It All Ends

I have been away for a very long time. I don't intend to abandon this blog although I haven't been able to dedicate time. My time at Loyola has reached an end. I've had a memorable stay of six years. When I look back on my first day, emotion surges through me. I joined Loyola mid-session in 2007. I had been allotted Section A of class 4. I was glad as I had been in section A in my previous school as well. The classes were empty as the General Assembly was going on in the Assembly Ground, now known as the Quadrangle. After a while, the class headed by the class teacher Reena ma'am came back. The teacher met my mother, took my hand and led me to the class. I remember Anirban looking at me and making a funny expression at ma'am enquiring as to who I am! At that time I had no idea that over the next 6 years I'll be meeting some incredible people and make memories with them.
Those beautiful 6 years have reached their end. But I will always look back and smile at these incredible days.
Every morning at 7.10 my van would park near the bus gate (which was meant for school buses only xD). Sonika and I would walk down to class. She'd enter 10B I'd head to 10 A. Pratik would usually be there. And we'd have some kind of crazy conversation. Pragati, Akankshya, Ritwik, Bishal, Manvi and Sambhav would come in soon. We'd be sitting on desk tops which probably isn't allowed. As soon as we'd see our teacher Sanghamitra ma'am come in, we'd get off and shut up and try to appear as if we were standing there like statues! Urja would arrive 5 minutes before the final bell with uncombed hair and a bandage on some part of her body. Prayer time was crazy. Half the students wouldn't close their eyes. As soon as prayer would begin I'd turn towards Pragati, Bishal and Sambhav one by one and we'd wave Hi at each other like idiots.
Class begins. Our class was pretty darned troublesome. We've broken benches, sang out loudly, wet the class completely during water fights, changed seats in every class and what not. Tiffin boxes would be opened by third period. Some one or the other would always eat up my tiffin and I'd go hungry for the rest of the day. And there were all sorts of things- Emerald house minding for instance. My house, Emerald, is the most competitive house. We take our wins and losses personally. This also makes us a very united house. During our minding week, not a single discipline mentor was supposed to skip duty. It was insane. Our house in-charge Sanghamitra ma'am was the driving force. She'd settle for nothing less than first place. We love her for that. ^_^
And breaks. We had our favourite spot. A small tree nicknamed 'pedi'. Standing there we'd look over at random people and make fun, spot some PDA couples and express our disgust amongst ourselves and all kinds of random stuff.
Practical classes. I wont mention names but some of my friends broke test tubes in our chemistry lab for fun. :P
And physics labs were tedious. As far as biology practicals were concerned, they were non-existent. We didn't perform any experiments after the first one- observing an onion peel. We did go to the lab for our practical exams. We did see blood cells but then we had no contribution in the experiment.
Biology was my favourite subject. I was usually the one who prompted answers to people who didn't know. Once, our teacher asked a guy to tell the location of the coronary artery. Before you read the conversation, my parents are doctors and my dad is a cardiologist. Here goes
Me (in whispers)- Base of the aorta.
He repeats it loudly after a long gap.
Ma'am- I think some one told you.
He shook his head.
Ma'am- Okay. How many are their?
*There are two*
He says '1'.
Ma'am (smiles)- Who told you?
Everyone points at me and says "Cardiologist".
People considered me to be some sort of Bio Geek.
Maths was fun too. My teacher made it even better. On his continuous insistence, I bought a new water bottle. The bottle had a mini dart board and magnetic darts. He'd never let that thing go. Even when he invigilates during exams! He'd come up, fix one of the darts on the board and say that it was a direct antenna and it'd help me think quicker while I answer. :P
And a very important part of school- Games. We were the initiators of girls cricket in school. However, I think we changed the game for the worse. xD
Computer lab. Now that was a centre of chaos. We were supposed to write programs there. But it was more likely that you'd find people playing all sorts of violent games or watching those flash cartoons. Some wouldn't even log in and some were so desperate that they'd do stuff on paint and MS-Word. xD
Our last day was on the day of our school picinic. This was our first one after 6 years. But it came with a price. It signified the end of our time. 14th of December was the end of a chapter in my life. I met crazy, awesome, lovable, cute, sweet, kind and all sorts of people there. School meant doing maths, studying geography and history, reading As You Like It and following dozens of rules. But if those are the conditions to be fulfilled to be in Loyola then I don't mind them much. The teachers there are incredible. They are parental figures and sources of inspiration for all of us. We have a saying at Loyola, 'Once a Loyolean, always a Loyolean'. My batch-mates and I will forever be a part of Loyola. It has shaped me and given me so much. The memories I have made here are truly unbeatable. The absence of school has created a void yes, but this journey of 6 years has been incredible. There were highs and lows. But together they make this beautiful experience that I'll never forget. The people I've met here have become an inseperable part of my life. And though this is quite contrary to the title of this post, this is not the end. ^_^

