Funny outings with friends..!

Warning: It's a long story.

Sometimes, or make it every time for me, the only feeling of excitement about going out somewhere comes when it's with friends with similar interests and who're similar to me in their way of thinking. Or even if they aren't, they know me well enough to respect my choices, which seem weird to some others, and get excited at the prospect of going out together, wherever it is. Well, not really wherever, because thankfully, our choices match. Or the ideas I suggest don't make them horrified and they don't go on creating a racket later over the idea, like some people do. Even if it doesn't really work out. And that's the reason I love these friends so much, even if we're not talking everyday or going out often. But when we do, it's really awesome! (Hey, that rhymes! And I've tried writing poems just a day before! :P)

Anyway, cutting the sentiments short, I, Aneesha and Richa (henceforth called I, A and R respectively) had another crazy day! If you remember, I'd once talked about one crazy day with them (click here). It's just so much fun, I think we should get together more often! :) (this rhymes too!)

It started with the growing itch inside me that was reaching dangerously high levels, about visiting the Daryaganj Sunday book bazaar, which I had just visited once before in my life! I mean, when you get so many books at so less prices, it's an ah-may-zing treat, so that you wouldn't want to spend a lot of gaps between your visits. I knew A and R would be willing to go, since A is as much an avid reader as I am (though I feel she reads more 'intelligent' books than I do) and R is such a sweet girl, she'd go with our crazy ideas anytime! (Note for you both: Love you!). Not disappointing me, they both agreed immediately and we decided to be there just after opening time. We thought it'd be a good idea because it wouldn't be crowded and we'd get those 'first bargain' discount thing we encounter in other normal shops. Turns out both our expectations weren't quite well placed.

Getting up early in the morning (and 7.30am is early for me) is something I'd almost forgotten, courtesy vacations and family people who prefer me while I'm sleeping and not doing idiotic stuff to make them crazy. While getting ready (and surprisingly, feeling very much awake and refreshed), I thought it totally fits that I'd make a sleep sacrifice for books. God, I was so excited over a thing most people would find trivial! I met up with A on my way and we made it to the metro station ten minutes later than scheduled and even managed to find seats! Yay achievement! R boarded a few stations on, looking all studious with specs and all. We really were in the mood! :P

A said it'd be better if we get down at Chawri Bazaar station since she'd Googled a bit and found out that one was closest. The last time I went, I got there from Chandni Chowk, but when you're with friends, who cares? We can get down anywhere and reach our destination somehow. I'd never seen the streets outside Chawri bazaar station and as we tried not to hit our heads on the rickshaw's side bars, the rickshaw rolling down uneven streets, sitting cramped and holding on to our chappals, I thought I was in a book setting, a story about old Delhi (which is funny, because I don't think I've read any story set in Old Delhi). It was just so different from what we see everyday and if you're casual about it, you might say it's cramped, dusty and unclean. But I'd say I found it fascinating and mysteriously beautiful. Maybe it's just that 'ancient-stuff-loving' thing, or the desperation to get out of the daily monotony, I don't know, I enjoyed it and A and R did too! :)

While on our way we saw shops with signs in Urdu, which sadly, we couldn't read and which was when A remarked about Urdu being a beautiful language and a wish to learn it someday. We were at the back side of Jama Masjid, the famous historical monument when we decided we'd visit it too, once we're done with our book shopping (and somewhere nearby, we saw a huge goat, which R thought initially was a small cow. I'm not the only weirdo in this group, I'm telling you ;)). Anyway, after rolling down endless small lanes and narrowly escaping a speeding bus on the main road, we reached our destination! 

It was hot! And I mean, really very hot. I'm not usually the one to get the Sun the better of me, I'm otherwise tolerant, especially when it comes to books, but this time was different. The Sun was in all its glory, having just risen to its peak, beaming down at us in the form of over-heated rays! Control your emotions, Mr Sun! You're ruining this for us! Anyway, we began our hunt and the first stall we stopped at was 30 ka 1, 50 ka 2! If it doesn't make sense, it had heaps of books, and if you bought one book, any one book, it would cost you Rs. 30 and Rs. 50 if you got two. There were some really great looking ones and we picked up a few. I was careful (smacking myself for it), because I wanted to first see more and then finalize on something. We made a few stoppages here and there, looking through, picking books just because they had interesting covers, but not enough to satisfy us, sometimes picking up things on impulse (that was I, mostly). It took me two days to discover that the executive diary I got all has pages from August 2011! :P

