Speculations

Shady mornings,

People running on the road like stars in the sky,

Cold wind breezing away, sometimes gruesome sights meet my eye.

A dead rat, heartless crows; garbage in heaps greeting my nose.

But then I see two small kids using a railing as a slide, a cross-necklace trying to hide

Which makes me feel, things are balanced. It’s quite alright.

Eventually, the initial still fades away, the time bomb is dropped.

Before you know it, here comes a cop to control the quotidian traffic,

Buses challenge each other, bustling crowds are engrossed in themselves and don’t bother.

But conversations are interesting, listening is an art

If you listen carefully, you may even see broken hearts </3

Gang members threatening their cult, a married couple having a brawl,

Perhaps even a group of friends arguing “Who did the last foul!”

A loving sister, a ‘samosa’ vendor, the President of India passing by in his entire splendor!

The world moves on though, taking large strides,

Dangerously playing politics and making laws which take the human population for a ride..

Inventing new things, planning to traverse Desert Mars,

When we haven’t even explored our own planet completely so far.

But for me, it’s soon night; I’m moving at my own pace,

Watching cars and the noise dissolve into nothingness!

Just like this time elapses, months melt away,

And Lo Behold! The twelfth ice cube is almost gone from your sorbet >:O

So while I dream on, make outlandish mistakes and get back to my humdrum of a life,

Never drink Pepsi, Thumbs Up or Sprite.

Alcohol is simply out of the question,

Just party hard, have a jam session,

Try and avoid indigestion, also remember the sum of harmonic progression.

Hopefully, once again, we won’t face recession.

Enough speculations, Farewell now.

  

The ending was a bit random, but that’s how I wanted it to be, I guess. *_^

We all live in our own small world in this big sphere we call our planet. Sometimes, time flies by, and you realize that all these years, you have been restricted to that small space itself. Like today, I am (in a way) restricted up to college, yesterday I knew only of school. So in the future, I guess I want to be the one who flies with time.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE, A PRE- HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS! DO SOMETHING CRAZY! :P And if you do, tell me about it!

Kanksha :)

Thanks for reading!

(Two last things. Firstly, I know everyone will drink whatever they want to on the 31^st. I just felt like adding that bit. And then again, I am aware that there is no sum of harmonic progression, before someone begins correcting me.)

It was actually tiny, smaller than my fist!

Gay Sex a criminal offense? Wth.

Just two days ago, the Government of India criminalised gay sex. I can't bring myself to understand why. It's shameful and despicable.

Firstly, I don't know how the Government has the right to decide what we do with our personal life. As long as we are not harming someone physically or emotionally, there shouldn't be a problem, right? And from when did we start letting someone else dictate and tell us who we can or can not love? It's crazy. We should be sanctioned to love whoever we want, elope whoever we want, irrespective of the gender. As long as those two people are nonchalant about it, shouldn't everyone else be indifferent as well?

Yes, agreed that India is a conservative country with its own sacred culture and rules. In a country where the mentality of women staying at home still exists (in some places), where people sum up a boy hanging out with a girl as dating and where people are still not comfortable with PDA, discomfort towards homosexuality is understandable, and pretty much reasonable as well. But the justice's perception of gay marriage as a crime? That isn't. Calling gay sex a "criminal offense" is preposterous. Ten year imprisonment, though, is taking it to a whole new level. Wasn't the court designed to help those who are struggling for rights? A verdict such as this to be announced just a day after Human Rights Day; I'm loving the irony.

Another thing that I was thinking about was how we have separated the society into two groups - transgendered and straight. Is this a subtle approach at making the non-straight group of people feel insecure by implying they are bent? Right now, it's homosexuality, tomorrow it could be mutants and before you know it, aliens will be popping up maybe not from space, but the center of the earth itself. Then what?

I think what we are afraid of, is being different. It scares the daylights out of us when something beyond the understanding of an average human being takes place. Like gay sex which certainly, is not "normal". I think, it's all about perception. Something the Indian Government, which is stuck in the 1800's, still has to get right.

Kanksha :)

Just do it!

Something really creepy happened to me three days ago. It was night, and I was sleeping, as most non-nocturnal creatures do when I suddenly woke up because of a crash. Jumping up to my feet, I went to the window to assess the damage. Except for the car, everyone was safe. It then dawned on me that I had just, co-incidentally, uttered the words car crash in my dream. Thinking about it, I fell asleep. The next morning, that was all I could remember (as I told my mom about the co-incidence). I had no clue what my dream was about, I just remembered that the car crash was deafening and the whole situation had been freaky.

^I didn't really know how to say that. It's just so unbelievable. I just had to be uttering "car crash" in my dream at 1:19 in the morning, didn't I? 

So before I start talking about co-incidences and how the concept of co-incidence is really weird and sometimes even sinister, I think I should move on to happy stuff. 

Breaking news: Aditi finally put on her resurrection wings and wrote a post! Yes Aditi, I'm evil. But I held on to my promise of not sharing your post, so please don't be mad? 

And if you have read her post, I repeat her question. Who are you? Do you do what you do for yourself? Or is it for others? Loads of people think about what other people think of them. They are afraid of being judged, insecure and underrate themselves. It's good to care for people. Caring about what they think just may not be in your best interests! How does it even matter if someone thinks you are crazy for laughing like a maniac, or dancing like there is no end? It's perfectly okay if a boy wants to learn how to cook. No one will hold anything against you if you talk to the "loner" of your class. There isn't any point of trying to uphold a reputation either for the sake of it as it is holding you back from being yourself.

My sister just came back from camp this weekend. She was ecstatic. Is it sad that I was never so happy after I came back from camps? Maybe because I never really opened up to the people I roomed up with, maybe because I was too scared to be free and have fun. My friends would switch on the music channels and dance away while I would just sit and watch them. 

So, like Nike says, Just Do It. Don't think of others. Live your dreams; do what you want. Try to stop judging people too, as I've mentioned before. The same person could be amazing from the inside.

I think I'll give the preacher side of me a break now. Maybe I'll come up with a literary masterpiece the next time! :P 

P(r)eachy as always,

Kanksha ;)

A question though. Is there something that you think I could/should write about? If you have any ideas, you could comment or email them at hilariouslyuseless@gmail.com And thanks for reading! 

