Reflections...

A New Chapter!!!

2008-01-13T22:10:00.000+04:00

How time passes is never understood by anyone. Before we think time flies by and we feel that how things move so fast that one does not even realize when those things were actually there.

I know you people must be wondering what I am talking about. By saying all this I am referring to a new chapter in my life and in all the freshers' lives - University. This is the stage where the warmth and care got in school is left and a new and more independent environment is found. No more running behind the students by their teachers and telling them to perform better than they have. No more short breaks to look forward too after long classes which though boring at times are being missed by many.

These are just a few points about the change I remembered at this point. There are many more feelings that are being felt and observed by others as they start this chapter in their lives. For me this whole experience is a brand new one and still so much is happened that it seems ages since I first stepped into university. The fact that this note was also written was because of the various observations that where made by me and my friends at university.

One cannot help but notice the freedom got in university which is totally missing in most schools at least in this part of the world. Students in university are free to decide for themselves and can choose almost everything from their class timings to how they want to spend their day at the university. For most this is a thrilling experience as they get to do what they want without any objection from the teachers and other members of the educational institution as seen in school. There are always two sides to everything and hence this new found freedom may be good or bad depending on how one wants it to be.

The other noticeable thing was that making friends is very important and not necessarily a quick process. For some this was easy as they are natural charmers while others struggled in this aspect. Even the aspect of having a co-education form of educational system was new to many people while others where used to this. Due to this a new meaning of the word "love" could be seen in the whole duration of the first term spent here. At most times this was found to be hilarious but at a few particular times very weird.

Friendship in the beginning was seen amongst small groups of people hanging out together but as time passed on everybody got to know more people around them and hence these small groups though there were not as rigid as before. Everyone started feeling comfortable with others and things started going smoothly.

The custom and a compulsory ritual of making the freshers do all kinds of wacky stuff by their seniors or rather "ragging" was not to be seen in this university of ours. Seniors welcomed us very easily and in a friendly way rather than using other methods mentioned before.

This first term in university taught me a lot of things and was a really enjoyable experience. Hence I am looking forward to the next one. Do you people feel the same?Tell me about it and write about any other experience you might have got till now.

Till the next time...cya!!!!!

Departing times!!

2007-06-16T12:55:00.000+04:00

The time has come. We have to accept it whether we like it or not. The time of departure has arrived even before the realization that friends can also leave could sink in. This post in the next part if I can say to my earlier post titled "Realization". The value of friends can never really be known unless they leave you and an emptiness surrounds your world. The ones that you have literally spent your growing up years with our now no more. This doesn't mean that they are not there for you but just it's the fact that they wont physically be present when u need them to be.

The thought that they won't always be there during your troubled times is just really hard to digest. Then as I've always believed that there is always a good or positive side to everything I can also say that once college starts this feeling might reduce if not completely die out as new friends will be made and the whole new experience of a different environment will keep these thoughts away and hence one would not feel that bad about the whole situation. This might sound monotonous to many but this is what is happening around me right now so I choose to talk about this. Many others might also be undergoing the same feelings what I am going through and hence can understand this post very easily and hence not much explaining is needed.

So this is what I feel about this whole scenario as an integral part of my life is being changed. The time has come to make new friends. The thing I'm most concerned about is will the same contact and personal touch remain between the "friends" or will everything just breakaway. That is for me to see and time will answer this question.

Random Rants

2007-05-30T01:10:00.000+04:00

I'm so bored at this time of the night that I am actually posting for fun and out of sheer boredom. There is no message in this post, nor my opinion about things, no movie review but only random things. The things which are crossing my mind right now at this very moment. For now I'm waiting for Akshay's movie presentation to upload on "Youtube" so I can have a look at it and share my views with him. In the meanwhile Ashiq has signed in and Ive started chatting with my old friend.