It was pretty quick. We had exhausted our water supply and the heat was getting too much to bear. I mean even I was feeling dizzy, which isn't something that happens with me. So we got into an auto and got out at Haldirams at Chandni Chowk, somewhat disappointed that we hadn't bought many books (I got just 5! And my aim was 25! That's a big time failure! I'm not going to forgive you Mr. Sun!) and very disappointed that we didn't have any energy left to visit the famous mosque. Famished as we were, I decided to break my 'no-junk-or-outside-food' rule because I was so drained, I could have eaten an elephant! It was empty save for one table and so we hopped from table to table, sat and experimented, to know which one gives the best cooling. And I'm not kidding. Finally satisfied with our choice, we ordered so much thanks to our rumbling stomach, we had no idea how to finish it all when we finally got down to it. Deciding we had all the time in the world, we slowly did manage to wipe it all down, except a small amount, with that sweet lime soda (which by the way, wasn't good). My Lord! Having non-homemade food after months was refreshing! Though that's a different story I went on a guilt trip pretty soon after that and now I'm not going to be eating out anytime soon. We were pretty fast in writing down on the feedback form how the cashier needs to be courteous, even when the form didn't really have a special place for suggestions. :P Though we made sure to make a quick exit before any of the employees noticed the suggestion. *Genius* I know. ;)

After stopping by Gurudwara Sees Ganj Sahib to pay our respects, we were on our way home. With our stomachs threatening to burst any moment, we decided to take the Metro only when we could find seats. We were certainly ready to spend the day at the station itself! Now, Rajiv Chowk station is the killer, if you know what I mean, there is no freaking way that you could win over those aunties who rush in to grab seats! So what do we do? The genius idea comes to mind and we decide to take the opposite metro, get down at the next station, come back towards Rajiv Chowk and when people would be getting up to get down, we would get a few seconds chance to get seats! I told you, we had all the time in the world! Just before getting down at the next, A suggested we get down at the station next to next, since the one we were planning on getting down was confusing. I asked her if she knew if the one she was suggesting was less confusing, to which she shrugged and said she had no clue. 

It was deserted! That's the word. In fact, where we got down had a sort of tunnel going towards the platform. A and I exchanged looks and we went through that short tunnel. R looked around, confused. "Isn't it the same distance from where we were? We could have got to the other side from there as well." Well, we told her, the point wasn't in getting there in the shortest distance, the point was to experience going through that tunnel! It's not everyday that you get to go through tunnels underground. I swear I felt a bit like Katniss, the one in the movie, not the book. That's got a similar scene, except that she had huge bodyguard-type guys behind her, while I had two skinny and giggling girls. :P

Anyway, it was a long wait for the Metro. It just didn't seem to come too soon! Enjoying the gust of wind that comes from an incoming train (at the other side, our side didn't have one for ages!) and having fun pretending the train's a ghost or something, I said, "Metro train, Y U No Coming?" and just-like-that we got hysterical fits of laughter. Now that's where my weirdness comes in, they got over it pretty quickly but I found my own dialogue so awesome that I just couldn't stop laughing! Even though I knew it wasn't very smart and I must be looking like a headcase, what with that distorted-by-hysterical-laughing face and all, I didn't stop. It was only when a train finally entered that we got up and I controlled myself. But jeez, that train had all filled out seats and a few people were standing. A declared we're leaving this one for one with less crowd, and we got those laughter bouts again! Imagine! Three girls laughing like crazy in front of a train with doors open, not getting in! If by any chance you were there (Mandi House station) and you think you saw almost mental girls, that was us! Sorry to have scared you :P

This was our sentiment, exactly.

Finally, the next one seemed to have less crowd (if just seats-filled crowd qualifies as a 'crowd') and we got three seats side by side when people got down at Rajiv Chowk! I had a 2 second fight with R over the corner seat (I won, of course) and immediately took out a book from my bag and propped it open! A seemed to get it, but R asked, "What are you doing? You're going to read the book now?" She was baffled and partly amused with my actions. I explained to her that that was my trick to look engrossed, so that aunties wouldn't ask us to get up (which is something I've seen them do). It seems that wasn't a smart thing to do, for when I looked up, there was an old lady with a small child and with a big bag at her feet standing a foot away from me. Somehow I didn't feel so tired anymore and I offered her the seat. Let's just say I cannot see old women in discomfort. Anyway, God seemed to take pity on me and I got the seat adjacent to R within the next few stations.

The best thing about A and R is, they're awesome friends. I mean, when I'm with others (except a couple more friends), there's an uncomfortable feeling when it's silence between us. There's always that nagging thing that we need to say something to each other, or it gets awkward. I don't know why, but that's not an issue with us. We'll either have loads to say and when we don't, the silence is peaceful and just great. No nagging feeling. Zero. Nada. Zilch. And that's all the synonyms I know. :P

PS- It might seem to be an ordinary description of an ordinary day, but it was much more to me. :)

Also, we didn't click any pictures. Yes, we're weirdos and we love it!

