Break Out The Champagne, Please.

EXTREMELY LONG POST with plugs, proceed at your own risk.

I have been itching to write this post for a looong time and now that I’m actually getting to write it, words fail me like never before. I never thought, when I got back to blogging in June, that I’d take it so seriously, that blogging would become so much a part of me, that it would be something that I’d come to be proud of, something I’d be willing to work hard for.

*insert appropriate bgm*

Ahem. Now that I’m done being all senti and mental about my blogging superpowers (or the lack of them), let’s get down to actually boring your head off because, for once, I’m going to harp my head away without feeling guilty about it:P

So finally here I am, at a milestone in my career (yes, I take writing THAT seriously), typing down my 100^th post and talking nonsense celebrating my patience for having stuck to it more than anything most else.

Not many people know that ‘Confessions Of The Chocolate Obsessed’ left behind ‘Hand In The Cookie Jar’ and ‘Incoherent Ramblings On Life’, both of which had 15 odd followers and absolutely no activity except that of my friends. Now I know that chocolate, as always, has been my savior of sorts.

216 followers, 40 networked blog followers, 1645 comments, 92 page likes, 20,700+ page views later, I realize that without these (not so impressive but very, very important personally) statistics, I’d just be another person talking to myself in the virtual world (thank you, Chandana, for that VERY appropriate expression).

Every single follower was (and still is) greeted with an impromptu duck dance that surprised the living shit out of people around and every new comment to moderate was greeted with a silly, gloppy grin which would have made Goofy proud.

I gave my blog a makeover when I got to 200 followers, a feature I’d only envied on other blogs till then. I took me a lot of effort to control myself from putting up a post about it then, for I was waiting for this. Great big hugs to Swathika (it's SUCH a pretty name, you bum) for being my 200^th, thank you also for being on my post judging panel.

While the old header was special for a lot of reasons, I realized that with a name and a header like that my blog should contain more of chocolate-based stuff, which it didn’t. This one is more comprehensive of who I am, things that define me, my interests, my loves in life – beaches, coffee, fashion, tattoos, family, love, friends, dreams, babies, teddy bears, animals, photography, clouds, sharpies… make me happy (among other things). Other changes included the addition of a ‘fiction’ tab, a ‘now reading’ (ty, Psych Babbler, for the idea), a 'guest post' (if you want to guest post for me or the other way around, do check) and hopefully, a page which loads faster (does it?).

I’ve had help, a lot of it, reaching here. Thank you..

..Farzana, you’re the best inspiration a person can get, blog look wise. And your hair makes me sigh every time.

..Chandana, for being so unique and being able to make mundane things most interesting.

..Red, for being an enigma and the most-straightforward chick ever.

..Maithili, for Darlings of Venus (BEST idea EVER) and your whodunits which have me hooked, every time.

..Pradeeta, for adding mysticism to my reading life, for the sheer attention to detail and the wonderful way you spin stories out of nothing.

..Divya, for being Spiff:D For being that older sister-like figure, being so goddamn funny, for making up expressions that I keep thinking about and laughing (and making people think that I’m a nutcase) and commenting IN DETAIL on almost all my posts.

..Soumya, for being you. Just that. And your dark, deep poems.

..Srinidhi, for being the first one ever to have loved my stories in the blog world, for telling me I write well, for giving me the confidence to go on.

..PsychBabbler, for making so much sense about so very many things, for Pebbles.

I’m not a girly girl much as you’d argue otherwise. I can give anyone a run for their money on NFS and Blur and be rational too:P I value the guys who are around as well.

..Atrocious Scribblings – for actually reading my posts fully and appreciating my work so much. Doesn’t hurt that you put up pictures of the most sexiest cars around.

..Sushmit – for MAILING me with your appreciation, you will NEVER know how much it meant to me, that mail.

..Phatichar, for that brilliant series of yours. For trusting me with the story.

..Bikram, for making me smile or think with every post of yours. For letting your true personality shine through the blog.

..Anshul, for being so goddamn abstract that it gives me a complex most of the time:D For making a different kind of sense.

..aJ and Ashwin, for liking my work and for having disappeared -_- (please get the sarcasm)

Also, how can I NOT mention,

..KN., dude, you rock. Pakistanis rock. You called me pretty and I spent the whole day flying around:P

..Pinx, for being my bichdi hui twin, for calling ME an inspiration.

