A Light Hearted Meaty Affair!

Life has been moving fast!
Really fast!

Its been a hectic ride ever since the Puja vacations got over!
I can't even reacall what all happened in between...
I'll try to jot down whatever comes to my mind... not necessarily in chronological order...

Our group of friends were chatting one evening when somehow or the other, up came the topic of having a Barbeque Party!
That too on the rooftop of our apartment!

Like aimless souls who jump upon the first idea that comes to their mind, we decided it then and there that it had to be done!
So began the preparations... buying grills, coal, saw-dust, setting them up with bricks.
And obviously next came the food items!
Sausages were bought... so was boneless chicken along with the required vegetables... sauses, chat masala etc...
It wasn't as easy as it sounds!
Some of us were really doubtful about the plan... ok... to be honest most of us were (And yeah... I too need raise my hand here!)... except one... the one who had planned all this!
Llama... our corporate friend... now please don't ask me the reason behind the name... lets just say someone found 'similarities'... and the others agreed!

Anyway doubts were aplenty!
Would the coal light up in the first place?!
Even if it did, would the meat be cooked enough??!
Or maybe we'll just burn the thing off into smoke... the experienced chefs that we all are!
Enough reasons to order 'Rumali Roti' and 'Chicken Bharta' as backup.
Cause none of us had retained enough attributes of our cave-dwelling ancestors to gorge on raw meat!
But the way the thing was pulled off was well beyond our expectations!
It was a hell of an experience!
The food was delicious... most importantly!

And the atmosphere elecrifying!
A function was going on nearby and the music floating across the air seemed to add to the ambience...
It was something worth trying out again... and we sure are going to do that!

Then came the other big festivals of the season... Kali Puja and Diwali... the festival of lights!

We were a bit dissapointed initially this time around because for the past three years we had been having Kali Puja in our Apartment, and it was decided that it would be skipped this year...
The dissapointment was short-lived though... what better way to set your mood right, than by firecrackers!
The specify the quantity... lets just state that... stating that we burnt 'many' would be an understatement! (If that made sense to you, you're a genius... cause even I didn't get what I wrote)

The shells exploding on a Diwali skyline is something worth savouring... throughout the evening... and through the night... coinciding with the nascent rays of dawn...
I got busy with my camera! Clicking away at each and everything!
And that more or less rounds off my Diwali.

Next to next day was 'Bhai Phota' a traditional event of brother-sister bonding.
I love this event... specially because I love my sister so much!
And this is one of those few days of the year when I step out of the house in a 'Panjabi'!
The affection we show for each other is the best part... and well... the exchange of gifts comes a close second! ;D
This year I went to two of my sister's houses... had lunch at Shila di's house... played around with my nephew, other cousins... we always have a wonderful time!

After that college reopened, and the days just flew by... and out of the blue today I find the semester exams a week away!
Some shock... I tell you!
I'm starting to envy those friends of mine who study in Jadavpur University... they all boycotted the semester exams... in protest of something that half of them don't even know of!
And now the new dates haven't even been finalized yet!
How I wish our college too had a students' union!

Anyway semester exams here I come... please let me return alive...

Durga Pujo 2010

So here comes that long due post about the festive season!
Yeah finally!
As they say "Better Late than Never"! :)
But I guess its too early for the next Durga Pujo, isn't it?!
Ok... bad jokes apart, lets start off...

As in our part of the world, the wait for the festive season begins well before the actual festival. And as for over-enthusiastic people like us, we start counting the days left for the next Pujo from the day she bids us farewell...
Goddess Durga along with her children arrives each year on the day of Mahalaya (the first day of Durga Pujo).
Now for most people its about going out with friends, family... having long 'adda' sessions (chat sessions, (I know its not a proper translation... then again I'm not exactly applying for a job under the Oxford Dictionary people! There's something about an adda atmosphere that can't exactly be put into words of other languages. Its mostly humour based, highly relaxing, light-hearted gossip and extremely enjoyable! Ok fine... I'll come back to earth! :P)), visiting different pandals, and eating out all day!
For me its a bit different... not meaning that I don't indulge in the above mentioned things. Just another additional involment... a Pujo Committee!
Lucky are those people who have a BIG pujo in their 'para' (neighbourhood). For us the 'pandal' (a temporary structure which is decorated as the abode for the goddess and an idol built for her... I should start cutting-out these long-drawn translations, shouldn't I?! :P) is right beside our building.
So I like getting involved in all this. And although I'm very far off from the core group of members, I try to take part in whatever is within the capability of us junior members... and not to mention the priviledges we enjoy... direct entry into all famous Pandals of the city (the long queues are far too time-consuming), and also making any number of our guests enter our own pujo through the V.V.I.P. gate! ;)
One more thing is that it makes you see the festival in a different light, its a completely different experience altogether. And most importantly we love doing it! :)

