Looking back on the Threshold

Looking back, trying to grip memories is like trying to catch something in water. Every time you get close to it, it seems to slip away. As I dip my hand into the remaining pool of memories, I try to describe the few that have nestled in my cupped hands.

2011 began in the midst of my fourth semester. A rather dismal prospect because, by unanimous note, it has been the worst semester till now. The only thing I seem to recollect from January seems to be my sister's birthday. What a day it was! The food, the cake, ah... nostalgia. oh yeah, we went for an I.V. to Infosys. The highlight of the trip? A golden opportunity to mine money from my friends for Autumn Sunshine's birthday.

February was a far more eventful month. TEDxSSN was conducted, I was an official blogger, and it was a huge hit. (P.S. I met Krish Ashok!!! ) Autumn Sunshine's birthday was a grand success. Black-forest cake, ferrero rocher, The Lost Symbol. And then, I won the poetry prize.

March was gruelling. Deadlines drew near. Still, sunshine was there in patches. I enjoyed writing about Women's day. I also had a wonderful time doing a project which I thought would drain me completely.

April was spent in exam preparations. By the end of May, my family went on a trip to Mysore which led to the genesis of this. It was an amazing trip, especially for historically inclined me. I went on an in-plant training in June, not very significant, just remembered. Oh yeah, dad's birthday. And a long time meet up of my school friend studying in Trichy.

July marked the beginning of my fifth semester which was far far better. We all geared up for two things - the tour and Paradigm - our symposium. Unfortunately, I fell ill just before the tour and had to miss it. So, I was determined to make up for it on the symposium. I can say, without doubt, Paradigm was the hugest success! (And I just might add, my third entry in a Saree wasn't that bad). In between, I attended Orbitce and had an awesome day, met my school friends and came first in Be a Prof. Ah, the ecstasy kept me on a cloud for days. (I hate a certain someone for teaching me stuff about innocent words that make me want to re-structure sentences.)

Toward the end of August, I was thoroughly depressed. I thank three special people for helping come out of it, my gentle Autumn Sunshine, my obedient Genie and my omniscient Kutty. September, of course, brought the usual excitement that the proximity of my birthday brings. I counted the days off, slowly. I had a nice time at a symposium a day before my birthday ( even though I got into trouble for going without permission). So I didn't expect much from my parents on my birthday. Though, in a strange turn of events, they were the ones who made my twentieth birthday so memorable, with the best birthday gift, always telling me that my mistakes are just that, mistakes and that they love me for ever more.

October. It started on a rather dismal note with the famed accident in our college. As Ms.Sunshine was also one of the few rushed to the hospital, it was rather a black day for me. All was well in the end for all, but the brutal dose of reality was unsettling. On a lighter note, highlight has to be my mum's birthday. She actually said she had never cut cake in her life. It was simply splendid. And, it was special in a variety of ways. I also found that Autumn Sunshine's dad shared birthday with my mom. And, the scholarship day was nice.

November again was the month of examinations. It culminated in a well-deserved break. During that time, I met up with some school friends at citi-centre and watched Tintin. And ROS has been the obsession on the run-up to new year.  And, today, this December I sit, doing the thing I love doing, catching my thoughts and putting them to words.

Now I know I am not a VIP and my story probably bores everyone. This post is not meant to entertain but is dedicated to all the people who make my life beautiful. So to all those who are reading, there are only three things left to do.

Thank you, for being there for me, for contributing to my life.
Sorry, for all he times I have hurt you.
And Happy New Year 2012 to you and your family.

P.S.  Don't be afraid the world will end. You won't be around to discuss it if it does anyway. Enjoy life to the fullest when you have it.

The Journey

I raced in search of the fair, fair maiden,

afar , as had many of my brethren.

Alongside me were other noble knights

on their own dark and treacherous flights.

But alas! Fast as we were on this path,

her brother struck many aside in wrath.

He cast a veil on her, yet I triumphed.

Missing him by inches, I then skirted

around him and with a burst of speed,

reached her. She was beautiful indeed,

Yet, so close, her face was riddles with pores.

As though aware of my discovery,

she pushed me away, I fell with the very

speed I came , staggering with the impact.

I fell through a glass pane, still quite intact,

right into a dark abyss. From my hole,

I could still see her, scorning every soul.

As I watched, her veil was slowly lifted

and many knights who followed, were gifted

with that momentary glimpse. It was then

that it hit me, she was pretty only when

we knights told her story to everyone,

not when we crowded over her. At once,

I whispered it to the screen at the end

of Sowmya's hole before my journey's end.

Signed, the enduring and the Red Photon,

just before passing into oblivion.

Lights, Camera, Action

So, today, the 8th of December, I woke up thinking that the most miraculous day was at hand, today I will meet my friends after a long time, today I will tell them such cool stories, today I will have the best day ever.

