Some posts are best written on the other side of 21st March 2005. In the month LONG, excruciatingly painful process of writing exams that were pretty okay, if not bursting with brilliance and breezy scores, there have, of course been innumerable instances when thoughts could have been cogitated and some others when the areas of ‘physical’ or mathematical woes could have been cautiously treaded on. But, fortunately the author of this blog firmly believes in establishing the fact that the 12th std Board Exams for the academic year 2004-05 are things of the past and on no account, can any queries/solicitude regarding the aforementioned issue expect any thing but a severe shake of the head and a hard, long frosty nosed stare.
As you may have observed, most of my posts over the last year have been written after a couple of academic pursuits and about the celebrations that followed. It is but natural for me to thus, embark on this journey by presenting a narrative of the course of events that followed 6:30 P.M on the 21st. After taking down a small list of some of the books that I should read with recommendations from my dear grinning Mephistopheles, my foremost desire was to go and park myself in Select but on discovering that it closed at 6, Blossoms it had to be. I rummaged around for a blissful two hours there and then met my dad who suggested we take packed dinner home. It was, an enjoyable day to say the least.
It’s a great feeling – having to do nothing at all unless I want to (Woo Hoo for Shamanth). I think, that there is nothing but concrete, satisfactory, heart rendering joy involved in being able to hear Joe Satriani on my lovely computer once I’ve come back from the exam hall, flung my bag in the most farthest corner of my room and am turning the pages of a somewhat ancient and dilapidated looking Catch-22 that my aunt has kindly lent to me for the 3rd time since it takes a while for blundering buffoons like me to get used to crazily out of the world writing like that. The deliciously scrumptious icing on the cake has the following ingredients:
1) A strangely pleasing knowledge that in all probability I don’t have to write a Boar-ing exam tomorrow or ever again.
2) I’m finally going to complete reading Catch-22 and have full confidence that it’ll manage to find a place amongst some of my favourites.
3) Joe Satriani is coming to Bangalore on 17th May.
Almost all the time, we tend to anticipate events and things, attaching higher happiness quotients to them than they truly deserve; But, Calvin’s dad has something to say on this subject and I heartily offer him my assent, “You know, Calvin, sometimes the anticipation of some things is more fun than the thing itself once you get it.” (Things like Knopfler, of course, are anomalies in this well-planned scheme of things).
I could have planned it all out more thoroughly, waited for the right company, the right frames, the right scenes and the right celebrations but there are things that are best done at the spur of the moment. Reading Catcher for the first time, playing Dear Prudence in my head when I was sitting in the auto that was taking me home from my exam hall with special emphasis to the lovely bass and feeling the yayy-exams-are-over-ecstasy that I once mentioned, closing my eyes while listening to Al di Meola’s Mediterranean Sundance, feeling happy for Father Stone for seeing Him in the fire balloons, discovering the book I’d been looking for in some corner of Blossoms after I’d been searching for it for about an hour, feeling sad for a dead raccoon in a modified comic strip sent to me in the form of a card ; because the one time that the beauty of any thing really hits you is undoubtedly the first time. Even going through the sequence of events again, trying to narrow down its effect to words or trying to reproduce it for the benefit of your blog isn’t the same. There are feelings, that are deeper than the written or for that matter even spoken word; provoked in you so that you can experience them in a particular way, completely only once and so I may be forgiven if I tend to be a little capricious in doing things some times.
When you bungee jump, there is this part right after the initial horrifying, ear splitting, oh-hell-my-intestines-are-finally-giving-way-to-gravity screams; when you bobble up and down and can see the sky stretched out infinitely, beneath your feet. All your screams come to this stagnant, abrupt stop and you are reduced to a overpowering silence; the sort of silence one experiences when he/she is suspended by a cord in mid air, with the sky beneath his/her feet. You see, its about clouds, losing yourself, free fall, gravity, feeling cool breezes hitting you at high velocities, room for space…. space for you.
Technically speaking, the time when I can actually sit back and view life with a Van Gogh-esque, ‘aha!’ is still a far way off. The closely spaced entrance tests, scheduled to take place stubbornly in the next two months, guarantee that I shall not get a full fledged bite of the ‘aha’. But this is now and I’m content with just the aroma.
''For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed''-Gibran
cogitated thoughts
said...
Congatulations... I will refrain from pointing out that its still to early for all the mutual back thumping and instead focus on something you said about Al di Meola... someone whom I recently discovered and am spending great amounts of time listening to.
And was Gibran there simply for effect or did ya actually read him too?
~
Nisheeth said...
Checked up the blog at 3 in the morning after a night of Control Systems because I was sure there'd be an update.
The raccoon card mentioned in the same breath as reading Catcher for the first time! I am floored.......
Nice little post, a little grammatically adventurous at times, but I guess burning the post-midnight oil was chiefly responsible for that.
All joy to you in your rendezvous with di Meola and Gibran. "Its a magical world out there, my friend."
Best of luck with your exploring.
~
Solo said...
All the best for the results and for the rest. The way you describe a feeling as a set of emotions (Or your admission of inability to describe a feeling) is uniquely evocative.
And I'll end with a quote from I-don't-know-whom: "Take pride in how far you have come, have faith in how far you can go."
~
cogitated thoughts said...