The most exciting part of the pujo for me is the bulid-up!
Watching the pandal being built bit by bit... new additions, as I walk past the structure on my way to college every morning... the people working tirelessly all day in the workshop to give the pandal form as imagined by the theme-artist, you can't help but feel you are part of all this...
Some experiences always stay with you... this year I found myself in a television studio for the first time. I was part of the team representing our club Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra. Though we lost on our very first day, the experience was amazing! Another thing is that as it turned out, the studio was just beside our college's Ashram Campus Buliding, earlier I din't even know that this buliding was a studio!

The festive season started off in fine fashion with a wonderful cultural programme on Mahalaya evening. For the next three days our group of friends used to meet regularly every evening and click pictures of the finishing touches being given to the pandal.

On 'Chaturthi' (the fourth day) I, mom and a neighbourhood brother of mine decided to go out and visit a a few north Kolkata pandals, 'Ahiritola' being the the one we really wanted to visit, and we weren't dissapointed. And on the way I even bumped into a few school friends I had completely lost contact with. Don't you simply love these accidental encounters!

This time around a television channel 'Mahua Bangla' was our sponsor and media partner. They organized programmes, gave away prizes and also gave live coverage of the pandal from morning to well into the night. Needless to say we got shown on TV quite a few times! :D

'Panchami' (the fifth day) was the day of the opening of the pandal. It started off on a warm, auspicious note with free blankets being given out to the poor.
And then came the rumour... a friend of mine living in a completely different part of the city called me up and blatantly asked, "So when is Bipasaha Basu coming to your para?"! I was taken completely off-guard! Later I fielded similar questions from others as well! Too bad I had to dissapoint them by saying that there was nothing like that... I wonder who on earth spreads such rumours! But deep down I too wished it wasn't just a rumour... :(

Shashti (day six) was my day out with school friends! For the past few years we have been going out on this very day and although the line-up changes every year, the event is a sure-shot. Shashti seems perfect, its the first OFFICIAL day of Durga pujo... what better way to celebrate it! And anyway many of us have other engagements for the later days... This year we visited a few pandals in the Lake Town and Ultadanga region, 'Adibasi Brinda', 'Sreebhumi', 'Telengabagan' and a few others. Well... visiting pandals doesn't exactly come on the top of our agenda... its more about the time spent together, the crazy mindless ways of having fun... and then parting off after having dinner at a restaurant.

The next three days 'Shaptami', 'Ashtami' and 'Nabami' (the seventh, eighth and ninth days respectively) was spent in our para with friends. Mostly at our pandal, waiting for competition judges to arrive and then escorting them... This brings us to an important part of themed Durga Pujos of the city. Competitions! We have an fleet of judges' panels arriving every moment! They have to be escorted, the theme explained to them... and whole lot other things. After which if they are impressed, we are awarded a trophy and cash prize. The number of competitions keep increasing with every passing year, and so does the number of judges... always keeping us on our toes! And we did win quite a few awards this year.

There were a few important pujo sub-events during this period.
Firstly 'Ashtamir Anjali'... where everyone offers prayers in the morning after fasting since the start of the day. Everyone single person takes part in this event.
Then comes 'Ashtamir Bhog' where everyone in the locality is provided lunch, this year's menu was 'Khichudi', 'Beguni', 'Alur Dom', 'Chatni', 'Papad' and Sweets. Please don't ask me for a translation of these items! :P
In the evening there is 'Sandhi Pujo' a typical form of pujo characterised by the use of various 'pradeeps' with flames and surreal hues creating an trance-like atmosphere. The idol appears all the more lively when viewed in this flame-lit darkness. Its a visual treat... an event for which people interested in photography wait all year!

And then there is 'Kumari Pujo'... where a girl child is dressed up as the goddess herself and worshipped. Somehow I feel like admiring the patience of the child... I wonder how she can stay so still and unperturbed by all thats going on around her.

