Ticket To Ride

Date: 31.12.2008
Time: 7:35 p.m.

Much like the rest of the year, the last day has been quite the rollercoaster ride, literally and figuratively. I spent the morning preparing strawberry cheesecake — the first attempt at making something completely by myself which doesn’t include baked eggs or sandwiches, as I’ve always avoided cooking like the plague. I wonder how it’ll turn out, but honestly I don’t really care that much. The day also involved me being coaxed by my mother to get back to eating meat, at the point of being bribed with vodka. :P I didn’t see any vodka flowing, so I did not acquiesce.

And then I also had the worst and most painful bout of a certain digestive disorder in my life, something that is certain to put me off my morning toast and other breads for quite sometime. And I’ll also remember that water is the only thing that sustains me. xP

The most significant thing about the day, I suppose, is that I was handed my driving license! (The test was last month: the day before end-semester exams started :P) The least significant thing about today is that my license picture is the worst photograph of myself that I have ever seen. Contrasts, anyone? Come to think of it, if I were to get a normal photo taken of me with boils covering every inch of my face, I’d still look better. The good thing is that if I am ever held up by a traffic policeman, the person might not recognise me from my license so I could hope to get off easily. Or maybe not. The thing is, you can’t expect government webcams to be professional photographers especially if the subject has just appeared for a test and been rudely refused a pen (to sign her name) at the end of the theory exam by the official supervising it. But that’s a long story and an old one.

Getting back to the day, today’s was the most harrowing as well as intriguing drive I’ve ever indulged in. Getting caught in a bad traffic snarl while moving up a bridge and being overtaken from all sides was an, erm interesting experience, to say the least. Although I might not say that I’d care to do the same on a daily basis. Narrow gullies where pedestrians love pretending to attempt suicide are much better in comparison, thank you. But I also drove using headlights for the first time! All my previous outings had been during daytime, stretching towards early evenings at best, so the experience was a good one. The most important thing I’ve picked up upon driving in the city streets would be abuses. They come spontaneously to mind. And I’m quite proud of my lexicon at present. All said and done, though, I quite enjoy driving. It is indeed relaxing.

I also managed to see Venus playing eye to the moon’s crescent smile on the way back home. It was pretty similar to the Venus-Jupiter-Moon isosceles triangle observed early this month. However, I missed the Jupiter-Mercury pair which was also allegedly observable right after sunset as it was quite dark when I peered out.

The funniest thing that has happened today so far, however, is that my dad has refused to have the cheesecake I’ve made because I ticked him off for swiping the strawberries to be used as garnishing. I guess it was quite obvious that cheesecakes are made to be not eaten. Oh well, there’ll be more for the rest of us.

As of now, I’ll go gorge on some more macaroni and then be off to catch some Pirates. All the best wishes for the coming year to everyone! Look sharp off the starboard people! Savvy?

End: 8:00 p.m.

Pictures taken with the New Cell!

I wonder if it is just me or has winter temporarily left the city... It is strange to find myself content with only a T-shirt (and pants, duh) so late in December. In any case, here are some of Justify Fullthe pictures that I have taken since getting my new phone! Most of these have been Radar-ed. :)

Canopy: This was taken near the lake where I had gone for driving practice.

The Greyness of Traffic: Taken while getting bored in a traffic jam on my way home.

Speed: Blur! Another picture to counter boredom while travelling.

Talk to the Hand: For those still curious about the phone, there will be a picture of my fingers posing with it. Tee hee.

Loneliness: Again, taken when out driving. I simply had to capture this. Although I would have been happier with better resolution. Oh well.

From the Pilot-seat: Another day of driving. I had stopped for some coffee when this was taken.

Paper cuttings for my room: I had got this sudden urge to do some paper cutting last evening, something that I don't think I've done since I was ten years old. So this was the fruit of my evening. :)

Smoke

Date: 23.12.2008
Time: 9:15 p.m.

Kill yourself with every breath you take
And ask me why I threw out your mistake,
Those poisonous boxes are expensive, you say
While I counter it with: “And your life isn’t, pray?”
What shocks me more is your firm belief
In spite of all the intelligence of grief
Available to everyone with eyes
But who can teach that to one who never tries
Anything beyond his own obstinate mind!
Listening only to be charitable and kind
With condescension befitting a king
And a chauvinistic attitude in full swing,
You still ‘know best’ that you will not be harmed
Though you cough enough to leave us all alarmed
With absurd excuses like bowel-movements
And work and stress and how it all augments
Into a forceful need to puff it all away
Taking every worry with it in wisps of grey…

I am glad we threw them out the window
Glad that now they won’t make you mellow
Enough to lose all the reason you posses
Give in, cave and disgracefully obsess
Over what will slowly kill you over time
And kiss our fates too with that same sorry grime
So be as ungrateful as you wish
Do your very best to blemish
The clean spot we have in our lives
And blame me with your characteristic emotional jibes
I will not yield for I am not wrong
You cannot break me, you’ve never been strong
Enough to get past in an argument with clear logic
You see your side alone, in a manner painfully tragic,
Don’t give me the eye and expect me in tears
I’m not that little girl who’s afraid of your sneers
Have not the dignity to acknowledge the above
And you’ll lose my respect as you have lost my love.

End: 9:55 p.m.

Lou Tag

Since Princess Stefania has been quite so charming about tagging me with this, I am compelled by my conscience not to procrastinate further. Here lies the tag on Love and Life, affectionately called the Lou Tag by me:


If your lover betrayed you, what would your reaction be?
A very calm execution of affairs. Pun intended. I am possessive, thank you. Although yes, wounds would heal over time, a long time, but yes, they would heal.

If you can make a dream come true, what would it be?
It would be one of many dreams fulfilled… I’d have to move on to the next with promptness.

What do you do when your love is unrequited ?
Write amusingly snarky things about myself and laugh at the irony. But never admit the fact. :P

What would you do if you had a billion dollars?
Er, use them?

Would you ever fall in love with your best friend?
I think I have the liberty to laugh here.

Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
I dislike having to choose between Chocolate and Cats. Both are required.

How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?
Love has never been a necessity for me neither do I take it for granted from any sphere. Love is a conscious choice made unconsciously. That should answer the question.

If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
Attached to what, pray? :P

What captures your heart the quickest?
A quick wit, a mad spark and sincerity. *bats eyelashes demurely*

What would you be, ten years from now?
As quirky as ever!

What do you fear?
Lizards taking over the world. How horrible! *shudder shudder* But seriously? Losing my identity.

What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
A very talented Pixie Princess Poet. And that was an alliteration! :D

What's the first thing you do when you wake up?
“Chirp-laugh” after realizing that I’ve overslept again. :P

Would you give all in a relationship?
Depends on the relationship, wouldn’t it? I’d give nothing to my grandmother. :P

If you love two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
It’s enough loving one person, isn’t it? And I am lazy.

