The lights dimmed, the host came on stage.. The concert was about to begin. She could hear the roar of the crowds, the loud clapping.
She could see nothing, except her best friend standing next to her and talking about some guy.The music started, but she could still hear Lakhi talk about Ankit, how he was this cute guy from another school, how he was practically a genius, how they met on Facebook..
She talked like Sarthi knew all about him. Well..... Sarthi did know about him from her mother. The boy was a genius, but all she wanted to do now was listen to some music. After all that has happened, the last thing she needed was information about some random nerdo boy.
The music came, soft and melodious, but she could STILL hear Lakhi talking about Ankit.. "God, this girl won't stop..!!", Sarthi thought to herself. Sarthi loved Lakhi, she was always there for her. Lakhi was just recovering from a relationship gone horribly wrong. And Sarthi couldn't have been happier ,that she was finally noticing other guys.
Sarthi had had a rough week, she had been blamed by her friends for the failure of her past relationships.. Her friend was leaving forever.. The monotony of school life distressed her. It was depressing, Her life was getting weird and boring. And all Lakhi could do was talk about some guy Sarthi was already tired of hearing about from her mom.
And then Lakhi suddenly piped up, "Oh Ankit, is coming up to meet me!!", and a guy appeared, and he caught Sarthi's attention.
Thin and dark, not your average hottie, but there was something that made him stand out, was it his eyes? His confidence? Sarthi couldn't figure it out. She was not feeling anything for him whatsoever, no attraction, no repulsion, nothing. He just simply caught her attention..He walked up to Lakhi and gave her a hug. "Hey Sarthi!" ,Lakhi called "This is Ankit, Ankit, this is Sarthi".. after exchanging formalities.. Sarthi wanted to talk to this guy. But he didn't seem to have any interest in doing so. She slowly came into the conversation.
Over the past year or two, Sarthi had mastered the art of flirting, inside she was really immature, the very thought of anything sexual freaked her out, but she never let anyone realise this. She flirted, subtly, so subtly that you won't even realise what she was doing, yet you would slowly fall into her trap. Sarthi would flirt but she NEVER let a guy touch her, maybe it was this that caused so many boys to pursue her.. or maybe not. It never mattered to her.
But somehow, it just wasn't working on this guy. And it frustrated her. Then she realised, she had to play the "mom" card. Her mom was quite a celebrity. Sometimes, just sometimes, Sarthi used it to her advantage. This was a time like that.
She told him "My mom told me a lot about you", he gave her a confused look, and she thinks "Oh dear, am I really this desperate? Why the hell am I doing this?" yet she continues "Yes, my mom Ankita Srinivas??, You must have heard of her.."
And then, she saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes, but by now Sarthi lost all interest in him, he just wasn't worth the trouble. And obviously he seemed more interested in Lakhi. So Sarthi just let it be, and leaned back to enjoy the music.
She could get any guy she wanted, and she knew it. She just decided to leave this one for Lakhi. Lakhi and Ankit might end up getting married, or atleast have a serious relationship.
But as for Sarthi.. the present was enough to cope with, she really couldn't bother much about the future, for now she leaned back and enjoyed the music.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Legally up your ****
For all those who thought politics and politicians suck, India’s Election Commission offered the chance of a lifetime. Voters could show them the middle finger and get away with it. This quite a few did, with big smiles and straight faces. And newspapers gladly published the pictures on the front page – the Bachchan family gleefully showing the middle finger as if making a statement, Ashok Chavan and his wife showing their middle fingers looking almost clueless as to what they were doing…the list goes on.
The Election Commission seems to be ensuring that your message goes out loud and clear -- they said bye bye to the index finger, instead painted your middle finger with indelible ink. A Commission official said the change was made necessary by the recently concluded elections to local bodies in several parts of the country. "Since these voters will still have their index fingers marked, we decided to uniformly mark the middle finger of the left hand," he was quoted as saying.
I have put up a picture here which shows the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and his wife; proudly hold up their middle finger. And another pic, where the Bachchans are holding up their middle fingers.
