Desktop Shot

I never knew I loved my desk so much.

Am gonna miss seeing this when away from home

 

Nailpaint, OJ, and Hiatus

Notice the contrast between the black and the orange. Cool, yeah?  

(BestFriend said blood would have been better instead of juice, and I threw a marble vase at him. Hypothetically, of course.
Like I happened to enlighten somebody who asked about him, he’s actually a very nice guy who sometimes says wise stuff after…like…getting hit on the head with a football during a game, or something like that. But that is less often and so he’s usually at the receiving end of all my hypothetical violence. )
(Oh and by the way, the pictures are mine.)

Anyways,
I had a full-blown nostalgia trip a few days back. Went to school for some work and it was like- Whoa. They’re going on just the same even with all of us not in it anymore. But that was a fleeting weird thought. So I came back home and decided to bring some order to the chaos in the universe. Now I’m the kind of person who can’t stand clutter AT ALL. Even if the clutter consists of precious objects. And sorting / organizing stuff is almost therapeutic, next only to shopping (which translates to bringing in more stuff to be organized. : | Uh. Ain’t life so paradoxical? ).

So I sorted re-sorted and organized re-organized all my skool stuff- questionpapers, tests, random notes passes in class, scribblings and idle doodles, poetry drafts, keepsakes from trips with friends and a whole lot of other unclassified stuff accumulated from the past three years or so- into neat paper-clipped sheaves, then envelopes and dustproof seal-able folders and stowed it all away out of sight in the hinterlands of the closet.

Yeah, I’m emotional like that. But it felt better. Like, now my future biographers would have no difficulty at all in reconstructing in total detail the story of my life even if I happen to grow into an 85 year old amnesiac eccentric old woman. That’s a morbid thought I know.

Oh. What in sweet hell is the point of this post? It is this. I’m going on a break from blogging till some of the entrance examinations I gotta give get over. And that’s gonna take two months at least. Might be blogging intermittently and replying to comments.
Funny part is, people go on hiatuses between blogging. And I, apparently, blog between hiatuses. : / Yeah whatever.

However, I’ll be on Twitter and updating upon the general state of the world around me and so I put its widget right here on the sidebar *points* . So keep checking back. Or follow me on twitter. (You could comment on the twitters in this post’s comment page, if you would like to.)

There’s no point probably even in informing about this since nobody is like dying to read what I write anyways. But if somebody actually is, *pauses to blow delicately at her fingernails* I have some other alternatives for ‘em:

• Go check out Tumblr and Plurk. Pretty cool, both of them. Miniblogging services, with Tumbler being the more advanced cousin. Plurk is almost like twitter but has a really delightful interface and an actual timeline that’s totally worth checking out. Tell me if you join so I could add you to my network. (As of now, Plurk appears to be open only to invites. This was not so the time I joined that. So if you can’t wait to join that, drop me a line and I’ll send you an invite.)

• De-clutter your own life.

• Write eulogies and sorrowful poetry dedicated to remembrances of me (Okay, that was a farji random suggestion. )

• Add goodness to somebody’s life. In any way.

• Spend more time OUT THERE than in virtual reality.

• Make a to-do list and complete it.

• Then repeat the above process until you finish all your pending/overdue work.

(Do any of all this above, then blog about it and let me know. I’ll give you a special handwritten certificate of commendation. Except for point#1 of course. ) 

By the time you do this, I’ll already be back, promise. Hopefully with the extra pounds lost and a place in a med college. Wish me luck.

Till then, keep on rocking.

Love and peace, universe!

 

Every darn post does not need a title

So today the 20 day long nightmare that were my Board exams ended. No it did not go as I intended. “Ace the boards” was something that I did in X, two years back, and it has featured on my new year to-do list for the past two years, but in a completely careless loop of procrastination, overestimation and underperformance, I’m far from what I meant to do. And I can never get there. At least not in the Boards.
All I have is consolation that I aced just two of the five exams.And I’m shamelessly blogging about it. Can’t help it. I have to let it out somehow.
I need not be so bitter, I know…but what else are you supposed to feel when something crucial that you had been meaning to do for so long does not come to pass, and all you have to blame is you? It’s like, I have this endlessly repeating loop of causes and effects and could-have-beens and should-have-dones that has been running over in my head ever since February 29th and I’m sick of it. Bloody sick.
And I don’t know what to do.

Anyways. There’s a limit to pointless rants. I’ll shut up.

And before I go back to making another fresh new study schedule for myself, hoping against hope it gets completed, I’ll just post this tag that Nids wanted me to do.

Here goes:

• Describe your perfect Sunday morning?

Wake up sinfully late, indulge un-guiltily all day and not have an exam the entire week. (Yeah. I’m obsessed with exams and stuff these days.)
(AND I’m not specifying all the indulgence. )

• Favorite song of all time?

“Dekha Hai Aise Bhi” by Lucky Ali. If not the most, it’s at least one of the faves. The lyrics are simple yet magical. And lyrics are always 90% of the reason why I like a particular song.

• How tall are you?

5″2′. That can hardly be called tall.

• If you could be successful at any job in the world, what would that job be?

