Wednesday, November 30, 2011

You'll always be my family!

My best friend of twelve years got married today. And as can be expected, it was a glorious day! And this post, I dedicate to her,
My dearest friend,
We've been through so much and we've stood strong in the end. We've been silent and we've seen friendships fall to dust. And we've still smiled at each other with a knowing look that not all the gold in the world could compensate for. I know I haven't always called you... I haven't always texted you... we've never had sleepovers and we surely never baked cookies together. But I also know that even when we haven't been in touch for months together, the very sight or the very sigh in our voices manage to convey all that we want to and not all the texts and phone calls and sleepovers can ever manage to recreate the same magic that innate understanding invokes in us.
You have been a pillar of support in every trouble I've faced. I don't know if I've ever been that perfect friend that quotes are written about. I can only hope that I've been at least half the person that you truly deserve for a friend!
And my dear, I know it is unfair of me to cling on to you when you take flight with the one who'll be the closest to you henceforth. I cannot be jealous! He has truly done good deeds to deserve a wife as beautiful as you. And I also know that it is only natural that the birds take flight to distant corners so that the nest is left behind as a reminder of the good times that were spent there. And those good times, I shall enshrine... always remember that we've been best friends and shall continue to do so. Even if your new family requires your attention more than anything else... even if newer additions come into the family... I'll always keep you in a special place - one that cannot be compared to anything or anyone else!
My dearest friend,today when you sat there, the very image of the resplendent bride,  I can say that there were none other who were more beautiful and divine than you! And for a moment, I felt so proud! Knowing that someone so beautiful had graced me with the honour of friendship, how can I not feel so?!
I can only say this... I know we shall remain just as close as we ever were even if we're divided by continents...by oceans... by worlds in between us.
I love you!
Ah... it's such an bittersweet experience when your best friend gets married... you know they're there. But you also know that it's not the same thing. And it's totally unfair expecting it to be so, either! I cried... yep! Bawled like a baby once I reached home, thinking of all the wonderful times we had! And knowing her, she knows how I feel... We're special... that way!

Anyway, I wish her all the very best of everything that is humanly possible! And if she ever needs a ear to rant to or whisper fears in, all she needs to do is turn my way.

What else are friends for? :)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Studying... burning out.... but studying! :D

For everyone out there who's been wondering where I'd vanished off to, worry not... I haven't found a secret way to Khonan nor have I managed to entice the fourth emperor of Khonan; neither have I managed to forge an alliance between Khutou and Khonan. And I have most definitely not managed to break the icy barrier around Nakago's aching heart! *le sigh* what wouldn't I do for an adventure as that! ;)

Anyway, this post is just to let everybody out there know that I'm pretty busy preparing for my JLPT exams and believe me... I suddenly realize that this is actually tougher than what people claim it is! ARGH... So much to study... so little time! And to make matters worse, I keep forgetting most of it... but I remember it at the same time! Am I even making sense, I wonder!


Anyway, people, wish me luck ne! I most definitely NEED to get through if it's the last thing I do! To fail in this would be like tearing my beating heart out of my chest and presenting it to Huitzilppochtli! (Cute name...barbaric fellow!)

P.S. For anyone wondering if I'm actually complaining about learning for JLPT, you've got it wrong! I've never enjoyed anything more than learning Japanese! So, if you were concerned, here's a hug from me for your sweet thoughts!

P.P.S. I'm wondering if I should make a headband like the ones they wear before exams! You know... the ones that help you concentrate more? LOL


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A hug for you!

I was just going through my blog stats when i noticed that one person had stumbled upon my site because they googled for "pregnant and my friends abandoned me".

I sincerely hope that person is feeling better. And here's a hug from me!
I have no idea who you are...or where you are. But this post is just to let you know that you're not alone and that there's always something better out there in the world. I hope you find the courage to face the world in the situation you're in right now. And if you always need a hug (even if it's just an e-hug!), you can count on me!

I hope you're feeling better there! :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I has a sad.... Please to help?

Okay... It's kinda blue here...very blue... You know what blue reminds me of? I'll tell you.
Blue reminds me of water...water reminds me of lakes...lakes remind me of the particular awesome scene I'm writing for a fanfic...and that reminds me of the fact that I posted a chapter two days ago and can't seem to get any reviews for it...and that reminds me of the fact that I've not updated in the longest time and have only myself to blame...and that makes me feel so blue!

Ah! It's that endless cycle of blue-ness and it never ends!

WHY WON'T THEY SAY SOMETHING?!!!!!ANYTHINGS?!!!!!!!! I has a sad...naturally...

To everybody out there who's a fan of Yuu Watase's Fushigi Yuugi, head over to Fanfiction.net and read my story! Ne? I'm in the middle of reconstructing the whole thing into something that makes better sense, ne? Ah... that calls for legal action, you say? Ahahahahahaa....I've no idea what you're referring to here, sir! Have a nice day! And don't forget to declare all baby aliens when you come visiting!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

BAKUHATSU DATTAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

How often is it that you follow instructions to the T and then have all hell break loose around you?

