Untitled so Far

2008-12-18T22:08:00.002+08:00

Please visit http://puttas.wordpress.com

My new blog is there. Little more active than on this one. Heh.

Muacks

2007-07-20T22:20:00.000+08:00

DIYA: The Journey

As soon as she returned to India from design school, Diya received a ton of job offers based on her brilliant academic and extra-curricular record. Alas as soon as they saw that she was visually challenged they all withdrew, interview after interview with the same response. She didn’t understand this weird behaviour of people. She had top grades, a great university and school education as her background and above all a very charming personality. She began to grow frustrated and after a long time she thought of her sightlessness as a sign of weakness rather than a sign of strength. She remembered when she was at school her best friend, Ayesha had screamed at all the children of her class who were teasing her. Ayesha was so upset that she was wailing in Diya’s lap, about how children can be so cruel to such a lovely person. Diya had calmed her down by telling her what her father had said to her, when she had gone home crying one evening, “Diya, I do not understand why it has to be an issue of sadness and helplessness that children tease you. You just have to ignore what people say, because as long as people have tongues, they will wag them. Have you seen a dog’s tail? Why does it wag as soon as it sees delicious food, food which is lifeless? Because it is tempted to eat it up, engulf it and devour it. Same way with children. If they realize that you think you are weak because of not being able to see, they will be tempted to mock at you. There are times Diya when you will have to prove yourself and if you don’t love yourself how will you make other people love you. Be it meeting new people, or a job interview or just a meeting with a potential boyfriend!” He laughed. “You have to take that it is a boon for being able to do something people can’t do, like reading in Braille, can any of your friends do it? And what about being able to wear sunglasses all the time!” And they laughed and laughed, but what Diya carried back with her that evening to her room was not just memories of that laughter, but wise words on which she started to derive strength and base her whole emotional fabric. Those words were sounding in her head now. She decided to give it another try and she promised to try harder.

Dressed in a smart black suit, hair all tied up at the back, with the perfect amount of kohl in her eyes and a light lip gloss, she entered Adornia Design and Architecture, with an air of confidence. She was shown into the room where she would be interviewed. She sat herself down and waited to be interviewed. There was a silence, shuffling of feet and whispers from the board members. They were talking about her, she was sure. Then one man spoke up, “Ms Patil, your resume is extremely impressive. Tell us, why those dark goggles?” “Sir, firstly I would like to thank you for an opportunity to interact with you. When I was five, I was injured in a near-fatal accident. I lost my power of vision due to that.” “Wow! That must have been something difficult to survive. And yet this consistent performance, these consistent grades. I am impressed Ms Patil.” “Thank you, Sir.” She was secretly thrilled that she had been there in the room for more than five minutes and they still had not rejected her! “Ms Patil, how can you claim to grow as an architect without vision? Don’t you think you need to see what you design? Wouldn’t you want to see your brainchild being appreciated?” She was surprised at the blatancy of the questions, but happy that the interviewers were getting straight to the point and not beating about the bush. She had wanted to answer this question ever since her graduation. She was finally getting her chance. “Design is not about seeing colours, shapes and patterns, it is about visualization. Most people are blinded by their facility to see through their eyes, but forget about their applying a vision and a hint of imagination that can be done only through the mind’s eye. I am hence blessed by this wonderful gift of imagining. I agree that at times, my work may be hampered by my inability to see, but I am confident to be able to get over that with a good team and organization to back me up. I believe that architecture can define how a house can turn into a home, how a school building can be designed to be functional and beautiful so that children feel engaged instead of imprisoned. It has the power to shape a community and change strangers to neighbours. I am very open but firm with my ideas. I may not be able to see but I am extremely observant. I can make out the difference between 1 and 2 centimetres by just a touch. I have polished skills that normal people with eyesight would not care about, but I do because I intend to be the best architect the world has seen today. Thank you.” Silence. “That was an impressive thought Ms Patil. On that note, I would like to welcome you aboard to Adornia. You got the job. I hope to see you on the following Monday. We will have a contract printed out in Braille for your perusal. Our work timings are from 9 30 am to 6 30 pm, and before we forget compulsory partying on Friday night”, said 25 year old Karan Walia and he stared after Diya in complete awe and wonder as she thanked everyone and walked out of the door…
To be continued...

2007-07-12T00:37:00.000+08:00

DIYA: A Beginning

Government Hospital, Rampur. A young man pacing up and down the corridors waiting for the nurse to lay it on him. The news that is. A white crisp tunic clad woman is in view now. She has a smile on her face. “You have been blessed with a beautiful, healthy daughter.” The new father jumped with joy. He rushed to meet his wife. And together they looked at their miracle. The most beautiful daughter born ever, they thought. They each silently started dreaming for her, how she would be, a successful engineer like Rahul… no a doctor… no an architect… no the Prime Minister of India and overwhelmed with joy, they burst into peals of laughter amidst tears.
The Patils were welcomed with great grandeur at their house when they returned with little Diya. After all, Rahul Patil was the son of the Headman of the village. Both the sets of grandparents beamed at their granddaughter. Suddenly all went silent. Diya went red. She sneezed. The crowd went into bursts of “So cute!”, “How adorable!”, “God bless this little child, Diya, the light of this village!”
Medha Patil looked at her daughter lovingly. She thought about all the pain Rahul and she had to endure for this little daughter to be born. The doctor had priori warned them about the possibility of Medha haemorrhaging internally which would put both her and the baby’s lives in danger. But she knew how much Rahul and her in-laws had waited for this child. She had done so many pujas for days together. She had taken a break from her social work, to keep herself fit and fine. She looked at her daughter lovingly, at her rotund face covered with a pastel woolen cap that she had knit by herself, those kohled shiny eyes, those rosy cheeks, those rosebud lips and that toothless million dollar smile, and thought that all of it was worth it.
Diya grew up to be a beautiful woman. She was an A+ student. Her teachers doted on her, girls adored her and boys well, just watched her in simple wonder and amazement. And, it was no wonder that Diya gave the closing speech for the White Design University’s graduating class of 2006-07. She had come a long way. Her parents looked at her. Diya, the light of their lives. They thanked God for giving them such a fantastic daughter who always had her head on her shoulders, and no success ever getting to her head, a daughter who had always been so responsible while they were away at work, a daughter who was so emotionally strong that she had endured the near fatal accident at the age of 5 that took away the power of vision from her. At that moment, Medha felt a mini - déjà vu. A moment where she thought, all was worth it.
To be continued...

2007-07-12T00:34:00.000+08:00

Night sky

staring into the night sky
at our stars so bright and
Constellations of our future
Hand in hand
warm and fuzzy inside
arms around me
protection
comfort
solace
love
what does that feel like?
now i stare into the night sky
and look into empty space
Nothingness

2007-06-16T19:45:00.000+08:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

2007-06-16T18:41:00.000+08:00

The Voice of India

I am back home in India. Switch on the TV. Papa insists on a news channel. Capitalizes on the fact that he has had a tiring day at office. I oblige. Nothing to watch on TV anyway. I settle myself down. Amitabh Bachhan. Rajnikant. A comparison on which star makes more money. A report on AB's puja at Tirupati because he has a 'manglik' daughter-in-law. A report on AB and his land in UP. A report on thalaivar going to perform a puja for his huge, erm, multi huge movie Shivaji. Papa, this is not the news channel. Must be some Filmi Channel. No quite clear. __ News. I say the three words in my head WTF?

