Happy New Year!

Replenishment! This is what this domain and myself need at this moment. Seldom do I usually recap on what happened the entire year when it nears its climax. But this time it just didn't let me be the same. Event-FULL is the apt word to describe. There were some firsts and quite unfortunately many lasts which never were meant to last! Nevertheless, experience was the much gained one. 2010 was the year of experience of a lifetime. Filled with the essence of fun, thrill, friendship, love, romance, prayers, adventure, travel, disappointment, heart-break, revenge and what not?! Cant deny any of these in my 2010 potpourri.

From Tirupati (Jan 1) to Tiruchchirappalli (Dec 24), the itinerary for the year was destined and finalized by fate which remained unknown for me though, obviously. Every day contributed a surprise stroke leading towards an unusual caricature. Hopefully the portrait should find its shape by 2011, which indeed is gonna be the year of decisions, for the lifetime.

Career and personal life graphs were at their exponential rise and fall respectively. There weren't any qualms when it came to my education and career. The year provided me the best! My aspirations on pursuing PGDBM after my Engineering grew manifold. I had chosen my destiny, at last. This is what I wanna be! Attending classes, taking up mocks towards CAT, the main one, and JMET thereafter, the exposure was immense. Though I would consider my first attempt was to gain the experience of what MBA entrance exams were all about, I'm gung-ho on my future attempts probably in 2011. Meanwhile, Tata Consultancy Services recruited me in campus placement for the post of Assistant Systems Engineer. The way I got recruited was just awesomeness, especially the personal interview. It couldn't have been a better one!

Relationships with people hit the all time low. Misunderstandings, ignorance, duels, betrayals were cropping up badly everywhere around me all of a sudden. Cant be justified that I was all perfect and others were wrong. The mistakes were on my part too, partially. Regrets!! Result, the friends circle shrunk, its diameter being eaten up by ego and attitude. Life had to go on. There's very little hope that things will change. Taking the positives from whatever happened, I realized who really cared and mattered a lot. Yet again, 2010 proved to be a year of experience.

I traveled a lot this year, without parents accompanying me luckily! There's always this parental guidance whenever I make a journey on most occasions which I am sick of. This time it wasn't to be. I made many trips with friends like never before. Coincidentally the year 2010 began at Tirupati and ended at Tiruchchirappalli. Yelagiri, Tirupattur, Vellore and Kanchipuram were other places outside the city where I made short trips alone and along with friends. Expecting more trips outside Tamilnadu next year. The year was also filled with prayers. Not only for myself. That is all I could say. We don't get everything we need. One's gotta understand that. I somehow did.

Sadly, I've completely lost the habit of listening to English tracks. I seriously don't remember clicking even a single English track in my desktop this year. Nor did I watch one in television. I did discover the good regional ones though. Music, I feel it everywhere. Books read - NIL. Damn! :(

And this is the year I increased heck a lot of weight!! *sigh* I completely lost my physique, though I didn't turn up being plump. When everyone around seem to be gym-ing and concentrating too much on their appearance, I simply don't seem to be finding time to take care of myself. Wonder why! I shouldn't be allowing this to continue anymore. Sadly, we don't find much people who accept you for what you are, instead the appearance is the one which plays the game. Philosophy and reality sometimes go against and sometimes do go parallel. Sounds irrelevant? Its not! I need to shape up, both, my mind and body at the earliest!

Wish 2011 brings the change.

HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLE..!! :) :)

Changing Faces

Bottom of the rack did my albums lay,
Pulled them out and they made my day.
Posing together within transparent sheets,
Obsequiously got crowded those memories.

Nestled close in each others arms,
Unaware of our possessed charms.
Closed my eyes just to hear,
Those forgotten voices loud and clear.

Blurred memories came to the fore,
Took me back to the days of yore.
Tranquil moments as such stay memorable,
Fortunate to get away not into a rubble.

For the loved ones smiled as my fingers trace,
Innocence connoted on everyone's face.
Questions now arise why are they lost,
Desperate to bring them back at any cost.

They now stand with their faces changed,
Innocence put to the slaughter and buried.
Running after time and for themselves,
And none of us seem to be selfless.

From let us meet and plan,
To let us plan and meet.
Legs which once ran tireless for miles,
Now run just to see them bearing fake smiles.