Would you forgive and forget, no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?
Forgive, yes, with time. For my own peace of mind. Forget? Never. That’s mainly to avoid a similar incident later. A lesson learnt should be remembered.

If you get to go back in time and fall in love all over again, would it still be with the same person?
I can laugh again now, I think. And smile.


Regrettably, I haven’t tagged people in the last few tags that I have done, although that hasn’t stopped me from being tagged by others. :| Therefore, for the benefit of all tag-unfriendly bloggers out there, I tag Prince Kazarelth (who hates tags and loves tagging me), Ship (who wants to get married although the fact is irrelevant to my tagging her), Jadis, Nothingman, Lucifer (who needed something to blog about and this is just the thing to make him squirm muwhahahah), Saturnalia’s Offspring (who doesn’t like tags much either :P) and VB! That’s an even seven!

Tra La La

After months of living like a miser I had finally saved up enough this month and got my new phone today! It is one handsome babeh, oh yeah and I've been drooling over it and admiring it all evening!

The best thing is that the phone comes with a USB data cable (apart from its utterly hot, snappy and sexy features) which means that I can transfer the pictures that I take with it! *jumps up and down excitedly*

So yes, I have had an awesome day (apart from getting the phone, muwhahaha ;]) and feel happy enough to eat any rot that I have to for dinner. *grins like an idiot*

More importantly, I've also come to terms with the fact that it is now far too chilly to be prancing about in shorts at home, so I've taken to warmer attire. :P AND I WENT UP TO THE TERRACE YESTERDAY! FINALLY! *chicken dances with glee*

As is quite obvious, I'm rather high at the moment, so I'll stop my ramble right here before I end up offending my senses at a later period. Tee hee hee. Season's greetings everyone! Hope all of you enjoy the holidays!

For The Love Of Plagiarism

Winter is supposedly the most romantic of all seasons. I say this here since romance is apparently an excellent muse for many a person. Now whether the prose or poetic outburst that comes forth a person's pen is indeed worthy of the term ‘literature’ is often debatable and I am quite the snob when it comes to this as I’m not easily impressed. But the point I’m trying to make is this. Normally, a person inspired by winter would speak of his or her own feelings, thoughts or musings, ‘own’ being the keyword here. I mean, honestly, if you cannot write original stuff, don’t. No one is forcing you.

I wonder if this is the season to plagiarize other people’s work. In that case Christmas carols should be re-written this way:
“It’s the season to be a plagiarist
Tra la la la la, la la la la
Let me copy another’s original work
Tra la la la la, la la la la,
Pass it off as my own and think I’m smart
Tra la la, la la la, la la la
Considering myself to be the best writer in the world
Tra la la la la, la la la la.”

Ship posted last night about how she found two amazingly talented people from dA being ripped off by a blogger. This afternoon, having had the chance to finally use Broadband, I decided to go look in on the blogs of all those who have commented on my posts recently, especially since I hadn’t been able to blog-crawl much of late. Now imagine my surprise when my first visit to a classmate’s blog (a classmate, mind you, WTF!) had me spot a line I had written in Sunset sometime back in October in her most recent post. It wasn’t ripped off exactly but my own: “I don’t know if it was our condition affecting our senses or whether winter had really decided one morning that it would visit us early” got changed to: “It is as if Winter woke up one morning and decided to visit us early this time” by her in a post she calls fiction. And she happens to have commented on that very post of mine.

I was much too angry to go through the rest of her blog and my net connection had to go off the very moment I was about to comment asking her what she was doing copying my work. Talk about timing. Isn’t it the funniest thing you’ve ever heard? I mean, I’m laughing about this now in an oddly ironic way and I suppose I should be complimented. But there is a copyright on all my work published in this blog and I will certainly not have people steal things from me, no matter who they are!

It is hardly fair on the writer, isn’t it? A person’s original creative endeavours should not be copied without mention. It’s nothing short of thievery. I’ll think up something (on my own, thank you, since I arrogantly believe that I can think for myself) and another person passes it off as her own, that too without even crediting me. Where is the justice in that? It is something only a petty common thief would do. And this would just be one case that has come to my notice.

I have asked the person concerned to come and have a look at this post. Hopefully, such an incident will not be repeated. There will be worse repercussions otherwise and this is no idle warning. No one steals my work, not even a line... no one.

Lull

Spring flowers had said their goodbyes long back. Their fragile petals had been withered by the harshness in the air. Now, all that was left was a barren expanse where dust gathered gleefully only to give way to frigidity at night. Stepping into this dustbowl, the sudden chill would freeze your steps instantly and awaken you with an electric jolt down your spine.

Merr would go there every night. Dressed sparsely, he would walk up the slope to reach his panoramic vantage point. Once there, the world would swivel and swirl before him to take him away from his grief. It was an idyllic setting, with the stars dancing in their heavenly niches, mocking the death in the lands below and far away from the numbing touch of the North wind that blew across it carrying the stench of more death in its wake.

He had been going there since he survived. Ever since the frolicking Fates decided to let him live with memories of his family’s demise. Ever since he found himself alive, while his wife had an iron rod pierce through her head, and his young children lost their teeth and their lives. He needed perspective to keep himself from driving rashly down the very slope that almost took his life, but didn’t, leaving him far worse than dead instead. And so, he religiously haunted his deserted domain night after night.

All alone, he would stand and watch the lights dim in the valley before him, as people would slow down with waning strength and sunlight and then retire to bed. He would watch the stars above him and wonder why he could still see them. He was never a believer and did not see smiling faces of his family look down beatifically upon him from above. He now had no hearth to return to. He only felt left behind. His mind reeked of the broken promise of always sticking to his folks. And he felt lonelier than ever.

He would not speak of the accident to any of the people down below. It felt to him as though memories were his and his alone, now that nothing else was left behind. People would come and go, offering kind words of sympathy but their condolences went over his head. He was the feather that is undisturbed by a breeze when it has been displaced and shaken by a storm. His nightly ritual of torture was meant only to cleanse himself of the guilt of being alive. Bathing himself in winter and all its cold darkness was his way of suspending time. It would be years before spring would arrive again.

Till that time when the warmth of sunlight would make its presence felt on his soul and thaw his frozen spirit, Merr would let the cold make him forget death and all that he once knew of life.

Pearly Tears

I started on this late last night and finished it before going to bed. Pen and ink, as usual. :)

This would be another view: from my desk.

Wakeful Melancholy

Date: 11.12.2008
Time: 7:50 p.m.

It is the season of deaths, the season in which a nip in the air only appears to be there, enough to give you a blocked nose, but then disappears by afternoon to leave you perspiring in the sun. And, it is the season of death.

It seems rather strange to look around and see leaves still lodged firmly on branches and remember those who have passed away. Knowing these people for as short a time as I did, yet feeling oddly affected is even weirder. The insomnia is back, although I’m not sure it is just that. Perhaps it is a seasonal thing… like death is, along with periods when you feel even more aloof than usual and thoroughly disinclined to talk.

