What's been going DOWN?

Lots. Lots has been going on. And I'm filled with the urge to fill in My Online Journal. So here goes.

Wake Up Did? NOT happening any time soon. (Inside joke. You could replace DID with NID, if you want.

So. I saw Wake Up Sid last night. Cute Happily Ever After. Could've been made better, but whatev. 'Twas a happy happy movie with a simple story- A dude who has no motivation in life, meets a young writer and his life changes. Ka- ching!

High point of the movie:
When Aisha (Konkana Sen) gets her books delivered home, the first thing she does is open the box and she smells the books. And here I thought that I was the only freak who was obsessed with the book smell.

Low point of the movie:
(TMI alert!Don't say I didn't warn you) I don't get out of the movie theatre during the interval coz the intervals over here are really short and I hate missing even one tiny bit of the movie. So by end of the movie, I really had to pee. And it was like the movie was mocking. In the end, all they showed was oceans and seas and waters and Bombay rains and pouring and OH, it was a long wait. Right. I'm done now.

General advice:
It's a nice movie to see if you're free on a Saturday night, but really, don't go out of you're way just to watch a good looking conceited brat getting a life. (For girls, SO good looking.)

Ratings: 6 Golden Nidhies out of 10.

The Book Scene
Guh. Bleh. Pfoo. And everything in between. Been reading fully depressing stuff.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak? Well written. Intense. Good story. But, OH, so depressing. It's a story told by Death and the name of the first chapter was the only reason I read the book. It was 'Death and Chocolate'. You can see what I mean.


A Walk to Remember and True Believer by Nicholas Sparks. Both pretty okay books. But now I'm sick of romance. It gets tiring after a while. Now I need some bloodshed and war and some killing. Yeah, I'm weird like that.


Other than that, I'm going through a whole lot of Calvin and Hobbes. Much fun.

Wake me up when September ends.
This has probably become the most clichéd song of all tim es. The number of status messages and blog posts I've read with this title..are a LOT. But September has been a sucky kinda month. First, the weather. It was all indicative of the bad things happening in the month. My Truck (It's this old camera which I used to use like a mad woman) died. It was most sad, but some of myfriends were verily happy about it. Hmph. (The picture below is a of my Truck and me. Sigh)

Also, a month of fights. Romance? Guh. Friendship? Guh. Lots of fights and a general aura of depressing-ness. Hence, the sad books, I think.


Other stuff:
(This calls for bullet points, methinks.)


* There was a false alarm of a Bangalore trip this month. But now I'm not going and am most depressed. It should be against the law to raise a person's hopes and shoot them down. I hope the desired people have GOT THE MESSAGE. (Your cue, parents)

*Girl politics. I've not had it for SO long. And now, it's like BAM I'm back in the game with backstabbing and gossiping and bitching and all the girls stuff. It hurts, but I couldn't love it more.

*It's raining in October. Pune's ALWAYS been a weird sort of place.

*Went to Lonavla yesterday and was RIGHT in middle of the clouds. So beautiful. And I love the tunnels on the way. I was all 'Wheee!' while we went through them.

* The Dad took two weeks off and was at home specifically to annoy the hell out of me. But he's off to work tomorrow. Say it with me: YAYYYY! He's going going going! Two weeks with him, and gaaah, I neeeed my alone time at home.

Contemplations
I'm five months away from THEE most important exam that will decide the rest of my future. And I'm addicted to Facebook. I'm thinking of leaving it for a few months but I lack the will power. Maybe I'll delete it before my Diwali vacations. And then get down and study. (That is the most nerdish sentance I've EVER said and you cannot use it against me in any way.)





That's about it, I guess.

Book Talk

The Story Girl
By Lucy Maud Montgomery

I'm not a big fan of classics. Actually, I have a love/hate relationship with them. But The Story Girl by LM Montgomery is my favourite book of all times. It's simple, sweet and leaves you very content with yourself after you're done reading it.

The story is simple: Eight kids, The Story Girl, Felicity, Cecily, Sara Ray, Felix, Dan, Peter and Beverly, and their summer. The Story Girl is the only book I've read which does not have a story line, no plot whatsoever and yet, it keeps you hooked. It's a charming kind of book which portrays the innocence of children exceedingly well.

