The Joys Of Not Being An Only Child

"My children seldom fight," said the neighbor, "because they have an age gap of almost 5 years. It is so easy to manage them and restrain them from fighting." The biggest lie ever told to any mother, which they realize  after it is way too late. My poor mother believed the neighbor and decided 6 years to be a good age gap between siblings. Boy, was she wrong.
The poor woman comes home everyday to children trying to wring each other's neck while fighting over silly things such as making coffee. And what's worse is, they are not little anymore.

The only time my brother and i dint actually fight must have been when he was a tiny baby. I could have easily over-powered him and i dint want an easy victory, i guess. Mother thought it would all change once we grew up. It got only worse, if i could put it that way.

Him:Why dont you overtake the damn bus, already?
Me: I am scared of buses.
Him:Yeah, right!
Me:Dont make me pull over and throw you out of the car. DO NOT provoke me, i am warning you.
-
Me:It's your turn to make noodles.
Him:You cook this time, please. I shall do it the next time and the time after that.
Me:No. It's your turn today. Get to work, i'm hungry.
Him: Fine! You'll have to wash all the dishes, then.
Me:We'll decide about that later.
-
Him:Could you please help me with this?
Me:You dint bring masala puri for me that day. I dont see why i should help you now.
-
Me:I DONT REMEMBER ASKING YOU TO TAKE OVER THE COUCH WHILE I WENT TO THE KITCHEN TO GET MYSELF A GLASS OF WATER!
-
Him:*typical teen status update on Facebook*
Me:*sarcastic comment+a good laugh (which includes pointing fingers at him)*
Him:*deletes comment*
:|
-

Do you see the bigger picture here without having me spelling it out loud?
Yes, things have changed. Not sure if it's for the good or not but well, i would not have things any other way. In-spite of the age gap et all, we share a common circle of friends and well, this is really pleasant.

One of the many things that belong to him, which is gathering dust in my room

P.S: His birthday is not for another month or so and i see no reason why i should celebrate him only on one specific day instead of the whole year round.

Metallica was here! :)

A decade of listening to their songs and singing along to them, watching their videos on YouTube. And then, on Sunday evening, it came down to standing in the crowd, in BANGALORE, watching them play live! The transition that i am still hung up on so i do not have much to say but James Hetfield, you are amazing.They made it possible to stand in the rain and in crowd, without complaining for a minute.

Life is never going to be the same again. The.Biggest.Concert.EVER!
Ah, Metallica, how we love you!

I See The Grass On The Other Side And It's Brown.

Studying away from home has always fascinated me to such an extent that in 7th grade, i tried so hard to convince me parents to send me to Dehradun to finish my High School from an institution there. You can believe the disappointment i faced when my parents refused to send me away from home and all my living-in-a-hostel dreams came crashing down on me. Today, i could not be more thankful to them for not sending me away.

More then half my friends in this city are non-localities and being with them for this amount of time has made me realize how much of mental strength one needs to have to stay away from their family, move to a new country/city and start life all over again. You have no one to turn to when you are home sick, you dont eat proper meals because you are too home sick and all you want to do is just bury your head in the pillow and refuse to face daylight. Life just comes to a stand still. We hate it when life comes to a stand still. You have to cook for yourself,  do your laundry WHEN you have the time (which may be very difficult, especially if you have a mad college life like ours) and most often than not, you might not find a room mate and you end up staying alone. No animals, because you do not have time to care for them; run around to pay your bills and if it's a hostel you chose to live, the major adjustment to food (which you are not used to); no one to look after you when you are sick. Nothing.

Staying away from home may have it's own perks. You have your freedom , privacy, you learn to be self-dependent, yes. But there is an appropriate time for everything.

Everything happens for a reason, i was told. Makes so much sense now.

Bruno And His Silly Adventures

Bruno is a very clever being who manages to invite trouble with little help from us and this time, it was a ruptured blood vessel in his ear flap. Us deciding to wait for a few weeks and let the wound heal by itself was not much of a success and last night, his ear started to bloat like a helium balloon and thus, a visit to the Vet at half-past ten was made. 

