July is the fastest month

Did you know I used to come online on my blog almost everyday to read the blogs that I follow, but didn't just realized how fast July flew. It was just a few days back that I thought I wrote the last post. But anyway. Lets focus on what all happened this month.

First of all, I had a complete blast of a birthday this 7th. It was a surprise from a lo

t of people I had never expected. I know birthdays make one happy and all, but this one made me even happier than that, if you know what I mean.

My birthday though ended in OT leaving for the U.S. Temporary parting blues remained for a few days but I consoled myself saying that its just for a month anyway.

Its raining cats and dogs here right now. In Bangalore, when you say "cats and dogs" you actually mean " daily evening chores of sprinkling water in the city". Its weird. So weird. Good weird though. That every time you sweat a little because of the weather, it just rains. So perfect. I did not know something like that existed . I thought weather was just meant to be like a strict teacher and teach you the meaning of tolerance.

This month was crazy. I ended up choreographing two stage events, one for Bosch and one for the school where I teach as a part timer.

They were both brilliant events. I even put up the videos and photos

on

http://www.facebook.com/piahdancestudio

Oh ya, I bought a lot of gifts for Polly for her birthday that was on Jul 11th, but have still not posted it. Bad me. (Lets hope writing it down makes me courier it faster)

One thing that has not been going on well is my food habits. Because of over work. I have thinned down a lot and not in a good way. Also, I have become very

irregular in my Bharatanatyam classes. I am feeling very guilty about that and trying to make up for it by going whenever I can.Hopefully , because both these events are done, I can go more regularly .

On the last note, here are a few photos Zubair and I took from my balcony

. Thi

s is the view from my house. Didn't know how amazing it was until just now. :) Happy reading. (Zubair. Again, why are we fighting? :S:S)

P.S : Green tea still makes me happy.

A bright, new, happy 2011 !!!

I have so many things to write today. So I went about it by jotting down all the points I wanted to write before I forget. This substantiates the fact of my fetish for making lists.

I had a very happy New Year's Eve party last night. I danced like crazy. And suddenly I realized that its the most fun thing dancing with A.K. Everything suddenly becomes bliss. I know he is not a big fan of dancing. But I also know that he doesn't mind dancing once in a while with me. I was just a little worried towards the end because Popat became unwell. Also that I lost my clutch that had my debit card and my license. (Zufair : I know. This must be making you really happy. This is still nothing compared to the four cards you lost in six months)

Still, somehow these little roadblocks didn't stop me from feeling happy about the New Year Eve party. I think because it had a lot to do with the fact that I had all my close ones in Bangalore (Zufair was missing though :(..I wish he had been there too.) , the blissful dance with A.K and the final countdown to 2011. Honestly, after that precious moment when the crowds shouted "5..4..3..2..1", I became so emotional that I started crying. It just takes a drop of the hat for my tears to start rolling.

On this note, I want to make a special mention of A.K who has made my journey in Bangalore really special. Sometimes in life you need a cushion, to fall back on when you know the world slaps you with a hard hand. I have so much faith in him, because I know I have him in my life. There is immense happiness and tonnes of happy tears when I'm with him. I'm so glad that there's been a great beginning for 2011. I'm so glad that even the little fights we have had has never let me stop seeing the big picture, and realize there are more important things in life than winning some petty fight. And as I mentioned before, I've never loved dancing with anyone as much I have loved dancing with you.

This New Year Eve party involved me doing a lot of shopping. I have A.K's Canon Powershot SX110 IS which is THE best thing I could have in my hand. I took pictures of all the dresses and shoes that I bought. Will upload once I get the data cable from him. Also, along with those dresses, I suddenly got the mood to try out different styles of clothing from whatever I have in my wardrobe. How it all started was, I was watching these "How to dress in Style" videos on youtube.com. And seeing these girls team up simple t-shirts with belts and looking like style icons inspired me to do the same. Fortunately, I succeeded in creating one top-jeans-shoes-belt combination which looked pretty good. Anyway, I clicked pictures of me wearing them.

Adding to my list of things that I need to do in the next two days includes inquiring about my lost clutch, my lost driver's license, and getting a new debit card. I'll be joining dance classes soon.

Adding to the New Year resolution list :

1)Get a professional photoshoot.

2)Dont let people treat you like a pushover(Learn to be firm and ward unwanted people away).

