The gratitude list.

So today morning, I set out on a mini-mission. Just out of the blue, I thought I'll take a walk around my neighborhood and try to get an approximate idea of the number of people who are smiling/seem happy. The results were not-so-happy.

If I were to draw a pie chart, this is what it would probably look like-

Now isn't that sad? Disregarding the made-up numbers and my attempt to seem mathematical in a seemingly math-lacking blog, it can be said without doubt that the majority of the people maintain a sad/neutral expression, suggesting that the general happiness level is low. Well there is this whole debate about having a neutral expression vs. making a smile your neutral expression, but that is not something I can get into at the moment (though I do feel that's an interesting debate and will definitely bring it up sometime later). 

If you're at a place where the general happiness seems low, how do you turn that around? By being happy yourself, you can spread happiness and be the angel of the area! If you're at a place where everyone is already smiling, well that is great! Let's try to maintain that.

I believe that one of the major reasons why the general happiness level of a particular place might seem low is because people are not grateful. If you are grateful, you feel happy, and maybe start by grateful of the little things in life.

So here are some little things I am grateful for/happy about (hopefully this will inspire you to create a list of your own!) -

1) Getting a new notebook- I spent the whole of the previous semester + half of the new semester using one notebook, and now that I have finally finished inking/pencil-ling all the pages, I can finally start using a new notebook! This notebook has uncrumpled pages, an ecstatic cover devoid of inkstains, spiral binding, and just the right amount of centimeters between the lines. Not to mention the smell of fresh paper!

2) Having an already-filled water bottle in my room- How annoying it is to go all the way to the water dispenser, stand there tapping toes, ensure the bottle is filled, and walk all the way back to my chair! I don't have to do that for another 2 days now! (jk, I meant 2 hours because I'm so wonderful and ever hydrated :)

3) Over my period- Need I elaborate on this, ladies? There are so many advantages of being off the monthly strife and rising amongst the altitude of normalcy. I won't have to deal with embarrassing sounds from my digestive system and pretend to have x10 terrifying cramps to gain sympathy and loads of chocolates from people who usually don't give a crap but are generally terrified of bleeding women. Also, I can totally re-engage in shameless carnal activities and/or pretend to say so to sound cool.

4)  My phone is still functioning- Oh, where would we be without our phones? Earlier today, I thought my phone died because the screen just suddenly went blank, but now it's back and working again. So glad to continue by nightly routine of stalking lives and gaining gossip via snapchat.

5) I will get 4 hours of sleep today, instead of the usual 3- Okay, maybe I did sleep for 8 hours for the past week, and today I'll just sleep for 4 it seems, but that is totally fine! Isn't it. Human beings are capable of surviving on 4 hours of sleep. Let me be optimistic. Dark circles are a sign of hardwork and a mysterious kind of beauty, and if it wasn't till now, I can totally change convention by pulling off this look. I'm sure there are more great things about my sleep timings.

6) I got my contact lenses on today on the first try- Usually, it takes me around 20 minutes because of my below average skills of wearing cosmetic equipment. When I can see properly, I can see all the happiness, and when I can see properly in less than 20 minutes, my vision captures even more happiness! Heh.

7) I'm still healthy- At the end of the day, even if a thousand things happen, isn't it great to still be healthy and intact? Okay, I did have a packet of chips just an hour ago. And a burger two hours ago. But at least I don't have narcolepsy or some other chronic illness! Man, so many things to be grateful for.

So that is it! My short list of things I'm grateful for. There are so many other little things to put here, things that we always take for granted but do matter a heck lot! So I'd recommend that you, too compile a list of gratefulness, and doing so everyday can keep you smiling every single day. Or every alternate day at least!

I promise to post more entries soon!
With affections and formalities (just to sound a little business-like in this informal domain),

How To: Procrastinate (like me).

Before I begin this entry, I'm super excited to share with you how a friend of mine (who takes pride in calling himself Zinghai) reacted to my previous blog entry by creating this lovely artwork.

This picture perfectly summarizes my blog, about how weird I am. It is totally relevant and has to do with something I had typed in that previous entry. Extra points for those who successfully decipher the relevance. 

So my sincere apologies for slacking and ditching my blog entirely for like. a month. I am aware that this is unacceptable, and I feel really quite miserable for not being able to find time. College is amazing. And by that I mean that though some aspects of college (like student life) is genuinely amazing, the workload is a-maze-ing. So amazing that I'm stuck inside a maze with a rapidly decreasing supply of maize. <-- Isn't my wordplay amazing? Or are you saying "ah-may-be"?

Crap, I'm addicted.

Anyhoooo, I think the whole purpose of this blog entry is to show you how weird I am and how I've just been procrastinating amazingly. Though I wonder who Zing Lee is. Ah-maybe he's Zinghai's cousin. OMG WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME

I think I'm having trouble focusing. I'm supposed to be typing this entry, but I'm thinking about various Oriental names now. Also, I'm thinking about shoeboxes.

^Ladies and gentlemen, that's how you procrastinate.
I'll post a better entry asap, I promise. I should probably get back to my amazing college workload and get something done.

Here's a link to my previous How To series post, which is also amazing btw.

MUCH LOVE, (Because if you still follow my blog, despite me posting only like once a century, you are seriously amazing and that word, buddy, has no pun intended, and only pure meaning filling it to the brim.)

Delhi's road etiquette.

I've spent pretty much my entire life in a third world city with all sorts of road traps and road shenanigans that have been building up this wall of anger that can never be torn down with love, but only with a bunch of bulldozers smashing into people's brains because they're STOOPID. Seriously, this is why India is losing tourists, this is why the rupee is depreciating, this is why people have bad impressions about Delhi. In fact, this is why you couldn't find your sock this morning and this is why they haven't discovered proper UFOs yet. These stupid Delhiites are the reason for any and every problem that humanity suffers from.

Disclaimer- I think I have a right to call Delhiites stupid because well, I'm a Delhiite as well. (Delhiite is such a funny word). Delhiiite. Del-hite. Delhi-ite. Kite. Dellkite. ANYWAY. I'm not calling all Delhiites stupid, but this is a blog entry based on years of experience and observation and analysis, so since I got the opportunity to really think about it, the people in this blog entry really are quite stupid. If you are one of these people, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to target you personally. I genuinely care about my city and I want to spread this awareness.

So please stop doing these things.

1) Pedestrians wearing earphones- WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? LIKE, SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I'm so sorry for yelling, but this is the number one thing that pisses me off about Delhiites. I know that we are a young generation. I know that music is 'hip'. I know that we all have ipods and phones. But why, why do you have to listen to Pitbull while you're wading your way across the road, and not just any road, an Indian road?!

You know what, even the slow cows that cross the roads here are more alert than you are, because they don't have some stupid song blasting through their eardrums as they move their udders across the territory! Please, stop listening to your music, it does not make you cool. I promise, if you listen to music anywhere else, anywhere other than this cluttered city road, we will all think you're hot and ask you to date us. Also, you will remain alive. So please stop wearing earphones, it's effing stupid. Just please. Stop.


2) EVE-TEASING- WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, ARE YOU DELUSIONAL, DO YOU HAVE X-RAY VISION, DO YOU HAVE TOURETTES SYNDROME, DO YOU THINK YOU'RE MACHO? Trust me, if you have a beard and a lungi you are macho enough, you do not need to pick on the women walking around. I am sick of all the horrible cases on TV, I'm sick of sick, horny men, I'm sick of everything. Even if the women cover themselves up in duct tape, these men will continue to whistle or say anything inappropriate to them. I don't get it, do you think that makes you cool? Do you do the same to your wife/sister/mother? Are you stupid? No one wants to come to Delhi anymore because it has become India's number 1 rape capital. Isn't that great, we're number one at something, finally! -.-

Speaking of 'Number one'...