Soon after he was sedated, we took him outside the clinic because most dogs throw up as soon as the drug takes a toll on them. Standing across the street from him and looking into his eyes, i could see that he had begun to feel drowsy and also because he was standing in an awkward position. No vomiting, nothing, which is very unusual, we were told. Point 1.

After everything was done (that is, the blood and the clot removed from his ear), he was given glucose and as soon as the anesthesia started to wear off, we got ready to take him off the surgical table and carry him to the car, a Herculean task, that. But Bruno had one more surprise for us- he walked all the way to the car by himself. Sure, he did not have full control over his legs, but he managed to walk with little help from us. A sight even the experienced Vet had not seen.

Now that the bloated ear flap has been gotten rid of, I hope he recovers soon. The house is way too non-noisy this way and we do not like it.

P.S. The pictures are err not-so-pretty. Hence, I would suggest you do not take a look at it if blood/wounds or anything of the sort makes you feel sick.

Balloon ear! Was not so funny last night, though.

Way too brave, this animal is.

He refused to keep his bandana-like dressing on.

The Month That Made Me Run Around

Since the University decided to make this a short semester (which is a good thing, by the way), work load has been piling up with each passing day and the animal kingdom take up most of my free time which gives very little time to get creative or motivated, in fact. Plus, all my creativity is being drained on assignments and planning the "fun" week [each day has a theme and we are to be dressed accordingly. =)] ahead in college. You know how these things work. So no time to breathe or for anything apart from the assignments. Speaking of which, we were asked to write an assignment on ourselves-experiences that made us who we are, memories that we remember from our childhood etc. and while most of them did not exceed 5 pages, i ended up writing a thesis on myself and like that was not enough, i felt i had not done justice in writing down everything. :| Some of us tend to get carried away way too often.

The rodents are growing too quick, putting on kilograms with each passing hour. And so are their claws, which i realize only after they puncture my skin. 

And with the Harry Potter Craze going on-

Back to that newsletter now.

P.S: Thank you,Ikky,for the blog award. =)

The power of being impatient, it's called

I believe in Zodiac signs as much as i believe in Bruno and his "don't eat" tricks. Not in the daily predictions, mind you, but the love signs and compatibility, et all. It is fun AND true, to an extent.
But his whole thing about Taureans being "patient", i dont know who got that from where. Maybe they thought "hey, let's just make the summer children feel better and compare them to bulls and say the have patience that can move mountains!". Amusing, and it works because we get ourselves to think we are patient and we actually end up being so. Miracles do happen, they said.
I woudnt be surprised if i am the only Taurean who is this way, though. Especially with the recent turn of events, i would not be surprised if i find a Genie in my wardrobe, willing to fulfill all my darn wishes. Finding happiness where you least expect it, or something of that sort. Are you listening, Genie?
Back to the topic, clearly the person who incorporated "patience" in Taurus was not of the same sign, if he was not playing a prank. To a certain degree, i guess you could call us patient otherwise, it just sounds so wrong.
I have been (blessed) with this disorder of making lists.
Lists of what to do.
Lists of what text books to buy.
Lists of what notebooks to buy.
Lists of what i want.
Lists of what i need.
Lists of what i should do.
Lists of what i need to do.
Haircuts.
Addition to animal kingdom.
Transportation.
You get the point.
It's obsessive and i can drive myself insane with this, with no help from my sibling, really. What's worse is that, it does not just stop at making the lists. You want to and HAVE TO do things on the list and mark it as done.And you want to get it done with before you can say "guinea pig".I.want.it.now. 
The symptoms include waking up in the middle of the night and jotting down more things in your little book.
Go to Landmark and to buy the green book you saw.
While at it, dont forget the erasers!
Oh and those colorful pencils.
Times like these i curse for not having a monochromatic vision. Things would be so much more simpler then. Or so i would like to believe. Let's not be diplomatic, now.
Those crayons , iwant. No no, i NEED.
For what? I dont know. Use it as a marker on the text book? I could take them to college everyday, and find someway to put it to use. It would fit perfectly between the pouch that contains a hundred different colored pens and the huge purse.
Why does there have to be such pretty, colorful things at the stationery shop?! Kill me now!

