The 30 day challenge is going okay so far. I could definitely do better, but it's some kind of a beginning at least. I'm very glad that the reading habit has finally kicked in. I haven't begun experimenting with titles for the fear of losing interest and therefore giving up the reacquired habit altogether. So I'm currently re-reading some of my favorite classics. The reading time is definitely much lesser and more interrupted than what it used to be back home. I remember finishing HP-7 in a couple of hours on the day it came out. And now, time is constantly interrupted by things that demand attention so fiercely that it has become almost impossible to get some quiet alone time. Good lord, I sound like a mother of a newborn!

The one tsp sugar in coffee is turning out to be my biggest challenge so far. I've now resorted to equal portions of milk and coffee in my mug and this seems easier to handle with a tsp of sugar. But the going gets tough on days when I wind up having close to three cups of coffee/tea. Recycling and listening to at least one carnatic song a day is coming along fantastic. I guess the carnatic song phase will wean out soon because I ended up listening to variations of the same song for an entire week and now I might snap if I hear it again. Too much of anything is never good.

Other than that, life's been pretty much monotonous. Things go in to top gear soon, and I'm not too thrilled about it yet. The year's crossed its half way mark and looking back in retrospect, the going's been good so far. There's a lot more of things to cross off the to-do list by the end of year. Hoping for the best until then. 

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It has been quite a while since I challenged myself to do something without it being a requirement or necessity. Worse actually because it has been quite a while since I challenged myself to do something I absolutely loved and not feel guilty about it later. So when I heard from  N about the 30 day challenge idea, and read more about it here and here, I was psyched to take something up myself. Of course, being a compulsive to-do list maker, the idea instantly warmed up to me. So here we go -

1. Read everyday: By reading, I most certainly don't mean the newspaper or a reference article for my research. I bought a Kindle to rekindle my love for reading and I've read only three books on it so far. Let's say the whole make-your-own-food-do-laundry-be-a-responsible-person took my life by storm.

2. One tsp of sugar in coffee: Before you snort at this, let me quickly brief you about my love for caffeine. I absolutely must get caffeine into my system before I interact with fellow homo-sapiens. There used to be a time when I completely avoided sugar and took none in my coffee. But somewhere something went wrong and I found myself adding extra sugar in my coffee. I'm thinking this is a good excuse to avoid that extra sugar and calories in my sedentary lifestyle.

3. Recycle: This is something that I already force upon my roommates and I have very strong opinions about. I will not drop my Gatorade bottle in the general trash at the gym and instead carry it back home and throw it in my recycle pile. Definitely doable.

4. Listen to at least one Carnatic song a day: Unlike my parents' one terrabyte carnatic music collection, I have none. There hasn't been a single day in my 12 years of classical music learning phase when my mother did not plead me to practice. Clearly, my voice has lost its ability to do any more riyaz, therefore, to do justice to my 12 years of classical music training, I hope to listen to at least one carnatic song every day. Now's the time to scourge YouTube for videos of December music season concerts. (Recommendations are most welcome)

This whole thing is probably going to be easier said than done. But hey, it could be a start to something much bigger and I'm vouching to remain positive through this entire thing. I'm also going to cover my walls with notes reminding me of my immediate goals. 

Go on, take something up and let me know what your challenges are for the next 30 days.

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Recently, people are asking me what exactly I blog about. This question is easier asked than answered. As I inch towards my 6th blog anniversary, I felt it is important to revisit the purposes of this blog and perhaps even redefine it. I began blogging as an extremely immature and irresponsible teenager. Those of you who have hung around long enough would vouch for the fact that the posts have certainly not gotten any mature or shown any signs of responsible behavior.

So, what started as an experimental tool to vent bottled up thoughts ended up becoming a platform of expressing the deepest emotion and at times even creative outbursts. From cribbing endlessly about my college and its inhabitants to meeting fellow bloggers who are now friends for life. From worrying about pursuing dreams to witnessing them become a reality. I think somewhere amidst all that I am glad that I had this blog to chronicle such phases in life. Reading older posts mostly leaves me snorting at my own misery and cringing at all other times.

It does upset me that I don't have much to say these days. People are noticing that I've mellowed down from the perky teenager that I used to be and transitioned in to a quieter person. (Someone must be glad that happened!) The posts have become sporadic, but I must admit that life's lessons are easier preached than learned. I've somehow adopted this I-don't-care-to-have-an-opinion attitude and I'm hoping this is also a phase that shall pass with time. I'm glad that a few things have happened in life, despite several sacrifices that have been made to cement it. There are bigger mountains ahead to climb and I hope that someday I will write about it and force my grandchildren to comment on those posts.