..Viya, Deepthi, AnjLi, Akila, Serendipity, Confused Soul, Panipuri Lover, Risha and Vinati, for being part of ‘us, girls’.

..Chintan, for that brutal, blunt tongue of yours and refreshing honesty.

..Induchi, for being patient about my constant 'she's getting...' song and putting up with my obsessiveness.

..Amma, who doesn't for the life of her get why I'm so excited about blogging.

..Nandu, for being there. For letting me say what exactly I feel, when I feel it, letting me rail, jump around for all kinds of reasons, prodding me on and sharing my ecstasy and not giving in to the urge to divorce me:P
For 'getting' me. 

And muchas gracias to every single one of you who commented and liked the way I write.

In case any of you are still reading, thanks to you too, for not falling asleep:P

What's in it for you guys?


Two things:
1) Comment and tell me what you like best and what you detest about my blog/writing and the one I like most will win a whole post dedicated to you and your blog. And obviously a plug as well. (My judgement, enter only if you'll agree to that. Also, more than one winner might also be chosen).
AND if you'd like it, I'll make you a badge, either a winner-of-contestwala or a fancy one for your own blog. (I'm not making it beforehand for I want to customize it according to the winner's blog and personality.)
SO GET CREATIVE, PEEPULS.

2) Anything you want to know about blogging, technical AND otherwise, critiques for your own blogs that you want.. ask me and I'll try to answer/oblige as well as I can. Or I'll find out from somebody who does and let you know.

So with that, two milestones I cross, looking forward to crossing two more someday...

And this is me seizing the moment to say

HIT IT!!

(Do it with me, people.. Shake that thang!)

P.S: And anybody who can make it here, to my place, in the next three days will be given chocolates and homemade coffee&cake and anything else I happen to make on that day.

A Song And A Sunday

I don't usually make it a practice to post lyrics but this one, Bruno Mars wrote for me. 

Written for my Sundays. 

Written for how much I love the feeling of a full 24 hours of absolute laziness, justified inertia. 

The one single day when my alarm clock decided to shut it's bloody trap and let me snuggle into my toasty comforter and drift back to sleep (the love of my life) to the music of morning rain.
The half-asleep trek upto the night canteen at 11 am when stomachs are rumbling desperately, only to be rewarded with steaming mugs of coffee and the crisp crunch of green Lays as the cloudy mountains guard our blasphemous conversations.


The breakfast at one p.m, the marathon movie/soap sessions, the walking around aimlessly, the bath at seven p.m. 
A day I can forget entirely about classes, life, work, assignments, responsibilities, being proper, political correctness.
A day I can forget about the GODDAMN logbook.


An entire day spent in the exclusive company of the one person I've had the longest relationship with, my bed.


Nothing like it. Nothing ever.


Dedicated to my fellow lazies.

Today I don't feel like doing anything

I just wanna lay in my bed
Don't feel like picking up my phone, 

so leave a message at the tone

'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything

I'm gonna kick my feet up then stare at the fan
Turn the TV on, throw my hand in my pants
Nobody's gon' tell me I can't

I'll be lounging on the couch just chilling in my Snuggie
Click to MTV so they can teach me how to dougie
'Cause in my castle I'm the freaking man

Oh yes, I said it, I said it
I said it 'cause I can

Tomorrow I'll wake up, do some P90X
Find a really nice girl, have some really nice sex
And she's gonna scream out
This is great
(Oh my god, this is great)

Yeah, I might mess around
And get my college degree
I bet my old man will be so proud of me
But sorry pops, you'll just have to wait

No, I ain't gonna comb my hair
'Cause I ain't going anywhere

I'll just strut in my birthday suit
And let everything hang loose
'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything
Nothing at all.

(edited version, original from elyrics)

And then Monday looms large -_-

Have a lazy weekend, peepuls.
P.S: The Dragon In The Skin Of A Goat has made MY weekend with all her praise:) To all shoe-fanatics, check out her shoe-post:)
P.P.S: All those who shudder at mush, stay clear of my next post. EXTREME doses of mush ahead.
P.P.S.S: Thank you Sowmya, Serendipity, and Aasiyah for loving me enough to award me. A post about that in the making:) And my apologies to the former two for the delay. 