Oink and chop.

"MY" Bull!

Have you ever noticed a particular animal on your way to work/college every day and have taken that particular road just so that you can catch a glimpse of that animal? (I shouldn't be surprised if i am the only one =/ )

There is this bull that i pass by every morning and i have not seen a bull that big and sturdy(he could easily maul other cows to death) and it makes him look so adorable.Even then, there is something very gentle about his looks that makes him look like the most adorable animal on the planet. Hence, i HAVE to see him every morning, just brings this weird sense of satisfaction and happiness. Cheap thrills. I have never managed to successfully photograph him from a moving vehicle but this is almost what he looks like. I have even happily christened him "MY Bull" simply because i like the sound of that. :) Maybe the guy who owns him would sell him to me? I should find out.

Image from Google

Isn't this reason enough for you to get a dog? :)

The Ban On Plastic

This decision, by far, has been the wisest decision taken ever by the Government and i realized this when I went for my daily ritual of Golguppa. 

Every morning, i pass this huge heard of cattle and i cant help (i love cows and there is a particular bull in the herd that has the sweetest of faces!) but notice them trying to chew through the bazillion plastic covers in an attempt to get to the food that is inside. I have been around animals all my life, especially cows. My parents have been taking us to our farm house every summer and i have spent most of my time there in the cow shed, either feeding the cows or measuring the length of their tongues. I guess that's how my love towards animals started, i never let anyone use the bullock cart then and I still make a fuss when people around me suggest to use an animal for transport. :|

When i started reading of deaths of dogs and other animals due to suffocation caused by them trying to eat plastic, i made up my mind to give everything plastic for recycling; shampoo bottles, milk covers and even plastic covers. But since plastics like biscuit covers were not accepted because they could not be recycled, we had to throw them and this meant that there could be more animals killed (I still do not understand why people do not pay much heed to an animal that is killed due to their carelessness and get it stuck in their head that since it cannot speak for itself, it's ok if the animal suffers and eventually dies. Humans!)

Thankfully, the ban on plastic that is less than 40microns (above that, the plastic can be recycled) has been taken seriously and people seem to be following it by carrying their own shopping bags and many brands have shifted to using paper bags(that better be recycled too). Amen, to that.

So now, i can eat all my junk food in peace, without worrying about the damage my cookie's packaging cover is going to cause to the animal kingdom! Long live the animals! Oh and yes, thank you, dear Government.

It went bang, bang, bang, straight through my heart

Obsessing over this song now. Ah, there is something very catchy about this song, just cant seem to get enough of it. What, with the exams going on, its the perfect song to listen to over and over and over again. (2 hours straight). Didn't even know that K'naan had a second awesome song (the first being waving flag, of course and though we have had an overdose of that one, cant deny the fact that it was one good song) and Adam Levine! =)

Note To Self

• Never force your pet to eat. He probably isn't hungry or is sulking (wonder where they learn that stuff from) because he wants a change in his food. Forcing him to eat is only going to lead to one of the two things- A) He'll throw up, and very conveniently on your bed, while cleaning which you'll notice the presence of awful deformed things that you did not expect to find in his puke. Plus, that will be one more addition on your list of Important Things To Be Done since dog puke has this thing of seeping all the way to the other end of the mattress. And B) He'll turn out to be a spoilt brat who refuses to eat until he is fed. In my case, this animal has to be coaxed to eat. We have to promise him treats once he finishes breakfast/lunch. A change in diet is not appreciated either unless we resort to letting him have pizza with extra cheese everyday.        
                                    
• Do not watch a horror show right before you hit the sack, not even the lame Hindi one. It seems to have some sort of a lasting effect on your brain (If only I could remember class-related topics this well) and the next thing you know, you are waking up a zillion times that night and you don't even know why.
   
• Listening to the "One Missed Call" ringtone is funny ONLY during the day. Try not to even think of it after sunset. You may think that since it did not have much affect on you during the day, the same holds good for the night too. You do not want to be proved wrong. So it is best when avoided.
  
