Lying on the Moon

Know that feeling when you don't mind writing notes in class because the pen is so blissfully smooth? And the feeling when someone makes you laugh so hard you can't imagine what you would do when you won't be able to see them each day? Or the feeling when you walk to class taking each step with the beats of the song you're listening to? The sound of a class laughing in unison? These are little moments that make up my day here. Tiny fragments of the last 30 days left.

There's nothing in particular that I want to write about. I just felt like writing. It's comforting. To open up this little box and observe what unfurls in front of me. It rained today. After long. I was in the editing studio working on an assignment, and when I stepped out, the gust of wind and the smell of wet mud filled my senses. It was like a spell. I was just so happy. I walked all the way to the photocopy shop with a stupid grin plastered on my face. I just love this place so much. 

We have this professor teaching us Business Journalism these days, and he is so good that none of us mind spending our entire evenings sitting in a classroom listening to him. He discussed the financial crisis of 2008, he talked about its aftermath, and then he played a game with us, where we all were the head of the Federal Reserve and had to control the economic condition of America. I wish all the teachers in the world were like him. People would grow up smarter then. I wish I had better teachers in school. I did, but nothing ever interested me apart from stories. Biology and Geography to an extent, but I never spent as much time trying to understand those as I did with my nose etched deep between the pages of my English literature textbooks.

I watched the first episode of True Detective. There's something Matthew McCanoughey says which caught my attention. "Human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self-aware. Nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself. We are creatures that should not exist by natural law. We are things that labour under the illusion of having a self. The secretion of sensory experience and feeling programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody. When in fact, we are nobody. Maybe the honourable thing for our species to do is to deny our programming. Stop reproducing. Walk hand-in-hand into extinction."

That's probably a pessimistic, awful thing to say to anybody. But god, I love it. I just love it when somebody tries to think beyond what we are supposed to do. What we are taught to do. What we are made to do. I can't believe people have stopped asking questions. They do not want to know things which are beyond their comprehension. Which reminds me, I also watched Richard Linklater's Waking Life. Linklater is the same guy who created Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight. Sheer brilliance.

Anyway, so I love him because he's constantly asking all these questions in his films. Waking Life is about a boy who is lucid dreaming, and he meets all these people and talks to them about existence, science, the universe, religion and other such things. Things that people, for some reason, don't discuss in everyday life. They just talk about superficial everyday issues. Which is also fine, but have you noticed how people usually seem to talk nonsense most of the time?

I didn't even understand half the things they were trying to explain in the movie. And I know, I know, people usually roll their eyes and advise me not to think so much and to 'go with the flow.' But, I just don't buy it. The whole 'living' thing. If I had a choice, I would probably not even do it. There's got to be bigger plan, but that is not enough and it doesn't even matter because we are here for like a fleeting second. We are here completing our time, trying to get by and salvage some happiness for ourselves. Which is fine, but it just makes me so restless.

There was a scene in the movie where a girl bumps into the guy for less than a second, and they apologize and start walking away, and then she stops him and says, "Hey. Could we do that again? I know we haven't met, but I don't want to be an ant. You know? I mean, it's like we go through life with our antennas bouncing off one another, continously on ant autopilot, with nothing really human required of us. Stop. Go. Walk here. Drive there. All action basically for survival. All communication simply to keep this ant colony buzzing along in an efficient, polite manner. "Here's your change." "Paper or plastic?' "Credit or debit?" "You want ketchup with that?" I don't want a straw. I want real human moments. I want to see you. I want you to see me. I don't want to give that up. I don't want to be ant, you know?"

Isn't this true? Even more so now, in our digitally 'enhanced', virtual existences where we interact the most on social media and not with real people, we just don't talk. How many of us would start a conversation with a stranger on the road?

I don't know. I know I may be a bit of an over-thinker. It's just that, we are just so small. And powerless, and fragile. We think we are big-shots, with our bloated egos, and our greedy natures, but we are only human. And that is the sad part. How great it would be if people communicated like that, without any ulterior motives?

I don't know. I know I may be a bit of an over-thinker. It's just that, we are just so small. And powerless, and fragile. We think we are big-shots, with our bloated egos, and our greedy natures, but we are only human. And that is the sad part. 

P.S. I'm listening to The Moon Song from the movie 'Her'. It's so painfully nostalgic. 

P.P.S. The title of my post is the first line in the song :)

'Cause I've got a peaceful, easy feeling :)

A few days back a friend visited the campus and he made me look at my campus in awe all over again, through the eyes of an outsider. I live in the kind of place where people pay thousands of rupees to go vacationing to. I have been dabbling into a lot of new music and I’m addicted to two new bands, Broken Bells and Imagine Dragons. They go really well with the overall atmosphere of this place. A couple of days back Possum and I went up on our terrace, in a desperate attempt to do something ‘spontaneous’ because we suddenly realized how little time is left before our time here gets over. Third semester flew by. Literally. 'Not like a an aeroplane, but like a rocket.' When I think about it, it seems like a flurry of assignments, workshops and guest lectures. And funny one liners and insane laughter sessions at night.

And oh, sleeping like this every day.

It rained gloriously today. With frighteningly loud thunder and purple lightning. It has been pouring since the past few days and it makes me enter this euphoric stupor where I suddenly fall in love with everything around me. It felt amazing to just sit back and observe the rain. The water gushed underneath our feet, down the sloping road as we made our way back to the hostel. We felt the spray of the water and we observed some juniors sailing some paper boats in the streams.

There was a stormy, torrential downpour at night again, and as I walked back towards the hostel under my umbrella I knew I had to get drenched. It was time. I ran back to the hostel, changed into my shorts and asked my crazy neighbor who I knew would be crazy enough to join me in my craziness and took her to the terrace. We stood there, giggling, scaring passersby on the road below and just sharing the beauty of the moment. I don’t know what it is about getting soaked to the bone. Maybe it’s the thrill, maybe it’s defying what you’re supposed to do. Maybe it’s the pleasure of letting go despite the risk of falling sick.

