- now-mortals I downloaded my first few apps(whatsapp, facebook for android) Every click was accompanied by caution. What if I am using too much data? The novice that I was(and I feel still am) I was very scared of crossing the 1GB limit. I ended up just using 200 MB in the 1st month.

And because of the "net on my phone" I downloaded a game called WordSearch. It's a wonderful game. One has to look for words in a jumble of seemingly random letters. My mom and my sister started playing it, hogging my phone. I still haven't been able to beat my sister's high score.

In the next month I did better. Realising that "net on my phone" does not use up that much data, I breathed easy and started using the Internet more often. 

To use the "net on my phone" I don't have to switch on my phone. I don't have to wait for it to connect to a wi-fi network. I don't have to switch it off when I am done. If I need to google something I can instantly do it. I downloaded twitter a few days ago so that I can promote my business on the go. I downloaded some pretty useful apps like Sound Hound and some pretty useless ones like Talking Tom. Though I was slow to catch on, I am doing a lot on the "net on my phone."

I am still a bit amazed by it all. I still use my laptop to blog. But, I am learning to download songs directly to my phone and even saw a couple of YouTube videos. Yes, I am getting the hang of it. Yes, the "net on my phone" sure is fun with Vodafone. And yes, I am luvin it. 

You could just drive by

"Sexy!"

That's what my sister said while browsing through pictures of the Audi A8. She was literally drooling over a car! And the other day she was over the moon because she had touched an Audi. 

Almost every guy I know reacts in quite a similar way while admiring a car. 

As for me, I can't differentiate between cars. I can't tell from one make to another. If my life depended on recognising cars I would probably die. The only cars I can recognise without having to read what's written on it is the Maruti 800(we used to have it), Chevrolet beat(we have it now) A Santro (my Mamu used to have one) Getz, and ambassadors. Well, you get the drift.

For me a car is to be used to drive from destination X to destination Y. As simple as that. Why should I care about the make of a car?

A week or so ago I asked A how good a car Indica was. What started with a simple question turned into a full fledged lesson of sorts about cars, their make, identifying cars and so on. I was intrigued. There was so much to know about cars, so much to find out. From the next day  I started paying more attention to cars, peering at their logos to see their make. This new hobby is somewhat interesting. Unfortunately, I  cannot identify cars even now and so my interest is dwindling. 

The other day I thought to myself. If I ever buy my own car, I will not bother deciding which one. I will fix on a budget and ask A or my sister or my cousin bro to advice me on a good car. Not just suggest, maybe even choose for me. I really wouldn't care less. I don't have a dream car, thank you very much.

I do have to learn driving soon though. I keep putting it off. Soon, soon, very soon. 

I am not attracted to cars. I will listen to anyone talking about cars with whole hearted interest. If they say that a particular car is amazing and sexy I will agree. If they point to a Merc and say it's a BMW I will agree. I am sure these knowledgeable people know a lot about cars and I appreciate their knowledge. I am enthusiastic about new knowledge and will grasp whatever new facts my brain takes in. 

Cars are useful and if they are so interesting to most guys and a number of girls who am I to open my mouth?

P.S: While typing this I searched for images of an Audi A8 and The Maruti SX4. What I understood was both had four wheels and were car shaped. 

Ah, it's your turn now

I think a favourite hobby (and a common one they share) of the 50+ people I live with is discussing the marriage eligibility of relatives of my generation ( i.e my cousins; both distant and non-distant) They participated in this hobby even today. As they were counting off people( mostly in their twenties, some touching thirty) they also mentioned my cousin V's name. Now this, is a cause of alarm. V is only a year older.  That makes me eligible(if not now, a year later.) And THAT is SCARY. 


Many of my cousins got married in the last 5 years. Many. AK is exasperated at the number of relatives/cousins I have. (And the number of times I have told her that a cousin of mine is getting married.) She says she can't keep count. Honesty, neither can I. 

Not what we do

Anyway, back to the subject of eligibility. It crops up every few weeks. At dinner time. ( I am surprised at the frequency of it) I am  both   amused and bemused at these discussions. Amused because they take such relish in counting of names of people who can get married ("some of them according to social norm should as soon as they can grab someone" is the unsaid statement ) I am bemused because they will not tire of this hobby. Once all of these people are married, am sure they will come up with new names( I am curious about how that goes) They may come up with a new subject to indulge in- kids(as in how many married people need to have kids) To be fair they have never discussed the possible future kids of the already married ones. 