Keerthi, it’s very kind of you to be so maddeningly tactful in getting your point across:-P. But anyway, it’s inhuman to go around thinking of all that is still in store of you when you’ve just finished one set of exams; there is time for that, viz the next day:-P
Al di Meola is lovely…I haven’t really heard anything but the Sundance thing but I don’t think it’s possible for me to get over how fast he manages to slide his fingers over his guitar…
And yes, I’ve been reading the prophet by Gibran (that’s the book I found in Blossoms after hunting for it for ages. found this OLD thing, complete with yellow pages, rugged edges and all that and guess what? No dedications…you know ‘happy birthday chintu’ or something :-P...neat stuff:-)
Nisheeth, I didn’t tell you I updated because I knew that you’d be sure there was an update:-D
As for the grammar being on an adventure, I sent it off on a hike to the Himalayas. I might have told you to go boil your head in icky-gooey noodles but since you’ve already thought of an excuse I’ll just charmingly comply with your suggestions:-P
It sure is a magical world…there are so many wizards around and so many sights to
see:-). Thanks:-)
Solo, Thanks:-) I don’t quite know how to interpret what you said accurately so I’ll just take it as a compliment:-D Yeah, I’ve miles to go before I sleep and all that.
P.S: I linked ya:-)
~
Sharad said...
Wow ! I can almost feel your tremendous sense of relief ! Welcome to life after school ( we'll confirm that after June)
Satriani coming to Bangalore eh ? That's good , are you going ?
And I've never tried humming Dear Prudence in any form of public transport. Madras autos are buses are more 'Helter Skelter' than 'Dear Prudence'
~
Solo said...
In my previous comment, I was referring to what you've said in the second half of the fifth para. And I can't forget the way you described The Grin in one of your previous posts.
I've been thinking of linking you since many days, but was procrastinating. Thanks for forcing my hand. If you'd like to change anything in your description on my blog, tell me (Use the Contact Me link if you don't want to say it publicly). Especially tell whether you'd want the heading to be "Sneha" or "Cogitated Thoughts".
Thanks again.
~
Solo said...
Oh. Forgot to reciprocate the smile. So, :-) , and another :-) , for good measure.
~
said...
Hola Sneha ji
The levels of ur procrastination have soared to new insurmountable heights...and I am pleased to inform you that u have set new (international) standards for all of us to live up to. I warned u about this day…but I guess u wouldn’t know because you haven’t checked ur e-mail in wut….150 yrs now?? So plz plz plz I beg thee kindly get off ur royal rump n check ur hotmail account!……or deal with ur stalker here and now!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED NAGESH!
-urs truly
xoxoxo
~
cogitated thoughts said...
Sharad, no man that was a very momentary thing...right now I don’t see the big deal yet.
Yeessssssssssssssss…Satriani zindabad.OF COURSE I’M GOING. Barring chicken pox or alien invasions…
Heh heh…yeah B’lore buses and autos are no less…I usually think Korn or old-Metallica when I’m in one of those arbit autos/buses when the driver decides he is James Bond impersonated or something...but there are aberrations, what?
Solo, Thanks and all:-) I think the ‘Sneha’ and ‘cogitated thoughts’ ought to switch places; as for the description…scroll up and you’ll see how people actually think (and I suppose they are right (puts huge frown) )that my adroitly long sentences are just bad grammar:-D. But shameless me is flattered so thanks:-D
Kirti, (you blundering pighead, you couldn’t have just left your name and made it easier for poor silly Sneha in her investigations, eh?) first of all, its bit of a surprise to see you here but I guess you were just desperate, what? Okay, I’d to generally go search for my hotmail password since yes, it has been some 150 years since I checked the stinky thing same goes for the rediff account. If you ever do decide to mail me again, the id is ‘sneha.nagesh@gmail.com’…YOUR COMING??? YIPPEEEE :-D I’m terribly sorry I’ven’t written for so long (and the procrastination is a mutual thing, thank you very much:-P )…I could tell you that I was busy and all that crap but that would be telling a miserable lie and I’m not quite sure I can get away with it; lets just say that I didn’t know where to start. I promise I’ll write to you today or tomorrow at the max…starting at the beginning and ending at the end. Chilax madi, girl:-D Peace.
~
Solo said...
Nomenclature of element Sne changed as demanded.
I don't think at all that your long sentences are bad grammar. Though keeping track of them does require some effort (Which is good for our brains); in terms of grammatical devices like nouns, adverbs et al, they seem to be correct. IMO, long sentences are the best way to completely capture the stream of consciousness, and a potent tool of painting pictures in the mind.
So let the skeptics roam in their tropical jungles of short sentences, while we inhale the fresh air of the tall, tall conifers of endless sentences.
[Of course, no offence meant to anyone. I really admire the way the red guy & keerthi write. Nor are they the exemplars of short sentences.]
~
said...
HA! Who do u take me for?? Do u reallllyyy think I would have made life that simple for Sneha by leaving behind my name ??? NO maam! For life is weary and tedious without a lil mystery ! Besides I had to find a way to get back at u…. after all it’s ur fault that I had to go through my computer history to get ur stupid blog web addy! (now that is the epitome of determination, wouldn’t u agree my fellow “pighead” ). Yea I guess I m guilty too for procrastinating n junk but at least I didn’t change my damn e-mail address without letting u know : p
I can’t wait to meet up with ya babe!!
Till then or till the next e-mail @least
tc n Hasta luego!
xoxoxo
~
© cogitated thoughts 2005 // Powered for Blogger by Blogger templates