I came across this one while randomly surfing the web instead doing some work. Liked it. So, here it is....

Love and Friendship

 Love is like the wild rose-briar;
Friendship like the holly-tree.
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms,
But which will bloom most constantly?

The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again,
And who will call the wild-briar fair?

Then, scorn the silly rose-wreath now,
And deck thee with the holly's sheen,
That, when December blights thy brow,
He still may leave thy garland green.

--Emily Bronte

That was part of the first FORTRAN program I wrote when I was trying to do my lab assignment last semester. (At this point, I should probably mention that I am going to be rambling rather pointlessly since I have nothing specific to write about). That lab assignment was the only one that I finished with a little time to spare. The rest were handed in with a sigh of relief at about 11:58 pm on the day of the deadline. It didn't end there. I am still trying to build my resonant LCR circuit (when I am not grubbing around trying to build my steam engine, that is). I have been spending 45 minutes trying to solder 2 little wires together only to end up with green looking gunk on the wires which stubbornly refuse to solder together. I finally solder one pair together to spend an hour on the next one. At the end of all of which the circuit resonantes at some strange frequency miles away from the one I need....Phooey!

Been reading some fiction by Nora Roberts lately. It's the standard novel kind of stuff which you can just keep reading. People meet, fall in love, some bad guy chases them around for a while and everything works out in the end. Got home late one night and found that the movie version of Blue Smoke, which I had just recently read was showing on TV. Sat down to watch it and was sorely disappointed. I think the only movie version of a book that I really liked was 'Gone with the wind' (after my initial disappointment over Rhett Butler being so old). All other movie versions have been letdowns. I don't know if this just happens to me or to other people too. The characters always look different from what I imagine them to be and of course story lines are compressed and whatnot.  In this case, the guy wasn't good-looking enough and the woman's hair wasn't red enough (or so I thought) and half the people who die in the book were alive and kicking at the end. Disappointing indeed.

Took a trip to NYC this weekend, my first this year. Mostly to bid farewell to Nandan who's moving to California. Succumbed to tempatation and bought the fourth GRRM book. Also went to Macy's, lured by a huge sale. The store was so huge that I couldn't find what I wanted and was starting to get mad.  That's one thing that drives me crazy in this country, the staggering number of choices for anything. I once gave up on buying ice-cream simply because I couldn't make up my mind. There's even about six kinds of garlic available in the supermarket.

I was supposed to go to the gym, but I guess my laziness coupled with the fact that is really cold outside has put paid to that. Maybe I'll give it one last try...  

Q. There were once three siblings. The middle one was called Chotu. What were the other two called?

A. Cho-one and Cho-three...

(Don't kill me puhleeeeeeeese!)

The only idea behind bringing this up was because that's what I have begun referring to my three little cousins as. Thanks to their company over the past three weeks, I have also started living a 3-6-9 year old existence (well almost. Since being 9 years old demands excellent PS II, or is it PS III skills??, I think I am not quite there).

After years of being a sad/melancholy Hindi/Bengali song singer, I suddenly caught my self humming 'Sponge Bawwwwwwwwwb! Square Paaaaaaaaants!' the other day with great relish. And that was only the tip of the iceberg. My bedtime reads nowadays include 'Charlotte's Web' and 'Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People'. Not to mention 'Scary stories that you read in the dark' or some such book complete with groaning ghosts and random screeches. I love it !

Cho-three, the tiniest, is all of three and has a fun time staying at home all day. (Yeah no playschool and all that, they don't start all that till 4 or 5. Lucky kids!). Talks nineteen-to the dozen (not that that should impress me, you would think) but after having seen kids of that age talk in Hindi/Bengali/some other Indian language so far, it amazes me to see this little guy running around with a gun saying, "Gotta shoot the bad guys!" followed by this machine-gun type sound which I try to imitate but with no success whatsoever. (Apparently I am pretty bad at being a 3-yr old too).

Cho-two is six, and is perenially in awe of the fact that I am 22. She once introduced me to her friend as, "This is my cousin sister, and she's 22." I wish there was some way I could tell her that she's welcome to change places with me any day. In some ways she does remind me of myself, mostly when she's kicking up a fuss about not going to ballet class (substitute with 'singing class' in the case of yours truly). Other than that, I seem to remember myself as mostly a bookworm at that age and not much else comes to mind. Should ask my Mom about that sometime.  