The Saga Of Smells

My roommate calls me a dog.
Sometimes because she doesn't like me, sometimes because we have more dogs than human beings at home.

But mostly because I have a super-sensitive nose.
Meaning the sense of smell is hyper-important in my life.
So much so that I associate smells with memories, I find comfort in familiar smells, I smell every most things before I buy/eat/drink/use them.

For eg: While I'm walking to class, I can name almost every single perfume or deodorant that every passing person is wearing (or God forbid, not! Egh *making face*)
So you get the point.

Anyway, sitting in the night canteen, sipping coffee after a particularly horrible Monday, watching the clouds play oliche-kande (hide-and-seek) with the mountains, I made a list of smells I love, mentally, in order to restore a semblance of order in my mind (yes, that is one way, the other is talking to myself inside my head, wondering what you are doing reading a loon's blog yet?:P). Here I am putting it down for you guys to read, so you can confirm or deny my close resemblance to the canine family/identify with.

1) The smell of our night canteen (inter-mingled aromas of machine coffee, puffs, fresh Lays packets, cream buns and stuff)
2) The smell of new note paper (one reason I miss school because I buy all of one notebook a year in college).
3) The smell of freshly bathed dogs (the clinical soap smell with that not-THAT-dirty-anymore doggie whiff)

4) The smell of his tee (one that lulls me to sleep some nights)
5) Smells of people I love; each different and unique and a mix of their soaps, deos, creams and their natural fragrance all put together to help me lend comfort in my existence (Amma's, Indu's)
6) The smell of a plain bar of chocolate (it just sits there, smelling of something oh-so-wonderful and begging me to pick it up; I have gone bankrupt certain months spending so much on chocolate alone)

7) The smell of paint/freshly painted surfaces (you may think this is weird, trust me it gets worse)
8) The smells of petrol, naphthalene balls and Fevicol (specifically these; I get them in bottles/packets and keep smelling them till somebody knocks me on the head, gives me a lecture on narcotic substances & health and parts us)
9) The smell of the library (du-uh! tons and tons of old, weary books, what more can anyone possibly want?)

10) The smell of cold air (do NOT ask, there IS a scent)
11) The smell of tiny kitties (when they curl up against you and purr like they have an auto rickshaw inside their stomachs)
12) The smell of Johnson's baby powder and everybody who smell like it.
13) The smell of pavizhamalli in the night. I don't know what it's called in any other language.

14) The smell of fluffy rabbits and somber cows (closest I can get to Mother Earth, according to me)
15) The smell of old clothes from the attic.

These, apart from the usual smell of rain, freshly mowed grass, pillows, own room, food in a restaurant when I'm desperately hungry and... you see where I'm going?

But then, you can imagine how this particular habit (for lack of better word) of mine can quite easily turn into the worst thing that ever happened to me - think in terms of rotten fish, crowded buses at peak times, guys coming back from a very 'energetic' game, people who are allergic to water/regular baths, accumulated garbage in the street corner, four-day old milk left in the coffee mug over the weekend by a roomie who strongly believes in the art or procrastination and so on.

So.

Am I a dog?

P.S: Reshmi Varma (of the bride fame) wanted me to tell the world (or my 150-odd followers) to know that she's growing up and cleaning her room ALL by herself:) Just saying.

P.P.S: I have a new header, should I wait till my blogoversary to put it up or change it in a coupla days.

The Month That Was... July

If June was a dog with it's tail on fire, July was a cat which was yowling its head off.

(Yes, I'm obsessed with animals.)

I learnt to choose between VERY dear things. 
I learnt to choose without knowing which is the right choice and knowing that which ever one I choose, I'll always regret not having chosen the other.
I learnt to deal with the resultant guilt.
Did that make sense? No? Ah well.


I learnt to lose newly-bought precious things and rant about it.
I learnt to deal with wearing glasses to college. I DETEST it. Or rather mostest detestest it.
(I know it's not a word, but I like superlatives with -est).


I learnt (or rather other people are learning) that making me a representative of any kind is dangerous to everybody's health, mental and physical. 
Illustration:  When your truly lost it after getting pissed off with the whole class in general and banged a bit of paper on the desk so hard that half the people jumped out of their skins and my hand smarted for the rest of the day.