I went to Mumbai recently to shoot a documentary film we are working on. The reality shook me up a bit. The real world is not like my campus. It's not always rainbows and butterflies and sunsets and trees. It's sweat. It's hordes of people pushing you. It's homeless people. It's people who try to swindle you. It's hours of travelling that sucks all your energy out. It's dust. It's haggling with autowallas. It's not easy. And once I start working I will have to deal with this everyday of my life. I don't feel ready for this. And yet when I'm thrown out there, I feel like I'll live.

I cannot get over how much I have changed in the past one year. Earlier I saw, but never really observed. I heard, but never really listened. I felt, but never really thought. I feel like my senses have opened so much more to everything that happens. I enjoy silence more than loud noises now. I look for solitude instead of large crowds. I am...quieter. Well, relatively. I'm more cynical. I still romanticize mostly everything in life, but a lot of my unreasonable expectations have taken a backseat. I’m still a big bag of emotions, opening myself to those precious few, but deep underneath a lot of creases have smoothed over time. I feel like I needed to clear my head a bit. There is a little more clarity when it comes to setting my priorities straight. I still don’t know what exactly I want from life, but I don’t let it bother me as much. I’ll figure it out.

For now, I’m just happy to have a roommate with whom I can share anything with. I’m happy I came to terms with my past and I'm happy I did not lose the people I cared about. I still have that friend who will burn and send me CDs of my favourite TV shows. I am happy I have that one person to walk around with, the one who completely ‘indulges me’, the one who shakes trees to make water fall down on me and run away laughing like a child. I’m happy I have that one friend who has worse existential crises than me and complains how she doesn't want to do anything anymore. I'm happy I have that one friend who I can count on when I want to discuss anything with, the things that 'normal' people won't understand. And a mom who pings me on Whatsapp asking 'Mela baby homesick hai?' And a dad who is okay with me wanting to go backpacking to another country because he is okay with everything. And a sister who constantly asks me to intern in Singapore so that 'we can be crazy with each other.' I'm happy for all these people in my life, because each one has a different purpose, and each one has a different place in my life, and I’m a completely different person with all of them. It's like they are my horcruxes. Life has never seemed so comfortable, and so full of exciting possibilities :)

P.S. I bought a camera! Sharing my photostream here! Do give me feedback on the pictures :)
Click here.

Possum :3

It is a typical rainy night in Lavale. The kind which depresses you, fuels your poetic side, or simply makes you want to curl up in bed with a book. But mostly it just makes you want to sleep. A lot. I have been listening to Amit Trivedi’s music, and it has a balming, dreamy effect which goes along perfectly with this weather. Sometimes I go to the city just because I get excited I will get to hear my music on the bus, and view the green hills and feel the wind and ponder about life.

I am writing after ages. It feels weird, now that so much time has passed, and so much has happened. My roommate, Possum, (as I would refer to her. Other names include: Thumbelina and Oompa Loompa) has gone to Mangalore to meet her grand mom and cousins. Not surprisingly, I am missing the small bump that her tiny body makes under her blanket, and the way her legs take up only half the bed. Shifting in with her is one of the best decisions I’ve made in this college so far. I thought I wanted someone sincere as a roommate so that I would be motivated to be like her. Or maybe someone serious and nerdy so that her ‘qualities’ would rub off on me. I was wrong. By the end of the second semester, I was ready to settle with absolutely anyone who would be willing to adjust to my random outbursts and idiosyncrasies, and that too I would have kept to a minimum. But I ended up living with someone just like me. Well, almost like me.

It’s awesome. Not only does she complement my insanity, she supplements it. When I make noises, she makes louder noises. When I make faces, she copies me with gusto. When I laugh at something, she laughs harder. She floods my Facebook wall with the silliest of posts. She has cookies running through her blood stream, and each time she opens an Oreo packet, she squeaks a loud and clear “Cookie?!” and when I say no, she looks at me incredulously as if she cannot believe a person can ever turn down a thing so divine. She’s not exactly the “Oh-share-your-woes-with-me-I’m-here-for-you” type, but she cares, in her own little retarded ways.

She gives me the most awkward pelvic hugs when I surprise her with a chicken shwarma roll from Casa Lolo. She starts jumping up and down like a mad woman when I play N Sync or Avril. She loves my South Indian version of “Baby Got back”. Our rendition of “Su kar mere mann ko” gets crazier and louder with each passing day. We laugh at each other and with each other every night, the reasons are not important (and should better remain untold). She cackles so loudly that she invites neighbours to knock on our doors asking what happened with genuine concern. Now they are quite used to it. She gives me death threats when I do something she hates, (God save you if she’s irritated) but then assaults me physically and later explains it was supposed to be a hug. She lets me put my earrings on her earring stand and lets me wear her tomatoes, while she wears my flowers. She gives me those asinine Cookie monster smiles when I offer to do something for her. 

She reads random quotes and jokes out to me and then says “duuuude”. The variation in the tone of our 'dude' is enough to understand the exact emotion. She never believes me when I tell her she’s smart, or pretty, which she is, and tells me that I fish for compliments. We finish each other’s sentences, and sometimes we read each other’s minds. I've hated her, and I've loved her. Considering everything I had gone through last year, she is the best roommate I could have ever hoped to have. Cheers to the Owl night longs possum :3

Zinda hoon yaar, kaafi hai

I watched Lootera yesterday. I loved a Hindi movie to this extent after a long time. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting such good performances by Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh after the kind of movies they’ve done. But I had my hopes anchored at Vikramaditya Motwane, and I knew he won’t disappoint the audience after Udaan. I was right.

The entire movie is a visual masterpiece, with each shot planned and strung together beautifully to bring out the surreal, dreamlike feel to the movie, while not overdoing it. The cinematography is breathtaking and the performances powerfully played out. Even though there is minimal dialogue exchange, a lot of emotions have been evoked with silence and expressions. The music is sublime and beautiful, and stays with you long after you walk out of the hall. I can’t stop listening to the album. It’s healing and uplifting, to say the least. The lyrics are unbelievable. Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya have outdone themselves.

