About the blog…. And what not to write in an exam.

Oh yeah people…about the blog…no, it’s not like I decided to abandon it or anything, but, I didn’t have the time to update it. Ok, maybe I did, but I didn’t have the heart to use my spare time writing a blog than playing games or watching movies.
How selfish of me.
Ah, but this doesn’t mean that you stop visiting my blog. Visit it regularly, and you may occasionally find a new post.
I was busy earlier with my pre-boards, and later, with enjoying the holidays after them, but I’m busier now, now that we’ve got our papers. I don’t suppose anyone need be told how horrible they were and how my parents are after me now to study harder, etc….how….not interesting.
Anyway, as you all know, I have amazing style, creativity, flair, (…blah, blah, blah,…) and imagination. So, I usually try to show my creative aptitude in my language papers. I’ll give you a very recent example:

Q. As a concerned citizen, you welcome the decision of the planning commission for a sharp increase in allocation for education, (…blah, blah, blah…). Write a letter to the editor sharing your views.
Now, we have a nice letter to write on our hands, and I don’t use my creativity? Nah…impossible. Here’s how it went (I’m serious):

156, My House Road
Wherever You Wish, 110099

76 January 2008

The Editor,
The Times Of India,
16, Their Building road
Wherever They Wish, 110099

Sir
Subject: Planning commission’s decision
This letter is regarding your article,” Allocation for education. Teachers rejoice as salaries increase” was excellent.(….blah, blah. Totally serious, to get marks, you kow…)
Yours faithfully,
Crystal Das Khan

Hohoho. Ok, I know it wasn’t funny, but most people don’t have the guts to do that, AND get a “good” in it (yeah!!!).
Well, adding a little humor to the language you know, is ok, but to the language you don’t know?? Don’t try it, kids, its harmful to your health (you see, you write dumb stuff, marks get cut, you get horrible marks, you get upset, parent see marks, parents get high BP, parents go to hospital, you under stress….so, bad for health)
Here’s what happened when I wrote totally idiotic stuff in my French paper:
Q. Write a message to your granma that you can’t come visit her this week-end cause ________ (make a shoddy excuse).
I wrote the whole message beautifully, but in the end I signed off:

Ta grand-fille,
Rakshas

NOT A GOOD IDEA. I didn’t know how to sign off. You can’t write “amicalement” can you? I wrote what I thought was for grand daughter and added a pretty little ah-so-humorous name, Rakshas. Now, I firstly signed off on the right, not left (damn), and grand-fille means nothing (double damn).
Teacher says: IS THIS WHAT YOU’VE LEARNT?
Ooops. I can’t believe she smiled as she gave me the paper.
I would love to go on rambling, but I gotto go study. Nooo….my mom isn’t standing behind me and prodding me in the back to go study. I’m going cause I want to, cause I like it, and I know that studying is better than writing blogs,and cause I love French, and chemistry too…as much I love ….. (whew!!! she’s gone.) HARRY POTTER

Wishes

Wishes for 2008 (may all this happen!)

1) More nice movies like Taare Zameen Par. The movie was very cute. It makes you laugh, makes you cry, and leaves you feeling good at the end of it. And the songs were too good. 'Meri Ma' makes you cry, and the title track has some very good lyrics. Can't stop humming it.

2) Real news - ok, I know I've written entries already criticizing the stupidness of news channels, but we seriously need some real news. Look at Aaj Tak. It started two almost similar news channels - Dilli Aaj Tak and Tez. Dilli passes its time sending its reporters around Delhi to show where to shop in Delhi (as if we don't know). Now, what is Tez to do? It shows clips of weird things going on around the world (like, off from 'world's most amazing videos'), or clips from reality shows (zoom in to Rakhi Sawant's cleavage, give her publicity, etc). But they crossed the limit recently. I was flipping through channels (I know, ne pas zapper, but still ...) and paused at Tez. There was a guy in their studio who looked like he hadn't bathed for a week, sitting and singing a song I'd never heard in a damn besura voice. I was just wondering what the hell this was about,when he abruptly stopped singing, raised his hand to his nose, and pinched it close. He them took a deep breath through his mouth, relaxed, and then began to open and pinch close his nostrils rapidly as to produce a nosy tune of the song he had been singing. When he stopped, I was choking with laughter, but the reporter calmly smiled and congratulated him on his 'kala'. Sheesh. News channels ke itne bure din aa gaye?

3) Old design - I really want the notebooks with the old designs back. The new ones by Janta Book Depot must be cheaper for the school, I suppose, for they do look like it. I hate the horrible green cover with black flecks. It looks diseased. I want the nice Tushar Publications notebooks back.

4) Ba dies - I'm not a horrible person that I want someone dead, and neither is Ba a vamp that she should die, but it's time she died. 'Kyunki Saas bhi...' has completed around a million episodes and Ba's grand children now have grand children, but that lady is still alive and kicking. I'm sorry Ba, but its time to go.

5) Pakistan ki gatha - I wish Pakistan turns into a nice democracy with true elections sans anymore bloodshed and its people live happily without fear. Mein kitmi mahan hoon. Meri jai ho!
Oh yeah, also, when Pakistan elects its PM, he/she will come to meet me personally cause thanks to my dua, he/she was elected.

6) Ed board - I become the main editor of the Ed Board. Atleast I'll ensure it won't suck as much as this year's did.

