Flying

It feels like a familiar feeling, the wind under my wings as I spread my arms. A half-remembered feeling, all I have to do is close my eyes and feel the surge. And I almost feel the wind billowing under my wings. I've tried rationalizing, telling myself what I remember is just walking across the street on a very windy day. Rising higher, higher.

Nine years since I wrote these lines. Longer since I've published anything here on. My very own time capsule, the drafts section. I'm looking at my reflection in a mirror light years away from me, and I don't know if I recognize the person staring back at me.

Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe not. I had felt like I had literal wind beneath my literal arms/imaginary wings when we'd drive in relative darkness on a freeway. A half-remembered feeling. My feet and my head are more grounded these days, and now I only vaguely recollect that I used to feel like I was flying at some point in time.

All this to say that I've lost the thread that this fanciful introduction was gently tugging at. It was going to be something about the wonder that the almost-flying brings with it, I think.

It feels like flying, but maybe, we're dying. - A song popular on TikTok/Instagram these days, released in 2019. (At least one of these platforms didn't exist when I started writing this.)

Vacations

Semester ended, and vacation begun twenty minutes later. Had a nice dinner, started with a road trip a couple of hours later. Saw and stayed in a beautiful house in a quiet hilly town filled with books on almost every possible topic under the sun. Grabbed a bike and pedaled along a brook gushing by in no time. Realized I've read way too many Agatha Christie/Enid Blyton type mystery novels, set in small, peaceful, beautiful towns - saw a potential clue to solving a mystery every ten seconds. Almost had a plot form in my head, but not quite. Read a Kipling short. Slept in an attic. Went up to a skiing resort not too long before the sunset, didn't ski but thought the ride more than made up for it. Figured I was more of the 'stare silently out of the window and look at all that is happening' than the driving types.

Went for a stroll in the town that looked frozen in 1800s. Found an odds and ends shop that had a section for old books. Felt like books were the element the corner was made of, and that the supporting furniture existed just to break the monotony every couple of inches. Had dinner outside by the lantern light, with the sound of rushing water making a nice filler for conversations. One of those times everything comes together perfectly, the companionship, the food, and the ambiance. Simulated what can be called a four-person-seater race car on an air mattress by making use of an Xbox player thoroughly engaged in the game as the driver.

Drove back up to our apartments after two very reinvigorating days, and then left soon enough for the polar opposite. Had amazing dinner once again, and then drove across the river. Stared at skyscrapers and the millions of reflections twinkling in the river. Got me thinking about how two places that look completely different can fill you up with the same sensation of wonder. Came back home in the wee hours of morning. Said goodbyes to friends, caught up with sleep.

Left for the Big Apple once again, with a different set of people. Covered about twenty four blocks walking in the park, paid homage to John Lennon. Wondered if there were two buildings that looked the same. Saw huge dinosaurs, very high concentration of neon lights beaten only by the density of people in the square. Extricated people from Barbie store. Saw buildings and Jack Sparrow figures built out of Lego. Bought four huge posters. Felt good that I finally had a better idea of the city, well, an island at least. Saw the city transform into a sea of lights from over 1200 feet above sea level. Got reminded of this comic strip I had accidentally come across - talked about how you get happy first, and then go find the reason. Ended the year with rather uninspiring show of fireworks, we were just too far away. The mad huddle dance after that made up for it.

Came back home, slept a lot. Finished Sherlock, including the series two premiere. Can't wait for the next episode. Felt the familiar sensation of time passing by very quickly when I'm enjoying myself. The break has been good, good fun so far.

Drafts

Felt like I hadn't posted anything in a long time, got that itchy feeling that you get when you want to write something but you're not sure what it is that you want to write. Some people call that a writer's block, I think.

Anyway, so I found these drafts that I never finished, some are as old as this blog itself. One of these has a half story that takes off on a depressing tangent from Bobby McGee, another has some random rant while this other draft talks about my astonishment at where one year at college went, and yet another has something whimsically ridiculous. (You know, tandoori jokes types. And if you don't know what tandoori jokes are, well, some people would say you're lucky. BUT YOU'RE NOT. Now, where was I? Oh yeah.) Hmm. It's like having an argument. You want to say a lot of things when you're pissed off, but give it 5 minutes and then you rethink, and maybe mellow down your tone or discard the idea of rebutting whatever it was that you thought needed rebuttal. (Brevity really isn't my thing, is it? Neither are analogies I guess, no?)

