Friday, April 29, 2011

Concerning the good and the bad of the day,

Today was a day of severe ups and downs!

On the Downside,
  • I realized I'd put on weight.... eight kilos of it! None of my jeans fit me!
  • I had to walk after class to my cousin's place, which is quite far away from my Japanese class with the heaviest bag in the world!
  • I couldn't find any good phone charms and I'm really wanting one! Why can't people here be like the Japanese and appreciate kawaii for what it's worth?!
  • The one phonecharm that I loved was absurdly expensive!
Now for the Upside,
  • I got some smiley badges for my bag! They're not exceptionally kawaii but they'll do!
  • I think I might become reasonably good at Kanji!
  • I'm going to have Japanese etiquette classes soon! This alone makes me smile!
  • I going to start an exercise regime tomorrow!
So, all in all it was quite a balanced day.... Except when I glance at the weighing machine.... I never thought that I'd be worried about my weight! Oy Vey!


Thursday, April 28, 2011

I've officially started learning Kanji!

We finally started Kanji yesterday in my JLPT class and I should say, it's really interesting! I'm sure things will get a little bit more complicated with Kanji than with just Hiragana or Katakana. But somehow, knowing that each of the Kanji has a story behind it's present usage and also the fact that writing them is so soothing... and not to mention fun is making the lessons all the more interesting.

And I've also come to understand that Japanese as a language appears tough only because the person learning it does not take an effort to understand. Japanese is such a language that the mere process of learning it actually gives us an idea of the culture and the thought process of the Japanese people! And it just strikes me.... I've had a few principles that were thought to be really old fashioned but are actually the norm in Japan! LOL... hence proved - I'm a Japanese person stuck in an Indian body!

Jokes apart, if there is anyone out there who's thinking of giving Japanese a try for the heck of it, go for it! But remember, you need to put in some sort of an effort if you wish to excel in it. And it will be extremely difficult if you didn't. And when that happens, you ought to blame only yourself.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Tidbits of wisdom with my pain balm.

I had just been complaining of a nagging pain in my back and shoulder blades when I had my mother dish out some of her trademark wise sayings,
"you know the worst kind of pain, daughter of mine?" She asked me as she handed me some of her pain relieving creams and I shook my head.

"The most painful ones, I guess?" I ventured a guess. She smiled.
"Nope! It's the one you get used to." With that, she just walked away to do whatever it was she had in mind, leaving me to absently massage my arm.

It got me thinking. Isn't that true? Not only in the physical sense of the word 'pain' but in the mental, emotional sense as well...

How many times do we take the hurtful deeds of the ones around us and just shrug it off saying that they love us and that they didn't mean it? Or that to object would be synonymous to deserting the offender?

To all by silent sufferers out there, don't worry. It's alright to point out that someone's hurt your feelings if you do it in a sane and polite way. One must remember that rudeness is a sign of weakness and we don't want our loved ones to be weak, now do we? :)

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Pencil talk!

I wonder how many of you put there share the enthusiasm I have of using a pencil even when there's a pen available. Recently, thanks to the Japanese script class, I was able to wield the humble pencil once again. Using a pen would not have been feasible what with all the erasing and the correcting of strokes that one has to do with the Japanese script. And it just struck me as poetry.... the way the words flowed out of the graphite onto the paper... how permanent yet how transient! And with this new found inspiration, I decided to go pencil shopping! (I believe I'll be using a dozen pencils a day by the time my classes are over and I am not complaining! :D)


I got some mighty awesome Staedtler pencils of the Norica 132 and the Yellow Pencil 134 variety (both of the eraser tipped - an added bonus for me!). And I'm in heaven right now! If only I could bring myself to use them completely without stroking them like Golem with the One Ring!

So, is there any piece of stationery that you crave for?

P.S. I need to memorize all the kana by tomorrow! Yikes! About time I took my mighty pencil and waged the battle once more! :)

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Dagnammit! I've a confounded earache!

As if the Gods were not pleased with what little happiness I managed to glean from my Japanese classes, they've blessed me with a severe ache in my right ear. Sometimes it feels like I've immersed my right side of the face underwater and sometimes, it feels like I have tiny goblins inside my ear with their pickaxes as they chip away at the walls to make a castle for the evil Sauron!


All in all, not happy at the moment! Gods, what did I do this time?!