This hobby also makes me think of something that creeps me out. It is not creep-worthy, but still. There may be some random uncle/aunty/relative(distant or non-distant) who may be including my name in their dinner time(or tea time) discussion about the "Eligibility Factor". Because I know that most aunties and uncles and grandmotherly figures discuss the possible marriage of other people's kids. It's as if it's upon them to get the next generation married. 


I am intrigued by this phenomenon. I am not saying that I don't like the idea of marriage. I do. I  just don't understand why  someone's eligibility is everyone's business. XYZ will get married when she wants to. Why discuss it? You don't have to pay her marriage bills. You don't have to organise the various events associated with a wedding. They just have to turn up (if they are invited) and congratulate the couple and hand them something. It's not as if these people have nothing else to do. ( ok, some of them have nothing else to do) My parents do have things to do and other interesting things to discuss. I think it's just a habit. Because of the social norm factor. 


The 50+ people in my house are also victims of the social norm.( like most of us) And they simply cant help it.  




P.S: Anyone who knows anyone who is eligible please contribute names to my parents. They will love to have extra people in their list. 

How to kill people: A killer guide.

WARNING: May seem offensive to most people. Not to be taken seriously. I am in no means suggesting any sort of action. If you do not like the following feel free to ignore. 


What is the best way to kill yourself?  I am thinking of  about suicide. Either way I say it it sounds as if I want to kill myself. Well I don't. I am perfectly happy with my life. I am just wondering about suicide. Not deep philosophical thoughts about what makes people commit suicide. Neither am I thinking about statistics and the growing rates of suicide. Mine is just an  inquiry about what would be the best way to kill yourself. I may get someone to commit suicide. Note that this someone will be fictional. 


I want to create a  suicide that is fool-proof. Idiot-proof. 


Or maybe a suicide that looks like murder. Thrillers anyone? This is getting exciting! I am now thinking of not only a fool-proof/idiot proof suicide but also one that resembles a murder. 


Asphyxia. People wrongly assume that choking is another name for Asphyxia, when it is only an example. Asphyxia is deficit supply of oxygen to the body.  And it sounds good on paper. Very Agatha Christie-ish huh? But then I don't think it is a DIY task.


Poison seems like a good idea. But which one? I can only think of Cyanide. Again an Agatha Christie influence. 


Maybe I should think bollywood. Maybe not. Bollywood suicides are very simple- sleeping pills. Sounds pretty cliche and therefore boring. 


Over dose of drugs sounds  interesting but is also over-used. Will not do. 


I am trying to hatch an elaborate suicide  attempt. Again I must mention here that it's  for a future fictional character. 


Voodoo. Make a doll that looks like you and stab it with needles. That could work actually. 


Ah! Maybe I can brew something out of this. Anticipation. My notebook awaits. 

Things I need. Badly. Pretty please.

Anyone interested in giving me stuff? I promise I will be eternally grateful. I swear. Everlasting gratitude from me. The forever types. 


I made a list of all the things I want. It isn't very long. 

1. People to stop stealing my pens. I had three pens yesterday. I can only locate one of them today. 

2.  All my plans to work out. ( Fingers crossed.)

3. A way to somehow travel freely. I need to go places. 

4. Money. Not loads, but enough. 

5. Patience to shop. I do need to buy some stuff. 

6. Information on various topics. 

7. Chewing gum. A month's supply. Mint flavour. 

8. My finals to get out of the way.

10. The muse to visit me more often. Everyday to be precise. 

11. A pedicure. If can give myself a pedicure but it wouldn't hurt to get it done( for free ofcourse) 

12. Life to uncomplicate itself and present itself to me in neat rows and columns.

13. Some magic- preferably to be able to apparate and disapparate. Or a summoning spell. I need loads of magic actually

14. A library membership. 

15. Speed

16. A small bag. I am too lazy to sew up my torn bag. 

17. New pairs of shoes. Atleast three pairs. 

18. A new phone. I know which one I want( Ok I am anyway buying a phone soon so I guess #18 doesn't count)

19. A hug. On second thoughts, loads of hugs (from specific people not random strangers) 

20. Someone to type stuff for me. There is loads of stuff I need to type. I don't particularly like typing. And I am pretty slow. And lazy. Enough said.  


21. Atleast two Audrey Hepburn movies.  From  any of the following- Funny Face, Love in the afternoon, War and Peace or Charade. 


22. A Simon and Garfunkel concert. Or a Kimya Dawson concert.Or an Aqualung concert. 


23. Chocolate. Not just any. My own. Can someone buy some chocolate from me and gift it back to me? I would really appreciate that. 


24. More hits on my blog. And more comments. Helps a lot to know that you are appreciated. 


25. Yummy food to be calorie less. I cant give up on food. I don't want to miss out on taste. Would prefer to miss out on calories,




I think for now 25 items on my list is enough. Any suggestions are welcome. 

