Cant believe it.. But i miss NJC!!!

NOTE: This piece is an old one...It was on my old blog on MSN but i thought it needed to be re-edited and re-published because this one is straight from the heart.. and now is the more appropriate time for posting it anyway.. so for those who have already read it, dont bother reading it again.. but there are a few changes.. As for the style.. its freestyle and i havent paid attention to punctuation and grammar.. in keeping with how the article was when i first wrote it.This note was not neccessary.. but it just felt so cool to write one !!

I dont want to sound like some stupid literature nerd... but when Robert Frost wrote " And miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep... " he was SO NOT kidding. Thats how I felt two years ago ..and yeah a VERY VERY long two years they were!!! I almost cant believe it finally came to an end and (thankfully) im going to go to college!! HAHA.. PROPER SENIOR COLLEGE!! not this stupid junior college that ive been rotting in for the last 2X365X24X86400 seconds..or so figuratively speaking.. u do the math...

Ironical as it seems i think im going to miss that HELL HOLE(NJC-my college). Its a pity that we wont have to walk up the stairs wondering when we'll be walking down them to go home again or whether we will be going down them again at all...I wont have to go to the Principal's room coz she wanted to "talk" to me... I'll miss all those fun times at lunch talking about how silly everyone else is..( yes.. we do put aside a few minutes for meals even at NJC).. Im going to miss having an exam every monday,and tuesday,and wednesday... and EVERYDAY!!! I'm going to miss waking up each morning and looking through the news paper hoping that one particular bulding had been bombed by terrorists..or wishing that the rain had submerged it.. or hoping that it had been struck by lightning..

Jokes apart... I've got to admit im going to miss all my friends and some of the teachers..( I repeat.. SOME of the teachers...) coz all those hours spent there have really caused a bonding... and thought i hate to admit it.. yes.. i cannot erase those two years from my memory.. because there were some good moments... Like the time when Goldy Sir called me the "Dhoolpet Rowdy" and when he caught us( Krutika and me) sleeping in his class or when the chemistry sirs caught me sleeping in their classes SOOO many times or when Ravi Shanker Sir used to check the notes and we used to quickly copy the sums we didnt get.. it was fun.. no doubt.. and im going to write a whole entry on that later..

I'm really going to miss being the coolest one around for a change :P .. coz everyone there was such a geek hahahaha ( ok.. now i know i crossed the limit.. but dont laugh Krutika and Sruthi :P )

This ones out to all the survivors out there.... all those who r now smelling the oh so wonderful smell of freedom..from the clutches of corporate college!!!And for those who hate their new college already.. just remember.. we've seen worse...

NOTE:I just realised i love writing notes... hahaha!!! NJC= Narayana Junior College which we fondly called NCJ=Narayana Central Jail

Culinary Mitzvah

This is an account of a rollercoaster ride which I took earlier in the day which I just had to share with everyone! It all started out like any regular day. By regular, I mean as days have been for me for the last fifty days or so. For those who dont know, the day goes like this: Wake up late, eat , pass time somehow , eat again and sleep. Some of the days I am lucky enough to have a bit of partying or something interesting to do, but you get the general picture right?? So, where was I?? Hmm, yes. I was sitting in Daddy's sofa and staring out of the window when mom suddenly suggested for the umpteenth time in these vacations, but for the first time today that I should make myself useful. By a miracle of God, it entered my ears and quite unconsciously I agreed. It was then that it began....

The first incident I am about to describe, and the smaller of the two I must say, was about me making tea. In quite a strange way I am proud of the tea I make (as it is one of the few things I can make with my eyes almost closed).I did the usual stuff, boiled the water, put the tea leaves in it and added milk. I was quite sure I did everything right!! In fact.. It looked great!!! Until I poured it into the cups and realised that the tea was at least seven shades darker than it should have been. I remembered adding milk. I definitely did. Then I remembered that I had let it boil a little too long. As I took the tea to serve to my innocent victims (Mom and brother, not to forget the one cup I made for myself *gulp*) I walked with pride in my step (to save face) and said "Mom, here's a strong cup of tea for you." Mom had no idea how strong. Luckily my brother did not know who the mastermind behind the tea was, and assumed it was my mom. He took one sip. Stopped. Looked at it. Looked at mom. And said,

"Varenya made this didn't she???"
End of story 1.

THE BATTLE FOUGHT TO REGAIN LOST HONOUR

I am a proud little (I see eyebrows going up) thing. I decided that I had to get back the image that I rightly deserve. Hence began my second endeavour. It is a bit of an inside joke with us that I don’t know how to cook the “everyday” food but I am pretty good at making exotic pasta(Courtesy Nita Mehta’s Pizza and Pasta recipe book). I embarked upon the second assignment which was to make Gnocci (pronounced Nyoh-kee) in cream sauce.