If I didn't make my point clear, dearest blog, I love you. Thanks for standing by me!

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I'm officially done with experiencing the 4 seasons in one year. My summer comes to a close next week and I'm not sure how ready I am to face my new beginnings. I seem to be totally out of the beat after working through the summer. The past 3 months have been a great learning experience and I just wish I could squeeze some more juice out of the lemons that life gave me.

I had wished to do so many things over these 3 months and I did get through most of it. I still suck at cooking though. I should really credit my bad food to my newly acquired sense of appreciation and respect for people who can cook! Now that I've said that, my attempts at baking and producing brownies have been almost successful except for the fact that I might have accidentally set the house on fire. I do not wish to divulge into the facts for the fear of further damaging my already tarnished cooking reputation. But you must know that the brownies did come out really moist, chocolatey and brownie-like.

Other than that P & S came to visit me and I had so much fun catching up with both of them. And the next week is going to be even better for so many different reasons. Now that life is going to throw tomatoes at me, I will make Bloody Mary's out of them for I need that extra kick to get through the next 4 months. I've decided to live it up while it lasts!

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There are positive vibes from all around and things assure of working in your favor. Its the happiness of being well fed, rested and having nothing to worry about. Its the joy of waking up before your irritating alarm goes off and realizing you have a good hour of sleep time left. The life devoid of any responsibilities or pressures. No mad rush to meet deadlines or to maintain performance. You live each day like it were the last of your life. Your head is fuzzy with so much lasting happiness that even opioids would miserably fail to give. You see the world through pink tinted glasses. The sky seems bluer and the air has a zesty touch. The grass smells fresher and looks so much greener. The rainbow is outside your window every morning. You wake up with a smile every morning and you know it in your gut that it is going to be a great day.

And then, you sigh and hope that would happen to you in reality and get back to your chores after putting it on your blog ! :D

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Did you all think that I had fled from the scene forever ? Probably you did and aren't even reading this ?
Anyhow, so much has changed since my last post. I'm writing from an entirely different continent, several miles away from home and all the familiar stuff. I couldn't possibly think this would have manifested a few months back, but now that it has, I'm finding it hard to believe that I'm actually living it !
Till now has been the longest I've been away from home and the days are only going to be extending further. I'm in a country where everything is done exactly the opposite of how I used to do it. I can only laugh thinking about how I've managed till now and shudder thinking of how I'm going to scrape through further. I've had so many memorable moments which I am sure I can never forget, and will probably share those as future posts when I find more time.
I'm experiencing a colder climate after almost 11 years and possibly snow soon ! I'm cooking my own food, much to my mom's amusement and trying to manage my expenses wisely enough to control the urge to splurge on bags and clothes! Even though I miss a lot of things back home, there are so many things that keep me on my toes here !
I'm trying to survive and I think I'm doing something on those lines currently.
Until later.. be good !

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I'm setting a whole new example to the institution called lethargy. Its been almost a month since I posted, and its definitely not because I'm busy. I'm slowly creeping into the wonderful world of sloths. Its an amazing feeling to wake up every morning and realize that you have absolutely nothing to do, no deadlines to meet, no errands to run, nobody to please and all the day to yourself.
It does gets boring after a while, but that's when my sense of randomness takes over and I end up doing the most ridiculous of things to keep myself engaged. I'm trying to cross out a lot of things on my "Things to do before you turn twenty two" list and some of the things are way too mortifying to be written here and I shall not plummet my pride any further on this blog.
This part of life is undoubtedly the best ever and would never return again. Or maybe it would return in its own different way. But, before the big bad world beckons, I'm doing all that I can to live it up in style. Trust me, its definitely fun!

Oh yeah, I graduated too! :P

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She was warped.
He was impartial.

She chose whims.
He insisted on rationale.

She lived jauntily.
He kept constant vigilance.

She bubbled enthusiasm.
His feet never left the ground.

She longed for a fairy tale life.
He lived the moment.

She dreamed.
He made them true.

She always fret.
He always listened.

She initiated.
He completed.

She said I love you!
He said I do too!