PPS- Check out Aneesha's description of our day, in the form of a wonderful poem! Click here.

Since I couldn't really describe all that in so less words (evident. The introduction of my post is over 500 words :P), I feel her poem is simply awesome and you should definitely check it out! 

Poetic Realization!

Okayyyy.... Now that I've realized that there are actually a couple of people who read this blog (or according to a highly bad case of wishful thinking, a few more), I know it's a bad idea to write silly stuff here. But then again, why not? Who's stopping me from writing anything I want or blabbering about all those teeny weeny thoughts I have in my overfull head? But still, I'd like it if you don't think of me as a total nutcase and don't leave this blog either, after reading what I've written below. Pleaseo please? :)

Awed by some bloggers who write fantastic poems, and I mean really, really great ones, the likes of which I hadn't read on a blog before (and you guys, I feel thrilled that I know you at all!), I thought, why don't I try my hand at poetry too? I've written a couple of them before, but honestly, they're just 'article-written-as-a-poem' thingy, not the way it should be. And they were all written in the 'spur of the moment', in a go and I don't even remember why and when! :P 

Maybe it's bad timing that I tried it now? I'm in a very funny state, since I'm on a vacation and you'd think having absolutely nothing to do would be fun, but all I can do these days is read or be on Facebook or well, be in the midst of a raging battle with my sibling. At the same time I'm dreading the end of these holidays after which I'll be in a new college and all that nervousness is too much to bear, so I'm trying not to think about it. And I decided to write something and that something is a poem. What did I think I am? Robert Frost's lost great great-grand daughter? The answer is obviously no, if what I gather from my 'poem' is right. Here it is. Try not to think too harshly about me. After all, it's just poems that aren't my thing, I can otherwise do anything humans are capable of doing... including building a spaceship. Trust me. 

2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes pass,

I stare still blank

As the screen turned dark.

What could it be?

The thing I’d describe,

The object of my scrutiny?

12 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes pass,

I’m jolted as I taste blood

My bitten lips, a swollen mass.

Irritation, anger, confusion, remorse

Cloud my mind, cover up

All remnants of rational thought.

22 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes pass,

Still wondering, how should I word this

Helpless feeling, breath all caught.

A final realization, it isn’t a need

But a desire, to be like them

Disguised as an undistinguished greed.

Why not forget, what I can’t do,

And enjoy to the fullest

Doing what I can really do.

Accepting my boundaries, I bow

To you, dear poetry

I’m so not into you.

Wellllll....? *Prod, prod* Still there? Don't you worry, I've kinda realized what I needed to know while writing this, so I wouldn't be posting idiotic stuff anymore. I mean, I'll sure try poems, because what a shame it'd be, that I can do anything but poems. Damn! But I'd keep them to myself till the day I know I can easily rise to power, with all weapons secure in my hands, all creatures bowing to my wishes and all enemies running into hiding. Err.... I mean till the time I come up with something good. So long!


PS- That bitten lips part is true. After knowing what blood tastes like, I don't think I fancy vampires that much.


PPS- Stop laughing already! 

Theandric Thursday # 3: Living the dream... and something else.

Theandric Thursday is a fortnightly feature on my blog, where I'll be having fun with putting down those weird thoughts and stories that occupy my mind most of the times. The dictionary definition of 'Theandric' is 'Relating to the joint agency of the divine and human nature'.

If you're interested in participating, write your own Theandric Thursday post and drop your link in the comments section. Feel free to write reality, part-reality-part-fiction or fiction, anything above the 'normality' of our world. ;) You can use the above picture on your post and link back to this post.

I was certain it was a dream. I mean, seriously? A tree house in the woods? That's what I get as a birthday present? They stood with me grinning, clearly satisfied with my awed expression, if that's what it was. I was certain no human even had the capability to open and hang their mouth as I was doing at that moment. It was too superliciously awesome to be a reality in my plain life. But hadn't my family always made sure my life isn't really plain? Haven't they always tried to make me live whatever I'd dreamed of? "Bu...but", I sputtered. "Dad!" I finally cried and hugged him tight and clung on to him till the moisture from my eyes was dried and well, stuck on his shirt. 

"Yeah, we had nothing to do with this", snorted my younger brother Xavi, sweeping his arm all around as if graciously unveiling a palace. Which it was, to me. Much much much better than a palace! Mom came forward and hugged me tight. "It's a delight to see you happy, darling," she said softly and kissed my forehead. I stuck out my tongue at my brother, to which, surprisingly, he replied with a sly grin. "Want to see if your weight breaks the poor ladder I spent hours making?"  

Pic from Google.

