Of sticks and stones (and cloaks too...)

What's it feel like to play a dangerous game of hide and seek ...knowing that losing the game can mean losing your freedom,your loved ones and most importantly, your life?

Ask Harry.Or better yet,read the book that's sent us all into a frenzy.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book of the popular series penned by J.K Rowling.We catch up with our favourite teenage wizard and his faithful friends Ron & Hermione ,only to find that Evil has cast its murky shadows on the magical world .The Dark wizard Lord Voldemort has wasted no time in establishing his reign,which means that war clouds are gathering on the horizon.

The trio of Ron,Harry and Hermione is on a mission :to uncover the hidden horcruxes of Voldemort.Together with them,we travel all across England in search of these elusive containers of Voldemort's soul when we stumble across the legend of "the deathly hallows",an alternative formula to mastering death.The plot thickens considerably as Harry reaches the cross-roads:Hallows or Horcruxes?

While the pieces of the puzzle come together,jkr takes us on an emotional journey of beautiful friendship and inspiring courage.Characters are explored to their depths.The victorious nature of love is truly the central theme of this book.

The story is fast-paced ,with quite a few hairpin bends. From the start to the end,we are treated to non-stop entertaining magical action ,with a few breathers where we rejoice and repent along with our protagonists.With true genius ,Jkr seals every loose end that sprung up in the earlier books .

The growing tension ends in a grand Apocalypse:a battle of virtue vs vice.What lies beyond: an era of peace and prosperity or a graveyard of shattered hopes ?That's for you to find out.

With smart humour and compelling mystery,this book is a must read for all fantasy and fiction afficionados.
Don't miss the end to one of most exciting sagas of fiction.The Deathly Hallows is a 608 page adrenaline rush that is sure to be enjoyed by kids,teen and adults alike.

Shuffled...

I've been wondering, ever since I got to know that I passed my 11th boards ,about leavin for college next year.....COLLEGE ...I can almost see an arrow pointing towards that coveted destination..where dreams come true,when you are finally in the "real" world(whts up wid dat real stuff anyway???),when you are able to translate every hazy idea that ever resided in the recesses of your mind-into concrete action,when you are matured enough to know that friendship need not necessarily follow the idylllic Californian style (read THE OC ...;) ..),
when the zones of education,interaction,innovation,discussion,fun,leisure,activity and inspiration fuse together like a musical masterpiece!!!
Is leavin home going to be as easy as dreaming about college,though?A well rehearsed "NO "
forms in my brain,,,ok,let's be adventurous and say it will be easy..coz you'll just be swept away in that tide of change....but what happens when the dust settles ?When fresher parties come to an end,when hostel life nightmares take center stage, and when the glow of independence dims in view of the security you had at home?And i'm not talking about padlocked doors here...but about knowing that help is just two three letter words away (MOM ...DAD)...Don't get me wrong ...it's not a rhetorical statement,i know tons of young people who are strong enough to deal with all this and more....my question is :How do you know if YOU are of that type?

It's during such troubled times that I fondly wish that Madam Trelawney were for real...what wouldn't i give to cut across the threshold between the present and the future,watch the future me unravel,and get back in good time to make decisions to that effect?If you think about it,that might almost definitely guarantee you a perfect life....and as far as I know ,not even EBAY has got deals like that!!!

So I'm trying to devise an alternative formula...I'm going to work hard in the subjects I've got a n apitiude for,prepare myself this year for a latchkey life ,apply for possible colleges and contentedly graduate in the one that will accept me,without seeking solace from 101 different counselling sessions from the people around me ...believe me ,the less you obsess,the more the probability of your obsession coming true!!!
I know it sounds like i'm giving up,but it's not .It's a theory that's simple and that's bound to work for me ,and the reason i know it will work is that it's simple and straight from the heart.

What is happiness really?
It's pure ,untainted contentment ...

sounds pretty simple doesn't it???

Of colours and chameleons ...

