Being curious

If white symbolizes peace,
Why does it make me feel hollow inside?

If looks don’t matter,
Why do cosmetics sell?

If blondies are supposed to be dumb,
Why do we [dark skinned Indians] colour our hair blonde?

If they are not hygienic,
Why are beauty parlors so popular?

If friends are the support system,
Why do they betray?

If they don’t want to get hurt,
Why do people put-up sensitive content on public forum?

If we value our privacy,
Why is orkut more popular than Facebook?

If fuck [as a word] is part of ‘normal’ vocabulary,
Why do people mask it with asterisk?

If they want to keep the content clean,
Why use such words at-all?

If every-one has it,
Why is sex so hyped?

If green is the colour of envy,
Why do I wear it so often?

If I know he doesn’t care,
Why do I wait for his call?

If I don’t like her,
Why do I need to pretend?

If I can,
Why don’t I?

If it is now or never,
Why is not sinking in?

Ah! Such is life…

P.S. Nothing said here is meant for any person or organization. Suit yourself, I shall continue to do the same.

P.P.S. I don't need replies, I have them. I need views on the write up :-)

Late comer's manual

Continued from Amchya mumbaichya local trains

As I said, I am usually 10-15 minutes late for each morning’s 1 hour toxic dose of studies called “lectures”. My teachers are co-operative nice people, so they understand. But like friends ask me, how can you expect it “every single day?” So questions come my way, “Oh! Shatabdi! Why late?!”

And then you have this millisecond to come up with a convincing reply. Sometimes when I know it for sure that I shall arrive long after the teacher, I call up my friends and give them a bana-banaya bahana. So, no spanking as such for being late, they already know :-D But, you can’t do this every-ruddy-day man! So, here are my tried-tested-best-working-universal-lies for being a regularly irregular student :-D

*~* Ma’am, I am not keeping well. [weak face coupled with a cough :-D]

*~* I am sooo sorry ma’am! Alarm clock ka batteries discharge ho gaya tha! I got up at 6:45 and I am here at 7:45; that is something ma’am! :-P

*~* While coming to the station my car broke down! Abhi high-way pe lift kaha se milta ma’am! [worried face, ruffled hair :-P]

*~* I was studying late night sir, aap hi ka chapter ;-)

*~* Watchman didn’t let me in! I-card nahi laya :-D

*~* It was raining in vashi :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

*~* I fell on the station and hurt my leg! [with a little sad face, sympathy follows instantly]

*~* I forgot something important at home and traced my way back, so, late [usually saying journals or home-assignment helps :-P and do NOT mention lunch-box here :-P]

*~* What!!! I am LATE??? Oh! My watch! My watch!!

And the reason that almost always saves my very sorry ass is……..

*~* Trains late!
[which they usually are not]

So, there you go. Ready made explanations for your delay. Also, talk as much as possible, so that the teacher takes you in just to shut you up :-P

And I really hope my teachers don’t find the way to get to my blog ;-)

P.S. Update. Campusjunkie has been kind. They have finally acknowledged my hard work and awarded me with tools to show-off :-D Visiting cards provided to all core-writers! Have a dekho on Jiggs's blog. Mine reads,
Shatabdi Roychowdhury
Core writer.

Wish you were here..

Raindrops lash against my window;

my hair is wet

and so are my eyes...

A cuppa of coffee in my hands

A million things in my heart

I sigh!

I wish

you were here..

Distance parts us my baby

and words fail,

With no clue of where we are going

and no attempt to ease the pain,

With nothing else up my mind,

I really wish

you were here..

I think of you,

my heart bleeds

and I am out of ideas

of reunion, of togetherness , of being us.

I miss you,

I need you,

I love..

Oh! how I wish

you were here..

P.S. No, not in love. No infatuations or stupid fascinations; just a feeble attempt to poetry in this ultra-romantic weather :-)

Amchya Mumbaichya Local trains!

