Of Audit Reports, Excel Sheets and Traffic Jams

I figured it is high time I start documenting my work days :)

It has been one hell of a week. I've just finished my first Internal Audit report. I've gotten up at 4 in the morning to work on a presentation. I've spent 2 entire hours trying to get home from CP. I've learnt a billion Excel short cuts. I'm discovering office politics.I've also counted everything from beer glasses, knives, pillow cases, examination sheets and fans.

Work has been fun. But I'm guessing that's because everything is new. Once the sheen wears off, I'm fearing its going to get slightly boring. Thankfully, I start at a new place on Monday :)

I've been working since May 14,2009. The days are all sort of flying by and I can't really tell one day from the other. That really can't be such a good thing. Hence, the blog post.

Of Greener Grass And Sour Grapes.

Twenty suddenly seems so old.

I've finished college, I have a job and I drive my own car. As a ten year old I wanted nothing more than to grow up and have my own cabin and computer.I'm living the life I hoped I would.

And in that same ten year old brain I had a list of things that I hoped I'd never let go of. I couldn't imagine life without them. As I discussed school gossip with Ratik on Pranav's birthday, I realized how much of that list had already disappeared or was fast vanishing. Now this list is not a profound collection of ideas, values or even people. It was just normal everyday stuff that I thought I'd absolutely die without.

I used to love the summers regardless of how hot it would actually get. Summer meant bhutta and mango every evening. I used to pity people who didn't know what an excellent combination they were missing out on. I've started to hate mangoes and I can't even remember the last time I had bhutta. With the advent of frozen corn, even corn rice is not exclusively summer anymore.

Summer was also when the swimming pool would become my second home. And now three entire summers have gone by and I can count the number of times I've been to on one hand.

I'm a TV addict. Or was till some time back. I had a couple of friends who didn't have one at home and frankly their life just seemed so sad. It sounded insane that people actually lived with little or no TV in their life. I count myself lucky now if I get to watch even one Seinfeld episode a week.

The movie hall-every weekend has been my family's motto till as far back as I can remember. I love everything about the movies. I love the trailers. I love the pop corn. I love talking for hours about the bad ones. The works basically. So when Papa told me about movies releasing that I hadn't heard of, I sort of started freaking out.

There's almost nothing on that list that hasn't disappeared except possibly the phone, the fact that I live with my parents and that I still love to underline.

The "coolness" of this life is suddenly lost one me. I have to start rediscovering it before the discontentment descends.

All I need is another list.

For the lack of cheesy titles

I don't like farewells or good byes. They make me uncomfortable. But they still need to be perfect for me.

I'd rather people leave and then call from wherever as if they never really went away.

I've been dreading this moment for the past couple of months now. That one moment you realise how pretty soon everything constant around you will change. Yes, these three years have flown by but July 16,2006 doesn't really feel like yesterday either.

It has been an eventful three years to say the least :)

Everytime I cried over friends in school, Mumma would tell me of how true friends are always found in college. I rarely believed her. Of course now I think that she couldn't have been more right.

It hasn't been the easiest three years. I didn't make it any easier with the constant bickering and howling. I'd hate it when I was constantly told how everything in the world happens for a reason. I couldn't see a single reason.

Now I see a million !

I'm not sure I'll miss college that much. But I will miss the people. I will miss my van and how there was never a dull moment.

I know that things are going to change and possibly not always for the best. But right now I just want to think about all the fun and happy stuff that made these three years so memorable :)

DANCE FOR DEMOCRACY

I’m a 20 year old Indian citizen eligible to vote. But after 4 failed attempts to get a voter ID card, I’m beginning to wonder why we’re even called a democracy.

One of the first things my parents insisted on after I turned eighteen was to apply for this all essential government document. So this becomes attempt number one. I waited and waited for those verification lists to be released. But nothing happened. No list no name. I figured that it wasn’t that bad a situation. I was sure loads of people apply more than once.

So we come to attempt number two. Again form filled, again no name. By this time I had completely lost interest. My parents still had some hope.

