Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr :3

The past two weeks have been emotionally harrowing. Not only have I been facing severe existential crisis, I am also becoming increasingly anti-social. Not a good thing, I know. But I guess it’s just one of those phases. I really hope to get out of this rut soon, and put some life into this blog as well.

We went for an overnight trip to Satara as part of our Rural Reporting course. And it turned out to be one of the best things I’ve done here so far. Just visiting the villages, talking to the people, discussing, and thinking of new story angles was an experience in itself. But even this trip and the IIM fest together could not manage to lift me out of my slump for long. IIM A was kind of an enchanting experience for me. The campus mostly consisted of red-bricked buildings, lots of trees and scurrying animals, good food and lesser restrictions. But what bowled me over was the kind of passion, energy, enthusiasm the participants in the plays showcased. The street plays in particular, were unbelievable. I had no idea they could give me goose bumps, make me move to tears and have the power to touch me to such an extent. Our stage play was good, but it paled in comparison to the other stage plays. Kirori Mal college (DU) performed a play called A Threesome without Simone, which involved only three actors on stage. It was an extremely intricate and delicate play but they carried it off with such skill and finesse I could only wonder how they get the time and the drive to act so well. 

Once back in college, I went into my black hole again. Coming out only briefly, as if a little mole poking its head out of its hill. But something amazingly extraordinary happened today evening. I was in the middle of an argument with a friend, when a furry little ball climbed up the staircase where we were sitting. Now I have never been a fan of cats, I’ve no experience with them, and I always assumed they were selfish, irritable little creatures. But this little kitten did not claw me or run away; it just lay on my lap while I stroked its fur. I played with its paws, I touched its little nose, I squeezed it, and it just lay there on my lap, sleeping peacefully. It was such a furry little thing, and it was so cosy against me, I had to bring it back to my room. And bring it back, I did.

(Snuffles in my room!)

(Snuffles cozying up against me :))

(Sleepy kitty)

(Look how tiny it is!)

I’ve decided to call it Snuffles and it is sleeping very peacefully on my tummy, all curled up like a little bundle of warm, purring joy. What amazed me was how quickly my agitation evaporated once I started playing with the little thing, and how elated a strange, lone animal can make you. It’s the perfect company if you are a little homesick and down in the dumps too. After a lot of running about, posing for pictures, hiding under the bed, some warm milk and half an Oreo biscuit, Snuffles is all tucked in while I watch Monsters, Inc :) I can hear its soft purring, and I can feel its heartbeat. Such, such, SUCH an adorable little thing.

There are ways to bring yourself a little happiness. Reading a comic book, listening to your old favourite pop artists, playing with a stray animal, or just enjoying a warm cup of tea at night. For me, as of now, it lies in looking at the Calvin and Hobbes poster and the clandestine messages given to me by my pseudo Secret Santa: Banta Singh :) And of course, Snuffles.

Even if everything we do doesn’t seem to bring us happiness, we can at least try. It can be amazing how sometimes the littlest of things turn out to be exactly what we needed. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers. I love you guys :)                                                                                                                                                                                                  

So how are you Holden up?

I have a new favourite fictitious character! Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye. The book, to put in Holden’s words ‘killed me’. I had always heard about it but never ended up reading it because someone told me your mind has to be ‘developed’ enough to actually appreciate it. And boy, did I appreciate it or what! (Okay, I think I’m under the influence of Holden’s manner of speaking :P)

It was such a pleasure reading the book, I almost read it in a day and felt that it got over too soon. It was written as a narrative by Holden, who is this crazy little kid. A seventeen year old who flunks out of school for probably the third time and who thinks the world is full of ‘phonies’ and ‘corny people’ and mostly everything about his school and his friends ‘depresses’ him. The language used in the book is probably one of the strongest reasons why it is so famous and why it started this cult of young rebellions. It is brutally honest, has a predominant usage of swear words, is extremely human and it feels like you actually live inside his head for a span of three to four odd days and see how feverishly it functions.

Poor little Holden. He is just confused and has his own set of problems and insecurities. Although he comes across as a cynical chap, in fact, he is soft hearted and curious about a lot of seemingly insignificant, but delicate things. And the way he describes his relationship with his sister and his childhood friend. Man! It’s as if you’re actually listening to an adolescent talk about his life, you know? He is this innocent, bemused student who doesn’t understand a lot of things and why some people behave the way they do and is probably going through a rough patch in his life and he gets all these crazy ideas in his head. He literally wanted to be a ‘catcher’ in the rye. I thought that was adorable.

I loved the ending, where he just watches his sister on the carousel going round and round. It was so open and honest. I will probably read the book again, after a few months. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read lately! Yips!

Just catching up on a few more things: This is my last semester! Last!! It’s delightfully cold and appropriately sunny enough every day. The kind when it your hands are too frozen to makes notes in class in the first lecture. We have really good teachers this time. And good subjects and interesting projects to work on.

I’ve had what can be described as the most amazing, surreal start of 2011. Oh, Happy New year! :D I don't really get why a new year is supposed to be a big deal though. I mean, sure, it feels nice to write a new date on the exam answer sheets for a change. But then, it does bring a lot of positivity with it, doesn't it? New promises, resolutions, dreams. A fresh start.

New year’s for me this time involved a road trip to Delhi, (with some of my closest peeps) stopping to have tempting parathas on the way, eating and dancing with family and friends, lighting night sky lanterns at 12, swinging on tiny swings like kids while singing “I’m with you” (by Avril Lavigne), standing in the balcony in the chilly breeze, clicking the cutest of pictures together, meeting En (I’m thrilled about that actually!), running around in the rain and reaching a pub all damp and trembling and looking like wet chickens, eating with chopsticks and sinking teeth into delicious doughnuts, cracking ‘that’s-what-she-saids’, more dancing and just plain ol’ horsing around. And believe me, this is not even HALF of it. I wish I could mention everything! I really do! Oh, this so does not justify what New year’s was like. Sigh, but I guess you’ll have to make do with this much, for now.

There is a lot of stuff going on. Nothing major, but just stuff that might lead up to something major. I’m excited! Yes I am! Too excited I guess, it’s 4 in the morning for Christ’s sake! What’s the matter with me?

I’ll hop for now. But I’ll be back. Very soon :)