There's just so much yummy stuff to eat in the house now! My friend Avanti from Pune recently brough back lots and lots of Shrewsburys! For those of you who havn't had them, get them! You're missing out on some really uniquely exquisite butter biscuits, made by an exclusive Pune backery only. I first had them when I was six-and-a-half years old, at a Chettiyar community wedding of all places. I longed for them for years, before I had them again when mum's friend brought them for us. We've never failed to ask Pune people to bring us Shrewsburys after that, though they only last a few days and the pain of loss after they're gone is terrible.



Then there's my grandmother's fantastic orange marmalade, nice and bitter like it should be; not like the sweet stuff you get in the market. I really should learn how to make it before I go to the States...
Then there's the plum jam, made by the women supported by an NGO in the Kumaon kills region and procured at an exhibition in Bangalore recently. My aunt first gave us a bottle last year, and we were dying for more, so we dashed off a letter to the makers, who wrote back after some months to say they were coming back to Bangalore. This time we've stocked up well.



Last, to go with the jams is French Camembert. I picked it up at the Nilgiri's on Brigade road recently.






Mum said to be careful when opening it. "French is it? Open it near an exhaust fan."



"It might jump out of the tin and walk out the door"



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was to meet HLL about VIVUM sponsorship again today, so I got myself dropped off at Palm Meadows which is close to their office. The car that was supposed to pick me up wasn't there, so I trudged 10 minutes from the gate to the club house with a heavy laptop bag and a really heavy school bag only to find that they charge 6 bucks a minute to make calls. Managed to look like the impoverished student I was though, and got my mum on the line. The car was there when I got to the gate after another 10 minute trek. I was feeling like a twisted sausage by this time.
I had to wait one hour in the HLL office before I got to see the chap concerned. All hopes of a good offer were dashed in one minute. By this time I had been bitten everywhere by the GIGANTIC mosquitoes that they get.
When I got home after another hour, through traffic as thick as mousse, I was feeling like a juiceless twisted sausage...
It's nice to sit in front of the computer writing one's blog..~

We started reading Hamlet today. It's amazing what raunchy stuff young children are being made to read these days...



Our teacher is really awesome though! He tells us all naughty sexual parts and goes into detail about the scandalous poems throughout history. I'm looking for Christina Rosseti's Goblin Market just now. Then I have to find Thoughts in a Garden by Andrew Marvell, a poet I've loved ever since I read his To His Coy Mistress for the IGCSE. I'll post you To His Coy Mistress sometime. Have you read Marvell Metamatician? He's far from brooding and dark, but you might like him. I'm also a brooding poem type, but he's my exception.
But back to Shakespeare, apparently Twelfth Night is also full of sex. OORMILA, do you know what an opportunity you've let up by not mentioning it in class? You wouldn't have had any problems with our grade. Honestly, you're no better than Ms.Anila who says "Physical attraction and ahemmm...things of that sort" for even mildly suggestive paragraphs. This is really bad analysis.

Mum and dad weren’t here today, so the maids used this unique opportunity to light aggarbattis, burn oil lamps and camphor and do a little pooja, since today was Ganesh Chaturti.



I was so stuffed on all the sweets that they’d specially made that I couldn’t have anything at the prefect’s tea at Dr. Sullivan’s. Basil Hospitality Service was doing the catering so there was hot chocolate in plastic cups, pineapple pastry and samosas. I think poor Mrs. Sullivan was feeling quite shy and awkward.

I am the only being whose doom

I am the only being whose doom
No tongue would ask, no eye would mourn;
I never caused a thought of gloom,
A smile of joy, since I was born.

In secret pleasures, secret tears.
This changeful life has slipped away,
As friendless after eighteen years,
As lone as on my natal day.

There have been times I cannot hide,
There have been times when this was drear,
When my sad soul forgot its pride
And longed for one to love me here.

But those were in the early glow
Of feelings since subdued by care,
And they have died so long ago
I hardly now believe they were.

First melted off the hope of youth,
Then fancy’s rainbow fast withdrew,
And then experience told me truth
In mortal bosoms never grew.

’Twas grief enough to think mankind
All hollow, servile, insincere –
But worse to trust to my own mind
And find the same corruption there.


Emily Brontë


This is one of the most beautiful poems that I have ever read, so I wanted to share it with you

Existentialism

It’s at moments like this when you wish you could sing and scream and scream and sing your heart out and cry and be born tomorrow when you wake.