Anchoring a travel show. No seriously, if I don’t get to do that the universe will be deprived of something really worth it. *blows delicately at her fingernails*

• If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Venice. Or Santorini. Or Beverly Hills. Yeah, Beverly Hills. There I could make a dazzling career out of being a gossip columnist if the travel show does not work out.

• If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be?

I don’t know. Vanisha Mittal, maybe. Actually there would be no point in that. That entire day I would probably be thinking about having to be me the next. Question rejected. (IVAN says write “Condoleeza Rice.” Duh.)

• If you have friends coming for supper what would you cook?

Adrak waali chai. Plus anything else, on demand. Only vegetarian stuff.

• What is your favorite word?

Serendipity. Any doubts?

• What makes you cry?

Certain random realizations that come uncalled-for.

• If you were an animal in the wild, what would you be?

A Koala. They sleep so much but nobody complains.

• If you could time travel to the past to correct any mistakes you feel you’ve made, would you?

Oh yeah! Multiple times, actually. And hopefully I won’t make fresh mistakes while doing that.

• Do you believe that the cup is half empty or half full?

Half full. I would prefer full full though.

• What do you do for fun?

Read books on Advanced Quantum Physics. If you were naive enough to believe me, I should tell you I was kidding. Terrify all ye mortals by throwing hypothetical vases/ pointing hypothetical guns/ thwacking with hypothetical rolled newspapers

• Are you an outdoor or an indoor person?

Depends.

• Where do you see yourself in five years?

In some hostel room downing caffeine and cramming for a test. (Told ya I’m obsessed about exams…)

• What are you most proud of in your life?

Right now, nothing. Yeah you heard me right.

• When do you plan on getting married?

Not for quite a long time.

• Get the number or give the number?

Get the number first. To call or not call, that is the question.

• Romance or Kinky Sex?

Both.

• How do you feel?

With the skin. Meissener’s corpuscles and End bulbs of Krause and Ruffini, to be specific. But sometimes viscerally too, with the soul.

• What size shoe do you wear?

Four.

• What is your favorite clothing brand?

No permanent choices. Mango is good. But right now I’m kinda into FabIndia stuff

• Water or 100% Juice?

Water.

• T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Cingular/AT&T, or Sprint/Nextel?

BSNL. (Jai Hind!)

• Would you rather be hot or cold?

Cold! Deliciously cold.

• Would you rather lose an arm or a leg?

Agree with Nids. None of these.

• Favorite Place to Eat?

It varies…

• Opera, Musical, Concert, Play, Performance, or Other?

Concert. Not hard rock.

• Most Memorable Past?

Moments I’ve realized that it’s wonderful to be in love. With life.

• Most embarrassing moment?

(You expect me to blurt it out here?? :O)

• If you had to pick one car, which would it be?

A ritzy orange Lamborghini Superleggera. Or the Lexus hybrid if I’m feeling ‘green’.

• Your favorite Disney Films?

So many of them….I loved all the Princess stuff…

• Why did the chicken cross the road?

All living organisms have an inbuilt genetic but environmentally influenced predisposition to go see what’s on “the other side”. In one word: curiosity.

• Do you support Paris?

Paris which?? Sarko’s Paris or that Hotelwaali?

• Where is Waldo?

No idea. Nobody entrusted him to my care.

• Favorite element?

Platinum. With lots of diamonds thrown in

• What was your last thought?

What must have been the inspiration behind naming it Firefox…? (I’m doing this tag backwards.)

• Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape, or other?

Firefox.

• Who are you going to vote for ?

Haven’t decided.

• Juice and crackers or milk and cookies?

Juice and crackers. OJ, to be specific.

• Which is worse? A bad laugh or a bad cough?

A bad laugh.

• Are you a cat or a dog person?

I’m not a cat. Or a “dog person”. But I like animals. and ‘feline’ sounds better than ‘canine’.

• Would you rather be blind or deaf?

None of these. This is not a question to be asked in the tone of “Would you have coffee or tea?” Wonder who started this tag. *shudder*

• Define yourself in three four words…

He-ah vi-iya me-ne mmay

(That’s an artificial language. Google it up and decipher. Haha, I know how to waste people’s time. The meaning in English might be an anticlimax. Maybe you expect something tantalizing. )
Awrite. I’ll be gracious and tell you what to google up. The language is called Loxian.

• Do you eat cold cereal at night?

Don’t have to, so I don’t.

• What is your favorite TV show?

I don’t have favorite shows, but I’ve liked Heroes, among a few others.

• Do you shower every single day?

Of course!

• Boat or bus?

Boat, if available. The question is pointless if you consider option #1 of question #5.

• What would you do if Michael Jackson asked you out?

Say “Wrong number, dude.” and run walk off with dignity. (No offense, Nids!)

• What is your favorite food?

Now that’s a very naive question. Lemme think…

• Do you read Harry potter books?

I did.

• If you could have one super human power what would you choose?

Ability to modify the space-time continuum. The ability to switch to any superhuman power as and when I wish. (Come on, that’s allowed! )

• Have you had a beer in the last week?

No. Pathetic, yeah?

• Vitamin Water or Gatorade?

