Dear Lord,

My (belated)Christmas wishes for this year would be to own a Nokia 6110 Navigator GPS mobile phone.Because,once I've successfully proved that I'm hopeless at finding directions.

So please,please somehow make my wish come true.Otherwise,next time you'd again find me blindly pottering on the streets,vaguely asking for directions,flailing my hands in complete despair and then return home feeling like a complete ignorant fool.

Will elaborate later.Tata now.gotta watch Ekhane Aakash Neel.

Au revoir.

Yes.another tag.seems like I've nothing else to do which is a bit surprising as I generally have something or the other to do.So here goes!

first name: Shreyasi

single or taken:single

sex: female

birthday: 7th oct.

siblings:none

hair color: blackish brown

shoe size: 3 :-(

height: tending to 5 feet..okay can we bunk this please??

innie or outie: what does this mean??

what are you wearing right now: Blue faded jeans.whitish pink striped top.denim jacket.

righty or lefty: generally righty.sometimes varies.

can you make a dollar in change right now: no

relationships

who are your closest friends? They know their names.

do you have a BF or GF? none.

best place to go for a date: someplace fun and bizarre and unthinkable.but definitely not nasty

favourites

favourite place to shop: Gariahat footpath.Dakshinapan.Jadavpur 8B stand.Just Casuals.Shopper's Stop.Pantaloons.

favourite kind of pants: pajama.jeans.

favourite colour: all colours except yellow-the yucky you-know-what-i-mean one.

number(s): 7,10

animal:dogs.horses.kittens.guinea pigs.sparrows.elephants.

drink: water.orange juice.fresh lime soda.

sport(s): tennis.

fast food place(s): tibetan delights, campari,ice burg,Tasty Corner.Hot Kati Roll.random roll-kebab-fuchka-bhelpuri corners.

month:december.may.june.july.

current movie:Die Hard 4

juice: orangeade.lemonade.fresh lime soda

finger: none in particular.

breakfast: luchi-alur dam-nalen gur er payesh,sandwich-coffee,gorom gorom jilipi-puri-torkari,alusheddho-deemsheddo-ghee bhaat,milk-mohan's cornflakes/chocos.

cartoon character(s): tom.scooby doo.top cat.dee dee.Johny Bravo.Morticia Adams.Bubbles.Mojo jojo

have you ever

given anyone a bath? my baby cousin sister.

smoked? no.hate it.

bungee-jumped? not yet

made yourself throw up? oh yes! aj o kortam garitey.

gone skinny dipping? no

eaten a hot dog? is it a hot dog or a hot dog?

put your tongue on a frozen pole? no

loved someone so much it made you cry? yes.

broken a bone? oh yes! my left hand.right feet.

played truth-or-dare? yes.

been in a police car? not exactly been as in the way you meant.You see,I've an uncle who's in the police and oneday I found this police van waiting outside his house,so i decided to have a good look inside.And thus i went it.That's all.

been on a plane? no

been in a sauna? nope

been in a hot tub? yes

gone swimming in the ocean? yes.not exactly swimming.i can stay afloat for a really long time.

fallen asleep in school? class 7, drawing class.class 7 L.Sc class.class 8 drawing class.class 8 L.Sc class.class 9 L.Sc class.Class 10 L.Sc class.Class 11 Bengali class.class 12 e khali chemistry portam r adda martam.

ran away? not technically.went to the local market when i was like ..7 to buy chocolates without telling ma.

broken someone's heart? hotey pare.

cried when someone died? Not actually cried.maane basically howled as i was expected to when i was a kid.i can't cry much.and definitely not in public.

cried in school? yes. class 12.farewell.

fallen off your chair? yes

sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call? nah!fall asleep fast.

saved e-mails? didn't bother to delete them.so they automatically got saved.

fallen for one of your best friends? yes

made out with JUST a friend? no

used someone? the diplomat that i am you want me to go public about this??...haha!!..well,in case you want to know....not to my knowledge.

been cheated on? no.