I saw the wooden ladder again. "Neat job," I admired. He tugged at my hand and we were at the bottom of the short steps. I still couldn't believe these wonderful guys built me a tree house! It's less than half a mile from our place just outside the woods. I never imagined what I'd continuously been dreaming about, aloud, they would go ahead and do it! Well, I always said it'd be fun to climb up this tree and settle somewhere in it and read books. Especially since the tree overlooks a stream nearby. I hadn't really imagined a tree house! But I guess Mom would've freaked out over the thought of insects and all, which really don't bother me and which would still be a problem anyway, since I'd still be up on a tree. Well, whatever the reason, I had not a thing to complain, for just as my head popped up and I saw the house from the inside, I felt like I couldn't breathe! In a very good way. It was small, but warm and cozy, big enough for four and had a small bookshelf, some board games and a couple of the softest pillows we owned! "Oh boy!" I nearly whistled. Nearly because I don't really know how to whistle. "Did you guys know you're the bestestest people in the world? Ever?" I sang loudly while putting one foot into the tree house. It was even tall enough to hold me! Though not my brother, I saw. He had to slouch. 

I peeped out from the side and flashed my biggest smile for the camera. I knew I never look good in pictures with my teeth showing, but that time I just couldn't stop it. And I didn't care for a silly picture! 

"You guys can stay up there, but be home by dinner time!" Mom called. I saw my parents walking away slowly towards home, holding hands and talking softly. Once or twice I saw them looking back at me, half hanging off the side as I looked at them. I waved and they did too, smiling. 

"You know, Dad worked really hard on this house and you can show your appreciation better than trying to break that log over which you're hanging" Xavi said in a voice that seemed almost..... reprimanding? And I was the elder sis! 

"Don't you have anything better to do than hanging out with your sis up on a tree house?" I snapped at him. I know it was wrong to hurt him like that, especially since he was the one who made that ladder and I was sure the board games idea was his, too and I knew he was also an emotional kid. What kind of a girl am I, anyway? My family gifts me my dream-turned-into-reality and I thank them by speaking rudely with Xavi? Not fair. But before I could sort my thoughts and apologize to him, he was already climbing down. Great. We hadn't even spent more than 5 seconds together in that tree house. I seriously don't deserve anything.

"Xaaa...aaaavi" I called out to him, "I know I'm an idiot and it wouldn't be fun here without you. You know that and you can't go just now and make Mom and Dad upset with me." No answer. "Xaaa....aaavi, what about the games? I'm S-O-R-R-Y! Please show me the ladder isn't weak and climb up again!" 

What is it with guys? He wouldn't speak a thing. He just looked up at me all tired-like and said, "I'm not going to tell Mom and Dad anything. I'll be at Bill's place, err..football match up on TV. Meet me at 7 at the birch tree." And off he went. I sighed and leaned back inside. It wasn't because of the football match that he was going to Bill's. I knew it was because of my big, stupid, fat mouth. As awesome as the tree house was, it lost its appeal to me. I realized things looked beautiful and appealing to you especially if you're with a loved one, or if you have some love inside. I seriously didn't, I thought, for even the stream running outside or the green and red bird perched atop the next tree couldn't do anything to uplift my mood. 

I nestled against the soft pillow and closed my eyes, feeling the sweet afternoon scent of the trees and wilderness blowing with the wind. In good spirits, I might have felt a bit like Katniss, up in a tree. Though she slept in a sleeping bag strapped to the branches and I was way more comfortable than she could have been, but still. It'd have been fun pretending our enemies are lurking somewhere out there, if Xavi had been here. I let out a long sigh. I'd really have to make up with him. It's just not fun, not having him around. 

        * * *

I felt something real soft under my cheek and something real hard under the rest of me. I drew my eyes open and propped up on my elbow. Right, the tree house. I was sure it was all a dream, but here it was. But then, I certainly had been dreaming of something. Going to sleep and getting up not dreaming of vampires was something that was rare with me these days. My bad. I decided to start with The Vampire Academy series right after the Twilight series. What can my poor brain do anyway if all I give it are stories of blood-sucking vampires? But then, it had seemed so real. No, I didn't see Edward or Dimitri. That's just what I wish I could be dreaming, but those vampires are always shrieking, red haired, evil-female vampires, running after me all the time. 

I looked at my cell phone. 6pm already! I slept for more than 4 hours? My Lord, I must have been a log in a previous life. And I didn't fail to notice that Xavi hadn't called or texted either. Since it was almost dark now and I couldn't read, I thought I'd go to the stream and just hang around for a bit. I put on my shoes and climbed down. As I trudged along the short path, I thought I heard slight hissing and it was quite creepy. I mean, crunching of leaves beneath someone's feet was okay or even the voices of someone talking or breathing was fine by me. After all, I wasn't the one who owned this place, as much as I wished. It was public property, well, except my tree house. But hissing? That's weird. I didn't see anyone though, so I continued and clambered onto a small rock-like structure at the edge of the stream we liked to call Miss S, I don't know why, and waited for time to pass. 