2007-06-12T19:27:00.001+08:00

Ok i am a sucker for these things... decided to spruce my blogspot a little bit! Say I am French food!!! Who would have thought of that! Mahesh would have almost certainly bet on Italian for me! haha..

You Are French Food

Snobby yet ubiquitous.
People act like they understand you more than they actually do.

What Kind of Food Are You?

yay! I am a chocolate chip cookie!!!! Famous Amos I am sure!!!

You Are a Chocolate Chip Cookie

Traditional and conservative, most people find you comforting.
You're friendly and easy to get to know. This makes you very popular - without even trying!

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

Je mapellle...

Your French Name is:

Renée Arpin

What's Your French Name?

Oh yeah babbaaay! But the last time i was cookie dough... weird!

You Are Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

You're the coolest cat around, but too laid back to let it get to your head

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

That does mean i ll never get Wolverine ever?! Sigh... the story of my life =(

You Are Jean Grey

Although your fate is often unknown, you always seem to survive (even after death).
Your mind is your greatest weapon, literally!

Powers: telepathy and telekinesis, the ability to project thoughts into the mind of others, communication with animals

Which of the X-Men Are You?

I knew this..

Your Psyche is Red

You are bright, bold, energetic, and intense.
Your upbeat, zany energy inspires those who are down.
Spontaneous and playful, you also have a courageous and fearless side.

When you are too red: you are angry, overprotective, and truly scary.

When you don't have enough red: you are depleted and lifeless.

What Color Is Your Psyche?

2007-06-12T19:04:00.000+08:00

I've realized something. I have begun to talk lesser and write lesser and it is beginning to freak me out! I emote lesser too. Is that maturity? To keep quiet and mum about my highs and lows? Then what is that nonsense about venting your anger otherwise you will implode?
Day after day I keep listening to these contradictions and it makes me wonder about the people who come up with things like this. Saying that self-control is the way to go. Other people say if you do not let the other person know what you are feeling then you do not have the right to blame that person for how you are feeling. The inspiration came from a conversation with a good friend. It vexed me to think about how anyone can keep quiet about the way they feel and then take all their frustration out later, on a person who was not responsible for those vented feelings in the first place. If they choose to be quiet then they should not vent it out later because once you have kept quiet about it implies that you have chosen to forget how it affects you. How can you justify venting it out later by saying something like it was there in my system, just didnt want to let it out then.
In fact, referring to an incident about a year ago, concerning a close friend, how can people take their anger at their workplace on their own children? Don't they care at all about the shape of their children's self esteem?
Life is complicated.

2007-02-13T02:19:00.000+08:00

THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP...

I have to smile; the world exploded into love all around me… Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you re gonna get… Life is a box of chocolates; you eat it too fast and it gets bitter and if u eat it too slowly people would want pieces of it... Don’t revolve with the world; make the world revolve around you… Love remained the drug that's the high and not the pill... No person cannot not have a problem; the bigger the problem, the larger the opportunity to learn life’s bigger lessons… I'm gonna tell you what I think about you in that unforgivable way I do; You're an idiot and I hate your guts… I am a bitch, I am a lover, I am a child, I am a mother, I am a sinner, I am a saint… put yourself between a bullet and a target, and it won't be long before you're pulling yourself away… I wish I knew how it would feel to be free… All of these things people tell me keep messing with my head… I am not crazy I am just a little unwell… when everything’s made to be broken… Still standing… Love has no manners… The only person I am scared of is me… Let me be… Speak when you are spoken to; a lotta mess happens because you go outta turn… Life is a bitch, when you show some love it whimpers and stays still and satisfied, but as soon as you anger her, Holy Mother of God!

[Aesa’s been complaining… so here is something to read for a while… a sorta tribute to my head… lines that inspire me… that define me… and a few personal musings]

2006-12-23T16:56:00.000+08:00

WOLF! WOLF!

I was just down with a tummy upset yesterday and i remembered an incident that happened in the 12th standard. It was a Friday morning. I was taking IIT coaching and we had an extremely difficult test coming up the following Sunday. I woke up at 6 am and decided that I am going to sit and study for the test instead of going to school and spend 8 hours of my life in school where all we would do is make fun of all that was going around us. I maybe sounding like an absolute geek but the focus here is that I wanted to bunk school that day.
So told mom that look, I have to study, otherwise I will definitely fail. Just write a leave letter saying that I had a tummy upset or something. And I messaged my friends saying I wont be going to school that day because I have a tummy upset. And to miss me :P They all replied saying yeah why not! Just say you are bunking na! My gosh! You are trying to fool US of all people!
I studied like a good child till 3 pm when it was time to get ready for my IIT coaching classes. I was studying lying flat on my stomach on the bed. I turned to one side and wham! There was a crazy pain, guess where? In my stomach! I just couldn't get up. It was like as if someone was throwing themselves on to the walls of my stomach. I was literally writhing in pain. I called mom immediately but her phone was switched off because she was in a meeting. I tried walking around and it just kept getting worse and worse. I decided against going to class. I messaged my friends and said that I am not coming because now I am really having a terrible stomach ache. It was like the story of "When the boy cried Wolf!" None of them believed me! I felt like an idiot! It was like the worst ever stomach ache I had ever had. And to top it all no one believed me. Finally, when mom came back from the office she took me to the doctor and i slowly recovered.
I learnt three lessons that day:
Not to have pani puri outside ever(not much of a lesson though, I still do it a lot..LOL!)
Not to cry wolf without seeing any wolf, rather in my situation not to see wolves on purpose.
Not to bunk school again(sounds like a 5th grade child, ah well I am a slow learner, so cut it out!)

Cheers!

2006-12-21T00:54:00.000+08:00

Dum dee dah!

Tuduludulu!

Hmmmmmmmmm!

Funny how these totally nonsensical words can be put to tune and it’s called music! Well I am sure the same clichéd words about music have been written everywhere on articles and blogs saying how it alleviates your worries and elevates your mood. I hope not to bore all my faithful readers with the same thing, but think about a world without music. I don’t know if Bollywood would have the same attraction, or if dance will have the same charm, if it would cause a high for a heart filled with love or a warm blanket for one that’s broken, or a relaxant for people in their cars in the rush hour of traffic, or a stimulant for intellectual thinking! Hell, it would be the loss of a whole form of expression! So, you see it really is difficult to think about a world without music. For me, people who know me will know that I associate everyone with a song that I think got us together. With Anewsha it was There she goes because we sang that song for Freshies Night and got us together and with Anfield it is When you say nothing at all because it has innumerable memories associated with Anewsha and I trying to get him to sing the song correctly and hence the flowers of friendship blossomed! If you try to define music you will reach a dead end because you cant call it a collection of notes nor can you call it just a sound. Music is something you cant even define so much so that I believe that it must be defined as the sixth sense which everyone has. I believe it so much that I think it should be made a religion!!! Ah, that’s just me being my crazy self :D

Here are my top 5 ever I think:

Sweet Child of Mine – Guns n Roses : Don’t honestly know what I would do without this song. My anthem, My prayer song, My walking alone everywhere song, My everything. My first foray into my obsession for music was with this song. Absolutely love them for this song.