Edit: I'm just back from the ENT specialist. And the vedict's out... impacted earwax.... loads of it! Believe me folks, it was not a pretty sight! :D But I can hear! I CAN HEAR SO CLEARLY NOW! It's almost like my senses are heightened! I feel a bit like Legolas from Lord of the Rings (without the goofy pants! :P)

Yay for Japanese! :) My first Japanese Script class!

I started my Japanese class yesterday and was it fun! :)

There was a very kindly Japanese lady who's known as Shimizu-sensei who introduced me to my instructor for the first class. We were just three people in the class and I guess that led to faster bonding between the four of us (the instructor and the three students). We're an all girls team (for now) and believe it or not, there are Otaku in India just like me! :D

I'm to practice Hiragana and Katakana before I go for my second class on Monday. And somehow, I find it so relieving to be writing the alphabets in pencils... it's almost like meditation and very calming! :) Now I know why the Japanese say calligraphy is a state of the mind. I'm definitely looking forward to learning the Kanji!

On an ending note,
I 'LOVE' JAPAN!!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Letting go

Is it so wrong to let go? I don't understand. People seem to automatically take me for someone who doesn't have determination just because I decide to let go of something. I understand... I've had dreams that were cherished for as long as I could remember. And it hurts when you realize that things aren't exactly the way you imagine them to be. And as a matter of fact, you feel like the whole world is moving ahead at a frightening pace while you're left behind without a soul around to ask you what happened or to console you for the shattered dreams.

And then, you let go. Suddenly the whole world turns around and sneers at you... fingers point and tongues wag as you're painted as that person who just couldn't give it all... the lazy one who didn't actually want it to begin with.

What gives anybody the rights to know the exact situation? Why shouldn't I be wrong in thinking I can do something and then realize in gleaned wisdom that I can't? Why should I be thought fickle if I decide to change tracks all of a sudden? Do these people even realize how hard it was for me to let go? The last thing I want is for people to tell me how much time I'd wasted chasing silly dreams. Atleast I have the courage to chase them and the wisdom to understand when I don't get what I want. If all that I am to the outside is what my realized dreams are, I'm sure there are many out there who're even greater failures than I am... all those who just didn't take the flight for fear of falling down.
It is only when you let go that life can go on newer journeys.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

From the pediment of my heart...

Many a times, we watch mutely as the ones around us drift away like the autumn leaves on a windy day. And we wonder where the lush promise of that summer's afternoon went. Little do we realize that the terrain will have to be barren so that we may better appreciate the first bloom of the Spring's blossoms.

I've come to realize.... friends are like children. They will stop being dependent and expect the same from you. But you can hardly ever stop loving them.

The Autumn leaves of my life.... wait a while... until I can say to everyone of you,

"さらばだ..."

Erhu.... my newfound love!

I've always had a special regard for those who could play a musical instrument... a person with the magical abilities to take some object that's mute and transform lives with it!
Speaking of music, how often is it that you listen to a piece of musical composition and you tend to lose yourself in it? I had the good fortune of having such an experience recently. And for all those out there who're expecting something Japanese, not this time! :)

The instrument under discussion is the Erhu().One of the Huquin instruments, it's the second highest in pitch after the Gaohu. I've heard them both but my heart leans more towards the Erhu for some reason. :)

Many of us non-Chinese have always associated China and its culture to the music of the Erhu almost unconsciously. And now, I can see why. The Erhu, though introduced to China from the non-Han demography has so gradually become the identity of the civilization. This and the Pipa, a lute that's just as synonymous with China and her people as the Erhu is.

I'm sure many of you would find more eloquent descriptions for the instruments that I have mentioned above. And it is not my intention to argue with that. All I can do now is give you a glimpse of what I saw... the music that brought forth torrents of emotions and a feeling that someone has so aptly captured whatever it was the you felt in the deepest corners of your hearts!




I'm really thinking of taking up learning a musical instrument. It's either going to be the Shamisen or the Erhu. :3

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Of cricket... fame... and other things besides.

The IPL fever has the country in its grasp and doesn't seem to be letting go anytime soon. And though I'm not the greatest cricket fan out there, I'm sure I am as acceptable as a normal twenty three year old can be. (the normalization of that demographic puts me in the waning side of the curve actually but well within it.)

And it just occurred to me. This format of the game makes heroes out of ordinary people and I'm wondering... why is it that we as a country are so drawn to this sport? I can feel a few growls as I raise this question and I should clarify. I understand the fervor that grips people of different cities as they see their team play it out against another team. A sense of universal brotherhood is prevalent as we see players who would be rivals in any other tournament enjoy a sense of camaraderie that is hard to come by in the other games. But still... it is a little overwhelming seeing people soar into the skies when they perform well and then plummet to the ground after a bad patch. The fans are sometimes (more often than not) cruel. And I feel sorry for the players.