What is

your good luck charm? the 2nd step from top of our 1st floor staircase....yes. seriously.

the best song you ever heard? Banwraa Maan from Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi.

the stupidest thing you have ever done? shouting "hello...hello" at the doorbell and "key acche baire??...uttar dichhen na keno??..ke???" at the phone when both rang simultaneously!

what's your room like? mostly organised.sometimes cluttered beyond recognition.

the last thing you said?"okay..okay!" to Arnab when he said he'll call me back after he calls Poulami.

what is beside you? laptop.pendrive.XP SP2 cd.cellphone.woollen scarf.Spanish diary.pencil box.

the last thing you ate? hojmi-Jaina Shilpa Mandir

what kind of shampoo do you use? Garnier Fructis.Johnson Baby shampoo...yes yes!laugh!..hah!

the best thing that has happened to you this year? i got my driving license.some friends i had bad fallouts with came back.i fell in love with robotics.went to Rajasthan.rode a camel.

worst thing that has happened to you this year? screwed semester...---------------

have you had

chicken pox? yess!

sore throat? yesss!

stitches? oh many!!.simply many!

broken nose? no.bloody nose after noisy brawl?yes.with brother

do you

believe in love at first sight? no.

like picnics? yes.love 'em.

like school? LOVED it.would give anything to go back--------------------------------------would you/what is---------------------------------------

eat a live hamster for $1,000,000 ? if i really really need it...now c'mon,if someone close is dying or something and desperately needs money to survive,khabo na??but i know where to draw the line.maane eta shudhu kacha hamster khawa chhilo.our ancestors used to have raw meat of some other creatures.so won't make a huge difference.but barabari kichu korte parbo na for money.....typical Libran rant.please excuse this.

if you were stuck on an island, what people would you want with you? either just one or all my friends and their parents and mine as well.

who was the last person that called you? Arnab.

who was the last person you slow-danced with? slow dance maane ki aste aste nacha??.must be Choi.

what makes you laugh the most? almost everything!!!hehe!!!seriously!my funny bone is very easily tickled!

what makes you smile? same as the above answer...modda kotha ami shanghatik hashi!

who is the last person

you yelled at? A rickshawwalla whose rickshaw narrowly missed hitting me at 8b stand.

who broke your heart? kishob proshno!hah!

who is your loudest friend? jayeeta

do you/are you

do you like filling these out? yes.reminds me of the colorful slambooks we used to fill up in school

do you wear glasses or contacts? none.perfectly healthy eyes.

do you like yourself? of course!

do you get along with your family? almost always.

stolen anything over $50? no

obsessive? sometimes

compulsive? no

anorexic? no...hahahaha

suicidal? heck no man! am scared of death.

schizophrenic? a bit i think(this is NOT an attention-seeking statement).----------------------------------------------------------------

love life

do you have a crush? ishwar janen

if so, does he or she know? holey jene jabe! i think so.ami beshi lukote parina.

have you truly told him or her how you feel, face to face? pagol naaki?

how did he or she respond? koilam toh! hoile zanai dimu

what is so great about him or her? dont get me started.-------------------------------------

this or that

coffee or tea: coffee

phone or in person: depends on who it is...

are you oldest, middle, youngest or only child:only

indoor or outdoor: depends.generally outdoors on winter mornings and afternoons and a bit in the evening.beshikkhon shondhebela baire thaka allowed na

final question

how many people are you sending this to: all are welcome

what are you listening to right now? Dana Glover-It is you

what did you do yesterday? cooked.watched Race,Lagey Raho Munnabhai,Om Shanti Om,Main Hoon Na,Siing is Kiing.talked to Ma.called Arnab.read Spanish.

where do you want to get married? seriously haven't given it a thought man!.

if you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? suspicious nature.sudden momentary lack of faith in people.frowning while watching tv.

are you a good driver? aha!yes.

are you a good singer? oh really!am blushing!

what do you dream about? bizarre stuffs.you prolly already had a taste of it.if not just read the blog post that begins with "Taste it...".