Google again

I love the stream. It flows towards the east and the water's so clear that I could see a trout or two flowing with the stream. I leaned forward a bit and liked the way my reflection looked back at me, all distorted and flowy. I smiled and pulled my hair open. I looked again for the effect. Perfect. Most people wouldn't think a distorted image would be nice, but I liked the way it was, especially with my hair now billowing about. I wished I had my camera to click a picture, though I doubted it would look this beautiful in the picture. If there's anything I've learned with photography, it's that some things the camera looks at with a better view and there are some other things you find so beautiful that the camera cannot keep up with the beauty.

I hadn't heard a single thing, not even the hissing, so when I saw another, absolutely white reflection in the water, hovering right above me, I was every bit surprised. And terrified, if the way my heart jumped to my throat was any indication. It wasn't Xavi. I didn't think it was even anything human, but it sure looked like one. A familiar one? Before I could turn around or completely process the fact that there were, in fact, three more, a cold hand clasped around my mouth and the hissing I had heard earlier was right at my ear. "You make a sound and all I would need to do is turn your head the wrong way. And no one will ever know what even happened." Now I was completely terrified, if there were any less terrifying feelings earlier. In another second I was hanging upside down, my open hair not seeming like a great idea at all, the hand still firm on my mouth and we were off. I hadn't even noticed I was crying before it blurred my vision. Since my hands were tightly bound with another pair of hands (what did he have? Four arms?), I blinked continuously till I could see better. I saw two pairs of legs walking sideways and one at the back. If what I gathered from the makes of their shoes and jeans was a right guess, two were guys and one was a girl. Every one of them made those hissing noises after every few minutes. That was creeping me out. Not that the whole situation wasn't creepy anyway, since I'd just been kind of kidnapped by a bunch of things I didn't think were human, but that hissing was even creepier somehow.

I really couldn't think how I could escape, because one, I was heavily outnumbered and two, they seemed pretty strong, even the female maybe. The one holding me seemed to be made of stone. What? Stone? Really? A..... vampire? I couldn't breathe. No wonder they moved so easily, stealthily and that hissing! What does it mean? How can a freaking group of vampires find me and kidnap me for no reason? What did I do except dream about them and that isn't really something I can control. If there's anything good about all this, there better be some Edward-or-Dimitri-like vampire. But why? I'm no freaking Bella Swan or Rose. 

After what seemed like a million years, they stopped. "Where do we interrogate her?" I heard the female voice for the first time and it sent chills down my spine. It reeked of pure evil. I still couldn't see anyone's faces. The next second I was on my way up a tree and was put down, not very gently, I might add, on the floor of my own tree house! I looked up at their extremely beautiful, but terrifying faces and felt myself shuddering. One of them was very familiar. Xavi couldn't stand straight since the roof wasn't high, but these guys loomed over me, upright and I was pretty sure they were taller than Xavi. 

Xavi! If I managed to stay alive till 7pm, I was sure Xavi would come looking for me. But was that a good thing or a bad thing? Xavi was obviously not as strong as a vampire and there were four! Will he be in danger too? 

***

This was turning out to be a very long story, since I'm incapable of telling anything in a few words. The second part of this story will be continued in Theandric Thursday post # 4.

PS- My brother isn't really called Xavi. I asked him what he would like to be called and he came up with a few great-sounding names, before settling on Xavi. I never thought he had a creative streak in him, so I had to ask how he thought of the name. "Huh?" he said. "It's the name of a football player." 


PPS- Read Usama's Theandric Thursday post # 3 at his blog, Randomized. 

Random facts...

.... about me. I didn't think it was a good idea to include 'about me' in the title itself. Don't ask why. I don't know it myself yet! :P

It's just a random post, like one that comes up when you have a hundred important things to do but you still believe you don't need to and you feel so wella that you want to just type non-sense blog posts! Just skip reading if you have something better to do. Seriously. 

Fact # 10: I can get lost in my thoughts any time, any place. No exceptions. Sure, it leads to embarrassing situations sometimes, but seriously, who cares?

Fact # 9: It's against my nature to allow everything to go smoothly. Tripping, hurting my toes with furniture even while standing, making things fall, saying things that don't make sense, laughing when I should not, understanding things a bit too late... that's me, everything 'me'!

Fact # 8: I find Facebook pages for every book I read and see what other readers are like. Plus, if it's a book-that-inspired-a-movie, I'd sit all day and just look at pictures of characters, imagining them like they were in the book. 

Fact # 7: I love smelling books. The pages, I mean. FYI, Harry Potter smells best so far. Scholastic, Harper Collins and Penguin books smell great!