What changed my mind was this campaign by some RWAs to help people get voter-id cards. I made my enquiries and made my way to Rockwood School. So this became attempt 3. This time I was confident that I would FINALLY get the card. But then again I trust the system way too much for my own good.

This brings me to attempt four. Furious and agitated, Mumma and I made our way to the Election office. It wasn’t difficult to find, half of Noida seemed headed in that direction!
There were 2 windows for submitting the forms and a lot of people. Obviously, as Indians we still don’t understand the concept of lines. So basically everybody was on top of each other trying to reach that elusive window. Pushing and shoving people in my way I finally reached the counter only to be greeted by a signboard that said” Submit form, no enquiry allowed” . There were so many people that none of the forms were being checked. I was handed my fourth receipt and told to wait at least a month before I even enquire.

The whole exercise seemed like such a farce. There are no codes or receipts numbers on the acknowledgement I’ve been handed out four times. Even if I want to, I can’t track down the status of my application. I have a feeling that somewhere in some dilapidated government office millions of forms are just rotting away.

Not the poverty nor the unemployment or terrorism, this feudal voter-id issuing system has been the biggest failure of our democracy. I want to vote, I’ve done everything in my power to be eligible to (except bribing someone) but I still can’t exercise my right.

We might be called the biggest democracy in the world, but I’d like to see how many people of this huge population actually had a stress free ride while obtaining their voter-id card.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Slumdog Millionaire

I've just got back from watching the movie and I knew I *had* to write this one before I fell asleep.

Q & A is one of my favorite books of all time. I still remember how all of us had fallen in love with it as 17 year olds. I couldn't wait for the movie to be made. Of course all the Oscar-Golden Globe buzz just made me even more excited.

I had my doubts when I heard snippets of the story but I promised myself to not think of the book while watching the movie. That obviously did not happen. I kept going back to pages and wondering why they changed so much.

Ok, first things first, it is a good movie. Brilliantly shot and edited. A.R Rahman most certainly deserved that Golden Globe and definitely has his name written on that Oscar statuette. The kids were a great cast as well.

I totally understand why so many people have liked the movie. I'll even understand if it actually does sweep all the Oscars. But as a great fan of the book I was left with a sense of loss and disappointment at the end.

The book is no longer called Q & A and everybody who picks up Slumdog Millionaire from a book shelf will end up reading a story completely different from the movie. It makes me sad that even though the sales of the book will pick up, no one will experience the same joy or amazement at what a marvelous piece of literature it really is.

Or maybe that will always be the problem with screen adaptations. The director cannot film every page written but has to make you feel the same emotions as that of the book. And this is where I think we need to appreciate Mira Nair ( for Namesake) and even Satyajit Ray ( who turned two books into a series of three movies).

There was just so much in that movie that wasn't needed. And I'm not one of those who have a problem with all that poverty being shown. The entire second half of the movie was original. It shouldn't be called an adapted screenplay, inspired is actually the right word.

If the same thing had been made in hindi I'm pretty sure it could have easily been labelled as a typical masala-potboiler. Ironically it gets made in English and sweeps the world of its feet.

The biggest problem I have of course is still the title. Funnily enough the book never even mentions the term.

Ghajini

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Ghajini

I've been waiting to see this one for quite some time and frankly speaking I feel slightly disappointed.

Maybe I should start with what I liked. I liked the music. I loved Asin. I think it was she who was the high point in the movie and not Aamir. I loved the whole Aamir-Asin romance, it was quite nice.

But there was just too much wrong with it.

For starters, the villain was awful. Beyond awful. Plus, he had the worst dialogues ever! Sample this : "Yeh short term memory loss patient mujhe mare ga, mujhe? " or "Dekh short term memory loss, delkh mujhe!".
He wasn't the least bit scary. What they needed was a villain who evoked fear. What we got was a two bit actor and some shady-sidey goons. Technically if the movie is named after the villain then he should at least have some screen presence. I think this was a major shortcoming of the movie.
And the violence. Too gory, too bloody and sickening. I think it is time we officially ban iron rods from hindi movies!

