Sabre Rattlings

I'll leave it to your imagination. To complete the story. To tell a tale.






...
Does it strike a chord?

Do you think so?

In life, there is no Black and White. Only shades of Grey. Really? I wonder.

Two little Ducks

I sit down here to write my birthday post. My twenty-second birthday. A lot of people my age do not like to say it aloud. The number. The two little ducks. I do not either. I have always been the one excited about growing older. Till today. I remember how I wanted to turn 16, then 18 and then the big 21. There has always been the excitement of growing up. To show off your age. At such times I always wondered why some of my older cousins would not be excited as much about their birthdays as me. That feeling is now sinking in. It’s glorious till your 21st birthday. NOT thereafter. Twenties come with a lot of crucial times- in all respects. A whole array of hard decisions which decide the course of your life. 

Reading old posts is always fun. I thought of going through the post I had written a year back when I just turned twenty one. And. I realised how some things have changed since then. 

If I have to draw a comparison, this birthday I was NOT sleeping at twelve. I was on the phone with a person NOT least expected. I would NOT exactly term the day as “adventurous”. And. Before the clock struck midnight and the next day began, I was again talking to the same person! A few things that have changed maybe in my transition from the twenty-one to the twenty-two. Otherwise. It was pretty much the same. Lunch with friends and dinner with family #whatilove ! An ideal day it was. With the perfect start and an even perfect-er ending. :D

PS. Thank you for that lovely post. The pictures and the mail. Inspite of your tight schedule. Meant way too much!

Cheers to Life

[Sharing another beautiful text I received..]

I’ve seen castles made out of sand,
Met people who believe destiny is engraved,
on the palm of their hands.
I’ve seen people change their faith,
Experienced love change into hate.
I’ve seen people grow younger with age,
And a bird who wouldn’t fly out of an open cage.
I’ve seen love sold for money,
People who are devastated inside,
But outside they’re funny.
I’ve seen the unicorn fall in love with the toad,
People who owned half the city, have now hit the road.
I’ve learned to expect the unexpected,
Perfection doesn’t exist, we’re all defected.
Everyone cries, some just hide their tears,
They say coal turns diamond over a thousand years.
Someone may believe you’re one in a million,
For others, you are just another anybody in the billion.
So live life with all that you have
Cherish all your moments happy or sad,
Feel blessed with what you are
Because life is too short
And we are just here for a moment.

My One Year Old Baby

And I did not realize it, but my blog just turned One on the 21st of April :-)

What a journey it has been. So much has changed since then. Touchwood. All for the better. I am happy. You have been lucky for me, dear blog!

WhatsApp

My blog of late would seem incomplete without a post dedicated to this wonderful application, my lifeline, my addiction, the witness to my many “important” conversations, WhatsApp. For starters, WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging service. This ain’t a technology blog and I ain’t a tech-expert. So for those interested you can check out http://www.whatsapp.com. In case you decide to download it, please add me. I am always looking forward to increasing my favourites list.

Moving on. So Basically. This post is more about WhatsApp and I.

I started my journey with WhatsApp sometime in December 2010. I do not exactly remember how and when I first heard about it and what exactly got to me to download it. Infact then, I did not have many contacts on my Favourites list either. Nonetheless I am glad that I did. After all. Little did I know about it then. It was soon to pave the way to a new and interesting phase in my life. Since then, March 2011, WhatsApp has become more of a way of life for me. A staple diet. Something I cannot imagine my day without. It has helped me get in touch with old friends and brought me closer to the newer ones. And now. From this moment on. It shall also remain the only hope. In my quest to ensure that out of sight does not really mean out of mind! ;)

In Truth and Otherwise ;)

In Truth. The world has seen. In Truth. I have gotten used to your company yet you never fail to surprise me. (Not that I am complaining!) In Truth. I love having you by my side. In Truth. #thesecretisout

Since 1995.

H and I have been friends for the past Sixteen years. One of my oldest and closest friends. My only friend who’s been with me through my Ten years of schooling in Holy Child, the One year at Maria’s and the final Two in APS. A lot has changed between us over the years. We’ve had our share of fights, months of not talking to each other, staying out of touch et al. But we’ve lived through each phase. Misunderstandings have cropped. People have rejoiced and laughed. But each time, our ties emerged stronger and sometimes, all it took was a sorry to make it up. Even today, the level of comfort we share with each other is rather surprising. Not a change. Despite the not-so-smooth journey that we’ve had through the years, we can still share all that we want. We may not talk often. But we know that whenever we have to, the other is always there to listen. To give the best advice.