Today was the first attempt. And the first step involved grating boiled potatoes through the finest holes of a grater. It started well enough. The potatoes gave no problem at all, until halfway through each potato ( I had to grate two) they suddenly decided to become pasty and ooze through my fingers. I definitely had a fun (smell the sarcasm) time pushing the ooze through the fine holes of the grater. Eventually I finished the task and finished digging out the mashed potato ooze from under my fingernails (which now extend 6mm beyond my fingers).
Then I read on and followed instructions perfectly and shaped the mashed potato paste with a host of other ingredients which I shall not reveal right now. You will have to be my guest some day to know.

At the end of a fifteen minute long effort, my hair was in tangles, there was maida everywhere from my hair to my nose. Of course my hands need not be described. They looked merely like I had some kind of a white rash consistently all over them. BUT!!! At the end of those SAME fifteen minutes I also had twenty five shell shaped gnocci blobs!( You have no idea how much my heart bled to use the word blob just now, but I had to give you the right picture).

Then the sauce. I followed instructions down to the last detail. Only two steps left to go. #1 Add cream. #2 Boil one last time and add the gnocci blobs. I could smell the buttery goodness of the golden brown sautéed onions in the white sauce and the aroma of Italianised coriander leaves. Then I looked at the watch. It was 5:50 pm. I had to be in my dance class by 6:30.Lots of time , I thought. And then looked at the carton of cream I held in my hand. I was just about to open it when the date of manufacture caught my eye. April, 2005.Instructions on the same carton read, “Best within 120 days of the date of manufacture”. My heart skipped a beat. All my effort down the drain?!? I said to myself, “This is not the time to give up!!”. I put on my sneakers n ran down to the kirana nearby and asked for some cream. He said, “Uska tho aaj kal supply hi bandh ho gaya na!!”

The store owner must have seen the million contortions on my face and said, “Petrol bunk ke paas try karo, mil sakta”.Thanking myself for having worn sneakers, I sprint down to the petrol bunk store only to be met with looks of sheer ignorance at the mention of cream. 6:03. I called mom for help and mom asked me to take an auto and try at a store about half a kilometer away.The next 10 minutes were spent in agony. I tried auto after auto, but none would come for such a short distance.I kept on trying. 6:12 . I was angry and upset with all the auto drivers in India. I decided to walk down there.(Should have done it before).I reached the place in record time considering the traffic on the main road which took me ages to cross. Finally I laid my hands on some fresh cream.Got an auto and came home(6:20).

I added the precious cream and boiled it one last time. Added the gnocci and set it in the glass dish that I had selected for the purpose.I quickly popped one into my mouth. It tasted like heaven. But I also burnt my tongue so badly that it stung till 6:35.

I ran off for dance class. And for the curious, Yes, I did make it in time. When I came home, I was told that everyone who tasted it liked it a lot and finally I was glad that they had forgotten all about the tea that I had served them earlier in the day. Mission Accomplished.So, as I sign off with a tummy full of Italian delights, I apologise to all those who wished they could have eaten it too. You can be my guest anytime, but don’t forget the tea I made earlier today.

Rain in the Twilight....

I love the night... always.. hands down its my favourite part of the day.. especially the twilight.. today was nothing special except that I chose to write about it and of course... coz its been raining... call me weird.. but I do love just staring blankly into space with nothing on my mind.. I find it relaxing.. and today I was doing the same when I suddenly realised how my breath condensed on the glass of the window.. only to disappear and re-appear constantly as I inhaled n exhaled.... and like a child.. I tried to make some random shapes in that condesation before it vanished.. some things just dont change with age [*cough* im supposed to be ( or atleast act..) all mature coz I've officially been an adult for 16 days now...]
So I watched the cars swoosh down the road... cutting through the water and making it fly to the sides... and saw the water catch the amber glow of the street light and subside like a thousand golden beads.. only to join the murky puddle once again... but isnt life like that?? Seems so special for one moment.. only to snap back to reality the next...
It always gives me a stange sense of helplessness to see the wind ruffle the leaves on huge trees and to make them sway like mere puppets.. something that u cant even see.. can do something so great..
For a moment.. I forgot everything.. forgot my existance as I stared in awe at the simplicity and the beauty of a steady drizzle...then my nose touched the glass and sent shivers down my spine as I suddenly became aware of myself.. my cold hands...my feet on the cold floor..thats when I opened the window... and let the rain touch my face....

Inspiration!!

They say real talent never dies.. "They" obviously doesnt include my parents.. According to them.. My writing skills have become so rusty.. That when i hold a pen today.. I see a little smile lurking around the corners of their lips.. As if they are wondering whether i still know how to write.. Oh yeah... I agree... But with a key board handy.. Who wants a pen anyway?? But they do have a point.. And its high time I oiled those rusty wheels and set them in motion.. And guess what it took to inspire the lazy bum to stretch those fingers and start clicking the keys once again.. not for instant message windows for a change.. It was one Big Brother ... Showcasing his hidden talent... reminding one LAZY kid sister.. that there was something not as good.. yet.. something.. somewhere else in the family too.. So here goes.. Thanx for the inspiration!!