I don't think it was a brilliant performance by Aamir either. I mean all he did as the short term memory loss patient ( no pun intended) was growl, fight and look around.

The director doesn't give the audience time to even feel an ounce of sympathy for his character or the great loss he has suffered. We just shift from happy to violent in a split second. And thus, I didn't really feel a connect with the character at all.

And then there were just too many loopholes. I think the script writers just dug a hole for themselves when they proclaimed that the protagonist could only retain information for 15 minutes. Very conveniently Aamir would remember and not question stuff for long periods of time. And then just as conveniently suddenly look lost. I mean they can't expect the audience to be *that* stupid.

And we also have the Rajnikanth-science defying stunt scenes. Aamir survives a rod being pushed right through his belly, manages to kill the villain and even eventually have a happy and peaceful life. Now that's something.

Would I recommend it. Not really. It is not that great and definitely fell short of my expectations.

On Education

Half Yearly Examination
Class V
Subject : English

Name:__________ Section: _____________ Roll no. _____________

Q.1 Read the following passage and answer the given questions:
There are eight crows in the picture. Seven crows are flying. There are seven ducks in the picture. Five ducks are in the water.

Q.1a How many crows are there in the picture?
Ans______________________________________
________________________________________
_________________________________________

Q.1b How many ducks are in the water?
Ans_______________________________________
__________________________________________
___________________________________________

Q.2 Complete the sentences:

This is an elephant.
Its ears are _____.
Its eyes are _____.

This is a rat.
Its tail is _______.
Its eyes are______.

This is a rabbit.
Its tail is ________.
Its ears are______.

Q.3 Fill in the blanks-
R_d ,
C_pb_ard ,
O_ange

Q.4 True or false?
a. Butterflies do not fly.
b. The frog scares the birds away.
c. Pigeons and parrots are birds.
d. Frogs can crawl.

Q.5 Fill in the blank-

A Gardner _______ of the garden.
A barber _______ hair.
A caprpenter_____ furniture.
A teacher _____ us.
A doctor _____ his patients.

Q.6 Give the meaning of :
Long: ____

Sky: _____

Field: ____

People: _____

Colour: _____
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I volunteered for Teach India in July this year. I though it was a great idea and I could easily spare two hours every Saturday.

And so I started teaching Class V English at the Primary Government School, Chalera Village.
I remember my first day. It took me at least 40 minutes of driving through narrow lanes to finally find the school and a decent place to park.

The school is bigger than the other government schools in the area. There's a ground in the middle and a series of classrooms around it. There are no tables or desks. No fans or lights. Just a bare classroom with a dilapidated black board and some charts on the walls. The children sit on mats which are threadbare. They clean the class room themselves in the morning and I think even contribute to buy the Jhadu as well as the chalk. I don't have the courage to go look at the bathrooms.

And so I began my first class. I didn't really have an option but English because all the other subjects were taught in Hindi and frankly its been years since I've written full page in Hindi.

The children are all very sweet. More so because I refuse to use the cane their teacher promptly handed me when I started teaching. Slowly I discovered how far behind they were in English to any other child possibly in my school in class V. But then again, they don't really speak it outside the classroom. They treat it exactly like I used to treat Sanskrit in school. It is just something you have to get by. They're probably know as much English as some child in class I in a public school.

I am no excellent teacher myself. But I try. The problem is that they don't even understand what Grammar means. So I try different ways to make them understand simple rules. At the same time I've discovered how complicated a language English is!

And it all came down to this paper. But that turned out to be a bigger scam. I was told to tell them all the answers. And that's what I did. So now I know how they have passed all these years.

It is not really the teachers who are at fault. There is one teacher teaching class V six different subjects, that too at a ridiculously low salary.On top of that there are transfers and stupid government duties. How can you expect anyone to be that proficient? I can't expect anybody who'd like to either teach or study in those conditions.

