Happy Birthday!

I woke up today at 4.40 AM, earlier than I have at any day this term. My first thought was of enjoying an hour and 20 minutes of sleep more and I really tried to fall asleep, but I had What's Up? by 4 Non Blondes stuck in my head which was really proving to be a hindrance at this point. I soon became aware of the chirping of the birds outside and when I looked out the window at about 5.10 AM at a beautiful, cloudy dawn, I had the sudden urge to see the sunrise on my last day as an 18 year old.

I quickly put on my hoodie with my shoes in my night dress and walked out at 5.20 AM looking quite ridiculous but at this point, I didn't really care because I really did not want to miss that beautiful sunrise.

While walking down to Waterloo Park and giving in to my brain's cravings of listening to What's Up? on repeat, I couldn't help but think about how I now call my 14 year old self a kid, and I remember thinking I'd never do that when I grow old. When I try and foresee a future, I love how I know that in even two or three years' time, I'm going to look back and call my 18 year old self a kid. This led to me thinking about how every single experience I have changes me and leads me to be the person I am at this very second; how the last day, last month, last ten months, and the last 19 years have shaped me into a conscious, empathetic being who tries really hard to be strong and determined, someone who has learnt that hard work doesn't always pay off, and that everything that happens in life gives one a choice to make about the future.

The last ten months, and especially the last month, has been a roller coaster ride for me where I experienced many emotions and lived through quite a few interesting experiences. I changed in ways I couldn't expect and I was given opportunities that weren't even on my radar. They made me realize the love I hold for my subject, the hope I have for humanity, and the weakness in my heart towards human connection and love.

As I walked up a small hill to get to a better viewing spot right before the Sun was about to rise, I realized how content I was with my own company at that point and I tried to think back to the last time I felt that content with myself. I couldn't. Needless to say, I hadn't felt this content with myself in a very long time. I just loved being out there by myself without anyone's company or the need to fiddle on my phone (I did dance though).

My Mother always says "First, love yourself." And, what better day to realize this than my last one as 18 years old.

And so I wake in the morning

And I step outside

And I take a deep breath and I get real high

And I scream from the top of my lungs

What's going on?  

 

Sweet Sixteen

February 1st, 2002 is a day I don't remember. But, something very important happened on that day. My sister was born. She came into this world as a small, cute baby who was going to take away all my parents' attention from their beautiful single child. Not that I remember, of course. I was 2 years old (2.5 to be precise, she likes it that way). I don't remember the proceeding years either. What I remember has to do with the countless memories my parents froze in time over the years.

I remember looking at photos where I would treat this little bundle of joy, as my parents called her, with curiosity and love. I remember seeing photos of me looming over her, being her 3 year old bodyguard and vowing to protect her from every harm there is in the world. Well, the only things she did at that time was eat and sleep. It was hard not to fall in love with her.

Now comes the time when she grew up. She became 4 years old and her life revolved around me. I was her mentor, her big sister, her guide. She did what I did. She ate the way I did, she played with my friends and I when I did. I was 7 years old. It got in my nerves. "Ma, why is she following me around?!" I remember asking my Mother one day when I just wanted to play with my friends without her around.

Cut, and play! Skip to 5 years later. I'm 12 and she's 9. The only way she would cross a road was by holding my hand. I made sure she was around me when we were in public. I was her caretaker. I didn't want my annoying sister getting lost in the crowd. We choreographed a salsa dance, which is nothing like real salsa. We came up with games to keep us occupied with the sofas in the Drawing Room (don't ask me why we called it that in an apartment). We would swing around in our living room and come up with innovative competitions.

She was a girly-girl and I was a tomboy. I hated dresses and skirts and make up. She lived for them. I thought too much about the future, she was a carefree angel who lived in the moment. We were different and similar at the same time.

She's 12 and I'm 15. She no longer holds my hand when she needs to cross the road. She makes an effort to put up her argument every time we fight. She lashes back, or she tries. I am surprised at this sudden change in my little sister. I don't understand what is happening. My Mother said that is her way of asserting her independence, which happens when you grow up. Hey, I did it too! I drove my parents crazy, at least she is only driving me crazy.