Who Am I?

Don't we all love talking about others? Isn't it fun to discuss other people? By discuss, I don't mean criticize or backbite, I simply mean talking about who's how, who's nice, and who's not. But when it actually comes to knowing and analyzing ourself, how good are we at that? For me, answering questions about myself, about my likes and interests, are the most difficult! :P (No, seriously.)

We often point out to how good (or bad :P ) one is at a sport, music, studying, painting, acting, cooking or any other activity. We would also know our own stand in such activities. But do we judge ourself correctly? Do we know where our potential and interest lies? And whether it matches with our personality?

A lot of us our undecided, even after 15 or 16 years of age, as to which career option to choose. This is primarily because we do not know what interests us. "No one knows you better than you know yourself." How much truth does this statement hold?

What I'm trying to say, is that (atleast during teenage), the problem a lot of us face is that we do not know what makes us happy. We lack interest and motivation. One doesn't know what to do in life! I'm not saying this is the case with everyone. Some have clear and defined goals and are working hard to achieve them. But...  the others?

Life is too short. Half our life can't be wasted in knowing and figuring out ourselves. It may be hypocritical of me, but one needs a defined goal in life. One needs motivation, a purpose to live for. Or else, this birth that we've taken, is practically useless.

Okay, now enough philosophy to ponder over.
Just get up, and go, do it! :D

Aditi :)

P.S.: I know its been a long time, very long. :P

Thanks-giving.

Thanksgiving. It’s not a festival we celebrate in India, but I really think we should. Yeah, apart from the pardoning of a turkey, which spares the lucky birds’ life entitling it eternity to roam freely on farmland, I think “Thanks-giving” would be pretty cool.

On November 28^th, my father received an audio note from his recently reacquainted school friend, a note I don’t think anyone in my family will forget. It was about how my dad, who always came first in school, had inspired her to do well, how she only wanted to keep up with him and up her level to his, of how not beating him but doing as well as he always did was her goal. I’m amazed at how she knew she wanted to do well from the third standard. Most of us, I bet, are busy making pictures with crayons or watching a TV show at that age! From rank 48, she did better and halved her ranks till she ended up finally getting a better rank than my dad in grade ten. What left me speechless was her hard work and determination. How can an eight or nine year old girl, at such a tender age, have so much of ambition? Most people don’t have that kind of will power and determination even after they graduate! But even after all of that, I admire her for saying “Thanks” and acknowledging what had motivated her. I loved how optimistic she was and how she believed that she could do it till the very end.

Most of the times, it’s difficult to say thank you when you really mean it. I can’t come to understand why that happens. But it just does.

I think, I’ve learnt two things. The first thing is that anyone can be your inspiration. It need not be some big hotshot like Chetan Bhagat or Roger Federer. It could be that “chai-wala” (a person who sells tea) across the street who greets his customers with a smile and makes them tea passionately every day, it could be that old woman who jogs up the small hill even after huffing and puffing, looking like she is about to pass out but still runs because she has decided to or maybe even a small kid learning how to cycle for whom the word “quitting” is nonexistent! But I think we all need something which keeps us motivated to go on, however much we want to give up.

The second thing is saying thank you. Like if someone helped you along the way, say a thank you – I’m sure that will bring out a smile.

So if you feel like someone deserves it, go ahead and thank them from the bottom of your heart. (Not from your atrium, okay? Only ventricle. :P) Any day could be Thanks-giving day if you want. Who said you have to wait till next November?

Kanksha :)    

One of the main reasons I feel like writing as often is because I know people are reading. So, last but not the least, thanks for reading! :D 

Talking and Telepathy.

People are the most interesting “things” ever.  Analysing their actions and at times, creeping them out is more fun than you could imagine.

I have this habit of saying “Hi” to whoever I know. Even if I've talked to that person for a minute, once upon a time. So not surprisingly, I end up greeting quite a few people. But there is this one guy I greet regularly now, just because it’s so much of fun looking at his reaction. I bet he thinks I’m excessively weird – his taken aback expression, looking up from the corner of his eyes and the forcing out of a wave with a bored look gives him away. Today, though, he simply ignored me. Then there is this ever-smiling person whom I had the honour to talk to in the lift. My friend thought she’d tell him he had a cool nose which led to all of us laughing like crazy. Needless to say, whenever I meet him again, we burst into laughter. Then there is another person who chats on Facebook but can’t bring himself to talk face to face; one more friend with whom having a ten minute conversation on the phone could be considered an achievement. I have a school friend, with whom I've made a pact of texting strictly once a week (from when he accused me of not staying in touch) and there is Aditi, on the other hand, whom I talk to almost every day.

One person told me that staying quiet and listening to people is called “being neutral”. According to that person, talking is useless. I do not agree. Talking, I feel, is an art in itself. It’s beautiful. Listening is as well. I think it’s a win-win situation if you can maintain a balance between talking and listening. Some people know just how to reduce the group of people to tears with their jokes, others have a bunch of stories to tell, a few others can go on talking for hours while others talk in minuscule amounts, but when they do, everyone else goes quiet. There is this thing about talking to new people and meeting them which is refreshing. Like reading a new book, where you yearn to know the story behind every person, which explains their actions and helps you in predicting what they are going to do! But at the same time, you have to listen. My dad is a really good listener, which is why he probably has so much to tell, as well. I think how much you have to talk is proportional to the amount you listen. So to all those people who think talking is annoying or a waste of time, think over it again. Yes, video games, books, music and your phone will keep you occupied but a real conversation is always much more awesome – you do need human company.

Another thing that intrigues me is telepathy. Does is really exist? It freaked me out when I happened to message my cousin how her trip was just when she landed. And not only that, there are so many other instances as well. Like when you know exactly what the other person is thinking. My friend Meat-Alley and Tree-sit had the same dream one night. And they aren't even biologically related. Remember when you were thinking of a person, and that person called you up exactly at that time? In more than a few books, telepathy and being able to read someone’s’ thoughts is considered to be an ability. I've even heard about how bizarre it is when twins look at each other and make decisions while staring into each other’s eyes. I think telepathy is more than co-incidence now. There has to be a reason why this happens. People have suspected and conducted experiments based on probability, but unfortunately, it's existance still hasn't been proved.

