Bad Luck, Good Luck.

What to do when going to Jurong Bird Park, Singapore: Take some money, a bottle of water, and a really good camera, with a zoom lens if possible, with charged batteries. Wear REALLY comfortable shoes.


What NOT to do when going to Jurong Bird Park, Singapore: Forget the memory card of the camera.


Yeah. That happened. We reached Jurong yesterday, I turned on the camera and it said No Card. AND I'd forgotten my ixus. We survived the rest of the day with a Kodak disposable film camera, and my cell phone cam. And every pretty bird we saw, we mourned our stupidity.


AND, about fifteen minutes in, it started PISSING rain, and we had to wait it out for an HOUR. 


But after it stopped, the park was beautiful, and so were the birds.


Today, however, more than made up for yesterday's malheureusement. Singapore Zoo is beyond beautiful, so much that it doesn't feel like a zoo at all. It's a lot of walking, but we got some excellent photos out of it, and even though it rained for a while, it was so pleasant, walking in what was basically a misty rainforest. It did turn humid-as-hell, though. But Kay got some beautiful shots of a white tiger swimming, and some frolicking ducks, and I snapped a Capuchin monkey as he and Kay made faces at each other. (Photos to come soon)


On my last night in Singapore (The flight doesn't count) I finally had one of those specialities: the Singapore Sling. Quite good, mixed too darn strong though. As for the other two specialities....I'll try and have chicken rice for lunch  tomorrow, and I can't have chili crab because I don't eat seafood.


Remember when two months weren't over yet? Now they nearly goddamned are. Only two weeks left and my lovely vacation will be over. I've had SUCH a good one this time, I'm almost dreading going back to college. Those two weeks better be the longest, funnest, craziest two weeks of the vacation. I know classmate reunions will happen, and hopefully some good times with the rest of the crowd too.


I just...want those two weeks to last forever. Go on another vacation. Why not?

Miss Independent

I packed a fast bag after my first paper on the 30th (so fast, in fact, that I forgot to pack in my underwear and had to return for it the next morning before my paper) and went to meet KayDee at Dadar.

Yes, Kay's in Bombay, on a 10 day stopover between Singapore and Muscat. I spent my birthday with her, actually...(The birthday itself was not as blurry as 18th birthdays should be, but what can one do three days before the exam? I DID however buy some awesome headphones and a Bob Dylan tantra shirt. And I did all this in an awesome dress and heels. Mehh.)

So. We cabbed and rick-ed it through to Thane, where Kay's parents have a flat. The flat is a little more spartan than I remembered it, in some ways, but it IS impressively well stocked. The fridge is loaded with spices and I even found a jar filled with chocos. I finished the Chocos.

As for the actual living...well, Kay's used to it, having lived alone for quite a while now, but for me, it was a little strange not having an adult in the house. Then again, it was an awesome kind of strange. Plus, I'm an adult now, I suppose. More than that, it just feels liberating and quite normal, really, to do exactly what we wanted (she lazes around, I come back from exams, laze, and try to study, and watch movies), go out and come back at our own will. We reached home from grocery shopping at 9.30 the other day, and it didn't feel too late, but that's really relative isn't it, late and early? Depending on which relative setting your curfews. Sigh.

This feels so right, living alone. I should really start looking for cheap studio flats with decently sized kitchen spaces. I might be learning a lot from Bombay, but living alone will be the big lessons : Independence and...how not to be a bitch.

It's tragic that rents are so high.

To Change Or Not To Change

....That is my dilemma.
Facebook profile pictures. My cellphone wallpaper. My desktop wallpaper....and my blogger template. I don't change them very often. Maybe because I subconsciously feel they kinda define my identity or something.....
My Facebook profile pic is currently the sun-holding pic Kay took of me in December. The cellphone wallpaper is the same pic. Desktop is some old anime vampire I set a couple of years ago when I was in my anime phase, and then was too lazy to change.
I like this template, I really do. It's dark. It's got a beautiful cat and a french poem on the header.
But maybe it's time for a change, no? It'll still be predominantly black, of course, but maybe with some colour in it.......
Just a thought...
And thus i end up hunting around on http://www.pyzam.com/ for something that sends sparks in my soul......and defines me.
Wish me luck.

Edit, an hour later : Shit shit shit. Now i'm stuck with a dirty brown template till i get it all sorted out. The gadget thig isn't opening because server's down. And i just realised that all of PyZam's templates, even though they're beautiful, have all the profile and all on the right side. Shit. why do I never learn?
More updates. Soon.

