Chronicles of an Eternal Dreamer....

My Class 10 Result

2010-05-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. My class 10 results were declared today. CBSE has introduced a confusing grading system, so it's a bit difficult to describe my marks. I've got A1 Grade (above 90) in all subjects .i.e. English, Science, Maths, Information Technology, Social Science and Sanskrit. Each A1 stands for 10 points. So, I've got Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 10/10. Multiplying this by 9.5, I get an average aggregate of 95%. All my classmates have got superb grades too. Everyone has scored a CGPA above 9 (i.e.above 85.5%).

However, one of my best friends has got a very unexpected result. She is crying and refuses to pick up the phone. A topper girl, who beat me hands down in the Pre Boards, has scored A2 (81-90) in English while kids who usually scored in 60's have got A1. All the backbenchers have scored like toppers (they didn't even attempt several questions), while many intelligent friends have got shocking results. I feel very angry because these people put in the same effort as I did and still weren't given good grades.

I'm not famous for my luck and expected crappy things to happen to me too. I really must thank Bhagwan for changing his mind for once...

2010-02-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

Less than two weeks to go for my SST Board exam...Yikes!!!

:)

2009-06-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

At 11:45 last night, I gathered my mobile, cordless phone and other aids of communication lying about the house, and settled down with some pillows in front of the TV for a sleepless night ahead. I was joyous for two reasons - One, in exactly a quarter of an hour I would complete 15 years of ruthless consumption of the planet's oxygen, and two, several people had hinted that they wanted to share this proud moment with me - exactly when the cuckoo clock struck twelve.

However, the poor sleep deprived soul that I am, I slipped into a beautiful slumber, dreaming about gift wrapped Twilight books and imported perfumes sitting on my table. I woke up only at 12:30. No missed calls. No messages. From anyone! I felt really vain and idiotic, sitting there with so many phones but not a soul to talk to. Where were those several people?? Thinking that there would soon be a new addition to my list of most disappointing birthdays, I returned to my dream.

But guess what? The celestial bodies governing my destiny changed their minds, and this turned out to be my BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!! I'll share the details with you later...too occcupied with today's events! :P

Finally, it's here...

2009-05-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

The results of CBSE class Xth exams were announced today. Totally DRAMATIC. BRILLIANT. OUTSTANDING. A good friend has topped the school with 98.4% (100 in two subjects, 97 in English), followed by an arithmetic progression - 97, 96.6,96.4, 96.0, 95.8, 95.6, 95.4, 95.2....sab ki toh lottery lag gayi.

With such good results, I can imagine the scene at school right now. The teary-eyed teachers, led by my Sanskrit ma'am, must be standing in the hexagon, sending some shlokas to heaven, hugging each other and eating ghar ki mithai. Even the usually reticent princi will do a secret jig in his office. He will then sit and write an essay about the good deeds he did in the past, which made him deserve such happiness. (Later of course, he plans to share this 8000 word essay in the assembly when we return to school.)

Sitting here, I can just hope that these marks don't put extra pressure on us when we give the exams next year...

2009-05-20T01:13:00.000-07:00

I just realized it's exactly two years since I wrote the first post on this blog.
(Yea, I'm still lurking around somewhere! :) )

2009-01-25T01:57:00.000-08:00

I finally stretched my pretty little fingers to make some minor changes to the blog. So now you do me a favour by complimenting them. :)

The Last Post of 2008

2008-12-30T05:01:00.000-08:00

I'm currently occupied with a Disaster Management project. Talking of disasters, the fantastic news is that my entire neighbourhood is coming together for a New Year bash tonight. Going by their tastes in party music, I can predict I'll be lulled to sleep by local Indian Idols claiming to have mastered the fine art of loud, incorrigible, nasty Akon-ish rap. That's what you call a musical disaster...

Coming from a mother who had to look up the net to comprehend the meaning of kitty party, and a father who shrieks and runs at the sight of business parties, I clearly justify my genes. I simply detest loud social dos with bizarre food, bizarre drinks and bizarre people gyrating to the sound of bizarre music. But don't get me wrong. I love music. And I love food. But throw in some 'kya ye aapki beti hai? ohh kitni pyari hai. badi ho gayi hai na? kuch padti hai ki bas mamma ko tang karti hai. ha ha ha.' dialogues, gossip, flashy sarees and lots of fake smiles coming from aunties triple your size, and you have the perfect start for a new year...

So then it's decided, I'm staying back home on New years Eve. Most probably, studying. After all, tomorrow onwards, I'm officially into my Board Year.

~jan.

(P.S. Went in for a haircut today, after realizing that I looked the same in all my school photographs taken since class 4. Same hairstyle. Same face. Same pose. And same height.

And I look a bit like this guy. Seriously.

Sigh. Well, no matter how I look, you guys have a great year ahead...Happy New Year to everybody! :D )

Hang on...I'm still here!

2008-10-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! Seriously....I've been away for so long I wonder I still have anyone to greet!!

Anyway, a HUGE thank you to the kind souls (Tush and Snobo) who still visit my blog in hope for a fresh new post (and are always disappointed), and generously drop in some We miss you comments that really make my day.

You see, somehow, things have changed so much since the last time I wrote a post, it feels as if an entirely different person is writing this one. Well, since I have not yet transformed into a reincarnation of my ex-principal, I plan not to go into details and bore you with my saga.

I'll just say this hasn't been a very good year - many things didn't turn out the way I wanted them to. Almost everyday, I went to school in a cheerful mood, only to be disappointed at the beginning of the day itself. I don't really remember any specific day or incident at school - the past few months all seem like one long, not-so-happy day.

Still, if I look back at the thousands of happy moments I had in class last year, it actually seems fair that I have an equal share of trying times as well. So once I changed my outlook, I wasn't that upset anymore.

Anyway, it was during this time that I discovered some really true friends - AppyFizz, Shaggy, Shub, Aish, Aashi, Akki, Medz – all of whom expressed their genuine concern. But yea, some did crack those senti film dialogues. Eww!

Anyway, you guys don't worry. Things are looking up now; there's a new boost of confidence in me. Some good opportunities have come my way; I hope to give them my best shot. And with such wonderful company, I guess times could only get better!

Wish me luck! :)

signing off with a note of optimism,
lotsa luv,
jan.
(P.S. Just because I didn't blog doesn't mean i haven't been writing yaar! Many new posts lined up...!)

BACK...with some news!

2008-07-18T02:41:00.000-07:00

You remember the short story competition I told you about in my last post? We are a team of 20 kids, and each had to submit a story. Well, I wrote one and my English teacher liked it so much that we planned to convert it into a 5 minute movie and send it in for a movie making competition. We had the cast, production team, director, camera man (all amateurs) and everything else ready, but the problem was...the movie had to be shot at somebody's apartment, we needed uncles and aunties to play the older characters (nobody was willing) and professional help for handling the cameras and do the choreographing. And we had to do all this in just 1 day!

You can go to youtube.com and type 'Ordinatrix' (the name of our competition) in the search bar. The first three-four videos won prizes last year in the same competition. I have my story visualized in a similar manner, but it's impractical to start shooting when there's so little time left. The last date is Monday; Sunday is reserved for editing and special effects. So even if I change my mind and start directing this thing, I have just the next 24 hours. And mind you, perfecting one scene takes around 2 hours. We do not have guidance from any teacher or expert, it's just us - 14 year old kids.

There have been many ego hassles between the team members as well, because everybody wants to direct their own story. I helped my best friend in the rehearsals for her movie even though my own script wasn't ready, but she didn't give a hoot about mine. So the politics is another reason why I want to back out. It will be a lot of headache and time waste for many others as well, and we don't even know if the hard work will pay....

Looking at the brighter side, our movie (only if selected among the top ten) will be shown in PVR Cinemas all over Delhi, and the entire school will be invited to watch it.

So you tell me....fast....to shoot or not to shoot??!

~ a thoughtful jan.

(P.S. I went to a Science model exhibition in a nearby school today, had lotsa fun and made many new friends (and bunked school.Yays!) 'Twas interesting, but the kids presenting the models didn't know a thing. We had a nice time torturing them with stupid questions and acting extra inquisitive and interested! ;) )

Ideas Plz

2008-07-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

There is a very short story competition to be held in a nearby school and there are around 20 students taking part in it. We have to work as a team to develop a story, which will later on be staged as a skit.