What is it about nights that they are gloomy and alluring at the same time? I suppose it is the morbidity within me which is attracted to the ague. Just as the time when I watched fascinated while the chicken was casually beheaded while its wings and legs were still flapping, and how it got skinned and cut even more casually by the butcher, but after which I’ve decided to go off chicken, possibly permanently. I realised today how much it limits my choices in food, especially when eating out as part of a group, but well, it is one thing to be fascinated by the dissection of creatures and another to eat what you’ve dissected. Or watched being dissected. Whatever.

And then again, there are the deaths you hear about. Some don’t affect you at all, and others leave a slight numbness in your spine whenever you think of them, leaving you feeling a mixture of remorse, pity and apathy all at the same time. I wonder how people would have survived if they all had excellent memories. I should complain less about how I walk into a room and forget why I went there in the first place. It means I’m forgetting other things too. And some painful memories are best forgotten till I’ve grown enough to deal with them objectively.

The thing is an idle spirit can call up a dust storm even by sneezing too much. However, it needs something to do. And often, spending time deciding from a list of possible courses of action adds to the restlessness, for then, it is procrastination.

End: 8:04 p.m.

Bird

This is just something I made some minutes back, to celebrate the end of the end-semester exams. I had taken the stock picture sitting on top of the terrace water tank last year. :)

Fish Story

Don’t catch me
Don’t catch me
Don’t catch me
Don’t catch me!

Don’t cut me
Don’t cut me
Don’t cut me
Don’t cut me!

Don’t skin me
Don’t skin me
Don’t skin me
Don’t skin me!

Don’t eat me
Don’t eat me
Don’t eat me
Don’t eat me!

Damn you.
Just you wait now…
I’ll give you indigestion.

Flight

Date: 30.11.2008
Time: 9:40 p.m.

Wrap my heart in velvet and hold it in your palm
I feel like weeping today.
Do not stop me, or mock me or ask me what is wrong
For I am not capable of answers tonight
All I know is that blackness shall sleep
The blackness shall sleep
The blackness shall sleep with me
As I switch off the lights.

Could this impulse be compared to passions that I’ve felt?
No, I feel nothing in this flight.
My brittle truth of fragile stances
And the bitterness of my breath
Misty upon translucent glass
Cannot spell out the trapped feeling
In spite of moving fingers
Instead, I’ll sleep this night.

Calm yourself, pray, for I cannot help you today
While my senses are still dizzy.
So keep my heart with you for now
It fails in sustaining me while it is chained
Leaving life congested in my veins
But, the blackness must sleep
The blackness must sleep with me
As I walk away from light.

Come with it at a later date
When I am ready to beat again
To the rhythm of a steady flow of life,
Ebb and flow with my stream of thoughts
And still retrieve myself from furrows
I shall fly with you then, but now
The blackness must sleep, the blackness shall sleep
The blackness will weep tonight.

9:55 p.m.

Wither

Date: 29.11.2008
Time: 10:20 p.m.

Leaves said they’d sing out yesterday
But they’re shrivelling up and blowing away
Winds that promised to keep hands warm
Have now turned cold and are part of a storm,
Scattered twigs too have fallen prey
To the earth’s cool chill and darkened dismay
While the stars align themselves securely each night
Nestled in the safety of their distant light.

Broken backs calmly face the interlude
Between successive bolts of lightning crude
Cracked fragments of glass serenade
A once-loved window and silently fade,
When rage speaks louder than wisdom’s word
Night descends faster than a rifled bird
Morning brings with it only tidings of gloom
As the flower plucked in haste refuses to bloom.

End: 10:35 p.m.

Bang Bang Bang!

Oh it isn’t what you think, you perverts! Sheesh. What dirty minds people have these days! Tsk tsk. I have been bored to tears this lovely evening since I certainly don’t want to look up things for the stupidest of all examinations on Monday. Today’s was stupidly easy, at least the programming bit. And yes, I am stupidly bored so I shall continue to stupidly use the word ‘stupidly’ owing to a stupidly sincere shortage of stimulation. Can you imagine how bored I am? I’ve reverted to alliterating abysmally articulately and annoyingly thanks to this sorry state of affairs.

But yes, this afternoon I laughed so hard that I vomited. Seriously! It sounds hilarious, I know, but I’d had lunch just before laughing so hard that I vomited, and thus, I laughed so hard that I vomited. And before that I did steal three cheese sandwiches and gobbled them up without sharing (nya nya nee nya nyah :P *sticks out tongue*) and tried my best to wrangle more food out of people in college. Hey, I was hungry after the exam, ok?

I’m also a little hyper this evening. It usually happens when I am bored. It’s the pent up frustration, you see. (NOT in the perverted sense *rolls eyes*). The good things about today are these:
This morning, on my way to college, I saw two adorable cats, one very cute little sparrow and two tiny puppies playing with each other. With this cute-overload I boldly walked where no Skylark has flown before and completed whatever I had to do for a three-hour exam in half an hour. Yes it was that stupid, the exam, I mean, not me. *snorts in disdain* I then chose to occupy myself during the time I was not let out of the room by examiners, frustrated for reasons other than boredom (do NOT be perverted, again, mind you) by drawing stuff and randomly looking around the room and trying my best not to fall asleep. Or yawn noticeably, hehe.

Now then, I shall proceed to more serious matters:
The Lizard is still hiding behind the tube-light and refuses to move anywhere else, or move its appendages.
I did not drink enough water today.
I am still thoroughly bored and have to do a tag on FaceBook (trust me, it’s not what it sounds like! Eeek).
My room needs some artwork pronto!
I wonder if my computer could run any slower while scanning the system.
And other stuff.

Now go away and get on with your lives! People are bursting chocolate bombs outside. Shoo.

PS: I usually make it a point not to write about current events, but yeah... let there be peace! Seriously, seriously.

Metabolism

Today is one of those days when I can proudly proclaim that I have been metabolised. At least, I’m sure that my brain has been so. My exams practically start tomorrow, well, not exactly tomorrow, but you get the picture. For the last couple of days I’ve been studying (surprise, surprise!!!). And my daily endeavour of getting acquainted with things I’m usually allergic to has been carried out under the baleful glance of a lizard. Now, I am not a lizard lover and don’t enjoy being watched by it while I try to study. But no, every day I find it peeking its bleary eye out from the space between the tubelight and the wall and looking disapprovingly at me.

I don’t like it much, it is downright creepy... Especially when my eyes which are to be restricted to my study-things rove towards other objects in the room and find themselves in contact with as disgusting an object as this Lizard. Note the uppercase for the L please, it shows how frustrated I am (since usually, frustrated people type everything in uppercase, or so I think).