This vacation is also rolling to a close. Classes start Tuesday. I'm looking forward to getting back. Back to bowling Fridays and other sundry stuff:)

...in the course of my readings.

'Percy wouldn't recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby's tea cozy.'

--Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling.

I am curious as to how one could do that though.

'...he felt a flash of jealousy as do friends when they lose another to love, especially those who have understood that friendship is enough, steadier, healthier, easier on the heart. Something that always added and never took away.'

The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai.

This book I picked up on a recommendation by Beerbal. A gently-paced book I found it, though I seem to have missed the larger point.

...is upon me. In a new place, far away from home. I ushered the new year in sniffling in a restroom while a bunch of people greeted each other happily in chorus. Oh well...It's not so much that I don't know people that makes me miserable as the thought that I had my place in people's lives and I threw it all up to get an education...Pffft!

It wasn't all that bad though. Spent the hour before that shaking a leg to some Himesh music (Unforgiveable I know, but what the heck, I enjoyed it)! And so another year crept past. Kray claims the year went down the drain, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that. I wonder why he said it for that matter. I am nowadays kept busy deleting those same empty wishes from my mailbox, hopes for a peaceful, prosperous year in which all my wishes shall be fulfilled. George Bernard Shaw said, 'Life contains but two tragedies. One is not to get your heart's desire; the other is to get it.' The more I see, the more I realise that this business of getting what you want is highly over-rated.    

I have a few New Year resolutions. Nothing over the moon, nothing I couldn't resolve to do on any other perfectly non-special day of the year but anyway...

1. Get back into shape.
2. Run a marathon maybe (or a half-marathon at least).
3. Find myself a research advisor.
4. Take up a hobby/activity which does not involve inordinate amounts of alcohol.
5. Speaking of alcohol, taking a trip to New York City for the purpose of educating my mind and not just doing some more liver damage:)
6. Learn to swim. (Reading over my previous posts, I see that learning to swim as a theme has been popping up quite regularly. Maybe it's time to get down to it...or maybe not as we shall see). 

If I were to look back on the last year, it was a mighty interesting year in many ways. For one, I graduated. Discovered that I actually like chemistry. At least enough to pursue it for another five years. Where this road will lead to after that I don't know, but then I never did think in terms of long-term goals anyway. All I know for now i that somewhere along the line, I hope to be back in India. (Inspite of accusations to the effect that I have become 'Amrufied', I plead innocence).   

Had a fun time in New York City with Divya (aka Dibba) and Sheetal, a friend of hers from Delhi. It was a reunion of the 'Spinsters' Fun Club', the singles' club that Dibba founded in Delhi, and then created an IITB chapter of, of which I am a proud member to date. Many members came and went but the two of us remain true to our cause. A memorable trip indeed, we journeyed from Jackson heights to Little Italy with a quick trip to the Met , the Empire State Building, Central Park on a bleak and blustery day and what have-you. Tons of good food (prompting Resolution# 1), lots of home-made instant coffee and an eggless cheesecake...A word of advice - Never brashly volunteer to make cheesecake in an establishment that does not have a hand-mixer. It is the worst kind of culinary torture to make a smooth cheesecake batter with your arm sunk in the stuff elbow-deep. Turned out pretty well though I do recommend the egg version. A memorable trip indeed. Also met some people after a really long time. The principal theme of news nowadays is people tying the knot. That's the news I seem to be getting left, right and centre. I for now though am keeping the SFC banner flying !

I cannot write poetry. I have always admired (and been in awe of) the people around me who write meaningful poetry while I get the feeling that I am hopelessly challenged in  that direction.

One night, however, struck by a massive fit of blues, too restless to sleep, crying tears into my pillow, I felt that I was in a frame of mind (and soul) to write some heart-wrenching ode. Maybe my angst wasn't genuine enough, for any line ending with 'pain' led me only to words like 'train' (or worse, drain:P).  All of which is further evidence to prove that I am an unromantic soul. Giving up all hopes of writing any worthwhile stuff, all my attempts that night led to this resolve...

Henceforth when I feel morose,

I think I shall stick to prose!

For all attempts at writing verse,

Simply make me feel much worse.

Terrible I know:P But it did have the much-needed effect of cheering me up.

Have lots to write about. But all that another day...