Going there every Saturday is like entering a new world. A world that is completely alien to me. The place is no castle yet everybody is very happy. They don't complain or crib. Maybe because they know nothing better. Some of the children are genuinely very bright and so many of them really want to learn something. I just wonder what happens to them after this class.

And these kids are the future of our country.

This is it :)

They're done.



The papers have been over for a really long time now.

It has taken me more than a month to get over the laziness and get back to writing.

I have more exams in a month but I'm not really thinking about that for now :)

The happiness and relief have sort of faded away by now.

I don't exactly know what this post is supposed to say except that I'm back!

63 days to go

2nd November is 63 days away. * I started writing this post last week*

Exams that seemed millions of years away are finally year. I figured, since they're all that I've been thinking about, I might as well blog about them.

I don't remember the last set of November exams all that well. I wish I did. Maybe it would have taken some of the pressure of, knowing that I've been through it once.

I 've made my schedule. Nothing feels better than to tick a chapter in that little red book ( Sounds slightly Communist?).

My Dad keeps telling me to take it one day at a time. I prefer it that way as well but time really seems to be flying by. And every time I start talking of all those things I want to do after November he gives me this look and tells me to think of only the exams.

There's so much to do!

I didn't imagine it would be this tough. It is tough because there' s no constant evaluation. I have no idea how I'm doing or whether I'm really on the right track.

So this is what I've decided to do. Since I am really going to be at home for the next two months I am going to take out all my exam stress on the blog.

So this blog is going to witness all that I am going to go through as the exams get nearer *shudder*

Where I've been

I haven't touched my blog in three weeks.

There's been a million things I've wanted to write. But I never actually got down to writing them.

A LOT has happened in August.

I fell in love with the Olympics and ended up watching almost every event.

I went to Mussorie and travelled in a train after some 2 years.

I got up my result and have buried the shock somewhere deep inside after shedding copious amounts of customary tears.

I'm this close to start hating college.

I didn't meet a deadline for the first time ever. That advertising project never even got started.

Some friends have found their boys while other have broken up.

I am a grand richer after Rakhi.

I just bought myself a label-maker and I'm already addicted.

I've spent a lot of time in the basement grumbling about how tough this year is!

Half my sentences begin with " After November..."

I WANT

-Grandparents who are not dead.

-More sleep.

-Less classes/projects/assignments.

-Friends who don't crib.

-Friends who'll listen to me be the Crib Queen.

-The Van.

-A clear mind in the mornings.

-Best Friends whose phones are not unreachable.

-Lots and lots of chocolates.

-To shatter a glass vase into bits.

-To see Federer win again.

-To burn something.

-Attend a Birthday Party.

-A tight hug.

-To wail like a baby.

-To have nothing to do.

-To go see a movie.

-Smile.

PANICKING & SORTING

I've always had problems staying optimistic all the time. I do try to look at the positive side of most situations but its really not that easy.

I have periods where nothing according to me is right. I turn into a monster during those moments. I have no clue how my parents bear with all the tantrums and screaming sessions. The fact that they still let me stay with them is testimony to how patient they are :)

Over the years I've tried to find ways and means to try to make these mild panic attacks pass without causing too much emotional damage to people around me.

Last night I discovered yet another effective way!

It was a perfect day. The Lakshmi Nagar trip couldn't have gone better. I found the place, reached on time and the people were all really nice. For some strange reason I had one of my major panic attacks in the evening. There was absolutely no way I was going to start third year in such a foul mood. So I:

• Arranged all my books subject wise.

• Took out all my shoes/sandals and re-arranged them, categorising them into heels and flats.

• Took out everything from the dressing table and cleaned and threw away all the useless stuff, in the process discovering the obscene number of hair bands I possess.

• I found two old pairs of spectacles, both haven't been touched in years.

• I then decided to wash a couple of my suits. OK, it was one suit but for somebody whose always used a washing machine it was a lot.

• I cleaned out the pencil box, sharpened two new pencils and found a couple of pens I could use.