Life does get boring sometimes but on a few rare occasions you just feel like it cannot get worse. Finally Akshay's video is uploaded and I'm watching his "Bittersweet Reality". The music is nice which makes the video effective. Above average. He could do better though. Anyways now I just told him about the video and he humbly accepted. So its back to the usual and most addictive thing which we all know as "Facebook". It's the same routine. Signing in, the home page uploads, you check for four things-

If anyone has added you as a friend or if there is any friends detail request.
If anyone has poked you or poked you back.
If anyone has written on your wall,commented on any of your photos.
If anyone has given you a group invitation.

I am doing just that. This I must say is one thing that can keep a person occupied for hours and even though he gets sick of it for the time being he will still log onto it the next day. Along with MSN this can be a very useful method to try and avoid boredom or to keep from increasing the current state of boredom. But today is different. The boredom has peaked and has reached its maximum level. A point of saturation if I can say has come. This post is proof of the fact that a man can do anything if he is bored. Even write a post which has no meaning whatsoever. Anyways I shall stop now otherwise people might just stop reading my blog for good. Now do you people understand what joblessness and boredom can do to you!!!

Realization!!

2007-05-28T02:09:00.000+04:00

Yeah so I'm back after a long gap I took from blogging for no apparent reason. Anyway without wasting much time let us directly discuss and talk about the main reason which inspired me to write this "comeback post" as I would like to call it.
It is not the end of board examinations or even the results that are the reason I'm back but it is more of a realization that has dragged me back into this. The realization of friends departing, of newer ones being made, of new experiences that await us in the future, the idea of entering into a world which will not be as comfortable and supportive as the school years have proved to be.

These thoughts were always on the back of my mind but never really did they come out till now. They might be thoughts that may bring sadness or fear, or even thoughts that could bring excitement to oneself. Whatever emotion they bring there is only one fact, that they are there in reality. We cannot hide away from these truths. We cannot say that our friends will not be going their separate ways and will always be together or say that we will always be nurtured in the future in the same manner as we have been while we were at school. The time of being realistic has come and it cannot be avoided.

For me the idea of friends separating is far more distressing than many other things that might be more of an issue to others. The idea that the very people whom you have been with for a major part of life will be going away is unthinkable to say the least. But one's have to be strong and know that everyone has to carry on with their lives and that this is all part of a journey which everyone undertakes. With this thought many fears come along to. The friendship may carry on but the personal touch which was there previously might go away due to the physical distance involved. There might also be lack of touch which was previously maintained as people would get involved with the hard work that goes into earning a degree/diploma. People would get more career focused and might also forget that they also made friends in school. The last point is not a one which is usual and hence is not really a fear.

As there are always two ways of looking at every situation I will not talk only about the problems that come with these realizations. There are also good points to it. The main fact that there is something different and exciting to look forward to at university is a vital example. Another good thing about these realizations is that you get mentally prepared for the challenges that come your way. The lack of your friends being there gets covered up by the arrival of new ones. Even the nervousness which one might have about college life gets reduced to a great extent when one has a mindset of looking forward to the place. Like these few examples the realization which comes after school has both bad points and good points to it in a way that the bad points are the fears involved with it while the good points bring the excitement to it.

In today's world it is very easy to lose touch while it is also very easy to keep in touch with one another. The world is becoming very competitive and everywhere competition is increasing and hence the demand to do well and be the best is very high. Due to this people get really caught up in their own lives that they rarely have time for their friends they made during their school days. Now despite all this if a person wants to keep in touch he can easily do so as the technology has increased a lot from yesteryear's. E-mail, community sites,blogs and so on help people to keep in touch with each other and hence not much effort is required. Having said all this I wonder what effect will all this have on me in times to come. Will I be strong and have faith in my friends, or will I just shatter under the lack of support which I previously got from them? Everybody has had these realizations sometime or the other or will soon have if they have not already.
How do you see yourself reacting to all this and is there a final answer as to how one can feel about the various realizations he makes after school?

14 Years- A long and Nostalgic Journey!!

2007-02-05T01:04:00.001+04:00

A chapter in my life has come to a close. A new chapter is about to begin. A chapter which is full of challenges. A chapter full of life's experiences and the sense of the real world as they call it where there is freedom to be independent backed by a responsibility to face the world. The chapter which will eventually shape my entire life. The most vital chapter in everybodys' life, college life.