Cut, again. This time she's 15 and I'm 18. I'm about to leave home. Our family of four is going to turn into a family of three, with one person across the world. It saddened me to leave my support system behind, and it saddened me to know that I'm not going to be there for my sister's milestones. I was gone four months. She turned from a bubbly girl to a happy young woman in those months. I encountered a completely different person when I went back home for a week. I couldn't recognize her, and still see her little sister self in her.

It's January 30th, 2018. Her birthday is on 1st February, 2018. She is turning 16. Unlike February 1st, 2002, this is a day I am going to remember for life. This is her first birthday for which I am not around. She has officially become a young woman, and I am not there to experience it.

This is going to be fun. She's 16, and I'm going to be turning 19. She's a tomboy now (but still manages to be way more fashionable than me), I'm more into fashion. She's still a carefree angel living in the moment, while I still overthink about the future. Somethings don't change, like the fact that we're sisters. We've just touched adulthood. Barely. We have our lives to get through side by side, sisters against the world. We have many more stories to exchange and many more arguments to get through.

Happy Birthday, baby sister!

Happy Friendship Day to Friendships in the Past

This friendship day, I want to honour friendships that were left behind in the past. Those friendships that were supposed to be the forever. Ones where you both were supposed to live your life together, sharing every moment together, and being comfortable wearing pajamas in the bubble you made. This post is to honour friendships that were supposed to last till the end of time, but didn't.

This is probably the most difficult piece I have ever written, trying to express complex feelings swirling in my body, not stopping for a second, in words.

That feeling of meeting someone new and connecting and relating with them is a familiarly new feeling. Terming someone as a friend is the start of an exciting journey of sharing memories, places, movies, and pizzas. Every friendship is unique in its own way and has its perks and inside jokes and whatnot. Every friendship is a splash of emotions, fun, attachment, help, and people. Losing something like this is like losing a part of ourselves.

Losing a friend changes us in ways we didn't know we could change into. Knowing that we and our friend are not on the same page is a reality that can be very difficult to accept. Moving on from that beautiful friendship is a completely different and equally difficult hurdle. It makes one question the importance of bonds like these, and if they are even worth it. The end of a friendship does make one question such future bonds, and maybe even change their meaning.

Looking back, we want to cherish these beautiful memories we created at these specific moments with people who were special to us, but we can't help but also think of the times when we talked of the future like it was ours and our friend's and both of us would conquer it together. So we move on, trying not to think of the times where we had the craziest fun, and living our life in the present with our present, beautiful friendships.

So, this post is to honour the memories, the lessons, the fun, the times, the bond, the emotions that are associated with friendships that were left behind in the past as life moved forward and changed and evolved with every hurdle and every change. This friendship day, let's honour the friendships that were supposed to stand the tests of time, but were destroyed in the process.

Dear IB

Dear IB,

I want to say I hope this letter finds you in good health, but both of us know I don't mean that. We unofficially ended our relationship about a week ago. Of course, officially we end when you hand me my IB Diploma and we never have to cross paths again. I wish I could say it has been a pleasure knowing you for two years and spending the majority of my time completing your work. It has not. It has been a difficult two years, to say the least. The naive 16 year old me decided to take you up as a challenge to show that everything is beatable. Halfway through the program, I realized my err. You cannot be beaten at your own game, when played by your own rules.

I agree that it is difficult to adjust to normal life again after that ordeal. It has been two weeks since I celebrated walking out of that exam hall and I am terrified of the fact that I have absolutely no work to do anymore. Two years ago that would make me rejoice, now it's driving me crazy. I also agree that there were some things you made me do that temporarily restored my faith in you. Most of my investigations were fun and full of knowledge that I wouldn't otherwise obtained. However, maths was the last straw. The maths essay you made me do was the final confirmation I needed to label you as crazy.

After that, it was easy to see why you made me suffer with the different kinds of essays and take exams that a University student would find difficult to answer. You were crazy. And you liked seeing us go through the pain of trying to juggle a million things at once and do well in all of them. IB, you made all of us into completely different people to who we were when we first joined your program. From chirpy, positive, naive fifteen and sixteen year olds you changed us into antisocial, negative, wised-up, focused, and organized seventeen and eighteen year olds.

I can go on ranting in this letter about how you gave us no choice but to be locked up in our rooms till three in the night, trying to finish all the work successfully to our individual abilities and failing massively, but I think you've heard this from every student who has ever managed to successfully complete your strenuous program. I want to tell you, grudgingly, how much you helped me with that insane program of yours.

