Sunday, March 30, 2014
After all I am just their teacher.
Friday, February 28, 2014
BUSY
Being not busy means asking friends to meet up, going out and having some fun. Being not busy means having the time to catch up with those who matter to you. Being not busy also means getting turned down by all the other busy people. So what is the purpose of being not busy?? Just to hear every person around you say- Oh I have relatives coming over, I'm working in the lab today, I have lots of cleaning to do.
Atleast some people have the courtesy and the presence of mind to always have an excuse. The rest, they just don't reply. It makes you realise that you don't matter as much as something else does.
When no one has the time for anyone else, why should anyone else be anything but busy?
And so like always- I am Busy.
Krupa
Monday, February 24, 2014
Ten Years.
Jan 2004:
She sat in the exam hall, staring at the question paper. Vant Hoff factor. Oh come on. Surely atleast this time you know what it is. Something about electrolytes and a theoretical value. Forget it. I will never pass chemistry.
Feb 2004:
Dressed in a white sari and a candle in her hand, she looked at her best friend with tears in her eyes. School life as they knew it was coming to an end. She didn't want the evening to end. Maybe if she held on a little longer, things would not change. They all cried and hugged and promised to keep in touch.
March 2004:
Eat. Study. Cry. Study some more. Eat. Sleep. This seemed like a routine. When would these exams come to an end. Why did chemistry have to be the last paper. Stupid Chemistry.
May 2004:
Thank you God. I passed in Chemistry.
June 2004:
Me? I study at Joseph's. MCB. Microbiology, Chemistry and Botany.
June 2007:
Biochemistry is what I want appa. I am sure. No more staring into microscopes.
June 2009:
What am I doing? Oh I am waiting to do M.Phil at University of Madras.
June 2010:
I teach at Bethany High School. Chemistry for class 11 and 12 (jaws around me drop and I love that reaction).
March 2014:
"Vant Hoff factor is the ratio between the observed and calculated value for colligative properties telling us whether a solute undergoes association or dissociation in solution". God please let me students remember this better than I did.
It has been 10 years. I have grown. 10 years it has taken for me to be comfortable with a subject I never thought I would pass in.10 years to confidently stand in front of class and teach what I was never confident about. 10 years to gain a few kilos :P 10 years to grow out of being a not so popular person into the a valuable asset to my department (atleast I like to believe I am). 10 years to discover that I could teach chemistry, dance, take photos, make powerpoint presentations, set question papers, correct answer scripts, take tuition,be the author of a makeup blog, be the editor of a newsletter, be on the basketball team, go out for coffee, perform in shows, teach dance, design clothes, shop, MC, organize events and yet have time for me. 10 years to know that there is so much more to me than what I knew which makes me realise that all my students need is a push to reach their potential.
10 years is a long time and when I look back I have achieved a lot. Maybe I could have done more, maybe I have done more.
10 years later is now.
Now as I watch my students go through their Valedictory and their Board exams I am reminded of a thin tall girl with geeky glasses and a long long skirt standing outside the exam hall with chemistry notes in her hand and fear in her heart. Now she prays that none of her students go with that fear. If only they could see what 10 years would do to them. Then again, 10 years is a long time away.
Krupa
Monday, February 03, 2014
Why I dance
This video link was sent to me by a friend, a guy who has known me for barely a month and he yet he knows what dance means to me. This video got me thinking, why do I dance?
Dance is about the expression.
That feeling I get when every part of my body is moving to the rhythm.
When all I want is to let go.
When I want to cry.
When I am happy.
When I am frustrated.
It is about showing love and anger.
It is about the stage, and the applause.
It for everybody but for nobody.
It is for me.
Dance is mine.
In my every breath, In my every step.
I cannot walk, I can only dance.
It travels with me. I travel for it.
The beat is in my heart.
The music in my soul.
The movement in my feet.
I dance because it is me.
All the world is a stage
A stage for my dance to be heard.
A cry for help, a tantrum.
The arrogance, the innocence.
The divine, the ego.
It all storms through me
It rips me apart.
Dance makes me whole.
It makes me complete.
Without it, I am not me.
People always leave.
My dance stays.
Till death do us apart.
Dance is me and I, dance.
This is why I dance.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
At a loss for a post title..
P.S for those of you who are bummed out by this post. Go read my other blog.. http://ishtyleawhile.blogspot.in/2013/10/of-festivals-and-mini-giveaway.html
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Lamentations of a 27 year old.
Then there is the pangs I feel when I see my closest friends get married. No I'm not really worried that I'm not even engaged, but what if my married friends only want to hang out with other married friends because I don't have a mother-in-law/ sister-in-law worth bitching about? There is also this problem of distance because these married people just move away to other countries. That is also not my biggest worry.