If you have any good ideas on which I can build a story of around 250 words, do share them with me.

Thank You.

2008-06-22T05:13:00.000-07:00

Just one week left for my summer holidays to end...

Since both my parents are working, I had to spend most of the time alone at home. Initially, I found it very boring, sitting all alone with nobody to talk to but the walls. Many of my close friends were happily vacationing in some part of the country, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to pass time, except watch TV and surf the net....

I googled, orkutted, wikipediad, yahooed, blogged and did 1001 other things that are listed as completely useless in the 'Useless Encyclopedia for Useless People' (Coming soon to a bookstore near you. Authored by who, but me). I started reading blogs and made some very nice friends (Snobo, Tshhar, Criss, Pankhuri, Keshi and Purneetha) and eventually, became a blog addict.

Then, my super woman of a mother decided to turn the house upside down and get some renovation etc. done, all in just ONE week. To keep pests out of her way (read me), she got me enrolled in a boring C++ workshop. So there I was, a poor li'l kid trotting off with a school bag to a total pakau workshop in the middle of my holidays. Things improved considerably when I found my friend Shaggy (and some tasty food) there. Together, we managed to create a record of 100 yawns per minute during the class (And we plan to break our own record during Sanskrit classes this year), and drove the poor teacher crazy. Now I consider it my Fundamental Right to trouble ALL teachers, good or bad, and this teacher was too good a specimen to be ignored. But I'll save this topic for another time....

The theory part of C++ was awful, but I did quite well in the logical part, which included programs and lots of Maths. The other thing I gained was a couple of good memories of Shaggy and me, sitting under a fountain in my father's office, drinking lassi and listening to her chattering happily. At the end of the workshop, we became great friends, and I hope we remain so for a long, long time to come...

Then came my best friend Aru's birthday bash. Many of my schoolmates attended the party too, and we had a jolly good time dancing, screaming, gossiping and singing tunelessly....

Sigh...time flies so fast. The last 45 days have been a blast, but I now look forward to school. Meeting all my friends - Britney, Drama Queen, Aru, Softy, Shaggy, Appu Ghar, Ash, Shy and others whom I've missed so much. I miss the teachers too, life is so boring without them. But I bet they don't miss 'very nice' students like ME! ;)

A grinning jan.

Usual Blah Blah

2008-06-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hey do check out this blog:
http://swadeshi-library.blogspot.com

This is a group blog about good books owned by some of my new found bloggie frndz.

To the few readers of this blog, if I disappear from this blog and just in case you miss me, you'll find me on this blog!

jan aka net addict.

TAGging along...

2008-06-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Tshhar has passed on a tag. I just did my Sanskrit homework, and there's a dog barking outside. So you can expect some really crappy answers. Wouldn't blame you if u express a desire to teleport me to Mars. Anything is better than barking dogs.

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on a random page and find random line.
"This is a book on the Constitution of India". Duh!

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
...and yays! You're the new traffic policeman.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain? (Nahin)

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
Dinner time!! :D

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
22 hours, 10 minutes, 12 scs.

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
A barking dog, a bathroom singer and a growling stomach.

7. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
My reflection on the computer screen. I wonder why my day's been so bad...

9. What are you wearing?
T-shirt, denim skirt. From Pantaloons.

10. Did you dream last night?
Yes. Of getting trapped with my ex-SST teacher on a deserted island. Not the perfect 'dream' vacation.

11.When did you last laugh?
During Ice Age. Typical Pareshaan Aatma.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Paint. Pink colour.

13. What do u think of this quiz?
Time paas.

14. Which was the last film u saw?
Littel Women. OSSUM!!

15. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
Microsoft Corp. And some chocolate.

16. Tell me something about you that I dunno.
I love cocolate. Surprise.

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Will stop Global Warming. That will save me from writing boring science essays.

18. Do you like to dance?
Yes. Govinda ishtyle.

19. George Bush
*yawn* Holidaying on a tree house, Mr. 'Bush'?

20. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
My son.

21. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Nahin!!! Main apni matrabhoomi ko kabhi nahin chodungi!
On second thoughts, I love New York.

22.What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Welcome to the party!

23. People who may do this memo in their journal.
Everybody is welcome. I'd love to hear Snobo and Criss's answers.

buh-bye!
jan.

Buddae Today!

2008-06-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

I turn 14 today....going on 15.

YIPEEEE!!

feeling very loved and pampered,
jan.

Doggie Kool

2008-06-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

This is Snowie...my friend Ishita's two month old puppy. Isn't he cute??

Woof Woof! I'm Snowie - Mr. India 2008 !

Sadly, another doggie was not lucky enough to pose for a photo. My best friend AP's new born pomeranian pup, Teeni, died a few days ago due to some infections. But her brother, Tiny, is still alive. Let's hope he grows up to be a cute 'n' healthy pup...

jan.

Suggestions open for post title.

2008-05-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

Venue: Mom's office.

Time: After digesting samosas and before eating gulab jamuns.

Current Occupation: Indulging in blissful velapanti. Wasting 6 hours on the net. Searching for blog fodder.

Current thoughts: To do Sanskrit Homework.

Current second thoughts: Will do that later.

I don't have much to write about, so I'm posting a poem which I wrote the last time I visited a workplace...around the age of 9.

I edited quite a few things in the poem, but left the spelling and grammatical errors untouched. It's very, very kiddish, but I still love it! :)

Office Office

When I entered mom's office,

The adult world greeted me.

Smiles, chocolates, cakes and muffins

Oh! I felt like a VIP.

I spotted uncles

They were typing furiously.

And aunties in glittering saris,

Speaking amica'bily'. :P

There were mountains of files

Which came up to my nose,

And the smell of samosa

Also reached my nose.

Everybody was busy

So I wandered here and there.

Troubled everyone

And ate there heads.

I played a game on computer

And talked to my friend.

I ate aloo paneer and matar

And burger in the end. (I don't think I really ate all that then! Was Miss-skin-and-bones.)

But I had a very nice day

At five o' clock,

I said bye to the world of adults

And Mummy took me away....

That's all for now...hope u liked it! ;)

2008-05-21T02:44:00.000-07:00

My blog turned an year old yesterday.

Well, I must confess, when a friend introduced me to Blogger an year ago, I had rolled my eyes, thinking it must be just another 'public venting machine' for guys who stuck to their computers like permamanent glue. It was for people who'd suffered heartaches, bad hair days, bad marks, broken fingernails, nerdy friends or were unlucky enough to see Khali in person. In short, it was the favourite pastime for all the vela people in the world....

But now, an year later, I give myself THREE SLAPS for saying that (plus some more on behalf of my blogger pals, who are in no way eccentric!).

And even though my hands are busy nursing my red cheek, I type with my elboes to say that if Blogger were a human being, he/she (whichever gender it prefers) would be my best friend. I would save a seat for her everyday in the bus, share my lunch with her during recess, do all her homework (Sanskrit included), share all my secrets with her, and giggle at stupid jokes till we drove the teachers crazy.

Thanks Blogger. I kicked aside the TV to make blogging my fav hobby. And yes, I promise to be a better bloggie in the years to come...

searching for b'day candles,
jan

IQ - Ignorance Quotient.

2008-05-17T23:16:00.000-07:00

I gave an online IQ test today.
Ok. So I gave thousands of IQ tests today. And got a different score each time. I started off with 80 (am i the inhabitant of a madhouse?), then got 115 (im such a dork), then 134 (not bad...), then 148 (did somebody hack my account or what?), and suddenly, I got 160 (whoa!!!!).
So I concluded my IQ changes with my mood. With my clothes. And with what I ate for breakfast....

I may not know what my IQ exactly is, but I'm sure of the following things. Pakka.

1) I'm as stupid as the participants on 'Main Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hun'.

3) I'm so dumb I moved on to point (3) before writing point (2).

4) I'm smarter than Mr.Bean, Charlie Chaplin, Govinda, Paris Hilton and other you-know-whos.