The cozy atmosphere of classrooms will be no more. The shouting of the people who cared(teachers) will be far lost in memory. The friends we grew up with to be young men and women will all head to different parts of the world to pursue their respective careers. These people might get so busy with their college life and with making their careers that finding the time for one phone call or even an e-mail may become difficult.

Various memories are collected during the long journey that is our schooling life. But how does one express them? When there are so many memories, so many experiences that one has, how does he share them? I'm in the same situation of a desire to share and reflect upon my memories . People can say what they want of how they feel about leaving school but for me it will be one of the most emotional moments of my life. There are people who join a school a little later than the start as they have been in another school previously. Then there are those people who shift schools and join a school during the later stages of their schooling careers. Finally there are those who have been in the same school for their entire schooling life.
I fortunately, as I look at it belong to this group of people. The advantage of this is that you become familiar with the school and the people in school and you make friends that grow with you and whom you spend your childhood with. The disadvantage comes at the end when its time to leave and say good bye. It is then that one feels the real pinch of leaving what he/she knew as a second home. The whole warmth of school comes rushing into you and the more close the time to depart comes the more hard it is to accept the fact that its the end and that it's all over.

Even though there is the happiness and excitement of entering into a life full of challenges and free from the restrictions that schooling life had we cannot forget or ignore the sadness one gets on leaving a place which took everyone in its care no matter how they were and protected and nourished them to become what they are at the end of it all. I cannot forget Modern of which I am a part for about 2 more months from the last FOURTEEN YEARS of my life. The lessons I've learnt there, the friends I've made there and just all the experiences within those premises are unforgettable. I will miss the school but as life goes on so must I move on and I will not say good bye but as they say, adieu!!!

GURU!!

2007-01-19T00:21:00.000+04:00

This post is inspired by Ritesh's post on reviews of movies. Saw the much awaited and anticipated movie Guru starring the upcoming star Abhishek Bachchan and the sizzling Aishwarya Rai. Also acting in the movie are veteran actor Mithun Chakraborthy, new actress Vidya Balan and R Madhavan.

Undoubtedly, Abhishek is the heart and soul of the movie! He captures the audiences with his powerful performance as Gurukant Desai a.k.a Guru, and it will not be wrong to say that it is one of his best performances so far. His clean shave look which he dons in the movie suits him much better than the rugged look he had in movies like Dhoom 2. He is now getting the hang of acting in more mature roles than when he first came to the industry. In this movie he portrays the life of an ordinary villager with an ambition of owning the largest company in India for a start as for him success never stops coming until the hard work and determination continues.

The lead actress is Aishwarya Rai who is acting as Gurukant Desai's(Abhishek Bachchan) wife Sujatha in the movie. She does some good scenes with Abhishek but does not shine out as Abhishek steals the limelight from her. She once again has not failed to impress the audience with her dances and the clothes she wears in them. Her image as Sujatha who is a middle class wife does not suit her that well and she is better off with a sexy image in movies like Dhoom 2. Her performance is not the best she has done and is capable of more.

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborthy is also one of the main characters in the movie and actually does a good job on this one after a long time. We see that he still has the acting ability he once possessed during the early 90's. He plays the role of Manikdas Gupta a.k.a Nanaji, who is the owner of a newspaper in the film through which he feels he can tell the public the truth and the reality of what is actually happening. He portrays the role of an honest and straightforward man quite well and has given one of his better performances in recent times.

After acting in films like Parineeta and Lage Raho Munnabhai, Vidya Balan does a very different role in the film. She plays the role of Meenu, the grand daughter of Manikdas Gupta(Mithun Chakraborthy) and a girl who is suffering from multiple sclerosis. Her kissing scene with Madhavan is one of the most talked about scenes in the movie. She has done justice to the role and has shown that she can do different roles also if given the chance.

Last but not the least by any means, R Madhavan plays the character of Shyam Saxena; a journalist who wants to bring Guru(Abhishek Bachchan) down as he feels that Gurukant Desai has reached the top by a deceitful way and is supported by Manikdas Gupta(Mithun Chakraborthy). He is also the husband of Meenu(Vidya Balan) whom he proposes to marry in the controversial kissing scene. He does not have much to do in the film but does well in what ever little he has.