In my defense, I have some sort of misplaced sense of perfectionism where I HAVE to get certain things done a certain way, or I lose it. O.k, that's the lamest defense ever *rolls eyes*


I learnt that distance is a beetch when you are in love (copyright: KT)
I learnt that jealousy is the worst thing that can happen to a relationship and that jealousy is highly under-rated; it's much worse when you feel it yourself than they say. Any solutions?


I wrote my first guest post for Red:)


I learnt that Farzana is getting married:'(
But I'm happy for her *sniff, sniff*
Melodrama apart, I wish her all the happiness and love in the world. God bless.


I learnt that survival in the hostel solely depends on how crazy you friends are.

I learnt that when friends come and stay with you, they start becoming like sisters.

I learnt that having 7.5 meals a day happens only in the hostel.
I learnt that all for one and one for all is effective not only against the warden but also in life.
And I learnt that orange lollys and black nail paint will never go out of fashion as long as The Roomies are as retarded as you are.


I learnt that leaving home, how many ever times you have left it before, will never ever be easy. It just breaks your heart clean in two to see Amma waving bye, trying to be strong for you, so you'll be happy.

I leave you with a picture on my angel, my baby.

The best thing that has happened to me since Amma, Nandu and chocolate <3

P.S: The yowling cat? Yes, the month yowled out to me like a cat on a wall that has been deprived of milk/fish for a very a long time. If you still don't get it, never mind, my mind works in VERY strange ways.

KA-BLOOEY! goes my mind

Warning: The following can only be classified as incoherent rambling. Do not go further if you even mildly suspect that you might not be interested. Do not look for sense, do not look for order and most certainly do not try to understand.


What do you do when that you have a jealousy attack? 


When that bloody green monster puts it's hand through your mouth, reaches for your intestines and twists them all up in a bundle so tight that you feel you might die from the pain. 
When you feel stupid knowing that, rationally speaking, there is no need for that particular emotion but the feeling is so irrational, so primal, that you have no control; you just fall, spiraling headlong into despair. You feel helpless and lost in addition to stupidity.
When you feel what is yours has another side which was, is and never will be yours?
When your insides feel cold and your choking up.


And to voice it out to even the one you consider the most understanding will be pushing them away and driving the cleaver further into the wood.
So basically, this is what is called a mind-fuck.
Thank you, Universe, for conspiring to make me feel EVERY emotion possible, you didn't have to be so kind.
And no, I'm not insecure.


Anyway, Harry Potter is over. As in over over. That makes me depressed to say the least. Not that the movies ever made me happy; I have issues with the makers cutting out my most favorite parts of the books in the movies (or having screwed it up so bad that I despise the scene now). 

But it's the end of an era.
The end of, what I feel, is my childhood.
And that makes me even more depressed.






J.K.Rowling, I know everybody has said everything there is to say, but I will still say one last time that - You. Are. Legend. And you'll have my eternal love and gratefulness for creating Harry.
I have always been jealous of everyone who makes money fast. Except her. She deserves every bit of everything that she gets and much, much more.


And thank you, Radcliffe, for making Harry come to life. For looking like a dork when you needed to and never being too perfect.
And I know that Pottermore is going to suck. 
So bye Harry Potter, you will always be a precious, much-cherished memory.




Have you seen cherry blossoms, they are beautiful. 














They are more than beautiful, they are exquisite.


College is about to start. I'm actually happy going back; hostel IS fun, notwithstanding the wardens. Hopefully, this time around, things will be less complicated, with less bitchiness (my class is full of bitches, myself included), less holier-than-thou's (full of them too), less ego-clashes (the egos are PUNY but they still insist on clashing and making life difficult for the rest of us), less jealousy (and related problems) and more pure, clean fun.
Why?
Because this is the last year I'm going to be sitting in a classroom for a long time to come.


P.S: This is me venting. So ignore. And I told you not to try and make sense.
P.P.S: What DO you do when jealousy strikes, help me out here.
P.P.S.S: I promise to come up with a post that doesn't scream *the author is frikkin' looney* as soon as I shake off this murderous mood. 
P.P.P.S.S: Red Handed has agreed to guest post for me. YAY. 
*dramatically* COMING SOON!