Newspapers reported that in many places, politicians and celebrities posed for the cameras, holding up their middle finger after casting the vote. Apparently only later, when they saw the pictures, did realization dawn on them.
Honestly, I JUST LOVE IT! I really hope the new meaning of this gesture will catch on. Soon, 'flipping the bird' will be a sign of taking civic responsibility and caring about the common good.
It just has to catch on India, the rest of the world will follow just out of peer pressure. Lol.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE
Love. One of the favourite topics with poets and writers. Ever wondered how exactly you fall in love??? I wondered... and found out.
Unlike contrary belief, when you fall in love, it has absolutely nothing to do with your heart. But it has everything to do with your brain.
Let me start with the basics for those of you who don’t know. There are basically three manifestations of love: Lust, Romantic love and Attachment.
Human beings are one of the few creatures that can stay with one partner for their whole lifetime. But this characteristic has been evolved into us. This means that originally, we were not supposed to stay with one partner forever. This is why, people fall in and out of love.
But there are some lucky people, who manage to stay in love with one person for their whole lifetime. This can be achieved only by combining the three manifestations of love. (Which might I add, is not-so-surprisingly difficult).
Okay, so you know how to be in love forever. But first, there has to be someone to fall in love with forever. This, amazingly, has a lot of mathematics involved. Every time you see a person, your brain is, without you being conscious of it, doing a lot of maths and statistics to see, if the person you are looking at is “Mr. or Miss Right”.
From the time when we were Apes, we have been mating with those, who your brain decided was the best for evolution of the species. So, ultimately, our ancestors with tails would try to mate with the smartest, funniest, strongest, prettiest etc.
Recently, research showed, how people in love had their caudate nucleus lit up. I saw the video, and I was totally fascinated. A few people where shown 2 photographs, first one was a neutral photo, there was no change in the brain’s functions. But when they were shown the photo of the person they love, their caudate nucleus lit up in the MRI scan.
This is quite funny, as the caudate nucleus is the part of the brain with a dense spread of receptors for a neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Dopamine, in short, can be called the love potion of our body. This is what makes you fall in love, this is what makes you fall OUT of love too.
Fear has something to do with release of Dopamine. When people are scared, or are in a tense atmosphere, they are more likely to fall in love. So whoever says, don’t take your girlfriend/boyfriend for a horror movie, is totally wrong. In fact falling in love causes the same effect, as when you have cocaine. They are right, love is like a drug… literally.
In right proportions Dopamine, creates an intense form of energy. You feel happier, more active. You feel motivated. And it helps you achieve things, which, usually you would not have been able to do. This is the most interesting part of falling in love. You feel stronger, happier, smarter, kinder, and bolder. You become a better person overall.
This is the mechanics of love. But I don’t know whether love has to be so mathematical. For me love is straight from the heart no matter what researchers say. It’s something that makes you blush, it’s something that makes your heart sing every time you see the object of your affections, it is something that makes you a better person (here I agree with science). So go ahead and fall in love and experience that heady feeling that comes with it. Forget about the unrequited love, love is still love and it is straight from the heart.
Unlike contrary belief, when you fall in love, it has absolutely nothing to do with your heart. But it has everything to do with your brain.
Let me start with the basics for those of you who don’t know. There are basically three manifestations of love: Lust, Romantic love and Attachment.
Human beings are one of the few creatures that can stay with one partner for their whole lifetime. But this characteristic has been evolved into us. This means that originally, we were not supposed to stay with one partner forever. This is why, people fall in and out of love.
But there are some lucky people, who manage to stay in love with one person for their whole lifetime. This can be achieved only by combining the three manifestations of love. (Which might I add, is not-so-surprisingly difficult).
Okay, so you know how to be in love forever. But first, there has to be someone to fall in love with forever. This, amazingly, has a lot of mathematics involved. Every time you see a person, your brain is, without you being conscious of it, doing a lot of maths and statistics to see, if the person you are looking at is “Mr. or Miss Right”.