Edit, half-hour later: Layout thingy scares me. I suddenly realised that if I used a different template maybe i'll have to do the whole bloody 81 item blog list again. thus i have reverted to my nice soothing cat template. Sigh. Help.
Can anyone volunteer to design me a wonderful and absolutely unique template? or even tell me how I can use pyzam.com's templates while retaining me blogger-layouts blog list? Thanks....

When the twain meet and other updates.

SAT scores out this morning, I'm 2240. :)

In the true spirit of diwali, the lights in the elevator have now started to flicker. oh joy. My dad responded to this by making a different ghastly face each time the lights went on.

And yesterday my two best friends met each other. Rushi meets Kay, at the souq. It was all pretty good, actually, I blew a lot of money on crystal beads(citrine, smoky quartz, aquamarine, all chunky. and silver beads too.), he blew money on a gift, she blew money on a pretty shell locket.
And Rushi darling has a disproportionately overlarge mouth. Kay was still reeling from the shockers he told her about me half an hour later. Shaking her head in bemusement and going "Seriously, Myst, I cannot believe you.....what the heck is wrong with you..." etc.

If you can't get the skeletons outa your closet, at least teach them to dance.
with beads on.

back to blah-ish

After two crazy weekends, it's back to blah.

of course, the plus-point being that the best friend 1 or something like it is back....

back to the beach, coffee and convo as usual.....
:)
circles closed and convo made good.
:)

and 2ndly, Kay's coming back. the day after tomorrow.

sigh.
:)

the athletics is back, and it's not been going well so far. i ache all over.
:(
something always has to screw up the :) na?

Kay's become all wise and all. Good for her, better for me.
Exams start the day after tomorrow. I have something written up which i'll post after my first paper.
meanwhile. Newest bit of work. like?

Read in the news recently: Condoms and safe sex are not even mentioned in the new sex-ed modules being planned by govt. The plan is, instead, to advocate abstinence and being faithful to a single partner.

Agreed, abstinence is the best way to avoid STDs and pregnancy, but, well, it's obvious not too many people are going to go for it. Sex is no longer the taboo, confined only to the bedroom and the mind. Once again, we're finding out just how good it is.

Monogamy, si, a noble idea. Mom gave me huge long lecture recently about how we just get into relationships for the fun, how we should focus on our lives first and not on relationships, seeing that they take up a lot of time and energy.

She's right, I suppose, and that's the reason I'm a bit scared of relationships as opposed to fling-things. Though, as kay sniffily told me, a lot of people don't share my opinion.

So yes, all this is very good and all, very good that they're FINALLY introducing sex-ed (god knows we need it....). It might be a bit giggly and embarassing at first, but it'd be infinite help, seeing that a lot of us learn about sex and other things related either from porn or from friends who are VERY open with conversation, or online on those sites that ISPs love to block. Those of us who don't, are rather confused, though no one admits it.

Sex ed would stop men in their twenties writing to the Mumbai mirror sexpert with queries like "Will kissing my girlfriend on the lips make her pregnant?" Yes, I've seen this and similar ones more than twice in the past fortnight. The reply is almost invariably a frustrated "educate yourself."

But 'tis rather strange that the words "condom" and "safe sex" get not even an honourable mention .........My tenth grade bio book went only as far as to mutter shamefacedly about copulation. One word. that's it. Our bio teacher didn't even do that part properly. but then again, that was Bio.

My point being that maybe we should be taught everything there is to know, and we should choose the path we wish to tread.

Abstinence, any takers?

Apparently not, and not all thaaaat many for borth control either.....the proof lies in our population.

It's Raining men..........

See this city is SO not equipped for rain!!
By mumbai standards, this'd be a drizzle....but for here it's pretty good......
so we made our way to school over the semi-flooded roads.....and the field, it was like soup, muck, totally ruined......and the timing couldn't be worse, our much postponed Sports Day was to be today evening!!
bwahah.
So we make our way to school, and then we hear the announcement that today is unofficially a holiday.
Rowdy as we are, screaming, pushing and being total kids, we make our way to the vast expanse of muck separating the D block and the main gate of school, we proceed to cross it, getting stuck in the muck evry five minutes, and we get very very wet.
tee hee. days like this don't come very often.

hmm.... i'm semi pissed because i have nothing to write about other than my own life. which isn't all that interesting or anything.........
should i talk about sneh, who's a brilliant poetess-child, but doesn't want to share, and doesn't trust anyone with her innermost thoughts?
Should i talk about the deep guy, who has two sides to him......
What should i say........