The other important event is 'Sindur Khela' where married women indulge in playing with Sindur... an nice enjoyable thing for them.

In the meanwhile, I've had many friends and relatives coming to see our pandal. Some during the pujo days... some before the pujo started... and some even after 'Dashami' (the tenth day). And it feels really nice when people you invite respond to your request! :)
Yes... Dashami, the day Maa Durga is supposed to return back. Traditionally 'Bhashan' (immersion of the idol) takes place on this day... and most pujos still go by the rule. A few pujos like ours keep the idol for two more days... because of the countless number of people still coming to visit the pandal even after the final day.

Since we didn't have the immersion on that day... we all organised a small program and competition of sorts in the evening. The events were Quiz Competition, Antakshari, Dumb-Charades, Lighting Candles and Conch-Blowing. Everything was decided out of a sudden brainwave the previous night. Different people were put in-charge of different events. We went to City-Centre on Dashami morning to buy the gifts... returned barely in time for the specially organised non-veg lunch... then rushed off to prepare captions (I was in charge of Dumb-Charades).
One important thing we learnt that day... and you can take it down as a quote, "Events with no planning whatsoever are the ones that end up being the best!" We still don't know how we manged to pull off the thing... but the satisfaction of knowing that we did is unmatchable! I even took part in the quiz event and our group came second. And guess what, as a prize I got the very book I had been eyeing ever since we bought it that morning. Sometimes Fate seems like such a sweet angel doesn't she?! :)

'Ekadashi' (day eleven) passed as usual and on 'Dadorshi' (day twelve) we finally had the Bhashan! We would go through various streets of Dum Dum Park with the idol... in a long procession of over two hours... with public speakers, orchestral bands, marching groups, enormous lighted structures, even a horse-cart... you just name it!
And then the most important part of any bhashan... the DANCE! We call it 'Keora Naach', one of the most unorganized, uncoordinated, ungraceful (I'll run out of negative adjectives...) dance-forms around (that is if you consider it a dance-form in the first place!)
So if you're proud of your Ballet or Flamenco skills... you're well advised to stay clear of this. Its all about letting yourself lose on the streets, sometimes even with the aid of 'Shiddhi' (an intoxicating drink prepared specially for this day).
The most important part is to have fun, and as long as you are doing that... don't bother about what conventionalists think!
After this mad session of ours... none of us were able to properly move our neck, limbs for days! But we weren't complaining...

Afterwards there were a few award ceremonies and functions in various auditoriums that we attended as a part of the club... a few of these were nice... one of these though turned into a hilarious affair... thanks to the long-drawn self-praising speeches and performances you won't forget... rather you can't forget even if you try to! :D

And this marks the end of this festival that governs our lives... and gloom descends upon this earth...

But looking at it in hind-sight, in a more philosophical way, I guess these festivals are better off coming only once in a year... thats what makes them so much worth waiting for...

Seeing the pandal being unbuilt part by part... it brings to my mind a few things...
It took months to create all this... but only days to undo it...
Here again, the year-long wait begins...

Delay Dilemma!

This isn't exactly a proper blog post... yet an important one nonetheless!
I havn't visited this page in ages it seems...
I missed you dear 'sitey'... I really did! :'(

When I had started this 'mindless writing spree' of mine, many of my buddies had told me that this wouldn't last for too long...
And I had taken a rather defensive stance to that.
So before you think I've proved them right, let me clarify...
Under 'rigorously, compulsive, demanding and highly obligatory circumstances' (phew... had to work hard to get hold of those words), I was forced to be away from this immensely likable pastime of mine!

I guess thats enough of nice talk... now to point out the defaulter!
Primary culprit... My BSNL Net Connection!
What can I say... when its working at its optimum speed, its seems like one of the most cherished technological wonders in this Universe.
I know thats shameless over-complimenting... but well you get the point.
And when its not...
...&^#%@*$%^&^#^$%&%^&@^$%#*^%$*&%#^*%^*%^#@*...
Lets just say I wasn't exactly fascinated the wise-old saying, "Patience is the Key".
You get the drift...
Even a Broadband user has feelings you know...
I'm getting a stable connection after almost a month now!
So that more or less explains the situation.

I was even starting wondering whether a meticulously thought of master-plan was behind all this!
(Now you know why I called its a 'mindless writing spree'... if you already didn't that is! :P
And by the way the line isn't true, its just there for the 'effect' :D)

After this hopefully the long due posts of Durga Pujo season will follow... soon enough... of course assuming that my Broadband connection provider obliges!
So keeping my fingers crossed!