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What's with people on social networking sites changing their display names to an incomprehensible mess of symbols like @ ! |< instead of using alphabets to spell out their name ? Honestly, its definitely not a nice way to display your creativity according to me! It gets even worse when they have a celebrity's picture for display and it really gets on my short fused nerves. I don't care if you have Santa Claus as your display image, but do spell out your name, for you exist on someone's friend list not just to increase your friend count as a measure of your coolness. Or wait a minute, is that really why ? And you're provided with a status message tab to notify people of your updates, why change the display name making it all the worse to recognize you? Oh whatever!

I've been reading too many books of lately, and the latest to the list is "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic". Honestly speaking, I fell for its glossy cover texture and the affable print. (Dear lord, the cover is pink !) Anyways, its a typical chick-lit book, and there was a point when I threw the book down in mere frustration. But now that I'm done with it, I feel really funny about it, in a ridiculous way. Now I'm dying to watch the movie adaptation of the book. Also, I'm waiting to watch the TV premiere of Oceans 13 tomorrow. George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt. Drool.

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When it comes to writing about friends, somehow words fail to communicate my sentiments. The feeling of jubilation on meeting a few of them after years. The excitement caused while spending time with them. The warm hugs. The perception of pure-unadulterated-joy. The gushing moments of giggles and the loud raucous laughter.
No matter how much I try to describe it, you'll never be able to fathom the degree of happiness it can arouse in me.
We come from different walks of life, speak different languages at home, but still can gel so beautifully despite living in different continents and not having met each other for months together. Its miraculous how we cannot feel out of touch even when we meet after months together. They say separation increases the love, hell yeah, I agree! :)
And there are the ones whom we are constantly in touch with. Right from good mornings to sweet dreams - these are ones who complete me. Rather, they are like my alter ego. We have nothing in common. Our tastes are diametrically opposite, but we are like two sides of the same coin. We don't need words to explain ourselves. They can complete my sentences. Know my next move. Again, I have no words to express my love for them.

But whatever said and done, these people mean the world to me and every moment in the wake with them is undeniably amusing and the memories are worth a lifetime of happiness.

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Random words scribbled across pages. . . Doodles on the back cover of notebooks.
Empty confetti boxes & scribbles on switch panels.
Cash. . a lot of cash stowed away in the pocket of a jeans that doesn't fit anymore!
The first fountain pen. Blue and ivory.
The man who gave it to me.
Autographs on white board. . . Initials engraved on colored chalks.
Learning serendipity. . .the woman who taught it.
First pair of dancing shoes. . silver with navy trimming.
Falls, Cracks, Plasters, Stumbles . . aplenty. . . what a klutz. . still !
Butter fingers!
The person who gave that name.
The 21 cakes. .


Its ironic how little insignificant things can trigger such strong emotions and a sense of nostalgia in our lives.

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Life at the moment is like watching a movie in a language you don't understand! Maybe that contributes to not liking the movie in itself. Flooded roads, cloudy skies, sudden downpours, chilly breeze - none of these being my favorites.
Unreachable people, cut off from the world outside, staring at the firing happening in Bombay on TV - hurried calls to relatives to inquire if all is fine, screaming a few swearwords at the people responsible, getting upset at not being able to do much about it, (if blogging or changing status messages would help, I would have done it long back!) brooding over the same with folks at home, all conversations boiling down to pretty much nothing. Period.

Sit by the window in a plush armchair with a warm cuppa of green tea in hand, listening to some music I can't connect to - it doesn't matter- , texting friends, flipping magazines, munching on things I swore I wouldn't touch ever again, ignoring calls and chats - just not in the mood for a conversation -, thinking of the things I could / should have been doing, blank, nothing, standstill is where me and my world have reached.

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I was watching The Shawshank Redemption again yesterday! And hence my favorite line from the movie has inspired an entire post. I've written enough about the importance of hope in my life. I thrive on it every single day till god knows when! I wish my blog lives to be written about that day sometime further down the lane.
There are a dozen things I want to do right now. But its not always that you're wishes are fulfilled instantly. There are compromises, adjustments, postponing, reluctance and so much more standing in your way. It won't take long to topple them down and go ahead with what I want to do, but waiting for the opportune moment has become an integral part of my life. When you do it for so long, it becomes a part of you, and when things go right, you tend to doubt their existence.
And that's when you hope - you hope things remain the same forever, you hope time moves faster at times, and you hope against all the hope hopen !!
Right now, I just wish people would agree to my whims and let me proceed with my rebellious and opposing ideas! Period.

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Its funny how time flies when you don't want it to, and how it drags itself to heights of boredom when you wish it to flee! Err... I'm not sure which of the 2 phases I am going through right now!!