1. What does your user name mean? It's my name. It means 'the best'.

2. Elaborate on your user photo:The one in blogger is of a random boat tied to a post.The one at Facebook is mine grinning at Ria my cousin who took the photo.I was standing beneath some tree amidst the green fields at Mayapur.

3. How many comments do you have?Where?last post? one. courtsey Ching.

4. What's your current relationship status?Single.

5. What exactly are you wearing right now? Greenish grey pyjamas.white tshirt that says "I climbed the Great Wall". black pullover.

6. What is your current problem? Virus in pc.Crashed XP. corrupt exe files.Spanish exam.

7. What do you love most?Parents.Friends.School.Books.PC.Music.Food.Travel.PJs.

8. What makes you most happy?Right now,it's reformatting my pc and fixing it.cooking.walking.watching tv.cracking pjs. playing 29 and Screw and Bluff.

9. Are you musically inclined?I think so.

10. What would you do if you woke up one morning and found out you were on cocaine?Sounds preposterous.But if it at all happens,I'll go to Ma who'll give me one tight sound slap and I'll get back my senses.

11. If you could go back in time, and change something, what would it be?I wish I could go back to school.Esp the last week.

12. If you MUST be an animal for ONE day, what would you be?A bird.

13. Ever have a near death experience?Oh many!(basks in vanity).I had a killoid(a kind of tumor) operation.I nearly got run over thrice by 2 cars and lorry.I almost got drowned at Rishikonda.I fell down the stairs,twisted my arms badly and nearly cracked open my head.I'd have been electrocuted by the immersion heater had my dida not been there....do you want me to continue??There's more.

14. Name an obvious quality you have? I love walking.

15. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now?Lots.Rockstar-Nickelback.Immigrant Song-Led Zeppelin.Seven Nation Army-The White Stripes.Snow-RHCP.....

16. Are you happy today?tired and sleepy.and very happy.

17. Who will cut and paste this to first?Everybody's welcome.

18. Name someone with the same birthday as you:Heinrich Himmler, Feared head of the Nazi 'SS' and 'Gestapo'

19. Do you have a secret crush on someone?Nope.

20. Do you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen sink?No. I've a dustbin.

21. Have you ever been in a fight?Years back.with my cousins.I nearly broke my brother's teeth.

22. Have you ever sang in front of a large audience?Yeah.in school.At Shrutinandan.

23. What's the first thing you notice about the OPPOSITE sex:eyes.I hate it if people don't look me straight in the face.

24. Whats your biggest mistake?Dunno.

25. Say something totally random about you?I made alubhaja today.

26. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?Yes. Like Preity Zinta!!

27. Are you comfortable with your height?Hah! I'm 5.that's really tiny. :-(

28. What is your favorite smell?Mangsher jhol. Biriyani. Goddess perfume.wet cement.Johnson baby products.

29. What's something that really annoys you?nagging.

30. What's something you really like?Food.pjs.

31. Do you give random hugs and kisses?nopes.

32. What's the latest you have ever stayed up?22 hours.

33. Have you ever been rushed to the emergency room?yeah!

34 How many beds did you lay in yesterday?: Mine.and parents'.

35: What color shirt are you wearing?:White.

36: Name one thing that you do everyday?:Solve the sudoku in T2.

37: Whats the color of your bedroom walls?:White and soft crimson.

38:How much cash do you have on you right now?: 20 rupees.....where'd you go I miss you so??

39: Whats your favorite sport?:Badminton.skating.football.

40: I cant wait till..?:the microcontroller classes begin.

41: When was the last time you saw your dad?:30 minutes ago.

42: Are you taken?:No.

43: What did you have for dinner last night?:Rice.Dal.alubhaja.katla maach.

44: Look to your left. Whats there?:Laptop.pendrive.XP SP2 cd.a book on Microprocessors.A Calvin and Hobbes comics.

45: Whats the last piece of clothing you borrowed from someone?:Jeans from Choi.