Music I'm listening to :Beyonce, Irreplacable (Spanish version)

Book I'm reading : Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

Weird Fact of the Day : When you type "add" in T9 on your mobile, the first word that it gives you is "bed". ( I don't know how "bed" is a more common word than "add"... Don't want to think deeper into this though. (chuckle))

Health Tip I just learned : Just found out that lycopene, found in tomatoes are absorbed in the body only if you take in with a little amount of fat. The best suggestion is to add a little olive oil to the salad. Time to buy Olive Oil I think.

Also, I oiled and steamed my hair. Lately I have been having more bad hair days than good ones. Soon , I plan to visit the dentist and the dermatologist to get myself checked.

Finally, I'm taking this moment to thank all the people who were there for me in 2010. In no particular order :Zubair ,Urvi, Alfan, Prerna, Amar, Indu, Animesh, Amit, Farah, Vivek, PU, Tirus, Smriti, Sonali, Harsh Mishra, GT, Pratham, Goli, Polly, Mom and Dad, Abhishek,juniors like Monika, Rakesh, Manju, the gujjus Amit, Megha(the biggest Gunti), Rekha (the biggest Drama Queen)..the IT Folks : Nandu, Chansal, Apurva, YK, Ritika and others, my basketball team: Sarita, Rachna, Siddhant, Rekha and all the others in the girls and guys team, Work people like Kranthi, Anup, Supriya, Madhavi, Komal, Jigisha, Madhurita, Ramya, Komal, Renjit, Vimmy, Eswar, Sumesh,my blog twin Anurag aka Lavinor.

And finally A.K... for giving me all the happiness I ever wanted.

(I apologize if I forgot a few names.. It might just mean that you were very important but always there.. so didn't click in my head)

Bohemians that we are

Do you remember watching Adams Family when you were young? Yeah, we are similar. But worse. And we couldnt have been more proud of ourselves.

We live in our own world . We live by our own conventions. We have our own rules. We do our own things. We live in this blissful world of our home.

We enjoy the greatest time spending time with each other, sipping a cup of "Amma's Chai" , opening the windows and let the 4.00pm sun rays enter in. To top it, we have Polly sitting with us on the sofa , listening to our afternoon chit chat.

That is some time that no one can ever replace, I dont think that heavenly feeling of sitting and listening to Pratham and Mumma laugh can be replaced by anything in this world.

Because the world conspires for it to happen!

"When you want something good in life, you pay a price for it. When you want something better, you pay a heavier price ."

But when you know that you see not a single scenario favoring the thing you want, mark my words, you wont be happy even after you get it. Because it wasn't meant for you to be.

Strive for a particular limit, fight till you keep seeing some ray of hope. But if everything right from your phone to your friends , your family to your work... everything seems dishevelled, it just means there is a signal warning you against it.

The difference between paying a price and getting a signal is that, when you have to pay the price ,you just have to. It doesn't come with an option. But getting a signal does have one.

I had my share of getting a signal .And chose not to.
The whole thing wasn't worth it in the first place ,I think.
Too many fights.
Too many enquiries.
Too many tiffs.
Near-to-falling-out fights with close ones.
Ignorance.
Arrogance.
Revenge.
And then, Polly falls sick .She has tumour. Not sure whether its benign or malignant. I feel numb.Cant understand a thing. Im not sure whether I should stay at home for a few days. I feel so attached to her. It scares me. The biopsy reports will come next week. Hope its not malignant. Otherwise chemotherapy sessions begin. Im sure though its benign.

Its at that moment when I look everywhere and think.. some things can look so petty when seen from a distance.

Some things look so frivolous when you talk about it, but when you come up with a greater problem , you can see the bigger picture.

And it feels so petty and small to even say what the problem actually is. I don't want to feel small about myself when I describe what it is which made me introspect circumstances.

Not thinking about it , I have decided to dedicate this year to a whole list of new things. Things which I didn't/couldn't/never thought of/ always wanted to do. A toast to a bright , new beginning. And for the petty things to follow, what was I thinking when I was fighting with a few people ? Why couldnt I have just reacted normally when they were asking me things/interviews/application forms/posts in the college? Why did I react?

I feel utterly stupid and shallow now. I feel there was no point fighting over something which wasn't worth fighting for. I also realized how crazy mob mentality can make you. I feel embarrassed to write this blog , but I had to declare my mistake. And i finally repaired it. I chose not to. I had always chosen not to. Revenge and curiosity of other people in me made me want to get back at them. I forgot for a moment I needed to increase my Karma points considering the number of good deeds Ive done till now has taken it to minus.

I wouldn't forget that now.