Fact # 6: I'm paranoid. If you cross my path more than once, know that I'll be keeping an eye on you. And my karate moves will be planned already! 

Fact # 5: I love my dreams and the fact that they're so vivid, making me experience new creatures, places and situations. I don't care if 'my brain isn't getting rest' and that 'we should have a dreamless sleep' or whatever science says. Mr. Science, can you make me fly on my own? Or help me jump over rocks a hundred feet away over the sea? Or make me live with vampires? Then don't interfere! 

Fact # 4: When I do my work (apart from studying, blogging or reading), like crafting or cleaning the cupboard/bookshelf, I prefer to keep the door closed and have Hannah Montana singing to me at full volume. If you happen to hear the songs, don't even dare open the door and spoil it for me. Or rather, for you!

Fact # 3: Things in my 'must-do' list include innumerable-times trekking, scuba diving, all kinds of adventure sports and a recent addition- sky diving! And I'd probably love you almost immediately if you do any of the above! :P

Fact # 2: I love the scent of fresh and scented air that comes from many trees and plants at one place, the one that comes from watering plants, rain-fed mud and the library! What am I? A smell elemental?

Fact # 1: I absolutely have no idea why I'm even writing this, when I have something really important to do. Know what this shows? I go with intuition and gut feeling, not common sense. I strongly believe I belong in some other, faerie-type world and I'm stuck here by some silly mistake! 

'Daemons, faeries, pixies, shifters

To you, this is my call

Rescue me and take me along

There where I belong'

'Award'ing fellow bloggers...

I think out there, they call it 'Random Acts of Kindness', showing love for the bloggers whose blogs you follow and like so much that you feel like giving them some blogger awards! Personal opinion- this blog award thing is so cool! It helps you show your love and appreciation for other bloggers, apart from the usual following and commenting thing. They can proudly display your awards on their blogs and it's a great way to know other bloggers too! :)

I've never mentioned before, but I've received two awards for this blog already (kill me. Now!). The first award ever, was by Rachit (or as he prefers to be called, Leonardo) at Sentimientos. He very kindly gave me this award! 'One Lovely Blog Award'.

Thank you so much Rachit! :)

The next one I received was from Naresh Khoisnam at Blog De Naresh Khoisnam. Sunshine Award! Thanks so much Naresh! :)

And so, you know, I thought I'd start with good deeds and award those blogs I follow and those I really enjoy reading! But how to go about that? Do I have one award for many/all of them? Or should I give them different awards based on what their blog is about and how they blog? The latter seems a better option, as it would be much more meaningful than simply nominating blogs for a single award. So, the idea is, there will be one award for now, and I would nominate those blogs that seem in character with the award. Then, after a while (maybe a week or something), I'll come up with another award for suitable blogs. That way there wouldn't be feelings of guilt within me, that I couldn't link up some blog (just shows how selfish I am. I just care about how guilty I would feel :P). So, if you're a regular reader and if I follow your blog too, you bet you'd get an award, sooner or later. :) This first list is not exhaustive and includes only those blogs that deserve the award considering the kind of award it is. (Makes sense?)

The first award is:

Yes! The Kreative Blogger award! Before I tell you which bloggers I'm giving this award to (and why), let me tell you I'll also create these awards! Meaning, the above picture seems good, no? :) I had clicked a picture of raindrops on an iron railing in Shimla and that picture has been edited with pixlr.com to be turned into this award picture. By the way, pixlr.com is an amazing site for picture editing. I recently got to know about it and I feel it's just brilliant! (Thank you, Kathe for introducing this site to me!). So well, it's not just any copy pasted picture from other blogs! :D

Anyway, enough of blabbering! The bloggers/blogs that receive this award are: *tat-ta-da!*

1. Rachit Gupta (Leonardo!) at Sentimientos : I know I've already given an award to you, but that was from the web and I know apart from being inspiring, you're also very creative! :) You write some of the best poetry I've ever come across (and mind you, it especially feels awesome to me because I'm still incapable of writing any sort of poetry! :P)

2. Usama Sulaiman at Randomized : You can write fiction, reality, your thoughts on different and varied subjects, poems and little somethings (which are not really poems :P), so yes, I feel you're quite creative. And you write really, really well! As in omg-it's-worth-reading kind of well. :) And oh, you're like me when I say 'reject normalcy'! (not that I'm suggesting you're not normal! :P)

3. Abinaya at A Blog to Remember :) : Well, you're into simple-worded-yet-deeply-meaningful poetry, articles on a variety of relevant human psyche related topics, you make cards and stuff and you're also writing a book! Creativity at its best! :)

This is getting hard already, since most of the blogs I follow are book blogs, to which I'm linked through my book blog! :| As for other blogs, they seem to be falling in other categories, for which another kind of award is needed! 

