AwArD !! :)

Thanks a ton AaeKay for tagging me with the the Libster Award:):)                                    ..(and I felt my lips stretch into a smile on coming to know of the surprise you mentioned in the comment)

Here are my answers to some of her questions....

1. How would someone describe you to a stranger?

Well, that depends on who that ‘someone’ is. Only a close friend can describe the ‘real me.’

2. Is there anywhere in the world you want to go and anywhere you don't want to go? 

  There are lots of places in my wish list where I want to go. But if I have to shortlist a few places where I don’t want to go, those would be the places where there’s a lurking danger to life( Nope, I’m not hinting towards the unexplored interiors of the Amazon rainforests or the deepest parts of the Indian Ocean.. I’m talking about the places which would be more livable if monsters called ‘terrorists’ were never born)

3. What or who you inspires you the most?

   My mom

4. What was the last good deed that you did?

   Switched off the fan and lights of my room before heading to the hospital today. (In the morning rush of getting ready for my classes, I tend to forget the importance of conserving electricity and often leave them switched on) ;-)

5. What do you do to destress?

   Talk to myself (sounds absurd, though), write, listen to music ,read a good book or watch a movie.

6. What's the funniest thing that has happened to you?

‘Funny’and ‘embarrasing’- I still remember a day during my school days when I hopped into my school bus with my socks in my hands and shoes (laces untied) well in their appropriate place. I was very late and the bus (not to mention the whole lot of school mates sitting inside) was waiting for me honking the horn every 4 seconds. Angry, my mom rebuked me and I could do nothing but run straight to the bus, with socks in my hands where several dozen eyes directed their not-so-friendly gaze and ‘oh-my-God-Is-she-a-nutcase?’expressions at me. Back then, those were the five minutes of my life, I so badly wanted to forget. But when I think of that incident now, it seems to be a funny.

7. Where do you see yourself ten years down the line?

    A platform where I can be myself- the one I always want to be-an eminent doctor, a writer and a person who lives a worthwhile life,is cared for and cares for others and has many reasons to be happy.

8. What is one quote that you live by?

“Believe you can and you are halfway there.”

   

    
9. Which book has made the biggest impact in your life and how?

     Since a lot of books have influenced me, it wouldn’t be appropriate if I name a single book. The impact is not one big bolt of lightning but a constant dose of positive impulses over months and years.

10. What's the most rewarding thing about being a blogger?

      Starting a blog was a decision I made a year ago.

 Just the way singers sing their way to people’s hearts, express their feelings; just the way painters paint to let loose the creativity bound in them; I do the same by writing. It gives me a rare satisfaction and is a great stress buster, but above all, I love writing. Blogging brings one in touch with people who share the love for writing. It’s always been a great experience to read the posts of some wonderful people and ponder over what they have written.

Lastly, attempting to these questions was fun. Thanks for the SURPRISE.. loved it :):)

Twenty four carat GOLD and a piece of CAST IRON....

The pleasant evening had given way to the slight drizzle and the ambient temperature reduced to a comfortable level. The A.C. was switched off before she got on the bed to take her afternoon nap. Forty five minutes later, she woke up suddenly, feeling groggy. Her stomach didn’t hurt, nor did her occasional migraine bother her this time. She analyzed the reflection in the mirror- did she have blood-shot red eyes? Did she look ill? No..not really.

But something held her down. She felt heavy. A rare kind of heaviness. Downstairs, a queer discussion ensued. She could hear people’s voices mingle into a disinteresting, disheartening chatter.

Rewind 2 years. She was wearing the same night-suit ,sitting on the same bed. Her mother had asked her to change into a more decent dress. A few neighbours sat on the couch discussing something with her father. Her father, an euphoric smile splashed jubilantly on his aging face, cast a loving glance at her when she entered the room. She felt like she was the fastest horse in the race, the triumphant Czar in the battle, the sole survivor in the massacre-a twenty four carat gold pendant.

The difference. The heaviness. The strangeness. The fake sympathies flowing out downstairs. The groggy feeling- She knew exactly what it was. The sudden rise and fall. The applause once tasted, a long-forgotten thing at the present. The winning and losing. The changes in attitude of people around. The cliché seemingly coming true-‘Winning is the only thing’.

She was a state top ranker. She was a cynosure of several eyes at that time……..2 years later…..She couldn’t get into the college she dreamed of-a difference of 2 marks took a toll. Cut-offs turned out to be very high.

She was wearing a twenty carat gold pendant with a piece of cast Iron. She was still that precious metal her parents so lovingly brought into their world. She was that shiny gold pendant, embedded with a piece of brittle Iron.She was that perfect daughter, with a perfect degree of imperfection. She was herself and she loved every inch of her.

The grogginess disappeared in a few minutes. Downstairs the conversation among the neighbours continued. They took a rare kind of satisfaction in discussing failure and pouring out fake sympathies. She didn’t care. Her parents didn’t care. The twenty four carat gold pendant embellished with cast Iron was an antique possession and a focus of envy. No wonder, when kept among other jewels, it shone the brightest.


P.S- A year back, I started this blog. Writing blog posts and reading posts of some other wonderful bloggers has been a wonderful experience. Even though I am not that regular at writing posts for Mosaic (given the time constraints), I have discovered how ecstatic it feels to write what comes in my mind. Hoping to continue with writing (though a bit irregularly)..Lastly, thanks to all the people who have stopped by this blog and those who have left behind a comment ( would have never got the encouragement to continue with this blog,had it not been for you).. Do keep reading........ :):)