5) I'm as smart as the model who got 5/100 in a history test. Extra marks for good handwriting.
6) I don't stare at a bottle of orange juice just because it says "Concentrate".

7) Scientists say humans use just 10% of their brain. I can prove them wrong. I use just 8%.

8) I totally believe that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. And that they are on an exchange programme.

9) Still, I'm not as bad as my neighbour who took his computer to the doctor when it had a virus attack.

10) Till today, I thought 'Stardust' is an astronomy magazine. Really.

Miss-obsessed-with-my-IQ.
(P.S. Jus kiddin'. No inferiority complex.)

Wateva!

2008-05-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

People or things that I love the most, in order of how much I love them (conditions apply. Of course.) :

1) PUPPIES

2) Puppies

3) Puppies (I hate it when they bark, though)

4) Chocolates (I hate 5 Star and dark chocolates)

5) Mum and Dad (They'll be automatically awarded the first position if/when they buy me a CD of Bhool Bhulaiya, which I desperately wanna watch)

6) Blogger

7) Google

8) Orkut

9) Pals at school (pals only. NOT school.)

10) Spiderman

11) JK Rowling (You dropped down to 11 when you killed Voldy)

12) The Radio ( only when those RJs keep quiet)

101) Mahatma Gandhi

10,001) Shah Rukh Khan

10,00,00,001) My English Teacher

10,00,00,00,003) The guy in the bus who calls me a moti (liar!!)

-the couch potato aka jan.
(P.S. Bad news. All of you are tagged. Now, like it or not, you MUST write about the people or things you love the most. And let's see where I feature in it! :D )

A long drive on a rainy day

2008-05-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

I am a very unlucky kid. Who in the whole wide world has an exam on the first day of his/her summer vacations??
Well, the exam in question was the second round of the National Talent Search Exam. The examination centre was miles away in midtown Delhi, so we had to leave at 6 in the morning. And a few minutes later, it started drizzling....

There was hardly any traffic, and the roads seemed huge and empty. Everything was so wet and clean. There was some beautiful music playing on the radio, and the pitter patter of rain added to the scene. My nervousness about the exam just got blown away with the cool wind.
There is something so peaceful about such mornings. We hear people complaining about the environment in Delhi everyday, but I guess they've never travelled during the best time of the day!

We reached the centre more than an hour before the exam. It was a pretty decent Government school, surrounded by huge white walls and lots of greenery. Also, there were the government quarters nearby. A man was walking his cute pomeranian, that kept on running away from him, and barked for no apparent reason. Later though, we realized it was this silly pussy that had infuriated him!
I also met an old classmate who had left school a few years ago, and was thought to be Einstein-Part 2. And my exam went off ok-ok too, as I'd expected. Even if I don't qualify, I know the experience has been totally worth the hard work....

I wanted to tell you about the coaching classes I'd attended for this exam. We used to stay back at school long after everybody left, and studied trigonometry and electronic configuration (nonchalantly, obviously), and left only when it got dark. Many times, I was all alone in the empty building, and you could imagine how terrifying that was!!

Well, now at present, I'm looking forward to a pleasant vacation. And I guess my hopes end with this huge pile of holiday homework staring back at me....

ciao!
jan

Take 4

2008-04-07T04:46:00.000-07:00

Today was the fourth day of the new session at school. We have ten senseless subjects, and ten equally senseless teachers. Our sanskrit teacher seems to be the reincarnation of some great saint, cuz she just can't stop preaching goodness, kindess, truthfullness etc. to her rather 'evil' class. Another teacher resembles a football with legs. The science teacher has an obsession with the letter 'S', and does more hissing than teaching. Another teacher created a record by wearing the same clothes to class for four consecutive days. But yes, all of them are angels as compared to the awful lot we got last year....

Total Time Pass

2008-03-27T04:37:00.000-07:00

My exam results were declared a few days earlier, and considering I'm still alive and kicking, you can safely assume they weren't that bad. Actually, they weren't bad at all.

So now, I have one full week of lazy holidays till the new session begins. Funny, but just when we're all excited to enter our new class, the creepy teachers give us these free tickets for some vacation to Timbuktu. But when we're dying to revise our syllabus before the exams, a holiday becomes a faraway fantasy. It's almost like offering a free air conditioned room in the winters.

In these hols, my timetable usually consists of munching Lays chips, sleeping for 10 hours, watching TV, gulping down bottles of Coca Cola, feasting on tikki burgers, french fries and ice cream. No wonder people say I've robbed a McDonald's outlet. But it's not as if I eat cuz I want to eat. I just eat to pass time. And cuz it gives me an excuse to sleep, and digest whatever I've wolfed down.

Recently, mum commented I was transforming into some human Garfield. She joked I was some sleeping beauty, who wants to be caged in a castle. (To give you a clear picture of what followed, I would advise you to watch episode 35091 of any of Ekta Kapoor's drama-filled saas-bahu soaps; but just replace the tearful bahu with a sweet, innocent looking kiddo of 13.) At the end of the argument, mum won. Obviously. It's like a nerd trying to defeat Mike Tyson at his own game. So mum dragged me off to go walking, the first step to weight loss, with her.

Walking at eight in the night with crickets adding to the background score might sound pleasant. Very pleasant. But wait. It's also the time the angry office goers return home racing in their Honda City's, and televisions are set at full volume, so much so that poor pedestrians in the middle of the streets can hear Rakhi Sawant's comments on losing Nach Baliye and Dhoni underplaying his recent victory on CNN IBN. Eight in the night is also the time when the vegetable and fruit vendors arrive with their loaded carts, and aunties are burdened with the task of deciding what curry they would prepare for dinner that night. So a peaceful road adorned with flickering streetlights eventually turns into the most happening place in the colony, and walking, the best sport in the world (not that I know many). As we walked, I chatted a lot with mum too, filling her on the latest news from school, and that Kareena Kapoor was actually lighter than me.

Apart from walking, I caught up on some reading too. Well, I'm not the one who crosses the road with her nose buried in a hard bound book and causes a traffic jam, but on the other hand, I don't need an inauguration ceremony when I'm entering a bookstore too. I just read whatever I can find, mostly judging a book by its cover illustrations and other components of the jacket. A good book, for me, refers to anything that can entertain me while nothing's good on MTV. I just read Chetan Bhagat's books-'One night at the Call Centre' and 'Five Point Someone'- and found the latter incredibly boring. I also read 'Interpreter of Maladies', which happily accompanies mum these days to work in her giant office bag , and decided that a short story wasn't my cup of tea.

Well, I've updated you about my activities in the past week, and am eagerly looking forward to my first day in class 9. But now, I gotta go. The pizza (with extra cheese) delivery man just arrived.

HOLIday

2008-03-22T04:14:00.000-07:00

I've always been one of those kids who hide in their mum's dupatta whenever the doorbell rings on Holi, when enthusiastic kids half my height wait eagerly to test their new pichkaris, with me as guinea pig.

I've never been able to understand the purpose behind discolouring beautiful people and transforming them into cartoon characters. Well, my experiences with Holi have always been bad. If not bad bad, they've been humiliating for me, and humourous for most others. And how can I forget that fateful Holi three years ago, a few days before I entered class 6th....

I was merrily hopping to the market, after making sure the coast was clear and not a single pichkari with world destroying capabilities was within the radius of 10 metres. But how was I to know there was an evil plan being hatched on the roof? The next moment, I stood drenched in the red and watery contents of a huge balti, with evil laughs resounding in my ears....

The same day, our over-enthusiastic neighbour dabbed a suspicious-looking blue powder all over my face. Although it washed off, it left me itching all day long, and the skin around my right eye turned an ugly blue-black. I tell you, never trust your neighbour. Especially on Holi.

So when I attended my first day of class 6th, not only were my arms and legs dyed red, I had a huge black patch around my eye. One kid actually had the cheek to ask whether I had gone boxing with my ferocious SST teacher, and she had boxed my eye or something...

Naturally, I'd come to dread Holi, and became a patient of Holiphobia. I migrated from behind the curtains and started hiding under the bed. I would hate the sound of Amitabh Bacchan stretching his vocal chords on Rang Barse. I would wear brand new clothes and think this would sensitize people not to spoil the attire of a poor ol' soul. I was even honoured with the distinction of being the one and only Delhite who hated Holi. (Sheesh, atleast I was honoured with something!)