And promptly fell asleep again.

Now, if my day ended as flat as that I'd have nothing to write about. I had a wonderful yet strangely bizarre day.

Part 1: Being a dodo!

I was late. I was over-dressed. I would think of a wonderful story and lose thread of it. In short, everyone had nice time making fun of me (including me!).

Part 2: Having Fun

Then, we really settled in, having a nice time. We watched Tintin. First I realised, I couldn't make out anything and realised that I had to wear my 3D glasses. I still couldn't make out anything. Finally, had the sense to wear the 3D glasses on top of my own! Nice time and food. And of course, awesome movie.

Part 3:  The Question

As a person who delegates all festival planning to naturally-endowed-feminine-beings (subtitle: I am too lazy and you are my younger sister and I have universal rights to lord over you), I ventured to ask my mother what we celebrate during Karthikai Deepam.

*Pausing for a fabulous story on some hitherto unknown myth that is yet to be uncovered in my quest for history that may hide a nugget of true fact or wisdom*

Mom: "I don't know!"

*Never mind, ask Wikipedia*

Part 4: The Attack

Serenely googling on Karthikai Deepam, I sat on the sofa when I heard a bone-chilling blood-curdling scream.

Then, I saw the source. I hoped it wouldn't be what I thought. Alas!

I saw it.

It. It is a jointed-legged, bilaterally symmetrical, arthropod. It. It is a species that can strike terror into my soul. Worse, it had evolved to a form most feared and most detested...

A pair of diaphanous wings.

It was a flying cockroach.

Defying the laws of aerodynamics, it flew around the house causing havoc. It was in the kitchen first, causing my sister to scream. Unaware of the devious plugin, I had been exceptionally calm. And then...

It flew. It flew in a lopsided manner right at my mom. Scream. Then, it flew right at me. I could almost imagine its fiendish high pitched voice say "I am going to get you, mwahahahahahahaha". Scream. Very soon, the flat was filled with three, identical feminine screams. I am sure we would have beaten that opera singer in Tintin. It bordered on ultrasound. Thankfully, god sent our saviour, my dad. He entered, by the use of mystic Himalayan powers, the being submitted dolefully at his feet for judgement.

Part 5: Karthikai Deepam (Lights)

My sister, emboldened by her success at making Krishna's feet out of rice flour, she decided to make a kolam and I was to draw a suitable design for her. Why draw, when you can google? Anyway, I chose one with straight lines and decided it would be good enough. My sister threw tantrum saying she will not draw a swastik as it's Hitler's sign. Curse you Hitler, I have to google search more. Finally, we decided to use that one without the swastik in the middle.

So, we swept the floor and got down to work ( she did the work, mine was to supervise). She put the dots so close together that it was beyond the resolving power of my optical lens to distinguish them. Confident of my intuition with spacing and engineering drawing, I deigned to help her. Soon, we were done, it was so beautifully laid out. And as I got up, she fervently asked me to help. I decided, why so much scene, just join her and have fun.

It was far from fun. No matter how slow you did, how you held the powder, it always fell in lumps and not the straight line I envisioned. I used to do it so nicely when I was small and of that same smug conviction, I entered into the fray. Next to me, my sister was no better. I gave up after one row and thought it looked good enough anyway and decided to stamp out the remaining dots. But no, my sister would persevere. I went inside and got the lamps out. Now the mysterious things about our lamps is that they always disappear into the crevices of our tiny flat that we end up buying before the festival anyway. So, as I continued the oil-filling and wick-placing, I had only five of them, wondering whether all the others had been lost in shifting. Outside, my poor sister was ragged by neighbours and even the watchman. Finally, she was done.

Then the usual, she sang, I rang the bell. We prayed. Or at least, my mom and my sister prayed and I closed my eyes wondering if some miracle was possible to convert the ghastly rice-flour-doormat into something more presentable. We placed the lamps, facing our house and it did look pretty pretty when you switched off the lights.

Part 6: Camera

Infused with a sudden desire to capture it in photograph, I eagerly brought out my camera. it looked pathetic. My Machiavellian scheme was that the kolam intricacies wouldn't be visible in the dark anyway! My sister gave up after sometime, but this time I would persevere. I messaged our class' photographing/photoshopping expert how to do it. He told me to reduce the exposure by going to manual mode. Right, my camera did not have any manual mode for sure. Finally, I tried fireworks and sunset. It was slightly better and accepting defeat I came back inside.

Action:

It certainly was an action-packed day. I wrote this blog entry and was so exhausted, I traipsed straight to bed and had nightmares about scheming Nazis, Haddock singing "Why this kolaveri kolaveri di?"  and thankfully no arthropods!

P.S. Sehwag scored double century. Woo hoo! But then. my blog I am far more important.