THE MUSIC- A.R. Rahman does an excellent job with the music as usual. He keeps the tempo of the film going with the soundtrack of "gurubhai gurubhai" giving the movie a feel of success and at the same time giving a stylish touch to the main character. Songs like Mayya(where Mallika Sherawat has a guest appearance) and Barso re are lively numbers while Tere Bina(sung by Rahman himself) and Ay Hairathe bring a romantic feel in the movie. The music is really good and is in-sync with the movie. It builds up the emotion of every scene in the film whether it is of anger or an emotional one. A.R. Rahman once again proves that he is one of the best music directors around.

THE CINEMATOGRAPHY- The 1950's look onwards has been captured well in the movie. The dances have been shot well and the effects shown in scenes like the court room scene and the last scene are simply outstanding.

This one inspires you to dream and shows you how you can achieve them by your hard work and determination. Although the year has just begun, Guru will be looked back at the end of the year as one of the best movies made this year. All in all a great movie and one not to miss.

A Disease? An Addiction?

2007-01-11T12:24:00.000+04:00

"You know, she likes him! hahaha so sad na!!!"

"That's what happened in the party!!? NO WAY!!"

"Man he is SO hot!!(giggles)"

Don't worry I've not lost my mind yet!! These are just some of the many things that come under the category of Gossip. I'm sure you people must have found it weird reading it at the beginning of the post! We talk about it, take pleasure out of it and best of all if it's our friend who is in the picture then the unmeasurable fun and pleasure is got out of it!

This term was for sometime back associated with women only, whom everyone knew spoke a lot about anything and everything. But strangely of late, men have also become a prey to what I would like to call a disease. Yes, a disease and that too a contagious one! Nowadays everyone gossips and they take a lot of interest in it. Well, its not right to say everybody but there are those "unfortunate/fortunate" few people who are excluded from this category. They are either introverts or just too mature for all these things!

I must confess that I too take interest in all this but up to a certain extent. Its all in good fun though. Anyways, one thing should be kept in mind which is generally forgotten, that all fun has its limits and we should not extend this to the point where others get hurt or their reputation gets tarnished. Some people don't keep this in mind and that's when the problem starts. The gossip becomes converted into what is generally known as a Rumour. This is also another kind of disease if you ask me. It is created when a small little piece of news or some information about somebody or some body's life's affairs is flaunted to another level making it seem bigger than it actually is. People get the wrong impression when in reality there's nothing near to what they've heard is going on and even rarely if there is a connection, these rumours give a different perspective to the topic all together!

There are various reasons for these rumours in my opinion. They are-

To get someone to others' notice or to make him/her more popular.
To get the name of a person you hate/are jealous of down, for your own personal reasons.
Just to see the reaction of people when a rumour is created about somebody, and to get fun out of that.
To get back at someone for a rumour he/she created about you.
To link your name with someone who is popular in hope of getting popular too.(Unbelievable but true!)
Last but not the least, to get another thing to gossip about.(i.e. the rumour itself!)

Basically, even though these might seem a lot of fun and stuff but in the end only those that have been involved in such rumours know what all they have gone through to convince people that all the stories going around are JUST rumours!!

Change

2007-01-08T17:45:00.000+04:00

Ive realised that there is no use of trying to improve yourself from what you are. This means that people will not appreciate what you are and will judge you on your past record. I'm asking you that why can't a person change? Or why does he remain the same person in people's minds which he was a while ago? Is it because people do not want to accept the change in him or do they just like the old you? When people ask you that are you the same person they knew or is this just an outburst which will soon fade away and things will get back to normal? I do not understand the meaning of such baseless questions as change takes place in everyone. Some people change over a period of time and hence are adapted to easily in the society but those that show drastic change in their usual behaviour and personality have to endure with such titles as hypocrite or a fake!