I have more bloggers on my mind who fall into this 'creative' award category, but they also fall into some other, more-relevant category! Gosh, I thought this would be easy! :P

Anyway, congratulations to the three winners! Readers, please do drop by their 'Kreative' blogs and show your love by letting them know how much you like them! <3

Theandric Thursday # 2: A glimpse of passion...

Once every week, on Thursday, I'll be posting something that's a cross between Fiction and reality, something that's not really on an average person's mind on any average day (including the supernatural!) That's where 'Theandric' comes into the picture. The dictionary definition of the word says, 'Relating to the joint agency of the divine and human nature'.

(You can think of it as a weekly feature and if you fancy it, participate! The picture on the side can be used.)

There's something I know is absolutely true and I was surprised a teacher (I don't even remember which one and from where) knew that too. Oh well, he's a teacher so he would know, you'd say, but really, I had thought it was such a weird fact that no one but I ever gave a thought to it. Before starting with his first lesson, he asked us a question, 'Do you think you can be 100% truthful, honest and straightforward with your friends and still expect them to stay with you for long?' All but me, said yes. Hold on, before you think I'm a fakey or something, let me tell you that I'm otherwise as honest a person as can be. Sometimes it even scares me. But I didn't say yes because I'm also very observant. I followed the trail of previous questions and the teacher's expression and mood and I understood what he really meant. 

He was talking about things and thoughts that we prefer to keep to ourselves and not even the best friend gets to know about it. I'm not including family and the teacher didn't, as well, because we usually blabber all that we think about to those who're family. These maybe things not worth talking about or sometimes you think you'll only embarrass yourself by saying it out loud. Sometimes it could be something mean or selfish too, which you actually didn't want to think about. It's just a stray thought, a passing moment when you think of something bad/embarrassing just-like-that without meaning to. It's human. And when that happens you let it pass without further thought, or shaking your head to get rid of it or making it go away as soon as possible by changing the subject. You certainly don't stop whatever you were conversing about and tell the other person about that stray thought, do you? Well, exceptions are there, of course as it might be a super-brilliant idea that you may have got! 

Or when you lose thread of the conversation or are in any dull moment, you subconsciously think about different things, things that you want, that you like/would like to have, that perfect future picture, visualizing yourself doing what you always want to do. 'Daydreaming', like we call it. What is it, if not your innermost passion? You dream about things you're thinking passionately about, consciously or subconsciously, positive or negative. You dream about vampires chasing you because you're reading the Twilight series! And you feel insecure somewhere, so they are chasing you and not dining with you like pals (not that vampires eat anything, but I needed an example!). 

Understanding all of this, what will you call this thing I'll tell you about, that happened with me?

I could hear the thumping beat of my heart, it was so loud, mingled with the woods' voices. The rustle of a bird's wings, the sleepy hoot of an owl, the crunching of leaves beneath my feet. It was cold and I was barefoot. The day was bright and as weird it may seem, I was enjoying the walk trek. I touched the barks of trees as I passed them, a gentle passing touch with the tips of my fingers, my feet taking me along unknown paths. Yet I was excited; the thumping beat of my restless heart was proof enough. My breaths were long and deep, I took in the sweet scents of the woods and the little bit of a stream flowing nearby. I could hear the gentle gushing of water over rocks and pebbles. I could feel every single bit of it, the trees' damp barks, the sweet scents, the growing excitement of something awesome that I knew is coming!

The next thing I knew, I was high. Really, really high, swinging back and forth on a swing made from maybe, bamboo sticks and ropes. The back and forth motion wasn't small. One side went on for quite a long time, my hair flying back from my face as I went forward. Maybe it wasn't even a swing, but that's what it was. Except that it was bigger than any I had ever been in and I was using up only a little bit of one of the edges, with my legs dangling below, like we usually sit in a chair. My hands held a piece of rope right in front of me, attached to the side to the swing I was perched upon, that went so far up I couldn't have seen. Maybe. I didn't look up to see where it went. I was overwhelmed by the emotions flowing inside me. It's so hard to describe in words, it was an otherworldly feeling! A shallow water body was flowing a hundred feet below, surrounded by woods on two sides, left and right. As I held the rope for support, I was ecstatic. I LOVED the rush of wind, the whipping of hair, the brilliantly sweet scents, the sound and sight of water below and just me, taking huge strides through a swing, to and fro, to and fro. I couldn't think of anything else apart from just that amazing moment, the rush of adrenalin in me, the usual multiplied by hundred, making me overwhelmed with an intense joy. I'm sure I was smiling a smile I couldn't ever have smiled in my life, all that time. While I just watched with marvel the wonderful things around me, tears streamed down my eyes, tears that resulted from an intense passion and happiness and when I didn't try to stop them, a sob escaped my throat. I felt that happy. 