My mother, on the other hand, is quite fond of this Lizard. It ate a cockroach that trespassed in her bathroom and her reasoning goes such: as cockroaches have chased her around in the past, something she hardly enjoyed, they may do so again, and anyThing that eats cockroaches is worthy of being petted affectionately. I however, do not agree. Cockroaches are much better than lizards, thank you very much! They allow you to cut them apart without the slightest objection.

So as I was saying, this Lizard I’ve been talking about, has barely moved more than an inch towards the left or an inch towards the right in the past few days. Sadly, it is not dead from disuse of its muscles. Yet. But one day, it certainly will be! I’ll be waiting for that day, or maybe not since I’ll be busy with other things more important than the lifecycle of a lazy lethargic languid Lizard that dares look at me disapprovingly.

But yes, today, I am proud to announce that I’ve been successfully metabolised. More so because I do not enjoy metabolism much. And even more so since my exams start soon and I am actually studying! That’s definitely an achievement on my part, especially since I don’t even have new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy for motivation. Still, I can’t wait for them to end as I’ll be able to go up to the terrace freely after I’m through with them. And Lizards won’t be able to give me the evil eye!

Disconnected

Date:16.11.2008
Time: 5:22p.m.

When a few haunted notes keep playing over and over inside your head even without the guise of pained music, there is certainly something inside that needs talking to. Somehow, I believe that often, this creature does not even realise that it has become an idiot, incapable of feeling anything, not even hurt. And then there is that saying which might have gone along the lines of ‘we can choose the company we keep’. Sadly that is also often untrue.

Given the chance to lie resting on my back staring at the branches trying vainly to block the sun, I would do so. Revisiting old haunts would also be a good idea. Anything is better than sitting resigned to listlessness, especially when there is much work to be done. The idiot often bores others, and nothing the idiot believes in is exciting to those around it. They have other interests and they would rather stay in their own rooms than come out and sit with one who can’t even speak properly.

Those odd hours of talking to itself without words has left it incapable of narrating its thoughts to others. And that would be a gloomy prospect indeed, when words had, at one point saved it from losing its way into itself. Given a chance, I suppose the creature could learn to talk again. However, I doubt the patience of some involved.

Unverified and unidentified notes continue to strike sharply within. And they sound more discordant day by day. The tune is lost too, as is the harmony. Sudden bursts of un-harnessed flair can all but ruin an unwritten masterpiece. That’s a given.

End: 5:34 p.m.

Prelude to Silence

The stinging always stops too soon. I hate that. I wish it would last longer so that I could enjoy it a little more. And yes, I would love to see some blood, but not the kind expected of today. Heh. I guess I am just too dry. For everything.

Insight and maturity are two things that I wish to be rid of at the moment, so that these do not cloud my senses. How could throwing a tantrum be possible otherwise? I wonder how some people get away with such and others do not.

It is always that which I can't help at all which puts the little visions I have to pieces. And I can't complain because I know it will not help me at all. Or anyone else, for that matter.

And then the stinging stops too, after just a few seconds. Not even long enough for me to remember the last sensation of it.

Stormy Brew

My (late) morning cup of Earl Grey, which looked nicely stormy. Tea bags rock! :D

And it was also shiny!

October Quotes

Date: 31.10.2008

Time: 9:40 p.m.

(Over the phone). Kaz reads something online about a Samsung phone and mutters imprecations.

Kaz: (exclaiming at the site) There is no competition whore!

He then realizes that LD is on the phone.

Kaz: (sheepishly) Oh, er, sorry.

LD: (laughing) Is whore an insult?

Kaz: It means prostitute.

LD: I know, but still... I mean, 'potty' is not an insult!

Kaz: (spontaneously) You're a potty!

LD breaks out into fits of insane incessant laughter.

Kaz: Anything can be an insult. You're a (at this point he burps loudly). That's also an insult!

LD promptly dies of laughter.

Sunset

Winter silently crept upon us both as we were awakening to the summer of our lives. The stillness and stealth with which our lives were enshrouded in the cold still takes me by surprise. It was not foreseen — it could not have been foreseen. Not even the most renowned oracle could have predicted the flurry of events, each leading to the other, and presented our future believably before our eyes.

I digress, however, when it comes to recounting the story in its essence. We were two young people maddened by the joy of discovering each other. There was work, yes, and we both took our jobs with great seriousness. Yet, each day ended with that walk along the beach, breathing in the charms of the gentle evening breeze and charting the path of the stars across the sky, all the while being grateful for the time ahead of us. But, honestly, if the iron hand of Time were to hold your struggling form firmly in its grasp and carry it ominously towards the guillotine, is there anyone or anything that can save you?


The jolt in our hitherto happy lives arrived without us even noticing its significance. I worked in a Genetics lab that experimented with viruses, in particular. In our modern age, far removed from both Alzheimer’s and AIDS we were confronted by a new problem. The virus, which till the end of the twenty first century was thought to cause conjunctivitis alone, was showing some startling new phenotypes much different from its wild type strain. My lab-mates and I were studying this to determine whether it had actually mutated to a different species. Viruses, with their constant mutations are difficult enough to study, in spite of the technological advances of the present, but what we encountered was novel for even those who’d grown up learning the Baltimore Classification and other historical landmarks in science along with their A-B-Cs.

We needed human tests, and although the ethics of it were debatable even in the Age of Learning, we quickly sanctioned a few. It was easy enough seeing that it was a moderately harmless virus and only those in the project would be involved. No outsiders and laymen meant less paperwork and our pre-testing health checkups were conducted quickly enough.

The day my All-Clear letter arrived, Kew and I had spent an evening at the beach overlooking our home, celebrating with champagne, a rare delicacy these days, dried fruits and cheese. I remember how the sultry breeze stared in our faces as we walked across the warm bleached sands, bare-feet and a little tipsy. We moved with an unhurried pace, reminiscent of the leisureliness that retirement confers upon the old. The next few days for Kew, would be spent rushing back and forth from the lab, visiting, as I would be in quarantine. We weren’t in any hurry for tomorrow to arrive.


Tomorrow did arrive, however and it washed away our hopes with the force of breakers crashing into a rocky shore. We were mistaken about the potency of the virus. It did much more than just cause conjunctivitis. It entered normal body cells and wreaked havoc in the metabolic pathways leading to rapid cellular disintegration. And it was highly contagious, spreading by merely breathing the same air as an infected patient. From what we could study with dread weighing down heavily upon our hearts, a person barely had months. And, Kew was infected too.

I spent many sleepless nights left to me wondering what would have happened if we had waited longer. What if the Advisory Board had ruled out the experiment calling it too dangerous? What if we had been more prudent and waited for more results? But no, we were arrogantly riding upon the successes we accomplished by taking innovative risks. We weren’t about to be deterred by an eye infection!