46: What website do you visit the most?:Loads.Google.AllExperts.Blogger.HowStuffworks.societyofrobots.com,seattlerobotics.com,cprogramming.com.random jgood sites on Java and robotics.sites of e-comics esp Calvin and Hobbes and Garfield.of pjs and flash games as well.

47: Do you have plants in your room?:Nope. Outside my window.

48: Does anything hurt on your body right now?:Yes.my left palm.

49: What city was your last taxicab ride in?: Jaipur.

50: Do you own a picture phone?:Nah! good old Nokia 1100.

51: Whats your favorite Starbucks drink?:Never had any.

52: Recent time you were really upset?When Ma was violently ill and I could do nothing to make her feel better.

I feel like a goat singing

Zinda hoon main.......(remember that John Abraham-Sanjay Dutt starrer??)

ps: Well, I forgot to write laash. please insert it at the right place.sorry for the godaweful pj. heh.

pps: if you have NetBeans 6.5 or any other similar Java IDEs, you can run the codes given below. nice ones they're.esp the random triangles.

// Exercise 11.6 Solution// Concentric.java// This program draws concentric circles

import javax.swing.*;

import java.awt.*;

import java.awt.event.*;
public class Concentric extends JFrame {
public Concentric()

{

super( "Concentric" );

setSize( 300, 300 );

show();

}
public void paint( Graphics g ) {

for ( int x = 0; x <= 160; x += 10 ) {

int y = 160 - ( x * 2 );

g.drawOval( x + 30, x + 30, y, y );

}

}
public static void main( String args[] )

{ Concentric app = new Concentric();

app.addWindowListener(

new WindowAdapter() {

public void windowClosing( WindowEvent e ) {

System.exit( 0 ); }

}

);

}

}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.12
// Exercise 11.12 Solution// Lines1.java// This program draws lines of random sizes and colors

import javax.swing.*;

import java.awt.*;

import java.awt.event.*;
public class Lines1 extends JFrame {
public Lines1() { super( "Drawing Lines" ); setSize( 200, 200 ); show(); }
public void paint( Graphics g ) { for ( int y = 10; y < 200; y += 10 ) { int x1 = ( int ) ( 1 + Math.random() * 199 ); g.setColor( new Color( ( float ) Math.random(), ( float ) Math.random(), ( float ) Math.random() ) ); g.drawLine( 1, y, x1, y ); } } public static void main( String args[] ) { Lines1 app = new Lines1(); app.addWindowListener( new WindowAdapter() { public void windowClosing( WindowEvent e ) { System.exit( 0 ); } } ); }
}

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.15
// Exercise 11.15 Solution// Draw.java// This program randomly draws characters// Note: cover, resize, or restart the program// repeatedly to see multiple characters drawnimport javax.swing.*;import java.awt.*;import java.awt.event.*;
public class Draw extends JFrame { private final int DELAY = 3000000;
public Draw() { super( "Drawing Characters" ); setSize( 200, 200 ); show(); }
public void paint( Graphics g ) { int fontSize = ( int ) ( 10 + Math.random() * 63 ); int x = ( int ) ( 30 + Math.random() * 341 ); int y = ( int ) ( 50 + Math.random() * 95 ); char letters[] = { 'V', 'O', 'L', 'S', '8', '7' }; Font f = new Font( "Monospaced", Font.BOLD, fontSize );
g.setColor( new Color( ( float ) Math.random(), ( float ) Math.random(), ( float ) Math.random() ) ); g.setFont( f ); g.drawChars( letters, ( int ) ( Math.random() * 6 ), 1, x, y );
for ( int h = 1; h < DELAY; h++ ) ; // slow things down repaint(); }
public static void main( String args[] ) { Draw app = new Draw(); app.addWindowListener( new WindowAdapter() { public void windowClosing( WindowEvent e ) { System.exit( 0 ); } } ); }}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.16
// Exercise 11.16 Solution// Grid.java// This program draws an 8 x 8 gridimport javax.swing.*;import java.awt.*;import java.awt.event.*;
public class Grid extends JFrame { public Grid() { super( "Grid" ); setSize( 200, 200 ); show(); } public void paint( Graphics g ) { int y = 30, x1 = 30;
for ( int r = 1; r <= 8; r++, y += 10 ) g.drawLine( 30, y, 100, y );
for ( int c = 1; c <= 8; c++, x1 += 10 ) g.drawLine( x1, 30, x1, 100 ); }
public static void main( String args[] ) { Grid app = new Grid(); app.addWindowListener( new WindowAdapter() { public void windowClosing( WindowEvent e ) { System.exit( 0 ); } } ); }}