3) People urinating on the roadside-  Scene- it's a beautiful day on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway as vehicles glide peacefully over the smooth road. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the smell of samosas light the air, the trees are swaying gently, the man is peeing. THE MAN IS PEEING. Fresh, hot, yellow, liquid fertilization for the swaying trees as they grow taller and taller so the singing birds can sit on them and fly around the area. Suddenly everything is disgusting. FIND AN EFFING TOILET!


4) Honking at the red light signal- If you do this, you are probably color blind. If you aren't, you shouldn't be driving. Have you heard the song "STOP says the red light, GO says the green?" I'll sing it to you if you want, while we wait.

 I don't get it, there are a bunch of us in our cars, waiting for the red light to turn green, and suddenly this obnoxious car comes behind us and starts honking. What do you expect us to do, put green tinted sheet over the traffic signal and drive off putting our lives and law at stake? THE LIGHT IS RED. Please go back to elementary school if you didn't get that. If you think the light is green, why don't you drive ahead, kill yourself in an accident, and have green blood flow out of you? Ugh, stupid people.

Also, if you are honking to make the car ahead of you go a little farther while waiting for the light to turn green, you should calm down because you can't get past that traffic signal anyway till the light turns green. And don't you worry, unless you have a dying person in your car, I'm sure you will reach your destination without much more than a scratch or a broken heart or a salary cut, rather than the possible loss of your life.


5) People on bikes checking themselves out in the mirror- So while you are sitting in your car in the middle of a traffic jam, you decide to look out of the window ...and see a man trying to make a mohawk while staring at you. Little do you realize that your car window doubles as a portable mirror for everyone! Damn, you should probably start charging these people for such wonderful, portable cosmetic facilities!

When people do this to me while I'm in the car, I like to roll down my window and give them a nice stare in the face. They still might not stop though, my pupils are probably reflective enough to double as a mirror too!


6) Bikes without silencers- There are different types of loudness on a Delhi road. Some are tolerable and typical, like people talking or cars honking. But then there is one sound that thunders above all the rest, stealing the show, creating a crater in your eardrum. It's a normal bike sound multiplied by 50. Oh who said it is excess H2O that makes you drown? It is the excess sounds from a bike that makes you drown under the road. Instead of the siren sounds in ambulance, just make one of these bikes go in front of you, and they will steal the show, making everyone avoid it like the plague.


7) The paan-spitting- Ever noticed the side of a pavement or a wall? They normally are painted white or black or yellow or purple or any color. Then you notice some red patches, and you think "Wow, is this some new design?" Red patches on surfaces are usually caused due to the unending, inevitable, deadly, paan spitting. In any other part of the world, your teacher would probably berate you for spitting gum, or spitting spit, or spitting food. But do you do that in Delhi? HECK no.

All these people (I don't want to target anyone, but it's usually the autorickshaw drivers that do this) stop their rented flivvers or their flying carpets in the middle of the road, take a long, saliva-soaked breath in, and discharge a scuttle of paan-red spit that stains any and every surface it hits upon. THIS IS SO ANNOYING. Not only is it unmannerly, but it also destroys the natural or manmade beauty of things. Instead of spitting on the road, maybe you could spit in a sink nearby, or a dump, or a trashcan, or your own face. Better yet, don't even have paan, unless there is a sink nearby!


 So that's my list of grievances that has hopefully come to your attention. I think if more Delhi people will read this, at least we'll have less of these pesky annoyances. Though I doubt the autorickshaw drivers would be very interested in reading any of this, except the really interested ones. I'll probably just email this to the government then, and hope this all gets better before I'm dead :)

Much love (and road safety), 

The 10 phases of my eyebrows.

Phase 1- Ah, the beautiful childhood tresses of the temple. As a kid, my eyebrows were quite huge, yes, but they were decent. They brought out my eyes a little and besides, I just didn't care back then. I remember my mother would make me use this eyebrow pencil to bring out my already-luscious eyebrows even more. Back then, I'd be very pleased with thick eyebrows and I'd find ways to make it even thicker (like applying hair oil on them)

Phase 2- And it was all well till I started developing a unibrow at the beginning of puberty! I hated it, it made me look shady and geeky, but on the plus side, it hid most of my pimples. As the treacherous eyebrows began to expand, I began to worry. I was afraid I'd soon have eyebrow hair in my eyes which would cloud my vision. Also, I was worried that it made me look bad.

Phase 3- So with a sinking heart and a pointy tweezer, I sat down one day to painfully plough away the excess eyebrow hair. Just fyi, I had absolutely no experience with tweezing or hair removal up till this point. I was too shy to get my eyebrows done, so I tried to secretly resolve the issue. As you can see, it turned out perfectly alright.

Phase 4- Back then, I was actually pleased with my eyebrow-tweezing expertise. I was happy to have gotten rid of the unibrow, even though it was terribly painful. In fact, my eyebrows looked almost okay from the distance. As months flew, I decided to become a little more daring. I tried to tweeze my eyebrows even thinner. And clearly, they turned out perfectly alright again. Clearly.

Phase 5- Sure, my eyebrows were roughly a skeletal version of actual, human eyebrows, but I didn't mind it much. Of course, people began to notice my strange eyebrows, but no one said much, because well, this was middle school and we all were just in that stage of understanding what looks good and what looks incomplete, I guess.

But as I entered high school and my workload increased, I realized I had lesser and lesser time to sit down for a good two hours and microscopically observe the minute and the massive hairs, so I slacked a little and let my eyebrows grow.

Phase 6- Eventually, I realized 'Heck, I'm in high school now', and finally decided to engulf on that journey to the parlor, where the eyebrow-lady painfully perfected my completely-experimented-on eyebrows. She fussed a lot about what I had done to them, but hey, it looked fine eventually so I was happy!

Phase 6- And this look went for a long, long time. Long enough that my hair (head hair) grew and I began to wear earrings and wear makeup and stuff. 

Phase 7- Then once again, I went a little daring, and as I grew even older and became almost immune to the pinching pain of threading, I got my eyebrows done to an optimum size that I thought suited my countenance.  This look also went on for a while. Till quite recently. 

Phase 8-  And finally, after a long journey of eyebrow-raising experiences, I finally, finally, inevitably screwed up. This summer, I went to my grandparents' house in the south of India, where I was constantly traveling from place to place to meet people to people. Some time during this trip, my eyebrows began to grow again (surprise surprise), and I wanted to get them done so bad, but it was hard to land up in a parlor. So I thought 'Ah, I can totally tweeze, I'm old enough now, how bad can I mess up?'. Clearly, I didn't mess up at all. Clearly, they turned out perfectly alright. 

Phase 9- As usually happens during screw-ups, I didn't realize how serious this issue was until I finally returned home and took a nice look in the mirror. I think my skin and hair cells died a little more than they usually do, when I saw myself. With a pounding heart, I reminisced the wonderful trip where I roamed about half the universe with a scattered-caterpillar eyebrow-do, without raising an eyebrow. So with a heavy heart, preparing myself for the fuss that the eyebrow-lady would make on my hot mess eyebrows, I walked in to the parlor. The lady said she did what she could. 

Phase 10- So yes, that brings me to my current eyebrow phase, with eyebrows that are super thinly plucked and tortured, but recovering. Hopefully they'll be back to normal soon, and till then, I must wait. 

Lesson- Don't try to do your own eyebrows. Unless you are amazing. Or a rebel. Or uncaring. 

School teaches you.. stuff.

I think I'm being super cheesy when I say that school is a vital part of our lives, we won't forget it, etc etc. And also, I'm being cheesy (and kind of irresponsible) when I say school has taught me a lot of things.... remotely related to actual studies. It has taught me and equipped me with the important mechanisms needed for life, and well, I think that's what this post is dedicated for. It is totally possible that, as you read this, you might feel a sense of nostalgia (depending on how sharp my writing skills are, atm), because you may or may not experience most of these experiences and learn similar lessons.