Kew and I visited the beach more often. There was nothing else to do. Work was no longer a haven to immerse sullen spirits in. We would spend hours sitting on a stray boulder by the shore watching the chafing waters. Sometimes, I’d tell Kew that I could hear the waters wailing. Kew would give me a quiet smile and then look at me with an odd expression on his face. He wouldn’t speak much at these moments, but would clasp my hand a little tighter than usual. And then we would gaze at the waters together and a strange calm would settle upon us both, as we would find ourselves surprisingly content with the quietude that emanated from the waves crashing into the rocks. If water could be resigned to its fate, so could we.

The breeze would only get colder with each passing day. I don’t know if it was our condition affecting our senses or whether winter had really decided one morning that it would visit us early. The day had started out chillier than usual and the cold intuitive shiver that ran down my spine made me look upon it with apprehension. Both of us were in a bad state by then. The sparseness of hair, weakening of muscles and shortness of breath were nothing compared to the weariness of spirit. We were ready, and extremely tired.

Kew’s last sunset saw the sky being conquered by a blaze of fiery orange. The horizon stayed a defiant red long after the sun had said goodbye. We stayed very quiet. The pale and diminishing light of life seeped out of our eyes as we spent our last moments by the sea. I sat on the boulder that had felt many silent tears when no one was looking. Kew lay on the sand with his head in my lap and arms around my waist. We felt the moment come when his arms tightened a little only to slacken a while later. I stayed the same, my hands playing with his hair, my fingers tracing the contours of his face, and watched the darkening horizon. Somehow I’d always known that I’d be the last to go.

Faces

The building complex has a lot of new things for me to explore. It has been ages after all... I took this yesterday morning with my phone-camera.

I Am Cursed!

So yes, my friend DM cursed me over the phone just a while back. Her very scientific curse ensures that I will definitely have a child (much to my annoyance) and that I will be in labour and a lot of pain for twenty four hours during the process of having one, as well as have a difficult period of motherhood in later years as my would-be child will emerge to be one of those “moody teenagers” (spoken in hushed dark undertones) who will give me a lot of trouble and be difficult to handle. She also added that she would not help me bring the creature up in any way. This is to be my “punishment” for not being fond of the idea of personal kids.

DM also told me that she was telling me all of this now, when I am much too young to digest the concept so that I am “prepared”. I don’t think anyone has ever told this woman how good a disapproving-mommy-tone she can take when she is in the mood. And so, much to my distaste, I am cursed since she was not pleased at me saying that the idea of sitting down every evening and teaching an eight-year-old History does not appeal to me much. Neither does the idea of cleaning smelly diapers and handling an even smellier mini-individual.

The truth is although I am apparently an excellent baby-sitter, I’m hardly the sort to coo and gush about babies. I don’t get the urge to cuddle the nearest infant I see neither do I die of a cute-overload. They’re alright on other people but I like to keep my distance. I don’t have visions of being surrounded by babies in my Dream Home in fantasyland. In fact, I avoid them as much as I can. They have power. And. Adults (myself included). Should. Be. Wary. Of. Them. Sadly, however, thanks to their very deft manipulation of the minds of fellow creatures, most humans perceive them as innocent and harmless while they are, in reality, out to flood the world in torrents of smelly poo. Thereby taking over the world economy, of course.

And most regretfully, I have now been cursed. Cursed. Cursed. To be an Agent of their Manipulation. The idea really doesn’t please me at all. DM had also added some other parameters to the curse, which, to preserve my modesty, cannot be written of. Sigh. Could anything be worse?

Falling Star

Date: 16.10.2008
Time: 6:05 p.m.

What makes a person bleed out hope,
Kill despair with silence,
One that destroys more than it repairs?
Can the shutting out of fears
Only be brought about
By blotting out every anticipation
With darkened ink?
We rid ourselves of numbness, sometimes
By finding work to do
Failing which we try
One last time before
Giving up for good…
Yet like a child promised a happy ending
Before bedtime arrives
To claim the unfinished tale,
We keep hoping for Hope…
And sometimes,
That is all that sustains us.

End: 6:10 p.m.

The Capital and Other Places

The trip there and back was nice enough although my stomach did not like the ride too much. Still! Pictures! :D

Below are some of the pictures (of the locations) sneaked in between pictures of family and myself posing horrendously at Places of Sight-Seeing. :P

The Qutub Minar! Kindly refer to your middle school history book for details regarding who built it, for what purpose and when. I'm just giving you the name and picture. DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK! :P

This is the Bahai Temple also called the Lotus Temple. I vomited on its stairs while descending. You probably didn't want that piece of information. :P But wait, let me explain. My dad dragged us out sight-seeing at two in the afternoon right after a heavy lunch after a tiring train journey. What else do you expect? Still, the people who work there are pretty nice, since this lady let me use the staff washroom to clean up. :)

A part of the Observatory at the Jantar Mantar! And the yantras are still used today. Seriously, you can imagine how talented the architects and scientists were back then!

Yes! There is actually such a place, I kid you not, readers! It lies on the way to Agra and we stopped there for a rejuvenating syrupy concoction they pass off as masala tea. :P

The entrance to the Agra Fort.

A view from one of the balconies of the Agra Fort. :)

This would be the Resident smart scurrying Squirrel of the Agra Fort. Tee hee. :P

The oft quoted, oft mentioned Poetry in Marble. Need I say more?

Spare Me!

Date: 05.10.2008
Time: 6:55 p.m.

I’d like to have my throat slit
But for a reason other than death
I’d like it done so that I’m spared
The hoarseness after shouting
Loudly and painfully for an hour.

It would be nice to be deaf as well
And blindness the cherry on top
For I’ll be spared some sickening sounds
Along with the sight of stupidity at play
While I’m gnashing my teeth in rage.

The best thing that could happen, however
Is for me to lose every ounce of sense
And thus join in the madness of the masses —
Their collective attempts at excelling in errors,
Thus enjoying the tide of merry mediocrity.

End: 7:00 p.m.

I Want To Break Free

Today was photography day! There are several new additions to my Still Shots and Nature and Randomly Real folders, many of which will be Radar-ed shortly, when I have a better net connection. I really liked the plaintive air about this flower, which although still attached to its mother plant, was aching to reach out to the world outside.

A Window to my World [VII]

The time has come, as LD says
To talk of many things
Of fests, and food and dumb charades
And of allergies and billings,
And how the rain has been pouring down
And whether LD sings.

It has, to say the least, been an eventful and interesting week. It started off with my winning a two-hundred-buck voucher from Crossword and hundred bucks in cash for this inter-college poetry thingy held in college. That sort of felt nice although they misspelled my name on the certificate. Monsieur Mosquito won himself the first prize although it is believed that an iron rod also contributed. Yes yes, I am advertising, but enough on that!

The next day saw my H.O.D. sharing a light moment with us, when an exchange between her and one of my classmates who was insistent upon the need for pessimism and low levels of oxytocin in our lives (this was vaguely related to a seminar presented last week) prompted her to tell us all to “take it easy yaaar” and “go fall in love now, when it is the age to”. Suffice it to say, the class was in splits and this happened to be the first class in the morning. We didn’t know whether to hide our faces and laugh or simply laugh outright. I did the latter. I also bought a banana clip for my hair that day. Do not laugh at the name.