I travel by them, oh sorry, the whole of Mumbai travels by them, the life-line of the city as they call them; fast, punctual, convenient, cheap, no traffic, special compartments, no pollution, reliable, the very spirit of the city, Mumbai local!

Now mind you, traveling in a local is not a kiddy’s job; and in second class during peak hours? Sorry boss, even I would avoid; and I am somebody who has had this as a part of her daily schedule since the last 4 years or so. Even-though traveling by First class isn’t all that big a deal, every journey is special for me. It is not like bus-routes don’t join my place of residence to my daily destination; I just prefer the rail-way better. [No! I am not saying so coz my name resembles that of a train!!]

Now, just a background for non-Mumbaikars :-) .There are three basic “lines” of local railway in Mumbai, yea, one doesn’t suffice :-P These are, the King Central line, the Glam-sham Western line and the Underdog Harbour line. These have various sub-routes and slow and fast types which I shall not get into. So, to reach my college, I have to change a train from Harbour line to Central at Kurla Junction; the most deadly railway station on planet earth!

Across this background, shall narrate my every-day ordeal…

I am late to college, every single day. To reach on time, I am supposed to catch the 6:43 local and I leave home at 6:40 whatever time I get up, Thus, obviously my train is gone. So, I am supposed to catch the next local come-what-may to reach 10 minutes late; and if I miss that, I reach at 8 o'clock for the 7:25 lecture *straight face*

Papa drops me to station; the drive takes 6 minutes, so it is 6:46 already. The walk ahead is that of 5 minutes and my local is that of 6:51, just enough time. During these whole five minutes probably the scariest and craziest thoughts come to my mind! What if the train’s one minute early? What if it’s canceled today? What if the timings have changed suddenly? Etc. You get the picture?

As I enter the station, the announcement of my due train is made. My sensors turn on, but I still don’t run. I walk down the staircase, look at people coming from the opposite direction, switch on my iPod and adjust the volume for the journey, and then! I hear it, yes I do! This is it! The train entering the platform! That is the time when my legs just don’t wait for my brain to give any signals and sprint towards platform no. 3! The train just halts when I board the stairs and my mental stop-watch switches on. “10 seconds”, I tell myself, 10 seconds is the time for which the train shall be there! 10, 9, 8 , first half of the stairs done, 7, 6, 5, yay! I am on the platform, 4, 3, 2, towards the Ladies 1st class coach, 1, 0, damn it… the train’s started, -1, -2, dive, boarded! :-D

Then begins the hunt for the seat, every-day a new trick works. And then I get my 15 minutes of peace before the second more-challenging half of my journey begins, remember? I change trains..

To get off at Kurla is no-job at all! You just have to stand amongst the fellow passengers; even if you don’t wanna get off, you shall find yourself on the platform. When my train has just stopped at the station, the other central line train is about to enter the station in just about a minute. So, I have to go through the over-bridge full of people from platform no. 7 to platform no. 3 in that much time, reach the ladies compartment and also board the fully crowded - over-flowing train! I put the volume of my player on full and run for my life, through the 1000 odd people coming from all direction! The only time ever when I regret being short is this. You see, my nose just reaches the arm-pits of majority men, ahem. Well, but there is also a bright side. I am also lucky for not having considerable height, I can act jerry and run through all these people just by a little excessive use of my elbows :-D

I get off the stairs while the train is still arriving, so yea, mental stop-watch ticks on all over again. I reach, the train stops and a sea of people land on the platform! I wait patiently for people to get in, coz I am supposed to get off just after a couplea stations, so prefer to be near the doors. Train blows its horn, “move inside people!” The train takes off, “make room! I have just some toes inside!” one leg, then both in the pair board in the train, as my wahan picks up speed.