I really want to know if telepathy exists, and if yes, how it works. Whales can send messages to other whales, which are hundreds of miles away. Similarly, something must hold true for humans as well. Imagine a world where you could sense emotions or read a person’s thoughts if they let you. Yes, it would lead to an unimaginable number of complications, but it might just be worth it!

What do you think about telepathy? And what is your opinion on talking? :P

Kanksha. :)

And once again, thanks for reading.

Embrace the curious kid side of you. You may just help the world.

How many things do you know of that can be more than one thing at the same time? It could be a state of mind in which you are cluless about what to do, or maybe that time when your friend was rambling about things you weren't even interested about. It could be a game of wills of karma and yourself, where you both have absolutely nothing to do. You could be haunted by it while you were staring out of the window and plagued with it during the history lesson. If you still haven't guessed what I'm talking about, I'll do the honours and spell it out for you. B-O-R-E-D-O-M.

I know you know your spellings, but what if I said boredom and you thought it was boardom, the land of boars? If only the term boredom could be so easy to figure out. It's simple enough to say "I'm bored" but the reasons why one is bored aren't that boring at all. Like the other day, in college, I saw a group of guys socialising and I wanted to socialize as well. But I had talked to all the girls already, and everyone like me, had pretty much nothing interesting to talk about. Needless to say, I kept staring at different people, maybe took a couple of videos and ended up listening to tit bits of various conversations without meaning to.

I kept on thinking of how to define bored when the light bulb in my head switched on and I realised that dictionaries existed. I found out that 'bored' is similar to dull, tired or a cause of petty annoyance. Now my initial irritation (of not being able to define that word) turned into amusement. It's funny how human beings have slowly drifted away from the real meaning of being bored. Yes, being bored is still used when you are tired, feeling dull, gloomy and annoyed at the world for no particular reason. But we have taken it to a whole new level.

Is this becoming too much of English stuff now? :P

But seriously, sometimes I envy kids. I envy their curiosity, their ability to find every small thing interesting. A small thing like making funny faces would make them laugh. To them, everything that happens is new, different and enticing. I doubt they ever get run out of things to do. They're busy staring around and figuring things out. If we, as in people of my age and older people, let's say see a new phone which shows you stuff in 3D, we'll surely be impressed. But maybe not as impressed or mixed with wonder and confusion as a six year old would be when he/she would find out that a balloon can fly on its own.

A last thought. Would not studying in the initial stages of life help us in a twisted way? If, for a certain number of years, a person isn't made to study, does that mean that person will end up answering unanswered questions and see the world through fresh eyes?

Kanksha :)

This post is pretty short. But I'd end up extending things for no reason otherwise. Thanks for reading, as always. :D

From movies, books and music.

It feels like ages since I posted something. I took a rollercoaster to iMagica, went down the memory lane with my family watching some of the cutest videos in history, and sat for a Bollywood film. Not oak wood, mind you. :P

If you watched Krrish 3 and really liked it, the only reason I can find is because you haven’t watched Hollywood films. I hate to say this, but many Bollywood movies seem to be copied. Krrish 3 seemed to be inspired (as I bet ‘inspired’ is the word they prefer) from X-men. Like completely. Everything except the storyline. While X-Men focuses on war between mutants and humans, this movie is based on the extermination of evil. They ‘borrow’ the idea of mutants in doing so and the ability to attract metal as well. So much for being original.

On another note, I just read Allegiant by Veronica Roth, the third and final book of the Divergent trilogy. I think every character death sucks. What I don’t get is why, in every single teen fiction book, the author just has to kill someone close to the protagonist or the protagonist himself/herself. How many books have you read, in which someone’s life isn’t sacrificed for the greater good? In each one, from the Hunger Games, Eragon and Tiger’s Curse to Alex Rider and Harry Potter readers have mourned more than one melancholy death.

Then comes the story of how One Direction released a song on something other than a girl. Finally, they manage to think of something different.

I digress from what I want to say though. I find the impact movies, books and music have on our society amazing. The power they wield and the way they can transform and hypnotize the world in their own way is unbelievable. A new song comes out and hundreds of people have plugged in their headphones in the conquest of being the first few to listen to it and gush about. If a new book is launched, we have everyone downloading pirated copies, swallowing the book even faster than an anaconda could have.

Does that mean that sooner or later, these three entities will rule the world? If not rule, influence most of the things people do, their thought process, and what they think is wrong or right? After all, these things are nothing but mediums of expressing your thoughts.

Another thing to think about is if all the things you think celebrities (in every field) do actually real? Or is it just another game of pretend? Are the feelings they portray, the things they say, the way they behave just an act or a fact? Sometimes I feel like giving them the benefit of doubt and want to believe it’s all real, but how can we ever know?

Sometimes, you are infatuated because you find them stunning and their personality cool, maybe because their writing is just out of the world and stories a treat to imagine and other times you might genuinely like someone’s music; but so what? I think lots of people get blinded by what they see or hear. They stop thinking rationally. It’s like being drunk in the sea of obsession forever.

But is getting drunk always bad? ^^^^^(in this case, I believe it is.)

An acquaintance of mine had once told me that he got drunk whenever he sat to write, just without the alcohol. Only now do I truly understand what that means.

Kanksha :)

I realised that all I've done is asked questions and didn't really get anywhere. I guess that's because I'm still thinking! I hope that by now, you are as well. Procrastination is one activity that we do all the time. 

Another question that will create impulses in your brain - Have you ever wondered how fast we think? One minute you're thinking about how warm the coffee is and the next second you're reminiscing the memory of eating a Bournville which leads to how enticing Charlie and the Chocolate factory was. What if the speed at which you think is faster than the speed of light? Just saying.

Domination. Boys Rule. NOT.

It was a college day when all of us were mass bunking (as usual) and I suddenly overheard how a group of people had gone to play football. On mentioning that we would like to join in later, we were....discouraged?

Basically, according to them, we wouldn’t like to play football, and people will make too many fouls we wouldn't be able to handle. What they said was pretty unexpected. Why this stereotype all over again? Why bring out this old age mentality after you are supposed to have got over it? What the hell do you mean by saying that we cannot handle it. A girl can take a blow as gracefully as a boy can. Yes, you people might be stronger but strength isn't exactly in our hands. The almighty creator defaulted that, not us.