Yes, helped me. University starts in two months, and I don't think I would feel this prepared and ready for it without going through your program where you pushed me hard enough to help me get over my previous mistakes and move on from them. You made me look forward, and not cry over spilt milk. You made me organized enough to know when and how to spend time and realistic enough to realize that everything that I want doesn't work. You prepared me for University, and for the rest of my life, so I don't mind that you made me work it all off for two years.

So, Dear IB, I hate you for the ordeal you put me through in those two years when I never thought I will get out of it, but I do accept that without you I would not be feeling as confident about living my life and achieving my dreams as I do right now.

Yours Sincerely,
Another IB Student

More Than Just a Dream

Sitting on my cluttered study table, and chatting with my best friend about closing down this blog because I feel no one really read it anyway, I went into my dreamland.

It's just funny how we look for acceptance from people around us, while forgetting that the only acceptance that matters is our own. All of the times when Likes on Facebook has validated our beauty, or the times the number of friends on social media has made us feel accepted. All of us have gone through that. That's one reason I wanted to close this blog down. I felt as if no one reads it, or appreciates it, and there is no point in keeping this going. But, when my best friend said, "Ridhee, you like writing!", I thought to myself, Yes. I like writing. This blog, that I started six years ago, is my way of  expressing myself through writing." So, why is it that I am giving up on this beautiful part of me because people don't read it? That's not why I started it in the first place.

That is when I realized that people don't matter. It is people who expect you to behave in a certain way, and do certain things to fit into society's mold of 'person'. Someone cannot make you feel bad about yourself until you give them that power. By letting it affect you. You are what you are. You are beautiful. You are intelligent. You have the potential. Your dreams matter. You matter. And, what you do with yourself matters. It doesn't matter that half the world is against you because you want to stand up against violence you believe is wrong.

There are going to be people everywhere who wouldn't understand you, who would put you down, who would betray you, who would talk behind your back, who would stand with you, who would give you the courage, who would tell you how important you are, who would give you a reason to continue. Accept all kinds of people. Listen closely to those giving you feedback. Discard those who don't help you grow. Do what you love.

The only validation one requires is one's own.

P.S This blog is going to be up and running like always.

Special thanks to Pooja Kiran. 

The Truth About Education

Education is amazing. It’s what creates you, it’s what exposes you. Through education, you realize your passion and calling. Its education that helps you form opinions about issues and people and things. True. All of that, and much more, is true.

But, what is education when you’re more stressed about getting that paper or that homework in, than actually enjoying what you’re studying and understanding. What is education when you care more about what your predicted grade in a particular subject is than what concept you aren’t able to get your head around?

Don’t get me wrong, I love education. I love studying. I love just knowing that rights and wrongs are social constructs made by society, I love understanding how different theatrical devices and ideas affect the audience of the piece, I love seeing how one color an author has used can say so much about his state of mind at that moment, I love learning a completely new language, I love making that connection between Donald Trump and Hitler and seeing why both of them are rising/rose to power and actually see history repeat itself (almost, hopefully not). I love studying.

But, I don’t see the purpose when I am stressed out enough to have a mental breakdown during class, or come home exhausted and have to face a huge workload that I need to submit in the next day. What is the point of all of this, when you’re going to reduce something as beautiful as knowledge and education to workload; reduce it to students comparing studying to stress; to the word ‘study’ having negative connotations in a student’s life.

And, don’t even get me started on exams. Exams are not to measure your success throughout the year and fathom what you’ve understood and learnt. If you ask an average student, exams is for that grade at the end with which they can apply to university or have a standing in the society. That grade is what defines a person in our lives nowadays. That success in anything and everything is what defines a person in this age and world. How wrong could we get? Are we trying to measure a person’s ability with the way he performs in maths, while his passion lies in dance? Are we saying that someone is incapable of doing anything just because he got a D in school? It’ll be this guy who will end up starting a million dollar company, and then we will use his example as inspiration.

I have one request from everyone around the world. Please do not reduce knowledge to something like exams and grades. Knowledge is a lot more profound and beautiful than a letter on a piece of paper.