I know this article turned out to be lame... but can't exactly help it...

And as we say in this part of the world...
SUBHO BIJOYA :)

Rainbow Skies...

Whoever knew flying kites could be so much fun!
Ok... bad question... many did, but the point is I didn't...
And that is primarily due to the fact that earlier I couldn't fly one, and to be fair I still can't: :P
Erm... so the sentences seem like a paradox right?!
To put it plainly on paper, I can't make a kite rise... but once its up there I can keep it there! :P:D
And occasionally pull off a few tricks.

As usual 17th September was Judgement Day... the day of 'Bisyakarma Pujo'.
In the morning amidst the dark clouds, our group of apartment friends got together... pooled in funds to buy kites and refilled our 'latai's with different types of 'manja'(strings).
We came back with a dozen hi-fliers of various shapes and sizes... and our 'latai's threaded with red and black 'manja'!
At around 3 in the afternoon we went up to the terrace... the sun was out and seeing the sky laden with rainbow colours... it truly was a inspiring sight! :)
Inspite of every single preparation the most important part was left! Getting someone to lift the kites!
Fortunately Joyjit 'kaku' was ready to help... as always... you can always count on him. He would make them rise to a certain height and we would take over from there.
From there started my day of firsts...
First achievement was keeping a kite in the air for over 10 minutes... believe its a big achievement for someone who knows almost nothing about kites.
The second one... and the BIGGEST one came around all of a sudden... it all happened too fast for me to register anything! My kite was sitting majestically atop the cotton clouds, when suddenly from nowhere an intruder started approaching it! It was looking for a fight!
My first reaction was that of both panic and excitement together! Joyjit 'kaku' told me to just keep the string loose, because the the other guy was keeping it too tight.
The summit clash lasted for 5 or so seconds! And before I realized anything the familiar jubilant chant of 'BHOKATTA' arose from our rooftop!
I had just cut a kite for the first time! The feeling was overwhelming... for the first time in weeks I felt proud of myself!
And through the length of the day I was lucky enough to bring down another 3! Mind you, I lost 2 kites in the process though.
First loss was to an already cut kite floating aimlessly in the air... somehow it got wrapped around my one and the string snapped!
The second loss was more meaningful though...
When the sun was on the verge of setting we found our area of the sky void of predators, only mine and my friend's kite were there... you can very well guess what happened next!
It was decided then and there... we were going to play a 'friendly'... a civil war of sorts!
The bout was the most evenly contested one of the day... after a lot of criss-crossing... tangling, I suddenly felt the tension in the string drop... I had just lost my second kite... but more importantly lost to my friend... this was humiliating... now I would have to hear about this for a long long time to come...
Its true... you can't have everything!

Delight and Despair...

All this while I didn't feel like writing about it...
But life moves on I guess, so here it is...


PART I : Delight

The first day of every month has a certain freshness about it. And as for this month, I went 'Pujo' Shopping with my mother. It IS a BIG thing for us people in Bengal, atleast for most of us.
And buying clothes with cousins and friends may be fun but when your priority is quantity, you are better off being with parents. I'm quite far from being a 'shopaholic'... infact this is the only time of the year I feel like freshening up my wardrobe. But having lots of new clothes during the festival season is something I like.
So as planned, at around one in the afternoon we reached 'Shyambazar', and within another hour I found myself with a T-Shirt, a Casual Shirt, two pairs of trousers... the first one being Jeans and the other Chinos. We stopped midway for a 'Paapri Chaat' break. And after the interval it was time for Ma to get herself a sari... a pure Silk one. She had done the bulk of her shopping on a previous day. We rounded it off with a 'Panjabi' for the day of 'Ashtami' and a pair of Walking Shoes.
Being out with parents after a while can be a wonderful experience... and I wasn't going to forget it in a hurry! If only I knew the next day was going to be even more unforgettable...