SO YES. I'm finally, finally sitting down and typing this entry that I had promised to post long back, but now this extra time has only given me time for some deeper insight towards school lessons. It's been a few months since school has ended for me and it has given me some time to retrospect.

1) Believe in yourself- Now you've heard this a thousand times and I'm sure you're annoyed and shaking your head just like you do every time you face a cliche. And when I say 'Well, it's true!' I can just imagine you preparing to conjure a few unemployed demons from wherever you believe they reside. But that's not all I have to say. I'm raising the question of WHO should believe in you, as well. Should you believe in yourself? Should you get others to believe in you?

Let me tell you something here. I can't get into the creases of your wrinkled brain and analyze whether you love or hate people, but either ways, whether or not people believe in you, you should believe in yourself. In fact, you should believe in yourself whether you are inside a blackhole contemplating survival chances, or whether you are about to smack a fish-head on someone stupid.

Also, there may be times when an elderly person with sparkles in his eyes would put his shaking hands on your shoulders and say "I believe in you." I don't know about you, but when people count on me, it affects me in two ways- a) I feel good because I know that people support and care about me, and b) I feel pressurized. If others believing in you put you under pressure, that's again when the "believe in yourself" part comes in. Block out the rest, and focus on the fact that you believe in yourself, and you're only trying to live up to your OWN expectations, rather than living up to others' expectations. This has worked for me numerous times and has really helped me decrease the pressure, because it's easier to let yourself down than let others down.

2) Know the meaning of 'immature'- I can't tell you how many times throughout my school life I have encountered the word 'immature'. Growing up is indeed a challenge and we all grow at our own paces, and it is completely possible that you either grow up too fast or too slow. In fact, I can't think of a certain 'perfect pace' of growth- we are all either too fast or too slow. And people, since they love judging each other so forking much, will always, always compare their rate of growth to yours, and label you as a too-fast grower (slut), a too-slow grower (kid), or normal (friends/crushes).

Since 'immaturity' is a subjective term, I think it's hard to pinpoint a proper definition without pissing some people off, but I can tell you for sure that there is a difference between being 'immature' and being 'fun' and being a druggie. So this kid a year younger than me used to be called immature because, well, she threw tantrums over the smallest things(so yes, she actually was immature). Her so-called mature classmates sneered and looked at her like that critic in Ratatouille... wait let me find a picture...

They would often boast of the alleged sublimity of smoking cigars over petty things such as keeping your grades up, and called the kid immature. So now what? Youuu guessed it! She started smoking too because she thought that would make her *cough* mature.

LISTEN UP EVERYONE BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU WHAT 'BEING MATURE' ACTUALLY/ MORE OR LESS MEANS. And I'm forced to scream this out because there is seemingly a lot of unnecessary confusion over this word. I'll tell you what is NOT maturity.
>Criticizing others and calling them 'immature' does not make you mature.
>Smoking does not make you mature.
>Seeming dead, sad, fastidious, or exaggeratedly thoughtful does not make you mature.
>Dressing like Madonna when you're 8 does not make you mature.
>Being stubborn does not make you mature.

On the other hand-
>Accepting others for who they are makes you mature.
>Being courteous to even the meanest of people makes you mature.
>Having a sense of individuality makes you mature.
>Respecting people of all ages makes you mature.
>Being diplomatic makes you mature.
>Being open-minded and flexible in opinions makes you mature.

So yeah. I hope it's clear now. Hmph.

3) How important are social networks?- Virtually everyone has an account on Facebook. In fact, one of the first things that people do to check you out is go on your Facebook profile. Then they send you a request. Then they stalk you. Now I know that many people argue that facebook is in no way a determinant of what a person is like, and it's true, more or less. Of course, we should judge people by who they are in real life rather than what they seem like through a social network. Unfortunately, people aren't that perfect or considerate. We all are, ultimately, going to check out each others' facebook pages and sort of guess about others' personalities.

In that case, why not just make your profile a reflection of who you actually are? I have often been surprised to meet super friendly and normal-seeming people in real life, but online, they are portrayals of raunchy boudoir photography. Like, whyy would you do that? Are you trying to impress the pedos who stalk hot chicks and send creepy messages like "heyyyyzzz gurl, will u b ma frnd??" People just have a way of assuming that you are the same person online and in real life. So the next time I see you, if you tok lyk dis on Facebook, you'd better tok lyk dis in real life too. And you better pout and kiss the floor or whatever creepy pictures you have posted on facebook. -.-

But at the same time, don't give so much importance to social media that you forget about real life! Key is balance. Now I know that the party never happened unless you have uploaded pictures of a dopey kid hanging on the streetlight with a wedgie *bad memories*. And I know that you don't have a boyfriend unless there are pictures of you both having a candlelight dinner wherever people go for candlelight dinners. But can't these picture-taking sessions be controlled? Okay, I agree, I WANT to take that picture with you before we go for that movie because we are both so effing dressed up, but maybe we can take like two pictures and then actually watch the movie? And don't you be snapchatting in the middle of the movie when Chulbul Pandey splashes the blood from his forehead wound into the pupils of his mortal enemy!!! There is NOTHING more annoying than disrupting me in my movie-mode. Ugh so annoying! I missed the epic loathsome speech he gave because of your distractions!

4) Don't be a hypocrite- There are three things that I dislike fiercely- amusement parks (I know, I'm so boring), cinnamon (I know, I'm not human), and HYPOCRITES. Like what if Hippocrates was a hypocrite? "One should not study medicine and experiment on people because I'm a lover of humanity and don't want people to die from my failed medicinal experiments" or something like that. What if he stopped experimenting and threw all the doctors in the dungeon?
There have been so many instances when people look at popular people with a martyrdom and be like "psh. Popularity is so over-rated". But don't you be psh-ing me! I know there are thousands of people out there who try to 'stand out' by trying to restrain themselves from conventionality, but in most cases, you just end up fitting in with the label of people called hypocrites.

What I'm trying to say is, don't be telling me that it's stupid to be popular and that all popular people are brainless, when you know that that's not always true and that you crave their lives. This is just like the movies when the new girl hangs out with the geeky chess nerd who is allergic to cheese and his sister who wears retainers and a helmet. She pretends to not notice the football captain but when she ends up with him and ignores her earlier friends, she has no words. It's OKAY to want to be popular, it's okay to want attention! Also, it's okay to admit that you are thin because you think it's too mean to be proud of one's physique when one is next to a fat girl. It's okay to take compliments once in a while and say 'aww thankss!' instead of being too modest and saying 'noo, I'm not pretty, only you are'. There are so many examples!!! Why can't people just admit that they are a little selfish and move on!

Okay yes I know that there may be people who are not being hypocrites, rather they probably actually don't want to be popular, think they are fat, and are too insecure to accept compliments. You can just ignore all that I said then, as long as you are being a genuine person.

5) Dating 50 people does not make you cool- I knew this guy a few years ago who had made a bet with one of his friends that he would date 30 girls in 3 months. So precisely 10 girls per month. So he indulged himself in a journey by charming girls with his flirting and breaking up with them for stupid made-up reasons. However, during this journey, he met a girl (I think that was his 26th girlfriend or something) whom he actually liked and wished to spend some time with. However, the bet had to be finished. After a week of happiness, he painfully broke up with her, leaving the girl heartbroken. The girl did, eventually, find out about the bet and hated his guts for it, and she also found out that the boy had planned to date her again after dating 4 more girls. Why are people so.. stupid? -.-

When people judge relationships by quantity rather than quality, it only tells me how unstable they are. I don't understand why people take pride in declaring things like "I have dated 17 times in the past 6 days", because to me, that means that you broke up/others broke up with you 17 times in the past 6 days. Is that how terrible and shameless a person you are? Wouldn't it make much more sense to have a long, happy relationship with one or two people and end up getting married to them? People, I tell you.