I blame not everyone,
For they all were bygone.
But still their heart belongs to me,
Safe somewhere even they cant see.

I shall continue being their friend,
Never letting our friendship end.
Be with them forever and more,
Wishing some magic still left in store.

I Do Scribble Some Poetry....!!!

We started together somewhere someday
Taking a path supposed to be the destiny's way,
Some ditched me and held me at bay
While most called it a league and had just raced away,

I know I'm heading nowhere
Searching for people who would really care,
I never knew anything before
That I'll live this moment just to allure,

As I tread along the path of life
Future shows me the signs of strife,
The past was as green as the meadows
I look for a place to rest under the shadows,

I don't wanna move further
I can't stay here either,
Future looks bleak till the horizon
While even the next second in life remains unknown,

I look around for people
Who are no more visible,
They've raced ahead of me so wild
Perhaps they were destiny's child?!

I stand still, taking a turn
Looking the way I had come,
This path was well known to me
I go back once again absolutely care-free,

Unable to stand now
Having come a long way in this path,
With nobody here to accompany me
I sit in a bench beneath a withering tree,

Memories have been the only thing which I carry
While others are working towards their glory,
As I nestle myself in this bench
I'm lost among a sea of memories,

I knew this wasn't gonna help me anyway
Yet you can't keep running life in an expressway,
Pauses are needed when going gets tough
Cause even the heart takes it after every beat,

As a cool breeze freshens me up
I find dry leaves shedding down from the top,
As I catch one of them and grasp it tight
It crumbles just like those memories before my sight,

I'm moved
Not towards my destiny yet,
But within my heart
That I'm unable to cement those crumbling ones intact,

I haven't taken the wrong turn
I'm just lagging behind waiting for someone,
Not to hold my hands and to lead me ahead
Just to sit beside me to give a heed,

I hate this feeling of being left behind
Not knowing how to express it out,
I look back at the past and dream about the future
Heading to a world of my own!

Feels Like Heaven.....!

"Hey! The Annual Day is on 22nd!"

This was the SMS which i received from Nandhini a week ago. She had somehow managed to find out when "THE DAY" we all were waiting for, and informed me. I did the job of forwarding it to all my fellow buddies as soon as I received it. But still there was a small confusion prevailing that whether the alumni would be let into the school campus (There's always some problem every year!) that too with the new principal taking charge, we hoped that we aren't kept at the bay!

22/08/08, Friday, Chennai.

I got up thinking about the fact that I've gotta attend the special classes that evening in the college. And attending it would see me reach home only by 7. I would be terribly late to attend the celebration thereafter! Hoping for the best that day I left for the college...... During class hours I had a feeling that i was developing a sense of flu and wasn't definitely feeling good. It was surely developing into a cold. Things are getting worse now! But it was only after college that I realised that i had a reason to bunk the special class. This is what happened....

03:00pm - The bell rings. The college is over. I am confused whether to attend the extra class or not!

03:05pm - I go searching for the Mathematics Mam to inform her that I wasn't feeling well and that I am leaving! Found her atlast...
Me: Mam I'm feeling sick, seems like I have a fever!
Mam: So?
Me: I'm not staying for the class!
Mam: Even I'm not staying for the class!!!
Me: Mam?????!
Mam: The other Sir is taking the class today. I'm leaving too. So you better inform him and the H.O.D and leave.
Me: But Mam, I don't have sufficient time. The bus is gonna leave in 5 minutes!
Mam: But rules are rules right? Inform them atleast if not through a letter.
Me: Alright Mam. Thank you!

03:10pm - In the H.O.D room (with a pitiable face)
Me: Good evening Sir, I'm suffering from fever, so I need to leave now.
H.O.D: Produce it in a letter and get my attestation!
Me: Sir, but I don't have time. The bus is about to leave.....
H.O.D: Okay! I'll take care about it. Don't forget to produce a letter tomorrow. You can leave now!
(Sucker! He needs a letter for everything!)
Me: Thank you!

03:15pm - I ran in a haste to my classroom to pack up my things and hurried towards the bus with a friend of mine. He was patient enough to wait for me.

And yes! I'll be home early and I shall go for the annual day! My health condition is not gonna stop me anyway.....

05:00pm - I reach home and went straight towards the bed. I badly needed a rest so that I can boost up my energy for the night!

