Aaaand the award goes to...

...who else but Yours Truly? Second time in a row, yeah. :) This year and the last, the UNSW-Macmillan IAIS English exam Medal for highest score in my state.

*blows delicately at her fingernails*

Thank you if you just said Congrats. :D

the two little beauties

detail

the certificate

Mission Intro

I don't think the new year has had a really great start for me. I mean, I'm lagging in all my study schedules, am past all the deadlines I set for myself...but no end in sight...And the strangest thing is, I’m not getting pro-active, like I usually happen to do.

Wish someone, something would show me the way, soon. I have the potential; don’t want to be just another wreck.

But I’ve realized that writing or any other form of creative expression is kinda necessary for me. When I don’t do anything creative for a long period of time, it’s like a clot in my head that needs to be gotten out to rid me of the pressure. Not very pretty analogy, I know.

So I think from now on I’ll blog on schedule—say twice/thrice a week at least. Or maybe I should fix a particular day. Yeah, that would be better. Blog on Sundays, Tuesdays; lock myself in a room with books, caffeine, and no internet on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays; and finish long-overdue tasks of saving the world on Saturdays. In between all this, teach my kid sister the alphabet and the correct words to “Johnny, Johnny” while trying not to think about little Johnny’s namesake supermodel-actor.
Also wash my little Carrie and supervise the maid while mom’s gone to work. (I found the maid watching The Bold and The Beautiful---just watching, coz she doesn’t understand English---in some of her idle minutes yesterday. :D)

Got to do some self-maintenance as well.

Maybe I should put off saving the world on Saturdays till all of this gets done. :D

So will try to keep you updated about Mission Status as often as possible, and other general randomness. Keep coming back.

(pics courtesy Corbis.com)

Happy 2oo8

A very happy, happy new year. I know I could have been more creative about it, but sometimes simple is the best way to be; and could-have-beens are some of the most futile words on earth, perhaps.

Okay, that was totally random.

No resolutions really for me this year. I've always been unable to really stick to any...so I decided to give it a break this time. The last year was pretty good, so much more than all I dared to hope for, though towards the end it brought me the deep forever loss of no less than three people very dear to me.

Maybe I should just try to sum up all that I learnt this year. In no particular order:

• It's good to stand up for something you believe in, and the world (or the part of it that you are trying to convince) will eventually see your point if it is right.
• "Getting lost doesn't always happen by accident."
• Always remember to back up your data before getting a hard-disk formatted. :/
• People forget your talents/traits unless you keep reminding them. By acts, not just words.
• When mom tells you to do something about some hideous pimples, better do it.
• Falling into reveries before an important exam isn't a very smart thing to do.
• It might be just a little seemingly casual thing/ word that might erode your trust in somebody, or somebody's in you.
• "Each day is the first day of the rest of your life." But you just can't keep starting afresh each day...u gotta begin, then proceed. You get nowhere by just beginning.
• It's easier to not make/ not keep promises. But in the long run, it's better to know in your heart that you made, and kept.
• Nothing is absolute. It's all relative.
• "Be anything but obvious", if you like. But then don't blame people if they interpret you some other way. :)
• However you keep claiming that "The sky is under my feet...", most of the people would still say you are upside down.
• Calling a person's demise "their birthday in heaven" lessens the poignance, but only just a tiny little bit.
• No matter how much you keep saying you don't want any; it's always a great feeling to have somebody genuinely care for you. :)

I have so much to do, prove in this year. To myself, to parents, to other people who matter...And this year I'll be turning 18, like BestFriend reminded me during our conversation last night. Finally, being an adult officially. (He would be 18 too, this month. Though, for him, "getting entry in clubs" is the most looked-forward-to part of the deal :D )

Anyways, I have tremendous expectations and apprehension-mixed hopefulness this year. May The Great Being Up There grant all of us peace, love, happiness, prosperity, strength to pursue our goals. Shalom Aleichem. Have a great new year and thereafter.

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Some of the best moments in life...

Lying in bed listening to the rain outside...
Thinking about the person you love...
A long drive on a calm road...
Finding money in your old jeans just when you need it...
Holding hands with a friend...
Getting a hug from someone who loves you...
The moment you are breathless after a hearty laugh..

Wishing you all these moments plentifully in the New Year and forever...

(feel free to add to the list :D)