Wonderwaal – Oasis : An all-time favourite. Cant go without this song for too long, although its so painful listening to it.

Be Yourself – Audioslave: My discovery with Su, a dear friend (and obviously the song I associate her with) while we were sitting at CCD and sipping a cuppa cold coffee. Lovely song especially on long drives and morning jogs!

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room- John Mayer : I, Puttas started liking John Mayer after listening to this song. Courtesy : Anfield. Unbelievable song. Fantastic tune. Mind blowing lyrics.

Sing - Travis : Helped me sail through the last days of the past crazy semester. Rediscovered Travis after ages and loved their songs.

"So i say thank you for the music

The songs you’re bringing

Thanks for all the joy you’re bringing

Who can live without it?

I ask in all honesty

What would life be?

Without a song or dance, what are we?

So I say thank you for the music

For giving it to me."

2006-09-11T18:13:00.000+08:00

Hope…

She opened her eyes slowly, after what seemed like eons. As soon as her eyes were wide open there was a hustle-bustle in the room. There were doctors and nurses bringing artificial respirators, ECG machines and so many other unidentified instruments to her bed. They started checking her pulse, drawing blood and scribbling things on her Patient Information Card. She felt drained as if life was being sucked out of her every nanosecond, like a quicksand which was making her go deeper and deeper and she just didn’t know when she was going to come out… or if there was any escape. She felt dizzy and she blacked out… not knowing if she would wake up again…

Months ago, Daryl Thomas was at a bar, sitting with her girlfriends. She was she was wounded and drinking away into the night. “This won’t work out!” Ben had yelled, thrown the engagement ring on the rug and left and never called back. He saw him once at the Café Delite, their usual after-work meeting place, with another woman. They were laughing and holding hands. She felt murderous. She was furious that he had moved on, without giving her a reason. She stormed out, her tears blinding her. She couldn’t believe she was shedding tears on someone who didn’t care about her anymore. She slammed the door of her apartment and screamed aloud, “I love you, Ben!” But it fell on lifeless walls, and before she knew it, she was crying in self pity. Her best friend, Alicia who had heard her from the next apartment, made plans for a girls-night-out to Club Zero, the new lounge bar. Daryl was forced into her sexiest clothes, and literally dragged out of her apartment. And now she was sulking into the night and putting off rather persistent strangers making passes at her. She stood up to leave, her head was spinning and without any warning, she fell to the floor.

She woke up next morning with Alicia at her bedside, with a cup of tea and some scrambled eggs on toast. She remembered the previous night, and realized she had a headache. She felt nauseous and ran to the bathroom. Blood. She was horrified. She screamed.

They were at the doctor’s in half an hour. Alicia had called Daryl’s office and told them that she’d be taking the day off. There were many tests done. Dr Rudy Blaine had told her that it would be a minor thing. Not an issue to worry about. And that they could come the next day to collect her reports. Rudy was in his early thirties. Smart, tall, athletic and the most successful oncologist at his age, he and Daryl had grown up together, had had crushes on each other and she trusted him beyond words. If Rudy said it would be ok, then it would. He gave her a quick bear hug and told her to take good care of herself. Sometimes she felt guilty for having moved on, Rudy had never forgotten her…

She went back the next day to get her reports. Rudy called her in. He seemed disturbed. He was mumbling something like, “Impossible.” He saw her, gave her a half smile. She knew there was something terribly wrong. He told her to sit down. He drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know and I won’t believe it till all the other tests are true. Daryl honey, it will be scary but I am there to help you deal with it.” She felt a sudden pang of panic. “Sweetie, there are some traces of stomach cancer. It usually doesn’t happen to women your age, but there are traces. We want to examine you further and determine the stage of cancer before we diagnose anything. I am sure it will be ok.” She heard a definite break in his voice. And she also knew that for the first time, she couldn’t believe Rudy when he said that it would be ok. She apprehensively but bravely agreed to get all the tests done…

Three days later. Rudy’s house. Mrs. Blaine had called her home. She was making Daryl’s favourite macaroni with cheese, Italian grilled veggies and chocolate milkshake. After a sumptuous dinner and wonderful conversations, Rudy was dropping her off at her apartment. In the car, he seemed so silent and so not his usual self. She tried making conversation twice or thrice. His answers came in monosyllables…

Daryl felt the world come crashing down on her when she heard it. Rudy had said it would be ok. She was angry and she felt her face turning hot. “III stage of cancer… we don’t have much time… treatment starts tomorrow… get yourself admitted… I‘ll call Mr. and Mrs. Thomas… you just relax…” She wanted to scream,”HOW?” Instead she just hugged Rudy, and they cried. She sensed Rudy feeling helpless and questioning life, life which had given him everything, and now she was going away, never to return…

They went to church after that. And decided to pray. She just sat there looking into empty space about what there was left to do. And what she wanted to do. Rudy and she went back to her apartment and made arrangements to get her admitted into the hospital. At night they had take-away Chinese for dinner and watched their all-time favourite movie “The Lion King”. They kissed…

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas came in to her hospital room. She was looking worn out, she had black circles under her eyes and her hair was scanty.
Mrs. Thomas burst into tears when she saw her daughter, a fighter, so weak and frail. Daryl had always been a perfect daughter. Top grades, a brilliant swimmer, she had gone to Stanford on full scholarship. She was the pride of her family. A brilliant job, a great fiancé and a sparkling future was all Mrs. Thomas could see in her daughter’s life just a week back. She had thought Ben was wonderful, and was so disappointed it hadn’t worked out. When she heard the news that Rudy had told Mr. Thomas, she was shattered. She was shocked, her world had fallen apart. It took her a while to digest it.
Mr. Thomas kissed Daryl on her forehead and said,”Hey Tiger!” He looked at her and saw her struggling and wished beyond hope that she wouldn’t die. It was the first ever time he had thought it a possibility. Rudy said he was trying his best. He wished for himself to suffer instead of her. Daryl saw a pearly teardrop for the first ever time on her father’s face…

It had been a month since she was in the hospital. She was not getting better. Daryl started making a list of things she wanted to do before she…. died. It seemed such a likely prospect now. She was flipping through the pages of the magazine she was reading. She stopped at a page with an article titled “Faith Healing”. She read the article word by word. It spoke about how many diseases have been miraculously cured by faith. Daryl felt a new energy and a renewal within herself after reading the article. She thought all was not lost after all…

She was annoyed to see Rudy’s and her father’s reaction when she told them of this. They had just remained silent and were not at all excited to see a new light and a new ray of hope in her life. She couldn’t fathom this reaction and turned away from them and in her anguish told them to leave. Rudy protested and said he had something important to say. That her condition had worsened. The cancer had metastasized. It was in Stage IV. She was so convinced that she would be healed by this new concept of healing by faith, that she forced Rudy and her parents to check her out of the hospital. At a cancer patients’ session, the Thomases were counseled not to control their daughter. They were told that different people have different ways of dealing with the cancer. They were also told that their daughter needed help to come to terms with her illness and they had to talk to her about end-of-life issues. They never thought they would see this day. That night the Thomases got back to Daryl’s apartment and cried…

Meanwhile, Daryl was leading a normal life. She started going back to office and living a normal life despite the pleas of her parents and Rudy. She hadn’t partied all night, she hadn’t gone to Paris, Switzerland, India-her dream destinations, she hadn’t tried Icelandic cuisine, she hadn’t paraded around New York dressed as a hippie, she hadn’t worn a bikini, she hadn’t owned a diamond, and she hadn’t told Rudy that she had fallen in love with him. She had thought she had a whole lifetime for all that…

[Disclaimer: This idea was inspired by a popular TV series and this post is by no way a means to wean people away from faith healing. Faith is a wonderful thing. It gives you a reason to believe in something. But it always doesn’t work. And it is practical to believe in medicine.]