My journal is not going too well......it was good in the beginning, but now, i generally tend to gravitate towards the blog when i want to write. not good.
still. i keep it up, i shall not be obliged to write in it......

I try not to think about the fact that kay'll be gone by april......i've known her for 16 years, and she's always been there......and i've always been there for her, even when she didn't want me......through everything......
and i know her inside out.....but she doesn't know me at all.....or so i like to think.....
it gives me my security, kinda thing, to know that there's no-one who completely knows me.....
is there anyone who claims they do?

The mess.

So here it is, my head's messed up like never before.........
too bad to even talk about.........
it's the overflow of yesterday's severe lonliness and todays severe anger and now the pathetic feeling and the...........something intangible or inexpressible.........
Don't worry about me, it'll go by tomorrow.....i hope.
I'm in trouble if it doesn't.

( a line has been edited out here by request of a someone.)

to aiman: thanks. you have no idea how much.

end of transmission. for today.

Lights on the water

On the beach, in the dark, moonlight firelight streetlight.......
flames and emotions flickering up
joy and sadness mingle and meld...
this isn't the beach as i know it.
this isn't the wet sand yeilding under my feet.....
no tiredness in my legs and the joy to be free...
this is the night beach,
writing by moonlight firelight lovelight
guitar strains and joyous squeals floating through the air....
letting it wash over me....
the laughter, the water.
the cold moonlight.
etching out my footprints on the wet sand.......
writing writing, line after line...
why am i so alone?
finally, she stops psychoanalysing, gets up and joins the fun.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I did end up having an insanely wonderful day.......
it was kay's 17th birthday and i was at her house the whole time........picked her up from tuts, then went to the mall to get her a new phone.....
W880i, beautiful slim black.....lucky creature.....me sprinting thru the mall to borders but sadly we were running late so i only had time to get one book (terry pratchett in case ur interested)...
then back into town to pick up nattu n mattu.........who came with his guitar (man he's in love with it, its like his jaanu, and he's self learning, how cool is that??)
hanging aorund at kay's house, opening her gift (from me, i gave her like 17 gifts, all in a nice huge box...)...laughing over the stuff i'd given her, shrieking "i can't wear this!!!!!"
laugh laugh laugh, lots of ass-kicking and hugs and kisses in all directions....
then off went kay and mattu for tuts, me and nats had a nice long walk and talk, i climbed a tree (i don't do that very often) and sat in it, feeling gooood inside....
then was beach barbeque thing at night and that's when i started feeling all alone alone.....met an old friend, talked to him (a bit too much i think), sat on the beach, moonlight firelight phonelight....
actually ate the chicken for once (i don't normally do that.....dyamn i've been missing out on a lot!!)
on the beach till like 11:30, talking, laughing, bickering......messaging (i wish you had called....it was the perfect time and the best place ever....) oh so sleepy, dozing with my head on ur knee, i'm so so sorry man, whatever must u think of me!
went a bit crazy in a way i like to associate with cats for some reason.....that was my mood yesterday.....
today i'm home and dry.......the cats are asleep and i can't find my breakfast.
there is study to be done, a call to be made and a movie to be watched.
then why am i here huh???

Yet another untitled post.

So many things, so many things..................

My antidepressant boi, best friend and bhaiyya type guy is coming back.this week.damn i dunno what's up with him, first he just totally disappears from all our lives and goes away to chennai.and now i find out he's coming back.
:)
ahh, my heart's so not in the post right now, my hearts at the beach, in the dance, with the music, all crazy party party kind........

but there are things i had to say..........
at least....till i forgot them......
thru the fog, this is the only thing i recollect.

kay:
it's very very unnerving when you read my blog (regularly!!!) don't comment, and come to me demanding explanations about my posts the next day. like who i wanted the hug from. and why i posted the grind thing (i did that at your place btw.......after u got back frm the party)
i post for my own reasons.
sometimes i'm in weird crazy moods, on a totally different level, and so i will post weird stuff.
when i need a hug, i will post so. i will post things because i like the sound of it.
yes. that's about it.

i will be back when the brain starts working and my heart's in it. that would be....................tomorrow.

huh.