Just want to write today.

It is my sister's b'day tomorrow and she has given me strict instructions  not to wake her up at twelve coz she is very sleepy. She is sleepy on the eve of her b'day. ( ah well, in her defense she got up really early today) 


Ah well the cake that was to be cut at midnight will be cut tomorrow. And now I have a craving for cake. Will wait till tomorrow. I do have a lot of will power. 


I am the only one awake at my place right now. And it is pretty early. And the person I was chatting to online has dozed off. Since I am wide awake I want to do something. I have been reading loads of blogs lately and now that I need something to do I don't feel like reading any of them. And so I am thinking. Randomly. And writing. I don't even know if I will post this. Maybe I will. I am curious about the reactions. I kind of know that I probably won't. But still. 

My sister is turning 13 tomorrow. I am trying hard to remember what it was like to be 13. All I remember about being 13 was my first proper, live human crush ( Earlier crushes were on non-human animated characters like Li from card captors and Dimitri from Anastasia.) 

You have to agree he  is attractive!

Don't laugh, 12 year olds of 2002 did have crushes on fictional guys. HP fans all over have crushes on Sirius Black, Fred and George Weasley, James Potter and Oliver Wood. And they are all fictional. Anyway, the point is that's all I remember about being 13. And the fact that I wasn't doing well in school. My marks were down the drain. So school- wise 13 not a good time to remember.

I don't really know what I am thinking of. There is a lot to do tomorrow. Maybe I will sleep. Or maybe not just yet.  

Maybe I will write some more tomorrow. Maybe another useless blog-post. Maybe just another musing in my notebook. Whatever. 

“Words, is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life.” 

-Roald Dahl, The BFG

. 

It's only words

This morning my father was reading out a text when my grandma asked him who had sent it. He said "P from Delhi, T's gharwala" (Gharwala: The  man she lives with, i.e her husband) I found the statement so funny that I almost burst out laughing ( I say almost coz we can't really burst out laughing at some situations.) 


It is not essentially a funny statement. I wanted to laugh because of the way it sounded- old Hindi film-ish. No one uses such phrases anymore. 


There is a tremendous gap in how we speak and and how our parents spoke. Forget Hindi, words old English   bu-shirt (half sleeved shirt)  are so much out of league that I have forbidden my dad to use it. He now tries hard to remember to say Half sleeved shirt instead. 


Infact, even my sister's lingo is very different from mine. ( There is, after all a 9 year gap between us) She has a favourite set of phrases  that she sprinkles generously in all her conversations. 


"How dumb" is used for any situation, regardless of what she actually thinks about it. Then there is "Awara types" (Awara basically refers to a useless person, who roams around because he/she does not have any work/commitments/responsibilities)  She may exclaim- "Kitne Awara type ke ho"  or greet me and mom with "Hello Awara ladies! "


She uses phrases without reason, it may or may not apply to the what is happening around her. But I tell you, it's fun.It's even more fun when my father gets scandalised when he hears her refer to her friends as "bakwas", dhaba or anything that sounds like an insult to him. He does realise that this is the way we speak, he accepts it but can't help but be bemused by it. 


I often end up using some phrases used often by people I am close to. My friend Kaniti used to say Jhat a lot. I picked it up from her and both of us use to splash it everywhere. (example Jhat jolle na tor: Ok I can't translate this, sorry) AK and I used to use "Kya pharak parta hai" ( It doesn't matter) and "Amar kichu jaye ashe na"( It doesn't affect me/I don't care) 


I, for my part love to say ainwayi  (  Which means just like that in punjabi) It's something I use often. Many of us exclaim "sahi hai", "mast" when something meets our approval. The 50+ people can keep being amused/bemused by the words around them.   I think having a having a specific lingo is fun. It is ainwayi, after all. 

Time, Time, Time; see what's become of me

I used to be punctual. I used to reach places before time. I used to be the one who did the waiting.

When I was in school ( till class 10) I used to time myself while getting ready. If I had to get out of the house by 7:25 it could not become 7:26

Even when I was in GDB  I was ( with my sister tagging along) the first person to arrive at the bus stop. Being late gave me a lot of stress.

These days I mostly end up being 5-10 minutes late. It happens a lot. I somehow never manage to reach a place before time.

Maybe I got tired of waiting for people. Once I cast away the tension involved with getting late I started taking punctuality casually.

I don’t know why people give 15 minute time windows. When someone asks me to arrive at a place between 6:15 to 6:30 what time does he expect me to come- 6:15 or 6:30? If I arrive at 6:35 am I 5 minutes late or 20?