Its Just Another Set of Exams

I know your boards are starting soon. I know you are nervous, anxious, and freaking out. You probably even think that you might be under-prepared. I went through exactly what you are going through last year. The nervousness, the anxiety, the over-thinking, it was all there through the whole study break.

So, as someone who has been through this, I write to make you feel confident for your 'boards'. Your boards are nothing but another set of exams you have to tackle to get into the next year. It is just another test to see if you are qualified enough to get to the next class. The only difference is that it is marked by people who aren't your teachers. And, that's okay. You don't have to focus on that. Keep in mind that these exams are not going to make or break your future. Mark sheets don't have the power to do that until you give them that power.

I'm not saying treat it lightly or don't study. It's a milestone. But, don't put your boards on a very high pedestal. They don't belong there. That is unnecessarily putting so much pressure on your head that you are going to end up getting saturated, tired, and incapable of studying. Instead, study so that you understand what is happening. It isn't understanding when you read something and say to yourself, "Yep, I got it." It is understanding when you take a set of difficult questions on the topic and are able to solve it without too much of a problem.

You might have a lot of subjects, and you definitely are not going to like all of them (during my boards, I despised five of eight of my subjects). I know it is difficult, but enjoy the subjects while it lasts, Drop all your feelings and inhibitions about that subject, just take in all the information. Listen to what the subject is trying to tell you! You will not only learn a lot for your exam, you might even end up actually liking the subject.

Also (especially for them IGCSE students), don't ever ignore a paper thinking it isn't important. That paper could actually be the difference between a B and an A. If I'd done well in my Economics MCQ, I would have probably had 7 As and 1 B. And, never get overconfident for a subject. Give each subject enough time and study it. Revise everything in detail. Make sure you understand. Make sure you can explain what you have learnt to someone who has no knowledge about that subject.

Guys, the boards, or any other exam for that matter, will not make or break your future. The only reason this is important is because it gives you a milestone; it gives you an idea about what you like and what you don't. Your boards are just another way of testing you, so don't give in to societal pressure, and definitely don't negatively stress yourself out.

This, coming from someone who has already seen that the boards are nothing compared to what you're going to face later, and how insignificant your grades start seeming down the line. But, that's no reason not to study! Grades do decide your immediate future. Don't mess it up, and don't stress too much.

All the best! 

Conquering My Dreams

I never expected Grade 11 to be easy. I never expected it to be this hard, either. I wanted to do IB, partly because I could do subjects from all streams in this board, and partly because I wanted to challenge myself. I wasn't disappointed in both aspects. IB teaches me lessons about life I wouldn't have ever learnt otherwise.

Now, physics is my dream. Astronomy is what I am working towards every second of my life. I have interests elsewhere, but I am crazy, mad, psycho about astronomy. I am obsessed with astronomy. So, the indecision and panic I feel when I fail again and again to get a grip on the only subject I care about is intense. Just knowing that this is the last shot you have to correct everything so that you can follow your dreams and live a content life, the way you want it, is overwhelming. Every time, I make a mistake, or don't understand something, its a panicky situation. That knowledge, my own expectations, my parents' expectations and just everything around me comes up on me, pushes me down, forces me to think of different options, makes me indecisive, and makes me want to give up.

Giving up has never been an option for me. Astronomy has stayed through thirteen years of my life, and giving it up is taking my own life. So, now that there are two more years I got to study to establish my foundation, and it's proving to be the most difficult and scary moments of my life, giving up seems very friendly. But, giving up is never a way out, is it? Giving up means not trying; not knowing what could have happened if I hadn't given up. Giving up means completely letting go of the little hope I have left.

Giving up also means a new beginning; a beginning to all those different could haves. Giving up also means a new life, a happy life, a life I was supposed to live. Oh, the dilemma.

Thinking about it now, I don't see why, at the age of 16, should I give up on something so precious to me, Life gets hard, doesn't mean I give up on everything. Isn't that the point of life? Isn't life supposed to throw huge obstacles at you every time? The people who manage to get through all these obstacles are the winners.

So, this is an obstacle I need to face and get through. An obstacle that will make me stronger. Its just a matter of time and my strength to move a step forward and conquer what I love most. Nothing can ever stop my progress to become an astronomer.