2006-07-06T15:27:00.000+08:00

GYMMOLOGY

OK… it is official. I am obsessed with the gym. Joined the gym last month, it is responsible for driving away my morning blues as well as those stubborn kilos! As I work out in the cardio section everyday, I think about a lot of things. Things which make me look into the deeper meaning of life. It is but of course natural to introspect on life when you are not giving somebody else discourses about how to handle theirs. The little voice in the head starts jabbering away, while you keep your big mouth shut. And while I was at this introspection I started equating life’s secrets or its philosophies to the various equipments in the gym…
Who would have ever thought that the treadmill could teach you a lesson? I say it does! It teaches you so much about stagnancy. The belt of the treadmill indicates the pace of life. And the person walking on it represents a human being on a stagnant and stationary spot in his/her life. The scenario suggests some form of wanting or longing which is not being accomplished for the simple fact that life is stagnant at that point. There is also a positive lesson to be learnt. That if you increase the speed of that conveyor belt, life is exhilarating! And you will have no time to breathe!!!
Ever thought about what a stationary cycle can mean? Here is a thought. A cycle is a clichéd symbol of life, bad and good happen at every revolution. I view it something like this- one leg goes up and another leg goes down, thus portraying the proverb- every cloud has a silver lining.
And lastly the cross trainer. Here one leg and one hand go in front and the other leg and hand go back. Something like the times, sometimes good sometimes bad. But the important thing here is, when one hand goes back it has to come in front, there cant be bad times always or seeing it the other way there cant always be good times.
The gym is a place one can learn a lot from… for instance, if you need to lose that flab or be fit you have got to sweat it out. Same with life, If there is a goal to achieve you have got to give it your blood and sweat… signing off for now… and yeah KEEP GYMMING!!!!

2006-06-21T16:29:00.000+08:00

FLASHBACK BIRTHDAYS

Birthdays are a reason to celebrate the miracle that is life… As hostelites we don’t usually get to celebrate birthday with family but friends more than compensate for that. The four most memorable birthdays were this semester. It brought all of us all the more close… and of course, the gifts… hehe…

The first birthday of the year was Nasa’s birthday on Jan 2. We could not do much because we were all in different places. Me in Bangalore, Anfield, Faffu and so many more in Chennai and Nasa himself in Mysore. So we all called and wished him that is all. When we got back Anfield and I made a little plan to surprise him. We went to Clementi at 6 pm after my Discrete lecture and his C in S lecture and told him that I had to go to NTUC and buy some settling-in stuff. As per the plan, Anfield would take him to have his favourite Cheese Fries at KFC and I would ‘go to NTUC’ while I would actually buy the cake. My heart a ached to see these two go have Cheese Fries. That story seemed so fake… “i dont want to eat 'that' high calorie stuff”. Ah never mind. So i made my way to the cake store. On the way, i thought that he would get suspicious if I carry a cake while shopping so I had a bright idea. I called him and told him that i was not shopping in NTUC but getting a cake for Anfield, cos it was his girlfriend's birthday the next day and the cake would make him miss her less. HE BELIEVED THAT!!! So all was set and the next day Anfiled, Fafu, Anu and I went to Nasa's room with cake, Coke and Lays.We broke the surprise to him and he was touched! Saw the surprise on his face, and felt glad that we did this for him! Nasa, so you think only you can surp-rise, think again!!! Rock on, DUDE :P!!

:D :D :D … u should have guessed, my birthday!!!It was Jan 26. It was around dinner time, so I called on my dear friend Magesu for our dinner ritual. He said he was at cricket practice and that he may come late, so I should carry on with dinner. I said I would wait because I wasn’t really hungry. So waited and waited till 10:30 pm, then started on dinner. He later joined me. I found out after the micro- mini- sabo that he, Anu and Nasa had gone to Mustafa to buy my gift!It was 0000 hrs. My parents were on the phone as i made my way to the barbeque pit. Saw all my friends and was so excited, my first birthday at Singapore!!! Saw my cake and the chocolate on it and was drooling but I had to wait, it was my birthday cake after all! Cut the cake and everything, then started the cream on my face and hair. Then came coke and Carlsberg. Next came a disgusting mixture of rotten eggs, rose water, milo powder and water I think, I don’t know, all I know was it was GROSSSS!! I was resigned to my state of mess. Then came the gifts. I got an iPod from these people!! I remember when we had gone to Mustafa I mentioned to Nasa that I would buy an iPod this semester. He remembered... that adorable sweetheart!!! I got an amazing Green Day Live in Concert DVD from Gans and Vector!!! Anewsha, Macho Girl and Suk gave me two jewellery boxes. And this was the weirdest, but a thoughtful(;-)) gift, a book titled ' How to have an orgasm as often as you want' from Shree and Suruchi! Arushi gave me a lovely book made of handmade paper, in which she had written little thoughts for me. I felt wonderful to have such amazing people around me, it was probably top on my best days at NUS. I love you guys!!!

Next was Anfield’s bday. On Jan 30, Gyan, Anu, Sri and I went to Mustafa to buy stuff for Anfield's bday. It was the Chinese New Year weekend (Singapore shuts down), and there were no shops open except the great Mustafa. So we went there, and bought the ingredients to make his favourite pasta. What would we do about the cake? Gyan now volunteered to bake a cake for Anfield. It was 8 30 pm and Anu, Sri and I argued that we would not have enough time and we put a sponge cake in our shopping basket, but (sigh) would Gyan listen, NO!!! He was determined to bake a cake for Anfield. So he bought all the ingredients, we bought some chocolate icing and chocolate chips to dress the drab sponge cake up , just in case Gyan was not able to complete his cake in time. So we finished shopping for his gift- a FasTrack watch and a Davidoff Cool Water perfume, had dinner and by this time it was 10 pm. Now the biggest problem around Mustafa is getting a cab. It was 11 pm when we got back to campus. I started on the pasta immediately. Gyan started on his cake, while Anu and Sri resigned to the time constraint started decorating the sponge cake. I had almost finished the white sauce and was adding corn kernels to the sauce when Gyan without looking walked into the handle of the saucepan and all the white sauce went crashing down. He went," I am so sorry Puttas, shit, oh man so so so so sorry." I was laughing at the situation and decided that I would cook later for him and give him his treat also later. So I started helping Anu and Sri. It was about 11: 50 pm when Nasa and I went to Anfield's room to escort him to his sabo. The rest came with the cake. At 0000 hrs he was saboed, I must say pretty badly with rotten chutney and sambar and loads and loads of kicks. After which we took him to the lounge. The pasta was to be a surprise for Anfield, but Faffu didnt let it remain one. Gyan was furious and gave her a stare that said," I am in the Italian mafia, remind me to give you a red rose and kill you!!!" Anfield gave me a look which said," You think i would not have figured out, hehe you guys rox!" Anyway we went back made the best pasta and cake ever, atleast Anfield claimed so. The new cake however was a surprise for him and the look on his face when he saw it and ate it was magical. It was his 18th birthday and he loved it. We did the best we could on this Chinese New Year weekend,dude, hopefully you enjoyed it. He enjoyed his cyber date wid Nisha, after this with pasta and apple juice. I was so tired by the end of it all, but enjoyed every minute of contributing to make his day as he had done for me. But the real star of this all was GYAN the Great! What a cake that was!!! Amazing!!! And what determination, Gyan you realllllly roxxxxx!!!