The road less travelled

Im scared. Not scared to death. But scared. I want to know what's best for me. I happened to meet this woman in our flat who had been in the Navy for seven years. I was awe struck by her. And at this point, I feel like a little kid. I feel like thinking about random things right now, a lot of things ...and nothing related to each other. A complete mad hatter is what I feel right now:

a)Join the navy.
b)Become a veterinary doc.
c)Open a dance class for 15 days in Gandhinagar, and teach them a few dance routines. Pocket money.
d)Go abroad and learn Ballet.
e)Take a trip with my mom and sister. Girls Holiday Out.
f)Sleep continuously atleast for 16 hours. And feel totally fresh.
g)Buy a domain name .Create a web site.
h)Collaborate with my mom and hold a dance competition for different categories in the Town Hall at Gandhinagar. Something small but fulfilling to start with.
i)Not to sit for my placements at all. No point because anyway they are looking for coders. Whtas the point of looking for a "backup" just incase things dont work out.
j)Collaborate with my mom and help her open a boutique. I will be incharge of decorating the boutique. Decorating it with handicrafts and artifacts. Use of wood logs in the boutique as seats. Converting our garage into a boutique seems like a wonderful idea. :):)


I dont know why is it that a lot of times this randomness enters my head and stays for a long time. Why is it that I end up deciding the most random things in life and something so monotonous comes on my way?

I dont know what to do. I just dont. Will this realisation ever come to me?Or shall I do everything turn by turn?

And when I dont, I just want to go home. Things seem so much simpler then.
Even without a solution. :(:(

Stuck in the moment!

Raindrops all around,the sweet smelling earth at its glorious best,a lush green carpet bed,the feeling that I get when I extended my hand out of the window,and feel the silver bullets striking through it."Magical" is what I think when I see the marvels of nature.But the greatest marvels of nature could be family. Wherever I am,wherever I go,but i cant help get stuck at the moment.

The balcony,with a lot of pots around...sweet smelling Lilies and citrus China grass,..the glassy money plant with crystals of water falling on the grass. This time,when my mom made the best coffee for me and my sister and herself. My brother would have his standard Chai. We opened all the windows of the house,little sprinkles getting inside. Then all of us,me ,my brother,my sister and my mom would go to the balcony and sit,each grabbing a chair for themselves.My brother and me preferred to sit on the floor,leaning against the wall,holding his ceramic Chai cup in his hand. Polly ,who loves sitting where she has loads of company,also came to the balcony and sat with us,listening to our talks. The hot steaming cup of coffee,that opened the pores and senses of my face,and my brother's talks that opened my mind. The merry laughter, my mother's jokes,my brother's humor, my sister's getting irritated because she was made the butt of most jokes, my laughter at the mere hearing of so many jokes.I used to be cuddling Polly most of the time,brushing her hair. She looked into my eyes,and was the purest. It seems like ages since Ive had a moment like that ,just sitting and talking.

Sometimes I think,everything is racing so fast. I got admission in NIT Bhopal.Started living in another hostel,away from home.I used to look forward to going home on vacations.And this time Im spending it in Hyderabad,again,away from home. I want to close my eyes,and feel each moment with my family all over again.Those wintry afternoons, the rainy evenings and summer nights.

I just close my eyes.I feel it all over again.

Arundhati Roy:God of Small Things

I always liked to read books written by Indian authors,because I could relate to them so much better.And Arundhati Roy proved all my thoughts to the greatest extents.Ive read only half the book right now,but its soo addicting.

There is something about the way she looks for optimism in all negative aspects.
And thats soo true.A lot of times we feel our lives are in dump,but you know what?There will be soo many others whose lives would be in greater pains.So we musnt complain.
A must read for all.

Btw...music lovers: you must lsiten to "Toss The Feathers" by The Corrs.

And yeah,im coordinating a music show on a small level in our office. I dont knwo the ABC of music.But its fun seeing such talented people come together to perform something.LEts see how the preparation goes.

Hmm..Btw Pavitra..this is for you if you are reading this.

I miss you big time.

Cheers!

Curling up on my mom's lap!!!

In this mad,bustling crowd of frantic people and never-ending activities where every mortal gets stuck in the rut of staying at pace with the others,where everything around seems like a black hole,that inspite of everything good happening in your life and people telling me good times are coming my way..........why is it that i just feel like closing my eyes and remember the good old days when i was a kid.??The moments when i used to bruise my knee after a bicycle race on my little BSA Champ multicolored cycle...and when my mom used to put Dettol and i wailed my eyes out because it burnt...............The moments when i used to come back from school and cry to my mom because i was one of the shortest girls in my class and asked her why god forgot to give me height...and she used to hug me and tell me that big things came in small packages...and i believed her....There were times when i fought with her like mad for silly reasons....and she still forgave me...i remember my teenage years...when irritability was my only emotion..........but still she bore with me......patient and kind......never got angry because of my petty tantrums.......