The movie promises to be an unforgettable one at the very first scene, where the father narrates a story to her beloved daughter. The simplicity of the scene was something anyone can fall in love with. Barun Chanda has played the father’s role with genuine intensity and compassion. Ranveer Singh’s dialogue delivery seems to be a bit too soft at times, but he plays his role as the hero, as well as the anti-hero convincingly. Sonakshi Sinha is the beautiful, protected and isolated daughter who discovers love and falls in it momentously and tragically. She is often hot tempered and irrational, which makes her all the more endearing. Her role as the desolate, failing writer who sits by her window looking at the snow falling outside and the slow falling of the leaves off the branches of a tree is brilliantly carried out.

The fact that the movie has its own flaws cannot be denied though. The relationship between the protagonists could have been explored a little more, the second half of the movie fails to establish the connect that the audience has with the first half. But the music, shots and the earnest performances overshadows the somewhat weak storyline. I’d really want you to ignore all the flaws, and enjoy the film for what it really is. Live it, feel it. Watch it, if only to watch the last scene. 

I'm coming back Lavale!

So another stint at home comes to an end. It’s funny how time just keeps on rolling and rolling like a ball of yarn going down a slope. No matter what happens, it just keeps on frickin’ rolling. My stay this time was all about spending quality time with my sister before she flies off to Singapore, watching Breaking Bad relentlessly all night, trying to edit videos and dealing with all sorts of technical stuff (I swear to god Premiere Pro is sucking the soul out of me. What’s with all these codecs and softwares and formats and pixels?! Urgh! ) and lots and lots of unhealthy food binges at night.

On an unrelated note, does anybody know how to get rid of tummy fat without going through those painful sit up exercises? I just gulped down two huge slices of cheese burst pizza WITH, mind you, WITH a big glass of coke. Why can’t the fat just spread out over my arms and legs instead of settling down in my stomach?

(The previous two lines were said with a lot of enunciation, gesticulations and tone changes. I wish I could say it out here.)

This is my last night at home where I don’t have to worry about the next day. And where I have uninterrupted internet access all night. Back at the hostel, mostly all fun sites get blocked at 2 AM, so you pretty much have to go and sleep. But I’m so looking forward to college. The monsoons are in full swing there, what with those erratic rain showers and the lush green valleys I so love. And the peacocks are dancing around and little chocolate frogs are going to muck about in the pools of water! Fun!

I’m also looking forward to meeting everyone after so long, listening to their internship experience, attending guest lectures again, complaining about the time table and the whole shebang. Home is nice, but it starts to get boring when you can’t complain about how busy you are and how you don’t have time for yourself anymore. Taking time out for yourself then, is the best time you can have.

Even though I worked quite a bit during my internship, most of the times I was pretty much in this state:

My supervisor wrote that I need to be more outgoing in my evaluation form. Me? Outgoing? How did that happen? I know the people at work were not the friendliest people in the world, but at one point of time I stopped trying. Completely. I need to break out of my shell. I really do!

I want to go back with an empty mind. I want to experiences things in a completely different way. I want to be a better person than I was last year. I want to learn and grow. I have a good feeling about going back. Yeah I just realized, I say that everytime, right? It’s like all my going-back-to-college posts sound the same. And once I’m there, all the positivity and enthusiasm jumps out the window in a matter of days. But no more! I’m seriously going to make the most of this year. I’ll take part in everything I can, be pro-active and build my portfolio. (Okay, one part of my brain is already shaking its head. Oh boo! There’s no space for negativity this time!)

Okay fine, without making any grandiose promises to myself, I’ll just do whatever I can in order to squeeze out every good thing this college can offer me. And I will do a night out. And I will play at least one sport. (Does dancing count? No? Okay aerobics?) And I will visit the awesome plateau place everyone keeps talking about. Most of all, I’ll be happy. I will, right? Yeah, I will. Will I? I will!

Goodbye till then!

P.S. My next post will be from up those spectacular hills. And I’ll be sitting next to my window which hopefully (fingers and toes and body crossed) will have the sensational view I want. And clouds will be floating in. And my new roommate will get me a cup of hot chocolate (too hopeful? Okay man I'll make it. I just want the hot chocolate in the picture. And maybe some Nutella) and we’ll share cookies together. And life will be goooooood :3

Govindpuri Gali Number Do

I feel sort of terrified today. There's a little over a week left for my internship to get over, and for my stay here in Delhi to come to an end. How do I feel? It’s quite indescribable at the moment. But I’m sure it’ll still be indescribable by the end of it.

Govindpuri Gali number do. My temporary abode for 2 months.

It has been surprisingly smooth, and bewilderingly comfortable. Apart from the unforgiving heat which rose to such inhuman levels only in the past few days, my entire time here has been a phase which I’m going to keep with me for a long time to come. I never thought till even a couple of years back that I would have such a F.R.I.E.N.D.S-ish life. I’ve never experienced such freedom in the past 22 years of my life. Living with 5 of your friends, in a good locality close to your office has been one of the most exciting things I’ve done so far. I realized only today how much I’m going to miss this.

I can’t really put all of those small, incalculable and innumerable little moments that made our stay here so memorable, but I’m going to list out my favourite bits.

1. Ordering food from Takkar dhaba everyday till the owner could recognize our voices and know exactly where to deliver it. Experimenting with food. Using leftovers to invent new recipes. The thrill of cooking for each other. The satisfaction of a good, cheap meal. The lure of street food.

2. Taking a break from the office and stepping out to have the deservedly famous chhola kulcha from the nearby chhola kulcha wala bhaiya. And enjoying it. Every time.

3. Watching CID, Rajnikant, old timey brainless movies and trashing them to bits and laughing. Also, the enormous amount of Nat Geo and Discovery shows we “ohh-ed” and “wow-ed” at. Taboo, Frozen Planet, Body Bizarre, Man vs Wild. Watching food channels and then feeling bad that we can’t make what they make.