The best part of the book is not the setting, the simplicity or the summer. The best part is The Story Girl. Sara Stanley, otherwise known as 'The Story Girl', tells magnificent tales with her enthralling voice. The way the book is written, Montgomery leaves The Story Girl's voice to the reader's imagination. Her voice can be whatever you like, whatever you want. Whatever captures you. And THAT is the beauty of the book.

Ratings: Nine Golden Nidhies out of ten.
Best time to read: A lazy afternoon.

PS:
As much as I hate E-books, Here is a link to The Story Girl for people who can't find it in a book shop. However, let me warn those people that reading it online will take away some of the charm and rob you of the glorious smell of the book. So read at your own risk.

HP6

As usual, it was a major disappointment. Why do I watch HP movies? Who knows. I end up ranting about them for days after. Everyone HATES it when I get into the details of what they missed/screwed up, so I'm going to vent on this blog! Brilliance, I know.



SPOILER ALERT. STOP READING FROM HERE.



Good stuff in the movie:

1) Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton?) Pure hotness. (HAWTNESS!)

2) Ginny turned out to be quite pretty.

3) Harry remained short. Heh. Didn't make me feel inadequate about my height. Though others made up for him. Hmph.

4) The humour. Whole Harry imitating Slughorn thing.

5) The Brit accents ( I also want)

6) Bellatrix Lestrange. Brilliant actress, really.

7) Last time the pony-tailed Dumbledore appears on screen. YES.

8) Cormac McLaggen. *faints*

9) Luna is PERFECT.

10) Fenrir Greyback suited his role.

11) Draco Malfoy! Oh wait, I already mentioned him. Damn.



Erm...that's about all the good things. NOW. For the rant :-



*Where. were. the. Dursleys? Dumbledore. was. supposed. to. pick. Harry. up. from. the. Dursleys. NOT a random train station with attractive girls.



*They invented a random attack! In The Burrow! WTF. They can't INVENT stuff. How about putting in REAL stuff that you didn't have time to put in, freaks?



* Harry-Ginny get together in the WEIRDEST way possible. They're supposed to get together after a quidditch match. But, NO. They have a random make-out session in the Room Of Requirement. And, wait for it, this part doesn't even EXIST in the book. It wasn't even a proper make out. It was one kiss and they're together. Hello? Reality check.



*Waaaayyy too much on Ron and Hermione, baby, waayyy too much. WHEN, in the book, does Hermione confess her true luurrrve for Won-won? Really now. Take your own creative liberty, but Jesus, don't take it too far.



*Em, The Snape dude put on a li'l weight. But that didn't annoy me too much, whatev.


*Action in the movie was minimal. Like dude, the romance was high.


*They didn't show Rufus Scrimgeour! They didn't show the part in The Burrow where Perce and Scrimgeour come!


*Horace Slughorn didn't look like a walrus. Hmph.


*Horace Slughorn had more of a role than Harry.


*Fluer! Bill! Where WERE they?


*No apparitation lessons, either.


*Fred and George weren't wearing magenta robes in their store! Gaaah.


* Where. were. Kreacher. and. Dobby. WHERE, I ask you?


*Didn't show Voldemort (Btw, HATE it when people say "Voldy") asking for the DADA job! THAT was important!


*The House Of Gaunts was missing! M-I-S-S-I-N-G!


*The Funeral. A-hem? It was missing, too.


*Ok, lots was missing so I'm going to stop with that.


*The movie wasn't too intense, was it?


*In fact, it kinda got boring.


*Dumbledore's death wasn't so spectacular.


*The stuff in the cave? IT WASN'T GREEN. Where the hell did all the crystal stuff come from?


*Last of all, it disappointed me. I'm done venting now.

Ok, so final ratings:
Compare the movie to the book: Zero golden Nidhies out of five.
Look at it as a just a movie: Two and a half golden Nidhies out of five.

Wokay, I'm done. Watch the movie and tell me what you thought :)
xoxo

How to deal with Boredom

Sigh. Boredom. One of the worst diseases to catch. Very contagious and horribly tough to recover from. ANYhoo, here's a list of things to do when you've reached rock bottom and are utterly bored.