This brings me to the next topic that's buzzing around in my head. Fame. There are very few who're immune to its effect. And those few are never known. How easily do we fall for the spotlight? How easily do we forget the hard path that we traversed to get to where we stand? And along with the path, the people who helped us in the dire times of the past also seem to slink into the darkness as the ones who now stand around us dazzle us with their radiance and the glitz of success blind us.

I've known a few of my friends who've fallen for the entrapments of success and I mourn for them. If it means that one would change into what a few of them are now, I don't think I need another degree behind my name. I'm happy being the oblivious person that I am, capable of bringing cheer to the very few who look up to me. And sometimes I wish the cricketers that I see being coronated to the status of gods would cease to be so swayed by the euphoria.

How else would one explain leaving a wife and family who'd been there with them through the tough times when someone younger and "prettier" and more comfortable in the "arc-lights" turns up? I don't say I hate them... hate is too strong an emotion that ought not to be used at all. But I am sure the ones you left behind... they would be crushed. And all those misdeeds need to be annulled somehow. So, beware!

Having said that, I must also say that there are a few who're extremely humble and level headed even in the midst of all this chaotic pandemonium. Hats off to ye and do rub thy wisdom on the lesser fortunate ones around you. :) 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

And finally, I'm at it again!

True, I hadn't been feeling just as well as I ought to. But it is all about to change. Forget the dreams that I couldn't make true! They were chased with as much enthusiasm as was appropriate and some more! I've had enough of cribbing in a corner of the ones that didn't come home. Enough is enough, I say!

And as any true-blue shonen from Jump would say,または時間だ,よ!


I'm about to chase newer dreams. And this time, nothing can stop me! Hell yeah! :D

P.S. I'm not sure how many of you missed my dearest Ali the raccoon! I for one, feel ecstatic at having him back! :D

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Of Death and thoughts thereof

Everybody must either have or must've had a favorite poet of yours. It could be anyone... someone as prolific as Shakespeare or Shelly... or as obscure as Eleanor Ross Taylor or Matsuo Basho.

Well, Today, I'll be reminiscing one of my favorite poems ever.

Strangely, this poem has no name. And that is because the poet chose not to name it. The poet was just as strange as her poems... she lived a recluse for most of her life and almost all her poems were published after she passed away. And somehow, I wonder if all this was known to her. Poets are indeed mystical people. Some hide deep secrets in their verses that their prose writing counterparts can never achieve with simple spoken words.

Getting interested?

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

.......*The title ran away with it's distant cousin from Alaska*........

It has just occurred to me that I seem to be forever at odds with the ones around me as far as preferences are concerned. The funny thing is that it is not even done on purpose! If I find someone good looking, almost everybody around me will disagree and consider me in possession of very poor tastes. But the funny thing is that the very same people will be singing laurels about the person I favoured as soon as they get a little more renowned. It's happening again! :) Funny world, I say.

P.S. It was really hilarious the way Ravi Shastri was trying to get the "cosmetic surgery" bit out of Shane Warne. LOL... you people from the media... you're all so funny... thanks for being so! :D

Monday, April 11, 2011

Those were the good old days...

I remember a time when owning a TV was a luxury. A time when all that was on TV was Doordarshan. When the whole family (and the neighbors who didn't have TV) would flock around the magical box to gaze at the colourful scenes from some cheezy movie or an equally cheezy song sequence (almost always someone's dream with a batallion of background dancers in hideous costumes).

And now, every single person has a TV in their hands. Some watch it on their mobile phones, a few on their iPads and a few more old-school folks (comparatively that is) on their laptops. Out go the anticipated long distance International calls that come once a month and in comes the cell phones which can connect people across continents and oceans. That sense of a thousand butterflies flying in your stomach as you await your turn to speak with a loved one has all but disappeared.

With the arrival of cell phones came e-mails... and then texting and Twitter. And with this all, out went English as we knew it. I cringe inwardly everytime someone leaves out a letter morphing "don't" to "don" or worse "you" to "U". I find it vulgar.... but then again, I'm one of the very few who're still typing their messages out fully with all the punctuation marks where they are supposed to be.