4. Buying stuff for the house from the grocery store. Liquid dish cleaner, broom, vegetables, fruits, spices. Surprising each other with a little pastry or a chocolate.

5. Getting up late at night, and scrounging in the kitchen like a rat to look for something to eat.

6. Going to the terrace to enjoy the cool breeze, and ending up rolling on the floor laughing at the outrageous artificial movies that we made each other enact. (Thandi laash mein garam chhuri, Rice mein electric pole, Latakte bridge pe bhatakti aatma)

7. Stepping out without any plan, and asking each other “where are we going?” in the metro. Then going to India gate, Dilli Haat, CP or Jama Masjid and walking about.

8. Going to parathe wali gali. Having a million parathas. Followed by the thickest lassi, jalebi and rabdi. Mmm!

9. Letting each other be. Everyone doing their own things. Reading, sleeping, watching a movie, or just lying listless for no reason.

10. Telling each other all the events of the day, enacting co-workers or narrating incidents. College gossip.

11. The day we all stayed in. Had litchis, and watched Hera Pheri and Hungama.

12. The evening tea. (“Anyone wants chui?”) The occasional Maggi. Sprinkled with grated cheese.

13. Scrambled eggs. Boiled eggs. Sunny side ups. Omelettes. Egg rolls.

14. MOMOS!

15. Aloo chaat.

16. Corn flakes.

17.  Chhole poori and boondi ka raita for 20 rupees.

18. The narrow, flies-ridden, congested galis of Govindpuri. The madness. The temporary bazaar every Wednesday. People riding bikes on the footpath, honking like there’s no tomorrow, ladies shopping, guys eating and spitting, dogs mucking about.

19. Smiling at each other after a day’s work. Deciding where to go to grab a bite. Or writing “Anyone home? Want samosas? Ice cream?” on the Whatsapp group.

20. Making fun of each other. Copying each other. Bini going “Aiyo, so saaad. Look at the poor thing,” at every animal on TV. Avaneesh saying to Bear Grylls, “Eat something!” or “You dumb fuck” to a random person talking about the divinity of god. Arnab saying “Good shit.” Nayan going, “Oh you know what will happen after this?” in EVERY movie.

21. The randomness. The spontaneity. Watching funny videos on Youtube, or wearing watermelon skin as a helmet. Breaking into a sudden dance step, or singing a dumb song on the top of our lungs.

22. Going to Sarojini Nagar market and buying cheap clothes. The National Museum. Daryaganj book bazaar. India Habitat Center. Chocolate almond ice cream at Giani's. Hauz Khas village. Deer Park. Bohome. Zaitoon. Yeti.

23. GK 2 M Block market. Our office. The idle hours at work. Lunch for 35 rupees on the road side.

24. Reading a book pretending to do some extensive research in office. Covering events. The feeling of seeing your byline in the magazine.

25. Haggling with the auto walla everyday “Bhaiya 50 nahin, hum roz chalees mein jaate hain!”

26. Knowing you never have to come back to an empty house and someone will always be there to listen to how bad your day was.

27. Walking around Chandni Chowk and marveling at how it has a church, a temple, a dargah and a mosque all at the same place.

28. The selfish contentment of knowing you are never alone. You’re cared for. And loved. And pampered.

29.  Going to Central Park under the impression there’s going to be a Euphoria performance. Watching Uma Lala’s concert instead. And getting our asses wet.

30.  Getting caught in a sandstorm outside India gate. Sitting on the grass, talking and singing for hours.

31. Having the luxury and the time to read. Coming home early from work and having the entire evening stretched out lazily before you. Watching the flickering lights of the airplanes flying across the sky every 2 minutes on the terrace.

32. Reading out to each other. Devising plans to kill certain people. Or how to get rich quick. Endless discussions on the terrace about existence. Or science fiction.

33. Discussing new Game of Thrones episodes.

34.  Go Goa Gone. Acting like zombies.

35. Shouting.

36. Having the inevitable veg vs non veg or north vs south or Bangalore vs Kolkata debate before every meal.

37. Talking. Actually, talking about things. Sitting out in the balcony and having tea and chips. Hugging each other randomly, jumping around, putting new magazines in the magazine stand, drunk dialing, trying out new yoga poses, chocolate sandwiches, peanut butter muffin, Subway cookie, paratha pizza, Arnab Goswami screaming at News Hour, putting ice cubes down each other’s backs and making ghost noises during powercuts.

And the other countless, priceless memories I can’t think of right now but will come flying back to me on a balmy summer evening sometime in the future. After all, life is nothing but a series of memories, right?

It’s funny how you think 2 months is a long time, and then it just comes to an end in a jiffy. 

Govindpuri gali number do, I’ll never forget you. 

Say cheeese

Sometimes when it's hot and you're tired, sleepy, hungry and lethargic and you want to complain about everything, a cheesy, mayo-ey, crispy, gooey burger makes it all okay. Especially if it's cheap, and totally worth it, and bought from a little movable cart, and eaten on the side of the road with the cheese dripping down your fingers. And, I need to emphasize on this point: especially if it's loaded with cheese.

Went to this little thela in a khopcha on Law College road called Aasing's Kitchen, and had one of the most gratifying burgers after a long time. Had some cold coffee to wash it down and walked back all the way to the bus stop. Also had 'garlic bread' with actual garlic on some bread from another place :P

Oh, and by the way, my first article to get published on a news website ever. Do give it a read. And comment if you have any views. Click --> here. I'm pretty excited about it :D

Yay! Okay I'll go to sleep now because I have classes from 8:30 in the morning to 7 in the evening. Yes, I know. Death will happen.

Be back soon!
Love.

Spreadin' the lourve

Happy Huggsy Wuggsy day! 

It’s Valentine’s day tomorrow and lou is definitely in the air. I got my share too, in the form of two blog awards :D

That makes three of them now. And that’s awesome. So, I have double the work to do, and I’ll get to it. Chop chop!