Blood Red Diamonds: Diya

I was lost for words when Natasha got up and walked out of the whole project. Just because I wasn’t researching about what I was supposed to. After all, we found the same information! Why did she expect me to get more information than her? I think she just needed an excuse to get out of it. Even in class, I tried pleading, but she ignored me. I did see her attention span decrease drastically in class, though.  So, if she too doesn’t want to be a part of this, I’ll do it myself. I am more than capable of it. But, inside I knew that Natasha had the brains I needed. And the connections. I was missing out on a lot. But, I convinced myself I could do it on my own. So, I sat down to research more in the night, shunning out all the other interests that were craving for my attention.

I slept while researching this topic, with no breakthrough. Even the internet seemed to give up when it came to this topic. No one knew what happened to the thief after he was caught, and the red diamond after it was stolen. I was getting depressed day by day. I needed to know more about this, to find out if the school held it. At this rate, I could slip into clinical depression!

The next day, I got ready for school with a heavy heart and was quiet till break. My friends coaxed me to tell them my problems, but how would they understand? That’s when Natasha came up to me, and said she was sorry. She said that she was intrigued by it against her wishes and would join back. She looked at me meekly, and I was just so grateful and happy, I bear-hugged her! She slipped and almost fell, but regained her balance. When I let her go, she was smiling at me. The first thing she said was, “Meet me at the library during our free classes. I’ll already be there. Come, and we’ll discuss about this.” She then, went and started reading her book, as was the norm.  I looked at her for a second and turned back to my friends, suddenly turning into the chirpy bird that I was. My friends felt weird about the whole issue, but as long as I had Natasha with me on this plan, all was well, and I didn’t care about anything else. 

Gender Bias Against Men

This is my topic for a project of mine in school. I was so disappointed when I started researching on it though. There was no material on this topic on the internet. Every time I Googled this phrase, the majority of links I found would indirectly go back to saying how feminism and women empowerment should be the focus of society in today's world.

I don't disagree. Feminism is an integral topic that needs to be looked at in today's society, owing to the fact that the world is evolving and growing, and gender equality is something the world should work towards. Notice that I used the phrase gender equality. And, I mean gender equality. Instead, what I find the world focusing on today is how to keep women on top of the men. Nope, we don't need a reverse situation.

Let's face it. Men face gender stereotypes everyday. And we choose to overlook it. They are everywhere around us. While we wouldn't stand a gender stereotype exercised against a woman, we would laugh it off if a gender stereotype was exercised against a man. Well, that isn't gender equality.

So, what is gender equality? Oxford dictionary defines this term as "The state in which access to rights or opportunities is unaffected by gender." That basically means every gender should be able to access what the world has to offer. 

But, gender equality is so much more than that! Its about demolishing all those "rules" we've built for each gender, its about both the genders embracing their selves. Its about the man being able to cry openly, and the woman not being judged for not marrying. Its about the man be a stay-at-home husband while the wife be the breadwinner. Its about a man not hitting a woman not because she is a woman, but because violence is wrong. Its about a woman trusting a stranger because we're all human beings.

Then why is it that men have to be under so much pressure from the society while the women slowly get liberated? Don't men deserve to be liberated? Shouldn't we, as human beings, even look at the other side of the coin?

Men have to hide their emotions in the 21st century. And, suffer questions on his manliness if he defies that rule.
Men can't branch out into a lot of jobs. Because, hey! They need to get the money for the family right? And, god forbid if they want to get into 'womanly' jobs. They would again have to go through the humiliation of not being 'manly' enough.
Men are still shown as lazy asses and irresponsible people on the television. They just have the woman to do everything!

Those are a minute example of what it is like for men. Add in the skewed concept of feminism. Life gets hard for a man. And we don't seem to acknowledge that. We think the men have it easy. Well, ask a man, and he'll have to think twice before even telling you something.

Out of those dozens and dozens of articles on how women are mistreated and deserve a chance, there should be one article about how men are mistreated and should be understood.

There was an amazing interactive show put up by Yours Truly Theatre in Bangalore focusing on this very issue. Name was Boys Don't Cry, and it was an instant success. It talked about three different issues the man faces in his daily life.

Gender bias against men isn't a small issue. Its thriving, and it affects men in the same way stereotypes against women affected us. And, its our duty to enforce GENDER EQUALITY. Not a skewed up version of feminism, or as they call it, feminazism.