> Read books with Happily Ever Afters. When you're bored, you happen to be very cynical. So after you read a Happily Ever After, you have something to roll your eyes at.

>Make weird food combos. Coke and cake icing? Honey and cheeslings (tastes awesome, just so you know)? Be creative.

>Watch a movie that you've never seen before. If the electricity goes before you're done with it (Been there, Done that), imagine you're own ending.

>Call up people. If no one's at home and if everyone's abandoned in your time of need when you're sick with Boredom, make up your own imaginary friends and have fabulous conversations with them.

> Have a tea party with those imaginary friends and be all very British. ("Pass me those scones, will you? Simply splendid tea. Absolutely spiffing, I tell you. Marvelous day, isn't it? Yes, quite lovely.")

>Real friends still not at home? No worries. Count the number of black things present in the room you're in.

> Done with black? That was fast. Now....white.

> Hmm...colours boring you, aren't they? No worries. Hakuna Matata. Have a pillow fight with yourself. Yes. Fun, isn't it?

> Ugh. Still bored. Pour glue on your hand, let it dry and slowly peel it off. Intensely fun, trust me.

>Rock bottom? Still bored? That's it. There's no cure. Oh, fine. Since you insist, one last attempt : Write/blog about 'How to deal with Boredom'.

BLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAARGH!
I'm STILL bored. Sigh.
Over and out.

Goodbye, 2008

2008, You were a good year. In fact, you were one of my favorite years. One word for you is overwhelming. 2008, you overwhelmed me.


Important things that happened this year :


>I got over Bangalore.

>I fell in love with Edward.

>I discovered blogging. And fell in love with it.

>I fell in love with Shakespeare.

>I made new friends. LOTS of new friends.

>I began to like school. (Don't look at me like that. I'm just as shocked)

>My mom started working.(And left me all alone at home!)


Uhh...That's about it. Seems like a very uneventful year when I put it down like this but trust me, It was one of the BESTest years ever.


In January, I started New Year at Cupcake's place.(Seems like yesterday). In school, Maggot and me were a group. We started hanging out with Ms. Know-it-all.


In February, I remember nothing but studying for the finals. Sad, no?


March was fun. It started out with going to Bangalore (!!!) and then it moved on to half day school and no homework which was all incredibly fun.


In April, Ms. Know-it-all joined our group. Ms. Know-it-all, Maggot and me became really, really close. There was a short period in April where all the girls in 9th grade were united. That didn't last too long because Ms. Know-it-all and me can't stand a peaceful atmosphere for too long.


In May, I did nothing at all. Nothing. During summer, I spent majority of my time on the internet. Facebook-ing and chatting is all I remember of May.


In June, my mom started working. Joy for me because I was left all alone at home. Yeah, it was fun. School began after the wonderful summer vacation. In June, I got many, many lectures about how important the Board Exams are and yadda yadda yadda.


July and September was all a big mush for me. There were tests and fights and lots of things going on. All I remember is that after July and October, Maggot, Ms. Know-it-all, Haunted Guy, Singer-dude, Sir Loopy-much and me were a group. And Haunted Guy and me emerged as true enemies. In September, there were exams or tests or something because I remember studying a lot.



In October, there were the lovely Diwali Vacations in which I spent time in Jaipur, Udaipur and a (very) short period in Delhi. It was a proper vacation with no studies so I had fun. Rest of October was spent in I don't know what but when I think about October, I have fond memories of it.


In November, we did nothing in school because of the Sports Day. We had practice, like, everyday so no studies at all.


In December, we had our Unit Tests which were horrible. Sports day was fun. And then I went to Bangalore and had the time of my life. Suddenly, it's time for New Year again.





This was my year. Yours?








And now....presenting....2009.



In 2009, I will:


>Concentrate on studies more. I kinda have to seeing that I'll be writing Ze Board Exams and all that very, very soon.

>Try not to scream so much.

>Blog about my oh-so-interesting life more often.

>Not complain about Math so much. Instead, I shall sincerely try to understand it.

>Forget about Edward. Try my best to.

>Do a good deed a week. Doing one a day is too much hard work.


...and that's about it.

