The Shadow Proves The Sunshine

It's kinda quiet around here. Finally.

(1) Could it be true?

Could life be new?

It's been loud and frenzied for the last couple of weeks with college and then Kscope and while I love loud and frenzied, quiet is good. I'm grateful for quiet.

(2) All that's in my head,

Is in your hands.

I'm in the middle of exams. Two down, four more to go. The first two were pretty OK. Next one's not till Thursday so I'm relaxing a little and enjoying the stillness because it's going to get loud again from Thursday. The rest of the exams and then after the exams we have a bunch of looming deadlines with projects to meet so – madness!

(3) I'm finding that you,

And you alone can break my fall.

I'm listening to music and writing (like mad!) and reading (Pride & Prejudice, finally!) in between the studying. The studying is kind of a pain-in-me-arse but you know, if we didn't sometimes have to do things that we don't particularly like doing, everything else would also be kind of meaningless. I mean, I love listening to music more because for those moments I can NOT think about studying and that makes it sweeter.

(4) You push until you're shoving,

You bend until you break.

I think this is why I don't like being addicted to anything. Addictions always let you down and it's kind of boring. Diversity is sweet. Do things that you don't always do. Break the patterns.

(5) Let me know that you love me,

Let that be enough.

Hmm, this is turning out to be a post of random rambling/ not making much sense. That's not really new, is it? :P I did have a point, though. I wanted to say something...

(6) There's so much more than empty conversations

Filled with empty words.

Oh yes, last night (or the night before, I forget) I was thinking about how I haven't made one of those “I am thankful for...” lists on my blog for a while. And man, I am thankful for a lot of things. Anyway, so I began writing stuff down in my journal and I realised I can't just make lists because once I write down a point I feel like elaborating on the things about that thing or person that I am most thankful about. Lol. So I didn't get very far but the point is that I realised that when I think of things that I am most thankful about, they're all people.

So I want to tell you that I am thankful for you, dear blogreader. Silent or not-so-silent as you may be. Thank you for reading!

(7) Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell.

Where can you run to escape from yourself?

I started this blog about 3 years ago and got a lot more from it than I ever bargained for! I don't even completely remember what the motive for starting this blog was initially but now, now I hope that when you come to read this blog you wouldn't see me. You would see something that is much much bigger than me :)

(8) In the currency of grace;

Is where my song begins.

Have a joyful week!

And if you're wondering what's with the little numbered quotes. I'm listening to Switchfoot (and falling in love with them all over again!) and the lines may or may not have anything to do with the rest of the post :P And I've numbered them for any of you fellow Switchfoot fans who might want to take a dig at guessing the songs from which I've picked up the lines! (For the record, I would not be able to do it myself. So go ahead, impress me! :D)

Two Hands

The kind that speaks to you...

Listen to this song.

Treasure Hunt!

You know one of the things that I LOVE about this wonderful world of blogging?
Sometimes, you find such treasures on other total strangers' blogs!
Here is one such treasure!
It's a song called 'Beautiful You' by Monk and Neagle. The video is compiled by some other total stranger on YouTube and it's not that great but just let it load and listen to the song!

Beautiful You
I can’t imagine life without You
Beautiful You
I can’t imagine being alone
Beautiful You
The only thing I ever wanna do
Beautiful You
Is have You hold me in Your arms
Beautiful You

-- Beautiful You by Monk and Neagle

Singin' in the rain...

This song... Never fails to make me smile :D

Be still for a spell.

Hello! I almost forgot I had a blog. Okay, that's pushing it but yeah. It's been a while.

There are things that I want to blog about - things that suggest that I do think about things beyond my little world ;) but that requires time to sit and ponder and stuff and quite honestly I haven't really had that kind of time. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I like to be busy and between classes, K'SCOPE, and all this crazy reading that I've suddenly gotten into; it has been pretty busy around here. I like to be busy because that helps the missing-home thing and other various things that I worry about (Global Warming, world peace and all that stuff :P) but according to my doctor, somewhere along the way I am apparently subconsciously thinking about all of this anyway which finds it's expression not through my mouth but through my body and this is not so good. So maybe I need to make time to sort out my thoughts and EXPRESS myself and this is one of the primary reasons I started the blog so... Hello blog.

Yesterday, my friend Antu and I went to this amazing exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery and it was just... beyond words. It was organised by this man called Neville Tuli and his OSIAN Foundation who has this massive collection of photos, paintings, posters, artefacts, etc. There were paintings and photos from like centuries ago depicting the 1857 Mutiny, actual photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, original Clint Eastwood and Amitabh Bachan film posters... It was crazy and oh-so-exhausting to take it all in and apparently what we saw yesterday was just a tiny fraction of everything that he has... Whoa! If you live in Mumbai, it's still on till the 2nd of July and then they're starting in Delhi on the 3rd. Go check it out!

