Young and beautiful and doesn't give a damn!

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" sang Kelly. How inspiring! But did she know that even if it doesn't kill you, it does take a part of you away.

That's what I belived about Sasha, a girl on campus. But hey she wasn't just any other girl. She was so much more. To begin with - she was beautiful. So beautiful that she could take your breath away! May be not. But I was certainly mesmerized by her. Her brown eyes were something else. And she was funny, witty and cool. Like how everyone my age should be but sadly isn't. Not even me. But something everyone would agree upon was that Sasha was a resourceful girl. So resourceful, that it was labelled as selfish, exploitative, mean and what not.

Things had really changed for Sasha. From how she was seen as a popular, fun loving, college celebrity to what you can simply say - a slut. From the most loved to the most hated. Sure she had her flaws. But they were a lot like everyone elses. A little bit more perhaps. But nothing grave enough for a complete spin around. From where I stood, Sasha a victim of sorts. And trust me I stood at pretty neutral grounds.

The story was such: Pretty girl with several admirers. Has a good time with one. Things don't quite work out. Moves to next. Play this 3 times over.

Slut? Yes probably. But why single out a girl when our male peers are ever so rampant at the act? And that wasn't all in store for Sasha. She was ridiculed by her so called friends - online & offline, blamed of using people, denied help when needed most and worst of all - made into a social outcast. None of which she deserved if you think about it. 'My life - My choice' is sadly only a post to be shared on facebook and not practiced in real world.

Dismal you'd think. But that was never Sasha. She just didn't give a damn. Her spirit was strong like steel. She moved far away from the hatred where could shut the haters out and live life the way she wanted. Happy about her choices and confident about her future. A sacrifice but one which was needed.

Sasha was an inspiration for me - a girl who lived perpetually in the shadows. Bullying is not limited to school grounds and can get serious with far reaching effects. It cannot always be explained. You can't always go with the flow if you're drowning under the weight of public mockery. Grow a spine, set your priorities right and reach for them. The haters are just gonna hate.

Sasha you deserve a place at http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/

The better times..

As the younger sibling, responsibility was something I didn't handle well. Or better put, I didn't want to handle well. But that changed with Chinky.

Chinky was an orphan kitten who we adopted a couple of years back. It was not the first time that I had begged my parents to adopt a stray, but it was the first time that they had accepted. They had to, given how adorable Chinky was! A couple of brown patches on a pristine white cat! 

Mum was incredible in how she took care of Chinky during the initial few days, when she'd be scared looking around the house for her mother; she wouldn't eat and had to fed with a dropper and had to be cradled to sleep. Soon she grew stronger and started venturing out, exploring around our house. Chinky would often get into fights with other stray cats or get chased by dogs. And I would always go rescue her. We'd give her a bath and dress her wounds if any. As soon as she'd heal, history would be repeated!!

In my final year of engineering, there was a time when things weren't going too well. Submissions due, team mates not cooperating, running around for decent notes and of course, exams! It seemed too hard to handle, all of it at once! And back at home, Mum was away for a few days. This meant cleaning was on me and cooking on Dad (oh no!). Miserable times! Looking back, it's funny how I let those things get to me.

So one day, late into the night, I hear Chinky growling. Another fight. I run out and find that she has cornered a cat twice her size. Some nerve she had! I pick up my fur ball and she hisses back but doesn't fight me. I carry her back home and in the light I could see some war scars. Nothing unusual. I give her a bath. Now that was bad, for both of us. Cats hate water, that's an understatement! Bathing her by myself was really difficult. Soon it was over. I stayed up till the wee hours drying her and then put her to sleep.

Next day was thankfully a holiday. But Chinky woke me up mewing for food. And after food, she wanted to play! I had to get up because I couldn't let her get bored and go out. While I'd mop, Chinky would be nearby, playing with her reflection on the floor! (Boy did I do a good job mopping!) Wondering how it could run as fast as her! When she'd get thirsty with all the running around, she'd drink some dirty water from the mopping bucket! Playing hide 'n' seek was the best. It would be so funny when she'd slip on the smooth floor while running. During lunch, the smell of fish would drive her crazy. She just couldn't get enough of it. But when it came to eating roti, the tantrums the little one would throw! I would have to chew it for her first! Gross? Not so much then. While studying, she'd play with my pens, help turn pages or just lie flat on the book not letting me read. And while sleeping, she'd quietly climb into my bed, fitting herself on me, like she's a part of me!

The day with her was just amazing! She helped me learn to appreciate things which really matter. Despite her injuries, she'd enjoy the small things in life, savoring the present. What's best was that she helped me forget about the things I considered as 'problems' and instead helped me focus on working on things I could do and what was in my control. However I knew that when Chinky would be better, she'd be out being a daredevil, taking on 'dangers' of the big bad world. And if  she could, so could I! But till then, while we'e at home, let's just have some fun!

I will never forget the amazing times I spent with her and in the future after I've got a place of my own from https://housing.com/in I will make sure to mop the floors squeaky clean so that Chinky never stops chasing her reflection and slipping sometimes while doing so!

Bitch Wars

In the drama clubs of schools, dark dorm rooms of college and squeaky clean washrooms of offices, live a breed of people. People who judge you, judge every dress you wear and every extra bread you eat. They know everything there is to know about you but pretend that they don’t. They basically control your social life. Though most folks go on with their lives ignoring this climax, it gets ugly when the likes collide. It calls for ‘Bitch Wars’.