It was Magesu’s birthday on April 27, on which day we had two crazy final exams, C++ and Critical Thinking and Writing. So we didn’t have the sabo that night. So after all the exams on 29 April, we had Magesu's sabo. Though i couldnt contribute much to the planning of the entire thing, I had awesome fun at the sabo. The best was when Magesu was screaming out in Tamil about his posterior paining while being saboed. It was too funny!! We gifted him a Citizen watch which he loved. After the security guards came and cleared us out, Anu, Anfield, Magesu and I sat talking at the stairs. Magesu and Anfield started on their fantastic imitation of his teachers and that is when I had a bright idea. We recorded his and Anfield's imitation of their teachers on camera. It was hilarious, and had us cracking up big time. Their 12 A imitations are simply the best.

29 April was the first of the last few days of our first year at NUS and as the four of us sat reminiscing our best moments there, I realized that friends are the best gift to life, they pull you up when you are feeling down, and bring you back to earth when you are flying too high in the sky. I am fortunate to have such wonderful friends and may i add they are all fortunate to have me :P This is a tribute to all those fantabulous people who made my life brilliant, whether it was debating about Buffaloes wearing bras on the first day at NUS at an orientation session or just sitting around talking into the wee hours of the morning. Looking forward to another great year!!! ROCK ON \m/

2006-06-19T23:54:00.000+08:00

A steal with teal

ah well just to say.. i changed my template :P
have fun...

2006-06-19T19:04:00.000+08:00

Nostalgia...

It is new people and new places that give you the energy to move on and progress in life. Change is a permanent process so much so that it defines permanence. I had been in the same school from KG 1 to Class 12, had the same wonderful friends, the same magnificent school building and a warm security blanket. Everyday I would wake up at 6 45, wear the same grey skirt, grey striped white shirt and would feel proud to be a part of my school.

It was not until graduation day on February 12 2005, did I and all my classmates realize how much for granted we had taken our routines, our friends, our teachers. We had the same lingo, ways of living and behaviour. How would people be outside? Will they laugh at the way I say ‘Go home!’ or “’bahalllaz’? In school I was quite a star with my close friends and teachers, I had a position in this school, would it be the same outside? I guess I was not the only one introspecting on these questions. As the director gave us all a speech about how important the coming years are for a blooming career and a brilliant life, there was a silence in the air, which prevailed during assembly only when we stopped talking knowing that PT ma’am was doing her rounds. It was a momentous silence when all of us reflected on the past, present and future…

As we walked out of the school gates that day, we felt strange, a gloomy yet fresh silence prevailed in the air. It was the feeling that we would never enter the school gates every morning, search for the smart geek who finished the homework for the previous evening to finish our own work, talk about the fantastic restaurant that we had gone the previous evening, or tittle-tattle about the new ‘couple’ or the now un-couple, or drool over the new hot guy in school and giggle discussing about a friend’s newest crush, standing in the assembly with our hands folded and singing the prayer song, going to classes in a line, entering the class and getting chatty with all the people around, wishing the teacher a draggy ‘Good Morning’ (yeah right, we made life hell for our teachers!! Muhahahahaha), raid boxes of the ones who got short break, then after two classes come down for lunch and clap and give standing ovations to appy if she finished lunch, come down for PT class, play throwball and injure a few people in the process, chortle at PT ma’am’s delivery of the command 1-2up-3-1, then binge at the chat before ACE class and amidst all this studying also!!! All this and so much more… and before we knew it, we started going to college and we all went to different places, pursuing our dreams with hopes of making it big…
A year has passed, but nothing has changed. When old friends meet, we talk about our new wonderful friends, new magnificent college building and a new warm security blanket. I guess this will never change, this is permanence…

2006-05-23T20:21:00.000+08:00

ICE AGE 2- Bollywood style

Recently I had been to Chennai and my NUS friends made plans to watch Ice Age 2 at their multiplex Satyam. I had already watched the movie after the Physics exam on the computer but thought it would be worth watching it in the theatre with all the sound effects and all. So was sitting next to Anu and Magesu. The seat behind us had a little boy who had an extremely weird laugh, kind of like a snort and a grunt mixed and Anfield and his friends erupted into a laugh whenever he laughed at a kiddy joke! That was the only source of entertainment aside from the movie which was now boring because I knew the twists and the comic timings of the movie. Then came the scene when the mammoths were in the thicket and Ellie the female mammoth started realizing that she was a mammoth and not an opossum. That is when Manny (I think it is spelt that way) goes around to comfort her (awww). That awww was the first thing on my mind for that perfect romantic moment when it was interrupted by Magesu’s vicious laugh. Anu and I turned to him and he says to me,”Hahaha! This is so typically Bollywood! Hero and heroine running around between the trees trying to romance. Hahaha!” Anu and I went berserk at the way he said it. He even went on to describe how the two monsters in the water can act as villains and separate the two love birds… erm love-mammoths from each other!
That is when I had the bright idea of this post. Here are a few observations we made that make Ice Age 2 a typical Bollywood flick!!!

The mammoths in a thicket
The hero and heroine meet by chance. They end up fighting and bickering in the beginning, which slowly turns into LOUUUUUVE!!
Two family members who want to prevent the blossoming of this love (the two opossums! Ok not a great factor, but yeah well it counts!)
Song sequences in the middle of the movie-Food, Glorious food…
Villains- the two gross creatures in the water under the ice sheets and the vultures flying in the sky
Multi-star cast which is the new fashion in Bollywood with supporting actors- Sid and Diego
The comedian like Johny Lever or Paresh Rawal- that little sabertooth squirrel that kept coming and going out of the frame.
Lastly, like a typical Bollywood comedy with slapstick humour

I feel like a movie critic but a more creative one at that. Muhahahahaha! Go watch the movie and tell me if u observe anything more… And Hollywood says we copy their storylines... Phooey!!

2006-04-22T16:33:00.000+08:00

Of apples and plum puddings…

Food for thought… thy name is Physics. I have just finished my last ever exam in Physics and uncannily I am feeling strange and I have a feeling I am missing it. Wow! I never in my wildest of dreams imagined that I will miss Physics! It felt like yesterday when I told my mother that I want to do a PhD in Physics just because I had got full marks on my first Physics test in sixth grade…
That wave of nostalgia is however not lasting too long… because instead of general physics, there will be more specialized topics. Of all things bright and beautiful about phyics, I will miss mechanics the most. Mechanics has the funniest questions like an ant is moving towards the centre of a merry-go-round; find the speed when it is at half the radius. Leave the ant alone. It is happy in its world of Biology and workaholicness, why drag a poor innocent soul into Physics!
I will once again enter a new world…a world filled with equations and complex phenomena… and will I miss it… Not a chance!!!