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.20
// Exercise 11.20 Solution// Pyramid.java// This program draws a tetrahedronimport javax.swing.*;import java.awt.*;import java.awt.geom.*;import java.awt.event.*;
public class Pyramid extends JFrame {
public Pyramid() { super( "Pyramid" ); setSize( 275, 150 ); show(); }
public void paint( Graphics g ) { int basex[] = { 100, 200, 150, 50, 100 }; int basey[] = { 100, 100, 130, 130, 100 }; int x = 110, y = 40;
Graphics2D g2d = ( Graphics2D ) g;
GeneralPath tetra = new GeneralPath();
g2d.setColor( Color.red ); tetra.moveTo( basex[ 0 ], basey[ 0 ] );
for ( int i = 1; i < 5; i++ ) { tetra.lineTo( x, y ); tetra.moveTo( basex[ i - 1 ], basey[ i - 1 ] ); tetra.lineTo( basex[ i ], basey[ i ] ); }
tetra.closePath(); g2d.draw( tetra ); }
public static void main( String args[] ) { Pyramid app = new Pyramid(); app.addWindowListener( new WindowAdapter() { public void windowClosing( WindowEvent e ) { System.exit( 0 ); } } ); }}

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.29
// Exercise 11.29 Solution// RollDie.java// Roll a six-sided die 6000 timesimport javax.swing.*;import java.util.Random;import java.awt.event.*;import java.awt.*;
public class RollDie extends JFrame {
public RollDie() { super( "Roll Die" ); setSize( 275, 150 ); show(); }
public void paint( Graphics g ) { int yPosition = 50, face; int frequency[] = new int[ 7 ]; Random r = new Random();
for ( int roll = 1 ; roll <= 6000; roll++ ) { face = 1 + Math.abs( r.nextInt() % 6 ); ++frequency[ face ]; } g.setColor( Color.white ); g.fillRect( 0, 0, 275, 150 ); // 275 x 150 g.setColor( Color.black ); g.drawString( "Face", 25, yPosition ); g.drawString( "Frequency", 100, yPosition );
for ( int i = 1; i < frequency.length; i++ ) { yPosition += 15; g.drawString( String.valueOf( i ), 25, yPosition ); g.drawString( String.valueOf( frequency[ i ] ), 100, yPosition ); } }
public static void main( String args[] ) { RollDie app = new RollDie(); app.addWindowListener( new WindowAdapter() { public void windowClosing( WindowEvent e ) { System.exit( 0 ); } } ); }}

....and remember,you have to cook exactly like this if you want to survive in this job....." the head chef had an evil glint in his eyes as he explained all the nitty-gritties of the task to the newly appointed cook.Masked threats.I stood,hidden behind the door and felt a pinprick of fear down my spine.

Firstly,because the new cook was my friend who had taken up a job on the Star Cruise Virgo.Reason??He wanted to impress the girl he secretly loved and who was on board the ship as a first-class passenger.My poor friend couldnt afford to buy himself a ticket(inspite of owning posh gleaming Nokia N73 and several other expensive gadgets)and so the only way he could stay near her and find a way to her heart...err...stomach was to take up a job as a cook on the ship. (No logical reasons to dissuade a person from doing such things.At least,I can't think of any.)