Wednesday had the early morning class which found almost all of us nodding off at some point or the other. I was given a hand massage by Miss Minnie Mouse — and this led to me almost falling off my seat as I was a little too relaxed and too sleepy. The professor noticed, in spite of my sitting in the last row. She was quite nice about it though, not being a morning person herself. After freezing to death in (one of the) labs later that day, there was redemption in the form of yummy chocolate and phuchkas! And other things. :P *Jumps up and down mentally*

I also deposited the cheque for my cell-phone bill but was told later that evening that it had to be drawn in favour of something else. So, I had to go all the way to the place from college the next day and replace it with a fresh cheque to avoid a late fee. Thankfully, that day, miraculously labs got cancelled and the professor taking the classes after labs was away attending a symposium. A complete day of no classes is a rarity in my college. And so, it was fun.

Yesterday was the day of food and dumb charades. And some singing as well, on my part. There was a long gap between the last class and the afternoon seminar and some of us spent quite some time playing dumb charades in the canteen. After which, we promptly gorged on pav bhaji, soda sikanji, and cotton candy (I had the white one while DM had pink). I also had an ice cream and a roll later in the evening before coming back home. I guess, since I’d eaten so much I was practically out cold on the way back. :P My vial of anti-allergic cough syrup also finished yesterday and I’m pretty glad about it since I’ve been a complete zombie in the morning for the last two weeks.

The weather has been beautiful since morning, enough to prompt me into writing after ages. I suppose having had a good breakfast also helped. So far so good! LD out.

Identity Crisis

According to Google, creating a new email address is a piece of cake. My little brother (who is now not-so-little-and-is-taller-than-me-damn-him) would beg to differ though, since the two of us spent the entire evening thinking of a username for him. As he was reluctant to use his own name, we had to come up with something that had not been taken already in the long-enough-relative-to-Internet-time history of Google. And that, my dear friends appeared quite the Herculean task.

My brother insisted on suggesting the most trite of all possible usernames, inspired by his limited creativity and gaming and TV (anime mostly) influences, which, staying true to the spirit of collectivism spread throughout the world when it comes to originality, were already taken. A list of some of the names tried out that I happen to remember at the moment is given below. Please feel free to laugh your backsides off at appropriate (and inappropriate) moments.

catseye : Taken
(For some reason, my brother showed a sudden feline influence in his taste)
straycat : Taken
(The poor kid had really wanted this. *Grins evilly*)
stinkykitty : Taken
(This was suggested by me owing to certain odours being emitted by the person involved)
stinkykitteh : Available
(A variation based on LOLCats which my brother wanted to murder me about)
mybrotherisakitty : Available
(The above reaction was repeated again)

stupidlittlearse : Taken
(A rather surprising revelation, when we decided to indulge in profanities)
aceoffarts : Taken
(Another surprise, for obvious reasons)
aceofasses : Available
(A relief, of sorts, but the little chicken was too scared of what mummy would say although it was his decision that we try this out :P)
motorfart : Available
(A suggestion of mine which induced much laughter in us toilet-humour-driven souls, although it did not seem like an appropriate ID)
constipation : Taken
(Lo and behold! Weren't we surprised! And amused. xD)
idonthaveabackside : Available
(Thankfully. Yet, my brother found that he could not relate very well to this)
idonthaveanarse : Available
(We tried this one out for the sake of variety. It was discarded for the same lack of empathy)
shittykitty : No suggestions from Google
(They probably thought it way too inappropriate)
noreturntype : Available
(A suggestion of mine that the kid didn't like. The idiot)
nomorepoo : Taken
(More shocking revelations unfold! The Internet has too many similar minded perverts (ab)using it)
nomoretoilethumour : Available
(A product of sheer frustration on my part. It was scapped, most regretfully, in spite of its strong social comment)

thinkofsomething : Taken
(My brother's heartfelt plea to me)
numberXIII : Taken
(The chap could come up with nothing better on his own. *Shakes head regretfully*)
ihopenot : Available
(My response to the above suggestion)
thecatoftoday : Taken
(This would be the kid reverting to I-want-a-feline-ID mode)
darkraven : Taken
(Duh. I had told him it would be)
strawberryjam : Taken
(He wanted to kill me again after this one)
pikachu : Taken
(I wanted to kill him, after this)
To which, my brother suggested: "Pikapika?"
And my response was: X(

raisedeyebrow : Taken
(Sad, but)
skinnyarse : Taken
(I had a feeling it would be, but we laughed disgustingly nevertheless)
swelteringsands : Available
(I liked this one, but that fool did not. Still, IT SHALL BE MY USERNAME ONE DAY. NO ONE HAD BETTER STEAL IT, I AM WARNING YOU!!!!)
stinkysands : Available
(But then, my brother got insulted)

By this time I had suggested he try some of the word verifications that had made themselves visible to us: lentusil, tionotomm and mattassorse. But he disliked the idea. Meh.

We also tried these out...
soulpiper : Taken
(Hah. It would be)
soulreaper : Taken
(Double hah from my side)
sourfish : Taken
(Ok, I was amused)
sideprofile : Available!
(I had really really liked this one. *Sigh* NO ONE HAD BETTER STEAL THIS ONE EITHER)
dumbduck : Taken
(A product of my frustration at my brother not liking the previous one)
catmusic : Taken
(I had told him. The idiot never listens)
catastrophic : Taken
(Cliche, cliche, cliche, I had said)

iatemyowndna : AVAILABLE
(My own creative masterpiece, the virtues of which were woefully ignored)
sociozoid: Available
(My brother's stewed brain came up with this)
Inflated with the "Available" status, he suggested: flairazoid
To which I replied: That is STUPID! It sounds like a Pokemon! *shudder*
flamesoftime : Taken
(A sigh from him)
gigafire : Taken
(Another sigh from him)

And by then I was extremely annoyed with him and gave him an extremely filthy look when he suggested, "Terrorist?"
I responded with "vegetablepot", which was available.

Finally, the chap came up with something decent that was available, which I will not mention here, and created his account. I just want to mention this... whoever said that creating an email ID is easy, lied big time.

River

Date: 16.09.2008
Time: 5:45 p.m.

I flow where the earth directs me
Moved only by hard rock, and nothing soft
I flit as I see fit, from stone to stone…
The company of stars above, a constant
The gentle breeze, a restless guide,
I move briskly over shingly shores
And seep softly through the sand
My countenance, a reflection of where I am —
Left to myself, I frolic amidst the pebbles
Contented by my own waters and the life that they contain
Surrounded by voices, I am the gurgling crescendo receding with the sound,
As I glide past those many lives which wish to be heard more than I do.
I shimmer when brightened by the sun,
Shiver at the tender touch of rain
Swelling up in ecstasy at the feel of kindred drops
And relapsing sullenly into moistened banks
When reminded of my limits,
Ill at ease when I am stagnant
I drift… carrying with me mere remnants of lands left behind
Life travels with me as grainy memories —
Sometimes conjoined into larger fragments that threaten with stillness
Till I leave them behind for good…
A heavy load shed for the sake of the present
That demands its own share of burdens,
I meander on and finally reach the sea.