I'm kind of dreading 2009 because of the amount of work I'll have to do academically. But I still hope for it to be as good a year as 2008. I will miss you, 2008.


Happy New Year, y'all!
Hope you have an AWEsome year!
xoxoxoxoxoxo



Over and out.

List-o-mania

Five things I can't live without :


1. Books
2. Internet
3. Music
4. Soft toys
5. French fries
(Family and friends are WAY more than just 'things')



If I stuck on an island, the three things I would keep with me are:



1. My teddy
2. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
3. A 42 inch LCD screen with a playstation.



Things I'm going to do from today onwards:


1. Stop obsessing over actors of movies and TV shows. They are never gonna fall in love with me so it's no use breaking my heart over nothing.
2. Stop moving towards the kitchen every half an hour.
3. Stay content with what I have. At least try.
4. Crib online instead of using friends and parents. They get annoyed quickly. I *heart* this blog. I can rant all I want and NO one can stop me.
5. Clean my room at regular intervals. It's better than being screamed at by my mom.
6. Think postive. (Yeah Namrata, It's rubbing off on me.)
7. Try and be nice to everyone. Even the people who I strongly dislike. Not hate, mind you. Strongly dislike.



Things I want to do before I'm 20:

1. Drive
2. Bungee jump
3. Pass out of school
4. Surf in Hawaii
5. Go to Timbuktu
6. Cuddle with a baby panda. They're so adorable!
7. Meet a vampire
8. Learn how to shoot webs out of my hand like spiderman.

Hmmm...I'm setting high expectations for myself. Maybe I should make this 'Things I want to do before I'm 25". No. 30 is better. Yeah. Things I want to do before I'm 30.

Pathtic things about being a teenager:

1. You're blamed for everything.
2. People use big words like 'responsibility' around you.
3. You get the worst of both worlds. You're either too young to go to a concert alone or too old to order a Happy Meal at McDonalds. Meh.
4. Hormones. Those terrible, horrific mood swings....*shudder* Nuff' said.
5. Suddenly, you're not so little anymore. You have to work around the house. And, ugh, help around.
6. Your grades suddenly become very important.
7. You get laughed at when you say you love playing with soft toys. Or seeing Barney tapes.
8. Peer pressure, peer pressure, peer pressure.
9. Suddenly, finding a clique you fit in becomes a necessity.
10. School becomes harsh.

Awesome things about being a teenager:

1. Your parents don't mind leaving you alone at home for a couple of hours as long as the house isn't on fire when they come back.
2. Little kids look up to you with an expression of complete awe. The best part is, that you were them at some point so you know exactly what's going on in their heads.
3. Your parents trust you. Most of the time.
4. Suddenly, you don't have to ask your parents permission for the tiniest of things anymore.
5. You don't have to go furniture shopping with your parents anymore. You can watch TV at home instead.
6. Friends. They are the best part of a teenager's life.
7. You're not to young to play spin-the-bottle anymore.
8. You can't be forced to so something you don't want to. Oh wait, you can. But at least you can put up a dang good fight and be unhappy about it in the end.
9. You can use stuff like "It's my life"and it doesn't sound corny.
10. You're almost grown up.


Things about me which you probably didn't know:


a. I sing in the shower. ONLY in the shower.
b. I'm not into metal (music).
c. I love doodling eyes. When I doodle, I mostly doodle eyes or my name.
d. I love Barney and teletubbies. And yes, I'm fourteen. Almost fifteen.
e. I can touch my head with my toes.
f. I have a red-one belt in Takewondo. So be scared, very scared.
g. I like Shakespeare.
h. I keep a regular journal. You know, a diary kinda thing. Not just online.
i. I like writing stuff on paper more than typing it out.
j. I hate Thai food. Can't stand the stuff.
k. My life is pretty boring but I try to make it as dramatic as humanely possible. Sometimes, it's hard.
l. My colour changes with my mood. Right now, it's turquoise. Go figure.
m. I hate ginger ale. It makes me gag.
n. I hate it when people I barely know call me my nick name(s). It gets on my nerves.
o.I'd like to know how it is to die. I mean, it must be cool to completely blank out. Exept it must suck that the 'blanking out' is kinda a permanent thing.
p. I hate Akshay Kumar. Such a wanna-be.
q. I read fast. Very fast. (Fine, most of you knew this one.)
r. I'm a really good liar. Exept in front of friends. Around friends, I giggle madly and all they have to do is say, "It was you, wasn't it?" and I giggle even more and sheepishly say, "Yeaahh...".
s. Once I stayed all night watching the Matrix trilogy. 'Twas fun.
t. I can get drunk on soda.
u. I LOVE shopping. (Fine, most of you knew that one too.)
v. I'm horrible at consoling people. H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E.
w. I name inanimate objects. For example, my iPod's name is Sophia.
x. I can make Maggi by myself. *Proud smile*
y. Sometimes, I pretend that I'm on Uranus. Completely isolated. And then my mom wakes me up.
z. I love making lists. (Guessed that, didn't you? Sharp.)