All these moments flash through my memory right now...at this phase...when people around me think that success is knocking on my door really hard (which again i think im just lucky right now,not because i was meant to get it),i dont feel like even thinking about all the materialistic achievements this month......nothing about the internship,or the basketball tournament..or even about any pretentious SGPAs....Dont want any gossip,any bitching about me,those eyes looking at me,waiting to cause harm..... those mouths that gossip about whether im even worth any internship or those wrong intentioned guys......

I can just think about going to my mom.......putting my head on her lap.....and stopping time.........



I just want things to be simple ...you know the KISS rule (Keep it simple,stupid)....

The most beautiful gift!!

Priya Ku(maa)r-that's her name. Engineering-that's her profession. Cancer-that's her zodiac sign. Choreography-that's her hobby. And dance!!!!......that's her passion. For her life is a celebration and she sure knows how to celebrate it. Studies for her is a last minute thing, and physical regimen is a must.

Whenever a friend is in trouble, the first name that comes to mind is 'Priya". She will go to any length to solve it. She often keeps her mom busy too. The stray animals in Bhopal know they have a savior in her. She picks up the sick ones and sneaks them into her hostel, without the warden's knowledge. With her care, and help from friends, the sick animal recovers, and is placed back from where it came. She has asked me to use the KV....MAA forum to request the Mighties to adopt a sick animal each and give them a home. She is a Maa herself to these mute and cute beings.

Leadership is something that comes naturally to her. She is always in command of any situation and is called a 'Lovable Leader'

Priya is an epitome of elegance and grace,confidence and talent, innocence and cheer. She dances like a swan. If you happen to be anywhere near her college and hear the sound of several footsteps, you can be sure the lil girl is making a large group of students, double her size, dance to her (tune) every move and step. She has succeeded in converting the most shy and awkward friend into a reasonably good dancer. Every choreography of hers is a masterpiece in itself. At the age of three, she once tried to convince a dance instructor that she was seven, when the lady told us that that was the qualifying age to start dance lessons.

The enthu of people around her is to be seen to be believed. At home whenever there is a crisis, I don't know how she manages to turn up on time. The moment the crisis is over, she too is gone...........to her celebration................of life.

This lil nurturer is filled with supreme confidence in herself and confidence in others. She is able to see the best in people. She has proved the saying 'great things come in small packages'.

Priya is a bundle of joy, energy and talent. You can write a never-ending book on her. She is food for thought, a balm to your soul and a smile for your lips. She reminds you of Lisa of the Simpson's fame and Sania Mirza of the Tennis fame. Keats rightly said, 'a thing of beauty, a joy forever' !!



Rgds

Bhagi

"This is the ideal place where this should be...I love you mom..More than anything else in this whole wide world..Thanks for this beautiful gift..."

Injured :Day 3!

I'm really missing home .Just talked to my mom and brother. Things seem soo cute and cozy at home. I miss their presence. I miss drinking coffee with them during evenings when the setting sun rays used to enter the windows of my house in front of the dining table.I miss gossiping with them about anything and everything while sipping the hot tasty coffee my mom makes. I miss Polly(my pet) jumping at me whenever she heard the slightest crisp of Marie biscuit (her favorite ,by the way) and she used to get it.I miss my mom's laughter at those politically incorrect jokes( which are really funny) that my brother cracks. I miss Polly's bark at those little kids who play cricket outside our house,and used to snatch their ball and play with it whenever it entered my lawn. I miss my dad who pampers me like no one can ever do.I miss Goli(my sister) who I love talking to ..because she is such a fun person who has so many interesting facts to talk about.I miss my brother Pratham making fun of Goli and the way she gets offended .I miss home. But lucky I have Popat here in my hostel,in my room,who is almost a substitute to my family.But remember Popat is mad,hateli,but still a sweetheart. Anyway the worst part is that I'm not able to contribute properly for Ripple this time.Everyone in my batch is going for sponsorship and I'm not getting an opportunity to be a part of it. And people come back and look at me with sympathy...and I've started hating it now. I am constantly reminded of the fact that I have a plastered leg which is not going to be removed for the next 15-20 days. I miss doing those things that I used to do when I was all fine and active. But look at me..We humans are never happy with what we have. I just have an injured leg which will be repaired in a few days and I'm crying over it,and I think of the people who become physically handicapped during accidents,who take life as it comes,happily. I think Im just being an ordinary mortal....a greedy mortal!!