• I found the college bag and tried to fit in as much as I could ( I almost sound like a five year old whose going to school for the first time).

• I looked through my cupboard and decided what to wear.

• I then ironed the clothes.

By the time I finished it was quarter to one and the feeling had passed.

Hopefully, next time a lot less cleaning and sorting will do the job.

Mumma doesn't eat Chinese

So we're sitting at the dinner table when Mumma and I tell Papa about are lunch/parlour plan. He groaned about the high parlor expenses and then:

Papa: Please tell me you're not going to Subway for lunch?

Me: What's wrong with Subway?

Papa: You guys always go there.

Mumma: So?

Papa: Pick a new place, be a little adventurous! Why not Punjabi By Nature?

Me: You want me to pay ninety bucks for a roti.

Mumma: Why would we go without you?

Papa: KFC?

Me: *stares*

Mumma: *glares*

Papa: Fortune Cookie?

Me: Mumma doesn't eat Chinese.

Mumma: Why do you always say that?

At this exact moment I stared at my mother. She hates Chinese or at least that's what I've come to believe over the last couple of years. So I tried to double check. My last memory of us as a family eating Chinese definitely has Mumma complaining about the excessive smell of garlic. We've never gone out for Chinese since then ( discounting that brilliant meal in San Francisco).

Every single time anybody suggested Chinese I shot the idea down. "Mumma doesn't eat Chinese" was repeated countless times.

I haven't once considered that my Mum didn't really hate it as much as I thought/exaggerated.

I can't believe that for so many years she's never told me this. She's been watching me increase the degree of her hatred towards Chinese every single year. Not once did I sincerely ask her whether she'd go eat Chinese. I just assumed away and as a result denied myself some great meals.

But its all out in the open now. Mumma doesn't hate Chinese. So we're going to Lemon Twist tomorrow. YAY!

I am just glad that she finally admitted it.

Lessons from Strategic Management

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
-Will Rogers

Two men were passing through a jungle. They saw a tiger at a distance. One of them immediately started running away. "No use", the other claimed,"We cannot outrun him. We are sure to be killed". The first person replied ,"I need to outrun you, not him".

THE MAKINGS OF A BRILLIANT YEAR

I am not the new year kind of person. In fact, my family hardly ever manages to stay awake till midnighton the 31st. Somehow I tend to view my years according to the academic year. Thus, my new year is approaching!

Third year starts in 2 weeks and I just HAD to write about the brilliant 2007-08 I've had.

The "No Denim" Campaign

I hated wearing jeans in first year. Thus, my first agenda for second year was to stay as far away from denim as possible. I don't know how so many people are ok with walking around in that fabric in the heat. I found that I had enough skirts to last me an entire summer! So, I'm happy to report that the campaign was a success and I plan to re-launch it on July,16.

Saloni Sood for College Vice President

I was quite surprised that she wanted to run in the first place, but I'm proud of the job she's done over the year. Managing a campaign that eventually was a success, was the highlight of the year. The hours spent over making posters, deciding the agenda, trying to stay ahead of the other candidates and getting Saloni's hair to look presentable were all worth it. I also made some great friends along the way.

I will never forget the day of the election. To actually sit there in the control room and count the votes was just scary. But then nothing beats the feeling of knowing that Saloni had actually beaten everyone hollow.

Debating and all that jazz.

JMC discovered Parliamentary Debating. After a year of trying to work out the debating scene, we finally manged to get two respectable teams. We found our own practise place near the Amphi Theatre. We sometimes also manage to get an audience. I also discovered two amazing partners. I don't think JMC-A will ever be the same again without Natasha. I loved everything about this team. How we'd scream at each other and still be ok, how Natasha successfully inserted Economic theories in EVERY debate , how Saloni unsuccessfully tried the same with Psychology, how I screamed my lungs out every single time & how we gelled as a team so well. I can't wait to get back to all of this and more. And yes, we have to find a third.