Tropical Fruit

Today’s workload is less than yesterday’s was. I only went to sleep at 1:00 at night and woke up at 6:00. I think I’ll be able to make both hours more reasonable today.
* * *

Today was way better. I think there was some major awkwardness yesterday about seeing people after so long, but things chilled today.
Went and saw the college counsellor about OxBridge. There’s so much work to do for that! I think I’ll just have to reconcile myself to the fact that I can only go there for undergrad now. No way I can finish an extended personal project before the 15th of September.
My English teacher obsessed about every word in “Hamlet”. We did six dialogues in 45 minutes.
Had a meeting scheduled with the vice-principal. He didn’t show up. Apparently he was attending a Grade 9 Spanish class…
Tropical fruit was delicious today.
* * *
Called those dratted sponsors when I got back home. It seems to be a truth of life that getting money from people is incredibly difficult.

First Day of School

I’m just back from my first day at school!
Woke up without too much of a problem at 6:10 after my dad came into the room. As usual the alarm wasn’t effective; got to go and get a new one now. Last year I had two alarm clocks, one cell phone and one iPod synchronised to ring at the same time. Only then could I be assured of waking up! Hoping it doesn’t come down to that this year.

Lots of new kids in the bus this morning…was wondering if I should enforce the grade 12 prerogative in getting the back seats, but decided it was more comfortable in the front. Shiv, Manohar and Sucheta are the new grade 12s on the bus. Rides will be more fun now. Not so heavily dependant on my iPod, which is good, considering it’s been giving me problems lately.

Got to see Mr. Colin, my new and very knowledgeable English literature teacher. Looking forward to his classes. We’re starting “Hamlet” tomorrow.

Found time to speak to Ms. Tracy about my Extended Essay. Prab, you’ll be happy to know I’m beginning to seriously speak deadlines language now. Have to have the EE question and 1 page write up in to her by Monday.

Ms. Neeta, the school college counsellor asked me to join the Oxbridge group tomorrow, so I’m thrilled. Will see how it goes.

Had to meet Mr. D’Mello about VIVUM today. The intensity of work started in the holidays will have to continue as far as that is concerned. Schools, not just sponsorship, seem to be an issue, as out of the 96 schools we’d invited, only 5 have responded.

Spoke to Ms. Tracy about CCA Drama. I’d have liked to be part of the school play “Caucasian Chalk Circle” but it turns out I’ll have to do drama CCA for that. I’d rather do something different this year though. I was thinking about MUN. I’m sure it’s possible to go for the conference even if I do another CCA. I think I’ll do art.

In other news, I saw Vashti. I also got the call. Do you think I should return it?

Cryptix

We had a nice calm little Navroz morning. I was thinking so hard about tropical fruit that I called that inefficient delivery man. I was also dying to confess this to someone, but no one was answering Vashti's cell phone. No call back.

I went and met ITC Foods today. They’ve a very impressive campus in Fraser Town. Didn’t take long to get there, and didn’t have to wait long. The gentleman who met us was patient and considerate. (No seriously. Not because he’s reading this) Went there with Vikas, Oormila, but sorry, no picture! Come to VIVUM and you’ll be able to see everybody J.
Then the whole family had to go to a pooja in a temple. It lasted really long and I was starving, but I chatted with the relatives and it managed through it tolerably.
The kovil yelai sapad (food on a banana leaf, as served in temples), as we tam brams say, was worth the wait! Of course, I pigged and was later prostrate on my bed for 2 hours, feeling bloated but utterly contented!
Managed to get a little tennis going with my dad at 6 o’clock though, so I’m feeling a little better.
TOMORROW IS NAVROZ! The parsi new year for those of you who don’t know. We’re having lunch with our parsi friends. There’ll be dhansak and kebobs, as we descended from ancient Persian nobility say. So in anticipation, and the necessity of keeping ourselves sufficiently hungry for this feast, it’s taire sadam (curd rice (as we tam brams say)) for dinner tonight.

Went all the way to Marathahalli today to meet with HLL. The meeting lasted all of 3 minutes. They just wanted to know how many kids were coming and what the sponsorship schemes were like. So they grabbed the folder and left. Came out feeling that there really wasn't any meeting. Tanvi put in her two bits worth in a supercilious tone worthy of Indira Gandhi. Like she always said when she was Prime Minister, get the maximum possible while pretending flamboyantly all the time that you don't want any of it, you don't need any of it. I hope something comes out of an entire day otherwise wasted, besides a long car journey. It’s the sort of experience that makes one want to give magnanimously to all student organisations when one grows up…



Going to meet ITC tomorrow. The correspondent seems a polite and patient man, and I rather think the experience will not be so time consuming and tiring as today’s expedition. I’m going to bed.

Found myself asleep in front of the laptop at three in the morning today. Got quite a shock when I realised that my Chemistry lab was still unfinished. I'm pleasantly surprised though...considering nothing wakes me up, getting up on my own after short bursts of sleep could turn out to be a productive habit from the school point of view!