The general opinion that a boy has to earn and therefore must try for a more stable job brings out the feminist side in me as well. "This is the reason behind more boys taking up engineering or science instead of arts," one of my other friends told me. The logic sucks, but I'm afraid it seems to be true. Today, there are around 12 boys and nearly hundred girls in Aditi’s college (who has taken up arts) and 10 girls and 50 boys in mine.

It's funny how this stereotype came out. I wonder when men started dominating women. I repeatedly question myself why women (in a way) surrendered. A queen would generally never get the same respect that a king gets (At least in India). Teachers scare students by warning them and telling them they would call his father. Women never, never get the recognition they deserve. Even the name in between your name and surname is your father's. Women move in to their husband's house (unless they decide to stay separately) and usually take his surname as well. I'm not saying that anything is wrong in this, I'm simply asking, why women? If a girl and a guy are together, the girl is framed as a slut, the boy is most often crowned as a 'playboy'. It's just stupid. Plainly preposterous.

Take a look everywhere in general. In my college confession page, there is enough hate to last a lifetime. (Well, I’m obviously exaggerating a bit, but you get the point!) The sad part is that most of the hate is targeted towards the girls. Everything, from backing off from their boy – at least tell them who your boy is :P – to ‘stop walking’. Who even says that? People are shocked if they ever hear of a girl who plays video games, in awe if they learn of a girl who works out regularly.

On the other hand, the military hardly recruits girls for field work at all. According to a retired soldier I once had the privilege of talking to, one in a million girls have natural reflexes. Most girls aren’t natural about the things they do. But he also says that though they may not be in the real thing, they could always help ‘backstage’. If women were allowed to do so, half of our defense could be controlled by women itself!

On my school tour, the boys were asked to help transfer the luggage on the top of the bus. I’m not complaining, but again, why? Heck, once when we had made a chain, not only did the work get over more swiftly but everyone could put in lesser effort as well! To top that, our hands didn’t even break. (Note the sarcasm.)

In this patriarchal society, I don't have any idea when and how the way people will change their thinking. I can only hope it happens gradually.

Kanksha :)

PS: Maybe what I’ve written sounds a bit aggressive…? My writing tends to reflect my mood. I guess writing is a way I channel my feelings and emotions and put them on paper. Oh, I’m also not saying everyone thinks like this.  

Are you really social?

When I thought Instagram was the new Facebook, Whatsapp had its genesis in this technological world.  Suddenly, I see people posting 'Android BBM' pins. Mind you, Android BlackBerry Messenger. (I bet all BlackBerry users are banging their heads right now!) Tumblr, Twitter, VChat; The list goes on and on. And how can I forget the infamous Confession pages?

My dear friend 'M-alley' (as I will call her from now onwards) is meticulously unwinding the thread of time on her phone whenever she is free (which she is almost always, but that isn't the point.) Why talk about her when I can talk about myself though? These days I check my facebook notifications the very minute I come back home. For a large amount of people, even trying to imagine a life without social networking sights and gizmos is next to impossible.

The reaction people give me when I tell them I'm not on whatsapp is most often hilarious. It's as if people don't know what to do anymore. If they aren't studying, they are sending text messages with both hands in a manner difficult to understand, and if not that, they are practicing the art of procrastination. It's a fact that the amount of time people stay outdoors to simply play and have fun has decreased, just like the number of times one meets his family has. In this time constraint, things are becoming more and more paradoxical. Like one feels texting, for example, helps you keep in touch. But one simple phone call means so much more! According to me, if you really want to talk to that person, you will call instead of texting. I remember a (kind of) movie I had watched in which they were explaining how happiness actually means more grief. Give me a chance to explain. Three people exist in this world playing the game of life. The amount they work is the same, the longing of a new house is the same. The first person shifts from slums to a small chawl, the second person from a chawl to a flat, the third from a flat to a bungalow. It's not technically possible to calculate but its pretty obvious that the level of happiness all of them feel is the same. Let's look at another situation. A small ragamuffin like boy wins a lottery of 10,000. An actor won the same lottery as well. Now who is happier?
This shows you that the degree of happiness you feel could be measured by how much pain you went through before to achieve it. It's like looking for treasure. Who likes easy treasure hunts? An enthralling, mind-boggling hunt with a bunch of cool riddles sounds much more fun to me!

And as usual, I digress. I started with social networking sights and ended with a treasure hunt. That's a new record for me as well. Anyways, I doubt popularity and attention will keep you 'happy'! :P After all, after a period of time, you get bored of it. I think its smaller things that matter much more. Like going out for a jog or playing a game of football that gets your adreneline pumping. The moment when you win an argument against your best friend (which often tend to be never ending!), the feeling of satisfaction when you run for a bus when you're running late and manage to catch it and the fun in cracking a joke and seeing a smile slip onto someone's face. It may also be a thirty second dance party (Tree - sit, my other friend has these whenever she is bored! xD I think its a nice idea to drive boredom over the fence as fast as possible!)
Or what I feel after finishing a blog post and reading the comments! :D

Personally, I feel these networking sights have metamorphed into the devil in disguise. Over the period of time, they are creating walls instead of ripping and breaking them down.. I'm aware that I'm generalizing and many people might be benefiting from them as well. But look back and give it a thought. Out of all those friends you have (on Facebook let's say), how many do you actually talk to face to face?

Kanksha :)

I remembered this song we used to sing in class and have been humming it all day since I started thinking about happiness. Here it is!

"Happiness is where you are and what you want to be,
If you look you're sure to find the rainbow of your dreams,
Tomorrows faller than a thousand yesterdays,
With a vision of a new day in our heart!"

PS. Doesn't the jelly look delicious? My sister had made it! xD

School!

So I used a stripper today. No, no, no! It's not what you are thinking about. This is what I call a stripper.

Basically, you use it to remove the outer covering of a wire to make connections...

Looking at the laboratories in college, conducting experiments, secretly helping friends out and lending solutions ended with me recalling sweet memories. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia, each water drop in it being a unique memory.