From the time when we were Apes, we have been mating with those, who your brain decided was the best for evolution of the species. So, ultimately, our ancestors with tails would try to mate with the smartest, funniest, strongest, prettiest etc.
Recently, research showed, how people in love had their caudate nucleus lit up. I saw the video, and I was totally fascinated. A few people where shown 2 photographs, first one was a neutral photo, there was no change in the brain’s functions. But when they were shown the photo of the person they love, their caudate nucleus lit up in the MRI scan.
This is quite funny, as the caudate nucleus is the part of the brain with a dense spread of receptors for a neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Dopamine, in short, can be called the love potion of our body. This is what makes you fall in love, this is what makes you fall OUT of love too.
Fear has something to do with release of Dopamine. When people are scared, or are in a tense atmosphere, they are more likely to fall in love. So whoever says, don’t take your girlfriend/boyfriend for a horror movie, is totally wrong. In fact falling in love causes the same effect, as when you have cocaine. They are right, love is like a drug… literally.
In right proportions Dopamine, creates an intense form of energy. You feel happier, more active. You feel motivated. And it helps you achieve things, which, usually you would not have been able to do. This is the most interesting part of falling in love. You feel stronger, happier, smarter, kinder, and bolder. You become a better person overall.
This is the mechanics of love. But I don’t know whether love has to be so mathematical. For me love is straight from the heart no matter what researchers say. It’s something that makes you blush, it’s something that makes your heart sing every time you see the object of your affections, it is something that makes you a better person (here I agree with science). So go ahead and fall in love and experience that heady feeling that comes with it. Forget about the unrequited love, love is still love and it is straight from the heart.
Monday, April 27, 2009
THE BIRTHDAY PROBLEM
I was celebrating my 8th birthday. My baby sister had been born exactly two weeks ago. I even remember what I was wearing that day (A white dress my grandma bought ). There was no party, just my grandparents, my parents and my newborn sis. I cut the cake and went to the living room, Dad was watching TV, and my whole family staring at the television screen gasping in horror. My grandma ran to the phone to call up my uncle and check on him. I didn't understand what was going on. It was my birthday... why wasn't anyone eating the cake?? Why was everyone staring at the television screen?
I stared at the box that was stealing my limelight, it showed LIVE: WTC CRASHES.
A few days ago, grandpa asked " sruti sweety, name the tallest building in the world...", I was getting used to my grandpa asking me GK questions by now, "umm.. i dunno". He looked at me and said "The World Trade Center, sweety, it is in New York".
My birthday was spoilt. I felt like crying. I walked to the bathroom and locked myself in. Somehow I knew everyone would keep associating my birthday to this incident. I was living in India at that point. I was far away from all this, but I still wondered if I was allowed to change my birthday.
Even now, everytime I tell anyone my birthday, they either stare at me for some reaction, or just go "OMG, you were born on the day World Trade Center crashed" and then I have to explain that I was 8 years old when it happened, and it's just a co-incidence.
My dad always says I have some sort of an explosive connection. He recalls how there was a bomb blast in the Youth Congress HQ in Delhi, near him, as soon as he was given the news. Hmmm. 22 people died that day.
I am not proud of what happened, anyway it was not my fault.
I wrote this blog entry because recently, I was asked to give a speech about myself. I think I mentioned my birthday somewhere, I guess because many people came to me asking if that was my "REAL " birthday. WTF?? Of course it is my real birthday and you know what???
I don't care what happens on my birthday, I will keep celebrating it every year. I will never think of changing my birthday just because of some bad guys. I will never let the bad guys ruin it for me. And that is my advice for all those people who have their birthdays on famous "unlucky days". DO NOT LET THE BAD GUYS RUIN IT FOR YOU... EVER!
I stared at the box that was stealing my limelight, it showed LIVE: WTC CRASHES.
A few days ago, grandpa asked " sruti sweety, name the tallest building in the world...", I was getting used to my grandpa asking me GK questions by now, "umm.. i dunno". He looked at me and said "The World Trade Center, sweety, it is in New York".