I haven't written in ages! And I don't even know what to write about. My half yearly exams ended about a month ago. My birthday went by. Now, the end of my Durga Puja holidays have come close. Durga Puja is an important festival in my region, Eastern India. However, this time the feeling of Pujas was non-existent thanks to cyclone Phailin. Although, my city Bhubaneswar, the capital of the affected state Odisha, wasn't in the direct track of the cyclone, we felt the effects quite well. There were heavy rains and the winds blew hard. Electricity had been cut as a safety measure. Roads were empty. People took shelter in any concrete building they could find. The people in the slum opposite my apartments spent the morning securing the asbestos roofs of their houses. The cyclone took down many trees in the city. Well now that the cyclone is gone, flash floods have occured in many regions. So, basically, the cyclone destroyed any feeling of festivity we might have had. As for me, I spent the day at home, usually getting bored. Fridays are a good day thanks to Computer Tuition which never fails to be fun. So right now, I am desperately looking forward to tomorrow. And right now, I am supposed to be writing a Hindi essay on the good and bad influence of the Western Culture on Indian Culture. Right now, Google Translate is my best friend. So I hope to come up with an idea better than a crazy catch-up. Goodbye for now, and keep reading! ;)

Fantastics Beasts and Where to Find Them

Harry Potter- the immortal series- is probably a reason to live for all Potterheads. The 7 books and 8 movies have been a constant source of inspiration for me and countless others. Correction~9 movies. Yes, there is going to be a ninth movie! An expansion of the franchise has led to a movie based on the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Millions are excited. We Potterheads have always hoped for more. Our prayers have been answered. The screenplay will be by none other than J.K Rowling. Once again, she has brought smiles onto our faces. I'll definitely watch this movie, will you? :)

Chennai Express

The season of great movies is on. Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and now the much awaited Chennai Express. Chennai Express is a typical Rohit Shetty movie. It contains all the elements that you expect in his movies. Good humour, flying cars and the inevitable south Indian influence. But then you get something more. The King of Romance, Shah Rukh Khan, being the hero, you get to see an awesome Rohit Shetty 'shtyle' love story. It was a light hearted entertainer that left a smile on all faces.
As in all masala movies, not all parts made practical sense. However, it wasn't slapstick comedy either. It is a story of young at 40, Rahul. He promises his grandmother to immerse his grandfather's ashes in Rameshwaram. However, it was a fake promise. He plans to go to Goa with his friends. To convince his grandmother that he is going to Rameshwaram, he boards the train, Chennai Express. He had planned to get off the train at the next station. However, fate had different plans for him. And then hilarity ensues. The first part was extremely funny. It left all the people in the theatre laughing. The second half is more serious and much more action filled. Rahul and Meena's journey to survive binds them in an unbreakable bond. It was indeed a treat to watch the movie.
As far as individual performances go, it was 10/10. Shah Rukh Khan has proved beyond measure that he is extremely versatile. Deepika played the role of a Tamil girl very well. Her accent was a great touch to the story. So I would say that Chennai Express is a must watch! So, get on the train baby! ;)

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani Review

I had been waiting for the release of Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani for a month. Yesterday, I got my hands on the tickets and watched the movie with my parents. It was a brilliant movie!

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani is a beautiful story of love and friendship. It celebrates life, friends and the joy of being with our loved ones. 'Scholar' Naina (Deepika Padukone), tired of her boring life, goes off for a trek to Manali all alone. She  is the part of a trekking group which also consists of her classmates from school, Kabir Thappar popularly known as Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor), Aditi (Kalki Koechlin) and Avi (Aditya Roy Kapoor). This trip changes Naina. 8 years later the four of them meet again but now circumstances have changed. Bunny is living a life of adventure and has no time to stop. However, one often has to follow one's heart. This movie is a beautiful portrayal of friendship. 

