Merry New Year!

It’s that time of the year again! Not making up lameass New Year resolutions that no one will follow, but looking at the past year and what it’s meant to me. It’s also been ages since I’ve written anything. Anyway, here it goes...

The past year has been full of new things. New people. New adventures!

I managed to graduate from that nonsensical college (I do miss it now though) and left behind probably the closest friends I’ll ever have. You five will always be my inspiration for whatever I do. Shru with her humour, Shree with her knowledge, Rekha and her wisdom, Pavi and her chirpiness, and Deni with her street smartness. Thank god for whatsapp and messaging! Rekha please get married soon! :P

I got into the best college for wildlife in India AND turned it down. Sometimes I wonder, ‘What was I thinking?. But when I look back, it was probably a smart decision. I wouldn’t have met so many people or done so many different things if I had gone.

I taught at a school for a while and met some awesome kids. Did some environmental stuff and went to a forest. Attended a conference and did loads of other things I’ve forgotten now. I interned in Bangalore for a month as well and met some fascinating people.

I met a person who’s changed me completely (for the better, I hope!). I’m not hug-phobic anymore ‘cause of you :P Here’s to last Kodai, all the ragging, gazillion texts and phone conversations that followed after, and to July 16th!:) <3

How could I forget Ultimate. This year has been full of practice sessions, throwing around on the beach, fighting to play on the ground, juice kadai kadalai! I still can’t believe we won Chennai Heat. The way in which we all came together, gave each and every game our best showed in the end! We did it and let’s do it again in Kodai!

Here’s to everyone in Stall7 (especially AP) for pushing me and making me get that MVP at Chennai Heat!

Here’s to HCUK and making Delhi an unforgettable experience. We braved those terrible rooms, the gooey food and the horrible dust in the air! :P And we won! Booyah. (I don’t think I’ll ever forget that guy who kept calling fouls and pissing us off!).

The last year has probably been one of the best in my life. I’ve learnt so much and have gained memories I’ll always cherish. Let’s hope the next year kicks this years ass and that we don’t die at the end of it. In AP’s words from last year, ‘Merry New Year’! :D

Unfound Hero

And then he lifted me off the ground,
in his strong arms I lay,
naked, cold ,scarlet from wounds,
my skin raw.

Swiftly, he moves my hair from my moist face,
Revealing the fear in my eyes,
Softly, he touches my lips and says
‘do not waste a breath’

The rogue is on the floor, bleeding from within,
His lifeless eyes open, cold and astonished,
We walk over him, to other side, where the sun is bright
And the air is warm.

Boo-llywood

When you’re in Mumbai, you’re surrounded by people who love Hindi cinema. Why people would want to sit through three hours of Akshay Kumar’s ‘hehehuhahahuhahaha’ laugh, is beyond me. Even newspapers spend more time covering Kareena Kapoor’s hickeys than the destitute in the city. Makes you think eh?

Speaking of thinking, heard of Katrina Kaif? How can you not? She’s that weird woman on TV, who gets seduced by mangoes, or is it the other way around? Really now, the things people do for money K Isn’t it unfair how a woman who can’t act, speak Hindi, dance or do anything useful for a Hindi film be cast in so many of them? Just because of her good looks? Is that all it takes to be an actor? Good genes? What about all those struggling actors who’ve studied theatre for years and genuinely love the art of acting?

And what is it with these grandpa men being paired with 20-something plastically endowed women? They wear shades that cost 50,000 bucks and move their pelvises to some awful wanna-be hip hop beats and think they’re the ‘kool dudes who get the hot ‘items’ and are so chilled out maaaan’. Then there’s the very famous actor, who’s shot a blackbuck and run over a man with his car. Everyone, being the saints that they are have forgiven him (nothing to do with his celebrity status, of course) and joined his efforts in ‘being human’. Irony much?

These movies are so damn long and point-less that if I really wanted to have ‘time-pass’, I’d rather have someone drill a hole through my cranium. That’d be less painful. Watching women in pounds of make-up, can-barely-breathe-through-these noses and i-starve-myself-to-get-paid-and-laid attitudes is hardly what I call ‘entertainment.

But I should admit that a few commercial Hindi movies did do justice: Chak de India, Wake up Sid etc. It was not just another ‘Pyaar ki ek Kahaani’. There was more to it-a bit of a Western influence perhaps? I believe that watching lovers run around a tree and wear brightly blinding clothes is not what makes good cinema, But statistics prove me wrong. Sigh.

Hopefully not R.I.P.

Dear Cookie Monster,
We seem to have died virtually. We need a revamp.
Yours sincerely,
A very lazy fellow blogger.