I'm back refreshed!I spent a lovely weekend with my family in the beaches of Puri and the metros of Kolkata ,and i'm raring to get back into gear!!!
Iwas staying at this lovely little cottage in Puri,and one wet morning,i noticed a tiny chameleon right on the window ledge...true to its fame,ithad turned a grainy pebbly brown , and sat in wait of...its morning meal,probably.That's what i was doing too,and so...i didnt give much thought to it and hit room service on the dialing pad!!!
After a mouthwatering breakfast and a languid lunch,i noticed this chameleon had set up camp in the lawn .Dwarfed by the tall blades of grass,it lurked unnoticed in the dewy sea of green...and i probably wouldnt have noticed it if i hadn't been looking for it ,subconsciously .
The shadows lengthened ,and soon it was evening.In true beach parlance,our little friend was dressed in the fiery red of sea- corals ,enjoying a siesta on the rocks.

It's funny how i thought to myself"Here I am,quite caught up in the devilishly wonderful ability of being able to blend into your surroundings,why im kinda chameleonish myself."

I'l admit,i'm pretty anthrophobic.I'm scared of people's opinions of me ,my ideas and anything remotely connected with me,my ideas.....So i tend to adapt or change myself into what the people around me percieve me to be.That 's quite a ludicrous loop i've got going there,coz how will people ever percieve me to be anything at all,if i decide to be something only based on their percievings...but well,that's how it is with me.

So I see myself shrinking from taking out my workbook and doing some li'l sum when all around,my classmates are busy comparing their Louis Vuittons...and i feel very conspicuous when i'm stuck wearing some cargoes and a tee,clutching an ipod in one hand,and a group of of my friends comes back from the temple,asking me why i didn't get up early enough to go pray with them...

I guess, im scared ,like my little friend .I'm scared that the minute I decide to be different,I will be preyed on -preyed on by the little circle of people that i know and,apparently,*understand *.
That's why I've trained myself in camouflage...I would love to be one of those humans with an unwavering sense of self confidence,and a non-erasable streak of courage...
Well,i'm running out of time now,i'l probably want to sleep on this,and ponder over it the next time i unlock Blogger....

That's what I should do.....isn't it?
*sighs in doubt*

Enroute

Hmm...it's been a long time since i used the word enroute....that's probably because it's been quite a long time since I travelled to any place .Those cold mornings in December I'd always think "oh well, it's all icy madness anyway now..."and today, from the glare on my pc screen,i realized " we're well into the summmer season!My hands are just itching to dig out my suitcase,dump a cartload of clothes and comics in it,and catch a train(or plane too,i'm not complainin..;) ) to just about anywhere!

It's a common but beautiful thought...It's about the journey,not the destination. If only your Inner Eye sets its sights on something ponderable,it could consume your entire time wthout your realising it ...In fact ,when you're actually at all the exotic spots,you're ready to freeze frame every moment of that glorious exploration ,and sometimes an overdose of enthusiasm with the camera does take away a bit of the charm...but when you're just peeping out through window bars,with a cuppa in ur hands and you come across a picture perfect sight and your 6 megapixel friend isn't with ya, that's when your eye does the capturing ,your mind does the recording, and your soul does the connecting .

One of the things I do when I'm travelling with my parents or friends is try and observe different people's reactions to sights or situations around them,and over the years' i 've collected quite a catalog of reactions.Only when we come to know how many aspects are there to an identity do we relate to it like a 3d image,unerring in depth,unflattering in sight,unsummable in entirety...

My favourite journeys are not the ones through hillstations with tall eucalyptus trees or through smoky tunnels of darkness,my favourite journeys are the ones i've embarked upon with my dad.16 years have taught me that the best travel pal i could ask for is my dad.And yes,I believe my dad can transform every mundane moment of a mile into a magical memory .There was this one time we had to travel right from Kolkata down to Madurai (one helluva long journey... )
;my dad and me scripted out numerous tales ideal for blockbuster movies,and played every game of cards known and understood by 7 year olds ...for hours together !!!