PART II : Despair

When the first sound that infiltrates your subconscious mind is that of your mother trying to wake you up, you just know that its the beginning of another normal day... a day of college.
As usual... between the small periods of after-sleep (each one brought to an end by subsequent calls from Ma), occasionally I keep stealing a glance at the wall-clock... and only when I realize that I cannot stay in bed any longer... do I get up and start the routine procedures.
After having a small breakfast of sorts, I left home around 9:10 and at around 9:45 found myself at Salt Lake Tank No. 4, the bus-stop from where I take a bus to college everyday. I usually reach there a few minutes earlier, but I had gotten late that day.
So the first bus I manged to squeeze into was Bus No. DN-46. It was crowded as expected. And I barely managed to hold onto an overhead rod with my left hand while taking support from the ceiling with my right. At the very next stop a large number of people got down from the bus. And while doing so, many of them brushed against my side. I didn't realize anything odd then, but within a minute or two when I put my hand into my left-pocket I couldn't feel my cell-phone!
It was gone!
The sinking feeling that you get is just impossible to explain.
Things unfolded rapidly... first the realization... then the consequences... and finally the reaction... Another fellow passenger had suffered the same fate! So both of us approached a third person to call our numbers... in both cases it reported that the cell phone had been switched-off.
In college, friends were supportive (except one who found it funny for some 'overly-intellectual' reason only he knows of), they helped me get the SIM blocked. My department teachers were also helpful and gave me the permission to go out and lodge a FIR. And after going through two police stations I finally returned to college at around noon.
I called Ma from a telephone-booth outside, she was shocked to say the least, but didn't enquire too much... she knew I would explain everything when I got back home... and that I did.
Next day got my number restored and since then I've been using the replacement SIM from my previous phone. I don't feel like getting a new one... don't feel I deserve it.
It was a four-month old set... my Nokia 6303c, and despite the fact that I'm not a gadget-freak, I really loved it.
The features were really nice... it had everything... infact more than what I needed in a phone... and the part I liked about it the most was the the way if gave off a faint-bluish intermittent glow when there were unread messages. These are small things that get you attached to things... I will miss my cell phone... I really will.
I don't want to turn this into an Ode, so I'll bring the description to an end.


All the above events took place within a span of 24 hours...
Despite everything, I guess I did learn a few things...
Necessity makes you do things which you normally wouldn't even consider.
And yes... Life does change very quickly.
But the time-span required to adjust to these changes is not quite as small...

Why do we even Divide by One?!

Now I know why an Engineering Bachelor's Degree lasts four years...
So that you can learn the bus route to and from your college!
This realization dawned upon me this very Thursday.

It may sound like a lame joke, but believe me it doesn't seem as stupid and funny when you're at the receiving end!

Throughout my first year I was oblivious of the fact that there were two buses with their route numbers different only by a '/1'. Bus No. 215A is actually the one which is supposed to take me to my destination. And then there is Bus No. 215A/1... which doesn't exactly take me 'very close' to my destination. :P

Anyway after another tiresome day... I got up on the the first bus I found on my route. At a glance the number seemed to be somewhat like a 215... that was good enough...
I cosily settled into a empty seat for another lazy trip back to 'Ultadanga'...
The first time something struck me as odd was when the bus turned left instead of right at a junction... and most importantly no one complained! Now let me tell you, this isn't really a very Kolkata-bus-public-like response... one or two heated words are the least you can expect, but yet I didn't bother too much because in Salt Lake buses are often forced to take detours because of frequent road construction works.
After another half an hour, instead of 'Karunamoyee' we reached 'Beleghata' going over the EM Bypass road. I was sure the bus would take a turn towards 'Ultadanga' at the CIT Road junction... but instead it raced straight ahead towards 'Sealdah'!!!
I shot off my seat at once and tried to maneuver my way through the bustling crowd of passengers (anyone who has been in a bus during office return hours knows what I'm talking about) to the entrance... managing to reach there only when two more stops had passed away! So I somehow managed to jump off at 'Rashmoni Bazar'.

The only silver lining was that I had a bus which takes me directly to my home from there... so finally I did reach home, with a time lag of around an hour...

Some wise guy once quoted... "At every corner life teaches you a lesson"
Wish I had learnt mine at the very first turn! :P

Brother and Sister Harmony!

Happy Raksha Bandhan to every bro-sis duo out there! :)
It really is a wonderful occasion!
This is THE one day, when perhaps we all try to lessen our day-to-day quarrels... atleast try to!:P
I've often heard many say that we don't need a certain day to celebrate something... but the truth is that we do! Most certainly!
After a tedious day of college, when you come back and hear that your sister is coming to meet you from quite far, it does speak a lot. And this is just one of the many reasons I love my cousin sis so much!
The evening was spent playing PC Games with my nephew! After a long time! Although I'm not a big fan of Combat Games like Virtua Fighter, I like playing it with him... because this is perhaps the only game where we are on even terms!
Every single cousin can't always make it... for various reasons... so I have also started getting greetings and 'Rakhi's through mail... through other sister... and even online(from my sisters in the US)!
So altogether a very nice evening!