Every single time I sit to write about school, my thoughts get scattered. It's like they are in a frenzy. I don't know where to begin, I am at a loss of how to end it. Maybe that is because there is no beginning. Maybe there isn't an ending either. It stays in our hearts forever. School is where we made our first friends. We are emotionally attached to it. College is great, it has awesome people. But just like people say, 'Boys will be boys', school is school. It was like a family of 105 cousins and multiple parents. It's a place where we made our best friends, worst enemies, where pinky promises existed, a simple game of tic-tac-toe was exciting, eating food in between classes was (in lower grades) considered the epitome of cool, where each festival was celebrated less for itself but more to take pictures, where the whole class contributed for a cake and watching your friend fall off the chair while sitting down was probably the most hilarious thing ever.

To say I miss school would be an understatement. The mornings which were passed in convincing people to sing the prayers, secretly trying to see who isn't meditating and getting caught, organizing competitions and winning as a school are things you get to feel and experience only once! My school was a place were Michael Jackson and Doraemon talked to each other. (Code names for teachers is a different thing alltogether!) And I still haven't talked about the occasional water fights, arguments which reincarnated to debates and the boring yet ever imporatant soft board duty!

Thus, when school got over, everyone made a plethora of promises, one of them being a promise to stay in touch. It wasn't an oath bound by blood or on the river Styx. It was a simple pledge taken on friendship and trust. Floods of memories overflowed our yearbooks, well wishes were tattooed on our uniforms. We left school cherishing happy moments, brewing with curiosity at the same time. Curiosity of what is going to happen next, anxiety of a new life sprinkled with a bit of fear, mixed with tons of excitement. A longing to do something worthwhile as long as we live.

I wish I had taken permission to give a speech on the last day. I wish I, or at least someone else had been asked to. Reason being taking names now would become too personal! But I guess I just want to say, Good Luck! Dream and follow the omens. (Alright. This sentence is philosophical. Whatever. :P)

And for all those people who are still in school, remember, school is like a Cornetto ice cream. The whole thing is delicious but the last bit is something special altogether!

Kanksha :)

Interesting story..? : My friend accidentally tried dilute sulfuric acid mixed with FeSO4 and water. She said it tasted like blood. Another guy said it tasted like death. I was tempted to try it myself. Now what in the (under)world does death taste like? Hmmmm. ;)

Magic and Theories.

My name is probably one of the most unique names one could find. I found a total of 97 ‘Kanksha’s’ who use Facebook (Yes, I actually counted.),  99% of the people think it is Aakanksha at first and the other one percent simply enjoy pulling my leg and testing my patience by getting it wrong in the beginning purposely. You can see it in the twinkle of their eyes.

So why did I suddenly go all ballistic and start talking about names? Apparently, my cousin, (who just refrained from talking to me because of her ‘overwhelmingly eventful life’) had become really bored and decided to google articles that had used puns. She came across this article which talked about how naming cows isn’t udder nonsense. A new study now says that cows that are given names tend to give more milk than cows that aren’t. (If you wish to read more, the link is in the middle of the left and right corner of this page below. In simpler words, I meant in the end :P) I find the fact pretty amusing, but at the same time am not surprised.

If you are a regular reader of the science section of the newspaper, I’m quite sure you aren’t surprised either. The thing is that with every passing minute, mankind discovers something new. Sadly, he does not know how to use the information he has, he doesn’t realize how important that single discovery is and how it could end up being a portal into a completely new planet which was once just a figment of your imagination! This article said that cows were made to listen to music to keep them happy while milking. From various sources you can find out that nanodiamonds could be used to combat osteonecrosis, the supermassive black hole at the end of our galaxy  last erupted ten million years ago, people have been tricked into thinking artificial fingers as their own and a bunch of plastic bottles filled with water cannot be used to launch a human. As of now, it is questionable, if this information will be readily available to the right person at the right time.

Science is magical. In fact, all the magic tricks magicians perform have layers of science enveloped into it. The key is either in the equipment which is scientifically designed to create illusions or the magician himself uses various phenomena to make things human beings redeem impossible, happen.

My chemistry professor keeps on reiterating the fact that everything we know is a theory. He says that whatever we study today might not be applicable tomorrow. It may be true at the moment, on this planet but what about in vacuum? Or in conditions we still haven’t been able to accomplish practically or even think about? It is all a mystery.  All we do is find a convincing explanation for whatever happens and assume it is true until it is proven wrong or someone reasons better.

At the end of the day, magic is something you positively see, but cannot explain. Day to day phenomena has been explained, but we aren’t exactly sure if it is true. (We are made to believe it is, but we don’t really know for sure.) Does that mean that it is ‘magic’ as well? In a twisted manner, is it okay if we say science is ‘explained magic’?  

Who knows what lies beyond?
[Btw, the copyrights of this awesome picture belongs
 to none other than me, myself and I.]

Kanksha :)

And the link is : http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-02-04-cow-names_N.htm

Homework.

So much has happened since I have last posted. The world of sports reached another galaxy, the
ugliest animal was finally crowned and chemical weapons were used mercilessly in Syria.
At my college we did something like a mini sign campaign for a holiday, in which we ended up getting the privilege of leaving an hour early…But hey! Something is better than nothing!

So while life keeps moving on, as chocolates reach a new level of scrumpulicious and gadgets brush against a new level of cool, here I am at home, studying for an upcoming test (as usual). Well, technically I’m writing this, but never mind.

“A research supports the '10-minute rule’, the widely accepted practice of assigning 10 minutes of homework per day per grade-level. For example, under this system, 1st graders would receive 10 minutes of homework per night, while 5th graders would get 50 minutes' worth, 9th graders 90 minutes of homework, etc.” - Wikipedia.

Who out here in their right mind doesn’t wish they followed this rule??? According to this, 10th graders should work for about a 100 minutes. Now let’s compare this figure to the actual amount of time students (10th graders) study at home. 4hrs? 5 hrs? Sometimes more. Then obviously this is going to affect them in some way or the other. Here is an example of the working day of a normal student. Wake up at 6:30 in the morning, try your best to not drift off to Disneyland in your dreams and pay attention in class instead, come home and either go for tuitions (or do self study), finish the school homework after coming back and finally go off to sleep (at 11:00pm?).