To begin with thank you Aqsa and Songbird for giving the awards to me. I’m highly honoured!

According to the rules, I’m supposed to mention ten random facts about me, and then answer the questions they had asked. So here are the random facts:

1. I love crushing the big, crunchy brown leaves that are strewn on the ground when I’m walking to and fro from our classes to our hostel. They give me a weird sense of satisfaction.

2. Sometimes a vague tune from a vague song gets stuck in my head and it drives me mad because I can’t stop singing it and I can’t recall which song it is from.

3. Sometimes I find things funny which actually aren’t, and then I go on these irreversible laughing sprees, and my stomach starts hurting and my eyes water and basically I look like a stork high on crack.

4. When I get cranky, I shout at people for no reason, (or cry at some silly childhood memory) and then start laughing instantly because I know I’m being unreasonable.

5. I romanticize everything. I love nature, I love trees, I love mountains, and sunsets, and you get the picture. And I find beauty in sadness, and happiness in solitude, meaning in the rise and fall of waves crashing against the rocks. Yeah, stuff like that.

6. I love being around people, and I love it when big groups of friends laugh together. It’s one of the happiest sounds in the world.

7. I cry, a lot. I cry during movies, I cry reading books, I cry having emotional conversations, I cry listening to music. But most times, they’re happy tears. I’m very weird.

8. I like to get into discussions about religion, faith, the supernatural, the universe, psychology, philosophy, love, and everything that cannot be explained or understood easily.

9. I love tea. I need to have a cuppa tea every evening, with chips. Especially cheese puffs. And sipping tea watching the sun go down has become a habit, and it calms me down.

10. I love wit, and sarcasm, and deep voices. And soap bubbles, and small cafes and bookstores. And purple. And cheese. And Nutella. Boiled peas and mashed potatoes. The sound of mummy’s laughter and the way her eyes become scrunchy when she laughs. A warm hand to hold. Messy hair. Raindrops. The smell of wet mud. Listening to music and looking out the window in a bus/train.

Aqsa's questions:

1. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

I check my phone to see the time and check for new text messages or mails. I stretch, I groan and make noises, I keep shifting in bed and complain about how painful life is, finally drag myself out of bed and go and sleep in the bathroom.

2. How do you express your anger?

I swear under my breath (a LOT), or I write, or I just talk to a close friend. I tried kicking a tree once. It did not end well.

3. If you had to live on a lonely island and take only one book with you, which one would it be?

Most probably Catcher in the Rye, or The Twins at St. Clare’s.

4. An embarrassing moment/fact about you?

I realized how much I didn’t know and how much I still don’t once I joined this college. And many are facts and issues about my own country.

5. How much do you let your academic success/failure affect your life?

Not much. I just focus on managing a decent score, but if I get bad grades I don’t let it upset me for long. Because I don’t feel marks are a fair assessment of how intelligent or efficient you are.

6. Do you believe in first impressions?

Totally. You tend to notice a person a lot when you meet them for their first time. Their clothes, their walk, their body language. I like smiling, warm, jumpy people :D

7. What period of your life do you think was the best?

My childhood! It was the best ever! It was a time of cardboard carton submarines, Rasna, bicycles, climbing trees, freedom and endless possibilities. Also, May 2010 to May 2012.

8. Do you live in the present more or brood about the past or fantasize about the future more?

I fantasize a hell lot! I do dwell in the past. And sometimes, I live completely in the present. So, I guess a mix of all three.

9. Your favourite cartoon and why?

Dexter’s Laboratory, Dragon Ball Z, Ed Edd ‘n’ Eddy, Powerpuff Girls. Because they were my life when I was a kid.

10. Harry Potter or Twilight?

Harry Potter. ANY day!

Songbird’s questions:

1. What would be your ideal weapon to fight a zombie apocalypse?

One of those massive hammers that I can use to just bash the zombie’s heads into pulp. But they should be really light.

2. Who is your favourite singer/artist/band?

Radiohead, Simon and Garfunkel, Coldplay, Muse, Porcupine Tree, The Fray.

3. What is the ideal vacation spot?

A white sandy beach, lots of clear water, high tides, good food, music, and the company of your closest friends.

4. Do you believe in miracles?

I don’t. But then there are moments, when I kind of do.

5. Why do you have a blog?

It gives me a sense of identity. I feel like I belong somewhere; it gives me an outlet to express my feelings. It just makes me happy I can share my thoughts with people who care enough to read them.

6. If you could choose between your left eye and right eye to see with the rest of your life, which eye would you choose?

Uhm, right eye, because it has lesser power than my left eye :P

7. What is your favourite punctuation mark?

Without a doubt, the exclamation mark!!

8. Do you own a pet?

I did. A Lhasa Apso called Cherry, and a lab called Shirley.

9. What do you think of my blog?

I think it’s innocently beautiful. Reminds me of myself when I was a little younger. Keep writing!

10. You are going to die in 10 minutes. What are you gonna do?

I’ll just sit silently and think over my life (and try to calm myself down and breathe because I'd be freaking out!) Maybe call a couple people and tell them how much I love them.

Now, to choose 10 bloggers to give these awards to:

And here they are:

• Nayan
• Sachin
• Typing to the beat of my heart
• Sugar cube
• Hamsini
• Shilpa
• Rajan
• Sowmya
• The Frozen Flame
• Rushabh

Congrats! :D

 My questions to them:

1. What is your biggest pet peeve?

2. Who was your first crush?

3. What is your favourite childhood memory?

4. What is your favourite dialogue from a movie/book?

5. What is the one crazy thing you want to do before you die?

6. How would you define love?

7. What if your absolute favourite moment?

8. What are you addicted to?

9. What are your biggest fears?

10. If you were to be stuck in a lift with one person, who would it be?

And there, I’m done! Yaaaay! I feel so productive after writing all this nonsense, even though I have a big assignment due tomorrow. So people who have won the award, start typing! :D

And now just for kicks, I'm sharing a picture here. Some bloggy love for all my readers!