6) Remember that you are an individual- and not merely a part of a group. Act in a way that allows people to separate you and treat you as an individual. When people look at you, they shouldn't see a clump of chewed cud because, eh, who wants to be chewed cud? Don't be needy or clingy towards other people because it's really annoying to others and you put yourself across as a dependent, insecure person. This is especially noticeable in relationships. Many people want to date because they feel like no one loves them, but being with a certain someone might make them feel important. But that doesn't mean you should constantly stick to that person and have your ego fed by that person because, well, you're not a baby! Take care of yourself!

Of course, I know that we are all desperate, depraved human beings, and this independence is something that comes with time. In twelfth grade, I found myself scurrying about the school alone, searching for teachers and counselors and not giving a crap about where my friends are. I'd take the initiative to search for my teachers and ask them for extra classes because I knew that it was MY future and my friends have, ultimately, not much of a role in it. When you're filling out college apps, of course admission cares about your social life, but there are other things that matter too. There was a point when I'd skip classes with my friends so we could chill out, but eventually I realized that I didn't want to skip classes because I needed my grades!

If you have the assertiveness to be an individual and try out for the soccer team even if none of your friends are and you're scared to be alone, it doesn't matter if you're hanging out with a group of losers because as long as you are you, people will see you as an individual and respect you. Besides, being independent and trying new things by yourself is also a great way to make new friends. It took me years to realize this and become independent, and well, now I really do feel accomplished.

7) But don't be a complete lone wolf- Needless to say, there are many advantages of having friends because you do depend on them to an extent. This is a bad example, but let me tell you that throughout 12th grade, I did not have or bother to write down my school time table. So every day, I went to school totally clueless with a bunch of books in my bag, hoping that I have brought the right ones. I relied completely on my friends to tell me which class I have, and what homework I have, but again, I'm in no way recommending this behavior to you because that's just me being irresponsible hehe. School would be completely different without my beloved friends and all the crazy things we did together were what made school worth all the studies and pressure.

Also, I'm not saying you should restrict your friendship solely to students. Gone are the days when only the class nerd befriended the teachers. In fact, my teachers were all pretty cool and great to talk to, so we were all sort of friends with them. Of course, there are several advantages of befriending teachers too and even if teachers are supposed to be impartial, they might show at least a little remorse over having to punish you if you are on friendly terms with the teacher. But I'm not saying that you should take advantage of teachers that way... just be a little friendly and open up your heart and it will definitely pay off!

Also, there are several ways of deepening your friendship with others that I'd like to quickly share-
>Get a smartphone- I didn't have a smartphone for a really long time, but when I finally got one, like 2 years ago, my friendship with others instantly got closer through an assortment of apps.

>Bring lip balm or tic tacs to school- I don't know how it might work in your region, but in my school, whenever anyone would bring any one of these two things, that person would instantly get famous. Every one wants some lip balm or tic tacs! The second you open a pack, you make instant, if not temporary, friends.

>Watch TV shows- If there is anything I learned about high school conversations, it is that they mostly revolve around the hotness of Ian Somenhalder, Nathan and Mike Ross. There are many TV shows that I love but I'm usually too lazy to watch all the episodes, but then when I go to school the next day, I'm at a loss. "OMG IAN SWALLOWED A PURPLE BAROMETER DID YOU WATCH" "OH YEAH HIS EX WIFE GOT PREGNANT" "YEAH HERCULES DIED IN THAT BABY STROLLER".
There are two things you can do in such a situation: a) Watch that show. Find out about Meredith's spree to Elfin Grot or whatever, or b) Learn to change the topic. I would pretend to understand whatever my friends are talking about and make up stories of my own, thereby confusing them and then I force them to talk about water coolers.
Okay, I'm kidding.

>Feign an interest in what others have to say- I am often very, very bored by other people. "Yeah omg my toe has a carbuncle so I put a tissue over it". But I pretend to be interested- "omg really?! Why did you put the tissue though? You could also put toilet papers, facial towels, notebook papers, etc." What the heck am I saying... Anyway, eventually your feigned interest might just turn to real interest.

8) Bad days make great blog entries- It is TYPICAL. So typical that every cowboy from every century would have experienced it. When you're having a bad day, don't think that it is the end of the world! Issues that seem like the biggest issues has a way of eventually make you realize how stupid you have been. I used to freak out over the smallest pimples, but when no one would notice (and once I got my hands on these wonderful Tinted Moisturizers), I just didn't care! When the guy you like dumps you and you release all the waterworks, including urine, various digestive juices, and sweat from your body, you will eventually realize that the guy is a loser jerk who snogs beef jerky all day. And if you still need some reassurance, how about I tell you that bad days make great blog entries? If you write it down, I promise you'll laugh about it some time later in life.

But yes, I'm sure there are some big issues that also happen, and that are not typical. We all go through ups and downs in school, and sometimes the downs take you underground and you have to break through the asphalt to rise again. In that case, it is important to not lose hope. At the end of the day, it's just school. And time ticks on. Tough times will pass and there is a bright future ahead, filled with coconuts, palm trees, and college interviews (wanted to add some realism). When something bad happens, try sharing the incident with your friends, because most of the time, you'll end up laughing.

For example, one day I was walking down the stairs by myself when suddenly I tripped and fell, twisting my ankle just the way I had fantasized twisting Candace's neck from Phineas and Ferb. I fell down and looked around, but no one was there, and somehow limped my way back to my classroom, fighting back tears. But then I saw my friends who quickly came to my rescue and plopped me on a chair. I told them that I fell down because I was lost in my own world, and then we all laughed at my careless paralysis and moved on. They limped with me to give me company and carried me to my bus at the end of the day. If you guys are reading this, hehe thanks guys. <3

We all go through problems during adolescence but hey, you do get out eventually!

I promise you and assure you and you can tell everybody (I'm listening to 'The Man' by Aloe Blacc as we speak) that you will get out of it! All the problems are temporary, even the permanent ones! Life has a way of pushing us forward. I have been through so much, so many unimaginable things, but instead of allowing the sad experiences to make me a weak person, I learned from those experiences. I learned to cope with problems, face situations and be brave! And you will too. Trust me, by the time you get out of school, and finished college, you will have turned into a strong individual, ready to take over the world! YES THAT'S RIGHT. Life is not that bad!!!

You know what. If I'll make this blog entry any longer I'll be blamed for posting novels instead of blog entries, and die of hand cramps myself. But I think I'll make a separate blog entry to cheer people up. I'll call it the.. eh... Encouragement Post! Maybe. Idk. But I will post such an entry!!


So yeah, I guess that's it. I wanted to write so much more but again, my blog entries are too large already. But I'll add a few more side notes that I had wanted to elaborate on earlier, but don't have the time to - be nice to your parents, bad days are not 'bad days' till it's 12 midnight so you still have the time to change the bad day to a good day, when you're with your friends and people stare at you, don't be embarrassed because they're probably jealous they can't have as much fun as you're having, don't starve yourself, bullies are bullies because they're trying to hide their insecurities, live for yourself and not for others, and lastly. You are not trying to gain the approval, or likes, of others. It's your life. Approve yourself first.

PHEW! So there you have it! A little bit of inspiration from this exhausted teen. If you actually when on iTunes and played "The Man" while reading that third last paragraphs... trust me do that, it made so much sense :O
Also, you can check out my previous entry- How to study like a bau6 (because bau5 is too mainstream) for some study tips because well, believe it or not, school involves some academics too. Anyhoo, I'm going to uh, nurse my hand cramp now. This post took 5 actual hours to type. I need some rest. Oh god. I hope this post has left you inspired and/or nostalgic.