I Regret Being a Girl

A few days ago I went for auditions for my school production. In the second round, I had to talk about something I regretted doing. I didn't get selected for it, but I was just thinking about what I would have said if I did get selected. I thought of everything I had done that I truly truly regretted, but nothing came into my mind. Not that I haven't done anything worth regretting, I just couldn't remember. Yes, I was embarrassed about a lot of things I had done, but never regretted any of it. Then, I stumbled upon something I regretted being.

You guessed it. I regretted being a girl. Still do. And, I think, there are quite a few reasons why. I don't think I would just start regret being myself without any triggers. I thought about it a lot. Why I would regret being someone I am; someone I feel comfortable in sometime. I regret being a girl but I don't want to change my gender. The irony.

When I thought about it, I thought it has a lot to do with the society and environment I grew up in. My parents are quite modern with their views and actions. All through my life they haven't stopped me from doing anything. They've always striven to instill curiosity in me about something and then, went out of their way to quench it to the best of their abilities. Even now, after I have grown up a bit, and am filled to the brim with various kinds of activities, including studying, they never stop me from trying out new activities.

But, I grew up in a society where there were a lot of restrictions because of both, 'tradition and culture' and safety. I wasn't stopped from mingling or befriending anyone. I had a wide variety of friends, and I had loads of fun. My first restriction came when I was 13, and it wasn't forced upon me by my parents. In fact, none of my restrictions have been forced upon me by my parents. I was not allowed to mingle with boys. This was in one of my schools, and it was a huge blow to me because the first gender I would choose to make friends with are the boys. It wasn't clear to me from the beginning, it started becoming clear when there were a few restrictions for me alone.

At the time, I was confused. I didn't know what was happening! I had never been stopped from befriending anyone! Had I done something wrong? I couldn't think of something wrong that I had done. I was then called for counselling in the school where they counselled me out of befriending the boys. That didn't really happen. Eventually, I left that school. It had left a huge impact on me, though. I became aware of society's expectations of me, how to behave and how not to behave, their expectations of me mingling with whom, and doing what, keeping track of my every move.

After that, I became aware of some of my girlfriends not liking me because I hanged out with guys. I never forced them, they just didn't like that one of their friends interacted with the other gender. I became aware of some of my friends' parents being disagreeable of their kids hanging out with me because I was 'too spoilt'. Every time I went pass people I imagined them talking about me, saying things about me just because I hanged out with human beings that were made a little differently than me.

I also became aware of some of my male friends avoiding me so that society doesn't start pointing fingers at them too. I think, that was my breaking point. From then on I consciously got into the race to be more masculine. I regretted being me, I regretted being feminine. I wanted to be accepted, and I thought if I became more masculine, people wouldn't see me as a girl, they would instead see a boy. Ofcourse, that didn't happen. I never really thought of changing my gender, I was comfortable in it! But, I regretted it. That was the main reason I started regretting being myself. There are other petty reasons, all put on me by the society. Reasons like acting in a particular way, not doing somethings the guys do, branding me as weaker without knowing my potential. All this put me down. Why did they think I wasn't good enough?

Through all this, I also realized that I actually got into the race of becoming masculine much before than I thought I did. Unconsciously, I got into the race long, long before I became 13, probably when I was 6-7 years old. I didn't even realize it then, but I had already started disliking most of the things girls like.

P.S This is a personal thought and not meant to offend anyone. Especially the female gender. I respect the gender, and would help anyone in need. I don't look down upon the whole feminine gender, just me. I really would stand up for the girls if I had to. This is not meant to offend anyone. 

5 Months Ago

So, it's been quite some time since I put up a blog post. I didn't really have anything to write about (LIE LIE LIE LIE. I COULD HAVE WRITTEN ON A LOT OF STUFF!!!!!) But, I am back, and now, I am making a target for myself so that this beloved part of me doesn't get rejected while I play life. Hope to see a post every week!

So, I had to write this ten days ago, and thankfully, I set about writing it before the month end. For the record, my summers weren't as boring as I thought they would be. My summer in a nutshell: Internship at an accounting firm, India trip for two weeks, an amazing four day theater workshop.