When I go back to college after a break I forget how much time the bus takes and even though I do get ready I leave the house later than usual. I end up arriving just 2 minutes before the professor, out of breath , obviously.

I find it funny when people give long speeches after being introduced and asked to say ‘ a few words’. I know they don’t litrally mean a few words but I do end up laughing ( not aloud though) I start wondering if I should go up to the speech-giver and explain to him what ‘a few words’ mean. 

I once attended a function that was running late. One of the V.I. P members of the organising committee got up to speak after all the eminent  guests had given lengthy speeches. He started with “I know we arerunning late and everyone wants the program to begin. Respecting everyone’s time I shall say a few words…” He went on to speak for 10 minutes!

It’s just that we don’t respect each other’s time. We don’t give value to time.  It’s an old joke that IST stands for Indian Stretchable time. The joke should become obsolete soon. It is time that we take our hours, minutes and seconds seriously.

Organizations should begin their events, regardless of who hasn’t arrived. Dates should come on time whatever the traffic condition should be.  Girls should take as much time as they want to get ready as long as they aren’t late.  Time matters. Everyone’s .

Having said this, I too will make it a point; once again; to arrive on time without caring if others do so.

'Naikamo'

‘Naika’ is a Bengali adjective that cannot be translated to any other language- there is no substitute whatsoever. Simply because you will find naika people only in the Bengali community. “Naikamo” the quality of being naika only Bengalis possess and can be interpreted only by those who have been at close quarters of Bengali culture. Bongs ( I don’t think it should be taken as a derogatory term; if Punjabis are punjus, Gujaratis’ Gujjus, Bengalis should be happy with being called a bong.) can naturally be naika. It may include girly, attention seeking, eyes fluttering gestures or it may include a way of talking or tone of voice.  

Many are born naika, many put up an act when it is convenient. But no bong is complete without naika-ness.

I have often tried ‘naika’ poses for the camera but I always end up sniggering and the photograph ends up being a cross between crazy and naika. More crazy than naika.

I am pretty comfortable with both Punjabi and Bengali cultures and I am often mistaken for a bong. A few relatives often say- “Tu toh bangalan ban gayi hai”- You have turned into a bong female. Yet I haven’t gotten around to the secret behind the naika -ness bongs possess. To much of it gets on non-naika people’s nerves. So much so that we call permanently naika people NC , short for naika ch*** (figure out the expletive, I know you can)

I am not discouraging permanently naika’s to stop.  Please do continue (more fodder for non-naika people’s laughter) As I said I don't think you can do without it.

I will; one day; perfect a naika pose for the camera. For Sure. 

In the name of the father

I am not usually a superstitious person but when I nervous, jittery or really want something I tend to utter one the three- " Touch wood" , " Fingers crossed" , or " In the name of the father, and of the son and of the holy spirit." I also do this whenever I want to avoid jinxing something good happening.  I say all three when the situation requires. ( this year's world cup final for instance)


While making chocolates today I burnt some of it. So while melting the next bowl of chocolate I heard myself chanting " In the name of the father, son and holy spirit" I know for a fact that chanting stuff doesn't really change anything. Maybe all it does is ease the tension. Maybe it's all about habit.


The chant involving fathers, sons and spirits is not the result of being in a missionary school for twelve years. My mom does this. I learned it from her.


As a kid I used to cross my fingers a lot. Literally cross my fingers. Many will remember the mail van theory- wish on a mail van, cross your fingers and un-cross them when you see a black car. If you manage this your wish will come true. I did this every time I saw a red mail van. It became a good omen sort of thing. Whenever I see a mail van these days I have to stop myself from crossing my fingers.


Superstition for me is not just avoiding jinxing stuff but also a habit. I am not superstitious as a person. Many people including my grandmother believe that talking about death is Ashub  or a bad omen. If am not superstitious enough to believe in shub ashub why do I do the finger crossing stuff? Does that mean I am contradicting myself. If its only a habit, do I need to break out of it? It's not even something I do consciously but yes now that I am writing about it I want to make a note of how often I tend to get superstitious. 


Or maybe I will not. How does it matter if crossing my fingers or saying touchwood makes me more superstitious than i think I am. It's just one quirk. Maybe I will stop doing it, maybe not. Right now 
my life is moving forward quite smoothly *touchwood*

Artfully not yours

I have participated in quite a few sit-and-draw competitions as a kid, even though I cant really draw. Most of them i sat through because my parents thought it was a good idea. Today I read this report in the Sunday metro about a "design a stamp competition" organised at the general post office. 


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111127/jsp/calcutta/story_14802486.jsp

What I wanted to do. 