End: 6:05 p.m.

Positivity

There are some days in your life when you feel that no amount of people not being quite what you'd want them to be, parents shouting at you owing to hunger-related-anger and bumping your head painfully against automobile doors can dampen your spirits and that sudden drive to be positive. Today was one such day... a day to throw out some garbage and start afresh. I think I've made a decent start. And one thing that I'm quite proud of is that I paid full attention in all my classes at college, something that is only wishful thinking on most Mondays, when I have the most number of classes in the entire week.

My weekend marked the end of a long and trying week. My granddad's last stitch got taken out yesterday, I was given anti-allergic cough syrup along with tablets for something that I suspect is more psychosomatic than anything, and we had two amazing cakes at home on two consecutive days, one on dad's birthday on Saturday and one last evening to make up for my own dismal one last month. I can't call myself displeased. There's still ice-cream left in the fridge.

Most importantly, I made up for a lot of lost time, and spent a day in Sheer Contentment's arms. It almost felt as though I'd been doused in reviving waters that washed away all the deathly ashes that had accumulated on me. I hadn't felt as ready to live in a long, long time. And yes, it obviously felt rather good. I'm now charged up and am ready to take on any rot that comes my way.

Seriously.

Scream

Something that can pretty easily be called CRAP. But well, I needed something to do, so yes. Thankfully, the mood has passed. :P However, the writing bug seems to have left me for a prolonged holiday. Sigh.

To A Little Girl

Date: 06.01.2008
Time: 9:50 p.m.

Choose your man with care, little girl
Instead of being charmed by that stare, little girl
A dash of style and a hint of flair
And you’re completely wooed by what he wears
It really isn’t enough to know that he cares.

Do know if your man is sly, little girl
Fret less about how he wears his tie, little girl
A sincere word can be hard to discern from a lie
Masked intentions only lead to teary goodbyes
And you spend time sniffling till your tissue dries.

Know what you want from your man, little girl
And ask him, to see if he can, little girl
It might alarm you much to find him deadpan
You may wonder if it’s you he likes more or his fans
You could even wind up mentally kicking cans.

That disarming smile may make you melt, little girl
Along with tingles that you felt, little girl
But dear, do know the cards you’re being dealt
For an unexpected move planned out in stealth
Might leave you bereft of all your wealth.

Take your time to decide, little girl
Don’t go by presents and the fancy ride, little girl
Heartbreak’s not your preferred guide
Would you like it to constantly remind you and chide?
It will surely be more hard on your pride.

Grow up and first reach your prime, little girl
You won’t run out of time, little girl
It’s more the rhythm of honest words than the rhyme
Poetic flattery should certainly not make you pine!
Wait for the right sounds and you’ll be fine.

End: 10:40 p.m.

***

Postscript: This, as the title says, is to a little girl. Someone I happen to know. It would be something of an experiment, writing this, and well, I am hardly sure how it has turned out ... it might sound a bit didactic I guess. Oh well. A product of boredom and a bit of conscious thinking.

An Old Point Of View

Most wonderfully, I discovered the high-points of Infrared technology today! And so, I have been able to transfer some pictures taken ages back from my cell-phone (I lack a functional datacable)... all thanks to the most wonderful Cat! Here would be some of them (un-edited, though):

Lightsaber: A play on lights using a spectacle lens as a reflector. STAR WARS!!!!!!1111

Arms Outstretched: An overhead shot of some branches.

Leafy Shadows: Who would have thought green-tinted shadows could be so alluring!

Lone Ranger: The defiant leaf that chose to grow where no greens had grown before.

I Grow: Fiery red, the embodiment of its inner spirit.

Pentacle: This was taken within the college grounds.

Black Cat: The black feline beauty of the college grounds.

Shadowdance: An innovative candle-stand.

Light Glass: Any guesses? A paperweight and a coaster with some quirky office lighting.

Blood-letting

Date: 27.08.2008
Time: 6:55 p.m.

Take this offering of mine,
From the drawn out artery before you
Stretched taut to its limit
Run the sharp saviour across it and cut
Death away from life.

Enrich your beautiful and warm spirits
With the redness of my blood
A gift such as this is not to be spurned
When it passes out of fissures fresh and old
To make its journey into marshes and plains.

Red is a beautiful colour;
Dark and bright and equally so
Settling the score between dusk and light
In an intimately poignant manner,
Red is a glorious colour.

It heartens me much to watch it glow,
Shimmer elegantly against the glint
Of the cracked edge of a looking glass
That no longer shows my reflection
But looks deep into my soul instead.

Take this offering of mine,
From the proffered hand, oh so willing
To give you this sanguine pleasure
While drawing out the essence in me
Making it yours, in my place.

End: 7:10 p.m.

With Shaky Hands

So I made another pen and ink doodle last night, while being interrupted six times by a crank caller who has been in love with dialing my cellphone number since the first week of August. This would be this poor, lonely, and really desperate fellow's number:

+919002559714

If there are any other equally lonely and desperate souls out there in the blogosphere, I suggest that you get in touch. Oh I don't believe this, I'm actually playing matchmaker! Yay me!

Now getting back to this doodle, let me just add that I have no idea why I made it, just that I felt like doodling. Tee hee.

Vindicated

Date: 24.08.2008
Time: 6:40 p.m.

There is only so much silence that a person can take — after which, the voices inside the head become so loud that you begin to see and hear things. I’ve felt an extremely stifling numbness set upon me the last few days. Although I had initially attributed that to fever and sickness, this evening I’m sure that it stems from much more.

I can get used to the lights gone. I can adapt to the heat and humidity. What I know is driving me mad is the stillness — the way the waters of my life have been brought to an abrupt halt in the face of an unwanted dam. There is so much that I’m holding back… again, in spite of having experienced the freedom of letting go.

People, as always, confuse me. It is as though I see some pattern repeating itself. The surety of it is terribly disconcerting. I’ve always despised the routine, yet I find myself falling into one I desperately want to (and tried to) get out of. There are times when I take the easier path and shut myself in my room, away from everyone. Only, I’m at a loss when I wish I could shut my soul away from myself.

As for situations and circumstances, these embroil themselves in murky waters on their own without any intervention on my part. I do not enjoy disappointments, and perhaps my reaction to these is worse than that of others. Yet, having a string of these lacing my life makes me want to make a noose of it and strangle myself. And some of the time, I’m rather ashamed to admit this, but I shut out loved ones as well.