Who am I? That is a question I found an answer to some time ago. A 27 year old with a 16 year old inside who loves to dance, cry, laugh, flirt, eat, fight and basically live life as an independent woman. So no, I am not worried about soul searching. Kind of need to have a soul for that first. But we'll get to that later.
What worries me the most is what do I want from my life? If I was to make a list, this is what it would sound like.
I want a job that pays a truckload of money, but I also want job satisfaction. I want to feel happy that I am giving back to society. I want to dance and learn to play the drums. I want to study further and maybe do P.h.D. I want to have a social life. I want friends and time to have tea with them (coffee gives me acidity).
I want to make a difference in the lives of those I teach. I want to shop till I drop. I want fame and glory in small way, maybe just Page 3 worthy types. I want anonymity to be able to talk about whoever and whatever. I want to be a hero, the Ironman, sorry sorry, Ironwoman of today. I want to an iron hearted woman as well unperturbed by the emotions I feel. I want to write and read and blog. I want to be a makeup artist and a choreographer. I want to be a party planner and also to bake cakes. I want to travel and see the sights of Italy and Rome. I want to hike to the top of the mountains (but not swim to the deep seas. Scared of water). I want to love without the fear of being hurt (like that's possible). Ok lets, scratch from the list. I want to try making some exotic recipes (vegetarian only).
In simple terms, I want everything in the 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year that I get. So TIME is what I want the most.
I want to live each moment.
To quote the words from the song of High School Musical 3 (yes I am quoting HSM3, a kiddy/ teenager movie)-
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Of Childhood Friendships
In a cinema style it would mean a girl and boy being neighbours as kids, liking each other only to get separated and find each other a decade later by means for a song or a watch or something, falling in love and getting married, and the hardships they face in the process.
In reality there are very few of us who have a friend whom we can call as a childhood friend. In the day and age of Facebook, it isn't hard to find an old friend but is sharing pictures and seeing the pages they like, what a childhood friendship is about.
No.
It is much more.
It is about all the unspoken words. It is about the thoughts you share. It is about knowing that your friend is there no matter what.
It is about being apart for years but connecting the instant you meet again. Sometimes not even meeting but still connecting through a simple mail. It is about not having to catch up.
It isn't about long phone calls and endless chats. It is about knowing that any time you want to talk, they are there. Time is irrelevant.
It is about who you think of first to share your joy and sorrow. Especially your sorrow.
It isn't about coffees, lunches or dinners or even wishing them on their birthday. It is about your saddest moments, your deepest feelings, your inexplicable thoughts. They are always beside you. With you.
Close your eyes and they are there. Understanding you even though they are miles away.
So what's our story?
My mother was pregnant with my sister (another post will talk about the sorrows and joys (?) of having a younger sister) and so we had come down to India for a few months.
Arun's family lived in the house above.
My first memories of him is the picture you see above. I think I remembered the hot pink skirt more than I remembered him, but oh well, he still fit somewhere in the memory.
After we went back to the UK we completely lost touch, though his name and his family was mentioned occasionally at home.
Years passed by, and one summer holiday, when all of us had gathered at my grandma's place for a holiday, the mamas decided that keeping these children at home was driving everyone crazy and so we went for a one day trip. On the way we passed through Palakad and stopped at Arun's house. When we entered the house, we were welcomed with hot food and the beautiful sounds of the veena. Arun was having veena class. Respect grew. We spent hardly an hour at his place and I didn't get to talk much to him. Little hard when you are surrounded by a dozen or more people.
A few years later he came to Bangalore and that is when we actually got a chance to speak properly.
Since then we've been constantly in touch. Emails, phone calls. Even when with him sitting all the way in Sweden.
Today, more than 20 years of knowing him, I can 'classify' him as a childhood friend.
Dear Arun. This is for you.
I am blessed to have you in my life.
Always have been. Always will be.
Monday, January 28, 2013
There she goes.... My grandma.
Don't wait to lose someone to realise this. Then again, realisation never strikes until you face it.
Friday, January 04, 2013
To Arjun. On his birthday.
What I have here is all the time I wasted to give you this awesome gift.
The fruit of midnight battle with words
krupa
Sunday, December 02, 2012
In his dreams...
She looked stunning in a light sea green sari which brought out her slim figure appropriately. Not heavily loaded with jewellery, her accessories highlighted her taste in fashion and very subtly showed off the beauty of her long neck. Her makeup was well done and her sparkling eyes were not the only thing that made her stand out of the crowd. Just the way she carried herself and moved around the crowds smiling at a person here and there, stopping to adjust the dress of the kids, talking politely to elders, all this made her the centre of attraction and pulled attention away from the poor bride on stage.