Time Heals All Wounds

When she was four,

she saw her father, a glass in one hand, a slap on the other,

A woman crying, the tears of a mother.

In frequent fits of rage, He abused her, he cursed her,

Intoxicated, yes, but never harmed his little daughter.

When she was five,

She saw her mother , a piece of paper in a tightly held fist,

Triumphant glee behind her lips with which she had kissed

her little girl for she had won

the battle was over but the war had just begun.

When she was six,

she saw her grandpa, a lighter in his hand, and a cigarette in the other,

He was a dignified man, loving and kind,

Her mother loved him, the only man in her heart and always on her mind.

The loss of a father figure crushed the little girl once again.

He died of cancer before she was ten.

Many a time did the drunk man come to see her,

Violently he claimed that her mother was the one who tried to deceive her,

Scared but strong the little girl held on,

the family moved out of the city and he was long gone.

When she was fourteen,

she saw a young man with a rose in his hand,

He promised to love her, with all his heart,

She looked forward to a new beginning, a fresh new start.

As the years went by, it seemed a bumpy rollercoaster ride,

Lots of love, lots of laughter overpowered by grief and strife.

The lies were too much to bear, the love blinded by doubt,

And once again, the young girl had lost a man she had loved.

She has never been deprived of love despite the odds,

She has been strong like her mother, thank the gods,

For now she looks forward to a life of happiness and laughter,

For Now, older and wiser, she can't wait for her happily ever after.

Sometimes you can’t make it on your own…

After a four month long hiatus and a lot of pestering by people, Anjana is back (hopefully with a bang!).I can’t believe it took so long to put down what I thought about 5 people. The 5 people who made my days at college so worth it. I’d have died (seriously!) if they weren’t a part of it! So, here it goes. This is in no particular order!

Sathya- The smart one.
A genius, witty, funny in a very sadistic way :P , you made my days at college so much more lively! With your Shrikutty laugh and your klutziness, that made me seem like a graceful ballerina, you made us all grow up! Both in terms of the truckload of info you provided during exams and other more ‘interesting’ stuff (hint-T positions :P )! You made us all get hooked to serial killers and gore. Never forget our arterial spray plan! You were the most level-headed amongst us, and you thought through things when none of us did!
Bike rides with you were so much fun! Remember when we sang so many Beatle’s songs on the way back from college once? I wonder what people on the road must have thought! I love your sense of humour, your intelligence (go get that Nobel Prize someday), the way you can play any percussion instrument, your optimism! I love you!

Pavi- The short one :P
Ex-wife cum mother (that sound so wrong!), you’ve been around whenever I needed you! Be it texting for advice, doubts before exams or randomly bugging you! We shared almost the same classes during the first two years and I got to know you so well! Especially Tamil classes, where I didn’t understand a word of what was being taught! You’re a genius (eidetic memory I’m sure!) and I have no idea how you study the morning before the exam and get such brilliant marks. Sometimes you should stop being such a saint and be rude to people (learn from me :P ). I still remember your bipolar days when you cried and laughed, and switched so quickly, and made us all go mad! Especially the one day where I didn’t talk to you and you started crying. Somehow I laugh whenever I think of that! =D
Also, the time when I hit you (by mistake, I’m sorry!), and you then went and got into an accident and got amnesia! Denise and I thought you were a gone case then. You called every two minutes and kept forgetting why you called, and what you wore that day. Weirdo =) You actually sat up all night before our final exam to make me that awesome turtle! So sweet! I love your crazy teeth, your voice, your fake hair (it’s a wig, I know!), and your independence! I love you!

Rekha- The sweetheart.
The first time I met you I thought you were a snob! You and Shruti stood at the back of the group, when we were taking a tour of college, and you kept talking! (Maybe I was just jealous because I didn’t know anyone, but hey you thought I was snooty too :P). I think you’re the only one in the group who I talk to on the phone (especially when I’m on the beach alone waiting for the others to land up! You’re my emergency rescue number! =) ). I don’t think you’ve ever been rude to anyone, or even can! And you put up with all our ragging too! I love the way you think, especially your crazy, one line philosophy! (You’ve been quoted the most on my facebook profile :P). I remember election time and everyone getting so worked up, for no reason. It all seems so dumb now. Also, us fighting over guys (hahaha not really, but I’ll never forget that one incident).I love your yellow bike, your super fun family, your moms awesome food. I love you!