Let me tell you there's hardly any Fiction in this post, this time. What you read in the above paragraph was very much real. I would say it was a dream, a very happy dream, but I don't want to undermine its strength by using the plain word, 'dream'. I usually have vivid dreams and the weird ones too, but the one above was something I had never experienced. It was just intense. How is it that we can feel and achieve so much happiness, such powerful feeling when we're not even awake? I'll tell you my theory. 

It's passion. The way you feel when you're at ease; the things you like, your wants and desires. Read again what I wrote above, about daydreaming. When we're comfortable, we subconsciously get into our own world, a boundless, limitless world we create for ourselves and that's what we dream about. Anything that you feel about with passion. Nightmares occur because there's always that little something that's nagging some corner of your mind and it takes scary forms in your dreams. So how did I feel that way in my 'otherworldly experience'? That's because that's the kind of life I'm passionate about! The natural beauty, the peace and quiet and just me, if only for a few moments. The setting explains this one. Then what about the swing? I'm also very intensely passionate about the sense of adventure. Maybe I dream about it so much because I haven't yet actually done what I've always wanted to do! I don't care if I haven't paraglided yet, I know I will and whenever that is, I know I'll not have a care in the world! Those secret wishes that I can't speak about for fear of being thought a loony, those combined together to let me experience the feeling in my sleep, while I couldn't feel it in reality for now. Thank You God, for this.

What do you feel? Have you ever experienced something like this?

[The blogger behind Randomized, Usama Sulaiman has come up with his Theandric Thursday post too! Check it here. Let me know if you decide to participate too!]

Vacation thingy: Crafting!

Finally! 

The last date of my year end exams was 18th May. I went to the library on 19th where I found an interesting book on papier mache, the fun craft we did when we were kids! I was so intrigued by those wonderful illustrations and the easy to understand guide to do everything related to papier mache (The Art and Craft of Papier Mache by Juliet Bawden), I decided to have fun with this craft this vacation! 

I guess I started on 20th May, with a basic experiment in mind. First I wanted to make sure if I could create something that's strong and sturdy, using the right materials and what kind of stuff I could make. So, I started with a shoe-box and used the layering method. Being the careful freak that I am, I used a generous 8 layers over four solid days (it takes time because each layer has to dry before we can apply the next. And oh, also because I'm a lazy bug who went on a 'reading' break after pasting each layer, with each break lasting longer than it should! :P). Then I left it to dry completely so that it gets really hard and unbreakable. Maybe a week more!

Then it was time to remove the shoe-box and have the solid paper in shape. Thankfully, the shoe-box came off easily, but the layers were so dry that the newspapers were peeling off! Not wanting to waste my ten days worth of time and effort, I put in glue wherever required and for good measure, added another layer, this time with light tissue paper and kept it to dry for another four days! I got around to the decoration part today, when the boredom seemed to be crossing its danger line, so I collected everything required and began with it. Three hours into it and here's the result! :D

The front view

The side view...

I'm very happy with this result, primarily because it's my own design! I mean, there wasn't a mention of a shoe-box in the whole book! I had the shape ready and solid, but didn't know what to do with it. What to make of a shoe-box shape? A tray? Nah! This idea just came from nowhere and I liked it. Initially it looked like this: 

Then, since I would have had to get up, switch on the laptop, then wire in the internet to look for a design, I  totally gave up the idea of Googling. All that effort for a design? When will my brain be of any use? I sketched a rough design in a notebook and went with it, not bothering with more designs to choose from (see how lazy I can get? :|) But then, I liked the idea of bold shapes and colors and a demonic face and it turned out so cool, so I forgive myself! Laziness can really bring out your creativity, right? ;).  

The design was made with a pencil, then colored with poster colors and this was the shoe-box-shaped-my-first-papier-mache-art-object-of-this-vacation!

It looked as if something was missing, so I added even more 'boldness' to it by outlining the features with a black felt tip marker! Then it was all done! :) Tell me what you think of it! And oh, if any of you decide to create something yourself, don't use tissue paper as the last layer, like I did, because it gets all crumpled up and the surface isn't smooth. But of course, if you're wanting something that will look good with a rough surface, use it! Though using markers would be tough too, because of the surface being uneven. I'll be using computer paper for the last layer next time. :)

Apart from the wall hanging thing, I thought it would suit me well. You know, bring out my personality if I wore this as a mask so that people know how I really am from the inside ;)

It was just fun! I had thought waiting for days to let it dry would leave me dry, but with so many books to read (yay vacation!) and the sense to start with another object for this craft, it didn't matter much. I love the end result so it's alright! :D