Today we met after really long. The third time in three years. The first time in Guwahati since we moved out. And. We just took off from where we had left. Time has changed so much since then. We have changed. The face of our city has too. But sometimes you never grow out of your comfort zone. We met up at our old haunt CCD, remembered old times, caught up with the new, discussed people’s whereabouts, walked down to Bakers Treat which holds “funny” memories for the two of us. And it was like living it all again! For a moment it felt as if time had stood still. It was heartening to see how much we know about each other. Little things that another person would maybe take years to learn. Sixteen long years of friendship thus, just showed!

What Lies Ahead

End of a journey this
The start of another,
Thus, a new beginning
Time again promises;
Shows a new ray of hope
Flickering at a distance,
A dream to chase
An excuse to cheer,
Amidst all the sorrow phase
A need to brush aside all the fear,
Of the future unknown.
So far so good it has been
Faith in the destiny
I, therefore, hold
All for the times together.

En-route

Pune-Hyderabad-Calcutta-Guwahati. My exams are finally over and I am on my way home. Two months. Of Family. Friends. Fun. Food. Travel. Sleep. Idleness. This 15-day short stint in Pune has been one of the most memorable so far. For a lot many reasons. Times that’ll remain etched in my memory forever. To cherish. Times that promise a new beginning. Of things brighter and happier. All of which comes down to the one. That constant factor from the time I arrived at Pune till the time I left today. More on all of that soon. :)

1230 hrs, 20/04/11

Calcutta Airport.

These Days

Yesterday I, thanks to my silliness, hurt my toe. Caught in rusted chains, it bled. Forced I was thus to get an injection. I did. The first one since the time I can remember.

Today was another day. Of preparations. Of RedBull. Of anxiety. A long night still ahead. It's not yet over!

Tomorrow is the day. The Sixth Semester exams begin. Three years down and done. At the end of this, I will be a graduate. Another small yet significant step in this journey of mine.

More excited or more nervous. I am still unsure. Maybe it's time to get back to the last kill. The penultimate revision. See you on the other side!

It is.

It is not about not being told what to do
It is about deciding what to do
It is not about not being answerable to others
It is more about being answerable to yourself
It is not about living alone
It is just about staying alone

That thing called 'Being Independent'

To Judge or Not To Judge?

I just read this story. Thought it'd be a great idea to share. To remember. To keep in mind. A simple truth we all tend to forget. 

Once upon a time, there was a painter who had just completed his course. He took 3 days and painted a beautiful scenery. He wanted people's opinion about his caliber and painting skills. He put his creation at a busy street-crossing. And just down below, a board which read -"I have painted this piece. Since I'm new to this profession I might have committed some mistakes in my strokes, etc. Please put a cross wherever you see a mistake."

While he came back in the evening to collect his painting, he was completely shattered to see that the whole canvass was filled with Xs (crosses) and some people had even written their comments on the painting. Disheartened and broken completely, he ran to his master's place and burst into tears. This young artist was breathing heavily and the master heard him saying "I'm useless and if this is what I have learnt to paint I'm not worth becoming a painter. People have rejected me completely. I feel like dying"

The master smiled and suggested "My Son, I will prove that you are a great artist and have learnt flawless painting. Do as I say without questioning it. It WILL work." The young artist reluctantly agreed and two days later, early in the morning he presented a replica of his earlier painting to his master. Master took that gracefully and smiled.

"Come with me", the master said. They reached the same street-square early morning and displayed the same painting exactly at the same place. Now, master took out another board which read -"Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I'm new to this profession I might have committed some mistakes in my strokes etc. I have put a box with colors and brushes just below. Please do a favor. If you see a mistake, kindly pick up the brush and correct it."

Master and disciple walked back home. They both visited the place the same evening. Young painter was surprised to see that there was actually not a single correction done so far. Next day again they visited and found that the painting remained untouched.

In fact, it is said that the painting was kept there for a month but no correction came in!

Moral of the story: 

It is easier to criticize, but difficult to improve! So do not get carried away or judge yourself by someone else’s criticism and feel depressed. JUDGE YOURSELF FOR YOU ARE YOUR BEST JUDGE.

In me. I have faith. I believe.