Now imagine waking up at 6:00, going cycling with a gust of wind getting adrenaline pumping, going to school and studying, coming home, finishing your homework in around an hour an forty minutes and going off to play with your friends in the playground or experimenting in the kitchen. You could also devour a book, let your fingertips dance on the keyboard. feet tap to the beat of the drums, have a 'June Fools' and challenge your friend to ice creams in summer and paneer pakodas if the weather is chilly! Just think! Life without homework (or lessened homework) would be so free, fUn, merry and lively....

On the other hand, at this stage, I might say that homework is now a part of me as much as eating, drinking and sleeping is. Maybe at the moment, I might even say that life without homework would become a bit dull and boring as you are left with nothing to do and no goal to achieve at the end of the day.

Human beings are lazy people. Most of them need a push, and without that push, they end up doing nothing. In that way, homework is a blessing in disguise. So basically, you could say that I just contradicted myself. But I haven’t. To put an end to the battle of thoughts that is going on inside my head, I guess I could say that we need homework. Just not in extra large portions. Just like small servings keep you hungry and larger portions leave you feeling tired and drowsy, the amount of homework should neither be less, nor should it
be too much. It has to be just right.

Kanksha :)

Enough about my thoughts! How you argue about the existence of homework, I think, depends upon your age..so the case will never close. Give me your opinion!

Overcoming danger and trying to make women safer.

Safety. It's a word that has been rendered meaningless these days. In fact, 'safety of women' is now close to becoming an oxymoron! With rape cases being flung around as if they are a usual occurrence, one tends to question herself what this world is coming up to.
 
One day, a girl is raped in a bus at Delhi. People protest. The police promise to be more vigilant. But a few months later, a photographer journalist is raped in Mumbai. Wasn't Mumbai the city that never slept?

You can't change the minds of those men, even in a millennium. It's way easier to bring about a few minor changes in ourselves! One thing I feel all girls and women simply MUST do is dress appropriately. One cannot roam around in a pair of shorts and a tank top in the dead of the night on a deserted street and expect nothing to happen, just like you can't go all dressed up on a street where vegetable vendors and 'bhangar walas' govern the area and not expect heads to turn. Not in India at least. Many teenagers go for late night parties, looking all 'hot and sexy'. There ain't any problem with that! But as a cautionary measure, one could wear jeans while going back home! (I had seen one of my friend doing this and thought is was quite a brilliant and sensible thing to do!)

Another thing is curfew. It's quite a harsh word to use when your own parents set it, I know, but this practice has been going on since ages. Our ancestors weren't fools either. They knew what they were doing. Really early morning and late night's are the most dangerous parts of the day. Most of us say nothing's going to happen - but it doesn't even happen to everyone either! This curfew is just a small restriction you have for your safety - it is always better to be safe than sorry. No one can predict the future!

Lastly but not the least - self defense. It hurts me to say it but it is an established fact that men are stronger than women. So what women can't make up in strength, they must make up in technique and speed. I highly doubt skilled assassins are assigned for rape cases. Most of the attackers (I think) are a group of really strong, violent and inhuman people. Trying to fight four people at a time is ludicrous. That's why you must hit and sprint. Hit the person and run away to a crowded place, to a place where humans exist. But again, to overcome those four people somehow, you must be able to hit, and that is where self defense comes into the picture. Instead of teaching the whole art, as most of us don't even have that kind of time, I feel all these classes should set up special classes for women and children where they teach them how to defend themselves in an attack.


All my speeches and articles in school about something preposterous going on, like corruption for example, would end on the note that the government must take suitable measures. Here, I'm asking you to take them so the odds of this 'dreadful massacre' happening to you become (next to) null!

Kanksha :)

PS: If you are man/boy reading this, I guess you could forward the message or ask the female population in your house to take a look! ;)

Teenage Drama.

Watched a cliche movie? Heard a Taylor Swift song or One Directions' latest hit? (Nothing against them!) If you did, its sure to be describing teenage drama with a unique level of detail. Till a few days ago, I thought all of that was utter crap. Heck, I would have even passionately argued about how all of that was simply an exaggeration of a slightly 'one of a kind' life that only a handful people have.

But that is until last week happened. In short, let me say it was a smaller version of a Bolly/Hollywood movie. It was a mixture of dates and liplocks, trust and betrayals....a whole lot if pretending and dishonesty. It was a week of secrets. Secrets that are yet to be revealed. Now,my friends, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if you don't believe me, but take my word for it. (It's pretty obvious I wouldn't reveal the identity of the person..but I guess I could assure you of the fact that its not me :P)

The point of writing this is to reduce unnecessary tears. It is to elimate a major distraction in most teenagers these days. To ask them to have some patience and wait so that they know the difference between a crush and 'true love'. (I really want to crack a lame joke to reduce the tension, but seeing that there isn't any string, I'm still wondering from where the tension came from!!)

If I be blunt, I'm asking you to wait until you know that guy/girl. I'm asking you to not be blinded by fake promises.  In short, keep your eyes open and remain practical occasionally - it will help you keep a safe distance from the darker side of the world.

Kanksha :)

I was wondering...did it become too much? Does it seem like I'm preaching? 'Cause that sure wasn't my aim!

Is it your calling?

If I said I’ve been busy, it would be the understatement of the year. Well, not exactly. But caught up in the whirlwind of Motion, Gas and Co-ordinate Geometry, snatching a couple of hours for myself is becoming increasingly difficult.

We’ve always visualized colleges like planets – places that exist but no one goes to. The only reason for which a person ever decides to hop in there is curiosity. (The difference is, everyone wants to visit a planet and college isn’t as interesting…but let’s ignores that for now!) For me though, my college and coaching classes are in the same building, so it doesn’t make much of a difference. Hence I may be one of those rare people who will get the honour of retelling stories. Maybe it may be of the one in which a few boys broke the whiteboard’s support and put slates behind it so that they would fall off when the professor went to wipe it, or it could be the one in which we might have decided to hide the duster. Maybe, we may even play around with chemicals, sneak them out, and try a few super cool reactions. (I’m not telling you we did this. These may be some potential ideas though! :P)

Apart from these gimmicks and occasional wisecracks, college/coaching isn’t something one would look forward to unless you really like the subject. So why are thousands of people subjecting themselves to six hours of mental exhaustion? Why are such a large number of people preparing for complicated exams when clearly, something else is their calling?