I realize that while rambling on ,i've quite shifted away from the original topic of my blog...but don't you see,that's the sheer beauty of journeying through anything ,you never know where you're going to end up,so my wird of advice to you would be,don't plan your journey down to every last detail .You don't have to skim through every page of Lonely Planet .Just enjoy your adventure as it comes.
The better things in life are left unsaid,or as in this case ,unplanned.

Through the Window...

Separation....it's hard.And when you realize you're on the verge of losing one of your closest friends,you know you don't want to let go...and i'm really going to miss my compaq presario pc!One of those little things you call a virus has decided to take residence in the heart of the program files...so,i guess the mother board is going to crash and goodness knows what else is going to happen ...

Welcome to my room ...a not so pleasant abode which resonates with the yells from the kids' playgrounds,filled with the fragrance of my smelly sneakers,the paths strewn with empty CD cases...yet there's one nook i perfectly love ,and that's the corner with the computer...

Welcome to my computer...not really a state-of the -art gizmo hot off the racks of tech world,but a cozy li'l thing with bright roomy Windows ,fresh colour and an ever helpful...(yeah,tad a nnoying too)Office assistant ...one touch and the lights hit your eye,the dashboard brings forth joyous tidings from fellow Yahooligans and Orkutters, the jukebox springs to life with soothing sing-alongs(uh huh,50 cent IS SOOTHING!!!)and voila!you're in E-HEAVEN(sighs wistfully)...

It all started with an unnecessary gift from the messenger service,and now all sortsa thingummajigs have started dysfunctioning and i'm simply miserable.I'm broke,which means i can't afford a clean up with the help of a software servicer,i simply can't reformat my disk,i do NOT have a cd burner which means i won't be copying any stuff i wanna save...i mean i'm in a WEB ;)


In a few days from now ,when my pc will exist only in the precarious place that is my mind,i will only have the solitary support of this laptop (Dad's ...and he's leaving in a week)...so im gonna say goodbye to the comp here....

Multitasking friend of mine,you are,
Binding me with threads to lands near and far,
My abode of recreation and rest,
My lounge where thoughts flow best...

Meant to connect to revolutions ahead,
You connected with me instead.
And now the cord can stretch no more,
Denial gives way to unvented furore...

Happy memories of memorable days,
Uncomplainedly stored away,
My universe unfolds in your spacious arms,
And now someone has set off the alarms!

Stay with me,in request i plead,
If the hours have to pass, you have to take the lead.
One last click,one last restart,
I step forward with quivering heart...

ADIOS,AMIGO!!!

REMIX...

Remixes....



Whew!I'm in a whirl! I JUST got around to listening to my cd collection after ages.I really enjoyed the flavoured ,remixed and jazzed up versions of golden oldies.Remixes are always welcome...

I remember when I participated in the Frank Anthony memorial debate competition and my partner whipped up this phrase in all of a frenzy :"old is gold,yeah...but it can't be sold."Too true.

If music in the metros exists to sell itself ,then it's got to come in a suitable package- enter the remix.!A day in the studio with the mix master (dunno what it does,just picked up the lingo)..and it comes out like it's had a Runway makeover (read The Devil Wears Prada)...there's that sizzling beat that was there in that disco song.and there's also that lilting music that ages ago,cured the insomnia you developed before math exam...



I'm simply caught up in the fabulousness of combining the old and the new so delightfully....puts me thinking...How would it be if i could remix my life!!!(grins stupidly).And hey ,while its great to be a teen,to be able to frequent multiplexes and cafes ,listen to music 24-7 ,to shop impulsively ...and explain away anything with the one line:"Hey,i'm a teen!".....I really miss going to Safari park with my dad,making dough faces with Mom,and it's not the silliness I miss,it's the sheer innocence and joy of it...so...I went into the kitchen ,with every intention of foolign around...but Mom's temper was not meant to be tested today...I was sent scampering back...uh-oh i've got myself in a time -warp here...I just can't have 2007 and 1993 together...

so..epople who've got solutions,or kind souls who have taken the H.G.Wells route...'temme what to do,meanwhile I'm just going to go and listen to some more of my cds! REMIXES AHOY,HERE I COME!!!

F.R.I.E.N.D.S