2005-12-30T17:47:00.000+08:00

BANGALORE: THE GARDEN CITY.... THE I.T. CAPITAL....OH WHAT THE HECK PUTTAS' CITY!!!
Home is where the heart is...
Come 28 Nov... My first semester exams got over and I was leaving for home... India... The land of broken roads but solid soul... Of impoverished homes but rich hearts... Of low literacy rates but abundant urban intelligence... Of culture so colourful that rainbows seem dull...
After a grueling 24-hour packing expedition, I bid a temporary farewell to my room, hostel, my wonderful friends who have helped me through all the bad times and the good. I reached the airport and checked in, and then the feeling began to sink in that I was going home!!! I went for my security check and there I was told that the flight is delayed for 40 minutes. I felt that I was already back, considering the delays that occur on Indian Airports! I boarded the flight belonging to INDIAN AIRLINES and I already felt at home. Those unfamiliar faces seemed so familiar all of a sudden. Those joined hands saying ‘Namaste’ got me back to my roots almost instantly.I sat down and embarked upon what seemed like a never ending four and half journey back to my where my heart was….
‘Sabhi yaatriyon se nivedan hai, ki veh apni kursi ki pethin baad lein(translates to: A request to all passengers, to fasten their seat belts)… and I knew that I was home!!! Tears streamed across my face, and I was filled with emotion. All I wanted now was to see my mom’s face. And being so close to her I knew that she will be worried because my flight was delayed and I hadn’t informed her about it. I completed all the immigration formalities and almost ran out… and I saw her there and hugged her tight…
I came home and hugged the front door, went in sat on my bean bag, and began to sit on my sofa, dining table like a maniac… and finally reached my room and tears started to flow across my face and I lay in my bed for what seemed like eternity… I was home… where my heart resides…

2005-11-19T04:37:00.000+08:00

GANS... THE MAN!
Now that I am on a roll introducing all my wonderful friends lets introduce another favourite buddy from school, presenting GANS!!! Ta-da!! Gans and I have been friends since 11 grade and we have had a great friendship ever since. Gans is one of those few people who express what they have to say in beautiful written language.
Gans and I met first in school when he had come to register for IIT classes. I thought that he was a major geek. He saw me and my best friend talking to a little girl and he tells me that at that time he wondered if he would ever have a friend like me back then. Then we next kept meeting generally as classes commenced but we didn’t meet as frequently because we were not in the same school. Thus the year passed…
The very next year he shifted to my school and then we had a blast. I remember him discussing his love life with me, discussing how crazy the math teacher is, always doing work other than what is given to us by the teacher, flunking in the FIITJEE exams…. man those were the days.
And then the entrance exams, then the results, when he helped each other deal with our bad performances, lazing around at Coffee Day, Forum….
I remember the day very clearly when we were sitting in Appy’s place and we were playing spin the bottle, but we had altered the game a little bit, by asking personal questions to the person the bottleneck pointed to. Ganesh and I got the same question: Name one friend whom you would like to take along to spend your university life with. Incidentally we both said each other’s name and this is what happened. Like the miracles of Christmas, we both got into the same university!!!
After a lot of nerve-racking sessions, we both decided to come to NUS and that day’s events had come true. WOW!!!
We landed here at NUS. Ganesh and I share a special bond of sister and brother. He sometimes says that I am like his older sister in Bangalore. Gans and I had an awesome first few days in NUS, depending on each other for support and help. We complained about the food, the people and weather, always complimenting Bangalore and its various aspects. We were such close friends in school so it was wonderful for the two of us who used to hang out in the same gang to be together in a foreign land. We missed all our friends but were glad we had each other.
Gans has this awesome way of making me laugh at his silly comments and a wonderful way of bugging me and at the same time making me laugh and want to pinch his cheeks!!! His smile and way of talking just can cheer anybody up. He is very witty at times and lame at others. One of the best programmers I know, he is extremely helpful and can calm you down in an instant. He loves French fries and he will eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, given a chance, which usually gets him into trouble with me. His style of saying alright, nice and awesome have caught on in our batch and everyone seems to be using that style. The style simply has a nasal twang to it while stretching the words. Though we stay some blocks away in hostel I make sure all my life’s secrets go to Gans and are safe with him. We drifted apart for a while, but we got back soon enough at Diwali!
On Diwali this year, we went to a common friend’s house to have traditional Indian festival food. After that we went to this mall called Plaza Singapura. It was walking through the corridors of Forum(a mall in Bangalore) with our friends and reliving those awesome moments all over again, I went back to the days when we used to share our thoughts joys sorrows and all that ever mattered in life.
Gans is an awesome person with a heart of gold. He understands any situation without you having to say anything. He is a true friend and can keep friendships wonderfully. He makes your joys his joys and your sorrows his sorrows. His amazing ability to make one laugh in the weirdest of situations makes him truly a gem and a true asset. Gans u really made my life easier here. And you gave me all the support I could asked for.
This post was to acknowledge all the terrific times we have had in the past as great friends and some sort of pledge that I will be FRIENDS FOREVER however distant we grow apart, which again I am sure wont ever happen.
Thank you for always being there. And thanks for bearing with me for all these days.
Gans U ROX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-11-18T02:43:00.000+08:00