I went to Commercial Street today, looking for a pair of shoes. I'd seen such beautiful ones in Jakarta, guess I'd forgotten just how bad this country's populace's taste in footwear is...
Stepped into one of the ubiquitous BATAs. My mother blew it when the daft salesman saw my foot size, went into the reserves room, brought out a pair of shoes eight sizes too big, forced my foot into it despite protestations and then scratched his head and said it appeared to him that they didn't fit...All the other shops seemed to stock only those ridiculous flat toed gander-gait variety. Finally found another BATA with a smarter sales man and picked up a pair of normal Super Strides for Rs. 549. It was, of course, a bitter blow to one who was quite emphatically vocal about his appreciation for a particular creation from Narcisso Rodriguez's Spring/Summer 2006 collection...Here are my NEW shoes, so nicely packaged to give them an antique feel (~...)
The pleasant part was, I bumped into Rosanne, whom I hadn't seen for a very long time.

Was ultimately glad to get to Garuda Mall for lunch. Aaah! More my scene.



Met with my college counsellor this evening. We're beginning with the serious stuff now - actually looking at applications and filling in several serious looking forms.
Had to walk from his place near Alexandria Street all the way to the National Dairy Research Institute because not one single bloody Auto was free and reasonably willing! Can you believe that?? I walked nearly 4 kilometers with a heavy laptop bag without being able to grab an Auto to the Forum for less than Rs.40 when I'd paid only Rs.25 the opposite way. I told those chaps "hoag reeya, tonty piewe inda jaasti aagalla!" (translated from crass colloquial Kannada - Go man, more than twenty five won't happen)Shouldn't have, because I was wearing chappals, and my ankle began to give in real quickly. Had to summon my mama, who came to pick me up half way. Felt rather righteous at the end of the expeditions though, so I suppose it was worth it!

Yesterday was Independance Day! We had a nice little housing complex ceremony where we sang songs that I hadn't sung since boarding school, so that was very pleasant. (Not that I enjoyed boarding school, I just enjoyed singing the songs.)
Also had my first class with Geeta Swamy. She is one of the few Math teachers with whom I have a good communication rapport. I think she'll be able to get me that 6...



Met Mr. Gangaram today for VIVUM Sponsorship along with Sassy, Sumeet and Esha. He did most of the talking which was funny because I was wondering how I was going to say all that I wanted to say without appearing garrulous before the meeting...Didn't get much out of it at the end of it all.
There's just so much advice from all sides - "do this", "do that". I think one really should ignore advice. As whowasit said, "Always ignore advice because, though good-intentioned, it is nearly always wrong" or something to that effect.

Have to go to Makkala today and do college work and do Chem and Physics and Math. Consolation is, I'll be out of school by May...

Tid bits

Finally getting a move on on VIVUM Sponsorship! Got a good deal done. I'm pretty excited about this actually. Trick now is to get the lazier bottoms
m o v i n g. Sure in the end it'll all work out great. The only perosn who's not so excited is mum. College counsellor dropped by today and said my grades need to go up, a proclamation seconded vociferously by my mama - "Irrespestive of this wretched VIVUM, he will have to turbocharge himself for a rigidly strong performance. He must approach his Physics teacher and I'll set up Math tuitions immediately..."
°°°Yes mom°°°




Got to play a bit of tennis with my dad today. Hope we can keep this up. It feels good to play a bit.

Just got told by another friend that I look like the young Rajiv Gandhi. Considering the beard and mustache that I've been too lazy to shave off this holiday (see picture below), more like the young Palastinian terrorist... I'll have to take it off before I get back or Sully will issue that most frightful of all authorised admonishments - the non satis...


(Me on the beach in Bali. Was woken up, so looking like a grumpy sea bird)

What

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Wow, might have been the tiramisu. Bit philosophical for something written at 2:25 in the morning! Anyway, the cell phone alarm woke me up at 7 this morning. Woke up feeling not so bad too, but had to get back into bed for the sake of it. Anyway, was up again by 8: 30 which was 10 minutes ago. Promptly started sending people 'Happy Independance Day!' messages only to get a reply from Esha a few seconds later saying 'It's tomorrow!'
Going to look like such a fool!

Anway, need to start doing my college research now. College counsellor will be here at 4 in the evening and I need to get work done before then!

Hi there!

Welcome to Blue Ink, Old Parchment and Green Bottle! What you're reading now was typed out at 2: 25 am of the morning of Monday the 14th of August 2006, by Arvind, a 16 year old boy who lives in a Greek style building complex called the Acropolis in Koramangala, Bangalore, India. He can hear autorikshaws and souped up car engines through the double glazed windows in his room... a stray dog is barking at a street light... in a few hours it will be dawn and people will wake... people, the source of Bangalore's chaotic activity...
*****
From my room, my little Parthenon I like to look out onto the streets and people and cars and life.