A Few Thoughts

India lose by 95 runs to Australia. 

Once, we've over all the 'ooh's and 'aah's, let's just see what happened today. 

Sydney Cricket Ground, with a capacity of 42,000 people, is empty. As Harsha Bhogle interviews Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid on what should be the best approach for Australians and Indians today, you can see, the Indian Cricket Team practicing it out behind. The gates open and people start coming in like swarms of bees. Blue and yellow. The only two colors that you can identify. There's this excitement and immense amount of nervousness. Is it the crowd unanimously screaming or is it the sound of the heart thumping hard? 

Well, I'm not much of a cricket expert here. I'm not particularly sure if I can really differentiate between a cover drive and a pull shot(wait, I think I can do this one!). But, here are a few things about today's game. Smith performed brilliantly. That was a wonderful knock. Not something that we, Indians, will be particularly happy about, but, yes, there's no denying that that knock was wonderfully executed. India bowled well. They could've done better during the death overs. The support in the field was amazing. The Indians had transformed the SCG into Wankhede completely. The atmosphere was electrifying. Well, after playing 50 overs and with some wonderful contributions, Australia posted a total of 328 runs. That's a really huge target for a world cup semi final. HUGE! I could feel the pressure over our guys. A hell lot of pressure, for sure. 

They come out to bat. Initially things looked good. With Dhawan hitting the runs and inching closer to a half century and Rohit, slowly rotating the strike, it seemed like a winnable match. But, Dhawan soon lost his wicket. And then we lost a few more. All of a sudden, we were 4 wickets down, required run rate climbing up, Australian bowlers getting more and more confident with each ball they bowled and yes, the hearts of a billion (minus a few thousand) Indians slowing down. By the end of the batting powerplay, we knew we had let the match slip out of our hands. Painfully so. And we did lose. And by a huge margin, let's admit that. 

(Funny how a few terms like "execution" and "contribution" coupled with a few statements borrowed from the post-innings shows, can make you sound like a Sunil Gavaskar in a post match press meet.)

We lost. Am I heartbroken? Yes. Am I sad? Hell, yeah! 

Am I disappointed? Yes, here's why:

Remember how I mentioned a billion minus a few thousand hearts in the last paragraph? Let me explain that. Open your facebook account. Go through your news feed. So, you'll find a bunch of excited Indians posting in erratic grammar about how much they love the Indian team and how "hashtag-we-won't-give-it-back", "hashtag-we'll-win", "hashtag this" and "hashtag that". Support for the team with erratic grammar, accepted. But, bullshitting about the Indian team and it's members? "Hashtag" not accepted! 

You're Indians, remember? I'm not asking you to go sacrifice your life at the border. But, you can support your guys out there, it's really not that "un-cool". You should! And do you really think a single person can make all the difference in a match? Why is cricket a team sport then? And what's with the whole thing behind Anushka Sharma turning up for the match? Isn't Virat Kohli, and Virat Kohli alone, to be blamed for his performance (or rather, the lack of it)? 

A few more things. A presenter, "I-don't-even-bother-to-remember-the-name-of" and who was nicknamed a**hole (rightly so) by my mum (oh, yeah, she's expanding her 'vocabulary'), asks Dhoni if this was his last World Cup. Haha! That man was out his mind! And what a fitting reply was given by Michael Clarke. Respect, man! You earned it. You've gotta give some amount of appreciation to them, they performed wonderfully. There was some tension (polite word for sledging) in the field. But, that part, where they come rushing to see if Yadav wasn't hurt too bad, was bliss! That's what true cricket's about. Or any sport, for that matter. 

We took a lot of things from this particular match. I wish we could've taken a victory too. Well. 

Mammoth bottle diaries

Have I ever written a post on just one person? Maybe not. I did write about my friends exactly two years back. About how I will miss them and how much they mean to me. And yes, I do miss them and yes, they still do mean the world to me. But, coming back to the point where I started, I've never written about one specific person. Today I will. I met this person about a year ago in summer. And since then, I've been in love. To my beloved family, before you start jumping to conclusions, let me tell you that this post's about Aayesha(She's a girl and she's a baby)! ;)

I'm sitting in my school bus. It's been an exhausting, uneventful day. Exhaustingly uneventful. There's no one in my bus of my age. But, it's filled with little children. Cute, little, children. And they're all a little too excited for 12.30 pm. Well, they always are. So, I'm sitting on one of the last seats (because that's where the 'seniors' belong). And in front of me, there are two kids, one of them is Aayesha. I'm not particularly sure about how her name's spelled. But, I am using two 'A's just so you get the pronounciation right. I've 'suffered' a lot because of the absence of another A in my name. Anyways, coming back to Aayesha, I'm not even sure of her surname. But, what's in a name, right? Let me give you a little description. She's tiny but quite tall for her age. She's got these two large brown eyes on her round, cute, chubby little face. She's pretty thin, all the fat's stored up in her cheeks. Her hands are small, very small. I wonder how does she hold her oversized bottle in her tiny, little palms! And she's beautiful. She used to have long brown hair tied up in a messy ponytail(that diva!). But, now, she's chopped off her locks. But, she's still very pretty! 