I lack the energy that tears demand, so I’m keeping everything inside… just as I used to. I’ve always hated August. It is a month that makes me sick in body and sick at heart… year after year. I’ve noticed that a lot of these seasonal patterns simply do not change. The moment I bring myself to talk about it, I find that the conversation has moved on… with time. Time. I always need too much of it to make my point. And this temporal sparring shall only end with me running out of time — probably, sometime soon enough.

All that I have for comfort is that all my distrust, cynicism, and paranoia regarding people and situations are getting vindicated. This is hardly much of a comfort though. What I need right now, more than anything, is to get used to mental isolation and stop myself every time I build up expectations. Only that will help, only that. For all my pessimism, I am an optimist at heart, and that will ruin my life unless I check it right now. I need a strong kick, that’s what.

My world disappoints me, and it has me expecting things and then being taken for granted. And my world believes in denying me what I want and need.

“Hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out
The shine of it has caught my eye
And roped me in
So mesmerising, so hypnotising
I am captivated

I am Vindicated…
I swear I knew it all along…”

End: 7:10 p.m.

It Flu Away

Date: 24.08.2008
Time: 11:11 a.m.

It feels so good to be able to breathe through my nose again! Seriously, I’d missed the feeling so much for the last five days that I’d wondered if I’d ever feel the rush of air moving unhindered through unclogged airways ever again. Anyone who has suffered a blocked nose (with other ailments) for more than two days at a stretch will agree, I’m sure, for the nose is beautiful, in more ways than just what concerns vanity. It gives you a sense of proportion, it gives you a sense of the flavours and fragrances around you, without which your life lacks the zest and aroma it needs to go on living in all wellness. The nose … helps you smell tea!

The most disheartening bit about having a blocked nose, or breathing with the help of nasal decongestants apart from the nasal twang in your otherwise chirpy voice is the lack of olfactory ability. I mean, imagine this: you’ve made yourself a cup of Earl Grey, which smells lovely, by the way, and you realise that you can’t smell one molecule of it! I almost had a panic attack, pondering over all sorts of possibilities, ranging from the tea losing its fragrance on becoming old (I wonder if that actually possible …), to wily aliens zapping up all the scents in the vicinity as part of a fiendish plot to take over the planet, till I asked around for confirmation and came to the conclusion that it was I who had lost the sense of smell.

Sad, very sad indeed. Therefore, when I woke up this morning and noticed that I could breathe again, my joy knew no bounds! It was like taking in a whiff of fresh air after ages spent in a polluted city, like having the overpowering smell of tranquillity lull you into submission, like the happiness felt by oxygen molecules as they pass through a phlegm and mucus-less nasal chamber into my lungs where they will be welcomed with open blood vessels, eager to carry this happy beacon to every cell. Yes, yes, I know I’m being a geek, go hang will you? I CAN BREATHE! Whee! XD

On a side note, I haven’t had a temperature for the last two days thankfully, so I may safely venture a little finger forward and greet the open outdoors with my customary zeal. Yayness!

End: 11:27 a.m.

Careless Strokes and Scratches

I had meant to put up some doodles I had made sometime back, but finally decided to take pictures today. This is mainly for the viewing pleasure of Ship who had wanted to see them and had hitherto not been able to.

This one was done in pen and ink during my last semester exams. Just a simple doodle.

Also in pen and ink, and a doodle.

I painted this today. Just water colours... stuff I had been a little wary of touching.

Frustration

Date: 10.08.2008
Time: 10:05 p.m.

There are days when living just one dull hour
Makes you wish you could take a month off and devour
All the philosophies you wished to base your life on
And pore over volumes and tomes in preparation
Days like these stay stuck like sticky chewing gum
Lodged stubbornly at the bottom of your shoe
You try to scrape it off at a stony step
And end up missing the surest footing instead.
A passing car might also honk angrily at you
While you’re bending by the pavement struggling with your shoe
Your hips wiggle unceremoniously as you shift
With your body being made to wait for another lift
All for the sake of something spat out by someone else
In all probability, a person you’ve never met
So you simply shake it off with a careless walk
Hoping inside however, that no one talks.
Returning to the matter of those days
When the only alternative to work is to laze
A rather appalling situation as it is
For even the bubbles in your drink have lost their fizz
What can you do but lose yourself in a good book
The kind your friends and neighbours say you certainly should
Ones with inspiring stories of the ordinary man
And the miracles of a clever tool or a battering ram.
A genius like you should have no trouble whatsoever
When it comes to judging a good book by its cover
We all know that appearances do matter
And those who don’t are definitely mad as a hatter
To think that they have the audacity to get by
With nothing at all but what doesn’t meet the eye,
It is blasphemous, the way they’re always happy
Even if they’re changing a baby’s nappy!
Which is why I say you shouldn’t let it pass
Without a snide comment or a rude remark
About the way these recalcitrant people conduct themselves
When you’re pining there ruefully all by yourself
Good humour has no place in this hallowed land
A fool is he or she who doesn’t take this stand!
It is only with the wagging of a tongue
That planning flatterers move up to that coveted rung.

End: 10:40 p.m.

Solar Skyline

Today’s eclipsed sun spared Indian viewers the sight of its complete devouring by the moon. However, I’m sure that did not stop many eclipse enthusiasts from running to their terraces to witness the first total eclipse since 1995, even though it was only a partial eclipse here.

Late this afternoon, on receiving a phone-call from my astronomically aligned ally, I ran to the terrace, which I hadn’t visited since January, armed with my UV-protecting sunglasses and an old X-ray film of my mother’s skull. It was an amazing experience, feeling the wind on my face as I sat on the ledge supporting the water tank and watched the two heavenly bodies vying with each other for attention in the sky. Kaz and I spoke to each other over the phone, giving each other updates on our unique viewing angles and how the clouds were trying to play spoilsport.

What I saw, when the clouds were not making an attempt to outdo the moon in trying to block the sun from view, was simply beautiful! I have no other word for it! It felt good. I’ve always felt more connected with the world around me when looking at the sky, and to watch this celestial landmark in time take place before my eyes, with a favourite friend’s voice for company was truly lovely!

My memories of my first total solar eclipse are restricted to only a few images ingrained in memory along with the feeling of anticipation and excitement that accompanied them. I am adding today’s to that album of mine with the hope that I will witness many more. Sitting there on the terrace by myself brought me mixed feelings though. Almost all the residents of my building were present the last time. It’s funny how the span of a few years changes things quite so much.

Well, seeing how I’ve been taking pictures almost at the drop of a hat these days, I did manage to take some shots of the sky and sun. Here they are:

This picture was taken from the study window, just when I was told that the eclipse could be seen.

A view of the amassing clouds, which were most unobliging for a while.

The sun was completely hidden by then, for the clouds had covered most of the sky.

The eclipse. This blurry thing was taken using my very simple digicam and the X-ray film. So it is hardly a good picture. I am hoping that Kaz has better pictures. Oh well... I am not complaining.

To the heavens, now and forever!