He could not take his eyes off her and found himself looking at her wavy hair more than once. He admired the way she had done up her hair such that it did not fall on her face and adjusted it ever so lightly every now and then. She was a joy to watch and seeing her bubbly talkative nature he was a bit apprehensive to approach her. As he watched her from one corner of the room, he realised she was talking to all HIS relatives. Did this mean she was related to him? Oh hell no! He thought. The last thing he wanted was some uncle saying, this is your chitappa/perippa's daughter, thus making her his sister in some way. However, if she turned out to be some mama's daughter, well that could work to his advantage. Now he really needed to find out who she was. Curiosity was just killing him and as he moved closer to her, he realised there was something very familiar about her. Surely they had met before....
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
3 years later....
Friday, November 20, 2009
Inside the Head
"The B lymphocytes give rise to the plasma cells and memory cells. The memory cells help to recognise an antigen that infects the body again. But yet we keep catching colds. These bloody viruses, what a pain they are. Man, I hope I'm not sick on my birthday. That's so not how I'd like to spend that day. Shucks I still have to go buy a new dress and give the salwar material for stitching. Hope that tailor is there when I go to ulsoor. Thanks to the Metro it's such torture to travel all the way there. And I don't like the way the 4th cross tailor stitches. This is why I need to go for that tailoring class. But first I need to get the sewing machine fixed. And mom's vehicle is still lying around. We should sell that. I doubt it's worth the repair. And then I need to convince dad to a get a new vehicle. But if I say vehicle, then he'll say learn car. Yeah I guess I should go join that as well. Hmmm.. I wonder if Poonam picked up the TC from trust office. It's been a while since I talked to her.Ii wonder if kavitha cleared her backs. Wonder what the girls are doing. I know shaman is working. Can't believe we're so out of touch. Ok ok. I won't go back to old stories. Thank god for sheril being around. Speaking of sheril, he hasn't replied to my mail. I bet that lazy bum hasn't even checked it yet!! Can't wait for him to come to town. I hope he stays till my birthday. Oh ya, I still don't know what to buy. Maybe I should get a top for the leggings. But I want a skirt or dress. Ok let's see. Got to work on getting perm from mom n dad for that. Not a short dress. Calf length would be jus great. Something in pastel colours and flowy. Hmmm.. I can just imagine it. This is why I need to learn to stitch. Ok as soon as I'm done with Net exam I'll go join. Ok where was I now?? Oh yeah, B lymphocytes. The plasma cells give rise to antibodies."
Isn't it amazing how the mind works so fast and connects so many unrelated things especially when one is studying. :D
Thursday, November 05, 2009
kanden kadhalai= kadhalai kanden
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Aadhavan review
Aadhavan starring suriya, nayanthara, vadivelu and a come back from the old heart throb, Saroja Devi. A movie with K S Ravikumar direction sure has a lot of expectation. Ramesh krishna has given a typical commercial story with an introduction song for the hero and one for the heroine, and a coupla duets, some neat fights with stunts that have now become the norm. Suriya of course is upto the mark with his dance and comedy. The play on words with Mano bala is worth applauding, and vadivelu is upto his standard as always but some of the comic scenes seem like déjà vu and some punch lines are now getting predictable. Nayanthara plays more of a role in the flashback than in the present day scenario where she only provides the romantic side. The role of saroja devi makes you wonder what was the absolute necessity of that role except to provide a bit of support to nayanthara's character especially in driving away ramesh krishna, who is a potentially annoying suitor for nayanthara. The idea of portraying suriya as a 10 year old is pretty novel and makes you wonder whether he really did look like that at the age of 10. It also makes one think how is it possible that though his face has not changed but only matured over the years, nobody in his family can no longer recognise him. The climax is slightly more unbelievable than usual. If you've seen Ayan then the plot of Aadhavan is pretty predictable.
On the whole as a commercial film Aadhavan would probably do decently and will be loved by suriya fans for his acting, his dancing and his comedy. But as a story the plot is lacking any twists and turns that were not already forseen, and leaves you expecting a bit more. Looks like suriya is getting stereotyped and his movies getting cliched. And that comes from a hard core Suriya fan.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
To Sheril
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
To Janani
The Rain
Thursday, August 20, 2009
10 things I miss about you.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
short episodes
Dance
A form of expression
A language with no words
A art, a talent
From the sexy salsa to the classy classical
It speaks to us.
We weep, we laugh
We're left speechless.
Desires within are expressed
Thoughts are put forward
Morals and stories brought to the front
Dance.. one word says it all.
As the train pulls away with our near and dear ones
And joy as it brings out loved ones
With goodies and more
The shrill of the whistle brings a thrill
As the train moves, each journey, good memories.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
To the People
People tell us to forget it and move on
Nothing goes the way i want.
People tell me to go out and get it
But if i do, I'm called stubborn
When i don't, they say i'm spineless
Why can't u make up your mind
Or atleast let me make up mine
When the world revolves on opinions
Why is it wrong for me to listen to them?
We are defined by our society
And yet we try to defy it
But... who is the society?
You, me and others
So why are we so hard to please?