She's sitting next to a boy, much smaller in height. I think his name is Rudraksh. I asked him his name and he muttered something that my mind couldn't register. But, I think it was Rudraksh. And they're upto no good. Here's what these toddlers are doing: Emptying the water of their mammoth bottles into tiny cups that fit over them and then throwing it all around. These kids! Also, these bus rides can teach you a thing or two about bus conductors. There are two kinds of them. The first kind, who love kids. The second kind, who don't. The one in my bus probably doesn't. He's sitting on the first seat and grunting every time he hears these kids giggling away to glory. 

Kids laugh so much. And their laughter's so loud and clear, without any hesitance or restraint. Plain, honest, hearty laughter. And they'll laugh at almost anything. Oh, a kid tripped, let's laugh! Oh, the bus halted, laugh! Oh, he's laughing, I'll join him! 

Some of the kids have dozed off on their seats. The bus stops near the house of one of them with a 'slight' jerk. But, these tiny inertia lacking organisms start falling hither thither, holding on to each other's hands for dear life!!!

Aayesha gets scolded by the conductor for being too mischevious. I feel bad for her and give her a don't-worry-he's-just-an-idiot smile when she turns around to look at me. She shies away and whispers something in Rudraksh's ear. These kids whisper in a peculiar manner. Almost attempting to bite the ear of the other person! 

I can hear a kid singing a song out loud. And he very flamboyantly says at the end of that song, "Yo yo honey singh-a". I know what you're thinking. That man's everywhere, ain't he? 

Well, we reach her house. And she gets down the bus and waves her tiny hands to say good-bye! We'll meet tomorrow again with a new set of mischiefs and the mammoth bottle. 

Mum calling!! Got to go!

Uh, what's the weather exactly like?

"What's the weather like?" 

"It's nice and sunny". The moment you hear Siri say anything like that, be prepared for some good amount of rainfall before the day comes to an end.

Two weeks ago, we were all cribbing about how cold it is. I used to be completely curled up in my blanket. Mom used to sit in front of the good-for-nothing heater and warm her hands and make an unsuccessful attempt to warm mine. And we used to crib, yes of course. We thought about the good old days in the eastern part of the country where one could hardly differentiate between summer and winter. It always seemed hot. It is perpetually summer all through the year there. I don't have a thing against winter. In fact, I kind of like it. But, it's only good when you can stay rolled up in your bed, blanket over your head, all day long. That doesn't happen in real life, so, my fondness for winter is limited(obviously!).

Two days back, I was having a tough time trying to sleep. I went to bed at about 12 and then I remember not getting any sleep at all. I checked the time, it was 12.44 am. I think I slept thirty minutes later. The reason behind my troubled sleep: It was not hot enough to turn on the fan, and not cold enough to use the blanket. So, I switched on the fan on a really low speed. Put the blanket over me, one leg sticking out. And slept. I woke up again, in the morning. Around dawn. Why? Because, suddenly I felt cold. So, I switched off the fan, blanket over my head, and dozed off. 

What do you think the weather is like right now? 

Well, it's been raining since yesterday. And not the drizzle-kind-of-rain, it's the rain-kind-of-rain! Wind's blowing wild, and it's pretty chilly outside. It's chilly inside too! The clouds have covered the sky. The sun's playing peek-a-boo. And we're all confused about the weather. 

Siri's prediction though for the next few days? Warm and sunny. ;)

P.S. We love you Siri, we do (even though you kind of declined my polite request to be my valentine, because you lacked a corporeal form!) ;) 

So, believe, that magic works!

There's this quote which says, if you don't believe in magic, you'll never find it. Pardon me for not quoting the right words. It's 23.00 in my part of the world and it's been a long & tiring day. So, you really can't blame me for not doing some research before writing this post. Coming back to the quote, we all kind of get the meaning, right? How can you ever discover something if you don't believe in its existence! 

The super boring history textbooks(I got rid of 'em long back, phew!) from our lower classes tell us about Vasco da Gama, the famous Portuguese explorer, known for discovering a sea route to India all the way from Europe. You think he did that without a belief in the existence of some land miles away? Nope, that's not how things work. 