AN ODE TO ANFIELD (in my style)
Anfield... I have introduced him in my earlier blogs as my buddy; he is in fact much more than that. Anfield is my best friend, my confidante and one of the most wonderful people I have met in my entire life.
We first met at the PGP bus terminal when a few of us had bunked an orientation session (ragging in short!) to go for band practice for the Freshie’s Night. He was wearing a T-shirt that said ‘Everyone has one… some people are one.’ (I understood what that meant only very recently… I am that slow?! Unbelievable!!!) Anewsha introduced us to each other and I did not get any particularly positive vibes from him and just said a polite hi, which he returned with equal politeness. That is it, that was the last one word he has ever said in a conversation!!! After that, at band practice I was extremely impressed with his voice and complimented him on that, to which I got a plain “Thank You”. Also, he had got Pringles for all of us at band practice, and being the foodie that I am, I dug in without a second asking, and declared it to him and all he said was, “Yeah we can see!”( you see I am a ‘little’ on the heavier side)
My first impression: RUDE, RUDE, RUDE!!!
The next day we had band practice again. This time he was a lot friendlier. Probably he had starting trouble! So band practices continued with Anewsha and me trying to get him sing the song ‘When you say nothing at all.’ He would make such an effort to get to the right pitch and would distort his face so badly, and made it so imitable that I had to try it on Anewsha and soon I became famous for it!!! I was surprised that he took it so sportively and actually asked me to do the imitation for him, and he laughed and laughed his head off!!!
Then came the last ragging session, the Sentosa island trip and then finally after a really really long time classes finally started. It was the first class at 2 on a Monday afternoon. I reached the computer center to collect my lecture notes(Ha ha I was way sincere back then!!!) I checked which tutorial group I was in and left for class with Gans(who was unfortunately not in my tutorial group). But after my lecture I discovered to my surprise (but I am sure not yours!) that Anfield is my tutorial mate! We were delighted (because at that point of time he thought I was cool!) that we had each other for company. The rest they say is history(Gawd someone stop me, I am making it sound like a documentary). Thus began this wonderful friendship of which both of us are proud of.
The two of us have been suspected to be in a relationship and we always laugh it off as something absolutely RIDICULOUS! We are major foodies and because of that I have put on extra weight as he always lures me to the Chocolate Sundae at McDonalds. We are always balanced as a pair, because when I am hyperventilating he is calm and when he is going nuts, I am there to pacify him. Our lunchtimes are the source of entertainment to all the people around because Anfield and I argue for the heck of it over really really silly topics…. I mean SILLY when I say silly! Every morning I give him a wake up call, which he is ‘supposed’ to cut, but no; he takes the call and annoys me by teasing me about my phone bill. And ultimately we both reach our tutorials and lectures late, huffing and panting, much to the amusement of all our tutorial mates and teachers.
We have a perfect sort of friendship. If he yells for something stupid, within five minutes there will be a sorry message, a quality that is rarely seen among the males of the world. He is really an amazing person who has a heart for all people around him and makes an effort to make things seem so simple (except physics!!!) No one still believes that Anfield and I have a friendship that is easily everlasting, and one of its kind. We fight and scream, punch and hit, but we love each other dearly. I don’t know how things will be if we don’t end up in the same tutorial groups next semester and all the semesters to follow. Because I will miss waking him up, yelling, fighting, screaming, snatching his iPod away from him (sorry, I just did that to bug you!), telling him to close his mouth while yawning, ordering him to open the door for me and sharpen his chivalrous side… I could go on. Maybe I just see him a little brother I never had, and I am very protective about him. Thank God I don’t have one, he wouldn’t be able to tolerate me!
Thank you Anfield for making my first semester definitely the most cherished and exciting. Stay the same, don’t ever change, because we all love you like this!
And lastly U ROX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(smiley) :D

2005-10-22T03:30:00.000+08:00

HALLOWEEN SURPRISE!!!!!

Hey Anewsha, you must be surprised that my next blog is out so soon! Well that is because I found a good enough reason to write about. This incident directly relates to the Halloween Bash organized by a committee at NUS at the famous 'Chinablack.' Never having gone to a disco before, I was extremely skeptical about it and was discussing it with my dear friend Anfield. He kept pestering me to come for the Bash saying that it will be great fun and that he will take care of my safety etc (cho chweet of you!!!). I was still extremely unconvinced when two of my friends backed out. That was the verdict- I was not going!
And to top it all my beloved 'boyfriend' Nasa also said that he was not going. I realised that I will have to spend my entire evening with Anfield only (which he does every waking hour of the day, poor guy, how does he handle a nut like ME!!). I decided that I am not going for the bash!
Then came the turning point. Jo says to Anfield...convince Puttas to come, in CAPS!
That had me thinking, should I go? After all I am in sub-committee of the organizers. I decided one night before the bash that I am going and enjoying myself. And being the social animal that I am, I started convincing all my pals to come along. No one agreed, including Nasa. I was heartbroken and told Anfield extremely sadly that he would have to keep me company.
Next morning, that is, the day of the bash, one of my close friends, Ar, suddenly tells me that she was considering coming for the bash! The minute I got to know that she was given permission to come for the bash... I actually did a little dance (Macho Girl would know, Badminton Court!). I then tried convincing Nasa to come. But he would not budge from his decision of not coming saying that he has loads of work to do (no CTW this time!). I was very angry with him for that, but little did I know what was in store for me....
As the evening went by, another close friend, Suk also agreed to come. As soon as Suk agreed, Anewsha also agreed to come. A chain reaction of sorts!
Thus I finally had all my friends coming, except for the love of my life, Nasa!
As the evening went by, I got all dressed up and was ready to go for the 'much awaited' Halloween Bash!
In the cab, with Anfield and Gyan, I suddenly raised the topic of Nasa not coming. I was ravaging about what a big spoil-sport he is and this and that. Anfield and Gyan kept on agreeing to whatever i had to say... strange i thought! Then, as the discussion progressed, Anfield ordered me to verbally abuse Nasa the next time I met him, wherever the place, whatever the time! Gyan seconded that! I agreed and the deal was fixed (at least I did not have to give him ONE TIGHT SLAP (Faffu anyone!), as requested by the great Gyan).

We finally reached Chinablack. There I met all my long lost NPS friends and was about to hit the dance floor, when Anfield gave me a smile and asked me, “Did you meet Nasa?” I went, huh? He then took me to the body art booth where an angel was sitting and getting himself tattooed! IT WAS NASA!!!
I was so surprised and I fell in love with Nasa and of course, Anfield all over again! They are so wonderful! They had been planning this surprise on me for three days! They even told everyone I hang out with, to keep his coming a secret!
Wow! In my favourite girl, Faffu’s words, I am blessed to have friends like Nasa and Anfield, and might I add Faffu! We missed you all a lot darling!
Then the usual dancing, and enjoying the music, drew the night to a tiring end. I am writing this blog at 4:20 am on this very exciting and overwhelming night…erm morning, because I am so touched.
Little things make a big difference in life, a touch of happiness and the company of such wonderful friends, I am sure my life is the best!
I love all of you very very very very much! You ROCK!!

2005-10-11T02:18:00.001+08:00

THE BROKEN STRINGS!!!!
Hey everyone especially Anewsha! Long time no see! I am finally writing my third blog after I received complaints of a 'breathtaking' face always popping up on screen everytime Untitled So Far is opened!
Anyway this blog is about the union of guitarists, drummers and singers of NUS into a band often known as Broken Strings (thanks to the Vector's penchant for plucking the G (uitar) Strings too hard!) This was put together for the Freshies Night (FN) that we Indian juniors had to throw for the Indian seniors at NUS.

The first guitarist of the band is Rapid. After the FN he has drowned into his books, although he is one of the most awesome guitarists I have seen in flesh. Has long hair, that looks great when he headbangs!!! Where are you nowadays, near H M K Terrace eh?

The second guitarist is Vector, who is my favorite guy in the band. He is smart and has a great smile. Always a naughty glint in his eye, he is ever capable of irritating Anewsha till the point of her strangling him. He started to play the guitar only from May 11 2005, and may I say he has picked up really well and fast. His favourite band is Nirvana and his idol Kurt Cobain and his song Rape Me! He has just got a new electric guitar (neighbour’s envy owner's pride), which is just so fabulous. He can play most of the songs we like but his true test would be to play my prayer song 'Sweet Child o Mine' the one and only greatest Rock Anthem. He has been busted by his floor leader almost everyday, but he still continues to blast music from his speakers at 2 am. That's my boy, Vector, way to go!!!

Next is the drummer Mr. Nasa. Nasa is a drummer as well as a Guitarist and a singer of sorts. Don’t ever be fooled by his diminutive stature, he is proficient at both of them equally (including being a supernova Casanova!). Nasa has the flair to turn the air around to an awesomely cheerful one. He will probably be most remembered for the ‘Chooday’ in our song ‘Boulevard of Broken Songs’: a Green Day, Oasis and Travis song. Please listen to it, if you haven’t, you musically challenged people!!! Nasa is always either ‘too tired’ or has some ‘CTW work’ to come for jamming sessions and that is why the great Mr. Anfield (another strand in the Broken Strings) has termed him the King of Excuses!