My birthday was spoilt. I felt like crying. I walked to the bathroom and locked myself in. Somehow I knew everyone would keep associating my birthday to this incident. I was living in India at that point. I was far away from all this, but I still wondered if I was allowed to change my birthday.
Even now, everytime I tell anyone my birthday, they either stare at me for some reaction, or just go "OMG, you were born on the day World Trade Center crashed" and then I have to explain that I was 8 years old when it happened, and it's just a co-incidence.
My dad always says I have some sort of an explosive connection. He recalls how there was a bomb blast in the Youth Congress HQ in Delhi, near him, as soon as he was given the news. Hmmm. 22 people died that day.
I am not proud of what happened, anyway it was not my fault.
I wrote this blog entry because recently, I was asked to give a speech about myself. I think I mentioned my birthday somewhere, I guess because many people came to me asking if that was my "REAL " birthday. WTF?? Of course it is my real birthday and you know what???
I don't care what happens on my birthday, I will keep celebrating it every year. I will never think of changing my birthday just because of some bad guys. I will never let the bad guys ruin it for me. And that is my advice for all those people who have their birthdays on famous "unlucky days". DO NOT LET THE BAD GUYS RUIN IT FOR YOU... EVER!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Complete joblessness....
I actually wrote this diary entry the day before my Social Studies Exam. As I have already mentioned sometime earlier, that rain is kinda hard to come by in Oman. This post mostly involves me saying all sorts of weird stuff about what I felt at that time. Right now, I'm just feeling very hot.
Here goes....
When I saw the weather report yesterday, I was filled with skepticism. There was not a cloud in sight and it was hotter than any day in the season. However with the first flashes of lightning, I was mesmerized, I have never seen lightning like that in Oman. As nature’s firecrackers exploded in the sky, all of us stood in the balcony, admiring the beauty of nature. I had my French exam the next day, however, how many times do you get to see sights like this?
The rain had stopped in the morning, and a cool wind blew across my face. I was up all night studying for my exam, I stifled a yawn. The sun had not yet risen, there were still clouds in the sky. Hopefully, that meant more rain. As we waited for the exam hall to open, we felt a slight drizzle. I knew what was going on in every students mind, the exam should be cancelled. Imagine being cooped up in a classroom, while it rains heavily outside. However, this did not happen. The rain stopped and the exam went on as planned. It wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be, I mean the exam. As we piled on into the bus, it started raining heavily. With my luck, it would stop raining as soon as I get out of the bus. But it was not the case, as I stepped out of the bus, I got drenched. Not because it was raining, but because I stepped into a huge puddle. As I reached the flat, a few kids who were having a picnic in the corridor stared at me, maybe because they didn’t expect to see an older kid coming back so early from school. But I think the more likely reason is that my shoe, which was filled with rain water, was making a squishing noise with every step I took. The kids stared shamelessly at the soaked teenager who went “squish-squish” with every step.
Well, this evening I went for a walk, after studying for the whole day this was a welcome change of environment. As I walked around the colony I heard the birds chirp, there was a strong smell of jasmine blooms and wet earth. From one of the villas, a smell of burning frankincense added to the whole calming effect. The weather was cool, and many kids taking advantage of the situation were playing badminton outside. A woman was walking her dog and the occasional car send water flying in all directions. After walking for about a km, I came back and made myself a hot cup of coffee and lit some scented candles. I didn’t feel like studying, but I have a test, rain or no rain. Screw you!! stupid school!!! Lol
Here goes....
When I saw the weather report yesterday, I was filled with skepticism. There was not a cloud in sight and it was hotter than any day in the season. However with the first flashes of lightning, I was mesmerized, I have never seen lightning like that in Oman. As nature’s firecrackers exploded in the sky, all of us stood in the balcony, admiring the beauty of nature. I had my French exam the next day, however, how many times do you get to see sights like this?