Play something Country

After years of searching I found my type of music. If it weren't for World Space I'd still be listening to Pop(not that there's anything wrong with that). I love everything about Country Music. I am at that stage right now where I love all kind of Country. I'm still developing favourites. I love the lyrics, I love the sound of the Banjo and I love that Southern twang. I am also still trying to find somebody who ALSO listens to and loves Country Music. Maybe Nashville's the place where my search will end :)

Of Birthday treats and lots of chocolate

I still remember the first day of second year. How 5 of us piled into one auto to have dessert at Big Chill. It was the best day ever. We had 7 different types of dessert at 11 in the morning. That sort of set the tone for the year. We've had some great birthday treats this year. Luckily there was one every month so we always had something to look forward to. We went everywhere from The Nirula's at Chanakya(which has now been shut) to Nathus in Bengali Market, we even experimented with Mexican at Rodeo and braved the smoke to have some great humus at Hooka! All of these treats of course ended with some great meehta :)

Of 9 in a row

January brought all of us back to reality. Nothing can prepare you for nine exams in a row, not even the fact that we had given eight consecutively last year. I think we just became numb after the first 5. Beyond those, the rest suddenly just didn't matter. The fact that it was FREEZING didn't really help us. On top of that I am not the sort of person who can stay awake night after night. By the time I reached the first Saturday I was just flipping pages by twelve. But then it's an experience we'll never forget and all of us did manage to stay alive at the end. Kashika and Kari's long due birthday treat at the end of last papers was godsend :)

Van sisters,night stays & some more bonding

I love my Van. I don't know what I would have done without them. College would be so dull without the constant gossip,teasing and giggles. We've bonded even more this year. First year was all about trying to to get to know each other. By the time we got to second year we were inseparable.

The night stays on Saloni and Susan's birthday were so much fun that I can't wait to have another one. I don't know how and why we became so close. I think it's the fact the originally we weren't really expecting anything of each other. In fact the only thing we had in common was that we're all from Noida and that we all needed transport to college.We accept that none of us is perfect. And yes, we've had our fights but somehow everything works out perfectly in the end. The discovering-each other process has been great fun. Mumma used to always tell me about how I'd find great friends inc college and I know I've found mine.

Six weeks of trauma

If 9 papers in a row weren't enough we ended up having the same 9 papers stretched out to six weeks for the university exams. It wasn't made easier by the fact that there was a 2 week holiday exactly mid way. Again I am not sure how I survived through those but I am just glad they're over. It was hard enough to have Susan and Saloni laugh at us after they finished their papers way before us. It's something that I know is going to happened again next year but I don't think we'll ever be prepared for such kind of trauma. But then again we had a great post exams celebration complete with a triple scoop hot chocolate Fudge :)

AT THIS VERY MOMENT..

11:45 a.m :

I was sitting around in office today waiting for Uncle( the office handy man) to take out a couple of files. I looked at my watch and thought of everybody I know and what they would be doing at that very moment.

Mumma's probably reading a book with a cup of coffee/Iced Tea on the side table.

Papa's glued to the laptop/phone.

Henna's giving her Accounts paper.

Saumya's getting ready for Shantiniketan.

Pooja's probably trying to wake up Eshan for the afternoon exam or convincing him to at least study something ;)

Salo's preparing for an even better day in Poland.

Susie's stuffing herself with even more Non Veg food!

Eashan's giving an Evidence paper.

Ankita's probably working really really hard in office.

Lots of other people are filling the DU common admission form.

Kashika's attending some coaching class.

Kari is in a movie hall.

And Raman's probably on the phone.

Phew! That's a LOT of things to happen at the exact same minute!

PLAY SOMETHING COUNTRY..

I love country music. I am so grateful for worldspace and channel 197. If it wern't for UpCountry I'd probably never find my kind of music.

I've managed to catch a lot of country music over th elast few months an dI've loved every single bit, some more than the others.

Its amazing how there's a song about every emotion complete with the southern twang and banjo.

So here's a list of some of my all time favorites..