Not every one sees the sunny side of things though!
I know of a certain brother of mine who kept his cell phone switched off throughout the day... for the fear that some classmate of his might wish him over a text message!

Music's in the Air

This is ridiculous!
Its one of the most 'inexpressible' (well I really can't express it!) feelings in the world!
You spend an hour thinking that you are on the verge of finding out something significant... and at the end, you realize you were on a wild-goose chase all along!
A friend posted some random alphabets on Facebook and I was asked to find out what they meant.
Well they looked like some kind of code so reluctantly I gave it a look, ok... maybe more than just 'a' look!
I tried to find all kinds of sequences that I could come up with, like constant letter differences... number shifting... tried to find names of people related to him... my mind was running wild... even tried to see if the code contained the name of any girl, who maybe he secretly likes!
But alas... what do I find at the end?
Its just the the first letters of an old song's words put together!
Damn!
I mean... come on... ... ... I'm lost for words again!
I guess I have to learn to ignore things more often!:P

The evening went fine though!
I'm starting to discover a hidden love for Acoustic Guitars these days!
Initially I was like... how quickly can I switch over to an Electric... but now, I don't feel like going through even a day without playing it... even if its only for a few minutes...
Although I hardly know anything and have lots and lots to learn... just the excitement in learning how to play a guitar by yourself keeps me going!
I actually lost interest in it when I first started four years back... I hardly touched the guitar for two years after that... I wasn't too keen on the training exercises... but those (the ones I did... or rather was forced to do) did help a lot!
My first reaction these days is to try and find the arpeggios and chords for any song that I develop a liking for... from the internet obviously... and then well... trying to play it!
Its one of the best ways to relax and at the same time do something useful... atleast thats the way I see it!

The Grass 'IS' always Greener on the Other Side

And I thought Second Years got away with everything... or atleast more than the newbies of First Year do!
I was so wrong!
Deep within their hearts (and sometimes not even 'that' deep) every Engineering student knows that the practicals are what matter most...
During our first year, it didn't seem to me that the college bothered too much about our attendance on that one day when we didn't have lab classes... and what happens when we move into Second Year? The very first time this happens, we get warned... and moreover we almost had our practical classes cancelled!
It wasn't a Mass-Bunk... as it was made out to be, each one had their separate reasons...
Although I admit an attendance of 19 out of 60 doesn't seem flattering, we've seen worse-case scenarios.
College is getting hectic with loads of assignments... and I also have to deliver on my promise of 'trying' to study this semester... so I won't have too many other things to share I guess...
Atleast the subjects seem more interesting this year... in a monotonous college life!
But friends make it easier, and I believe that is the only reason I feel like going to college...
So cheers to them! :)
P.S. It doesn't seem like I'll be finding something interesting very soon... so please bear with me! :P

Being Oblivious of the Aftershock

"Time is the best healer."

You'd hear many a wise person quoting this... and to be fair I agree with them.
However if you're looking for a short-duration alternative, you could always put your money on SLEEP! Yes, thats right... nothing can douse unwanted thoughts the way slumber can.
And if I can count myself as an experimental subject... then I might as well state that the theory is 'Scientifically Proven'! (Well... if the adversitements can use this tag the way they do these days, so can I!)
What I'm driving at is that till yesterday I was still dissapointed over my university results.
I was feeling so tired and exhausted that I even skipped college today.

And as always, when I woke up today (at noon to be precise) the world did seem a lot brighter than the previous day... only in a metaphorical way though... because today the skies were cloudy to say the least!
I had almost forgotten about it, again which I know is not a good thing... 'cause supposedly "These memories should ignite the flame of desire in you for overcoming such future obstacles"... phew... don't worry I didn't make that up... I think I came across something like this in some book.
On a more serious note, this time study will have to come up the priority list!
I know I keep saying this every time (and so do many of my friends)... but this time lets just hope we don't break this resolution... atleast not in the way we usually do... have to give it a try atleast!

Anyway sleep does help... it has helped me even in situations which really were very hard to get over...
Some memories should be left to savour... while some are better forgotten... if only we could...

