Have you ever thought about an oyster? What comes to your mind? Sea, pearl, shell?

There was once an oyster whose story I tell,

Who found that some sand had got into it's shell.

It was only a grain but it gave him great pain,

For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.

Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate,

That had brought him to such a deplorable state?

Did he curse at the government, cry for election,

And claim that the sea should have given him protection?

No- he said to himself as he lay on a shell,

Since I cannot remove it, I shall try and improve it.

Now the years have rolled around, as the years always do,

And he comes to his ultimate, destiny-stew.

And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so,

Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.

Now the tale has a moral; for isn't it grand,

What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand?

What couldn't we do if we'd only begin,

With some of the things that get under our skin.

Hmmm... We all need that little boost at regular intervals to get back on track, don't we? To be reminded at times that you are completely capable of doing things... That you'll do just fine in life... That you're free to be what you want to be.. That you're beautiful...

I've been reading... Quite a lot actually... And the spectrum is so wide, that it leaves me pretty amazed and not to forget, perplexed...So many thoughts, so many opinions, my God! And people brimming with soooo much talent and creativity that you wonder what you're even doing amongst them...

Those are my 'chocolate moments' you know... When I'm just too stressed, worked up, tensed, angry, irritated... You get the mood I'm talking about right... Chocolate induces happiness they say... And I am an extremely loyal believer of it... Cause it always manages to get back that smile on my face... But then it's not any chocolate you know... I absolutely love the usual Twix, Mars, Bounty, Five star crunchy and the original Dairy milk... :) And one that I absolutely hate to the core is Snickers... I cannot stand it, I just cannot. Period.

My likes and dislikes are an endless list really... It can just go on and on forever... So I'll basically just stop here... After the oyster and chocolate talk... Though I'm not quite sure if they make the perfect combination to talk about... :) And get back to my Economics assignment and get ready to kickass this weekend for Article 19!

Let's play Tag!!!

Ooof... these tag things no... people just don't get the point... no matter how irritated they are with these tag things... people still fill them and forward them... i mean i'm doing it afterall... so just imagine! Anyway, here goes...

What is one weird thing about you that nobody knows till date?
It's really weird... But do you know that I possess this penultimate super power? I can kill with my dialogues... Laden with dollops of sarcasm, apparently they are so powerful that they are capable of completely injuring peoples sensibilities and mocking at their very existence... Ya ya... I know I'm the sweetest and most innocent being among my clan... You don't have to remind me time and again... ;-)

Favourite Ice cream flavour?
Chocolate... Mmmmm... It doesn't get any more heavenly.. It just doesn't! :)

The craziest dream you had in the past one week?
Well... My capabilities of distinguishing dreams from nightmares are just like our college courier service... A little screwed up... But both are always crazy none the less... I got up one morning... I was running to school... I had my Hindi exam that day... And thanks to my sense of timing and running skills I was going to miss the exam... I ran and ran and ran... just to be woken up by that ever faithful alarm of mine... Only to realise that I was no more in school and didn't have Hindi as a subject anymore... Welcome to MIC and dealing with the Laws of Demand and Supply... :)

One embarassing thing you've done in public, which comes to your mind right now?
Hmmm... I know this sounds very very cliched... But you know I'm really not too much of an exception to this embarassment thing... I mean there have been so many that it's difficult to even count... And knowing myself, I think I have quite a few more such moments coming my way!And then it hit me...

Are you going to be attending MMSC? Why or why not?
What a question... Obviously... Try something new... Speak your mind... Expand your intellectual horizon... Learn from the experts... Be part of the practical extravaganza... Interact with those who think alike or then have something novel to say.. And last but not the least, come check out Manipal! Have the time of your life... :)

I tag Jo, Prathama, Yatharth, Sonali and Ami...

You guys are supposed to answer the same questions, and pass it on to minimun 3 other people, and tell them that they've been tagged. After you've posted your replies on your blog, you let me know through mine!

War and Peace!

One more day gone, one more opinion formed. What I experienced today was something completely unexpected and came as a shock to say the least. Gone are cold wars, what took place, was an outright battle. The only difference-it was one-sided. Throughout.

Yes, the people concerned know what I'm talking about. A class of 60 odd MEDIA students, 19-20 year olds, discussing political parties, film-making etiquette, concepts of humanity and how can we forget, the all time favourite- RELIGION. (And may I stress on the fact that people not involved from the very beginning of the process also had the audacity to speak about the particular issue.) Twisted opinions, sensitive issues and individualistic ideologies. It didn't paint a very pretty picture.

I've always believed in the concept of the experienced having more knowledge. But 'learning' as I realised today, knows no age. We had 87 year olds talking about a man who was apparently 'dangerous' just because he had the guts and the courage to showcase what was actually happening in the world, and more importantly our country. No, not to create prejudice, but just to tell it as it is.

First things first, when we talk about equality and fairness in terms of a debative issue. Both sides must have some kind of representation. In this case it wasn't so. Ego clashes are not an excuse. If you have such a strong opinion, have the courage to face your enemy and fight. Why show signs of cowardness and insecurity later? We are in this institution to study, agreed. But does that mean you stunt our knowledge about reality and stagnate the very stimulation to think and then rationalise accordingly?

Education teaches you limits, morals and ethics as well as all the 'right' things drawn out in the text books. But documentaries like the ones we recently saw tell you what exactly the super learned want to hide from you. If Anand P wished he could have brain washed all the people sitting in his audience right then and there, such is the power of that man. But he didn't. Unfortunately, he was still accused of doing so, time and again, by one and the same person. All he did was screen his work, answer certain questions related to them and leave. Not corrupt young minds. And why are we so scared of portraying the truth anyway? Hasn't that always been the aim of journalism if I'm not wrong? And that too, here we are talking about a film maker who has all the rights to put forth his views and opinions in his work. But on the contrary we had an experienced journalist speak about his religious inclinations.

If you feel strongly about a certain issue, say it. But do not attack the stand taken by another individual. For at the name of being unbiased and objective you are unconsciously taking sides. Tell others what you think, but use the appropriate approach to do so. Crying foul is not the solution. At least in this situation it didn't prove to be.

One hour of talk by a respected personality did what two days of exposure to reality couldn't do-spread immense hatred. With all due respect, we do know how to treat our elders, but I also do think that we are mature enough to distinguish the right from the wrong and form our own opinions as a result of productive thinking and not plain influence. I think it is high time that 'freedom of expression' is practised in the truest term and not given the name of 'terrorism'. If you really want us to learn and be called educated, please do not edit reality to your convenience. Show it all- let us decide.