Thing is, I don't know if I could ever finish any of those drafts. But I won't get rid of them either, part of me still thinks I would get around and finish these pieces and maybe they'll turn out a tad more than OK. But then this is the same part of me that wanted to learn guitar, speak German and finish off the tiny bag I stitched for myself on a Sunday in second year. (No really, I did. Ask Juthika. She finished her bag, btw. Hey, mine only has a handle-strap left, okay?)

Yeah, that's about all I had to say, I suppose. (Post for post's sake, this feels like. I should stop talking in broken English.)

PS. Heh, I could be a female JD from Scrubs! (That would be great, right? Although I think there are way too many people who've said this about themselves, sounds wannabe-like than an honest observation. Right, I should sleep. Maybe a critical version of JD.)

Oddity

Fell sick just as Finals week starts. Not cool.

Hmm, this could have been a tweet.

What electricity failure can do, that internet access cannot.

So a major thunderstorm in North-East US killed the electric supply to our building. As we speak, (you read, I type, mostly I type - did you know this guy who bought the domain IPhone.com way back in early 90s when internet telephony was being invented now became a millionaire thanks to a certain company which can have people paying 800$ should they start selling bricks prefixed with an i? - Google it. Anyway, back to subject matter,) the electric providers auto voice thingo informs me that the cause has been identified, (it was indeed the thunderstorm) and now they're thinking up of how to fix things.

Anywhoo, the point I'm trying to make is that I did something creative. I opened a word processor (Open Office, bitchez), but couldn't really write much. So I opened MS Paint (oh bite me) and played around with colours, edited what I'd done in Picasa, got an idea and used Paint some more and then Picasa some more.
Right, point is, this is what I made, and I don't care what Mr. Artsypants Mc Mystuffhangsingalleries thinks.
Using my friend's (who is always hungry, bored and sleepy, usually all at the same time) favourite internet emoticon so I can expression my emotions in brief, I <3 colours =)

To all the second graders who think they can do better, bring it on! To Ms. OoImgrownUp Imintellectuallol, my blog. I put up what I want to.

(Psst. Click on the pics to enlarge them.)

Bitten by the bug.

Not done too well, but I'm rather smug about the fact that I didn't need to use any extra conjugates. Missed out on a lot of songs, but got a little tired. Do let me know how many you figure out =)
And yes, you need to be a fan to make any sense out of this.

Picture yourself in a train on a station with a ticket to ride when I get to the bottom while my guitar gently weeps because the wind is high for I have got a letter in your bag for me so hold me tight... it's you, a real nowhere man, your lips are moving, I cannot hear, and my advice to those who remember to let her into her room, isn't it good and I can't forget the time Mother Superior jump the shadow hanging over me; oh it won't be long before this dance is through please remember how I feel when you talk about destruction,don't you know that you can get high with a little help from the eggmen, they are all aboard; many more of them broken hearted people living in the octopus's garden near long and winding road and the way she looked at me was beyond compare, so how could I be there beneath the blue suburban skies so please love me for taking the easy way out but when you talk about destruction, don't you know that nothing's gonna change my world so why on earth should I moan... life goes on and she promises the earth to me and I love her, my Michelle.

(Almost) a year older and none the wiser

I still like more animated movies than non animated ones.
I still can fit in stuff I've had for 8 years.
I still find Tom and Jerry funny.
I still procrastinate.
The idea of a picnic out in a green place on a warm sunny yet windy day still excites me.
I still gaze up at the night sky and find it enchanting.
I still like finding amusing shapes among clouds, and cook up random stories describing how their day was.
I still find homework annoying.
I still get homework.
I still have a course whose title begins with 'An introduction to'. (NLP, btw.)
I still get excited about my birthday, and love bugging people to see their (virtual if actual is not possible) reactions.
I still get giggling fits for no reason.
I still sing the songs I used to sing as a kid when I play Antakshari.

I'm never going to grow up, am I? Not too sure if I want to either. Peter Pan, take a bow :)