• Never ask your friend, with a vivid imagination, to scare you. And if you do, DO NOT try to imagine the scene. You do not have to prove your bravery to anyone. They say the mind is not accustomed to seeing another image of your self, with the exception of your image in the mirror (and identical twins). Hence, when you imagine seeing another reflection of yourself in the mirror, it freaks you out. I watch way too many horror films and i know i have to stop.
  
• Remember that this is all your fault. No one forced you to watch "Shutter", the Korean version of all things! You did this to yourself so you have no one to blame except for yourself.
  



I know this is a very gruesome
image. :|
But then it is not like
the lizard was
 given a choice
to make before it was
born as a lizard so
i think i feel sorry for it.
And it DIED, sticking to that glass.
Pretty amazing, huh?

• Curiosity DID kill the cat and as for that lizard, it died of natural circumstances. Try not to wonder where the blood clot came from. Plus, try not to think of it while finishing lunch, though it might be an easy way to skip the boring food, you do not want to feel nauseous and give your sibling a reason to tease you for the rest of your life.

• Instead of just "thinking of finishing the portions" a week before the exam, try to actually finish studying everything AT LEAST two days before. It is not going to be easy, but it will give you a sense of satisfaction and plus, you do not have to wake up before sunrise on the day of the exam and you can get adequate amount of sleep the night before.

• The next time someone calls you a nerd, do not think twice before whacking them and you do not have to explain why you are not a nerd.
  

• You may not be a teen anymore but that still does not change a few things. Remember this especially before you decide to take in a homeless dog/cat.
  
  
• Your mom will not let you take in a kitten and she will not give in even after listening to the sad plight (half of which you made up, just to convincer her) of the homeless animal and she will bring all your faults to your notice- about how you just want a cat to play with and she is compelled to do the other dirty works such as toilet-train it and you know it is a losing battle.Mothers can be really tough that way.
  
• It is not easy to get a kitten to shut up and they continue to shriek and bring the roof down even after being put in the closet just so that your parents find out that you took in another kitten and started the process of turning home into an animal shelter all over again.
  
• Do not try to figure dogs out, because you cant.  Either they are thinking of something so deep that it is beyond your understanding capacity or they are plain weird. While Bruno thinks that he is curing some kind of an itch that his lady-bug shaped pillow has, Benzy sits around staring into empty space which makes me wonder if she is possessed (which she probably is).

• Some dogs are genetically thin so do not try to get them to put on weight or you too will end up being the proud owner of a deranged (this has nothing to do with her half black-half white mask face) dog whose stomach is inversely proportional to her face and her legs continue to look like they would break if you sat on it. You are over feeding a dog that likes to laze around and sleep at home all day, she is bound to put that energy to use by randomly barking in the middle of the night.
  
• Too much of anything is bad. This includes watermelons and mangoes.
  
• You think you can fix your laptop, but then you also thought you could fly so sometimes, it is good to seek help.
  
• No matter how many years pass by, you will always be your older brothers vent machine. Live with it.

• It is alright to chop your hair short in the summer. It will grow back, do not worry.
  
• Some girls will never update their level of thinking; not in a million years. It is best to maintain your distance from them. You are diplomatic and nice. So what if the don't return your sweetness? You do not have to do the same because then, there would be no difference between them and you now, would there? =)

The Time Is Not Right- Extrinsic Frame Of Reference

So much for optimism and the whole "try not to give in to the negativity" and "do not let negativity take over your life". Since it is a lot more easier to say that the time is not right, i too will take refuge in the cliche and make things much more simpler for myself.

• I cannot seem to hang on to the studs. This has never happened before and it is frustrating because it is such a job to go hunting for the perfect pair of studs.
• People just could not get more annoying. I mean, what can I do if you do not understand sarcasm? That too after knowing me for years now! Such a shame.
•  Everything is NOT going to be OK. No matter how many times you tell me, i am still going to nod my head and agree but we know the truth and just because you tell me it is just a phase, does not make this just a "phase". Some nerve you have in calling me your friend, as a matter of fact. Lies.
• But i guess life moves on, with or without the people in your life so when I am 32 and on a vacation in Antarctica, surrounded by Huskies, you all can make a feeble attempt to talk to me by calling and make me feel good about this whole episode. And much more than I am willing to write. =)