Shruti- The funny one.
Haven’t I written enough about you in your slambook? =) Anyway, I think I got to know you best last! You’ve been my fellow blogger, husband/wife, facebooker and texter! Third year wouldn’t have been the same without you! You’re such a smart, funny, witty, person. You can make others laugh SO much with almost everything you do! Be it burping, farting or doing scandalous stuff in public , or just being your own loveable self , you made us all laugh more than we ever have! =) Your blogs are so insightful and I wonder how you come up with poems and cartoons so fast and so nicely! (Personally I’m jealous of the way you write!) You better continue blogging! I loved the trip to Cochin and your kickass family! I love the way you experiment with your hair, your openness about everything! I love you!

Denise- The talker.
Best for last :P Haha. I got to know you the best first! I did think you were one thayir sadham case when I first met you, but then you opened your mouth and WOW. I think I fell in love (in a very non-lesbian way, please) :P . Your onstage presence is a force to be reckoned with. You can dance, sing, talk your way through anything, I think! Sometimes your righteousness is quite flabbergasting. It’s also different(in a good way =) ). I’ll never forget your ‘Good morning Sister. A pleasant afternoon to you Sister!’ EVER. Also, elections (don’t forget your election manager!) and the confusion that came with it. You’ve also changed a lot over the past 3 years (for the better!). Hope you keep winning debates and singing competitions! Hope we land up in the same college too! I love your dressing sense, your grumpiness :P, your voice and eyes! I love you!

So, there. I wrote.!Hopefully one of you will write about my awesomeness too :P

I’ll miss the bike rides, the talks, the food. The moments where we laughed and when we cried. The arguments. The last minute studying. Sitting in the last bench and passing post-it notes to each other. Annoying our teachers. Practical classes. Projects. Birthdays. Sleepovers. Hanging out. Culturals. Wayanad trip. Cochin.

But, this isn’t the end ,fools! If any of you cry after reading this (I doubt I can bring out such emotions with my writing, but just saying :P), I will kick your ass. But I love you all and I’ll never get a bunch of friends like you. Keep in touch or you’ll face my wrath. =)

The Chennai Times

My exams have begun, and yes, I have decided to ramble on about how awesome my three years in Chennai have been, instead of studying for my vertebrate physiology exam tomorrow. Typical me.

When I first joined hostel I was apprehensive about meeting new people. I was the only 'new' person to join here where else everyone had already been friends( sorta :P) since school. But we instantly clicked thanks to their ability to accept all my lame 'appi' jokes, my obscene sense of humour and my retarded dancing and singing sessions. Likewise in college, thankfully I met people who could accept me for who I am.

I loved the honesty I shared with all my friends. We could be nasty to each other and still adore each other. Gossiping on the terrace, clubbing, playing rummy and pictionary ,begging the warden to let us out to have 'late-night' ice-cream, dressing up in each other's haute couture, taking pics of our retarded sleeping positions, trips, cricket matches, forcing my friends to come with me to rock gigs, bike rides,headbanging, crazy haircuts, blue cross (animal shelter) visits, doodling in class, being the attendance lack list 'topper', dissecting cockroaches and frogs,evading security guards, pain of freaking salvation,IIT,turtle walks, jewelery making, beaches, sugarcane juice/chili pineapple/sweet corn,bus rides and shady men,crazy auto-drivers and ludicrous bargaining, hawt machas and semma sexy bais okay-va?, the bipolar climate(okay, I doubt I'd miss this one!)...The list is endless..

My friends at hostel have helped me so much! Especially when it comes to personal grooming! :P How K begged me to get my upper lip and eyebrows plucked and A asked me to get rid of my 'flame' jeans! I don't know how I'd ever shop without them!Haha, hostel was so much of fun! We didn't have wi-fi for two years but kept ourselves entertained throughout! E and I with our 'skits' and dance sessions, contributed a lot! :P M, the jack of all trades, with her loooong stories about school life :P. H and her crazyyy stories and pre-exam convos and my little miss sunshine of a room-mate!

silsila ey, silsila!

My friends in class have helped me the most when it comes to scraping through exams! My gurus you guys are! I don't know how your enthusiasm and hard-work never rubbed off on me! I was like the black sheep of the family. Our discussions on serial-killers,animals,body-issues(:p),psychology,religion,food and even politics were so much of fun!! Our convos always left us in fits of laughter and gasping for breath.I've never had so much of vegetarian food in my life!

I've met some great people in Chennai who've made me believe in myself. They've brought me so much of happiness and lowe, I couldn't ask for more. You guys have made me realise best friends are there for you no matter what and will stick by you, rain or shine. I love you, kundi kutties so much!!

Keep in touch(else I'll haunt you foreverrrrrrrrr)

Muaaaaaaaah!

Loads of sneham,

Cookie Monster

P.S- only a week left! :'(