Love you all! Also, if you read the whole thing. Did you notice I actually used 'Elfin Grot' reference? Haha. Heh. ELFIN GROT. I'm awesome for using that. I know I am. Psh.
Also, it's April Fools day. But I promise whatever I said here is totally legit. Hehehe.

The meaning of Year.

A few days ago when 2013 was ending, I'll be honest, I wasn't feeling very sentimental. I don't know about you, but for me, the end of a year doesn't always feel like a closure. Or a beginning, for that matter. It did when I was younger. In fact, till I was about 13, every year I would take this huge strip of paper and write WELCOME (insert year)!!! with dots and squiggles and lines and every color of the rainbow with stars and hearts and every shape imaginable. But as the years grew, I realized what a 'year' could be symbolic of. (so this is where my 'find-the-deeper-meaning' mania kicks in). 

So what exactly is a year? 

365 days? 366 if it's a leap year?

52 weeks?

One summer, long winter, an autumn, a spring, and possibly a monsoon?

A school year. August to June. Then June to August to June. 

Lifespan? If you die young, if you're a certain insect, if you're a druggie, if you're an oxygen-deprived newborn?

A few diseases, a few hesitant appointments to the dentist with the coughing old lady and the braces-adorned receptionist's teeth. 

A marriage. A relationship. A friendship. An affair. A crush. Struggle to get over someone. A long battle for divorce?

Battle for justice for someone who died. A new pizza place that eventually ran out of business.

Phases. Emotions. Happy phase, sad phase, longing phase, hyper phase, emotional phase, reflective phase.

An anniversary. Your 18th birthday. An artist's short-lived fame. An acronym that went viral.

A struggle. A war. A battle. An argument. A fear. 

Continuation of a habit. Continually trying to rid of a habit. Rehab. Recovery. Miss Manners Classes. Yoga sessions. Anger Management sessions. Medication. The prescribed time to wear your retainers.

An academic course, badminton classes, your phone before you dropped it in the toilet.

And there are many other things. But do they all begin here, this very moment? Do they all end here, at this very moment (assuming it's January 1st right now). 

Are you okay with putting so much pressure on this one teeny 24 hour-ed day right here, where you are going to end it all, end all the fear of the cold weather, end all those feelings you had for someone, end all your aspirations of becoming a pilot, end becoming an alcoholic ....begin rehab, begin reliving your life, begin letting go, begin trying harder.

For all it could mean, you could make this very day your starting and ending point for all the things I mentioned above, things that you've been dying to change for ages, things that you've overlooked. You could end it all and begin a new life right here, on this first day of this first month.... but does that mean on the eve of New Year you sit in your terrace and go like "Okay, 2 more days till I become a new person" and then wait till it's exactly 12 so you suddenly take off that purple bandanna you're wearing and replace it with a helmet? 

You don't need to wait that long. What you should realize is that, if you want, every single day, every single moment, THIS VERY MOMENT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, could be a new beginning or an ending. It could be the beginning of a beginning or a beginning of an ending as well, if it's a process that you plan to initiate. TODAY, no wait, THIS MOMENT, THIS NANOSECOND could be the beginning of an year even if it may be like 18th of April. 

Back to why I wasn't feeling sentimental... For me, I control the day. I control when it begins, I control when it ends. If I want I could make the sun rise at 7pm and begin something. If I want I could set the sun at 10am. I could stretch the sun of my mind out into a rectangle and be like, okay sun, you're going to rise starting from this moment, and you should end rising by 5pm tomorrow. Then you can start setting and end setting within around 11 days. 

Okay, that's it for now. I'm so sleepy and again, I know I'm going to regret posting this entry when I see this in the morning/afternoon when I wake up, when I know that I myself rarely follow this wonderful advisory logic that I've just sort of put in words, that I always forget that I have the power to control the sun (of my mind, ofc), that every day can be a new beginning/ending, if I set my mind to it.

But anyway, I don't think people should take that as an excuse and stop celebrating New Year's. It's still a very cool concept.

Happy 2014! :)

Aah, another Liebsterr!

I'm super excited about this one because a) it's been a while, and b) I'm SICK of exams. 
If there is anything that studying has taught me, it is only that I am wonderful at doodling. Seriously, I don't think I have ever doodled so much ever! You won't believe this... I cancelled all my plans with all my friends, told them I'm studying, then sat home with the book open in front of me, but I wasn't reading. I was doodling. So yes, basically I ditched my comrades for 3-4 hours of antagonizing Doodleland.

I want to show my gratitude to Kusum from Far Beyond Skyline because she most certainly knows how to make good decisions in life ;) Thank you so much! 

"Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It’s appreciation from fellow bloggers and your chance to introduce yourself to other awesome bloggers.

If you receive this award, you are expected to:

1. Post 11 facts about yourself

2. Answer the 11 questions the tagger has given you
3. Tag 11 more Bloggers (with no more than 200 followers; no tagging back) and make 11 questions for them
4. Tell the people you tagged that you did."

1) I was born in the middle of the Atlantic ocean as the transgender seahorse offspring of two very romantic octopuses. 

2) Sorry, I lied. That's the second fact. I tell a lawt of white lies. Maybe that is why my nose is so long, hmm. Oh, and don't worry, I don't lie in my blog (usually). Psst. Did you see the thing on the right sidebar? The Indian biking badge? Totally un-false. Maybe. 

3) I have really bad carsickness but I freakin love travelling! It is a paradox. I know, who wants to get to their travel destination after barfing out the remnants of whatever little digestive system they had? (Please don't get grossed out, I rarely barf, it's mostly just nausea). But once you get to the place where you were trying to get to, it's all worth it. And another thing. If ever I travel, I like to blend in with the local people of the place I'm in. For example, if I'm in a remote Indian village, heck yes you'll see me walking around carrying matkas on my head! 

4) I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A NOVEL LATELY. Omg, this is so exciting. I know it's not really a 'fact' about me, but I'm so euirhgeuirhging excited! It's a horror/thriller, and it is the most exciting thing in my life at the moment. I've been trying to control the urge to sit and write all day because of these putrid exams, but once they get over, I'm just going to write all day and all night! 

5) I have a very strange memory. If I met you 40 years ago (pretend I existed 40 years ago), I will meet you now and say "You remember that time you pulled my cape and then I breathed in through my nostrils?" Seriously, I just have very strange memory of things. I might remember the smallest insignificant details as background to the larger ones. Sometimes, my brain gets confusing. "Oh, my bad, that was someone else's nostrils." 

6) My favorite fruit is watermelon, and my favorite vegetables are mushrooms. I'm so obsessed with these two things! I use watermelon lipbalm, watermelon shower gel, and I'm pretty sure I'll be the first one to buy a mushroom shampoo if they ever start one. I mean, they have Beer and Champagne shampoo, so why not Mushroom, right. Put me in an island with just these two delicacies, and I will become a super fanshy sumo banshee. 

7)  i lyk 2 tok lyk dis @ tymz. I don't care what people say about ppl hu tok lyk dis, but I personally feel that those people have a lot of creativity to come up with such condensed forms of writing. Sure, it looks like ants on my screen, but I occasionally speak wid mah franz lyk dis 2 b funnzzyy. On the other hand, I'm not very fond of abbreviations. I don't mind a little YOLO with my FYI at times-these are very extensively used. But maybe it's because I'm just technically un-brilliant, but when I see acronyms such as SMH or IDCWYDISHT (I Don't Care What You Do But I Still Hate You), I hate having to go on urban dictionary to look it up. 

8) There are three principles that I live (try to live) by- 1) Acceptance, 2) Mutual Respect, and 3) Open Mindedness. These three keynotes are the formula to my little brain cell DJ, and I try my best to bring out the best in me through these guidelines in every possible occasion. But again, don't get me wrong, I'm not all HEY-LOOK!-THERE'S-A-PONY-BY-THAT-RAINBOW-RIVER! type, I do have my moments when following these guidelines become reallyyy hard. 