The actors have done justice to their parts.

The story was a perfect mix of humour and emotions. Apart from a small phase in the second half which seemed a bit stretched, the movie is extremely well paced. So I would strongly recommend you to watch this movie! Good bye for now and enjoy the movie! :)

That feeling..

So here are some feelings I have in different situations, do you have them too?

1. That feeling when I want to do something out of the way. Usually, when I'm bored I sit down with my laptop, Ipad, phone or all three of them. But there are occasions when I want to do something really awesome. Well I never come up with anything and end up sitting with the electronics! :P

2. That feeling when a cricket match is down to the wire. Well you must have that feeling too. If not cricket then perhaps any other sport. However, I am a different case altogether. Not only do I sit on the edge of my seat I also make all sorts of panicky sounds and just keep shouting in my native tongue, Odia, "What's going to happen?" and "Oh! I cant!" :D

3. That feeling when I don't want to eat. This is a really sick feeling. Honestly, I know this feeling too well. I shiver at the name of food when I feel like this. Best not to discuss this in detail! :P

4. That feeling when the joke is too good and I cant stop laughing. And when I manage to do that, I look at my friends and we laugh again! This is a common feeling. I'm sure you can relate to it. Well if you cant, let me tell you it is one huge problem to stop laughing once you enter this cycle! :P

5. Now, I'll give you the one feeling that is unique to me and my friend Manya. How do you feel when you exams are approaching? 

1 week to go- Slightly tensed

5 days to go- Really tensed

The day before the exams- Extremely nervous

Well now let me tell you what the two of us feel. This feeling is called 'Nervousitement'. It sounds more like a disease than a feeling, doesn't it? It is a mixture of nervousness and excitement. So, this one requires an explanation. Till class 9 me and my friend really liked exams. So, before the exams we used to feel both of these sensations. I know its crazy, but that is how we are. And I am pretty certain most of you don't feel this! But let me tell you, Nervousitement is a thing! :P

So, this is all I can think of now! Goodbye till the next post! :D :P

Thailand- Day 4

I'm back home now. Well my fourth day was interesting. We left for the Safari World in the morning. Yet again we had a brilliant guide. He kept us entertained throughout! After reaching the place we first went to the giraffe feeding terrace. I bought some bananas to feed them. It was great fun. We then went to the orangutan boxing show. It was hilarious! I just couldn't stop laughing. The next show was sea lion show. The show was truly enjoyable. We then headed to the cowboy show. It was an excellent display of stunts and pyrotechnics. However, there wasn't much use of animals in it. After that we had our lunch and headed to the show I was most eager to watch, the dolphin show. It was truly fascinating! I really loved it. Finally, we sat in our car and went on to the open safari. We saw zebras, giraffes, camels, storks, peacocks, lions and royal bengal tigers. We were then dropped at our hotel. After taking some rest we waited for our pick-up to the Dinner Cruise on the Chao Phraya river. There were many cruise boats leaving from the pier. I went on the Chao Phraya Princess III. Our boat had Indians only. The singer on the boat was really talented. She belonged to Thailand but she sang not only English but Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and Tamil songs too! Everyone on board was impressed. The sight from the river was marvellous. The Buddhist shrines and temples on both banks glittered in the night. The city and more importantly the bridges over the river were great to look at. All in all, it was a night full of fun and frolic! And so, after a long long day I returned to the hotel to have a good night's sleep!

