Jijima

                          Jiji.

Someone to talk to, and someone to laugh with,

Someone to fill the house with.

Someone to love, and someone to fight with,

And someone to give a good night kiss.

I wrote this on a paper napkin, about a year or two ago. It, I think, sums up me and jiji quite nicely.

Well, she's in Australia now, for good. Considering that I've been staying in campus since two and half years, it really doesn't make much of a difference. And I've been occupied with something or the other since she left, but I miss her at the oddest moments.

We exchange nice, long e-mails; the chance of us ending up bickering is the least there, and, oh, she writes the loveliest letters:

Dec 21st, 2010

Hows u? Me good. It's 6:00pm already! Ll. Day one is mel is almost over and I did nothing! Lol. It's COLD. Colder than our winter. Sun sets around 8:30 though.. that is a little weird..

Didn't go out yet.. still lazing around.. I can see the tram stop from the balcony. And a graffitied wall! Lol. The house is nice. But cold.. The old one was warmer..

It's all Christmassy here! :D 

..

I had a nescafe mocha [cappuccino] today. It was thicker than its Indian version. Or maybe the full cream milk made the difference. Lol. It was certainly better than the nescafe cappuccino we get in hyd. And it's not called cappuccino here.. It just says thick, creamy coffee... Hehe..

          ..

.         Dec 22nd, 2010

Hey!

Nice to see such a long reply! :D Nice to know you all doing good. Yeah, heard about the temperature being so low.. It's pretty much the same here.. 9C/22C min/max. Thankfully, we have heaters here.

We went to the Dandenong Temple today! Will share some pics of the peacocks there, later.. 8:30 pm sunset is really weird.. Will take some getting used to. We were out there till around 7:30-8:00 and it felt like 5:00.. And suddenly, you are talking dinner and it's not even dark yet! Dinner is like at least couple hours after sunset, not with the sunset. lol.

The tram tracks are right behind our home and we can hear trams passing by...

There's a street nearby called Rafa Court! [Random tid-bit I thought you might find interesting..]

          ..

 

 I'll end this with a Happy New Year to everyone who's reading. 

An extended Christmas

As far as celebrations go, there were none at home yesterday. But they say that Christmas is a time for family (or something like that), and if we go by that, it's been Christmas since Dec 10th, the day my vacation started.

Here's some Christmas laughs, if you care: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSiWARyuD_I&feature=player_embedded#at=261

Epiphany

Here's Epiphany, my contribution to On The Rocks 2010 (the magazine of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad.)

Oh, and I've lost count of the number of times I've recited (much like a child answering her teacher, I'm afraid) that epiphany is a moment of sudden realization.

All I trust

19th Oct, 2010

Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumber

And when you wake up-Wake up!

It tells me all I trust I give my heart to

All I trust becomes my own

--from the lyrics of 'I Have Confidence' (The Sound Of Music)

Trust. How... oh, I can not find the right words, but how beautiful, how comforting it is, when there is trust, somewhere deep in your heart, and... oh, I do not know.

Live by the day

Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all life really means.

R L Stevenson.

Dear Nitika, you must learn some of Elizabeth Bennet's* philosophy: "Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.'' 






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*Jane Austen's heroine in Pride and Prejudice.

#tilts head#

Why does my Blogger text editor insist on underlining the word 'blog' in those red, curvy lines that say 'word not found in dictionary'?

Looking back...

Written in then end of July. Typed and edited on Oct 19th. Posted on the first day of my winter break.

The last one month of my summer break was --- unsolitary(if you'll allow me to invent words). Intoxicating, really. I remember warmth and laughter and sudden spells of despondency that were shooed away by some activity or the other. And ‘Cuz I am entirely too much a tactile person (and in no particular order),

Impressions of a summer break. In touch.

Daddy: I linger in his embrace longer than customary—I feel an intense comfort there, then an equally intense resentment when he pushes me away.

Ma: I find my way into the kitchen, and begin to wash the dishes. She reaches from behind and says, “I love you”. Again, she withdraws much sooner than I’d like.

Dadi: I offer her my hand in greeting, and she takes it, in a grip too tight for comfort, and yet comforting.

Jiji: We spend the morning in bed, snuggled against each other, and giggling over ridiculous nothings. We fight over one such nothing, then get out of bed.

Rafa Nadal: I feel inordinately happy as I go through his pictures, and suddenly wish to reach out and touch that smiling cheek.

Chacha: I try to nestle up to him, he looks at me questioningly. I smile uncertainly, then shrug and join in the general conversation.

Neha: (At the airport) she snuggles into a big, affectionate hug, “goodbye,” even as she whines that I do look good in T-shirts.

Kerul: His hand slips out of mine, as we walk down the street; he knows the way home, he says.

Daddy, again: His legs are warm, as I press them; they hurt, badly, and I feel that pain it in my bosom.

Pranita jiji: We exchange fond smiles and a light hug in greeting, then turn fonder smiles towards her daughter.