Bolt From the Blue!!!

I knew our university (which goes by the name of WBUT) was unpredictable, but expecting this was far beyond my natural capabilities!
The last thing I had heard about the results was that this time they are going to be delayed... so it had more or less gone off my mind...

The day was going wonderfully well, today was the launch date for Iron Maiden's new album Final Frontier... I went out to watch 'Peepli Live' with friends... an entertaining movie... then we had a feast at 'Zeeshans' with 'Biryani' and I also got my first taste of 'firni' a sweet dish... its absolutely delicious!
Ok... before I deviate any further, lets get back to what we started with...
So after an exhausting day, I came back and as usual logged onto Facebook... and the first thing I found was a post stating that our semester results had come out!
Now, these hoax messages are more than just common, so I just ignored the first one... only to find two more stating the same thing!
They say "Curiosity killed the Cat"... and curiosity did get the better of me...
I logged onto the University website... yes they really had come out... my GPA had come down by quite a fair margin... but to be fair, I had seen it coming!
In all this hustle... I didn't even feel like doing tomorrow's assignments!

Lesson learnt : A good beginning to the day doesn't always ensure a similar end!

Breaking Dawn

First point first!
In no way does the title refer to the Twilight book!
I was never into too much of fantasy...
And I've lost whatever fascination I had with Vampires ever since I saw 'RPatz'(as a friend of mine affectionately calls him) posing as one in the movie series!

Now then...we all know what today is...
Come on... if you're an Indian and you don't have a clue as to what I am talking about, there's something seriously wrong with you!
I don't mean to get aggressive or anything... but when you have loads of college assignments to complete, your mood is not going to be very uplifting!
Am I the only one who finds this ironical in context of today?!

Before going any further let me wish everyone a Very Happy Independence Day!:)
Ok... its been an 'active' day today... if thats the word I want to use!
Woke up at 8am in the morning, this may seem like a normal thing but well, not for me...
The last time I had seen the sun rise was at Tiger Hill near Darjeeling five years ago!
In fact twice within the past year I have woken up to find myself staring at the aura of brilliant reddish sky, only to find that actually the sun was setting down!
My average on a holiday would be somewhere between 11am and noon.

Anyway today was special, because we had the Flag Hoisting Ceremony at our building terrace!
Also there were free sweets on offer... who would miss out on that!
Hey, that wasn't the driving motive or anything... don't get me wrong... I love my country... and I would like to believe that almost everyone does so!
Also we had the inauguration to the our para club Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra's Durga Pujo preparation (actually the pandal builing)... too bad I wasn't there to witness it.
In the evening we went up to the terrace to play cricket... but as usual it turned into more of a chatting session, not that I'm complaining!
We started off with how a certain junior friend of ours finally mustered up the courage to go up and talk to girls(I'm keeping the names off the charts for now).
Then we passed through things like how Sonam Kapoor looks more like a doll than anything else!
And finally ended off with ghost stories about Jadavpur University and planchette!
We are seriously contemplating the last one though!
Letting a ghost possess you doesn't seem like a bad idea, does it?!:D
But it'll probably end up being more funny than scary... even if we manage to pull off something!

A Start

Why on earth am I doing this???!

I keep asking myself... well blogging isn't exactly something I had planned or anything.
But now that I think of it, this must have resulted from the constant influences circling around my life at the moment... recently I seem to have somehow developed this habit of catching onto others' hobbies!
Well the thing is quite a few of my friends already have blogs... some write in diaries... some post their thoughts in FB... some use long text messages (which I'm kind of getting bored of these days)... some talk over phone... and others... well they talk too much throughout the day to have anything left to share!
But still I wasn't too thrilled about the blogging idea...

And then one day came the clinching moment... I stumbled across Anne Frank's Diary!
I know I should have read the book earlier... but since I haven't, lets not go there!
I was simply amazed by the way a small girl could write something as vivid as that!
So it was decided then and there!

As my friends keep telling me, I'm supposedly rather quiet by nature, so a blog might be a nice place to write down a few things once in a while... an online diary of sorts.
It doesn't exactly matter whether anyone comes across this piece or not, its not meant for anyone anyway...
And come to think of it... the lesser the merrier... because its not always the brightest idea to let people know whats going on in your mind!

Well thats it for now... lets see whats in store for the days ahead... :)