But this Holi, fate had other plans. I was to be pushed out of the house by my mum and told not to return until every toenail looked colourful. My mum, the same mum, who had once guarded me against all Holi players, said this to me. Dad added fuel to the fire, saying he'd call an ambulance in advance, lest I came back with my mouth filled with toxic colours or something. I felt betrayed. And hurt.

But not wanting to argue, I proceeded cautiously down the road with a packet of herbal colours. I had oiled my hair nicely, so much so my mum could have cooked aloo paranthas with the oil dripping from it. I met my friends from school at the gate, who seemed to have bathed in a rainbow, and hesitantly offered my cheek for a dab of colour. I checked if they too used herbal colours, and constantly reminded them to stop reaching for my eyes, as colours can actually make a person blind. As time passed, I became used to balloons suddenly exploding in my hair and powder going into my mouth and eyes. (Don't worry, nothing happened. I can still see the monitor and the keyboard.) And I hate to admit this, but I soon began to enjoy myself and became a part of all the craziness....

You wouldn't believe this, but I was totally drenched and hardly recognizable. Even my teeth were reddish in colour. I bet I resembled those maths teachers at school, who dabbed lipstick in a hurry during the recess, and came to class with red lipstick sticking to their teeth. When I reached home, my mum screamed and called my dad, claiming there was a hooligan at the door. It took an entire 10 minutes to persuade her that it was me, her lovable daughter, to gain an entry into the house. Then began the rigorous task of removing the colours in the washroom. I scrubbed myself with a pumice stone, till the time my skin threatened to peel off. But I came out with no significant improvement, and reminiscent of that 'fateful' Holi three years ago....

I would love to show you guys my picture and make you understand the severity of my problem, but I don't want an increase in the number of heart patients in our already over-burdened hospitals.

I was later told by my dear friend that the colours she used were 20% stronger and long lasting, to retain the after effects of Holi for a long time. To add to my troubles, my exam results are to be declared the day after tomorrow, and I don't want nasty teachers laughing and scolding me simultaneously. Worse, what if they start giving me cosmetic tips in front of the entire class? Or what if the kindergarden kids start laughing at me?
Oh no, oh no....God, I know Holi goes on for days in heaven, but pleaseeee, step down to earth and HELP ME OUT!

in great trauma,
jan

Exams Ahoy

2008-02-28T04:41:00.000-08:00

Here are a few notes I made while studying for my History exam...

Mangal Pandey : The somehow-related, long lost ancestor of my music teacher Mr.Pandey and was famous for his moustache.
General Dyer : Manufacturers of generally used hair dyes.
Lal, Bal and Pal : Red haired patriots.
Gandhiji : A great, idealistic man who changed Munnabhai's life.
Nehru : Rahul Gandhi's great granddad.
The Iron man of India : Refers to a man so strong that bullets bounced off his chest.
The Non-cooperation Movement : Students of schools refuse to cooperate with teachers, by submitting the homework in 'stages'.
Congress Session at Calcutta in 1906 : Demand for Swaraj or self-government, a movement led by student leaders for participation in the running of the school.
Swadeshi and boycott movements : Bonfires of naughtiness that ignited the hearts of the ruling chemistry teachers.
Partition of Bengal, 1905 : The disintegration of a united class, on the basis of the language chosen, i.e. Hindi or Sanskrit.
Imerial Dubar, 1911 : Shifting of the capital of the naughtiest kids in school, from middle to high school.
Morley-Minto reforms: the new mint-flavoured mouth freshner.

PHEW....History is soooo 'relevant'!

V-Day

2008-02-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

A bouquet of fragrant roses,
Tickling your nose.
Heart-warming cards,
And shouts of joy.
Boxes of heart shaped chocolates,
Coated with love.
Red dresses, blushing cheeks
And pearly-white smiles.
Happy ladies, kids and lads,
Thus begin excited young lives.

The sun smiles through the window.
Surprise! It's a sunny morn
On a winter day.
The garden blooms,
The puddles shine.
The trees sway,
And flowers glow.
Oh why does it rain roses,
Halfway thru' February?
Is it 'cuz....
It's V-Day, so very early?

Well, being just a young teen, V-Day does not hold much significance for me....or maybe, it does!
It's a festival celebrating love, right? So don't I love my mom, my dad, my friends, and the puppies in my society?

So yea, let's all celebrate the fesival of love, just as enthusiastically as we celebrate the festival of lights, and the festival of colours, and teach each other to love, and destroy all differences that build up a wall of hatred between us.

After all, somebody once said,there are many in the world who die due to starvation, and hundreds due to thirst. But there are many more who die due to the scarcity of love and kindness........

jan

WINNERS vs. LOSERS

2008-02-15T06:06:00.000-08:00

Winner vs. Loser

Winners are part of a team,
Losers are apart from a team.
Winners have dreams,
Losers have schemes.
Winners see the gain,
Losers see the pain.
Winners always have a programmme,
Losers always have an excuse.
Winners make commitments,
Losers make promises.

Winners say, "I must do something."
Losers say, "Something must be done."
Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things,
Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on value.
Winners make it happen,
Losers let it happen.
Winners use hard arguements but soft words,
Losers use soft arguements but hard words.
The winner says, "It may be difficult, but it's possible."
The loser say, "It may be possible, but it's difficult."

Winners always seek an answer for every problem,
Losers always seek a problem to every answer.
Winners say, "Let me do it for you."
Losers say, "That's not my job."
When a winner makes a mistake, he says,
"I was wrong."
When a loser makes a mistake, he says,
"It wasn't my fault."

Whether you succeed or fail, if you just fit the above description, then you surely are a winner in the game called life....

filled with optimism and looking forward to new opportunities,
u-no-hu

LEAD INDIA

2008-02-10T03:41:00.000-08:00

"बस चंद कदम,
बस चंद कदम,
बस चंद कदम की बात है....
हर तरफ उजाला फैल गया,
बस कहीं-कहीं अब रात है...
- जावेद अख्तर

I was watching the Lead India finals a few days ago, a whiff of fresh air after watching those idotic saas-bahu soaps and some 'unrealistic' reality shows.
Although I liked the authenticity of the program, there were many things I'd critisize as well:
Firstly, the unfair elimination of all the true leaders, like Dipayan Dey and Sanjiv Kaura, my personal favourites, sucked away all interest I had since the first episode.
Secondly, the insincerity in the speeches of the finalists was slowly begginning to show through. They aimed only at impressing the jury, who had their own personal favourites.
Third, I detested the entire system of public voting, introduced mainly for increasing TRP's.

After occupying entire first pages of the TOI for several days, Lead India did not seem to have achieved what it claimed it could. I yawned several times as the finalists struggled to get through their learnt-by-heart speeches- all to impress the 'distinguished' jury out there.

Lastly, it was as they say.... empty vessels makes more noise....

Negatives of Memories

2008-01-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

I love pictures. I love to see my parents, captured in marriages, outings, hanging around with friends, and mostly, when they were in school. (I recently discovered that I look much like my mum used to when she was young.)

I love to see old, faraway relatives, whom I've never met, smiling, or surprised faces, and ask about them. And yeah, I love to make fun of those huge, horn-rimmed spectacles and bell-bottoms Dad used to wear in the seventies- fashion in those days!!

And I love my class photographs too........

Our school is hexagonal in shape. Everything, from classrooms, washrooms and assembly grounds, is huge and six-sided. So yesterday, after attempting a rather confused English Unit Test, we were taken along to a corner of the hexagon a.k.a. the assembly ground for a class photograph. I was pretty excited, since I was not a part of the class that smiles at me from the frame on my desk, due to my absence last year on the photo day.

During the photo session, there were chairs in the first row, chairs over tables in the second row, chairs over two tables in the third, and so on.The first row belonged to the shorties (that includes me, of course), and we were supposed to sit like 'nice ladies' with a smile plastered onto our faces. Behind our backs, the naughty ol' boys showed off some of their herogiri. So, the photographer said, "You want your grandchildren to see you like that, mahboy?" and peace prevailed.....