06:30pm - Abhishek promised that he will take me along with him in his bike. I felt more relaxed since I need not take the tiring bus journey which would be a 45 minute travel. I got up from bed and started to get ready. Bharani and Pramod messaged me that they'll join us right there. It was gonna be fun!

07:00pm - I take my bike towards Abhishek's house to join him! (Note that I don't have a license and hence I can't be driving through the city!)

07:10pm - He was waiting outside and I parked my vehicle and jumped onto his. We hurried towards the school!

07:25pm - 1 message received.
Aishwarya: Hey have you reached the school? Shall I leave now or what? Come near the fancy store and pick me up. I can't come alone in the dark streets!
Me: Yeah okay! I'll be waiting.

07:30pm - She soon came and parked her vehicle nearby. We started walking towards the school! And the streets were indeed so dark! But how come in Anna Nagar????

Pramod had already reached there and so were Nandhini and Monica. Abhishek was busy with the other guys whom he knew enquiring about their college life and studies. Nandhini gave me a call and told where she actually was in the crowd. I headed towards them along with Aishu and Pramod. As usual we set our chairs in a circular fashion and started our conversation.....

Bharani calling......
Bharani calling......

Bharani: Macha, come to the fancy store da I'll be there in minutes. (But, no he's not afraid of the dark!)
Me: Haha! Sure da!

I once again went towards the landmark and received him! He's now a muscled guy working out in the gym. But he hasn't changed as a friend though....The only guy whom we missed was Vinodh. He had been to Bangalore to attend his cousin's marriage. We both once again joined our gang and started our work. I met Aparna in person for the first time, my orkut friend who too was in the same batch and also studies in the same college of mine. We never knew each other when we were in school!

Pramod then joined Abhishek and was doing the rounds. Myself, Bharani, Nandhini, Monica and Aishu shared lighter moments and were recollecting our school days, those funny happenings in the class and those never-told-anyone secret crushes! hehe! Indeed those were moments to treasure! Then about the college life and other stuff. Our all time bubbly baby Monica was unusually silent, she took some time to bring herself back to action. hehe! And then............

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooo Woooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

The power went off and the whole area was pitch dark! The whole school erupted woooooing among different gangs including us. This is the first time I experienced such a thing! Terrific atmosphere...... Then in few minutes the school managed to light the stage and the speakers alone were working with the help of a generator. Then, the power for the entire area was back in 15 minutes!

Gowri joined us after some time and apologised for coming late since she had a symposium in her college. Ganesh joined us too for a while. Our gang was getting bigger and better! We then started to meet our teachers and indeed they remembered us. Our sanskrit sir still remained a bachelor! Haha! Abhishek was mistaken as guy working in a company because he was looking too formal. He came along with his helmet in hand and he indeed looked like one professional! We met our other friends and there was a guy who had been out of control after he had joined the college. He blames it on the college environment and his friends! Disappointing to hear.....

09:00pm - We joined together once again after meeting the teachers and the program was getting over. National Anthem. NCC boy Bharani was erect. Too erect! Well......

We moved out of the school and we kept talking in the streets for almost yet another half-an-hour. Monica bid farewell! But it seemed like our conversations aren't gonna end that easily. Pramod came up asking how do you guys manage to talk for hours....? Friendship matters a lot. Not the time!

09:30pm - Nandhini started and Aishu joined her. Ganesh too was ready to move! Abhishek took his friend to drop him in his home and would be back soon. Myself, Pramod and Bharani stood waiting for Abhishek and he arrived after few minutes. Bharani took the bus since he felt that he misses the route. The city bus had a major role to play throughout his school life! I came along with Pramod in his bike. We cruised through the streets taking shortcuts avoiding the main road and also the policemen.(He wasn't wearing a helmet) Abhishek followed us.

10:00pm - Reached home atlast! Had my supper. And remembered that.....
I HAVE FLU!
Felt sick once again and I fell on the bed!

The day which we waited for a long time was indeed a memorable one. We may have moved away in different directions, but still we stay connected and this is the only day which connects every one of us together. And this happens only once in a year! I just pray to God that we all stay in touch forever. It just feels like heaven when I am in their company and I treasure them a lot. Love you lots my friends! :)

Seasons In The Sun....

"We had joy, we had fun, we had Seasons in the sun,
But the wine and the song, like the Seasons, have all gone...."