But, I'm not here to talk about history or to discuss geography. So, you needn't worry. The reference to VdG was made to make you realise something very important, i.e, unless you really want something, believe in that something, it's kind of impossible for you get that 'something'. 

So, I realise that the above sentence makes no sense. It sounds vague. And like something out of old feel-good movies. But, let's just analyse that stuff again. 

It's true, right? How do you ever plan to find happiness if you don't believe in it? How will you find love? True friendship? Success? Joy? Pleasure? 

If you don't believe that there's something good out there waiting for you to come and grab it with all your strength, you might never find it. It's like the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter. It's only better because things that you really want and things that you look for, not only come before you, but, they actually materialise. 

So, there are two things. a) You really want that 'something' b) You believe in the existence of that 'something' 

And voila! With just a pinch of hardwork and perseverence, you'll get all that you've ever wanted. You've got to put in the hardwork too. Nothing comes for free in this world of ours, sorry! 

So, set your goals. Work out your plans. Execute them with perfection. And every once in a while, take in a deep breath. Look around. Don't just sip the coffee, take in its aroma. Don't just work, enjoy every moment of it. Don't just sleep, dream. And most importantly, keep believing. Have faith. Always. And let the magic come looking for you. 

Hold on.

Memories. Some highly convoluted part of your brain holds them. Holds on to them very tightly. Granting you access everytime you want. You can keep storing stuff for the rest of forever. It's never 'full'.

We make memories every year. The good ones, the not-so-good-ones, the too good ones, the pretty ones, the ugly ones... The list can go on forever...! 

When things end, well, they end. And more often than not, you feel bad. The end of a good movie, a fun trip, your favourite show or your phone balance! xD Of course, there is this other kind of endings, the one you look forward to. The end of a bad rom-com, the end of your exams, a rough time, a long tiring walk, etc.

When a year ends, we have a really crazy feeling inside us. A sense of anticipation and anxiety about the year to come. But, we also look forward to creating some awesome memories and having new experiences. 

You'll always find a bunch of people around you swearing about the year that just ended. But, here's something for them(or for you, in case you happen to be one of 'em), you're exactly where you're supposed to be. I'm not much of a fatalist, but, I do believe in the saying that the Universe has got a plan and the plan's always in action. Always. 

So, go ahead. Make new memories. Enjoy 2015. Make it your best year. But, hold on to the previous ones. Hold on tightly, for they do offer you a lot more than you think. 

Start filling the pages of a brand new diary. And as they say, write a good one. :) 

A Brand New Beginning

Cuddling puppies, warm blankets, a cup of coffee, clothes that effectively hide your fat, presents, cookies, cakes, jingles, fogs and in some luckier parts of the world, snow. 

Winter. 

Christmas.

New Year. 

There's something special about this time of the year. The air feels fresh. Winter mornings offer you a breathtaking site. Dense fog, pearl like tiny dewdrops on leaves. A stillness around you. The birds take their own sweet time to come out of their nests. The sunrays touch your face, gently, very gently. Just to make you aware of its presence. Just to provide you with the warmth that you yearn for when the temperatures dip into the 10s.

That's winter. 

The trees shed their leaves, animals seek comfort underground. The year's coming to an end. "How did this year get over this fast?", that's exactly what we're thinking right now.

We've reached the end of a book. But, there are many more pages to be filled, many more books to be written, stories to be created and shared.

So does winter signify an ending?

Nope. Look carefully. 

It signifies a brand new beginning. 

Choose.

Friends.

Google the word and you'll find hundreds of dictionary definitions, dozens of sites which help you make new friends and stay in touch with the old ones, and almost a million stories on friendship written by the likes of Blyton, Bond, etc.

But, are mere words enough to express the essence of this word or this relation? 

No.

Our body holds the most advanced machine on this planet. The Brain, lodged in a compartment of the skull, the cranium. We think, analyse, act. We choose. We decide. And all of this is controlled by this organ weighing less than 1.5 kilograms. So, isn't it natural to think that we "choose" our friends? 

We don't. We can never choose such stuff. You make friends by accident. And once you've made a friend, there's no going back. 

It's been almost two years since I left my old place and shifted to this city. Making friends was tough initially. I was reluctant to do that. I felt I had exhausted my capacity of forming new ones. Now, I know, it just wasn't the truth. So, yes, while the master organ above, made me think that I didn't need friends, life whispered that I do. 

So, to conclude, don't plan to choose your friends(otherwise you'll just keep waiting forever), choose to make friends. 

Keep smiling! :)