Afterwards, my friends and I posed for an informal photo, arms over shoulders and all, 'cuz next year, our class would be shuffled and we'd pose with complete strangers. :( :(

I love class photos. They remind you of old times, old friends, and old teachers, who fade away into the distance, only to come back again. They pull you into the past, and you can actually hear ABC's being recited in the background. You can spot childish grins, and crying kids, falling down, getting hurt, and up and about again. And most of all, they show a person very different from what you are today- carefree, kiddish, cute, and slightly stupid too!

Good memories. Good photos. Sigh, I have loads of them registered in my brain, and there's space for lots more.......

in a honey-sweet mood,

jan

Granny

2008-01-12T23:27:00.000-08:00

Sigh! I can’t believe 2008 has already arrived.

2007 had been a good year, and I expected a nice, cozy winter.
But somehow, this Christmas wasn’t as happy as I had wanted it to be….

On the 22nd of December, my paternal grandfather passed away after struggling with cancer. We left for Chennai, our hometown, by the first flight the same day to attend his last rites.

A day after we arrived, my maternal grandmother, with whom I was staying, felt a little ill, but carried on with her work as usual. But the next day, she felt unusually breathless and my mother and I rushed her to the nearest hospital. There, she died of a sudden heart attack and respiratory failure...

My nani was a lady with a heart of gold. She loved all her grandchildren tremendously. She never hugged us to say how much she cared, but did it all through her actions, and never tried to impose her love on us.

Whenever she came to Delhi to stay with me, she brought loads of goodies, the tastes of which still linger in my mouth. Even in a completely new atmosphere, she adjusted so easily, as if she’d been living in Delhi all her life!

When she went back a month later, I felt hopelessly lonely, and yearned to find the same, grizzled ol’ lady opening the door as I came back home from school. She was a quiet person whose presence was never even felt, but her absence had created a huge vacuum in the house, and now, in my heart too….

I would forever remember the times I spent with her - the family trips to Haridwar, her delicacies, her one-toothed smile, her habit of asking a question again and again until she got only a ‘yes’ for an answer, the silent spectator at my karate classes, her habit of dabbing Ponds powder all over her face, and of course, the whiff of Tamil Nadu on her saree.

Nani, I thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me, and for the love you bestowed on us. I pray that you will rest peacefully, in heaven....

Saawariya - Boredom Unlimited

2007-12-21T06:43:00.000-08:00

On the ninth of November, while Diwali celebrations were in full swing, my mind decided to plunge into an ocean of neon light darkness - I bought tickets to SAAWARIYA.
Here's a glance at my mental status as I struggled through three hours of endless night, thirsting for sunlight at the end of the tunnel......

As the reel begins to roll, we're ceremoniously introduced to Bhansalipur, where roads lead nowhere, and the Eiffel tower stands next to the Big Ben.Then, there's a market place right next to a Venice-style lake, and people (it's a women dominated society and our hero is the only male visible) use the London bridge to ask for a cup of dahi next door.Sheesh! Who the heck would like to live here, even if it's "The City of Dreams"?!

Bhansali probably took himself too seriously. Except the music, he goofs up almost everywhere. Even his actress, gigglaciously pretty, shatters the heart-wrenching silence of judaai scenes by breaking into a series of irritating, ear-splitting giggles, or with stupidiotic dialogues like,"Ok, Bye!".

Next, I seriously have a complaint against this extravagant use of neon lights.Oh mannn, the entire movie was shot in the night!! Is this Antarctica or something, where we have 6 months day and 6 months night??!!!

Well, probably since it was so 'dark', Saawariyaa never saw light at the box office.

I still experience terrifying Saawariyaa nightmares.

Hoping u were spared,
jan

Kithabon ki Kahaani, Meri Zhubani.....

2007-12-11T04:17:00.000-08:00

Heylo!

Today, I wish to write about books.Yeah, books! OK, i know most of u wouldn't read the rest of it, but still, for the sake of the few booklovers still left......

Books.Books in the library, books on the table, books on the shelf, books in the kitchen, and mags in the toilet too! I'm drowned in an ocean of books, but which rescue boat should i choose? should it be a dickens, an Isaac Asimov or a Saki, while in the bookstore?

u might ask inky-pinky and ponky for help, or might as well refer to my guide of books.

Here it goes.....

1) The title of the book shouldn't go over your head.Like...."My name is red"!?!

2) The picture of the author should be printed on the cover. If he frowns too much, smiles awkwardly, or seems to pose especially for the picture, then put the book back to where it belongs, and hope that it stays there for long.

3) The cover should not have confusing illustrations. For example, if the title is, say, "Tragedy", then the girl on the cover should stop showing off all her pearly whites.

4) The print in the book shouldn't seem like a thousand hundred black ants scrawling all over u.

5) Read the first few pages.If u manage to stay awake, then move on to the next step.

6) If the price is a number u know existed in the number system, then go on, zip open your pockets and buy the book!!

(Still, if my advice doesn't work, and u begin hating the book, then persuade ur best friend that it's the nicest book uv ever read, deserves a Sahitya Akademi,a Nobel prize, a Booker, and blah blah blah, until she snatches it away from u, and u strike a fair deal with her Ruskin Bond. ;) )

ta-ta,
jan

A 'Bad'minton Day

2007-10-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

Badminton WAS my fav sport (perhaps cuz it's the only game I can play decently!). And today, I managed to get a few nice shots during the recess, considering I was touching the racket after 6 whole years!

That's when my 6-foot-sth friend decided to prove herself world champion.

MG - Common, Jan, beating u is my left hand's game! (roughly translated from hindi)

Me- (rather sarcastically) Hey Bhaggu! Cummon then, let's play!

(Then began the most un-ladylike game of badminton u'd have ever seen, with both players sweating it out like in the WWE championships.)

And then,

The lengendary player (she, I mean) hit the cock, and we all strained our necks to have a good look at the to-be sixer.

But it was not meant to be! The cock got stuck in a tree!

Then my friend thought it most appropriate to throw the racket and get a good shot at the cock, which refused to come down, like some old, fussy cat. The small group of onlookers, too, followed their leader and started throwing their military equipments at the tree, trying to attack the cock.

And unfortunately, MG's racket too, got stuck there!!

Wonderful!!

The child (to whom the racket belonged, started crying). My friend and I were given loads of advice from the smart li'l onlookers.

Then, I thought, we coundn't just stand there like guilty thiefs! I ran and got hold of the guard, who picked up the ladder (in the process knocking me down with its end), and brought down the cock and its partner.

He was cheered by the crowd, and became an instant hero.The kiddo was happy again, and walked off feeling embarrassed by all this unwanted publicity.

Break was over and we reached class just in time to see the strictest teacher entering our class......

Totally, absolutely, relieved and shocked at the same time,
jan

(P.S. Things to do this weekend:
1. Stop trying to push open locked doors.
2. Prepare a draft on "Building a safer environment".
3. Brush up my G.K.
4. Learn some sudoku solving techniques from pops.
5. Measure my height. )

2007-10-14T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!!!

I'm back!
Yea, people might say I disappeared from the virtual world, neglecting my li'l blog, chatting friends, google, et all- but no, I'm not one to give up so easily.I'm back doing what I love most-blogging, blogging and blogging!!!
I simply love the touch of the keyboard, the sound of the keys, the cute mouse and err...the ugly monitor as well!

Well, my exams have finished and not much of an 'ooooohh-aaaaah' result, but still, I'm satisfied.
But no, it's not I-Day for me yet.....I've got that NTS Exam next month, and having joined late, I've got lots to do!

Holidays have started, but there are more sighs then yays.I've got Aryabhatta classes in the morning, music class in the evening, and a strict diet consisting of nothing but apples and apple juices (Mom thinks I'm growing fat around the waist.Me, skinny ol' me, FAT??!!).

Hey MOM! When did we return to the aadi vasi ages, huh??

And tomorrow onwards, it's those NTSE classes at 8 in school! PHEW!It's like the old school routine again!

Still, there's some good news.The Durga puja celebrations are about to start in our colony, and I simply luuuuuuuuuuuv hanging out there in the pundals with friends.I'll give a performance with my music sir (who would sing), and I'm really looking forward to it!