....and now you know your A to Z about me!Ta-da!






Wow. Making lists is my idea of fun. It's almost like therapy. I started out all dull and kinda depressed and now I'm all happy and lets-do-something-new! I strongly reccomend making lists when you're down. Trust me, it works. :)


Over and out.

Forgotten Books

I really feel bad for second hand books. So here's a short poem I wrote about them:



Sitting there all alone,
broken, tattered and torn.
Once they were happy and loved,
but now in some old box, stuffed.



Their spined broken,
totally forgotten
and withering away,
with nothing to say.



When first published, they flourished,
but a few years later- lost and tarnished.
Sitting in some second hand store,
waiting for someone to appreciate them more.



Their stories once used to enthrall
but now are forgotten by all.
They feel so abandoned and alone,
all they can do is sit and moan.

Bookish Rants

I consider myself a bookaholic- an undying fan of books. I absolutely adore them. Also, I'm very particular about books. No, I'm not talking about the type of books I read (Fine, I'm particular about that,too.) but I'm talking about how books are treated and dealt with.

Some people just don't know how to deal with books. Those bent book spines....*shudder*.It almost hurts too look at. And then, the worst crime committed: folding page corners as bookmarks. No one ever realises that they could actually be hurting the book. The agony, the pain........even when it's not my book. Now that I'm so miffed with people ruining books, I've gone on a no-lending-book policy. I've vowed not to lend my books to anyone because some of them have already been mutated and I can't bear to see rest of them go that way.

So now that we've talked about physically murdering books, what about figuratively? People telling book ends, stories of books...they should be locked up in jail and the key should be thrown far into the ocean. If the other person hasn't read the book and isn't planning to, who cares? It's their loss. But no, some people just insist on telling stories of books. And when they ask me why I care when they aren't telling me the story but to someone else all together, I can't come up with a good enough answer. Let's just say, I cant watch a murder in front of me. I've given up trying to convince people of how wrong it is, I just satisfy myself with a dejected sigh and walk away from the scene of crime.

It should be banned to make judgements of books from their movies. I was talking to my friend and-
Me: Have you read Eragon?
Friend: No, but I saw the movie. I thought the movie was pretty pathetic so I decided to skip the book.
Me: ----------

The book and the movie are DIFFERENT. I'm not saying, don't watch the movie. All I'm saying is DON'T judge the book by it's freaking movie!!!

When I get my hand on a book, good or bad, I can't let it go until I'm done with it. So while I'm in middle of it, someone walks upto me and says, "You're reading that?" Yes, I'm sorry if it offended you or anything but I happen to be reading that book. Also, when I'm halfway through a book, people ask " How is it?" and I say, "Really bad." they look at me all raised eyebrows and wonder if I'm a retard and ask "Um, then why are you still reading it?" I'm burning to say, "What's it to you, buster?" but instead I sigh and say, " I can't let go of a book until I'm done with it." confirming their suspicions.


Well that covers about half of what I needed to get off my chest but I can make do with this for now. Over and out.