Sanchi: Her lips brush this darlingly against my cheek when I ask for a kiss, and then she returns to whatever has been amusing her.

Soumya: We have a cheerful meal, and when it is time to say goodbye, I touch her cheek, “take care” and we exchange a light embrace.

Kartheik: It is a virtual world; fingers fly over the keyboard, and touch does not know to exist.

Birthday surprises (Dec 4th 2009)

I do not know if I shall ever have the patience to write about this year's birthday, but here's last year's:

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My friends have a way of surprising me. Even when I'm expecting a surprise.

The general equation goes like this:

Hostel + b'day = midnite party

When it comes to our gang, it modifies a lil.

Hostel + bday = (midnite + 10 mins) party

And it's very convenient too. The 10 mins you can attend to all those 12 o clock phone calls.

And last nite, I spoke to jiji, and then, Ajita called. She asked if my friends wished me, etc, and I replied that I know they are up to something, though I'm not supposed to know that. I told, also, that I can talk to her till 12:10 or so. And we talked happily till 12: 15.

Then, I found everyone outside my room, and on my desk, was a small parcel addressed

TO

NITIKA MATHUR

RO. NO:- 149

MEERA BHAWAN

BITS PILANI HYDERABAD CAMPUS

PINCODE: 500076

:-)

(I later learned that no one knew who drew the smiley)

I opened the gift to everybody's "happy birthday to you.." It was a lovely showpiece that read "DEAR FRIEND", and had two figures smiling sweetly, and lots of flowers. And a birthday card that seemed tailor made for me. It was signed "From all who love you". I read aloud the card, we took photos, and played around in general, until one by one, all went back to their rooms to study for the Mech Sol exam (don't ask!)

This morning, I studied a lil' , took a head bath, and happy that it was my bday, that I looked pretty, went back to studying. The exam was - didn't I tell you not to ask? and then...

Soumya'd called, and Kedari while I was busy with my exam; and so I spoke to them*, cleaned my room**, took piccies, and whiled about the time with Shikki and Shravi, until Shravya declared at 7:20 that she was sleeeepy.

So Shravya sleepy translates somehow to Shravya and Shiksha and Nitika should sleep, and so she orders me off. "Nitzi, sleep." She lures me with an "sleep now, Nitzi and we'll wake u in half and hour and then we'll eat dinner at 8, sleep at 10, and wake up at 6 tomorrow morning and go walking.". Pray, how can I resist that? And so I went back very dutifully to my room, dutifully switched off the light, and very undutifully called home instead of sleeping.

I got out of my room at 8 20, and found everyone in priya's room. "Nitzi! Go comb your hair, we'll go to the mess". I figured that I wasn't allowed to enter. After "Nitzi, put a hair clip" and "Shavi, I put on two, now what?" and "put on one more!", I was (officially) called in. Lights off, and candles glowing. It could only mean cake. awww! how sweet of them. The expected surprise in an unexpected way- I'd thought the party was done with last night.

I don't know how we ended up in my room after that, but we did. And we found the thermocol packing of last night's gift. It began tentatively, the -ahh what do you call it? when we break and rub and in general separate each lil ball from the sheets? whatever! We soon lost any inhibitions about messing the room, and were - there, I'm stuck again!- we were blowing them on each others faces, sprinkling em on heads (It tickles!!). We laughed and played and messed around till all of it was finished, till everybody's hair was filled with tiny white balls, and my bed and blankets and floor looked as if they'd been hit by a storm.

And so, I had a luuuuvly time, and am gonna hav a luvlier time cleaning it all tomorrow**. Now? It's 1:36 am - will u compare with the 10 o clock dream time? and I'm sleeeeepy. Good night!

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Discarded line: the poor thing couldn't find a place anywhere, but I luv it:

" My friends surprise me with their surprises, and I luv them for it. Thank you soooo much, pepl!"

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**I was bitten by the cleaning bug, about this time last year.

A song and a pic, to mark my 20th Birthday

Owl City: Fireflies 

Album: Ocean Eyes

My dreams--them dreams of liquid joy I dreamed when I was a child--are secreted away somewhere deep, away from conscious reach. Sometimes, only sometimes, I catch glimpses of them, and I am reassured that they are still alive, that that child has not given up. That the light in her eyes still shines. 

         "I'd like to make myself believe

That planet earth turns slowly."

                     (That's me n Jiji, and Dadi watching over us)

Borrowing verse

They might not need me; but they might. 
I'll let my head be just in sight; 
A smile as small as mine might be 
Precisely their necessity. 
- Emily Dickinson

Rafael Nadal's 2010

“It was difficult at the beginning but, after a tough time, probably because I had this difficult time, I was able to play with ambition all season. All the time I was trying to keep winning and keep playing well because when you spend 11 months without a victory, you really know how difficult it is to win tournaments.”

-- Rafa reflects on his 2010