The last time I performed, the people loved it! So now, there are huge expectations builing up!

But damn it! I can't participiate in the competitions 'cuz the lazy, pot-bellied uncles with pan stained mouths, broken shirt buttons and fat wives believe there was something called a LAST DATE! And when was that they don't remember!Stupid authorities!

Anyway, have I ever told u about my music sir? hmm.....really hard to describe.

Talkative (speaks Benglinglish), fat(err...resembles Adnan Sami), and......."Has an ocean of knowledge about the universal language spoken even by aliens on planet 0023454 that has no atmosphere, and can be easily compared to math-e-matics, the science of practice and patience and humour that is a strategy practised by a species called the backbencher that was so adorably a part of my be-u-thi-full(the French way) childhood that is a state of human....." and so on.In simpler words, he believes he's a talented musician.

And yea, I make an excuse to have some water, and save myself from the torture of his 'beautiful' speeches.

buh-bye!
jan

Angrez to chale gaye, par Angrezi chhod gaye!

2007-09-17T04:40:00.000-07:00

Guess what?

I've got an English exam the day after tomorrow, and I'm here, blogging away to glory!
Well, isn't blogging english?

I can just pray to God that the English teacher, Mrs.M, decides to shed off some of her kanjoosi, when it comes to giving marks, and all of us walk away with laddoos (no, I don't mean zeroes, but the 'actual' laddoos).

By the way, my three fav subjects just happen to be - Science :), Maths :)) and English :))).

jan
apun ko to angrezi ka bukhar chad gaya re!!! ;)

Mfd.

2007-08-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

Old teachers came walking past
Flooding mah mind with memories old,
A pat on the back, expression aghast,
At how fast I had grown.

They remebered the tomboy,
And huge eyes that flooded everytime
Somebody punched her nose.
Said I , embarrased, "Ma'am, but that was ages ago!!".

She cried for candy,
And for mummy
Sometimes for Daddy too.
"But sweet was she,
For, she was taught by me!! ;)".

She danced on Christmas
And Diwali too.
But no Rakhies for her,
For no brother had she.

Then came a time when her tooth broke.
Red stained her pink cheeks, she looked absurd;
Said she, "I is brave"
And still, paused to cry after every word!!

Then they saw her go
An unfinished product, one would say,
But of one thing, they were sure,
They'd taught her to find her own way.

Years later they met her
Chattering about.
One dear li'l lady said,
"That girl, do u see?
I'd marked her Mfd."

I just tried my hand at poetry, I know its dumb, but still, atleast my first attempt at writing some 'serious poetry' is related to teachers!

To conclude,

Somebody once said,
"A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others. "

ciao!

jan

I-Day

2007-08-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

हिंद के जवान हम,
हिंद के ही शान हम,
हिन्द के निशान को बुलंद हम किये चले.....

Wishing everybody

Happy Independence Day !!!

Friendship Day and much more.....

2007-08-12T02:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm a li'l late for this post, but still...

August 5th was Friendship Day, or was it 'Band and Bracelet Day'? Well, I'd prefer the second one, though.
I've always been 'against' this so called ritual of gifting friendship bands to friends. It just doesn't make sense.
I feel a friend is worth not just a few 10 rupees.....she's invaluable!

I had vowed I wouldn't waste money this year; save it instead for treats for buddies later on.

But why be the odd one out? So in the end, not unlike last year and all the years before that, I managed to persuade mum to buy some nice bracelets.
I myself received quite a few gifts, and that made me feel very happy (although I went around bleating all this is nonsense!).

I got a note in my diary, the first ever in my life, for not having brought my GK book. The teacher thought I hadn't 'brought', but actually, I hadn't even 'bought' the silly book (I still haven't!).

And yeah, Gran went back to Chennai. Although I'm feeling really, really, really bad, I'm also glad she's happy back there.
I somehow feel Gran'll never come to like Delhi.Nothing's as cozy as one's own home, right? Anyway, I think I gotta get used to the old routine again.Sigh...

jan

(P.S.Preparations are in full swing for I-Day!!)

Critics' comments

2007-08-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

It seems this blog's traffic is inversely proportional to the Delhi traffic! ;) ;)

If this continues, the traffic policeman(yea, me!) may soon become jobless......

So c'mmon guys, PUHLEEZ leave some comments. And I'd make sure it rains comments for your blog!!

buh-bye,
jan

A Shattered Dream

2007-08-02T03:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after searching for hours, I got the results of the written prelims of WIZTEAM 2007. As I clutched the phone so that it almost broke, the guy on the other side confirmed that all of us in the wizteam had qualified to the second round, i.e. the interview round.

You could imagine how excited I was. I kept on jumping about and adding witty, humourous phrases to my introduction. Of course, it had to be no less than PERFECT! Last year, during the city finals I ended up in the top five. Rarely does anybody get a second chance, so this time, I wanted to give it my best shot.

However, the rain god had other plans. He probably thought it was the perfect day to have a nice bath. He forgot to turn off the shower, though.
Although it rained like cats and dogs, I managed to carry my HUGE Yamaha to school, only to find out at the entrance itself that the competition had been called off! You can imagine how shocked I was.
But when the rain stopped at last, they still refused to let us go. And as my teacher lectured me on how to take disappointments lightly, I stared at an earthworm lousily making its way up the ramp. That was exactly what I did throughout the day, with not a single book in hand……..

Praying for sunny days ahead,

jan

Hectic Highways of Life

2007-07-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

Last two weeks have been the most happening weeks of my life!!

First, i got to meet the president on the 17th(u can imagine a dreamy look on my face, since there are no smileys for that!), came second in an extempore on the 18th, got those long awaited English marks a week later (with a lousy 22 1/2), got selected for the wizteam yet again (and this time, iv GOT TO WIN, no matter what!!!), came first in an 'On-the-spot skit making competition' with a couple of friends, read hp7, watched hp5.........failed miserably in answering questions put up by my sst teacher, and in hatching plans to impress her ;)!!!

Uff!! I've been really, really busy, but truly happy and satisfied, as u can see!I hope the good times continue....

However,there's one thing i regret-things have not been so good on the friendship front.It feels bad that after doing so much for each other, I recently had to ditch my so called best friend. sigh....but what's the use of arguing every time we spoke and giving headaches to each other?

Btw, i discovered some new friends as well and felt truly happy at having a friend back at skool, who had been absent for days, and saw that all boys are not dumbos. ;)

cheers to life!!

ciao!

Kabhi Khushi Kabhi GUMS

2007-07-08T02:48:00.000-07:00

Ouch, ouch, ouch! I'm in pain!!!
Actually, it's just those two li'l cuts in my roots and gums that are bothering me a lot, and the frustrating thing is people don't even bother to notice when i wince in pain!! hmph!

Btw, I have my maths Unit Test tomorrow, and ppl will kill me if i 'just miss' getting that 'root of 625' marks (25, if u couln't solve it! ;).
Hmm...I know I've been thro' worse situations than this (100 mks exams) , but it so happens that whenever some task seems very simple, I happen to ignore it completely, and am really overconfident, and need i say what happens then? Take this year's holiday homework, it seemed so little at first, but man (or ma'am!), it was VAST!! guess what? I still haven't finished it!

I'm in the process of finishing 'Anne Frank's Diary', and I feel it's a WONDERFUL book.