Now I had responsibilities too.I just couldn't let him go all by himself.After all I was the one who had introduced them and then tried my hand at ghotokali.So I had to go as well.Someone..(I don't know who)paid for my tickets.Or maybe,no one did and I just managed to sneak in.I was determined to help him but had not bargained for what I found out.

1> The head cook was our Life Science teacher.The lady who we all hated with an omen because she had a vile temper and a vitriolic tongue with words like whiplash.The lady who nearly flunked me in Life Science...ahem not that I was good at it...ahem.

2>My friend can do a lot of things.He can dress and behave like a chef to perfection,imitating them in every possible way,can impress you with his supersmooth banter etc.Yes a lot of things.

He just can't cook.

3>I suffered from sea-sickness.

Suddenly.....RRRRRRIIIINNNGGG!

Ma:"Ai! oth!Choi er phone!"
Me(rubbing eyes furiously): Wahaaat??!!
Choi(small voice):Hello.
Me(eyes drooping):Hello.
Choi:*sniff sniff*
Me(trippy voice):Mmmm....
Choi(trembling voice):Shreo...!!
Me:Hmmm...??
Choi(stiffled sobs):Ami shopno dekhlam tui mara gechhich.
Me(eyes closed,deep slow breaths):Hmmm....
Choi(alternately sniffing and talking,making it hard to understand what she's saying):Haan!tui mara gechhish! tor shraddho hochhe.
Me(now realising what she's trying to say):Okay.Then??
Choi:Tor chhobi te gandaful er mala.Mashi kadchhe.
Me(yawning):Mara gele gandaful deyna.rojonigondha hobe ota.
Choi(lets out a long loud hysterical sob.Goes in the line of AAAAAAAANNN. *sniff sniff*)...aaaaaann!!!...."Yearkey marchhish keno??Ami shottyi bolchhi.tui mara gechhish. "
Me(intrigued but sleepy):Arrey ki holo??I'm not denying toh!Tarpor??
Choi(hyperventilating):Mashi bolchhe tor Life Science er Excretion er chaptertao pora hoye gechhilo.
Me(starting to laugh amidst all the confusion):Of all things,Excretion keno porbo?? :D :D :D
Choi:Dhush!Ami ki jani??Ami dekhlam mashi bolchhe.
Me:Acchha,ami toh mara gechhi??
Choi:Uuunn.
Me:Tahole Excretion kothheke elo??
Choi:Uuuun.
Me:Hmmmmm.
Choi:sniff.sniff.sob.sob.uuuun......
Me:hmmm.portals??
Choi(gulps):Uuuun...
Me:Okay.ghumo.tata.
Choi:Uuunn.

10 minutes of sniffing,snivelling,sobbing and 'hmmm'ing.After that I hung up.Or the call got disconnected automatically.

2 hours later,I woke up with my mind swimming in a mad whirl and called up Choi...."Lojja kore na????shokal 6tar shomoye amake ghum theke tule bole tui mara gechhish...???" while Choi tried to defend herself by saying..."Ami ki korbo??Ami ki icche kore korechhi?? tui e toh orom baje time e mara geli!"
Me:Tai bole tui amay phone korbi???
Choi:korbo na???Tui mara gele ami toke phone korbo na???
Me:Maane?? Ami mara gele tui amake phone korbi ???
Choi:Arrey!tui toh shotti shotti mara jashni.tai phone korechhi.
Me:Tahole phone korechhish keno??
Choi:Amar koshto holo.huff.
Me: But tai bole tui amay phone korbi??aaan???bhor 6tar shomoye??......tui phone korechhish keno.....???
.....................................................................................................................................
As for confused readers,
#1 portals=a deep,soul-searching piece of prose that my dear friend wrote.Why I referred to it is one of the unsolved mysteries of the profoundly inexplicable brain.

#2 Life Science amar pichhu chhhare na!!!....*sniff sniff*. That to Excretion er chapter.OH GOD!!! :D :D :D :D

#3 The ship plot was a thrilling dream sequence,perfectly Hindi film-eesh(my home production,Titanic-meets-Kaho Naa Pyaar Hain)rudely interrupted and thus,terminated by someone who bumps off people at the wrong place wrong time.