The rain had stopped in the morning, and a cool wind blew across my face. I was up all night studying for my exam, I stifled a yawn. The sun had not yet risen, there were still clouds in the sky. Hopefully, that meant more rain. As we waited for the exam hall to open, we felt a slight drizzle. I knew what was going on in every students mind, the exam should be cancelled. Imagine being cooped up in a classroom, while it rains heavily outside. However, this did not happen. The rain stopped and the exam went on as planned. It wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be, I mean the exam. As we piled on into the bus, it started raining heavily. With my luck, it would stop raining as soon as I get out of the bus. But it was not the case, as I stepped out of the bus, I got drenched. Not because it was raining, but because I stepped into a huge puddle. As I reached the flat, a few kids who were having a picnic in the corridor stared at me, maybe because they didn’t expect to see an older kid coming back so early from school. But I think the more likely reason is that my shoe, which was filled with rain water, was making a squishing noise with every step I took. The kids stared shamelessly at the soaked teenager who went “squish-squish” with every step.
Well, this evening I went for a walk, after studying for the whole day this was a welcome change of environment. As I walked around the colony I heard the birds chirp, there was a strong smell of jasmine blooms and wet earth. From one of the villas, a smell of burning frankincense added to the whole calming effect. The weather was cool, and many kids taking advantage of the situation were playing badminton outside. A woman was walking her dog and the occasional car send water flying in all directions. After walking for about a km, I came back and made myself a hot cup of coffee and lit some scented candles. I didn’t feel like studying, but I have a test, rain or no rain. Screw you!! stupid school!!! Lol
Just cribbing
I was just sulking about the unfairness of my life, when my Dad switched on the news channel. Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American journalist was sentenced to 8 years of prison. This is just another example of the alarming trend of journalists and bloggers in Iran being arrested and charged with serious crimes.
Initially she was arrested for buying a bottle of wine (which is illegal in Iran), she was later accused of working in Iran without PRESS credentials. And guess what she has been accused of now??
Roxana Saberi is accused of being a spy for the United States government. She was considered a threat to the present regime in the country. Not so surprisingly, she is not the only journalist in Iran arrested without a proper reason. Journalists currently imprisoned for "threatening national security" include Shahnaz Gholami, who is serving a six-month sentence in Tabriz, and Kurdish journalist Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, who received an 11-year sentence in 2008.
Honestly, what I feel is that, this country is threatened by the Freedom of the Press. It is scared that the people will find out the truth about the government. Yeah, it is a crazzzzzzyyy world out there, and the Iranian government is seriously trying to cover up what they are doing to contribute to the craziness. LOL.
Then I see the next news report, Taliban approaching Islamabad. Okayyy. Now thats not good for India, is it?
Think about, Pakistan is a country with enough nukies to blow out a nice big chunk of India or the US (Taliban's nemesis - India AND America). Once the Pak capital is taken over, the rest of Pakistan will be cakewalk. Now, this is seriously bad news ,cause once Pakistan is officially taken over, they get the sophisticated weapons, the nukes, the battle ships, AND the army.
India can easily crush any attempts of the Taliban to cross the border over to India. But if the nuclear bombs are taken out.... well... we might just be a wee bit screwed.
God knows maybe, if ( don't worry.. not gonna happen) the taliban takes over India, it might just be amusing to see the Hindu weirdo extremists lock horns with the Islamic weirdo extremists.
The third news report was the worst... Rajasthan Royals got slaughtered by the Royal Challengers. It was the most embarressing match ever!
Okay, so now I don't feel bad anymore. I mean there are people whose lives are more unfortunate than mine like Roxana, President Zardari, and Shane warne.
Therefore my dear, fellow, depressed people on earth... when you are feeling down, go switch on the news. Your life rocks more than you know.
Initially she was arrested for buying a bottle of wine (which is illegal in Iran), she was later accused of working in Iran without PRESS credentials. And guess what she has been accused of now??
Roxana Saberi is accused of being a spy for the United States government. She was considered a threat to the present regime in the country. Not so surprisingly, she is not the only journalist in Iran arrested without a proper reason. Journalists currently imprisoned for "threatening national security" include Shahnaz Gholami, who is serving a six-month sentence in Tabriz, and Kurdish journalist Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, who received an 11-year sentence in 2008.