I guess this is exactly what my Physics professor was thinking about when he asked my batch (consisting of around sixty people) a question. A simple question of why we all want to get into The Indian Institute of Technology, better known as IIT.

Some said it was because of competition, others said because it was a challenge. A few mentioned that it is a ‘brand’ (due to lack of a better word). Nobody said it was because science fascinated them or because they wanted to discover the unknown and do research, in which case the best and most renowned university you can get into is IIT.  

It’s funny. While trying to crack the JJE Entrance exam, whether you mange to crack it or not is questionable, but you will surely end up cracking yourselves! IIT isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. For a few it is, but for the rest it turns into a waste of coffee.

What I’m trying to say is something millions of people have already said. I’m asking everyone to do what they like. If you are my age, these two years, the eleventh and twelfth could make and break your life. But in the end, it’s our decision.

Kanksha J

Best Taxi in the world is..the Yellow Zebra!

I read something in the newspaper the other day that caught my interest. It went something like this: The Indian Ambassador has now been given the status of the best taxi in the world.

I dug in further and read the rest of the article. It just didn't sound right. The preposterous Indian taxi at the top? Did they mean the one which takes a thousand million seconds to start? What happened to Japan's Toyota? Or even the American taxi?
(In my opinion, the way they ranked the taxis had less to do with the taxis and a bit more with the racers.) Taxis from all over the world were brought to one place. Each racer was assigned one car. The rules were pretty simple, less complicated. In simpler words, they were allowed to play dirty. After the countdown (if there was one that is...it just felt right while writing!) all hell broke lose! Cars crashed and toppled over one another, trying to squeez through every inch of space and win. In all this pandemonium, the yellow zebra sailed pass and was hence declared the best :)

I'm neither pro nor anti India. I try and argue from either side since I tend to meet people with extreme opinions..But I didn't fail to notice everyone's reaction when I told this story to them. They were around the lines of "You're kidding me right?" Or "Haha, that must owe to the fact that no one could bash it up!" People were surprised but not convinced. That's pretty sad - the fact that many Indians aren't ready to accept the already established fact that India is the best in a particular category.

Whichever way (I would say 'anyways' but was enlightened that the word doesn't exist. That doesn't mean I'll stop using it completely though!) This story reminded me of how my English teacher had asked the class to write 100 reasons why India is better than the whole world in my sixth grade. I had come up with around 69 if I'm not mistaken...so I guess this will be the 70th! :P

Kanksha :)

Unprepared.

Being completely unprepared is feeling I get only once in a blue moon. I guess that blue moon was today. It's scary how lost and frightened you feel when you have no idea what to do. Before my test today, I was drowned in nervousness, my hands flipping through the pages of every book I could find. Formulas I knew suddenly became distant, easy questions seemed to be nerve racking and the outcome of the test suddenly became feared. Till today, I was never quite so unprepared for a test my whole life. Going through only five out of ten chapters isn't a feat I am proud of. But what can I say? I didn't have enough time.

Again, when the answer key came out, my hand began quivering whenever I saw a question I had attempted was wrong. Turns out I got only a bit more than one third of the total marks.

When you are unprepared, I guess everything seems to go wrong. You feel unsatisfied. The outcome becomes a mood kill.

Just like today.

But let's pray,
Never repeat that may.

Always follow the guide motto. It is to 'Be Prepared.'

Kanksha :)

Gosh. This whole thing sounds like a gigantic lecture. It even sounds a bit exaggerated, but hey! That's what I'm supposed to do! Play around with words and make boring stuff interesting :P Hmmm..what I was thinking is what people actually talk about on their blogs. I mean there are travel blogs, some of them are rants about fashion and others are well written essays and stories on a platter. On the other hand, a few people just voice their thoughts and opinions about what is going on in the world..and in their life.
I've always wondered why we find the lives of famous people interesting. From rockstars to billionaires, most people want to know what's cooking...why so?

Stereotyping - An unintended...habit?

While coming back to India, in my flight from Hong Kong, I sat patiently in my seat. Well, not quite so patiently. Being one of the first few people to get on the flight, I was really anxious as to who my ‘partner’ would be. People kept crawling in, one by one, taking their own sweet time. Some looked completely weird, a few potentially scary and others were (dull looking) business men/women. When a fat nosy woman stopped near me, I almost said "Not here!", only to realize she kept moving along…A gruffy old man paid me a visit as well making me flinch. As more and more people passed by, my anxiety had doubled when finally a pretty jolly girl (Note the pun!!) came and claimed the spot next to me. I was relieved. For the next six hours, we had quite an interesting conversation I will remember all my life! 

A person who wears glasses and is smart is not always a nerd. [A hair cut (talking from experience) and contacts can work wonders!] A tribal act doesn't always mean leaves, branches and a campfire. A person sporting tattoos isn't always 'bad-ass' and learning classical dance doesn't mean you are uncool.

Looking back, it was probably rude of me to wince at the old man. He might have had his own story to tell as well. The fat lady may have been the sweetest soul ever! I realized that I should stop judging people, though it will be difficult for me as my mind is programmed to do so. 

Hmmmmm...I guess, it's all about keeping your mind open. Open about everything. Obviously when it comes to stereotypes, but about other stuff as well. Like not being afraid of doing stuff. That could mean going biking to different places, working in NGOs and joining a sewing class. (I know of a university student - boy to be specific - who wanted to buy a sewing machine!) Even something as simple as spending an afternoon trying to perfect the cup song. Most of us don't spend time productively and wallow ourselves in lethargy....we just keep on procrastinating and do nothing..but I digress. 

So if any of you know stories of people who turned out to be completely different from what you thought they were...go on, comment! You could also talk about some interesting person you met! :P

Kanksha :) 

P.S. I had first written a sentence with the word aeroplane in it. I got a bit confused with it's spelling as Blogger put a red wiggly line underneath it. Left with no option (Yeah, yeah, I could have taken the dictionary's opinion but...), I 'googled' and found out that it is spelt both ways - airplane and aeroplane. So Ha! Blogger. For once, your spell check is wrong! :P

Ginza

Day Sixteen, Seventeen and Eighteen

Compared to all my other days, these three days were not that eventful. Blossom and Jelly were busy packing their bags for summer school...and I was into studying as much as I could. Apart from all that, we took a tour to Ginza - one of the most expensive shopping street in the world.