There's some exciting news too.Dad's coming back from chennai on Tuesday after a week, and I can already smell some goodies....!!

daddy's baby,
jan

CHATTING on a SHORT SATURDAY

2007-07-07T03:07:00.000-07:00

Hmm....saturdays are always special. Skool on saturday is even more special. its cuz moms at home, after a hectic week at office. so i can always look forward to slurping my fingers when i get back home from skool. well, i do get hot, tasty meals everyday, but somehow, they taste tastier on saturdays....mental perception, u know!!

by the way, i would like to tell you that chatting with 100 or so friends on the net for hours can have some good consequences as well. it was only because of my habit of typing, which i developed thro' chatting, that i could complete an important work of my english teacher, and she was pretty much impressed by my fast typing. did u hear that daddy dear? ;)

one of my shortest posts, but not as short as me! :(
(btw, im SECOND shortest in class)

sKoOl koOl

2007-07-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

its just been two days since skool reopened, and lots has happened already.

the first day though, it was pretty disappointing.
I had expected a more enthusiastic start to a new session, but it so happened that all people around me wanna to go back and sleep. and one actually had the cheek to tell me its 'just' the first day!! cummon.....

the second day, i found an excellent way to dodge a teachers continuued remarks on topics that 'least' concerned us dimwits. just plaster a sheepish smile on ur face whenever an answer goes wrong, and she takes it to be a joke and actually smiles back! ;) ;)

the third day, today, was THE best.
i received a small gift from a seventh standard friend, cuz i helped him yesterday to save a beautiful chart from the rain. well i just kinda wrapped it in two polythene pouches, and put a rubberband round 'em. just that, really.
and he expressed his gratitude today by gifting me a beautiful parker pen!! i was really touched. feels nice to kno tht gud ppl still exist, and they acknowledge even a teeny-weeny bit of help.

i spoke in the assembly about the trip to dalhousie, and exaggereated the GOOD things a bit too much.
and i heard tht my fav teacher (who no longer teaches me :( ) said tht i had spoken as if id vomitted in the bus!

er...it was a thourough misunderstanding!!!!!!!!
well it turned out tht she wanted me to add some details about the HORRIBLE things as well.hehe.
like.... the guys who started vomitting in the bus, due to increasing altitude!! and i thot it to be.....wat?!!!! :D =))

cya,
jan
( im looking awful in two ponies, or as smbdy put it long ago, stupidly cute.
or is it cutely stupid?)

Rain, rain, come again!

2007-06-18T04:29:00.000-07:00

hi everybody!

since i dont have anything to write on, i thought id write sumthing about the rain; its been raining like cats and dogs since morning!
'cats and dogs'.....hmm, isnt it a rather funny phrase? well, if u know the meaning, then do tell me!

i sumtimes feel i mustve been a peacock in my last birth. i simply loooooove the rain!
nopes, not when it simply 'drizzles'! it must rain heavily, and the trees must sway, the umbrellas must come out, and the wind must blow. thats the perfect rainy season for me!

unfortunately, cold and cough being my old enimies, im nvr allowed to go out and drench myself completely, and am restricted to stand in the balcony with my arms stretched in front of me. atleast i get to that!

i dont like it when it rains in the morning. then its not fun at all! it must rain at nite, when the street lights are on, and u can actually 'see' the rain and the little puddles reflecting the lights.
even better, if there is some melodious song playing on the FM.
awesum!

longing to get drenched,
jan

JBJ did'nt make me jhoom at all!

2007-06-16T03:08:00.000-07:00

I went to a movie on saturday nite after ages.....only cuz it was really hyped about. it was, as u might have guessed, jhoom barabar jhoom.

CAST : a dimpled 'pretty' zinta, a bhatinda da chokra (yawn!), a tall street singer sporting a pirates inspired hairdo, a curly haired nerd, and a former miss world failing miserably by trying to be 'genuinely' and irritatingly french.

STORY: they probly didnt have a scriptwriter, cuz thr was no story at all! just a couple of 'meant to be funny' incidents. and i didnt hear a single laugh in the theatre.

director's view point : to make a movie for the genX. (what the hell? even genZ wunt wanna watch such rubbish!)

bigB's role : बीच- बीच में आसमान से टपको, नाचो, बोर करो, और भाग जाओ! although it was verrrrrrrrrrrry repetitive, i must say this was what i luvd best।

so if ur going to see this movie, DONT! take a step bkwards, and head straight towards home, and heave a sigh of relief that ur Rs.150 are still in ur pocket, not down the drain!

still hoping i might get to jhoom,
jan

Maths Trouble

2007-06-15T04:31:00.000-07:00

iv been doing sum maths lately.well, actually, so much of rationalizing and factorizing and solving equations that iv actually started dreaming of maths too! sheesh!

the prob is tht wev got an elinimation test for this maths compettive exam called Aryabhatta, and im desperate to pass it somehow. and since i sit idle most of the time thses days, iv decide to put pen to paper and draw sum complimentary angles. and yea, i actually opened the 9th book and jotted down sum sums for 'xtra' practice. man, they're so damn difficult !!

buh-bye!

a wannabe mathematician,
jan

Pirate of The Den - at wits' end!

2007-06-10T03:15:00.000-07:00

आज की ताज़ा ख़बर: My friends joked they're planning to hold an inter-block competition for the messiest room. if this turns out to be true, there's no doubt they'll unanimously vote for the person who owns the room in which this computer is currently placed. yeah, me!

So today, i thought i'd simply fill up this white space by describing my room in minute detail so that u people can tell me if im really worthy of this award. (btw, my trophy cupboard has been empty for a while, so i can do with an awrd or two...... )

On the white door leading to The Den, there is a huge denis the menace poster cautoning u to back off. excellent मेहमान नवाज़ी, nah?

once inside, u are greeted not by me, but by a cute li'l baby lizard (named lizzie) playing corners. next would probly be a spiderman tshirt crying to be rescued. yeah, spiderman. NOTbarbie.

then there is a really untidy timetable scribbled on white (or is it dusty black?) board, which i hardly even glance at.

u might even be lucky enough to peek at a huge wooden cupbord right above my study table, the pride of my room.cuz it holds all the books iv ever read (i dont mean textbuks), starting from nursery rhymes to grandma stories to chicken soups.

apart from this, the only other 'pleasant' thing ull find are those kiddish 'think positive' and 'anger is bad' posters plastered onto the walls. a few years ago, it was twinkle twinkle li'l stars instead....hehe.

then there's is also a huge diwan and a black, ugly computer next to it, and loads of books and clothes and circulars with the principal's sign all over the place.

if u search patiently, which i usually do not, u might even find a newspaper dating back to 2002!
im certainly not exaggerating.
i swear my room is cleaned painstakingly by mum (as i snore away), only a day before sum visitor is paying a visit to my wonderland. other times i dont pay attention to mum's repeated warnings of cleaning up or getting grounded, and she soon gets fed up.
u know, it useless trying to make an unwilling horse drink water!! ;)

well let me tell u this isnt my permanent den. when it gets too cold out here, i migrate to another room for a few months and then return to the den in the summer. and its really wonderful to see this heaven-like place again. aha!

i dont care and never will how my room looks. its my identity, man! but u know, i have to do sumthing, cuz my friends r cuming over tomorrow! HELP ME! a starnge reason for a strange title.

(psst...heres a lil secret: during most exams, im superstitious enuf to keep that red spiderman tshirt right in the middle of the floor, and those stinking blue socks on the diwan, exactly where they used to lie when i was giving my first exam two yrs ago, which went off as i wanted it to be!)

so cheers to my den!!

jan

party animals on the prowl

2007-06-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

Last night, I burnt my sleep trying to keep awake till twelve.

Reason: My best friend's birthday, and i had to wish her.

At last, at 4 mins to 12, when my eyelids were heavy, drooping with sleep, I decided to wish her.
She picked up the phone, drowsy with sleep, and snapped it after a 'Thank You'.
She too had kept awake for my call! We both are such big idiots! No wonder I don't believe in 'opposites attract'!

We've decided upon a theme for the party this evening - ghosts. Hey! Of all the topics in the world, or rather, out of the world, did it have to be just this ??!!

Well, it's damn spooky, but it wasn't my idea! its just that my friend does crazy things, being a very creative person....hehe.

Now I simply don't know what to wear for the party!
Every Saturday, I'm bound to pick up a nice pair of capris and some awesome Tees displayed in shop windows, and adding them to the huge pile of clothes in my bureau, but when it comes to actually wearing one, it's impossible to select! it's worse if the theme is 'fantasy', and u've gotta wear something creepy and 'straight from the streets'.

I'm not a fashion freak, nor am I really trendy, just plain 'smartly' or 'cutely' dressed.

So don't just sit there and point out spelling mistakes!
Help me! ! !

u know who

The DON is back....

2007-05-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Im finally back after two whole weeks of complete boredom and torture, since the net had a cold and was advised complete rest by the doc (hehe).

