Turtle walks

So after much procrastination on my part I finally got down to writing a blog post!
Its 12 o’clock in the night and Neelankarai beach is eerily quiet.
The beach is so much more alive and happy at this time of the day, and its actually cold! Plastic bags flutter around in the breeze, leftover by the crowd that was probably here.
Anyway before I begin to ramble…Its turtle walking season again!
Hopefully some of you have been on a turtle walk. For those of you who haven’t, you’ve definitely missed out on something! 6 kilometres of walking on the cool wet sand and searching for turtle nests and hatchlings, a wildlife lovers paradise! I’ve always wanted to visit Gahirmatha in Orissa and watch the Arribada.
For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s when turtles mass nest on the beach! And by mass nesting I don’t mean a few, but hundreds and hundreds of turtles converging on the beach at the same time! Chennai has its own nesting sites all along its coast for the Olive Ridleys. We do get an occasional Green turtle too.
Sadly this year there have been numerous dead turtles washed up on the beaches. We even found a sperm whale last week! Trawling and gill nets drown the unsuspecting creatures and wash them onto the shore. Hatchlings die of dehydration as soon as they are born because of the lights on the beaches that distract them from their goal – the sea.
What is the cause for all of this? Who is responsible? It’s us! Every year they put up more lights on the beach for ‘safety’. More trawlers are sent out to the sea to fish, and more people come to the beaches and litter.
There is a solution to this just like most other problems : If you live near the sea switch off your lights from 12 to early morning during turtle nesting season (which is from January to April)! Clean up after you have fun at the beach! And don’t forget to use those trash cans! Only then will you be awe struck like I usually am when I go on a turtle walk or visit the hatchery.
Nothing beats watching turtle hatchlings emerge from their nests. They truly are magnificent creatures.

To love or hate?

What’s all the hype surrounding love about?
Love is so cliched. So boring. So blah!
It’s been talked about a gazillion times! Romeo and Juliet! Antony and Cleopatra! All of you get a life!
Valentine’s Day has become so fake. Materialistic in all sense of the word. I pity poor St. Valentine. Seriously.
So I’ve decided that since love has been talked about enough I’ll talk about hate instead.
Hate is so much more complex; so much more intense. In conventional terms it is not a very nice feeling but interesting all the same.
Nothing beats the feel of adrenaline running through you and making you all charged up. The raw emotion of hate is undefined and not explored enough.
But why does it have such negativity attached to it? Why can’t it be treated just like any other emotion? Personally I think it is because human nature doesn’t let us hate as much as we love. And both can’t be separated.
I have seen people blinded by their hatred towards some people. But strangely enough that has never happened to me. I would love to hate someone. Now doesn’t that sound like an oxymoron??
So finally hate people and love people. It’s your wish. But please don’t become mushy. I’d hate it and so would the people around you =P
Be unconventional like this poem we did in English class a few days back:

Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy:
Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.

Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.

Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.

Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your fingers,
cling to your knife.

Get it? So be yourself and tell the rest of the world to bugger off!
With lots of love and hate,
Me.

V Day!

Cookie monster likes cookies. Cookie monster likes cookies with milk. Cookie monster likes Valentine’s Day but not all that much. That’s because that is the day when Shiv Sainiks, Ram Sainiks and other jobless self loathing buffoons get the chance to slap defenseless women, marry men off to donkeys, and scare away couples snogging in public places. Who in hell’s name appointed them our nation’s law makers??What a cheap tactic of publicizing their irrational ideologies!
Isn’t it unfair to live in a world (or country more like it) where one cannot express one’s love to another? And no, I’m not talking about banging my non-existent boyfriend on the beach. I’m talking about being able to hug a friend whom you haven’t seen in years without having a million questioning eyes on you!
Valentine’s Day is not all about wearing sexy lingerie to make your boyfriend drool like a rabid dog. It’s not just about THTAT kind of love. It’s about appreciating Mum for getting you that cute purple tee you’ve had your eye on for a week now or your best friend waking you up every morning because she knows you just love hitting the snooze button .Or even your dog looking at you with those irresistible ‘puppy dog eyes’.I t’s just a day to let all the special people in your life know how great they are!
So go on! Don’t get them some sappy Archies card. Instead give them a hug. They’ll love you for it and you would save 20 bucks!
Till next time. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Cookie Monster
P.S-Boys stink