There are a million and a half things on my mind - Each spinning and whizzing past one another like snitches in the Harry Potter books. I hate it when this enforced schedule takes over and makes me lose command over life. But, this is exactly how I wanted my life to be, a month back. Its strange how you wish for certain things and when they come true, you don't want them anymore. I can't bear monotony. Change, however consistent it may be, has always been something that I wished for in regular dosages in my life.

But now, things have been insanely crazy and out-of-control at my end. Socialising has reached its limits and I would love some solitude and peace restored in my life.

I'm being tempted to stay disconnected from all sorts of communication! But of course, not for long! :D

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She was sure he'd forget it again. And right she was.
Arpita and Aroh were married happily for 3 years. There life was all roses and pink but the only problem was, their day of matrimony was never remembered by Aroh despite several reminders on the mobile or circling the date on the calendar in a bright red circle on July 1.
July 1, the day both knew happiness and a sense of achievement like never before. Their families had approved a love marriage after much opposition and criticism. And their fairy tale life began until their first anniversary came and Aroh sinned and earned the wrath of his better half by casually exclaiming that - "I don't believing in celebrating just this one day". And so he escaped the following year too.

And if you expected me to continue the story with some shoddy twist, then be prepared to be disappointed, for that was just a prelude to me forgetting my dearest blog's 3rd anniversary. Do wish her well, for I'm waking her up from a deep slumber after several inconsistent posts.

For those who don't know; yours truly can now also be read at www.findnearyou.com and I'm shifting all my music reviews to http://songnlyrics.blogspot.com

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She was a dreamer of sorts. Rather, she was a dreamer in all sorts of ways. From the reckless swinging of arms, the little hop in her walk, the constant ruffle in her hair, the unshaped eyebrows, the dragging of syllables while talking and all other things not primp and concise.
Today, was one of her days, where her mind was at its best to dream. She lazily crept out of bed and hopped between the papers, wires and other myriad objects strewn across the room. The sight of the place could give her mother the spooks and merely thinking about it, made her chuckle. She finally made her way to the journal lying open near the bean bag. She grabbed it with one hand and started her search for a pen that wrote amongst the million other nothings scattered around. Several futile attempts later, she found a crayon box with most colors missing. She pulled out one and plopped on the bean bag which gave a menacing whooshing sound. Pulling her knees close to her body, she propped the journal on her knees and began scrawling with the crayon across the unruled pages. A few lines later, she threw her journal aside and called a landline number in India from her calling card and spoke the words - "miss you maa" in to the voice mail before hanging up.
How she hated the time lag !!!

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Hello's to all !
I know I'm charged guilty of letting this place rot for long now. I really can't give any excuses to explain my stand, rather, I have too many of them to list ! None of them qualify as reasons to have stayed away from blogging. Anyways, I was going through some of my old posts and I realized, there was nothing but fiction all over here. I felt like some grandma narrating tales to her grandchildren after dinner by the fireside!! For the much missing vent, here it goes -
2007 has made me a more confused soul, kicked me out of my teens, made me an aunt on the same day, nudged me to do some impulsive things, put me through some dire straits and blah blahs ! This happened yesterday and left my mother totally baffled and a few friends in splits -

Woke up after an afternoon nap - in a semi-conscious state - walk to mom's room and find her reading some magazine !
Me: Maaa...
Ma: *looking at the mag still* "What ?"
Me: Maaaaaaaa.......
Ma: *looks at me now and says* "Whaaat?"
Me: Ammmmaaaaaaa.......
Ma: *snaps back - "Stop mooing like a cow and tell me WHAT, will you ?"
Me: I'm hungry
Ma: You're always hungry Ramya
Me: I'm hungry ma..
Ma: Seri, what do you want ?
Me: I'm hungry maaaa..... hunger hungry
Ma: Adhaan di, what do you want ?
Me: I want to cut my hair maa !!

Amma gives the - OMG-what-happened-to-this-woman kind of look and throws me out of the room and no food or haircut either !

Happy New Year people ! Have all the prosperity, happity, giggity stuff !

Ps: Oh yes, shoot away your resolutions in the comment box! My resolution is to make a resolution and stick by it !