Now for Anfield. Anfield is the male lead singer, who is also my best friend in NUS. He has a voice to die for (don’t feel too proud and all, Anfield, you can never be as good as Scott Stapp!). But seriously a really good voice and it is surprising that he has had no classical training. The real bonding between him, Anewsha and me happened when both of us were trying desperately to get him to sing right pitch for the song ‘When you say nothing at all’ when abuses, hand signals(ahem) were thrown between the two of them and I had to act as the mediator! And he will be definitely remembered for that extremely contracted face of his, during the line ‘It’s amazing how you…’ Vector does that act really well!!! His greatest is, in my opinion, singing the ‘Boulevard of Broken Songs’. He is under the watchful eye of a lot of members of the fairer sex in NUS!

Now for dearest Anewsha! My first and greatest friend in NUS. She was a glimmer of hope in the world filled with nerds from Chennai. A fantastic singer and an equally fantastic person by heart and soul, she is the type you can talk with for hours, discuss about everything under the sun, from Organic Chemistry to a critical study on the behaviour of Vector’s brain! An awesome awesome person! Come down for more jamming sessions Anewsha and I promise to write more and more blogs. Very down-to-earth, she is the kind you could call a true person. She croons to the likes of Kelly Clarkson and Amie Lee and that too with a sassy, velvety and smooth touch to them. Our jamming sessions never have effect without the mention of the Roomali Rotis and Dal Makhni that were floating in her stomach! More about her on her blog anewsha.blogspot.com( madam I need commission for all the publicity that you are getting!)

Lastly the epitome of modesty finally will introduce herself( ahem, anyone?) I am Puttas, the newest member of the band. I am a rare species, nerdy yet crazy, sweet yet bitter. I am a pretty decent singer and I do Dido, Faith Hill and Vanessa Carlton quite well. I will never forget the ‘There she goes’ piece Anewsha and I sang for the FN, and even more the recitation of the song to Macho Girl, rings a bell, huh?

Oh gone are the days of no practice frustration, Rapid lashing out on Vector, Anewsha screaming at Anfield, Vector and I imitating Anfield’s constipated face, sudden bursts of Rape Me, One Last Breath, Smells like Teen Spirit, fingering, plucking and what not!!!
That is why the jamming sessions.

These rock, but Anewsha and I will not turn up for the next one if you don’t play some girlie songs for us. Otherwise keep playing Kryptonite, Nothing Else Matters and all the others with pitches that soar as high as Mount Everest. Nasa I am serious ok?
Anyway I think I have written enough in this edition of Untitled So Far. My new blog will come out very soon… did I hear a snort, Anewsha?
Cheers!!!!

2005-09-05T13:11:00.000+08:00

HERE HE IS! Magnificence personified! If u dont know who this legend of a singer is then WAKE UP!!! By the way, for all you illiterates out there, this is Scott Stapp, former lead singer of the rock band CREED. His claim to fame is his deep baritone, excellent lyrics and great music. It feels like magic, his voice just drives me into a trance and shows me a world full of beauty and greatness... Ok I am losing it out here. Apparently I am mad about him!!!

Now for some Scott Stapp trivia:

Scott was born Anthony Scott Flippen. When his mother married Dr. Steven Stapp, and he decided to take his stepfather's last name, he realized his initials would be "ASS." He therefore took his middle name as his first and now goes by Scott Alan Stapp. Desperate to seek freedom from a strict religious life, he snuck out of his home in the dead of night. He went to a friend's house and stayed for a month before returning home. When he was punished as a kid, he would be forced to copy the Bible. Later, he tried to impress his dad by attending Lee University in Tennessee. He smoked some pot and got expelled. A huge Jim Morrison fan, he then moved to Tallahassee because Morrison had once attended school there. Stapp found his old friend Mark Tremonti jamming on a guitar. He formed a band with drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall. Their first name was "Naked Toddler" Then they changed it to Creed, from Brian's idea. In September 2000 Brian left the band. Creed's biggest album is Human Clay turning out to be certified diamond by the RIAA.

The band split for some reason regarding Stapp and now they have a band of their own called Alter Bridge(better known as Creed minus Stapp). Stapp now lives in Miami and is pursuing a solo career, although we have yet to see any of his work (not counting Passion of the Christ sample). It is however rumoured that his album will be out on November 22nd.

Why i like this guy? He is not a typical rock star with greasyhair - leatherjacket - attitudefilledlook - bodypiercingsallovertheplace; no that is not Stapp with you. He on the contrary looks like a very senstive person with feelings like those of a poet and he brings in music to rock music. This is portrayed in the lyrics of my favourite song of Creed named With Arms Wide Open. Scott Stapp wrote and sang this song for his newborn son to welcome him into this wonderful world:

Well I just heard the news today

It seems my life is going to change

I closed my eyes, begin to pray

Then tears of joy stream down my face

With arms wide open

Under the sunlight

Welcome to this place

I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

Well I don't know if I'm ready

To be the man I have to be

I'll take a breath, take her by my side

We stand in awe, we've created life

With arms wide open

Under the sunlight

Welcome to this place

I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

Now everything has changed

I'll show you love

I'll show you everything

With arms wide open

If I had just one wish

Only one demand

I hope he's not like me

I hope he understands

That he can take this life

And hold it by the hand

And he can greet the world

With arms wide open...

WOW!!! I cry everytime i listen to that song!

Unfortunately for Stapp he has been in the negative spotlight for quite some time now due to stupid things that celebrities do. But I am sure once his single is out all will be forgotten and he will be forgiven and accepted back With Arms Wide Open!

Anyway I am just waiting for the single to be out.... and you all wait for another issue of my Scott Stapp Special...

2005-08-21T19:11:00.000+08:00

MY FIRST BLOG!!!!!!!

Wow! One of my friends introduced me to this exciting arena of words and i daresay i am pretty much intimidated!!! Oh dear this is going nowhere.
Anyway some trivia about me. I am a tall supermodel with an hourglass figure, great height, great smile... Yeah i wish!!
I am a normal teenager getting out of her teens in a year. I study at the National University of Singapore. I am doing Computer Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering(feels like an "orientation session"... are you listening NUSians!!!)

I landed in Singapore on the 26 of July and it has truly, till now been a wonderful experience and somehow a rollercoaster ride of sorts. Why? I will tell you because I am playing around with my emotions. On one side I am missing family and all my friends in Bangalore(where I am from) and on the other I am making so many similar friends right here at Singapore.

Well, then again, life is all about making adjustments, and I am doing just that. A crazy climate here, hell for vegetarians, no mom to speak my heart right and no dad to discuss everything from politics to ipod. LOL!!!

BUT HOSTEL ROCKS!!!!!

ANYDAY!!!!!

Late night TV( nothing blue mind you!), chats on the foyer till 3 am, complaining about the food, chasing the NUS Internal ShuttleBus.... Believe me nothing beats this life!!!

So bye for now...

I leave you all with an inspiring quote " Dont revolve with the world, make the world around revolve around you."