Well, if you're wondering what I'm blabbering on about, I'll have you know that I narrowly escaped a very painful death (or dis-figuration at least!) today.

It all started with Mom and Dad leaving to check on our land that's in the middle of nowhere. And I, being the person left behind to cook for everybody, decided that I'd follow everything that my mother said about using the pressure cooker to the dot! And I'm mortally scared of messing up the kitchen (explains my lack of...er... interest to learn too complicated dishes).

As luck would have it, mom had fixed everything and all I had to do was light the stove and wait for six toots from the cooker and then switch the bloody thing off. Ah... if only things were this simple! I did light the stove and after three minutes, there wasn't a sound when normally the cooker goes "toot..toot...tootgetmyassoffthestovebitchtoot!!!"
As can be expected, I went to investigate and found that the lid didn't lock properly. And so, getting the thing off the flame, I fixed that and placed it on the stove once more. Now, at this opportune moment, Mom decided to call me and so, I told her about how the cooker seemed depressed and if I should just kill the flame. She told me to do just that and that she was getting back and would be there soon. Gleefully, I placed the receiver down and turned around only to hear a moderately loud THUNK and then complete silence.

Fearing the worst possible case, I walked towards the kitchen to find the cooker off the stove, the chimney above it in shambles, uncooked rice all over the walls, ceiling and refrigerator and sharp pieces of wood from the chopping board that was near the stove! I freaked out, my darling reader. I freaked out like it was nobody's business. Of course it was all silent. A silent cry of desperation like that of Gintoki and Shinpachi!

It was only when I saw the bloody shrapnel that was my chopping board that I realized the clear and present danger I'd narrowly escaped from. If my mother had cut the phone line a mere fifteen seconds earlier, I'd probably look like Yamcha from DragonBallZ!

Now before people start tut-tutting about my lack of culinary finesse to tackle a situation as this, we had the bloody cooker checked and it turns out that the thing was akin to a Chernobyle waiting to happen. There was a clogged valve and that was the reason why a rule abiding tennyo like me barely escaped having my face rearranged in the OR!

Moral of the story: Check your cookers periodically for faults. A messed up cooker is worse than Otae Shimura on PMS!

P.S. For anyone interested enough, bakuhatsu in japanese means "Explosion"... you know the whole KABLAM....DOOM....BOOM.... the works!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Does it really matter?!

I've been bombarded with news from every possible channel that there are heavy speculations about a certain actress and the time she might go into labour! And there are also rumours doing the rounds that her labour will be telecasted on TV. And I hope I'm not the only one who finds this entire debacle distasteful!

Seriously though, it's because these channels telecast these kind of irritating and useless pieces of unwanted information that we see so much of what really matters go unnoticed. An actress and her unborn babe have managed to generate crores in betting pools while the case of a person who's been fasting for the past eleven years is just a side story! This is what makes me abhor TV channels so much! For once, I wish some of them would have the balls to show what really matters. And I'm sure that when actresses give birth just isn't as important as a person who's fighting for human rights.

Seriously, how star-crazy are we? We construct temples for celebrities, faint when they even deign to smile at us and fight among ourselves comparing two actors or actresses and make points why one is better than the other. And all this leads to nothing but a few minutes of distraction and possibly a whole lot of dissension among us. It is a general ruse that the channels provide only those things that we wish to see. Does that mean they take us for imbeciles who cannot think beyond the mundane news of some random celebrity giving birth or the orchestrated drama of a silly reality show? If it is so, I swear to God, they underestimate us grossly. Yes, there are people who don't give a rat's ass what made that famous actor have diarrhea or wonder when that actress is going to give birth and NO, I've not the slightest intention of gushing over some celebrity's desperate cry for attention. Stupidity is not a handicap; park it elsewhere, people! 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Apple is so evil!

My sincerest condolences to the family of Steve Jobs. But seriously, I must say that Apple on the whole is evil!
My iPod seems to have taken a mind of its own and shows the quintessential "White screen of Death!" and nothing I do can change the gosh-darned display! I hear the clickity clickity when I use the buttons but since I didn't memorize the menus and am not even sure if things play, I'm stuck here... with a 3rd generation device that Apple has long given up on. And for anyone who says it's time for a new swankier device, I shall gladly accept the same or the monetary assistance required to procure one from the said person.
Seriously... eeeeeeeeevil I tell you! Eeeeeeeevil!
And I definitely don't need this silliness right about now! I have a test to prepare for! Does the world and the fates know no mercy?!

Edit: Finally, I seem to have found the solution. And strangely, it just worked on its own. On the nineteenth attempt to reset, it just automatically worked! I shall never understand iPods!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

7aum Arivu - a detailed review

It's raining here in Chennai. And as can be expected, the monsoon is worse than the summer seasons here. After washing two full loads of laundry, we had absolutely nothing to do at home yesterday evening. And so, we decided to go see a movie. Mom suggested 7aum Arivu and that settled it. We drove on; the three of us.