I have no idea why people can't accept change and just get used to the fact that there might be some aspects of the person that are coming out later than others which make a distinct change in his/her personality. This quality might have been there in that person but it didn't come out with all the others as the person could have been scared to show this side of him/her from fear of what people might think of them or in most cases, because the person is actually not yet mature enough to portray this side of him to the world as yet.

The reason, I feel for this non-acceptance by people or an attitude of apathy towards a person who has shown a distinct change in his personality is that these people might not be very comfortable with the new you and thus would like to think that this is just a temporary phase in your life which will soon go and the person will return to his own old self. Unfortunately, if this does not happen and the person is still in his "new form" he may not be accepted by people. A worst scenario is when the person who has just shown those sides of his personality which he never showed before and in the meanwhile is also displaying the qualities he possessed earlier he is referred to as a person with a split personality or a two-faced person. Are these terms which we enforce on such people right? It is natural that a person changes in one way or the other with the passage of time and hence this change should be seen as a positive one and not as an act of mockery and plagiarism.

A Cherished Memory!

2007-01-05T21:21:00.000+04:00

I had to include this in my blog as this was my first proper performance on stage in school(not counting all those primary concerts and Seize the Day that is:P). Yes the Teacher's Day 2005, where the then grade eleven guys(that's us) performed on the Backstreet Boys' I Want it That Way. Here's the video of that memorable performance!! Enjoy

How to Study!?

2007-01-03T01:03:00.000+04:00

Five days left and I'm sitting here writing this post! Am I confident or just plain stupid? I guess I'm none, but just one of the many people who cannot sit and study for long hours at a stretch until the day before the exam (weekend in some cases). I hate studying for them, but well, do I have a choice? Anyways, as I can't get myself to sit and study and always wander off after barely sitting for ten to fifteen minutes on my study table, I have decided that I need to change my approach to studying and adopt a new strategy or something. I have a few ideas I came up with but cannot say if they'll work or not. They are:-

To study for an hour and take a break of ten to fifteen minutes(not the opposite which I presently do!!)
To make a table as to what to I need to complete in my exam portion(which is a lot at the moment) and to go about in that manner.
To do each subject for a minimum of an hour everyday!(this option's out as one hour is barely enough to do one chapter in most subjects and the portion is very vast!)
The last idea which I thought of was to concentrate mainly on the weak subjects and not as much on the other ones.

Before implementing any of these ideas I need to try and keep myself away from various distractions such as my laptop, the telephone and the latest addition to the list "Facebook"! I don't know if I'll be able to take such stern measures and sit down and study seriously but really no time is left for these examinations which are as important if not more than the Board examinations. Don't worry this post is not intended to scare anybody but just to get to know the various techniques people use to study. What do you people do? Tell me if your not as lost as me!!

New Year Resolutions(NYR)

2007-01-01T15:57:00.000+04:00

Hey its 2007! Another year has gone by and a new one has come to look forward to. "Partying" has become a synonymous term with the coming of New Years. People start making plans from a while ago as to what they will do on the thirty first of December-New Year's eve. Amongst all the chaos caused by the joy and celebration which the New Year usually brings I thought to myself what different am I going to do this year? Nothing came to my mind as I know that making resolutions like previous years was of no use as the next day they would be forgotten. Its all a farce actually to make resolutions as many if not all people do not follow what they have thought they would in the beginning of the year. On asking some of my friends about their resolutions I got such answers like "ill try and become a better person" and all that. People are making resolutions just for the heck of it just because every one's making them.

Anyways that's not the point, the point is what are your resolutions and are you going to fulfill them or just forget them the next day itself? I don't want to make any right now as I know from past experience that I'll forget them as fast as I made them. Tell me yours even if its just made for fun!

Death of a man or something more?

2006-12-30T10:38:00.000+04:00

What can be said or done now? The deed has been done and the former Iraqi "dictator" as referred to by the Americans is no more. Yes, I am talking about Saddam Hussein the erstwhile ruler(I would not like to call him a dictator) of Iraq who was executed in his own home country at 6 a.m (Dubai time) today.

