T:Today there is a change...

Today I ran down the stairs. I was not as fast as other people are but I did. It felt good.  I am going to run  down again  tomorrow. And the day after. And after that. 

It’s an everyday thing . Running down stairs. But I can’t. It’s not as if I have faulty limbs. Some of you know this already. I am scared of running down stairs. It’s a phobia. I am not exaggerating.  Whenever I have to run down stairs I get nervous and really scared. An uneasiness sets in.I can’t explain it. My feet refuse to listen to me. I just can’t run down. If I am in a hurry I hop. I never run. I have tried, before. And failed. I always end up hopping.

But today, I tried. And succeeded. Because I finally decided that I want to get over my phobia. Today I wanted to do something unexpected.  Actually, it’s not just about today. I want to stop doing what is expected. I don’t remember when I started doing that. I was never the sort to care about what others thought of me.  But now I do. I need to stop caring about people’s opinions once again. What others think of me is none of my business.

“The best of us must sometimes eat our words” Albus Dumbledore had once said. I am not the best but I think I have to eat my words. Which is okay. Who said that I can’t change my opinions? Who said I have to remain the same? I was scared of changing. Scared of eating my words. Because I had gotten scared of being judged. No more.

I want to run down stairs without feeling scared. Anyway, I  bang myself here and there ; every now and then and  trip over stuff on a regular basis. Why am I scared of falling then? What’s the utmost that will happen? I will fall and hurt myself and get a bruise or two. 

 I don’t want to be scared anymore. That’s  why I will run down the stairs everyday. And increase my speed, gradually. Until I can run as fast as everyone else can.

S: Spas and smells

Spas smell weird. I entered one near our hostel in the first month of shifting to Mumbai. A friend wanted to check it out. I could not stand inside, even for a minute.  I came out. I have an aversion to strong smells. Colognes that are too strong give me headaches and I can't enter a room that has been sprayed with perfume. I even had this phase when I felt like sneezing whenever I smelt something too strong. And spas are a mix of too many strong smells

And then I am not too much of a fan of massages either. I don't like  head massages and  I am not too sure if I am a fan of body massages. I know I don't like weird oily stuff on my body.   A spa is certainly not the place for me.

Talking of smells, I love the smell of coffee. It gives me such a high. It's not as good as actually drinking coffee but they say one is not supposed to drink so much coffee. So I make do with smelling it. 

Another smell I love is of the gandharaaj flower. I don't know what that flower is called in English. But it smells lovely. There was one tree, in the lane of our old house. When we shifted to our new place, that was one of the 1st things I missed. 

Old books smell great and so do babies. Ac rooms smell good. But I can't stay in them for long coz I feel cold. 

I don't like the way banana smells. Or the smell of ciggies in a closed room. Or oils. I don't like how coconut oil smells. Probably one of the reasons I hate oiling my hair. 

Smells are an interesting subject to explore. It's fascinating that certain smells uplift our mood and certain smells repel us. What a meal smells like affects its taste too. That's why it's important for food to smell good. And that's why people with a cold ( and a blocked nose) do not feel like eating. 

People say smelling lavender is beneficial. I bought  lavender incense sticks, recently. One of the weirdest things I have done on a whim. Specially because I used to be allergic to them. And yes, they do smell good. Don't know about the beneficial part. 

Since spas were created to provide us with a relaxing environment  spa owners should come up with customised options. Give me a spa which has my favourite smells. Without the massage and dim lighting part. Add in  a few books and play my favourite musicians on repeat and you've made my day.  

R: Randomly talking

Random Oneliner # 4: I hate being so dependent on facebook. I need facebook. To share and re-share cool articles and pictures promoting feminism. To keep in touch with my group. And most importantly to share links of my new blog posts. I hate needing facebook so much.  And I hate the fact that I love using it. And that I miss it when I don't log in.

Facebook is a habit I want to grow out of. Or maybe not. 

P. S - My Oneliners are never one liners and that's why I cannot tweet. 

Q : Queer turn of events

Queer. Interesting. Unpredictable. Memorable. Fun. 

Those are the adjectives I would use for today. We celebrated Traditional day at Sophia Polytechnic, today. We were therefore supposed to dress up in traditional wear. Most of us really made an effort to dress up. After giving a stupid test in the morning, we all hung around; some of us clicking pictures, some of us roaming around. At 1, the whole polytechnic assembled at the basketball court( or should I call it the temporary dance floor?) And danced like crazy. It was so much fun! At three, 5 of us left to watch Barfi. A lovely movie, no doubt.

But here comes the queer part. As soon as the movie got over, it started raining. Cats and dogs and bulls and cows. There was no way we could step out of the mall without being drenched. Three of us are  hostel-ites and  have a curfew and  had to reach our hostel soon. So we braved the rain and set out. And got drenched immediately  Now we had to look for a cab. Four- five cabbies refused us before one guy agreed to take us to our destination. 

We had a lot of traffic. And then the cabbie decided to drop us half way because the place was flooded. So we waded through water; not knowing where the footpath is; almost tripping. Holding hands, we walked through muck. Wondering whether to giggle or whine. Thank God, we reached our hostel in time. 

We rushed to the common room, kept dinner for ourselves and went for a shower. And now here I am. In the common room. Blogging. Surfing the net. Craving for a hot mug of coffee. 

Yes, It has been a day to remember. The day we dressed up, danced and got drenched. 

P: Preserve your memories

People have forgotten how to take photographs. Its now about how good a picture looks and is it upload-able on facebook. Its now about posing and giving the perfect smile and wondering if you are looking good. Its now about getting a great angle and sufficient light and the right background.

It was supposed to be about capturing memories. About giggling and everyone coming together for the "kodak moment".