The last post of the year:the summary

And this is it. The last post of 2009. And of this blog.Maybe. Might just get all excited tomorrow morning and start another one. 2009.It’s been a blur. A nice one. Some bad parts to it too,but which year is devoid of that?

January-March: The last 3 months in Rishi Valley. Cherishing the last moments together as classmates. As people who would have to leave the carefree surroundings of school and step out into different colleges to make our own careers. I was the only one who chose Media from my batch.People thought it would be good for me. The class song in the farewell, the farewell speeches, Sid M’s moving speech, the last goodbyes for God-only-knew-how-long and it was over.Went to Bangalore after that for a week to spend time with my aunt and bring in my birthday on the 1^st of April(DON’T SAY ANYTHING!) there with Trisha,Suj,Zohair & Abhiroop who came down to celebrate with me.Very special.Thank you guys.

April-May:After a trip to Shantiniketan with friends starts a stressful time where I was filling out application forms,giving entrance exams,got through Jain College but decided not to go,got 102 in the SET and hence,assignments to complete before the GD-PI.

June:
KERALA BASH-Pranati,Madhuri,Kutta,Sabu,Abhiroop,Trilok,Babu,Ronak,and I in Trivandrum,Cochin’s Veegaland(Amazing amusement park!!),Kovalam beach,etc.A really nice time.Then, a few of us went to Bangalore to meet others for Sujay’s birthday.Go-karting,pizzas,champagne,and Dark Knight was involved.A great feeling meeting old batchmates again.And after so long.Visited R.V also and came back with Babu & Arya in the car,making Babu almost miss his train because of miscalculation of how long it would take us to get back.Just did it so I’d get more time with them.

Anyway,after that was the SIMC GD-PI!!That went surprisingly well except for the fact that I injured my toe nail on the very first day.aman helped me out a lot...Had his constant faith that I'd get in and both of us would get into the same 'dream college'. Now I get to mock him on that and use the guilt trip for his having praised this unowrthy college so much.After the GD-PI,the wait.And I got in,to my joy!So all the packing and goodbyes again started.

July-December: COLLEGE. The initiation,the new faces,the excitement,the jealousy,anger,love, hate, gossip, friends, events, food, adjustments, assignment submissions,tests,teachers,parties, the trip to Panchgani, the fights, the make ups, the consoling, the crazy girls’ nights outs, the cheer-up pizza sessions after the evil boyfriend dumps your best friend, the wait for the internship,shopping(being forced to go for it!), everything...was an experience. Including the two swine flu breaks in which I went to Calcutta once and Bangalore the other...It’s been fun!

December: Winter in Calcutta after 5 years...It started off very nice.Walking around the streets of Calcutta with my camera clicking photographs, Victoria Memorial, press invites to talks on climate change just because the speaker had visited Rishi Valley and acknowledged knowing me, the good home food you’d missed while in college, PASTA, time to read, family and friends.Sad things happened too. But it’s all right.

The last week however has been annoying. Viral fever because of the cold air of Tolly 24^th night!Ugh!Bedridden,constantly taking pills,stomach aches,phone calls and home visits from friends,no sleep at night,soup. And to make matters worse,being delusional and being a singer in World War 2 one instance and in the other,being on a safari and taking on a buffalo all by myself without any weapons and then being gifted the ability to talk to it and to other animals.Yes,such is life.But my friends kept visiting to make it nicer-Naman,Sreeja, Minnie,Thank you! But I have gotten a chance to really bond with Mummy,which has been a gift in disguise.Delirious as I probably am even now,I could write this blog post and though it’s sad that I’m home on New Year’s Eve while the rest of the world enjoys,I can happily say that in retrospect,it’s been a decent year J Let’s hope the next one is as eventful.Cant’s wait for it to come!!!Till then,So long,farewell!I bid you new Adieu! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I don't remember what I was thinking when I had written this. But found it. So decided to put it up:

Fading memories as I see your face,
This new dimension of feelings I enter into leaves me unconscious of my presence,
A realm of darkness, closing in on me,
I turned to find the now non-existent light,
Claustrophobic, Your thoughts choke me,
Mind and soul alike, numbed,
Till you retreat,
Till you fill up my insatiate soul again.

Life is so uncertain. One can only watch their back and try and be healthy and try and ensure the same for their loved ones. But when the time comes, there’s no defying Nature, is there? But death is supposed to be beautiful. It is a completion of one’s life. I suppose that completion of a cycle that prevails in nature would be deemed beautiful by some. The feeling of the entirety of life, the overwhelming sense of loss, accepting the fact that someone would no longer physically be in this world must be dealt with grace and immense strength. God, give that strength to those who need it.

Ashima Aiyer: A Different Melody

This music review was published on a website:

http://thetossedsalad.com/2009/12/ashima-aiyer-singersongwriter/

Ashima Aiyer, a twenty three-year-old from Pune currently living in Mumbai, is a singer-songwriter who is creating quite a buzz in the music industry with her unique way of playing her quirky acoustic guitar with strange chords. Her songs have a blend of unique harmonies with intelligent but emotional lyrics and are sung with a powerful voice that commands attention. Her music has been influenced by Dave Matthews Band, Patty Griffin, Coldplay, and Lou Barlow, explaining the different genres that come out in her music like soul, jazz, soft rock, and the blues.
To read the full review, click on the link provided above...Thank you!

Pune Fair-Age No Bar

On the 9th of December,2009, Nitika, Nila, Varsha and I went to 'The Big Fair' in Kalyaninagar, Pune. It was a typical Mela with the Chaat stall, the rides, the 'khilona ka dukan'(toy shop),a paan shop, stalls selling candy floss, kurtas, chappals, etc...Not everyone was in the best of moods when we got there,and to cheer them up, we went to the toy shop. Mind you, the person we were trying to cheer up was 17, not 4! :) But it worked. She bought herself a laser and was happy, while I bought a mouse which would scamper about when wound and was named Jerry(Original,isn't it?). Pretty realistic though since it did scare my mother. And my sister loved it, but was disappointed that I didn't find a cockroach or a lizard that could be made to move/was remote controlled. She's 25,by the way. Nitika and me went on all the rides that 18-year-olds were allowed on. They cost 20-25 rupees each and were not all worth it since they weren't scary.But it was fun anyway...A different sort of fun from the usual. A must have there is the Manchurian!Without the cabbage leaves to garnish it because it fails to enhance the taste. The fair is on in Pune till the end of January and I will be going there again with friend(s). It's already been decided. Just a date needs to be fixed now.

A new realm

Fading memories as I see your face,
This new dimension of feelings I enter into leaves me unconscious of my presence,
A realm of darkness,closing in on me,
I turned to find the now non existant light,
Claustrophobic,

Your thoughts choke me,
Mind and soul alike,numbed,
Till you retreat,
Till you fill up my insatiate soul again.

A Salute

The lives of heroes who go to war for their nation. Death in the process. But pride to take back. And many a tales follow about them. Our forefathers.

The venerable sergeant conveyed the order.

The lives of many being downplayed in moments

A shriek fills the air, followed by the mother's wails.

Their lives, quoted as examples, as old mens' tales.