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  

X:Xcuses, Xcuses.

X-rated. No this post is not x-rated. But that's the first thing I thought with X. Then I thought of X-mas, and X-factor and XL.  And then X-men. I don't know what to write about with these words. I  also thought of X-ray. Honestly I have nothing to say about these things. So I decided to look up the net. Well, the result was that  I wasn't  inspired by the words I found.

I think I am going to end this post. There is no point. And oh if anyone likes scrabble and wants a list of words starting with X, here's the link


Any suggestions on what I could have written about? 

P.S: I promise I will do better tomorrow. There are only two letters left. Tough ones. Wish me luck. 

W: Wit and wisdom

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

Having knowledge is not enough. Reading and memorising and understanding thousands of books may be  one of  the key to intelligence. But  knowing where and when to use  that knowledge that makes a person  wise. 


What measures intelligence, though? I don't think I.Q tests and other psychological tests can measure intelligence accurately. 

Someone quite wise had once said that the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. I don't think that's true . Imagination cannot exist without knowledge.  Ignorance can never fertile ground for an imagination to grow.  I think it's a combination of both knowledge and imagination. What it knowledge if you can't use to well? If you can't create something worthwhile with it?

Wisdom apparently 'often requires control of one's emotional reactions'. I dont know about that as I am not paritcularly wise. Nor do I personally know anyone who  is wise at all times. But people around me do have what  they call 'moments of wisdom'. 

What do they mean when they say someone is wise beyond her years? What has age got to do with wisdom? Probably nothing. Except for the fact that age is supposed to bring with it the wisdom of experience. But sometimes it does not. And sometimes, even the young like us show wisdom; not expected from us. Sometimes that wisdom is discarded. 

One is not born wise. Wisdom is acquired. Likewise it can't be spotted easily. 

Intelligence on the other hand is more easily catagorised and pinned down. Psychologists claim it can be measured. I would rather it was not. Because intelligence is of different kinds. And should not be compared. 


Wit, on the other hand is a different thing altogether  I  admire anyone's ability to say funny yet clever remarks. Here too, knowledge plays a part. A  knowledgeable person will be able to play with words. Will be able to twist them  and use them to his advantage. Will be able to sound more knowledgeable than he is. And that is  a skill worth admiring. To be able to say what you want to and to be appreciated for it is an art. I would treasure it. 


But the person I would treasure the most is the one who has the knowledge and is willing to share  it. That's why teachers deserve all the respect and love they get and more. 

V: V-day

Valentines  Day is SO not my thing. Neither is candlelight  dinners and red roses. I am not into the conventional idea of  romance. I have never celebrated V-day. This year I tried to make other people's v-day special. By selling them chocolate. 

It's not as if I don't like romance. I love it. But I can't follow the herd. I find romance in letters and love-notes  and in books gifted to me by that someone special. Flowers wilt. Chocolates are eaten. One runs out of sweet nothings to whisper.

Knowing what the other person would drool for is romantic. If A would have ever bought me a "cute little teddy" I would accept it graciously but wish he knew me better. 

I find romance in laughing together. In singing stupid songs on the phone. In A coming up with the idea of giving adjectives for each other with all the letters of the alphabet. In listening to each other's crazy ideas. In accepting that A will rarely stay up late and chat. 

When I think of romance I think of poetry and beaches and the full moon. Or a lighthouse. Or looking at train schedules. Or  sudden 'boos' and mid day hellos on whatsapp. 

I am not the most romantic girl you come across. I don't like cheesy lines. I am not impressed by expensive gifts and meaning-less words. I enjoy watching all that in rom-coms. It looks good on screen. But what I want is different.  What my guy does for me should be done just for me and not because other guys do it for their partners. I am just lucky I have that kind of guy. I don't need Valentines day to celebrate romance. 

P.S: This post is dedicated to A as he came up with the idea for it. He is after all my idea-man. 

U: 100 words: Ultimate power

Ultimately she would have her way. He would be hers. He did not love her. But he would. Sooner or later. She had her charms. No man, had ever been able to resist her. And she knew that.

She wanted him. She knew he didn't love her. She wasn't sure if she did. But she was definitely attracted. No man had ignored her before. This man had dared to. Had the power to. She would strip him off this power.

He would fall hopelessly in love with her. And then, she would leave. Shredding his heart into pieces. Like always.