Behind the fight to supremacy, power and strength are lies and extensive plotting where the queens position their pawns for selfish motives. Nobody cares about the ones who were played around with, the silent ones and the ones who went unheard of. The magnitude of the losses vary depending of the pettiness of the issue and the extent to which the bitches are willing to play.

The bitches breed amongst us. Their wars are a part of our everyday lives. We might not actively be a part of it, but we certainly are spectators. We might not be the pawns, but we certainly are aware of their losses. Is ignoring the best way to deal with dirty politics? Why do we even ask such questions? Everyone knows right from wrong. But few choose the right answer. Right answers only apply to essays, not reality. In everyday life you just keep to yourself and mind your own business. What does that make us? The passive bitch you could say. But who minds being called that? We’ve already been judged and assessed in everyone’s minds. 

Traveling across the wonderful land of Candy Crush

I’m obsessed with Candy Crush. I play it every day, in all my lectures, while traveling, during meals, while trying to look busy, while writing this and before going to bed.  It’s been 3 years and 660 levels. A beautiful journey with colorful candies, jelly frogs and fishes, chocolate swamps, pies, candied fruits, bubblegum, licorice, marmalade and lollipops. Everything you could have ever dreamt of! And the levels have the most amazing names like ‘Taffy Tropics’, ‘Biscuit Bungalow’, ‘Gummy Gardens’, ‘Cereal Sea’ and 81 others.

So what makes the journey so awesome? Candy! No. We’re all adults here. May be a little bit. Who doesn't like playing in the ‘Jelly Jungles’? But mostly it’s just a cleverly made application with infinite levels which are not too hard and not too easy. It syncs in your friends and shows where they stand creating a sense of competition (LOL, I’m at 660!) and gives it a feel of the amazing race, Version 5W33T.

Through my experience in Candy Crush, I have learnt to be resilient. You must not give up. Keep on trying! The software is designed to make the level easier if not cleared for more than 7 days. I have learnt to be patient. 1 life every half hour. Must wait! Or change time settings of phone. I have learnt to be there for my friends. Extra life and extra moves for those losers stuck on Level 147. And most of all I have learnt that the ‘chocolate bomb + striped candy’ combination is the best.

Come friends, travel with me in wonderful land of Candy Crush and watch me reach level 661.

All of my homies yo !

I was doing nothing one day. I looked up and I saw this.

But then I go on and continue doing nothing. Sometime later (read 37 seconds) later I looked up again to see this !

How could things change so fast! I'm not good with changes. And particularly worse with quick changes. It affects me mentally. If everything is going to change this fast how the hell am I going to keep up. By the time I get used to something, it'd have changed! 

The image of the clouds changing so fast kept coming at me again and again. To haunt me in lectures and sometimes even in my sleep! OH NO!

My innovative brain ( I love you squishy stuff) devised the following mechanism to help me deal with it. It's called Let's-Personify.

When the tiny wittle black clouds were playing in the sky, the big white one's came and said, "Yo! Buzz off!" This made the tiny wittle black clouds sad. Like this.

But then the tiny wittle black clouds remember that together they could be powerful and one of them said, "Yo! Lets get together yo!" And that's what they did. Like this.

This made them look bad and ugly but at least they could float around too. 

And thus I learnt to personify inanimate things when I'm bored. 

Sunsilk Real FM Movie

So I saw this movie. What an achievement!

The first thing that hits you is Sunsilk.
You figure out that Sunsilk is the title sponsor. Correct.
You assume it's a movie about girls' tossing about their beautiful luscious hair. Incorrect.

Well you aren't entirely wrong. But there's so much more. Four girls fighting against all odds to run a radio station and emerging victorious. That seems short, standard and mundane but the movie certainly wasn't that. Rather it is a breath of fresh air compared to the usual Bollywood stuff as there is no unnecessary dragging of the story line, forced humor, gaudy glamour or overacting of any sorts. You can actually relate to the girls. Not so sure about the last part. Being is a girl is a probable prerequisite.

And the best part were the songs. The movie boasts of a classical folk song from every state of India. That's 29. Not quite the songs you would find on the regional doordarshan channels but really good stuff. Something on the lines of MTV Coke Studio but so much better. Chattisgarh was awesome! :'D

I left office early on a Friday evening to catch the red carpet premiere. So worth it!

Grab the popcorn and enjoy!

Confidentiality

Have you seen those movies where the dude goes all  ____ is my middle name? ____ is usually trouble, risk, chivalry, romance and other silly adjectives. And the others go all OMG! This guy has such a cool middle name! We should hang out with him! But I don't go all that. I find it incredibly cheesy. Having said that, Confidentiality is my middle name. Ignore the double standards please.

And I take great, wide and deep efforts to lie, make up random stories and lie some more to mislead people from knowing anything about myself. Oh me! I must sound like a really mean person! I am. But I only do that to people I don't know well enough. Because it feels weird telling them stuff about  yourself. Like they could have some leverage over me. Too much to lose sister, let me lie. I feel weird when they tell me stuff about themselves too. Too bad Confidentiality isn't their middle name.