I never had any views over this issue really as I'm not interested in politics that much, until now. This sudden birth of opinion did not arise because of the execution which took place rather because of the day chosen for such an event. Today is the day where all Muslims rejoice and the the festival of sacrifice is celebrated with huge amount of enthusiasm and in good spirit. It is the day of Eid-ul-Adha in many parts of the world. This may not be of great concern for some people as they may say that today or tomorrow he had to be killed but this has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Muslims(Sunni sect especially). While many people were just about getting ready to offer their Eid prayers Saddam was hanged to death in a former military intelligence headquarters in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah.

I was ignorant of this event until the watchman of my building came to my house to wish us "Eid Mubarak" and during our conversation informed me about this. Without wasting a single moment I switched on the news channel which was as expected discussing about this event. The public view was asked and I witnessed a mixed reaction of joy and a sense of celebration, and of remorse and anger amongst the Shia and Sunni sects of the Muslim religion respectively. Do not for a second think that I am taking sides or any such thing. The basic idea of this post is that I wanted to give a thought on this whole issue. What was the reason that he was hanged today out of all the other days? Was it just a coincidence or a purposeful step? I am still not fully convinced on which side should I take or whom should I support. What are your views on this whole issue and what will be the outcome of this event?Peace??

P.S.- This post is not a political one but just a thought provoking one and must be treated so. Do not comment very critically against anybody and be as moderate as possible.

Eid-ul-Adha Greetings

2006-12-29T11:38:00.000+04:00

Heyy Eid Mubarak everybody!!(especially the Mulla's haha). Hope you'll have the most amazing Eid ever!!

Send this eCard !

Friendship

2006-12-19T19:48:00.000+04:00

I just wanted a person whom I could go to whenever I felt low or needed some moral support. A person who could tell me on my face what I deserved to hear and not praise me unnecessarily. Someone who would be there with me not only during my good times but would also help me get through the bad phases of my life. I wanted a friend.

It's rare to find such people nowadays. People have become selfish and a general trend has arised where everybody thinks only about themselves. The most unlikely of people may prove to be the best of friends while the people you bank on the most may sometimes desert you when you need them the most. The people celebrating with you might not be your friends but the person who cries with you is your true friend. To sit and spend time with some people doesn't classify themselves as your friends. When you know that you have somebody to back you up even if you screw up you know that you have a friend. If you can speak openly to a person and feel good about it you know you have a friend. These are just a few of the innumerable ways of knowing whether you have friends or hypocrites calling themselves friends.

The reason that I am saying all this is that I've been thinking for quite sometime now about what is friendship all about? What are friends? Are they just people you meet often or hang out with or are they those people who will stick by your side no matter what it takes? To laugh and joke together cannot be termed as friendship as friendship is much deeper term which implies that people in this relation not only respect and care for each other but also have a supportive nature towards each other.

I too was once a person who did not know what friendship was and hence used to think that those who laughed and joked with me or whom I roamed about with were my friends. No doubt they were and still are my friends, but not for these reasons but for those reasons upon which actual friendship lies. I've learnt a lot in the past few years about friendship as people who were least likely (at least I thought so) of becoming my friends actually showed me what friendship really meant. I am yet to figure out the proper meaning of friendship as I know from experience that however easy it is to get people who will hang out with you, so much more difficult it is to get a friend.
Now, do you have friends?

HERE I AM

2006-10-14T03:13:00.000+04:00

My first post!!!Never thought I'll b doing this. After reading many blogs I thought why don't I start my own as this is anyway the best way to voice one's thought.
People have been talking about various events taking place around them,about football and various other issues in their blogs. Others spoke about the memories that have developed during our school life. But has anyone thrown any light upon our achievements during school? What have we achieved during our school lives and what is achievement for that matter? A few medals or trophies won in various events? Does it mean getting that badge during our last year of school? How can we say that yes we have achieved something during our core education years? What makes us satisfied of having completed this part of our lives?
I have been in Modern since the beginning and yet sometimes wonder what have I achieved now that I stand a few months away from completing my schooling life? I'm still clueless as to what a person should look for while analyzing what he/she has achieved during the many years at school. How many of you have thought about this situation which will come in our lives though sooner for some than others? Give it a thought and let me know...