I remember a time when a single error in grammar or spelling meant being caned in front of the whole class. Yes, it was harsh. But it also meant that I knew far greater number of words by the time I left school than what some of my college going contemporaries knew. And for once, I'm thankful for that. I've had a few of my friends marvel at what they deem is a pretty good hold over the Lingua Franca. If only they knew how I'd come to be a bit more proficient than them, it wouldn't seem so marvelous then.

Then again, maybe I'm on the losing side (though I fervently hope not!). But for once, I'm glad the proverbial "Greener grass on that side yonder" is proven wrong. 

Sunday, April 10, 2011

I'm feeling tired...which is weird - really!

Today has been quite uneventful. Just that for some reason, I feel like an eighty year old crone stuck in a twenty something year old body... with the body aches and tiredness intact. Is something wrong? Or am I just nearing a burnout? Well, isn't that wrong as well? Whatever... I'm still in the eye of the storm right now. If I move an inch this way or that, I'll be swept away... it's really quite a hard time to live though... right now.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

And now for something new!

Phew! I've been working on overdrive with the posts today, ne? Ah well, I cannot help it if I have so much to tell! :) And furthermore, I'm sure most of it must've been interesting at the very least... and a few extremely cryptic.

Anyway, I had been working on a blog header. Somehow, I find the name and the theme in contrast with each other. And strangely, it's eerily attractive... Like a tornado masquerading as a zephyr... I have honestly not the least idea what's come over me except for the realization that I'm being extremely verbose today!

I hope you guys like the Blog header. And if any of you peeps out there would like me to make one for you, do let me know. :) It's extremely fun. I've already started working on the revamp of a friend's blog. But I sincerely doubt if she is still interested! Funnily, I've always tried to emulate the templates I've seen, even the free ones, rather than use them as they are. Somehow, having someone else's work in my blog (the coding), doesn't sit well with me. And moreover, when I make it, it's one of a kind ne? ;)

Ah well, enough blathering for one day. This is au revoir for now.

Into Oblivion and no more.

I see you.... you with your meandering thoughts... you with your "what-ifs" and your "if-onlys". You have your own version of reality and I respect that. But why would you wish to impose that on me? I understand that what you feel might be the purest form of emotions Man ever felt after he ditched walking on all fours. But that does not mean I need to feel the same way.

Sometimes I wonder if we chase some people only because we know in our heart of hearts that we can never get them. That thought rings a bell and brings forth memories of a long-distance phone call when I knew the truth. It was bitter. But so is life saving medicine... Bitter... and then sweet.

I've let go of it all... I've realized that it hurts only when I think I can never have it. It's only a matter of time and healing to realize that I never truly wanted it or needed it. I am finally at peace with all the ghosts of the past. And you... you will be too. Just give it time. And then you'll realize how lucky you are not to have jumped the gun... Three years... and then, another face in the sand... sinking into oblivion.

On a completely different note, never trust a man who finds reading a chore. :)

Which Jane Austen heroine are YOU?

And I am Lizzie! Wow... I thought I'd be Emma.. or Marianne Dashwood... Guess not! :D

I am Elizabeth Bennet!

Are you a fan of Jane Austen's works as much as I am? Then you'll enjoy this quiz. 

The tale as intended... as extolled.

I don't know how many of you out there were actually waiting for me to write this post. But that doesn't matter. Some famous author once quoth, "It is the tale, not he who tells it."


Friday, April 8, 2011

Hmmmm... a roadblock of sorts.

Well, I'm using the new simple template that came with the new Blogger design feature. I'm not exactly happy with it for the simple reason that I seem to lose all my widgets if I were to revert back to the old template (good old Minima).

But I find that I'm able to better handle the CSS coding in this template than in the previous one. Anyway, I've saved up the coding for all my widgets in another spare blog. Let me see if it's any good.

Edit: I just forgot what I was supposed to say and am staring at the screen absently. Could I have Alzheimer's?! Aaargh... anyway, I think the new signature is much better ne?

Overhaul time!

This is just a small reminder that my blog is going to look butt ugly for a few days as I shall be in the middle of an overhaul. So, don't freak out if you suddenly find three legged headers or nose-less post dividers loitering around! :D

Thursday, April 7, 2011

I'm Back!

Yes, my dearies! I'm back... finally! :D And for all those who were wondering, yes. I had an amazing time in Kerala. But right now, I'm as tired as tired can get! So, for now, be appeased with the change in the post title's font and have a happy happy time contemplating what other changes I shall be bringing forth in the future. Oh, and a post on the detailed observance of yours truly on the land of the Gods!

Ciao, for now!