The Most Amazing Animal On The Planet

I do not know what is with Labrador Retrievers but they are so easy to get attached to (not that I am saying it is any tougher to get attached to any other animal, but it is definitely a job to try not to like a Lab), and once they come into a family as the first pet, you get so familiar and accustomed to the breed that it becomes close to impossible to have any other dog apart from a Lab. The most friendliest, adorable, weird (they wag their tails while barking) animals that has ever been. Jumping on people and chewing on their hands is their way of saying hello, gnawing on their leash, they do the opposite of what they are asked to do hence, it is a tedious job to keep them off the bed/couch or even the bean bag, they speak through their eyes and have so many different expressions that it will surprise you. So when you hire a Trainer for your Lab and when the Trainer asks you to sell your dog to him, to the police bomb squad, do not think twice before you refuse because no other being can bring half the amount of happiness in your life as much as your beautiful dog. After all, it is with a reason that they are ranked #7 on the list of The Most Intelligent Dogs.

Very social, can get along really well with anybody, including other dogs, cats and birds even, you could bite them and bother them as much as you want and they wont snap even then; when trained, he will stop when you ask him to and wont touch food that is not meant for him. They are very intelligent that way and they will teach you that unconditional love does exist. The only dog that will follow you when you are walking into the sea, probably in an attempt to save you in-case the waves succeed in taking you away from him; will go everywhere with you when you take him away from home, even if that means he has to climb a wooden ladder or cross a river on a hanging bridge-he will do it all just to be with you: will laze around at home all day but jump and run to the door when he hears you taking the car out and that is when you realize what life would have been without this little fur-shedding animal in the backseat of your car, jumping away to glory with his favorite soft toy in his mouth and barking randomly at other animals on the road, as if to tell them how much he loves going on drives. Life would have been empty. Hence, having dog fur on your most expensive of clothes, in the car and every inch of the house is a small price to pay and it wont be long before you start ignoring all the dog fur and begin to see it as his stamp- that he was here, in your life.

In no time, you will realize that he is not just a dog, he is your life. A part of the family who will go everywhere with you, including vacations. Everything will revolve around him and you wont like it when people refer to him as "it" or call him your "dog", get annoyed when he is being made fun of, you feel happy even when things are not going right for you (clichéd,but true) and everything you do, you do it for him. He gives a whole new meaning to love, brings infinite amount of happiness and teaches you to forgive. 

Bruno, you might not always come to me when I call you, but I sure do know that you miss me when I am not around and that does say a lot. And no, I will never stop pushing you into a water body when I see one. :) 

Public Transport? NO MORE!!

People who rely on public transport, especially autos, in this city should be given an award of some sort for their patience and determination to not give up.  I still cant figure out how they do it. Must be something they eat to keep calm, perhaps? Auto-rickshaw drivers are easily the most annoying thing about this city. A)They do not know how to talk to women and like that was not enough, they think they are the rulers of this country, behave like it is OK to boss people around and then say things like "I brought you back safe". Really, now? Your definition of  "safe" involves abusing someone who, mind you, is not traveling in your Auto for free and complaining about the roads she chose to take you through, is it? I did not ask the Government to bombard the roads and make your life a living hell but given the chance, I would have put you through that. When the hell will these people be taught a lesson? I reached my saturation point almost three years back and the thought of taking an Auto and having to talk to them in the process still gives me nightmares. 

I dint intend on meeting you ever but that was a lesson well learnt, which will not happen again. EVER again.

 Oh and guess what Mr.Auto driver? It is not long before the Metro comes into the scene and you will be out of business so maybe it is high time you start to learn how to talk to women and throw that foul language of yours in the gutter and probably follow it as well.

Photographs

A lot of people I know always complain about the number of pictures i take. I cant help it, i love pictures! They help me keep my memory intact. A picture speaks a thousand words and I dont know how anyone can not take pictures, let alone complain about it. Someday, they will know what i mean.  ( Feels good to say it!)