9) I don't fancy getting flowers as gifts. You know, when you go to some social gathering, and these people offer you this huge bouquet of flowers. I can vividly remember getting so many bouquets of all sorts of flowers- Daisies, Azaleas, Lilacs, Jasmines, Galaxea, Preenasia, Eurasia ....Mediterranean Wildflower? Okay I guess I got names of flowers confused with geographical locations (FAIL). Anyhoo, my point is that yes, I most certainly think it is very generous of you to bestow upon me such wonderful floral vegetation, but let's be real now. Yeah, those bouquets are just going to sit there and rot. One flower is okay, six flowers are perfect, but more than that, and even attempting to put those flowers in vases simply end up attracting a multitude of insects and avid gardeners. 

Now if you ever meet me, you know what not to gift me ;D 

10) I'm a poet and I very absolutely well forgo it. 

11) I absolutely love background vocals and harmonies in songs. I think it's the best thing ever about music. Whenever I listen to a song, I always pay attention to the background as well, and it all comes out so beautifully! I know instruments work well with songs too, but I think harmonies are absolutely amazing because it is the human voice and not instruments that makes the special music. Classic favorite- Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen; Contemporary favorite- Royals by Lorde.  

Questions from Kusum:

1. What is the worst punishment you got in school?
When I was very young, I was unfortunate to be a part of a school that still had corporal punishment. I haven't been exposed to such severe ways of punishment for years now, but I still remember this one day in fourth grade that fills me with fear and hatred. I remember being slapped on my face, TWICE by my Hindi teacher, for not doing my homework in my homework notebook. I did my homework, but it was in my classwork notebook. 

I think this experience was what sort of triggered in me a lasting war that I have been willingly involved in, a fight to end all unfair things about the Indian education system. I spoke to a few of my extremely old friends from that school, and they said corporal punishment is definitely less severe now, but there are still some teachers who follow this brutal means of punishment. I truly hope that I personally will be able to meet these teachers one day and give them a piece of my mind. And the law. 

2. Why is your best friend your best friend?
Haha, I have actually wondered about this a couple of times. Now what is the typical idea of a 'best friend'? I always used to get those definitions from movies like Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, etc. However, yes my best friend does hold a few characteristics of those girls in the movie (I'm sure she has watched the movie recently for the 9417594th time, during the last 48 hours), but I still think she is much different. I think I address my best friend as my best friend, because she indeed is the best person to be with. I mean, I can just sit with her and not even say hi, and we can, idk hang out? But the thing is, with my 'best friend', I can bring out the 'best side' of me, i.e. the side that doesn't have to be fun ALL the time, the side that doesn't have to keep talking all the time, the side where I'm just me. And being with my best friend doesn't compel me to be any different. Lol snorterjee you readin this bro? 

3. Do you believe in ghosts?

I think the world would be a little more interesting with ghosts, but unfortunately I do not have an inch of belief in them. Though I am always the first one to freak out while watching a horror movie! 

4. What do you like the most about yourself?
I think one of the best things about myself is the fact that I take risks. And no, I'm not talking about sitting at the back of a rollercoaster with my legs swinging out (I'm terrified of amusement parks, actually). I'm talking about being different and sort of chilling with myself. I mean, right now itself I'm taking a risk. I'm supposed to be studying for an exam which will happen in about 3.2 days but I take this risk because I believe that I'm doing something productive. So even if tomorrow I fail my exam, if that failure allowed me to get appreciation for my blog, or if this blog entry made someone's day, I think I will be okay. I try my best to experience every nook and cranny of my life and learn from every mistakes I made. Because when I take risks, I obviously make mistakes. When I make mistakes, I make sure I don't make them again. And when I don't make them again, I learn. I learn, so I grow. I grow, so I feel amazing to look back.  

5. How happy are you today?
Aaah, why today out of all days! Today, I'm supposed to be anxious and upset because I just gave an exam, which didn't go as well as I had hoped it would go. There was this question, AND I WROTE A BEAUTIFUL ANSWER only to learn that the question had asked something slightly different. I feel like going on every social networking website, making an account, and typing fmlfmlfmlfml. However, I am also quite glad that I'm done with that exam and I won't have to worry about it for sometime. So yeah, my mood is a little masala right now. 

6. What is the best thing you have written so far?
THE NOVEL I'M WORKING ON. Seriously, I can't stop reading what I've written. I had often tried to write fiction before, but it always turned out so absurd and I would get so upset and delete them. I used to passionately write this short story with the title Pretty Broccoli (what the f) in 9th grade, but when I recently read it, I couldn't help but mourn about my immature writing skills. Now, however, I think I've gotten better, so after following Edgar Allen Poe's footsteps, blended with a little inspiration from a thriller that my friend was reading, I am going to finish writing my first piece of (hopefully completed) writing ever in this genre. 

On the scale of 1(worst) to 10(best):

7. your personality- 8? I really don't know actually :s

8. your city- 6- Don't get me wrong, I love my city, but even if New Delhi has the best city ever, it has some of the worst, most inhuman cases of rapes and child abuse. 

9. the last journey you had- My dadi has been staying with us, and she is a very religious person, so we have been taking her to every religious shrine in the country. Our last trip was Haridwar. It's an interesting city in the hills, with loads of cows around. I had only been there for rafting before, but this time we actually went into the city and looked at all the Temples and Gurudwaras and Mosques they had. And now, I have been stuck home for the past... 70 years? Going to the bathroom from my room is probably the biggest journey I have had since. -.-
OH CRAP I forgottt this is supposed to be rated on 1-10 :P Probably a 10. I had a great time. 

10. your driving skills- 1? I keep telling my dad to teach me driving but he's too busy, and tells me to enroll a driving class when I'm 18, because you only get a license when you're 18 in India. The closest I've come to 'driving' is starting the engine. I started the car engine by mistake once when I was in 6th grade. And well yeah, that is it. So yeah I give myself a point for that. 

11. the condition of your room- -800? My room is such a mess! Aarghh. There are books and clothes lying everywhere, and I recently found a 5 day old sandwich (untouched and packed) under my bed! I could've followed Homer (Simpson)'s footsteps and had it but it's just gross so I didn't. 

Okaayy, now 11 questions for the taggeees:

1) What is the best decision that you think you have ever made?

2) Last time you were embarassed? What did you do?

3) What do you do currently? (like are you a student, or pediatrician or a zookeeper...)

4) What is something you are terrible at?

5) Would you rather be a dinosaur or a centaur?

6) Which accent do you adore the most?

7)  Your idea of a perfect utopia?

8) Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

9) One word that you find really hard to spell/pronounce?

10) Did you/Do you have braces? 

11) Any unique/weird trait that you have? (for example, you probably laugh like a sneezing pressure cooker)

I am so sorry but I'm too lazy/busy to tag people, but I am just going to go and notify some awesome bloggers asap. Omg. Exams. Ef. 

❀ Ooh look! A flower, I wonder where that came from.... ❀❀❀❀❀ more flowers...OMG EVEN MORE..! ✿✿✿✿✿✿

"Go On".

I was awake tonight instead of sleeping, because of this TV show. It's called "Go On", and I had heard about it before, but never really got around to seeing it. From what I've gathered, it's about this guy who loses his wife, yet hallucinates her presence and that keeps him sort of sane and insane at the same time. He misses her all the time, yet, he knows that he must move on, for his own health. It made me wonder, why is this show with such a tragic story considered so comical? (it was coming on Comedy Central) Is the 'moving on' part supposed to be funny? Is it wholly funny, or sadly funny, because come on, the guy's lost his wife, he can't really function properly without her. Is it funny because he is such a fail without her, and is the show trying to point out the meaning of a soul mate? Or is the show funny because of funny things completely unrelated to the death of his wife, and is the show trying to point out how insane and unreliable humans are? Or some mysterious third option that is blatantly pointing out my foolishness because of my overthinking brain? Either ways, I'm confused, and this is haunting me.