Busses, cars, and airplanes leaving

Burning fumes of gasoline

And everyone is running

And I come to find a refuge in the

Easy silence that you make for me

It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me

In the peaceful quiet you create for me

And the way you keep the world at bay for me

The way you keep the world at bay

-Dixie Chicks

So I'll just keep on singing

'til I hear the whole world singing those songs about me

and who I am

songs about loving and living and good hearted women

and family and God

yeah they're all just songs about me

-Trace Adkins

Remember when old ones died and new were born

And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged

We came together, fell apart

And broke each other's hearts

Remember when

-Alan Jackson


And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life

It’s like I just stepped outside

When everything was going right

And I know just why you could not Come along with me

This was not your dream

But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come And gone away

In even Paris and Rome

And I wanna go home

-Blake Shelton

KAROL BAGH, TAKE 2

I hated it the first time. I swore to never walk the same streets again. Yet, I find myself back in Karol Bagh for the sultry summers.

I think its the work that makes all the difference. This time around I've realised why I wanted to be an accountant in the first place. There's a lot of work and a lot to learn. For the first time, I want to learn more. I finally see a purpose and an end to the tremendous amounts of paper work. The cherry on top is that I just made an entire Balance Sheet on my own :)

I've also learnt so much about professional conduct. I've found out exactly what every accountant should be like.

I don't mind the heat, I don't mind being buried under files the entire day, I don't mind making mistakes and I don't mind the 3 hours of travel every single day.

In fact, I'm loving it!

What Ifs...

I hate to think of what could have been...

Yet, every time I make a mistake I will replay the moment over and over again in my mind, trying to think of better ways of handling the situation.

In school I used to think of answers for interjections till weeks after the debate. After exams I think of better answers or even answers to questions that weren't even asked.

It's almost like I'm consoling myself. Maybe if I had acted in a different way things would have fallen into place, decisions would be made in my favour or I'd get everything I ever wanted.

I think the whole exercise is pointless yet it takes a lot of willpower to not indulge in it anymore. The futility only dawns upon me when Mumma talks the same way. What if she had had let me do law, what if I had changed school, what if I was in a different college..

I think these questions are better left unanswered. In fact there isn't actually any way of finding out and I am happy not knowing

Tagged..

Q. Last movie you saw in a theater ?
A. Darjeeling Limited. Brilliant!

Q. What book are you reading ?
A. Tolstoy's biography and Jeffrey Archer's latest.

Q. Favorite board game ?
A. Scrabble, Business

Q. Favorite magazine ?
A. Reader's Digest

Q. Favorite Smell ?
A. Rain, Rajma, Cake

Q. Favorite Sound ?
A. Mumma's laughter

Q. The worst feeling in the world ?
A. Guilt

Q. The first thing you think of/say when you wake up ?
A. What time is it?/Hi!

Q. Favorite Fast Food place ?
A. Subway

Q. Future child's name ?
A. Noor

Q. 'If I had a lot of money, I would...' Complete this sentence -
A. Buy a house in Austria

Q. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal ?
A. No.

Q. Storm - Cool or Scary ?
A. Cool when you're inside, scary when I'm driving.

Q. Favorite Drink ?
A. Mango Shake

Q. Finish this sentence - 'If I had the time, I would..'
A. Exercise!

Q. Do you eat the stems on Broccoli ?
A. Sometimes.

Q. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice ?
A. Purple

Q. Favorite Sport to watch ?
A. Tennis

Q. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you ?
A. Great Listener

Q. What's under your bed ?
A. A Painting we bought from San Francisco and an anchor stitch kit

Q. Would you like to be born as yourself again ?
A. Absolutely.

Q. Morning person or Night Owl ?
A. Morning person forever

Q. Over Easy or Sunny side up ?
A. Sunny side up.

Q. Favorite place to relax ?
A. Mumma's room.

Q. Favorite Pie/Mithai ?
A. Apple Pie/Besan Ladoo, Gujia

Q. Favorite Ice Cream flavor ?
A. Chocolate