To be honest, I was anticipating the release of this movie but mom suggested we wait for the reviews to surface before plunging in. And strangely, they appear to be mixed. That was when I decided that I would form my own conclusions on the movie and now, having seen it, I call tell you what it is.

The review is long. Proceed if you wish to read on...

Friday, November 4, 2011

Recipes in Japanese! And why does Indesign cost so much! T-T

As is the case with most of the women who're readied for marriage, it has become my lot to learn the culinary arts of feeding people without killing them. And so, I've been asked to learn as many of the basic dishes as possible before I'm shipped off for good. It's a boring task, let me assure you! I've as much interest in cooking sambar and rasam as Tolkien had in GoGo dancing!

And so, in a bid to inculcate more interest than I was genuinely feeling for the art of cooking, I decided to do something that would challenge me as much as teach me the right proportions of spices and vegetables! I decided to take the recipes down in Japanese! Now that, my friends is a sure shot way for me to take up just about anything! Imagine... learning cooking while at the same time getting to know so many new verbs and adjective and not to mention.... KANJI!!!!!!!!!!

And sooooo.... I've managed to translate the recipe for the staple sambar completely into Japanese complete with pictures and stuff! If it actually is even half as good as I want, I'll make sure to post it online. Who knows? There might be a few Japanese folks out there who're looking for the recipe for Sambar in Japanese! :D
I'm writing them all using Adobe Indesign CS5. I should say.... it's awesome!  I get to make really pretty PDFs without having to turn to MS Word! Ah.... but this is a trial version ne.... I'll need to get the original thingy ne.... but that's so expensive ne.... Ofcourse not many I know in real life would see the difference it makes to document preparation ne.... these are just my silly ramblings that are lost like the 'blub-blub'blub's of a drowning person ne... it sucks being poor ne.....

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Musings on comic sans and the philosophical ramblings underneath it all!

Imagine being brought into the world with so much expectations; with hopes that maybe you'll change the way the world sees things! With a million dreams shining in your eyes, you set your goals on that summit yonder! You see the population before you adore you and worship the very ground that you tread upon! Nothing could ever go wrong in this paradise of yours... in this Utopia of pure awesomeness! And then... the lightning strikes! Chasms open! There is darkness everywhere! It dawns upon you that unfortunately, things aren't as wonderful as you supposed them to be and people are getting too fed up with your way of doing things. You are that failed legacy that everybody 'tut-tut's over. Nobody wants to be seen with you. Oh the agony! Oh the pain!

If you can relate with the paragraph above, you know how the font Comic Sans must feel. Yes, I am talking of the very same font that has been used and abused for two decades and counting! It was initially designed to emulate the feel of comic books. But too bad things got out of hand and soon, the comic book makers moved away from it and the rest of the populace decided to take things into their own hands. This led to that and Comic sans was seen everywhere! And I mean, everywhere! From University exam papers to flyers for Day care centers, almost everybody wanted a piece of the poor font.

As the saying goes that Familiarity breeds contempt, people started hating the very sight of the font. It was labeled juvenile, frivolous, immature, puerile and silly. The people who still used the font were deigned to the lowest echeleon of taste and elegance. They were and still are viewed as those who considered themselves a child but in reality appeared every bit like a 40 year old man with a bib and a diaper.

While all these poo-slinging was happening, not one of these pro- and anti-comic sans factions thought it necessary to think of what the font had to say! I wonder what Comic sans would say in light of the humongous hatred and revilement it seems to garner.

All I can say is, poor comic sans... I wonder if it is right to hate a font for the stupidity of the people who use it. But then again, is it better to be ill-used than to be not used at all?

Wow... that's a very heavy philosophical topic there!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My first student and an infernal itch!

I had my first student today! And that too in Japanese! (Well... technically it's only for Japanese phrases. But whatthehellI'mnotlisteningtoyouplz!)


And it's really nice when someone actually trusts me enough to come learn from me! :D My student is to go to Japan in a few months for a few days and I'm going to make her the best there is! I'm being overenthusiastic now! LOL Don't mind me flailing here!


Aaanyway, I'm sending her the day's phrases all tabled up and highlighted. It's so wonderful planning the day's classes and sending out resources! It's the best thing ever! :3

Well, thanks to the fact that I have a cold and have not washed my hair in three days, I feel like I'm having weird lifeforms in my head! I sincerely hope that's just my imagination playing with my senses. I have had cousins almost smother me with affection and I cannot exactly vouch for their scalp hygiene! I swear if I find even a single *unmentionable* or white flake, I shall seriously lose all hold over my sanity! But gods... how it itches! I've worn my scalp red with the scratching! It's not fair... seriously not fair! I don't care if I contract the flu because there's not a chance in Angband that I'm leaving things be! Hah! Let's see how these infernal things like the good 'ol shampoo and good scrubbing!

P.S. I love Lucky Star! It's the funniest anime ever... Oh wait... that's Gintama! Well, it's the second funniest anime ever! On second thought, there could be funnier anime out there - AUGHHHH!!!! AN ITCHY SCALP MAKES ME THINK WEIRD STUFF!!!!