(Muaah)

Teehee! So long, bloggy friends, I’ll be back! :)

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 :)                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Of College and Shooting stars

I have been procrastinating a blog post for a VERY long time now, thanks to the ever increasing ennui which has been on an all time high last month, but if there was going to be any reason for me to get my arse here and write, it was this: It’s 12/12/12! The last repetitive date which I’m going to see in my lifetime! Makes you so aware of how mortal you are. And how life is so very, very transient.

It’s funny how it’s almost always Radiohead which helps me transition from my no-writing to writing mode. I’ve had days when I’ve just sat like a big gunny bag full of sand doing absolutely nothing. And I’ve revelled in it too. Is that okay?

Maybe it’s the foreboding about the 21^st of December *snigger* If that does happen, I will die in a bus on my way to Ahmedabad. Which, by the way, is a pretty lousy way to die. I’m playing a small part in a play written by a friend, which got selected in IIM A’s annual cultural fest: Chaos. I’m pretty psyched about it, seeing as Dualist Inquiry is going to perform there as well. Also, I have another white hair (the third one now) and a fresh new pimple on my cheek. All telltale signs of the coming apocalypse no?

The past one month has been jam-packed, airtight crazy busy. Which is awesome, because when I’m busy, I don’t think about evil things. I can just come back to my room, surf the net a bit, and sleep like it’s the most precious thing in the world. Which by the way, it really is these days. College has been good to me, and bad to me. Mostly good though, because it has made me aware of all the things I didn’t know, and all the things I’m yet to know. Journalism is unlike any other profession. You don’t delve deep into the workings of any one subject, you delve deep into basically everything; politics, history, psychology, sociology, anthropology. It made me realize how I was trapped into a microcosm of the huge, huge world and how blind I really was to so many things we face today as Indians, as people, as humans.

We finished our first live reporting TV news story yesterday. We basically did it in one and a half days, and there were a lot of scuffles, tension, hyperactivity, flared tempers and egos and mini mishaps and disasters. But to watch the final output on the screen with the entire class and being appreciated was a brilliant and relieving experience. College has been about juggling between workshops, classes, practices and taking out significant portions of time to go on the terrace, lying down inside fluffy blankets and watch the meteor shower till late into the night. It has been about listening to The Fray as the stars shoot around you, and a misty cloud floats across the sky while you ponder about the life, the universe and everything. About trying to accomplish all tasks on time while oscillating between sudden bouts of euphoria and abrupt depressing spells.

Life here is about talking to everyone, but knowing who matters to you and keeping them very, very close. Life here is in trying to see beyond what you see, trying to appreciate what you have, and stealing those few favourite moments just for yourself. It’s about reading in the library, making tea in the middle of the night, skipping meals and making impulsive plans of going to the city, laughing at a nonsensical thing. Someone once told me that we usually forget most days, they just pass by, in a jiffy. But we remember some particular days because they made us feel different, special; so why not try to do something that makes you feel like that every day and make every day worth remembering?

With winter finally here, Christmas on its way and secret Santa surprises in the air, it’s very difficult to remain grumpy for long. Especially if your next two days are holidays and you have time to read, write and sleep. Even though I do not believe in it, I made wishes when the stars were falling around me. I guess we do need to keep a little faith inside us alive. 

I have no idea what title to give to this post :D

Yes, I know I’m obsessed with the rain and I write about it wayyyy too much. And it’s another one of my I-just-WANT-to-write-a-blog-post-so-I-will moods. But please, I HAVE to talk about it again. Pwetty pwease! It was just too epic. Okay one of the overly used terms here. Epic! Amongst others. But I digress.

So, six of us were sitting at one of my favourite parts in my college campus. It is a projection which overlooks the valleys and the hills in the distance. It makes me feel really light and springy, and it’s ironically called ‘The suicide point’. Well, because one slip, and you might just fall. But even then, the maximum damage that you can do is break your bones, or worse, your phone. Anyhoo, the sky was considerably clear and the air was pretty calm. And then, they emerged.

Ze clouds. They approached from one side of the sky like huge, sinister dementors, gliding ominously in the sky. They looked like brobdingnagian monsters, and gigantic dragons covering the sky as we screamed “Oh my GOD this is SO epic duuuuude!” And then. It got better. There was a storm; there was the most terrifyingly loud thunder and the most powerful lightning I have ever seen. One half of the sky was completely dark and curtained by the black clouds, while one side was still bright. It was like nothing I’ve ever witnessed. It looked like aliens were taking over the sky, (Independence Day style) or better, it seemed like it was going to be the end of the world. It gave me chills. It felt unreal. I couldn’t believe anything like that was even possible.

The next instant, I felt a thick drop on me. IT.HAD.STARTED.TO.RAIN. That moment I knew I was not going to run under shelter. As my friends ran to stand under the shade, I just stood up and looked at the view. It was like the rain was saying, “Fine, get out of my way, but let me happen.” Another friend and I, stood there, arms outstretched, soaking the water in, feeling the drops on our faces, and for the first time in days, I felt utterly, and blissfully happy. (Zomg I’m happy just thinking about how happy I was)

The teeth clattering, the sneezes, the shivers, the unmanageable hair, were all worth it. The lightning and thunder continued, and after I was all dried up after a hot water shower, I just sat in the balcony and listed to it. After dinner it rained again, like cats and dogs and dinosaurs and almost flooded the area outside the Coffee shop. We sat there, felt the spray on our faces and had hot chocolate. I felt so relaxed, so, so, so EPIC :D

Sometimes you know what I feel? I feel that I don’t mind going into mind-numbingly, suicidal phases of mind, if the opposite of it means this carefree abandon, and joy. And this reminds me of Calviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

Okay you know what? I have a three hour long 80 mark Photography exam tomorrow. Gulp, yes, I know. But I’m too happy to study :D It seems so trivial :P

I'm just so ecstatic right now and I have no idea why :D

I love long walks, and long talks, and discussions over hot cups of tea, and chocolates and random texts and everything everything EVERYTHING. I love the things I don't love because they make me realize how much I love the things I love. I need to bite someone.