"One square meter of land in the district's center is worth over ten million yen, making it one of the most expensive real estate in Japan. It is where you can find the infamous $10 cups of coffee and where virtually every leading brand name in fashion and cosmetics has a presence." - www.japanguide.com

There isn't much I can say about it. Ginza is a place which manages to lift up your mood, something like Shibuya. It looks alive and bustling! On the downside, it is completely unshoppable....but then why dos window shopping exist? 


The Apple store out there is overrated though :/ But it's interior is really nice. The lift is automatic with an apple logo, the system to pay is unique with the employees having a simple swiper on their phone for transactions and the teaching place has a big projector making learning interesting (not that any of us need lessons here!)

On the way back, we took a stop at Tameikesanno station. The walls out there have amazing designs for unknown reasons!





The next two days days are going to be boring as well. I doubt I'll have anything to talk about. So Sayonara for now! I'll keep you posted! *Note the pun!!!*

Kanksha :)

P.S. Did I mention we took pictures of the playlist in the Apple store? It was pretty funny! I actually downloaded a few of them already :P

Hiroshima - The city of peace.

All of us have heard stories about the second world war, how Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed, how they bounced back with resilience and are in the world race again. We are all aware that Nuclear bombs are perhaps the cruelest and most hazardous things (to put it mildly) man has ever discovered. But only on visiting the Peace Memorial museum at Hiroshima did I realise the seriousness of the situation.

6th August, 1945, 8:15 am.

The bomb detonates. A blinding flash. Buildings crushed. People evaporated leaving shadows behind. Heat waves swipe over the city. Confusion among those who are alive. Pain, grief and agony hanging in the atmosphere.

When I went to the memorial, I saw relics from the aftermath. And they have struck a chord. In the first half of the building, it was pretty light, with how and why the war started along with a simple background of what all was going on. But in the second half, it got deeper. They talked of how different people had suffered. How one person's family found a lunch box and another only a slipper. The stories of kids who just survived the attack but died within a few days were even more heartbreaking! The neighbours of one child found him badly injured with burns all over his body - it was as if multiple layers of his skin was peeled off. He cried for his mother for two days before passing away. 

We saw smashed up tin, broken brick walls and burnt metal. They even had black deformed pieces of nails, lumps of skin and a school uniform put together. The school uniform that was put together was actually three peices from three different people. Simply put, it was emotionally scarring.

Apart from all the sadness that hits you like a brick, when you hear stories of survivors who are alive even currently, you feel amazed. One story goes like this. A boy (who is a man now!) was playing in the park when this blast occured. The park was far away from his house and he saw that all his friends were sprawled on the floor. Somehow, he managed to stand up and started walking home. On his way he found a friend who stayed nearby (and was hurt on the underside of his foot) and tried to help him walk. His relief at seeing his great uncle and great aunt later was unimaginable!

It's pretty sad that even after this tragedy, we have not stopped the manufacture of nuclear weapons. USA, Russia, U.K., France, China, India, Pakistan and Israel are in the top. North Korea is a mystery. This has to come to an end. It already is a wonder how Hiroshima has come up. If you step inside it, looking at the greenery, the transport systems and houses, you may once forget it's past. And I salute it for the same!

Kanksha :)

The  pictures I had were pretty gruesome and saddening - not that the post isn't...but I pictures just make it feel more real :( 

Tobu World Square

Day Fourteen and Fifteen.

This plays music every twenty minutes! A nice welcome song!

On Thursday, my aunt and I set off for Tobu World Square. Tobu World Square is a kind of museum where there are different monuments, scaled to 1/25th it's size. There are 102 structures from 21 countries including 45 inscribed as World Heritages by UNESCO. We changed trains and then transferred to a bus to reach there where we were greeted by a colourful range of lanterns and a variety of music.

The plane exactly in front of you was actually moving!!

    

They actually made the whole station - this is just a bit though!

                   

We then proceeded to the Japan Zone where we saw the Sky Tree, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo International Airport (Terminal 2) and Tokyo Station. The intricacy and detailing, the way every place is made; each and every seven centimeter person was unique!

We then moved on to the Egypt Zone. The pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre and Khufu were all lined up, one against another with an aura of mystery. The Egyptian music just added to the atmosphere! We even saw the great Sphinx and Great Temple of Abu Simbel! <<<The four sitting figures in the front, about 20m tall, are said to be those of Ramesses ||.








That day being the 4th of July, we took a detour to America(n Zone). Figures I saw the Statue of Liberty, (the ghost of) Twin Towers and Empire State building all within the radius of fifty meters.

Giants exist! Look at this one cleaning it's toys!

The parade!

In the Europe Zone, we visited the Parthenon, Colosseum, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Versailles Palace, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace to name a few. Trust me people, you would think that making the real thing was a pain, I guess making the miniature must have    been even harder. There must be at least a thousand mini-statues not to mention hundreds of stain glass paintings!

Dragon and Tiger Pagoda in Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

Oh! And also the Asia Zone and Ancient Japan Zone which of full of shrines, how people lead their life and even a replica of the railway! It was pretty amazing!





It was around seven when I reached my uncles office from where (after taking a sneek peek into the mall) we went to a Japanese restaurent! The best part about this was you get to cook the meal yourself. There is this hot plate in front of you and you can switch it off and on as you wish. We started off with asparagus and corn, moved on to oko-nomiaki (a Japanese styled 'uthhapa ' :P) and soba (spagetti in a sense).

*Sorry about the lack of pictures here. I don't know why but they won't get transferred from the phone!*

AND I ATE ALL MY FOOD WITH CHOPSTICKS! WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! :D When I think about it, it's not really that difficult to eat with chopsticks. It's all about getting the right grip. When I was small, no one had told me how I was supposed to hold a pencil. So I have a peculiar grip at present. I guess holding chopsticks the normal way doesn't work for me! ;)

Different as always!
Kanksha :)

I'll be talking about what I did today tomorrow as it is pretty late at present. Plus, as I went to Hiroshima, I have loads to talk about!  Btw, how many of you think sleep is just a waste of time and only sleep because you need to?