7) Whatever -whatever plans I have for this year may actually take place and not remain just plans.

8) Travel - I hope I travel abroad yet again. And due to Pre-Boards, I didn't even get to travel anywhere this winter.

9) Claire - I know this is very mean of me, but I hope a really cute guy comes instead of my host, Claire this year. A nice, sweet, shy and cute guy. Ok, I'll stop dreaming. French and cute and not my hosts boyfriend? Nah. Impossible.

10) Packaging dream - I know this won't happen, but I wish the Lays and other companies would use less plastic in packing their meagre amount of chips. How many times have you just opened a bag of chips and still had to reach really deep inside to get to them? And they're polluting the environment too, those assholes.

11) Etc - I wish for world peace, etc etc

What are your wishes this new year? SMS your wishes to 9877777777. Type 'wishes' your wish and win amazing prizes! (yeah right, you will...)

2007 Ki Jai

2007 is gone. I'm sad that it has, but you really can't hold on to anything for long, can you? I have to agree that it was an amazing year,and maybe more memorable than the last few.
When the year began, I really was expecting a lot from it. Firstly, because it's the last year with section F and also because I believe 7 is lucky for me. You all must have read in the newspaper how 9 occurred again and again in Benazir's life. It's similar for me. I'll tell you the gatha in another post.

This year was simply amazing. We got Lakshmi ma'am as our class teacher, and though we hated her sometimes, we loved her too, and couldn't deny that she taught us a lot. Then, the French exchange trip was too good. I was a bit baffled at first by the speed with which the people spoke French, but began to enjoy it too. I was lucky to have my host in Cognac (yeah! Cognac!), as I got to see Cognac, as well as Angouleme and Paris. Paris was pretty, but quite small, and the Eiffel tower was huge! There weren't cute guys in France at all, unlike what Meha had predicted (well, except for my host's boyfriend. Damn.). I also discovered (even though I expected it) that the French thought us, like, VERY backward, expected we slept on the floor and gasped in surprise when they found us using the Net or Hotmail. It was also hilarious sometimes, like when Vidisha's host turned out to be lesbian and when Utkarsh showed us the video of the theme park he went to, where the background of a kids' ride had pictures of nude girls. (Read all posts in May)

I sadly had to miss our assembly,which I can guess from descriptions, was horrible. Because -
a) very few were allowed to participate and
b) Sambhav was apparently selecting the songs (sheesh.)
c) etc.

Then, I also loved the time spent at my grandma's place with my cousins in the summer holidays, though it was a bit cramped in the 4-bedroom house. Everyone in the immediate family was staying there and it was one of the most wonderful times I spent with my family. Everyone was so caring and loving. Out of the 9 cousins, I'm the middle one, 4 older, 4 younger. It made me feel good inside to see how everyone cared about me. I wasn't left out of anything. I went with the adults to the hospital, I played with the little kids, I went shopping with the older kids, but, it would have been nice if we all hadn't met because my aunt was sick. We all used to laugh and smile around her, make plans how we'd go for a whole family trip to Shimla or some place, when she got well. She didn't. God bless her soul. (Read post She)

I had to work hard to catch up with work after the holidays and man, was it tough!
Since then, till now, I've been discovering work I haven't done and was supposed to do in the holidays.

My aunt died soon after the assessments, and my reaction to the news wasn't unlike the one I had on hearing that Benazir had died. I went "Huh? What? Are you serious?" It's a pity she left with dreams in her eyes of getting well, going for family trips and of one day showing me her home in Lucknow. I haven't been there yet. I don't think I want to go.

Then, I fell in love again. No, not that way... I fell in love with life. I don't know why I felt so happy and thankful for everything. This happened exactly after the half-yearly's. There was Saturday after the last test and Id on sunday. I spent the next few days visiting places around Delhi where I hadn't been before, and suddenly felt very thankful for being here, where I am. I realized that life couldn't get better than this. Well, it would be good enough if people stopped wanting more. That time, there was nothing I wanted and felt happy just looking around at the things I have. I kept smiling without a reason, being nice to the worst of people and was sooo happy for around one month till when it began to wear off a bit. I mean, seriously, we're so lucky! I go to Asia's best school, am born in the world's most culturally diverse country and live in the capital! Delhi is amazing, extravagant, diverse and I'm some of the lucky ones who live in Delhi, but not on the road. I was thankful to my great-great grandfathers for not going to Pakistan and to my parents for coming to Delhi. I have a father who is ready to blow a couple of lakhs so I can see the world. My mom is so lenient with me, (unlike other Muslim mothers who want their kids in burqas) and allows me to wear anything except the sleazy dresses. I have a loving brother, who only recently turned into a preacher, (after going to college). I don't know about you, but I love my country of a million different views, of billions of ideas, of thousands of languages, of a crore examples of hope and faith, of the everyday exercise of democracy and freedom, of people with the strength to stand up for their rights, of the many accommodated cultures, and I'm proud of my country who is willing to change without losing its roots from the past. Here is a country willing to keep you no matter which religion or caste you belong to. I've never not been accepted or made fun of because I'm a Muslim in a country where majority of people are Hindus. This general acceptance isn't found in all countries. And I really love my life because of all that.

Thanks a lot 2007, thanks a lot.
And oh yeah, Adi is still an ass. Time won't change my view about him.