We try to move on all the time, I don't think this is applicable to just relationships, it's just something you come across life all the time. And it's not easy. But it is essential. Unless something can be done to undo the need to move on. And if that something is possible, you should run full speed towards it, and grab that thing that you've been having trouble letting go of. If it is unattainable, perhaps in an imaginary unattainable place, you have to let it go, and well, "go on".

I think this is a great show. It makes me think when I'm not supposed to think and supposed to simply laugh at the funny scenes. The topic they picked is just very curious, that's all.

Oh, look at the time. I'm probably going to whack myself in the head in the morning for posting when I'm half unconscious. But hey, I didn't make any spelling/grammatical errors!

Yours truly, 

As we near the conclusion.

A few minutes ago, for some unfathomable reason, I was suddenly struck by the fact that this is it. This is the beginning of the end- the last year of highschool.

And as I sit in my room, avoiding all my homework like evading tax, I think of where I'll end up; next year and beyond. There are times when I feel as if I will never have enough time. Sometimes, during a random happy moment at school, I look around myself, wherever I am, and wonder, where will I be at the same time next year? Will the same people surround me? Will I be the same? Will my life be better or worse? And as I wonder, it strikes me. I only have one year left of school. School; the place where I spend 7 hours 5 times a week and face drama. School, no matter how many times I've shifted, no matter how many times I have claimed to hate, has been so powerfully blended with my life for the past 14 years, that I simply can't imagine life without school. I just can't.

So the day when I will conclude my last essay, wear my uncomfortable uniform for the last time, and take a one last glimpse at the building I have made my partial home/day shelter, I don't want to feel regret. At the night of graduation, I don't want to be sitting in a corner, moping about not having enjoyed school to my fullest, not having utilized time properly, regretting, lamenting, pacing around the past, all the people I couldn't get to know, all the studying that I didn't do, all the grudges I didn't let go of, all the occasions of avoidable embarrassment, feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied, and lonely, clad in my graduation gown. That's my biggest fear, I have realized. Now, I don't know if this fear is what will push me to make the best out of my school life, or my own road to disaster. If I start my amend-making straight away, I'll still run out of time. It is at the last minute, nearing the conclusion, when you figure out that there is simply no time! There is so much I want to do... I don't know if I'm really ready to let go of school, to let go of everything that comes with school.

I guess today is the day when I'll finally start attempting to make the best use of time.

I like pie.

Actually I have never had pie before. Maybe I've had some version of a pie? But I have never touched a pie in my entire life. I probably should eat pie sometime. I think it's cool to tell white lies. Sometimes.

Okay, just ignore all that, I just couldn't think of an interesting title.

The weather has been mood swinging; One day it's super hot, the next day the wind blows the color from your face, the third day it rains, and the fourth day the sky falls from the sky. Re-wind and rep-eat.
Similarly, my mood has also been mood swingin'. I guess I'm like secretly synchronized to the weather or something. Maybe the weather is like my secret puppet operator, and maybe I'm just a puppet responding to the weather. Or maybe I'm just a humbug who hasn't had pie before.

Anyhoo, it is at times like this that being awarded makes everything normal again. Thank you Ajay for being so awesome and giving me the honor of...

THE CREATIVE BLOGGER AWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Oh my, isn't that a pretty picture?!)

OH YE-A-A-AA! I got this award, because (and I quote): "Creative in the sense of their writing and their presentation of ideas so beautifully and creatively" *blushes*

1. Thank the Blogger and link back to the blog.
2.a. Three things about yourself.
   b. Two things people don't know about you.
   c. One thing you want to change about yourself.
3. Answer the questions asked by the blogger.
4. Nominate this award to deserving blogs. Pass it on.
5. Ask some questions to the bloggers who got nominated.
6. Inform the bloggers about their award.

So, here we gooo.

1) So I take this opportunity to thank an awesome blogger/photographer, Ajay Kontham. You will find him at The Shaded Shadows™ !!! and you should all check out his awesome blog and hopelessly wish for any kind of award that he might just give you out of sheer kindness :P

2) a) 1) It takes time for me to open up to people. I let very selected few into my life, and I rarely speak openly to people other than my friends. This is bad in the sense that it takes time for me to adapt and get used to changes, but I guess this is also good because it helps me be picky and keep the people who matter the most, closest to me.
2) I love charity. I love helping out and doing charity work and giving advice. I know this point may seem kind of contradictory to the first point, but you must understand the difference between opening up to people, and being friendly. I can be friendly to people and lend them my pencil, but I may not open up to them and tell them more about my life.
3) I appreciate differences. We're all different human beings, and have different minds. Being shifted around different schools and places throughout my life, and having interacted with people from different races, ages, personalities, religions and backgrounds have really helped me be open-minded.

2) b) 1) I HATE being sympathized upon. There is nothing I hate more than that. Really. It disgusts me when people try to befriend me or talk to me or do me favors for me just because they feel bad for me, for whatever reason. It is really the worst feeling for me. There is a difference between talking to someone out of sympathy and talking to someone because you genuinely want to. On the other hand, I may sympathize, or even show empathy towards people, but if someone feels the same about this, I would leave them alone.
2) I can not stand the smell of petrol. I know a lot of people who do, but that smell literally makes me sick. That's why you may find me holding my breath at gas stations. Also, I have this weird OCD thing, I feel weird (the bad weird) when I see people rubbing their fingers against a silk cloth. It's really weird, but yeah. :S

2) c) I would change my body language. A lot of people have told me that I should stand straight, because I have had this really bad habit of slouching since 8th grade, and though people allege that I have improved drastically, there are still some remains I need to get rid of. I have also been told that I look shy, even if I may not be. So yeah, I need to work on that.

3) Yayy, questions!!


What is the one word that comes to your mind when you hear the following words/phrases? (Make it like a rapid fire round - Mention the first word that strikes you! And if you make if fast, it would be cool.)

a. World- Huge
b. Life- A tunnel with different colored walls with different designs at different intervals and for different time periods (I'm sorry this wasn't the 'word' you were looking for, but I really had just had to! :( )
c. Awards- YAYYY
d. School- Students
e. Love- Depth
f. Books- Adorable yellowing pages (I'm sorry, needed the phrase)
g. Death- Fear
h. Work- Opportunities
i. Sports- The whistle that PE teachers blow
j. (Your Name)- Emotions
k. Dog-Pointy teeth
l. Parents- Sacrifices
m. My Blog- 300 posts :P
n. Chocolates- Blessings!
o. Me/The Author/Ajay- Super friendly!!!

That was so much fun! Haha, and I'm sorry again if some of them are not single words. I really wanted to speak out over here :P

4) Can I nominate the blogger who nominated me also? :P
Ughh. This is so hard. I don't have many members eitherrr.

Skinny love for being so amazing with fashion and everything.
Spill beans for the most interesting and inspirational life stories.
the creation of beauty is art. for proving that the creation of beauty is art indeed.
the silence of the lambs for the deepest thoughts and truths.
Butterflies and Hurricanes for the most beautiful language and insights.

But again, I can never nominate enough people. Everybody has a creative side of their own, whether you blog or don't blog. I know now I'm being all "LIFE IS SO RAINBOWS AND UNICORNSSS!!! XOXO" types, but it's the truth, what to do!

5) Okay, now I have to ask some questions to the bloggers who got nominated. (I feel sorry for you guys already :P )
I would willingly be as cool as Ajay and make a rapid fire round myself, but I don't want to plagiarize and steal from his copyrighted mind :P But I'll still try to make this interesting..

1) Come up with the wackiest sentence/word/phrase imaginable. It doesn't have to make sense.
2) What is your favorite sock color?
3) Would you travel back in time, or travel forward in time? (assume you have this kickass time machine)
4) How are you feeling, at the moment?