On 13th, five months ago, I'd given my last board exam and stepped out of my school in Bangalore, feeling free and light-hearted. There was exactly a month I had left in that beautiful place, before I moved to my new home, here in Hong Kong. There were so many more feelings coursing through me at the time. Anticipation, excitement, anxiety, sadness, helplessness, happiness, to name a few. Oh, I still remember that last month where I scrambled to meet all the people I could, say my last goodbyes, freeze time forever in those moments, even somehow convince a few of them to join me in Hong Kong (well, it wasn't successful, but Skype). My friends threw at me various emotions, I thought never existed for me, they threw me a mind-blowing farewell party, and so did YT.

And, Dad joined us in Bangalore on the first of April. The thirteen days after that are much of a blur. There was so much being done to shift everything from our apartment to another one, sell things off, prepare for leaving one last time. The thirteenth, though, was a day of emotions. My best friends cried and tried to hide it, we went to our favorite spot one last time, so much happened in those few hours, that its a little difficult to believe it did happen.

These five months zipped past quite fast for me, especially those two weeks in India (heart stab). And, exactly five months later, on the 13th, I had my induction in school; my first step to start school. Five days before it officially started. Its been ten days now, and that day is still clear in my memory. Listening to my teacher telling us all about the school, acquainting myself with a completely new place, coming to terms with how differently this place would be run and most of all meeting friends from all over the world (almost). All the anxiety I went through on that day has now given way to familiarity and fun.

Its been a week since school officially started. I am enjoying all the subjects I have taken already, and I have a feeling all my submissions and exams are going to go great, just because I enjoy the subjects (haha, I hope so, hard work, I need to find you)! I look forward to a happening two years in this new city, and new school. And, I'll come back with (hopefully) good content next week!

Climate Change

"Look. There's a lot of official stuff I could quote and put up on the screen with PowerPoint. But what you need to know, what the world needs to know, it that we're really destroying the earth in a bigger and more catastrophic way than anyone has ever imagined.

I mean, I've seen a lot of the world, the only world we have. There are so many awesome, beautiful things in it. Waterfalls and mountains, thermal pools surrounded by ice and snow as far as you can see. Beautiful beaches with sand like white sugar. Fields and fields of wildflowers. Places where the ocean crashes up against a mountainside, like it's done for hundreds of thousands of years.

I've also seen concrete cities with hardly any green. And rivers whose pretty rainbow surfaces came from an oil leak upstream. Animals are become extinct right now, in my lifetime. Just recently, I went through one of the worst hurricanes ever recorded. It was a whole lot worse because of huge, worldwide climate change caused by...us. We, the people.

Every minute of every day, cars belch exhaust. Factories spew toxins into the air, land, and water. We've cleared millions of square miles of forests, rain forests, and plains, which means tons of topsoil is just washing away. Which means loss of animals and plants, and increased fires, floods, and coastal disintegration. Just by stuff people have made, created, we're raising the overall temperature of the entire atmosphere. Well, we only have the one atmosphere! Can we hold our breath until we get a new one?

The problem is here, now. Nine of the ten hottest years ever recorded have happened in my lifetime. I'm fourteen. More or less. There have been record-setting weather extremes across the globe-tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, droughts, wildfires, tsunamis. We're warming up the planet, and the planet's ice is melting. If only fifty percent of the world's ice melts, countless rivers and streams will overflow and then dry up, killing hundreds of people from disease and starvation. The ocean water level will rise anywhere from four feet to maybe twenty feet. How many of your favorite vacation spots would be under water? Want to see the Eiffel Tower by canoe? Do any of you own beach houses? Kiss 'em goodbye. And not two hundred years from now. Soon. Maybe withing this lifetime.

We can't reverse this disaster, even if we all pitched in now and did everything we could, which, face it, we're not going to do. A small percentage of us will do stuff, and other people will ignore the problem and hope they'll be dead before it gets really bad. But there are things we can do that would at least help. It would make a difference.

We need to pay more attention to what we do, what we buy, who we buy it from. Use compact fluorescent bulbs. Look into other kinds of power. Windmills, water mills, solar power-every year corporations pay a jillion dollars in legal fees to avoid getting fined for pollution violations. What if they took a tiny percentage of that money and put it toward coming up with with better energy sources?

I'm just one kid, and not even a regular kid. But if I can come up with all this, why can't you? Will you wait until the water is lapping at your feet?" - Max

Way to go, James Patterson!