Gradually as the train leaves the station behind, the whole of me is ‘in-side’. I hang my way to Dadar as I hear some-one calling my name, “Shatabdi!” I turn; try to locate the source among the whole lotta people. I notice; there is a little clearing in the surface mass near the wall. I see a hand waving towards me, and ah! I know who it was

Jiggs!

:-D

Us at blogger

http://www.blogger.com/ ; yea, the thing that binds us together, blogger

How many of us open our blogs first thing when we switch on our computers?

*raises hand*

How many amongst us analyze the situations of every-day life like we would enter them on our little owned space on the web?

*raises hand*

Who get worried because some friend had a sad post put-up?

Who think about some comments and start laughing in the middle of a lecture?

Who are attached to blog-mates; laugh with them, cry with them, coz even if no-one else in the world does, they still do the same for us……

Love ya guys! This one is for you. To all my blog-buds and any-one else who bothers to read it all :-)

Well, every-one has their way of analyzing everything. I do, by categorizing; yes, even people. So heres something I cooked up for all those who live via blogger. Interested? Read on!

Kinds of people we come across all the time on blogger. Categories and traits

*~* the Wacky Weirdos [WWs]

You never know what to expect from their blog, because well, even they don’t know why in the first place did they turn up here :-P They write, because there is nothing else to do. Not that they write worthless, every-one has their own style; but you sometimes relate to them and sometimes you go, “whaaaaa?” They write for themselves, don’t think twice before uploading anything; But yea, their spirit simply rocks and others await their comments on their blogs coz well, you never know which new angle they might explore :-D

*~* the Reader Sustainers [RSs]

Diametrically opposites of the WWs. Their posts are consistent, that’s like the perfect way to describe them. Come what may, they manage to entertain the reader and make the best of fan-following. They are prolly the assets of blogger and people can never have enough of them. They don’t care if new readers come, if a good discussion happens, they are happy with even 5 comments.

*~* the Reader Gatherers [RGs]

Ah! They might not write for others, but need that constant buzz on their blog. They don’t post very often, coz they want people to digest each post before they throw a new lot of gossip on them. They hover around on blogger-world commenting on random blogs as they want them to come back and pass their opinions. In short, they are comment obsessive and do not post anything new till a particular number is attained. Nothing wrong, do as you please, but care for at least ‘some’ readers….

*~* the Daily Ranters [DRs]

With a new post almost everyday, their blog is a daily dairy. They cite incidents, pass-on experiences and provide lukkha people with something to read and think about. Their mood reflects on their blogs and well, you can easily relate to them. Nice, warm, realistic people; I like :-)

*~* the Popular chicks and chickoos [PCs]

Oh! They hit headlines for every small big thing they do! You want them to grace your blog by their presence and if you get an entry in their blog-roll, you have achieved that ambition of being on blogger :-P Not their fault, is it? Controversies, all the time; attention grabbing capacity, yea yea; comments ki barsaat, yea baby; :-D The celebrity blogs we come across now-a-days included.

*~* the Brain cell Activators [BAs]

They are different from RSs as they do not necessarily post stuff that other would keep others entertained, but they definitely write for others. They make us scratch our heads to give a worthy enough answer, giving us good enough reason to use our rusted brains. They are sane and smart and witty, awesome company for discussions. One problem with them though, they ask too many questions :-P

Well, I used to wonder, why do people come to a website and put out everything they have in their brain and hearts out in the open. Well, now I know. Because it feels good! Whatever be it, the spirit of blogging rocks and the current state of blog-world is perfect. I just hope all the hype doesn't spoil it.

Hail bloggers!

As far as 'I' am concerned,

I guess I have shades of all, but prominently am a WW :-D and yes, I agree with people who say that the content quality on my blog has deteriorated because of my professional writing ventures, but, is my blog about the quality of my content? It is about my mode of expression, period.

Are there any other categories that you can think of? Something distinct that has not been covered?

What category do you fall under?

P.S. Ganpati bappa has come home and I am ecstatic! Happy Ganesh Chathurti. :-)