Oh my god I need to get myself tested :D

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :D

We can't return, we can only look behind

I’m so happy today. I’m just so happy. Maybe because Chee shared this article with me and I realized how much it resonated with how I’ve been feeling lately but haven’t been able to put into words. I haven’t even comprehended how much I love the campus and the weather here. I was just existing, floating from hostel to mess and mess to classroom and back to hostel. One month went by in a blur. I still haven’t gotten over the fact that I live on a hill and amidst hills and it’s always breezy and green and rainy.

I’ve been singing ‘The Circle Game’ by Joni Mitchell since evening. Please go and listen to it?

After dinner I spent my time with friends and soaked it in. Took it all in. I want to make the most of my time here. I want to know people. Make friends. Have crazy times. Difficult times. Go out. Travel (especially to Bombay) Write. Laugh. Live. I never realized before today how many possibilities exist now that I’ve moved out of home. I can do anything. Walk wherever I want to, always be surrounded by so many friends, go out and eat with them, take on individual projects with them. Almost anything I want to! I felt so full of life and love today. I felt so alive. And the breeze and the little raindrops added on to the effect. Music was wafting through the air, emanating from different corners of the campus. People were laughing, singing, dancing, bonding. I looked at the campus and at the sky and just felt lucky to be where I am. I love college. Room 221. The trees. The frogs. The constant chatter. The familiar faces. The smiles. The midnight birthday celebrations. The noise in the mess. The cold coffee. Sparks flying in the air. The conversations that flow. The friendships that bloom. Even the bad jokes. And it has all just begun.

I want to be so much more than what I am. 

The lunatic is in my head.

Whenever someone asks me “What’s your favourite food?” and I go “Pizzzaaa!” with a stupid grin on my face, they stare back at me blankly. “Pizza? Really?” with a raised eyebrow. So what, I’m too ordinary for you? Well, I’m terribly sorry. Maybe you already have a ready answer in your head. You’ve already decided that this particular French dish would be your go-to response when being asked about your favourite food, but for me pizzas work just fine. (Also, vegetarians do not have a wide variety of choice :/)

The sight, the aroma of cheese-filled gooey crunchy-on-the sides pizzas make me go weak in the knees. Serious! I can have it anytime and anywhere. Such a beautiful creation by mankind! :’)

Anyhoo, guess what? Tomorrow is my last day of college! As in, the proper, classes-filled day! I still have to give exams for another month. Kill me? :\

And how do I feel? Hmmm, how do I feel? I’m REALLY trying to figure it out since yesterday. And till now, I feel nothing. Nada! Is that normal? :O I mean, my first two years were pretty sick. I had a lot of senior-friends and everyone seemed to be so good back then. We went out, laughed, had crazy times, you know, the usual. But at some point, even getting out of bed to go to college used to be the hardest challenge. There have been days when I have wept. By fifth semester, I just wanted to run away. Sigh, I guess I’ve had my ups and downs. I guess you’re so excited about college that the ‘reality’ doesn’t really settle in until much later. What I can’t believe is.. THREE years have passed since I moved out of school?! Three?! Whaaa? How did that happen?!

I guess I should just appreciate these last days of exam-giving at home. Because very soon, I won’t get to sleep in the comfort of home, and have the luxury of being woken up by mom (and mostly not getting up), and get fresh, clean, nice-smelling, ironed clothes to wear, and creep out of my room scavenging for food like a nocturnal rodent at ungodly hours (and mostly always making cheese Maggi) and then watching a funny sitcom into the wee hours of the night, and then witnessing the beautiful morning light permeating through my curtains and mull over deep, philosophical thoughts about humanity, relationships, the universe and the meaning of life.

What will NOT change, is, I’m assuming, my entire trying-to-sleep process every night. Where I toss and turn, and then change positions, and turn the pillow, and hop to the other side of the bed, then go to the loo, have water, look at myself in the mirror, make faces, smile alluringly, do a few dance moves, get back into bed, check mail, check phone, try to sleep again, change into a more comfortable pair of shorts, turn the pillow over again, take the sheet, remove the sheet, take the sheet again and stick one leg out.. mull over and over and over over silly things and get worried about unforeseen future mishaps and think about past incidents, and then mull over the fact that it’s late and there is so much work to do and I will not get proper sleep and will end up going to college looking like a wet chicken. Then finally, somehow, anyhow, by god’s divine intervention, my eyes will close and I’ll fall into a slumber so intoxicating, so sweet, so delicious, so strong, that the entire world and the universe with all its billions of stars and galaxies will cease to exist for me, and I will wake up, late, ALWAYS late, cussing and cursing myself and stubbing my pinky toe against the foot of the bed.

That, I’m pretty sure, is a lifelong thing now. My mom told me as a baby I used to chuckle and chortle and kick my legs all night, and wail and sleep during the day. And to DATE, it has not changed. That’s how I am. I’m meant to rest throughout the day, and then PARRTAYYY at night! :P

A new semi-friend told me that I am a “bunch of nerves” and that I remind him of Rapunzel from Tangled. When I asked him why, he said that because EVERY time I meet him online, I’m in a completely different mood. He said I might be a schizophrenic. I don’t know, if I’d have a mental condition, I’d rather go for borderline maniacally depressed and bipolar with suicidal tendencies. The world will be so much more dramatic then :D I even told him that I imagine myself in extremely dramatic situations, and sometimes sitting by myself on a cliff, overlooking green valleys and rivers, with the breeze blowing my hair around my face. Of course, looking at the rate with which my hair is falling, I might be bald, for all you know, but I hope the rivers and hills will salvage the effect I want to create.