Thailand- Day 3

As promised, I tried and I've come back! Well before I begin, I've reached a 1000 pageviews! It has been slow but nevertheless, thank you if you have been reading my blog. Do follow and give me suggestions of how I can improve the blog. Now, my third day here.
Today, we checked out from our hotel in Pattaya and came to Bangkok. After the 2 hour drive and also the drive through the city. We reached the hotel. We hit a hitch even before checking into the hotel as I left my laptop in the car. I ran behind it ( I know its quite funny and stupid!), but in vain. We contacted our guide in Pattaya who had the driver's number thankfully! Within minutes, the driver was on his way back and just as we reached our hotel room he came with my laptop. I was relieved. As I've told you, I had a great time at Pattaya. I almost didn't want to come here. However, I would have been quite dumb to do that! My day here was awesome! Our guide came to our hotel before time. Now, I haven't mentioned any of our guides yet. Let me tell you all of them were great! I'll tell you more about them in a post only about how the people here have been. But our guide today, Toom, was a real pleasure to be with! Not only was she sweet and cordial like the other people here, she was also very knowledgeable about Thailand. She told us many things about the country. We first went to a temple called Wat Triamit. It had a statue of the Sitting Buddha made of pure gold. It was excellent. Then we headed to Wat Pho. We first saw the Standing Buddha which was 10 m high. Then came the Sitting Buddha. It was a captivating sight. The intricate details were spectacular! Then we saw the famous Reclining Buddha. The 60 m long and 15 m high statue was awe-inspiring! The Wat Pho also has many stupas. The four biggest stupas are built upon the ashes of the first four kings, King Rama I-IV. The Wat Pho temple was truly amazing. We then had to go the Gems Gallery, Bangkok as the vehicle had come from there. We didn't really do much. We then went to the Indra market, had lunch and shopped for some souvenirs for friends and family. I've been in Thailand for only three days but the people here make me feel really comfortable. I'm not very sure about tomorrow but I suppose I'll come for a while to write about Day 4. Good bye till then! :)

Thailand- Day 2

My efforts have succeeded and I am back to write about my second day here. So today was my last day in Pattaya. We'll leave for Bangkok tomorrow. The plan for today was water sports at Coral Island and the NongNooch Village. After an early breakfast we went to our tour group's meeting point which was right behind our hotel. We took a high speed motor boat to the first station- Parasailing! I and my dad immediately lined up after putting on our harness. We had opted to take a dip in the water during the round. The people here, having learnt the hindi word for 'dip', rightly called it 'dubki'. It was excellent. The blue sea was below me and experience was brilliant! Half-way through the boat slowed down and I began descending towards the sea. At first I was a bit confused, but then I realised that the 'dubki' was coming. It was fun! After parasailing we went to the next station which was undersea walking. This was really an  experience of a lifetime. I fed the fish. I also saw some corals upclose. I touched a sea anemone, a brittle star and an oyster. Though the first few seconds cause a bit of discomfort, but once you get adjusted, it is just like walking. The lifeguards with us were funny and kept us entertained. We then took the boat to Coral Island. We relaxed there for an hour before taking the boat back to Pattaya. Though the rest of our group, who were also Indian, chose to have an Indian lunch. Me, mom and dad wanted to try the local foods. So after changing into dry clothes we went to a near by Thai restaurant and bar. The food was really yummy! Our next destination was the NongNooch. Frankly, we couldn't enjoy it much. Partly because we were tired and also as it wasn't too impressive. We saw a Thai cultural show and an elephant show. That was the end of my second day. I am not sure whether I'll be able to write tomorrow, but I promise I'll try! Good bye! :)

Thailand- Day 1

Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to visit a foreign country. Well now my wish has come true. This trip to Thailand is my first visit abroad. Even as I sat in the international flight I couldn't believe that I actually am going. Previously, a trip to Malaysia had to be cancelled due to my class 7 finals. But this time, we made it! Today was my first day. I had a sleepless night as I boarded the flight at 2 am (GMT+5.30) and reached Bangkok at 6 am (GMT+7.00). The relief of a hotel was far off as we had to get our Visas stamped and that was a hell lot of trouble. However, after that terrible start we managed to have a pretty awesome day! Once we were done with the paperwork we came to Pattaya. I fell asleep in the car. On reaching the hotel, we took a quick bath and headed out to eat some street food. I had barbecued pork. We then went around the nearby market and explored some of the shops. On coming back, I slept like a log. Our plan was to visit the Gems Gallery followed by Alcazar. The Gems Gallery was brilliant. We first went on a ride that took us through all the steps in gem mining and preparation. Then we went to the workshop and saw gems being cut, refined and polished. Finally, we visited the showroom. The collection was huge. I hate shopping, especially jewellery shopping. But believe me, these were so beautiful that I couldn't help but admire them. Emerald and Sapphire are my favourite stones. Emerald because I belong to Emerald house in school and Sapphire because it is my birthstone. The blue sapphires were the most beautifully worked on, in my opinion. We left the Gems Gallery and went to Alcazar. Alcazar is a theatre. We reached too early and had to wait. Finally, when it  was time we entered the theatre. The show was marvellous. Every single bit was amazing! The dances were fabulous. I cant really tell you which was my favourite. It showcased performances on songs from various Asian countries. The only two that I could recognize were Aja Nachle (India) and ofcourse, Gangnam Style! But no matter what the language was, each and every performance was spectacular! The effect of the costumes and sounds was awe-inspiring. All in all, I loved it. And then we headed back and here I am sitting in the hotel lobby writing about my day. Tomorrow is going to be yet another great and I hope to be able to write about it tomorrow. Good bye for now! :)

Cooking!