I realised that I too as a kid had participated twice in similar designing activity organised at the same venue. A bunch of us (basically those who got the permission from their parents) were taken from our school to the GPO. We all sat there (I  was going to write quietly but  I am not sure if we were quiet) Paper handed to us, theme explained; we all got to work. I was quite enthusiastic in the beginning. The clock didn't stop for me, my art skills didn't improve in the course of an hour. It never did. When we were asked to give our paper up, I decided that what I drew didn't resemble the masterpiece I had in mind. 

The next year the teachers sought me out again- not because I was good but because I would add to the number of children participating and my parents would easily allow me to stay back after school to design stamps for the postal service. (What a noble task)

What I can do. 

As a teenager I took art lessons for a few months. This lady used to come to my place once a week, used to draw a scene which I was supposed to copy. I also learned how to shade a tree. I can tell you one thing that my drawing had improved in those months. A bit. 


Parents make it a point to introduce their kids to all kind of activities they can think of. The basic ones- dance, draw, sing are so popular that all localities have atleast one drawing, singing or dance teacher/class. Within walking distance of my house there are five such places where hapless children are sent to learn to how to belt out songs, gracefully move their limbs and churn out Mona Lisa like masterpieces. 


After this experiment the preferred activity is established and the next few years are spent achieving excellence in said talent. Many children excel in all three ( I dread such kids). 


I am glad that kids today have more activities to choose from. It can be Taekwondo or French, bowling, tennis or even graphology. Ofcourse whatever children pursue they are expected to excel in it. Some things never change.

Weirdness continued

This one is about questionable existence. Read on:

And then you woke up. And you saw me. I didn’t Know I was here, maybe I wasn’t. But you did see me, very very clearly (at least you seemed to). And yet I was not there ,I was visible, maybe, but I didn’t know of my existence. I wasn’t there yet? I may exist for you, but am not sure of my existence. I feel am not there. A wisp of sand. Out of nowhere. Yet I remind you of something, something long ago. But I was there Ofcourse I was there. You saw me. You couldn’t hold me though, nor touch me. I was sure that I was there. Yet I was not. Not for everyone. No one else was there. Just you (maybe me?)




My existence is questionable No one I know knows of me You know of my existence, I don’t.

And yeah, I don't normally post my poetry on my blog but since the theme is similar, here it is

Existence questionable



Disappear into nothingness,

I do not exist.

My body devoid of soul.

Sucked into a never ending hole,

the world is meaningless to me.



Disappear into the darkness,

the darkness is so thick.

Here I belong.



Disappear into lonelyness,

lonelyness is a friend.

Me not scared of it.

My isolation complete.

Weird until I decide not to be

I write some pretty weird stuff and have done so in the past. Regardless of how many people like what I am going to post in the next few lines I am determined 2 post the following. Some of the older weird stuff i had written for this other blog I had. Re-posted here. This is an experiment.. I am not responsible for any accident or tragedy that may occur after you read this. Here goes then:




My caged emotions are floating in my soul. Desperately waiting to break free into a newer world.


My emotions are endless, not enough for this world; neither enough for the universe.

Crude, raw, uncouth emotions. No words in this world to describe them. No language enough.


Un-nameable emotions. Numerous; vast.


And when they break free emotionless will I be?

No I think not.


New emotions will arise from the flames of the old.

Not born, they'll be reinvented, reformed.


The world will tell its story through my emotions. 

Strands lost

I was aghast a few days back when I pulled out my rubber-band to free my ponytail. At least 8 strands of hair had come off with it. 8 strands! I had just lost so much hair the day before when I shampooed. I sat up from the bed and saw some more strands on the pillow! No, I am not going for chemotherapy. This sudden loss of hair is suffered by one and all during monsoon. But it gets scary sometimes. Especially if you find hair here, there, everywhere. So I got a little agitated and started my own survey. I got up from the bed and located my mom’s hairbrush and saw a whole layer of hair. (Almost a layer) Then I went and interviewed the maids and they too described their horror stories of tremendous hair loss. I recalled my friend’s comments about losing more hair than she could handle.



Hair loss is more normal than the shampoo brands make it out to be. Switch on the TV, every brand claims that if you lose more than one strand of hair you are permanently doomed to be bald very, very soon. That’s why most of us are constantly jumping from one shampoo to another in the hope s of losing less hair.


Basically after 15 minutes of researching this problem I got bored and thought- “what the heck; hair today, certainly not gone tomorrow. Actually I also realized that few of the strands I saw on the pillow were smaller than mine, they were my mother’s. I admit I was relieved to know that I am losing a few strands less