Okay, I’m nuts. I warned you! I am capable of giving myself headaches. I don’t know if this is the Tina Fey effect, (Thank you Karishma! I loved the book!) but I’ve been feeling pretty funny lately. I’ve been having funny monologues with myself, and chuckling to myself. Is THAT normal? :O

I asked Chee to write ten positives and negatives about me and this is what he wrote. He couldn't be more right. His assessment is spot on. Some of it here:

Brilliant conversationalist. Makes friends so easily. Such an excitable person. Bubbly and squeaky and spreads warmth and happiness.	Overly sensitive. Gets major upset over little things.
Able to express feelings perfectly, to the point and honestly.	Extremely lazy – to the point of bunking college and exams.
Extremely honest and trusting and deserving of trust	Big procrastinator
You make people feel special and comfortable and at home.	Extreme mood swings. Unstable. Mercurial.
You don’t like to do things half-heartedly. You want to give your best attempt to all your responsibilities.	Sometimes acts without thinking

See? He's awesome! :D

Okay I have a Major project submission due in a matter of hours and I should either get back at it, or try to sleep. The topic is pretty interesting. "Neuromarketing: A Paradigm Shift in Advertising"; but I only wish I had worked more on it. I could have done a lot of things with it.

Sigh, long day ahead. Bah, I'm sure I'll survive! :) Or not. Okay no, I will!

Cheers ma' hommies!

Stillness.

There is something about the night time,

When the breeze doesn’t blow and the moon doesn’t shine.

When the stars don’t smile down at you,

A feeling of being in sync with nature.

The ebony sky stares back at me, resting

Its eyes closed, and its arms enveloping me.

I am at peace. I am stagnant.

Constant. Maybe too constant.

Abysmally satisfied.

Dreadfully calm.

Desperately content.

My heart is fickle.

My mind is cold.

My eyelids are heavy.

My heart longs.

For something that perhaps doesn't even exist.

Breathing, existing, waiting, listening.

Waiting for something to touch me again.

Waiting for something to strum the chords of my dull heart once more.

Waiting, without any emotion engulfing me whatsoever.
Waiting with a hope,
That time will dissolve it. 
Dissolve it and change it, into something beautiful.

The blankness, the stillness

It’s so serene, almost perfect.

The music wafts through the stillness and surrounds me,

I want to feel alive again.

Blow once again,

Take me away.

Carry me on your wings,

Rain down on me.

Drench my soul.

Take my hand and I will follow,

With my life following behind me.

I want to live now.

I want to be in love again.

Gotta love them TV shows!

I ordered another book on Flipkart! :O Gaaaaaaahh, someone needs to close this website down! (Okay, NO! I don’t mean it. It’s the best site ever. Period.) But I’ve ordered so many books in the last few months when I already have so many books lying around that I have to read.. and SO, SO many more which I haven’t even bought! :/ Life is just too short to do all the reading and watching that you have to do. (Yeah right, says me, who falls asleep after 20 pages and never bothers to watch the movies lying eagerly, waiting and hoping for me to watch them) What’s wrong with me?! I’ve become too complacent and laid-back man :/

I used to be a fervent reader. I remember going to my school librarian and requesting her to let me issue more books than what we were allowed to. But they were mostly the new-age popular fantasy or mystery stuff. Now when I want to read all the classics and the other good things, I’ve become… this. Is it because I have other, more convenient things to do? Or maybe because I have lesser time to spare? (Who am I kidding?)

I’m watching Seinfeld these days. I had heard loads about it, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I mean, there are some very good punches and good jokes and everything, but it just doesn’t have what Friends has. Do you know what I mean? When you watch Friends, you instantly fall in love with each and every character and their traits and idiosyncrasies and you can’t help but want more and more of it. But in Seinfeld, it takes time. And then the episodes follow the same pattern, till it becomes to look a little forced and unrealistic. Okay, before all the pro-Seinfeld people jump down my throat, it’s just my opinion. Okay? Relax. I don’t know, maybe I’m too biased towards Friends because I grew up watching it and I’m too attached to it.

I’ve watched Friends twice completely and otherwise I watch it whenever it’s on. You just can’t beat it. Ross’ nerd-ness, Monica’s almost OCD-like fussy attitude, Chandler’s sarcasm, Pheobe’s extreme, utter craziness, Joey’s stupidity and Rachel’s spoilt brat cuteness. It forms the perfect pot pourri, you know? :)

I'm not even going to quote my best dialogues. There are just too, far too many.

Another TV show that comes close to this is The Big Bang Theory. I cannot tell you what Sheldon does to me. He is the most damaged, twisted, disturbed, insensitive, awesome guy I’ve ever come across in any TV show. And generally I’m not a very generous laugher, but I laugh when Shelley’s at his Bazinga best or when he complains about piddling little things about his existence. Oh, how he cracks me up! He deserved the two Emmy awards that he has won. How can anybody not love the guy? He makes life less hard to deal with! I love the makers of these shows. 

The third show on my list would have to be Scrubs. I’m so much like Elliot Reid. Crazy, neurotic, brash, skinny, not in the wee bit graceful, and sometimes I simply don’t think before speaking. And I love Dr. Cox’s sarcasm. He beats Chandler right, left and centre. His dialogues are the most honestly insulting and funny. And sometimes I go into these JD like fantasies, where I imagine entire situations way into the future; with the whole chaos theory playing its part. And of course there Dr. Jan Itor. I love him because he’s Chee’s favoutite too :)

On a completely different note, I’m in love with this song "Half Asleep" by the School of Seven Bells. Go watch it and read the description. It’s beautiful. It's got this ethereal feel to it. And once you listen to it twice, it’s going to fix a permanent position in your mind for the next few days :)

And check out the lyrics:

"What begins as an unguarded train of thoughts,
Slowly can become an addiction to the slumber of disconnection.
The resonance of memory that no longer has a shape,
But keeps you numb through the hours, till gone is another day."


So poetic, right? :) I can relate to them so well!

I have to go do some serious Case study reading for an external International Business Management group discussion in college tomorrow. Yeah, I know it’s midnight, and I haven’t started reading yet. But seriously, don’t you know me already? 

:)

Have a good day!