6) Okay.

Once again, thank you so much Ajay, for letting me be a part of this fun activity, and also giving me the honor of this award!!! I really enjoyed this because this is much shorter and less time consuming than others (always a plus :P ) and the rapid fire was damn interesting! And thank you everyone who read this!

In the meantime, the weather continues mood swinging outside, and a leaf just slammed against my window, I think. I just hope it will soon be summerr :/ I still need to eat pie.

See ya later, alligator(s).

I have been Liebstered!!! :'D

So the bit of German I learned has actually come in handy, it seems :P

THANK YOU SO MUCH Ajay Kontham!!!! My first blogger award ever!!! *sniffs*
So yeah, I'm not very familiar with how this works, but I'm gonna try.

I have been awarded the Liebster Award. (fangirls)

Isn't it beaut? :')

For those of you who are clueless, Liebster is a German word, which means 'dearest' (Thank you Google translate and remains of German from 9th grade)

So here goes the rules:

1. Thank the bloggy who awarded you

2. Post 11 interesting things about yourself

3. Answer the 11 questions questioned by the nominator

4. Choose 11 bloggers, create questionnaire for them (of 11), and let them know via comments

I have already thanked the awesomazing Ajay (thanks again!) so now lemme proceed to 11 things about myself... hmm let's seeee:

1) I am a terrible dancer. I used to dance a lot when I was younger, and I also learned dance, but I don't know how and when it happened, but these days, I'm just terrible! I look like a drunk infant when I try. Sorry if I disappointed you :P

2) I wear 2 different socks on each foot 80% of the time. Because wearing the same colored sock on each foot is too mainstream. Or I simply don't have the patience to search for a pair of socks. 

3) I can't keep grudges. I'll admit that I do fight with my friends and family occasionally, but they usually get solved the same day. I simple can not keep grudges. I can't handle the guilt and the pain and everything. So I usually forgive everyone, making some excuse like "life is short". Of course, if people take advantage of this weakness of mine, I get pretty pissed.

4) I don't like touching wash basins. It's a really weird thing, like OCD or something, but I simply can not touch wash basins. If I ever touch one even by mistake, I spend the next half hour scrubbing the skin of my hand out.

5) I love dull colors. Again, I know that might be pretty weird. Almost 60% of the people I know love bright colors and constantly nag me for my weird taste of dull things. I buy faded clothes, ogle faded furniture and buy antiques. My eyes hurt when I see bright things. Dullness sort of gives me comfort.

6) I hate it when people grow their nails. I'll admit it looks nice on some people, but whenever people have long nails, I automatically tend to cringe away from them. I don't like the idea of possibly getting hurt by their stylish claws. 

7) I LOVE TRAVELLING. Which is kinda ironic because I get carsick, but I love visiting new places. In fact, I plan to visit everyfreakinplace in the world once I get out of college.

8) I am quite sensitive to people. My eyes tear up when I see orphans begging on the street, or a lonely old person. I simply can not stand people getting hurt. Whether in movies or in real life. I just pity too much.

9) I am not a morning person, and I'm suspicious of people who are. Haha, I'm like a little cockroach that comes out at night! (y) 

10) Sometimes, I get sick of people. Every day kind of has a set limit for me. If I spend a day socializing way too much, the next day I would walk away from people and remain alone. I can't really explain the feeling, but it just gets too annoying after a while. It feels great to have your thoughts to yourself, sometimes.

11) I hate stereotypes. Of course, it's pretty funny when you make jokes about stereotypes (dumb blonde), but if someone is serious, I just feel like slapping them. "Oh you're emo, so you must be cutting yourself. Oh she's weird,  let's not talk to her." Seriously, I have a tendency to defy the rules of thoughts that the society had created, and I always, always deviate from the typical. I am proud to think different, and I try to be as open-minded as possible.

So yeah, I guess you know me a bit better now! Moving on...

I'm gonna answer the 11 questions asked by my awesomazing nominator..

1. Look at the lower right corner of the screen and mention the Time, plz.- It's 11:41 PM! Yayy

2. How did you end up with your Blog Name?  - Haha, I have mentioned this in my FAQ as well, but I'll repeat. I saw the word 'awakenings' somewhere, and I liked it. Then I just randomly brainstormed a word to go with it, and fancy awakenings didn't sound too ghetto or gawdy, so I just went with it! 

3. Open your mobile phone and go to messaging. No! I am not giving my number for you to text me. 

   a. If the Inbox has more messages than Sent, then reply as 'Famous'. 

   b. If otherwise, well, reply as 'Even More Famous'. :P

Hahaha I'm FAMOUS! :D But mostly because of all these random advertising shit sent by companies "Buy sauna slim belt and reduce your belly" or "downld hot babez picz sizzling modelss"

4. What is the one word that is stuck in your mind most of the time? - "Realize" I really don't know why, but that word just seems to pop up everywhere in my head... 

5. Your favorite Fiction Character?- Umm... I think Spongebob!! He's so cute! :') 

6. The craziest thing you might have ever done. - It's really hard to pick one, but one time, I was in a car with a couple of friends when I saw a random stranger, asked the driver to stop, and asked him "Hey, can you tell me the way to Narnia?" The dude just stood there and gawked, and I quickly asked the driver to drive away. I'm pretty sure the stranger could hear the howls of laughter of my friends for a good number of miles! 

7. Between Truth and Dare , which choice would you go with ? - Dare! Truths are boring. 

8. One word for my blog. Note : Insane, Stupid, Wth?, Wtf? , bla bla have already been used. So, pick up something Nice, plz, plz, plz, plz.... :P- Hahaha, well one word would be awesomazing. Not only because it's like my favorite word, but also because your blog is awesomazing. You have such fun stuff. Keep writing :D 

9. What makes you write? - Inner urges. Writing is like a necessity for me. Writing is my outpouring of thoughts in the middle of the night. Writing is the cure to silence. Sometimes, I feel that if I won't write that very moment, I will explode. So yeah. 

10. Favorite line/proverb/quote.- That's a really hard question. I don't remember my most inspirational quotes and stuff, but all I remember right now is the song Everchanging by Rise Against. Its lyrics have inspired me a lot somehow. 

11. If ever there is a chance to meet the author behind this blog, would you meet ? (Plz say Yes! for my satisfaction at least... Kiddin' :P ) So ? - Hahah, yes of course!!! You seem like such an interesting person, that it would be so awesome if we could meet someday. 

...Okay so now I need to come up with 11 questions.... so here goes...

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

2) Who is your favorite singer/artist/band?

3) What is the ideal vacation spot, according to you?

4) Do you believe in miracles? 

5) Why do you have a blog?

6) If you could choose between your left and right eye to see with for the rest of your life, which eye would you choose? (That was pretty random..)

7) What is your favorite punctuation mark?

8) Do you own a pet? 

9) On a scale of 1 to 10, how random are you?

10) What do you think of my blog?

11) You are going to die in 10 minutes. What are you gonna do? :P

Okay, now it's hard to choose 11 bloggers, because I barely have anyone as a member, so I'll just tag everyone who I know right now haha.

Butterflies and Hurricanes

the creation of beauty is art. 

Spill beans

La La Land, Here I Come

the silence of the lambs

Pages off Life

Skinny love

Hot and Sweaty but Smells Good

Gawwhh. That's all I can tag for now. #woesofnewblogger

Phew. So that took quite some time. So glad I'm done!

Once again, thank you Ajay, and I'm so freaking glad I could be a part of this awesomeness. Seriously, I feel so honored! And for my readers, bloggers and non bloggers, thanks for taking time out to read this pointless blabbering and hopefully, this has helped you get to know me a bit better! You may or may not be surprised by what all you've learned about me today, and I just hope it didn't make me seem any less awesome than how awesome you think I am! Well I'm really tired now. Goodnight! *yawns*