I decided to do my Gender & Society project on Aung San Suu Kyi and Shirin Ebadi as Human Rights Activists. I'd been thinking about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from the beginning and the lady with whom I had the amazing conversation with on the train a few weeks back also suggested it so I talked to my teacher and she seemed pretty enthusiastic... YAY! And then I went to this place Centre of Documentation in Colaba which is this amazing place where they document all these newspaper/magazine articles in these huge files according to the topic and I came across Shirin Ebadi who I'd never heard about but it'll interesting finding out more about her especially in the light of the current circumstances in Iran. So yay, again! :)

On Sunday, Sonu and I went Landmark bookstore and spent some quality time there flicking through books and even though I resolved not to buy anything because I have so much to read anyway, I couldn't resist and ended up buying a classic. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. We had studied North & South by her in A'levels and so mostly I wanted to read another Gaskell for nostalgia's sake but I am glad I bought it. Classics are the cheapest books to buy so it's almost guilt-free and I am really enjoying reading it...

I'm also reading Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman (my dad's recommendation). Honestly, I was pretty skeptical about getting through this book because I'm not much of a non-fiction reader and if you see the size of this one... it's pretty daunting! I have to admit though that I am impressed and am actually enjoying it. It is so well-researched and such an important issue and one that I am concerned about so I recommend it too!

In the music scene, I'm still mad about Brooke Fraser. Her songs bring me joy for hours on end. :)

In the autumn on the ground,
Between the traffic and the ordinary sounds,
I am thinking signs and seasons while a north wind blows through
I watch as lovers pass me by
Walking stories - whos and hows and whys
Musing lazily on love
Pondering you
I'll give it time, give it space and be still for a spell
When it's time to walk that way we wanna walk it well

I am waiting for you baby,
I'll be holding back the darkest night.
Love is waiting till we're ready, till it's right
Love is waiting

-- Love is Waiting by Brooke Fraser

Bombay today, Bangalore tomorrow!

Yup, it's finally here. I'm going home after about four months and am soooo looking forward to it!

I board the train in the morning tomorrow and reach Bangalore on Sunday morning. It's a pretty long journey but I have books (Wuthering Heights and Five Quarters of the Orange), movies (Oscar movies!), my mp3 player (with new music thanks to Sharan!) and about a dozen batteries to keep it going and well... me. I think I'm pretty good at keeping myself occupied and am actually kind of looking forward to the journey. Traveling through rural India is always a treat!

Anyway, I'll see you in Bangalore!

Jo, Sonu, Gauri, Antu, Sharan and Vini: I miss you already! :)

Yeah we do.

I am thankful...

• For things that come in the post. I got a little parcel from a cousin in Kolkata for my birthday. That was SWEET! Keep them coming postman!
• For cool weather. Bombay is a beautiful balance of weather right now - not too hot, not too cold and not too wet!
  
• For empty trains in the morning.
• For C.S. Lewis's sense of humour! Niru gave me book of daily readings by Lewis for my last birthday. I'm rediscovering it now.
• For friends who live abroad and let me share in their experiences. I'm all the richer for it. Thank you.
• For phone calls from Sis-in-law :) We should do it more often.
• For conversations that go beyond the surface.
• For living in an area where I only have to walk a few metres to buy whatever I fancy.
• For blogs written in German and feeling the words coming back to me.
• For Tropicana 100% Grape juice and the abundance of grapes in the market.
  
• For time spent with my grand-uncle and grand-aunt who have so many stories to share. For their love and their friendship.
  
• For opportunities to conquer my fears.
  
• That I was forced to read works by the likes of Shakespeare, Keats, Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Hardy, Orwell etc, etc in school. Stuff that I would probably never have read otherwise but that have given me a love for literature (reading it, I still don't like analyzing it :P).
• For the power of hindsight.
  
• For excellent teachers that make you question and think. One of my best Mass Comm classes EVER today.
• For being in touch with people I care about.
  
• For having SO much to be thankful for!

"We live in a beautiful world. Yeah we do, yeah we do." - ColdplayL-R: Antu, Jo, Sonu and Tina
Random and unrelated picture of the day of us at McDonalds putting back all the calories we lost after walking/running/jogging/photographing the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2009 in January.

I can see clearly now...

So after months of squinting and trying to read what was written on the blackboard during Economics class, I finally went and had my eyes checked about two weeks ago. It was vaguely fascinating and at the end of it, they told me I needed glasses. After some more procrastination, I finally went and selected frames and ordered my glasses and I can see clearly now!! I spent the journey back home pushing my glasses a little off and then putting them back on to see the difference… and wow, I’ve been missing quite a bit! The indicators at the train station aren’t blurry anymore, I can read the ads and even the words on my laptop screen and crystal clear! My power is very low (-0.5) and I wish I didn’t need to wear glasses but I’ll take what I can get and run with it! :P

I’m listening to Latika’s Theme from Slumdog Millionaire. So beautiful, so beautiful. A.R. Rahman; you go man! (Thank you, Antu!)

Was listening to the audio book version of Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade – And How We Can Fight It by David Batstone. Wow, eye-opening and I’ve only heard the introduction so far! You can get a free download of the audio book here (only on offer in February so go quick!) (Thanks, Kari)

Also on my playlist:
- Delhi-6 Soundtrack (Again, A.R. Rahman - seriously how do you do it?)
- Jai Ho from Slumdog...
- Dreams on Fire from Slumdog...

Enjoying my last days of 20!