Book Talk

I’m a complete bookaholic and I’m a HUGE fan of fantasy fiction and science fiction. These are some of the books I’ve read recently which have made me go ‘WOW!’-

The Game World Trilogy by Samit Basu
These are one of the best books I’ve ever read. They are not your normal everyday the-good-guy-saves-the-world-from-the-bad-guy books. According to me it is one of the most perfect books because it has adventure, a LOT of imagination which is all intertwined with TONS of humor and sarcasm. These books, Simoqin Prophecies, Manticore’s Secret and Unwaba Revelations mainly revolve around Kirin, Maya, Asvin, Amloki and Mantric. They are not your usual characters where one person is the good guy and one is the damsel in distress and the others are just the allies who are trying to save the world. No, each of them have their own personality which in their own way is weirdly hilarious. People randomly die and everyone gets over it in less than two seconds and start discussing what is for pudding. It totally weird so if you are a person who is all into very sensible books with logical endings: do not take it. For me these books were completely brilliant because they were very original with subtle spoofs and lots of suspense. So if your read is something which filled with humor but still has a lot dramatic action: get your hands on them ASAP!!

No Guns at My Son’s Funeral by Paro Anand
This book is actually one of the more serious ones I’ve read. It is about a normal boy living in Kashmir who is brain-washed by a couple of militants. The story revolves around how he believes that he’s working for ‘a cause’ but he is actually working for the sadistic pleasure of the chief of their group, Akram. It one of those books which you have to put down after you read it and then sit and think about it. It is very touching and makes you think about how far a person can go just to prove a point or to gain power or just for their own brutal satisfaction. It is one of those MUST read books.

Love Story by Erich Segal
It is not your typical story. Sure, the boy meets girl- they are from two opposite worlds. Oliver Barrett, a preppie Ivy League lawyer, and Jennifer Cavilleri, a seemingly nerdish music major. The cover might not appeal to you, the book might be about 150 odd pages but the story is simple, heartening, touching and yet very tragic. Its one of the best love story ever written and I absolutely loved it.

Books and Movies- My true teachers

Movies and Books have taught me a number of things that school could never have imagined. Here are some of the most important lessons they’ve taught me:

1. If you gamble and win a ticket on a huge cruise ship- Don’t take it. Do NOT take it. Unless you want to be wound up in an incredibly romantic love story but in the end you anyway end up dead. Poor Jack from Titanic. He never had a chance to think before he got on board the ship.

2. Most old men with long white beards are completely loopy.
Example one: Merlin. Who knew that this dude was completely wacko. But trust me, he was. This dude had completely radical ideas. Lots of people had problems with his ideas and so he died a very painful death. Musta hurt.
Example two: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. This is another completely crazy guy. Apart from his definition of ‘a few words’ being ‘Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!’, he enjoyed making the simplest of things into something long, complicated and extremely hard for someone to decipher.
But that’s what old men with long white beards do: they act wacky!

3. If you are wondering, never walk into a room in a hotel which is full of women. So
I learnt from The Witches by Roald Dahl. The room might just consist of the worlds most evil witches who want to turn all children into mice. So in case you are in a hotel and see a bunch of women who’ve arrived for a very important meeting, always be on the look out. They might just want to turn you into mice.

4. The Game World Trilogy by Samit Basu has taught me one of the most important
lessons in my life. I’m not even joking. Villains aren’t all that evil. It’s all just the way you look at it. Perspective, that’s what it is.

5. From Kuch Kuch Hota Hai I have learnt that it is always helpful to keep your
Best friend’s E-mail ID. Or at least he/she’s phone no. You might just find out that after your husband or wife dies that they are your true love after all.

6. Over the Hedge taught me that it is always helpful to keep a storage of junk food
in your house, how much ever your mom might protest.

7. Sholay is one of my favorite movies of all time. One of the reasons is because it
taught me a number of very important lessons:
a. If you don’t want your best friend to die, it might be a good idea to check whether he or she has a coin in which both the sides are the same.
b. Women make great horse riders.
c. Never laugh at your boss’s jokes. He might find it offensive and kill you.
d. It’s not that hard getting out of jail. So by some misfortune you get in, chill. Don’t stress. It doesn’t a lot to get out.
e. Holi which is otherwise a fun festival can end in a catastrophic disaster.

8. If the President of America is jumping of an emergency chute when the Air Force One is hijacked, it might be a good idea to check if he’s actually got into the chute. He might just decide that he wants to be the heroic one and save all the other people on the flight.