None.

• Favorite body part?

My own? Eyes.

• Flip flops or sandals?

Stilettos.

• What do you do on Fridays?

Nothing special. Think about what I wrote in the answer to question #1 maybe.

• Do you like bananas?

Kind of.

I decide to tag Sparkles, Arti di, Lemonade, Abhi, and Birdy. And you.

 

Why physics always reminds me of Rome

Yeah, life is generally good. Except that I kind of screwed up my Chem Board Exam paper. No it ain’t that bad actually, but not as good as I wanted it to be. (And that, my readers, is the metaphor for life.)
(Gawd. I sound like Charlotte Bronte.)  

Now next is physics and I’m taking no chances with it at least. But for how long can you keep appreciating the elegant nuances of subatomic particles and the intangible dynamics of semiconductor electronics? Not that I don’t like studying stuff. But I’m wishing I had studied harder last year. Heck, even this last month.
And I increasingly feel I have more inclination towards literature, languages, history, myth, art, designing, ya know, stuff like that. Non-technical intellectuality. More human stuff.
Or Life Sciences. I could read biology day in and day out and not get tired of it. And I like all that. Yeah I know I’ll have enough of even that in some med course (for which I’ll have a fiz exam first. Argh.) I have enough of that supposed-to-study-stuff in bio even now.
But. I’m. Supposed. To. Mug. Fiz. Now.

On second thoughts, physics is kinda cool. And people hold science people (like, real science people. Researchers, scientists.) in more awe than they do designers/authors/historians. I mean, not as people, but their work in generally more respected, or should I say, considered more erudite. Or at least that’s what I have observed. (Remember Vittoria Vetra, anybody? )
( I wouldn’t mind being a physicist if that would, in addition, also make me as lean, as confident, and as smart as what she was portrayed to be. It’s not like I’m particularly horrible. Glowing skin, check. Long black hair, check. Earthy features, maybe. “Raw sensuality”? Not for myself to judge But slender like that? I wish.
No seriously, I think she was pretty cool. Her whole character. And driving around Rome examining old churches for clues to a wild macabre treasure-hunt-like chase…and that too with a smart, macho, swimmer-physique, Harvard-brain guy (*sigh*) while an un-found Antimatter bomb is ticking away to total annihilation. That all would be totally my thing too. )

See? Started off talking about physics. Guess I gotta go back to my teeny-tiny atoms and nuclei doing that crazy decay-dance of theirs.

But who would ever believe that of all the people in the world (or now out of it ), it was nobody else but Dan Brown who inspired me to study fizix with less hatred. At least for some time.

 

 

Aaaand the award goes to…

…who else but Yours Truly? Second time in a row, yeah. This year and the last, the UNSW-Macmillan IAIS English exam Medal for highest score in my state. 

*blows delicately at her fingernails*

Thank you if you just said Congrats.

the two little beauties

 

detail 

the certificate 

 

 

 

Mission Intro

I don’t think the new year has had a really great start for me. I mean, I’m lagging in all my study schedules, am past all the deadlines I set for myself…but no end in sight…And the strangest thing is, I’m not getting pro-active, like I usually happen to do.

Wish someone, something would show me the way, soon. I have the potential; don’t want to be just another wreck.But I’ve realized that writing or any other form of creative expression is kinda necessary for me. When I don’t do anything creative for a long period of time, it’s like a clot in my head that needs to be gotten out to rid me of the pressure. Not very pretty analogy, I know. 

So I think from now on I’ll blog on schedule—say twice/thrice a week at least. Or maybe I should fix a particular day. Yeah, that would be better. Blog on Sundays, Tuesdays; lock myself in a room with books, caffeine, and no internet on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays; and finish long-overdue tasks of saving the world on Saturdays. In between all this, teach my kid sister the alphabet and the correct words to “Johnny, Johnny” while trying not to think about little Johnny’s namesake supermodel-actor.
Also wash my little Carrie and supervise the maid while mom’s gone to work. (I found the maid watching The Bold and The Beautiful—just watching, coz she doesn’t understand English—in some of her idle minutes yesterday. )

Got to do some self-maintenance as well.

Maybe I should put off saving the world on Saturdays till all of this gets done.

So will try to keep you updated about Mission Status as often as possible, and other general randomness. Keep coming back.

(pics courtesy Corbis.com)

 

Practical Application

Sheesh, studying science kinda kills your creativity. And tomorrow is my physics exam. And our tuitions teacher has come up with a grand new scheme– he’s made all of us tell him the marks we expect to get in this exam. And if anybody gets marks below the targeted, I dare not think of the consequences.

And yours truly, like the whimsical girl that she is, told him 62 out of 70. This is the sad part.

But I just couldn’t help sharing this question I found in the Kinematics part of the textbook. Read it–

“A drunkard comes out of a pub and starts walking in a narrow lane just outside it. He takes 5 steps forward and 3 steps backward, then again 5 steps forward and three steps backward, and so on. Each step is 1 metre long and requires 1 second…”

And the last line just cracked me up–

“….Determine how long it takes him to fall in a ditch 13 metre away from the pub.”

Practical applications of physics, eh?