Playing Westlife isn't a bad idea on a cold saturday night! After a week at the college i just sit back closing my eyes to relax myself to follow the lyrics and well, i find myself lost in the crowd of my memories! Always a nice feeling to recollect those cherished moments in life which are worth remembering. And summer life is one such... The only part of the year awaited by every school goer! (and now the college life seems to be quite different from the school one).

I still remember me having a countdown of the days left as the school nears its closing. But attending the litmus test and the so called "final exams" before that is a different story altogether! Hmmm.... who cares about that? And very obviously enjoyment and fun gets the first priority with great expectations on the vacation ahead! To everyone's surprise the papers turn up to be quite easy and this is it...! A long vacation is just 3 hours away! "Happy holidays!" No more lessons and homeworks, and no teachers sneaking around, atleast for some 2 more months.

The final bell, the bell of hope and happiness rings to its full swing to mark the end of the academic year and yes, we are here for yet another holiday season.... The squadron makes its way to the nearby ground getting ready for the cricket armageddon! The game is played with the same old school uniform in order to honor it. Never mind the scorching sun in the mid april... Nothing is gonna stop us now!

But these were the those older days that can hardly be remembered by anyone. Anytime cricket, those extra hours of sleep, getting trapped in those traditional japan made television video games (the joy stick is tampered and thrashed to the fullest) and running around for those cassettes are indeed unforgettable. But in this post i just make an attempt to get back to the recent past... My after school days... Those days after my 12th grade. Better i don't mention how my higher secondary was but it wasn't the worst anyway.

The final exam being mathematics has set the blood pressure high for many and i was quite satisfied with my above average performance. Anyway its time to forget about the past (something which i definitely cant) but the results seem to be haunting me around. After spending some extra time with my dear ones i make a move from my school hoping that the future brings the best (now i am comfortably settled in one of the best colleges in my city). With no clue on when the colleges are bound to open we look forward for a minimum 5 month holiday! A great kick-off for a summer vacation. A prolonged one for sure...

But... How am i gonna spend this time remains unanswered. Reading books could be the best option and with the internet connection being fixed up, i am now open to the virtual world! All my needs are bound to be fulfilled. Satisfaction at its best! And i had heard my friends speak about orkut those days in my school (now i am an orkutter with more than 6200 scraps... sheesh!) and i was quite eager to know what is it all about. So i have a busy time ahead... After some stumbling in the net, atlast i learnt a bit of it and was busy gathering my old friends (if not the new ones) and those whom i had lost for no reason. I was pleased to find most of them..... Surprisingly!

As far as my everyday schedule goes it just gotta be the opposite of the school life. Even i have never imagined me to be like that... Laziness personified. My day begins at 08:30am in the morning (some may still consider it to be early)accompanied by constant grumblings from ma and pa. And how do you expect someone who is making his way to the washroom walking in sleep to listen all these nonsense? A great head-start for the day! Then the breakfast is done around 10:30am... Just running late by 1 and a half hours! But it gotta be more than that...

Then i jump into my chair to switch on my system and with some blaring music to keep me alive, i login to orkut and yahoo to find if someone's hovering around there and start some useful(?) conversation. The girls are dealed in a different track and may get flirted to the core sometimes... But that goes even more when we meet in person.They just love getting flirted! Hmmm... while the firefox takes care of some multiple tabs, the internet explorer does the rest. I keep browsing the Indian Railway Fan Club site to know more about it.(I am a great rail-fan and i may come up with a post on that very soon) Man i am getting addicted to the net! After some browsing and orkutting i find the time to be around 01:30pm and hey its time for lunch! Am i running on time or what? This shouldn't be....

Post lunch, i try myself reading the newspaper which normally should be done in the morning, and now, let me cultivate the good habit of reading books. I browse through my shelf to find half a dozen of them which i had bought some time back and the time has come for its utility! (but this was for the first time - not that i browse my shelf everyday to search for a book) After some quick reading i just close my eyes to have a nap to get me back in action for the later half of the day. The better half....!