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Thin rays of golden yellow sunlight peeped in from between the tightly pulled blinds. Abstract patterns danced on the bed as the curtains swayed in the autumn breeze. He turned over in his slumber trying to evade the sunlight and groped for his wife with one hand. On encountering a bunch of linen instead of his newly-wed, he propped himself on one elbow and glanced around the room. The digital clock blinked 7.40 am on the bedside table. Finding no signs of her presence, he craned his neck to check for lights from the gap beneath the washroom door. It took him a whole minute to acknowledge the aroma of coffee drifting through the bedroom door and the low notes of instrumental music emanating from the living room.

She pulled aside the curtains and let the bright sunlight caress her face. Taking in the warmth for a while, she switched on the radio and plopped herself on the overstuffed sofa. The mug of freshly brewed coffee was placed next to her on the table. And beside the mug, a very ornate frame held the photo of two people grinning broadly at the camera. She picked up the frame and smiled to herself. It was hard for her to believe that she was now living with the man whom she had loved all her life! She pinched herself hard to confirm reality. Hearing a muffled chuckle, she looked up to see the man in the photograph leaning casually against the frame of the bedroom door, smiling at her.

He knew that she was happy. The radiant look on her face, deep dimples on her cheeks and the way her eyes sparkled conveyed more to him than words could express. His protective arms around her said millions about how much he cared for her. Taking her mehndi adorned hands in his and looking straight into her deep dark eyes, he said in the most honest of tones, what she had felt shy to utter all her life - "I love you".

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To Priyya, Mahesh and their 21 day old angel, Nanditha !

When he first saw her, he couldn't take his eyes off her. His voice was caught in his throat. He was sure, one blink, and his watery eyes wouldn't hold their joyful tears for long.
Her head was jutting out of a white cloth that tightly secured her arms and legs leaving her completely immobile. Bluish green veins were visible on her flushed rosy cheeks. He touched her soft hair that reached the nape of her neck already and gingerly brushed them away from her forehead with his fingers. Carefully, he traced his finger down her tender cheek. She responded reflexively by craning her neck towards the finger, enjoying the tingly warmth of her father's touch.
Merely due to the loss of words and the inability to utter something sensible at that moment, he said in a hushed baritone - "Hello". She merely blinked at him. He found himself staring at another pair of the same black doe shaped eyes which had attracted him to his wife.
He gently picked her up. With one hand firmly supporting her neck and head, he ensconced her meanwhile adjusting her wrap. After cradling her in his arms for a while, he carefully placed her on his shoulders and patted her back. She gave a burp and rubbed her cheeks on his freshly laundered white Giordano t shirt. A few paces and some out-of-tune humming later, his first born was asleep. Very unwillingly he placed her in the cradle and sat beside it looking at his daughter sleep for the first time. A few minutes later, her tiny grayish pink lips curved lopsidedly, which he assumed to be a grin. Her first dream, he thought. He wondered as to what could be amusing her so much on her very first night in the world. He whispered -"I'm going to make every dream of yours come true, my love."
"So, will you change your opinion at least now?" asked his wife, stirring from her semi-conscious state.
He grinned sheepishly and held the hand of his first love who had brought about this little angel into their lives and changed both their lives forever.
"If you had to give me such an example to prove that Love at first sight does happen, then, I bow, you win !"

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It was just another day in June. But the heat was not showing any signs of abatement. Dressed casually in a comfortable t shirt and a pair of jeans that badly needed washing, a pair of running shoes that had seen better days and a completely worn out Ferrari cap, Nimesh looked nothing more pompous than the boy next door.

The traffic was not improving things either. He braked, accelerated, braked again, changed lanes only to find the one he left to be less congested. After driving at snail's pace for what seemed like eons, the signal came. He adjusted the cap on his head as if pulling it further down his forehead would shield him from the blazing sun. Popping his knuckles, he gave a furtive glance at the rear view mirror.

Niranjana was a girl who didn't know much about the outside world. Her world comprised only of Nimesh and sitting on the pillion behind him today, made her feel as if there was nothing more she could want from life. She just wished, he would keep going and the ride never stop. She didn't care about the sun that was tanning her fair unblemished skin. She didn't care about the traffic, the end of which would in result her early separation from him. He was her guardian angel and she wanted him to be around forever.

The signal blinked to green, and Nimesh sped towards their destination for the day. Exactly 3 minutes later, he parked his bike in front of the building and she gingerly disembarked from the pillion. With tears brimming in her eyes, he half-carried her till the gate and saw his baby sister walk in to her first primary school. Now he had to go and hunt for a present to give her later in the evening when his arm would be wound with the sacred thread of Rakhi. He was a proud brother !

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