Mars Bar

I'm eating a Mars bar. Mmmmmm, just look at all those layers of goodness! (And layers of calories......)

So guess what? I have just ONE more exam to go and its on Monday.

Today was Foundation Course which is pretty much like a general knowledge paper with the worst textbook in the world!!! Seriously. It would be funny if you didn't have to write an EXAM on it! But it wasn't bad anyway. Like Sonu said, we probably managed to write more sense than the textbook - we've got to get some credit for that, right?!
I'm on a F.R.I.E.N.D.S marathon right now, but I really should be sleeping cause I've been functioning on an average of 6 hours sleep for the last couple of days which is a big deal for me! I'm just so happy its almost over. These last two weeks have been extra stressful and not exactly been the best ever.

Just two more days and we'll be eating dosas in dosa-land (Tamil Nadu)!

I want a hair cut. But I also like my hair long. Dilemma, dilemma.

Songs on my playlist:

• Fire and Rain - John Denver
• Fool's Gold - Adrienne Pierce
• Broken - Norah Jones
• Traveling Soldier - Dixie Chicks
• Champagne Supernova - Oasis

Things I love about India:

• Cheap, ingenious and delicious food: Day before yesterday, Antu and I bought two generously small packets of fryums (think round crunchy things, lol. I have no idea how else to describe it) for 4 bucks ONLY!
• How you can get everything at home: Including a haircut for 50 bucks - I just had one! And now I have to go wash my hair...

Toodles!

Bittersweet Symphony

5 DOWN, 3 TO GO!!!!

Today was 'gooder' than yesterday. Actually MUCH better than yesterday. Yesterday was TERRIBLE. Yesterday was Econ II - now you know! (Today was Mass Communication - an 'applied component' paper; basically they like to make life difficult so they say, here do one MORE paper!)

Tomorrow is another monster - Psycho III. Which is all about pregnancy and babies which is all so wonderful but a LOT to study especially when you didn't study as much when you were meant to :) But that's life. And we're all human, so there.

The best part is... Just 3 more days to go before we're on that train! More on that later...


On my playlist (thanks to Sharan):

• Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer
• I'm Alive - Celine Dion
• What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
• Song For No One - Ian Broudie
• Swallowed in the Sea - Coldplay

Random Photo taken at Mahim Station of Local Train a couple of months ago.

To Dance With

Today has been a pretty productive day. I'm all into making colourful notes and flash-cards and things. One may think it is a waste of time but it actually helps to make studying fun for me!! The amount we have to study is not a joke! Even with the advantage of being able to select topics is a truck-load and the days are a-runnin' away!
I forgot to mention who took the photo in my last post -- It was taken by Pooja who was also on the K'scope photography team. (thanks for the comments, Sharan and Nithya!)

Our team photo never did make it to the K'scope website even though we DID finally get down to taking one after we cornered and bugged all the other teams to give us some time to get theirs done... So here's a picture of my team...

Top (L-R): Pooja, Me

Bottom (L-R): Tanya, Athulya, Mahima

Song of the day:
We will dance by Steven Curtis Chapman

(Chorus)
We will dance
When the sun is shining
In the pouring rain
We'll spin and we'll sway
And we will dance
When the gentle breeze
Becomes a hurricane
The music will play
And I'll take your hand
And hold you close to me
And we will dance

Pastel Blues

"Now the sky could be blue
I don't mind
Without you it's a waste of time"
- 'Strawberry Swing', From the Album 'Viva la Vida' by Coldplay (my favourite song at the moment!! And inspiration of a special game made up by Sonu and I!! he he he)

I just finished reading "Eclipse". I still think "Twilight" was the best of the three (the second is "New Moon"). I dunno, it left me unsatisfied...

Anyway, I think that was three fat books within three weeks. I used to be a really, really slow reader - so this is pretty impressive for me! I'm going through one of those 'ravished-reader' phases at the moment. I am consuming books at an almost alarming rate... Then again, I think that goes for any good series and "Twilight" IS a good series.

Classes have lost a lot of their charm - you know the charm that lingers for the first week back and then slowly diminishes over the weeks? Except for a few classes... Thankfully, some teachers just never lose their charm!

Jo and I have been doing our placement for Psychology at a school called "Little Angels" for Autistic children and other special children. Its turning out to be a real learning experience. Its really tough and we're totally inexperienced in knowing how to deal with these children, especially the non-verbal kids, but the teachers are mostly friendly and willing to answer to ask our many questions so that helps. I'm enjoying it a lot. :)

More later,

Funky Song, check it out!

Click to see the link and download song

Give me a new song!!

I am soooo tired of all my old CDs cause I have heard them all way too many times and I just can’t seem to find any good new stuff. Well I have downloaded a few and I’ve been listening to some online radio but nothing is really appealing to me!! The few songs that I am really into now are Jojo’s new song ‘too little too late’ this song called ‘save the last dance for me’ by a bloke called Michael Buble, ‘Hopeful’ by twista and faith evan and ‘Nuisance’ by John Reuben over and over again cause I have nothing else to listen to so soon I will get bored of these too.

I need some new music!! Any suggestions? Do tell.