I hate to admit it, but im really missing that old routine of getting up early, half sleeping and brushing my teeth, rushing to catch the bus, sitting and dreaming until sumbody reminded me to get down, racing to the class and seeing who came first, teasing friends who look idiotic in two ponies, dog-earing books (later getting scolded by mum), taking pangas with teachers, getting into trouble (sumtimes), getting out of trouble(hehe) and all that stuff….skool has its own charm! sigh!

sometimes, its really amazing how we simply long to get away, away from the hustle-bustle and tensions of skool. But when u do get a few days free, u simply don’t know what the hell ur supposed to do! Ok, I know the first few days u can roam around with not a care in the world, but isn’t 2 months of doing the same thing too much?!

Sometimes, like this once, all your holiday plans come crashing down. its very frustrating, especially when the sun has made up his mind to melt all beings on earth. we hide from that orange ball inside those ACed rooms, just like roaches do!

Nothing to do, except stare at the dumb and rather ugly face of the monitor…..sigh, sigh, sigh!

iv been postponing my hhw for too long now. whenever I decide to search for some decent stuff on the net, there’s always a good friend ready to say hello, and then im down with the chatting fever.
result: no work done. three more weeks to go…..

cya,
a rather bored jan

Holiday Homework

2007-05-28T00:40:00.000-07:00

I was planning to protest against this wretched phenomenon.

REASONS:

Holiday homework was worked out by the teachers as part of their "Student Torture Scheme".
When we kids protested, the teachers agreed (with a wicked gleam in their eyes), to give holiday homework that was 'fun' to do. Well teachers, try serving karela juice in a gold tumbler.It still tastes bitter.

This is what we got, call it 'fun' HHW:
"Geometrically represent factorization of quadratic polynomial ax2 + bx + c" err....what?

Personally, I would have preferred:
"Represent practically, movies + frnds + popcorn + no HHW ( = mast hols!)

However, there's loads of HHW to be done, and we'll be graded for it too. I thought exams come in September, or don't they?!

The Countdown Begins......

2007-05-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

heya!

Exactly TEN days to my birthday, and the mailbox is already flooded with greetings from close friends, classmates, masis, buas, cousins, second cousins and many, many others who bother to remember this 'significant' day every year.
It's the least I can do to thank them graciously, for it's their blessings and good wishes with which I have always started each year, for the last thirteen years of my life!!

This year, I have already received an advance present. My granny is coming to stay with us for a few weeks, all the way from Chennai!!
Travelling along with her are loads of home-made pickles, sweets and namkeens , which flavour my mouth for the entire year. And when she comes, I'll be free to do what I want, attend karate classes and music lessons, even when mum and dad are away at work!! thnx granny!

Its remarkable how someone's birthday gives you more excitement than your own. At least, that's the case with me! Whether its my parents' birthday, or my friends', or relatives', it's very exciting to plan surprise parties or outings, buying a nice present and just sit and watch their reactions as they open them.
But if its your own birthday, then all u have to do is sit on the sofa like a couch potato and watch preparations taking place. Worse, when people whisper mysteriously behind your backs, and your fingers simply itch to open the presents!!

Sometimes, though, when u work hard and things don't turn out properly,it proves to be quite a turn off! Like,this year, on May 1st, on my mom's b'day, we had planned to go out for a movie together, after ages! But dad's car got stuck in traffic, and that totally spoiled our plans! But mum was a great sport, and she decided to treat us instead,with pizza delivered home.

Now when skool reopens in July, I'll be expected to become totally broke, by treating all my friends in the canteen. But that's the real fun of having a birthday!!!

cya!
jan

Blogger ke side effects.....

2007-05-23T00:49:00.000-07:00

Hardy a week old blogger, I'm already experiencing the side effects of blogging:

1.Gaining weight (by sitting for hours on the net)

2. Internet bills

3. Red eyes

4. Neglecting TV

5. Irritated friends (who miss my incoming calls)

6. Growing impatience, lacking topics

7. Change in the entire 'holiday timetable'

Phew!! blogger होना आसान नहीं है!!

jan

cotton candy

2007-05-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, certainly,I'm not talking about those pink fluffs of candy u get on the streets!
It's those dear lil' pups outside in the garden, who have stolen my heart. They'r hardly a month old, and so damn cute! They have soft,white fur, like cotton!They'r so cuddly,so naughty.

Mum and I went to the park yesterday,and discovered these li'l angels running about.We cuddled them and played for a while, and I was so sad to leave them and go!

Living in an apartment has its own disadvantages.You can't have a pup at home. And I, being a single child, am badly in need of a doggy friend.One of my pals, shy, has a very naughty and rather 'photogenic' pup.Hey shy, u sure are lucky! another of my friends, AP, has two white labs, Kaju and Kishmish. I sure envy them sometimes!

I'll try and get some pics of those lovely creatures and put them up.

cya,
jan

When the phone bill arrives.......

2007-05-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

"अरे यार,क्या हाल-चाल है?"
"ठीक हूँ, बस बोर हो रही थी"
"और बता?" and blah blah blah blah...............

Ever been at a loss for words? I mean, when u speak so much to somebody that u don't have any topic to speak on, anymore?Any topic that comes to your mind, it's already a decade old!
That's the case with me nowadays।U see, with holidays on, we classmates don't have much to do, and we certainly won't brood over those boring books! So the only option left is to chat on the phone or, on the net.

Result : the dreaded phone bill becomes more of a long, never-ending manuscript and u shiver when it arrives the same way when your school princy walks past the corridor, or before an exam!

I guess this is the age when people are affected by the Phone Clutching Syndrome (PCS)!! Got any medicine?

Well, gotta leave. MG का फ़ोन आ रहा है !!

jan

mini switzerland

2007-05-20T04:54:00.000-07:00

No no, I haven't been to Switzerland, it's a place much, much nearer. I had been to Dalhousie, with all my friends, as part of a school excursion. I had the time of my life!!

Dalhousie was built as a summer retreat in 1874, and was named after the then Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie, of the British in India.

It's a picturesque place with gigantic mountains surrounded by pine trees, their tips touching the clouds। It has deep narrow valleys, with little brooks snaking their way thro' them.who says greenery is lost from the earth? there is still such a place, painted green, so heavenly, calm and serene; an absolute treat for your senses.

I have been to many hill stations, Mussoorie,Nainital,Shimla, to name a few. But what was it in Dalhousie that other hilly places lacked? Well, it seemed so untouched by human nature, so isolated and exotic, with very few human settlements around.

We had to travel by bus from the Pathankot railway station to Dalhousie, a four hour journey in all! As i looked out of the window, i was listening to my fav rap song. Western culture and Indian scenery? Nah! They don't match. So i switched it off, while others slept, and opened my ears to the sweet twittering of the birds outside.

Unfortunately, Dalhousie does not have any good tourist places of interest। You must be ready to walk long distances, and at the end of the journey, be satisfied with the simplest of structures. We trekked for about 2 km to Subhash Baoli, and all we got to see was a small outlet of mineral water, which is believed to have cured S.C. Bose of TB. We also visited Punjpulla,Khajjiar and Satdhara.

I'm not promoting Dalhousie or something, this is I wish to thank the place for giving me a wonderful time with my friends and teachers (who looked awful in their jeans!!)

jan

dear diary......

2007-05-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know what struck me to start a blog of my own. A personal blog is pretty much similar to a diary, and with so much work to do, I can't afford to maintain one. And writing a diary doesn't run in the family too.

But the other day, while I was bunking classes (I'd like to boast i was, but actually, it was a free period) , I decided to go over to the library and read some book. The librarian resembles Adnan Sami in many ways, but she's really kind and respectable.

I selected a book from the nearest shelf, "The Story Of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank. It's pretty famous. "The story of an ordinary teen leading an extraordinary life", that's what the summary on the cover said. And after reading a few pages, I realized it was quite relevant too.....since I'm gonna become a teen in less than a month! I simply loved it!

That's when I thought how useful it can be to put down your thoughts, your feelings and your day to day activities. Although I'm no Shakespeare, I too love to write, and when there is simply no topic to write on, write your diary! With technology available, why not do it online?

By the way, my summer hols are on, so I've got plenty of time on my hands.This was my first post, and I look forward to writing many, many more in the days to come!! Please leave some comments, and encourage me to write more and more!

jan