I am really passionate about cooking. I fell in love with the kitchen when I was 10 and a half years old. The first thing that I made was a cake for my mom's birthday. And what started just as a trial turned into something that I love! For the past four years I have been majorly making desserts. The first savoury dish I tried cooking was a Mushroom Quiche. However, I hate mushroom so I couldn't eat it. Over these years my interest and love for cooking has increased considerably. On Saturday, I cooked dinner for the first time. It was pasta and pan fried chicken. For my first try at pasta it turned out to be a good attempt and I and my family enjoyed the meal. This time I could eat it too! So, I'm really looking forward to cook more and keep improving! So this is all for now, good bye! ;) :)

Hey! Sorry, I haven't written anything for so long. So, I've started class 10 now. The pressure has increased ten-fold. One of my best friends, Manya has shifted to Udaipur. So our group is incomplete now. Summer vacations are a few weeks away but the holidays will be spent preparing for my first term exams. Well, right now I haven't got much to say. Hope to be back soon. Take care!

Kai Po Che : Review

Three of Chetan Bhagat's five books have been adapted as films. They are Hello (One Night At A Call Centre) , 3 Idiots (Five Point Someone) and The lastest one, Kai Po Che (3 Mistakes of My Life). Since I haven't read 3 Mistakes of My Life, I cannot comment on how much the movie pertains to the book but I can assure you that it is a fantastic movie! It showcases younger talent. Based on friendship, cricket and the political divide between Hindus and Muslims, the movie is definitely worth a watch. It has its humorous moments as well as the emotional scenes. The story is beautiful and the movie is well-paced. The actors have all done a brilliant job. So I would definitely recommend you to watch it! So, goodbye for now. I hope to be back soon!

                                                            

Any Body Can Dance Review

As I mentioned in the previous post, I went to watch Any Body Can Dance (ABCD) with my friends. So here is what I thought of it. One word sums it up. Awesome! It was really entertaining. The dance sequences were brilliant. I was really excited to see this movie and I must say I am not disappointed. The story was great too. I would really, recommend you to watch this inspirational yet truly entertaining and thrilling movie! The plot is simple. A dance teacher teaching a few young guys and girls from the by-lanes of Mumbai. They go on to achieve success after facing various obstacles! What really makes the movie is the awesome dance sequences. So if you appreciate good dance, do watch ABCD! Goodbye for now!

Great day!

Hey! I haven't posted for so long because of my exams. But now I am back. So today was an epic day! I went out with my friends Urja, Nidhee, Sonali, Sambhav and Bishal to watch ABCD (Any Body Can Dance). This was my first outing with friends! The movie being a dance movie, we got a lot of opportunity to make noise. I am not a noisy kind of person but today I did scream a lot! The movie was great! I am going to write about it in another post right after this one. Sambhav kept up a running commentary along with the movie. I am sure the people around us must have been really upset. But, we didn't give a damn! It was our day and we meant to enjoy it. We enjoyed it like it was our last day! Laughing even in the most grave parts of the movie, we seemed to be the only source of noise in the small theatre. We cheered after every dance and clapped for every brilliant dialogue. All in all, this was one awsome day with friends!

Happy New Year!

Yet another year has gone! 2012 was really special. There are some great memories attached to it. Initially, I had no plans for the 31st. I had to sit at home and rot. I was bored to the core when my friend Urja asked me if she could come over to my place. I readily agreed! The plan was that she would stay for 1-2 hours. However, Urja ended up staying back for the night. Unplanned Sleepover! Yay! We didn't do anything out of the way but, we did have fun. It was just lots of chit-chat. With exactly 14 minutes left for new year, I started keeping track of time. However, it wasnt necessary as firecrackers burst outside at 12. We hugged each other and then wished other friends of ours. We stayed awake for one more hour before turning in. I had lots of fun this new year. I hope you had great fun too. Happy New Year!