Blood Red Diamonds*: Natasha

We walked to the library together, silently. It was quite awkward for both of us as we had never done that before; we were never in good terms with each other. Reaching there, I said, “Let’s do some individual research. We’ll then share all the information we collect.” She nodded, and took one computer. I took the computer right opposite her.

The first thing I did was put my head in my hands. I needed a moment to process all of this. We were here to research on red diamonds; costing a fortune per carat. And my future of having a clean legal record and getting my dream job looked bleak at the moment. I saw the fire in Diya’s eyes. I signed up for this. I had to research now.

I opened Chrome, and went on Google, typed in Red Diamonds. I got a hundred results. I first read a bit about red diamonds on Wikipedia, and went on other sites for a better understanding. What I found made me regret my decision even more. There was evidence that could prove Diya was right. There was a robbery of a red diamond sometime back in the UK. The thief was caught, but the piece of diamond never recovered. It vanished from the face of the earth. The picture of that piece of diamond was there. I looked around to check if anyone was nearby, took my phone out and clicked a picture of the diamond. I looked for more news articles. All of them said the same thing. There was nothing new to add. The date, I noticed, was about two years back. So, if the school has this diamond, it has been hiding it for about two years.

Done with my research, I sat next to Diya, looking at what she was reading. Her eyes stuck on the screen, she was furiously reading an article, oblivious to the world around her. With the curiosity she was reading, I just hoped she had found something more than I had. I couldn’t read what she was reading. I waited for her to finish, which didn’t happen soon.

When she finished, she looked in front of her. I tapped her shoulder to indicate that I am sitting right beside her. She turned towards me with so much enthusiasm, that I was stunned for a moment. Diya doesn’t have any enthusiasm for anything but all things girly. “Okay, so what did you find?” I asked her, hoping that she found something that would make my brains rolling.

“It was stolen. Two years back.” She said with much enthusiasm.

I sighed. “I know that too, Diya. Anything you found that was out-of-ordinary? I need something that could throw light on the robbery, and any hint of where the diamond is located right now.”

“No. I didn’t read anything like that. I read a lot about that robbery.”

“What was that last article that you were reading?”

“Oh, THAT…that was about a fashion designer’s new design…” she said with a cheeky look.

I looked at her with an incredulous look. “Diya, you signed me up for this, and now you’re acting kiddish! That’s it! I am backing out!” I got up from the chair, and walked out of the library, and the plan, hopefully, to never return again.

I went for the next class, and even Diya joined it a bit later. She looked at me pleading all throughout, and I ignored her. But, this was something I couldn’t stop thinking about. It was difficult for me to concentrate in the classes, and it was difficult for me to sleep at night. What if the school really had it? What could we do with it? What if this was all illegal? It was just like a story; an adventure. I decided I’ll become a part of it again, however meek I sound in front of Diya. 

Keep That Door Open

You and I will meet again, when we're least expecting it. One day, in some far off place I will recognize your face. I wont say goodbye, my friend, for you and I will meet again. - Tom Petty

Today, in a few hours, I depart to Hong Kong. I leave everything I have ever known behind, and start a new journey; a new life. A few months back, I was overwhelmed by the thought of shifting. Now that the day is here, I feel as if I am in denial. Even though my house is empty, even though there were cartons everywhere, even though there are empty cartons lying around, even though I saw potential buyers come and take away all the precious things we've had, I still dont feel as if we're going to board a flight in the next few hours and be gone to start a new life in a new place. Everyone around me seems to have accepted it. Not me. I am anxious about what would happen there, but I still feel as if there is a lot of time to go before it'll be executed. I have been spending time with all my friends, sleepovers, movies, hangouts and what not. The only thing I've been telling everyone is keep faith. Nothing is going to happen to whatever relationship we share. Now, I even realize that I do mean something to a lot of people.

And, one day, I stumbled upon the quote above. It was so refreshing that I forwarded it to all my friends, and its what has kept me from loosing faith in my own words. We will meet again. Sooner or later, is on fate. But, we will meet again. Until then, goodbye :)

Hong Kong is not the end, but its not the beginning either. Its just a phase; take it like a test. And, if our friendship is strong, it'll last all the distances in the world. Dont cry, because we will meet again. Keep that door open. One day you'll see me walk through it. Towards you.