Pictures need not always have people in it, not always. It can be something as random as maybe rain, or food, anything around you. A picture is something that you look at, years down the line and feel it talking to you, telling you a story. (Though the story might differ depending on the person's point of view). They help us recollect the moment that has passed, if it weren't for this little invention of photographs, we probably would not have appreciated the elegant peacock and the beautiful colors those feathers carry, neither would we have known how beautiful the color green actually is. Everything looks oh-so-pleasant in a photo than it does to the naked eye, makes everything and everyone look flawless. And they say there is no such thing called magic? :)

Walking Away

You think you can just walk into my life and walk out as you please? Things do not happen that way. You say you are busy, but you have all the time in the world to talk to all your friends and cousins: everyone except me. I wonder if you will ever tire of giving me these lame reasons, which probably do not convince you either. Making my life a mess, that is something you are not entitled to. I do not belong to you, I dont have to reply to your texts or talk to you when YOU have the time. There is no point in talking to a heartless person, who cares for no one but the people in her own Fairytale Land that does not exist. I am sick of you, sick of everything that you do. And it is my time to walk out now. I hope you feel the same that i did, girl.

Re-living Goa

It's been almost three months and i still cannot get over it, especially with the weather in the city getting this humid, it is easy to wish to go to a beach. How i miss Goa and the flea markets that this city lacks.

*sigh*

The one thing that i miss the most (and believe me,it is such a difficult choice to decide what i miss the most), is the French Toast that we had for breakfast almost every morning. If I could eat those French Toasts for breakfast for the rest of my life, I most certainly would. With no second thoughts! Who but a Goan chef in a small restaurant would know the recipe for the most deliciously perfect set of French Toast which people like us would gobble every single day.

Oh and of course, the strange sugar that dint dissolve in cornflakes, will never be forgotten. Anjuna beach by night, sitting in silence (ok, not really "silence" but yeah, there were a few minutes when everyone went silent) and watching the moon. The moon has never looked so poetic ever since that night at Anjuna. Anyone would trade being in this city and studying for the exams to getting toasted in the sun and flaunting the "I just got dipped in molten copper" look in the Wednesday Night Market and getting bright-coloured streaks in their hair.

One Year Down

It has been a long academic year and now i can say that i too have been a victim of studying Psychology like there is no tomorrow. Well, atleast when Dexter is not on TV.  J. Crew and Target are still playing hard to get in the city and I haven't given up. Plus, there is so much of work left to be done before this semester comes to an end, and got to intern as well. The stress, I tell you. Not to mention, the role of a "big sister" that i have to play. Such be the current scene. Not for long, I hope.

The life of Benzy

A couple of months back, as i was leaving home to go to a friend's place, i noticed this super enthusiastic dog pass by my street. As usual, i ran to the kitchen and fed the weak-looking dog. She was a stray, probably wandering around in search of a meal and since i fed her, she started to hang around my house.

Bensy is the most sweetest dog i've ever met. She must be less than a year old and grew very attached to the family. Storms and rain scare her and that is when we took her in and gave her a new bed. The fireworks during Diwali made her tremble and whine all evening. It got so worse that i spent my evenings trying to calm her nerves, to stop her from trembling.

She spends her nights inside, sleeping so peacefully, maybe she has never slept this well ever in her life. The streets are not really a safe place. Every night as i watch her sleep, i feel my heart skip a beat. She is one lucky animal and i could not be more pleased about adopting her.

Love Makes The World Go Round

Humans are so needy. We say all we need is love and when we get it, we say it is not from the one we expect. We can never make up our mind and by the time we learn to identify superficial love, its too late.

We take our dear ones for granted and then rant about how we are ignored. When someone genuinely loves us, we dont want it, when they shift their attention from us, we get frustrated.

At first, I thought it's teenage psychology. I wanted to believe that, to give it a definite name. Yes, of course, it did not work and it got to a point when i really wanted to give up on trying to make her understand. It dint matter to her. I didn't matter. She lived in a small world which consisted of her and her certain "loved" one. I thought she would grow out of it, would understand emotions better and i even felt she did but, blah.

Patience is not always a good thing. If only she would open her eyes and take a peek and the world.