Honestly, what I feel is that, this country is threatened by the Freedom of the Press. It is scared that the people will find out the truth about the government. Yeah, it is a crazzzzzzyyy world out there, and the Iranian government is seriously trying to cover up what they are doing to contribute to the craziness. LOL.
Then I see the next news report, Taliban approaching Islamabad. Okayyy. Now thats not good for India, is it?
Think about, Pakistan is a country with enough nukies to blow out a nice big chunk of India or the US (Taliban's nemesis - India AND America). Once the Pak capital is taken over, the rest of Pakistan will be cakewalk. Now, this is seriously bad news ,cause once Pakistan is officially taken over, they get the sophisticated weapons, the nukes, the battle ships, AND the army.
India can easily crush any attempts of the Taliban to cross the border over to India. But if the nuclear bombs are taken out.... well... we might just be a wee bit screwed.
God knows maybe, if ( don't worry.. not gonna happen) the taliban takes over India, it might just be amusing to see the Hindu weirdo extremists lock horns with the Islamic weirdo extremists.
The third news report was the worst... Rajasthan Royals got slaughtered by the Royal Challengers. It was the most embarressing match ever!
Okay, so now I don't feel bad anymore. I mean there are people whose lives are more unfortunate than mine like Roxana, President Zardari, and Shane warne.
Therefore my dear, fellow, depressed people on earth... when you are feeling down, go switch on the news. Your life rocks more than you know.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Top Five Guilty Pleasures
Guilty pleasure #1 CHOCOLATES
I ate heaven yesterday. In the form of delicious dark chocolate. Come on, this is a guilty pleasure every girl succumbs to.
Guilty pleasure #2 DANCING IN THE RAIN
I live in Oman. I'll tell you how often it rains here. If we are lucky, we get a few days of mild showers. This rarely happens, believe me. But when the occasional rainstorm comes along, everyone doesn't run back inside to take shelter. Over here, they go to the beach in the rain, sit out in their manicured lawns OR the balconies of their flats when it rains. And yes, I am not the only one here who dannces in the rain!
Guilty pleasure #3 MY IPOD TOUCH
I love my IPOD so much! It was a birthday gift from my parents, and three days after I got it, it got confiscated in school (No electronics allowed in school). I got it 5 months later! It has been my baby ever since..
Guilty pleasure #4 CLOTHES
Do I need to explain this?? I am a girl, for heaven's sake!
Guilty pleasure #5 CAFE VERGNANO
I live near cafe vergnano and it is amazing!!! During exams I sit there and study, it has got Wi Fi so I can surf the net while I'm there. The staff is amazing, the ambience is classic.
The coffee?? The best I've had. My fav: caffe gusto, americano, chocolino..
PS: the sandwiches are not bad either :)
I ate heaven yesterday. In the form of delicious dark chocolate. Come on, this is a guilty pleasure every girl succumbs to.
Guilty pleasure #2 DANCING IN THE RAIN
I live in Oman. I'll tell you how often it rains here. If we are lucky, we get a few days of mild showers. This rarely happens, believe me. But when the occasional rainstorm comes along, everyone doesn't run back inside to take shelter. Over here, they go to the beach in the rain, sit out in their manicured lawns OR the balconies of their flats when it rains. And yes, I am not the only one here who dannces in the rain!
Guilty pleasure #3 MY IPOD TOUCH
I love my IPOD so much! It was a birthday gift from my parents, and three days after I got it, it got confiscated in school (No electronics allowed in school). I got it 5 months later! It has been my baby ever since..
Guilty pleasure #4 CLOTHES
Do I need to explain this?? I am a girl, for heaven's sake!
Guilty pleasure #5 CAFE VERGNANO
I live near cafe vergnano and it is amazing!!! During exams I sit there and study, it has got Wi Fi so I can surf the net while I'm there. The staff is amazing, the ambience is classic.
The coffee?? The best I've had. My fav: caffe gusto, americano, chocolino..
PS: the sandwiches are not bad either :)
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