My friend wakes me up with his "Are u ready?" message and yes, we are off in a rash!(in a cycle... hehe) to the nearby ground for some cricket action. Time is 03:30pm now. Stumps fixed, teams announced, rules laid, let the game begin!(all these for an 8 over game) With some fast and furious action and some serious gimmicks on and off the field, we manage to play some 6 games altogether for the day! Time is 06:45pm by now and still there seems to be a spec of sunlight... "One more game?" and the losers come up saying "We are too tired, lets make a move". And how many times can they lose? And there's one pal of mine (an ardent football fan) who boasts that street football is the best! So much is his passion that he travels some 3 km in bus from his place to play that. !

Well, time is 07:00 pm now and wondering what to do now, we take a stroll in the streets and one of our friend takes us to a roadside bhel-puri shop. Yuk! i hate these roadside ones and bhel-puri is one junk which i hate to the core cuz i find every possible thing found in the earth being mixed in it. But these guys seem to be having a fetish for that! I just order a samosa and thats the only stuff that looks neat and clean to some extent with the least amount of mixing done. I am ready to eat!

Time 07:30pm (i dunno why am i mentioning the time so precisely, but since nothing interrupts the most busy guys in town like us, things go the same way everyday) we are now into our friend's apartment. This time to play "Bluff" a card game it is. We nestle in the terrace (so as not to disturb the other folks watching family soaps) with yet some more junkies and some drink to munch our time away. With some music playing in a mobile, we are now set for a perfect "Casino De Terrace"! The bluffmasters, after some one hour of solid bluffing settle for some gossip and fun. The ultimate purpose of the meet.... Plans for the weekend are also done. Mebbe for a beach or a swanky shopping mall. Time by now is 09:15pm.

After a late entry into my home to see my ma and pa grumble once again(they consider it to be a late one), i have my dinner and again i am back for some orkutting and now i am more pleased to see most of them online (some may feel its the perfect time for a bit of romance!) Who knows? Time by now is 10:00pm. I stay online for one more hour to find my mom standing back shouting at me "What the hell are you doing in the net sitting at late hours?". Phew! Still i have someone who keeps on watching me...Time is now 11:30pm. Its time to hit the sack....

But... The day is not yet over. I take my mobile to roll over my bed and this seems to be the best time for some messaging business. Good conversations do stir you up in the night! Well the world is still awake and more awake at this hour! The nightlife, the fun and everything is everywhere around... (Anyway an 18 year old cannot experience everything in nightlife) I throw away my mobile and once again i take my novel which i had flew over my bed to proceed with the story. And as i doze off i see that the time is around 02:00am. The next day had already begun.... And wohoooo! I am 4 hours behind my schedule! And doing this for some 5 odd months, just imagine how would it be? But everyday is indeed a new experience... Thats life!

Back To School!

After a while, i got a chance to visit my good old school last evening! A place where i did till my tenth grade. A 13 year old relationship it is! Unfortunately i had moved to another school to pursue my higher grades.The annual day atmosphere was clearly visible and even the streets seemed to be having an extra glow with brisk business going around! As i made my way into my school, the ambiance, the extravagance and the glitz took me away into a world of my own. Those precious days could never be forgotten. We guys and gals had been waiting for a day like this and this comes only once in a year. I was greeted by a group of my friends and after some formal conversations it was time to get loose. And with more people joining the party we were all set to rock n roll! People may have changed but the school continues to remain the same, indeed being at its best! We guys planned to take a walk across those dark lit corridors and sinking into our nostalgia, we made a silent stroll across our classrooms to see ourselves sitting inside, doing everything rather than studying! Last bench chatting, silly fights, under bench munching, those yawned teachers, the first crush, naughty pranks, those out-stood classes, birthday treats, last minute preparations and what not? Those were the moments to be relished by everyone! School life indeed has taught us loads beyond the books! Next, it was time to meet the teachers, those very special people who carved us. Whatever i am now, i owe it to them. It was quite surprising to see them remember us very well. Thats the greatest honor for any student! These teachers have been the same and thats what makes them the most respected people in our life. They are the ones who are always there to bless you and see you grow up! These things can never be realized being a student. The function had been going on for 3 hours and is expected to run for one more hour! But none of us did give a damn about what's happening on the stage. We had better work to do. And with your friends whom you earned in your school life, the moments shared with them are absolutely priceless! Thats one reason why school life is rightly considered the best part of life. And school friends are always there for you to support you throughout. Having realized that i have lessons to study for the next day's exam in college i was thrown back to reality. I felt it was time to leave. With a heavy heart i made my way back home wishing that i could go back some day. I really do miss my school days...