#4 uuun=said in affirmation when speaker is sniffing and not in a position to talk.

Such is life.Sometimes.

For the first time in my life, I'm really depressed.The kind of depression that hollows your insides and and makes you feel nauseous and completely cut off from reality. Sorry.I'm not good at describing it.

I had a Maths test today.And I had this stupid preassumption that the first part will have only 3 questions.And when I got the question paper, I didn't even bother to check the pattern.When we had like 45 minutes to go,I found out that we have to attempt 5 questions from it.There! Now you get what were the last 45 minutes like for me. I got stuck with a monstrous Fourier Series problem and couldn't complete the paper.

Man! I don't care if I sound like this total loser who whines about a screwed test.But I will.And I don't think it's a loserlike thing to do.That's said.

I'm brooding.God! I hate it.

Aar na! onek hoyechhe.

I hate to bring this up on the eve of my semester, because everytime I do so, inevitably I don't follow what I'm planning.But somewhere down the line,I think it's high time to sit back and get a grip on oneself.

I hate procrastination.Period.It doesn't pay AT ALL.

Au revoir.See you after 16th.

Wishing all students of JU, WBUT, St. Xavier's and other colleges a very very good luck for your semesters.

ps: purple for a regal performance.*no puns intended*

I am a hungry,thirsty,tired-beyond-words,sleep-deprived soul with ugly dark circles around my droopy eyes, an aching tooth and sweaty itching palms,worn-out by furious incessant typing for the past 3 hours at breakneck speed to finish a lab assignment to be submitted on the coming Wednesday.

And me and my lab partner are yet to finish at least 5 programs,debug 7 of the ones we foolishly thought to be running smoothly until mysterious mistakes cropped up all of a sudden.And we have to write comments against almost each line of the programs(C programmers in colleges are aware of it,amongst other people),(and I can't find a particular header file for a program),write assignments and prepare for the viva as well.There's no food in the fridge...not even stupid Gems,and I'm listening to songs like PSP-12 and Immigrant Song to stay awake(now I may need a Himesh Reshamiya masterpiece if Robert Plant and Jimmy Page fail to keep me from dozing off) when all I want to do is throw the bleddy laptop on the floor.And there goes my partner smsing me that...oi programta run korchhena thikthak...debug korte hobe... !Yearkey paya hain???AAn!! amar bujhi khide teshta ghum kichhu payna??? *anger and frustrations not directed at my equally hassled labmate*.



Soon I'll resemble the picture below(minus the thin frame!)

And suddenly I start imagining faces peeping out from behind the heavu curtains.Someone sitting in front of the mirror and combing her hair.and suddenly turning around to look at me with dead hollow eyes.And horses neighing while a young girl with matted hair covering her face facing a camera and whining ..I want my mommy.... (I'm hating Naomi Watts right now).

And now I've to look for some place to get a 500 page color xerox done cheap (read: shoestring)which is only after we finish typing the assignment and do the designs: and all that.And on top of that,we have probably three class tests next week!! :-) :-) :-) ("when in trouble,always smile...emniteo case khabi...omni teo...heshe de..at least mood bhalo thakbe..." petulant drops of pearl from the wise brother of mine.)And why don't the pesky winged creatures from hell stop whining and biting???

I attended the Spanish class after what seems like a decade.

Sir asked me to translate....Kolkata is an ancient city in Spanish. I promptly said....

Kolkata esta una ciudad huevo.

Sir(looking up from the book): Ki bolle?....(what did you say??)

Me(scratching my chin and starting to look sheepish): Sir...Kolkata esta una ciudad huevo...

Sir(): Huevo???

Me(frowning):Sir huevo maane toh old. I meant to say Kolkata is an old city.....(Sir,vueho means old and I meant....you get it,don't you?)

Sir(sighing):It would be Kolkata esta una ciudad vieja..Kolkata city.So it's feminine.

Me(serious face):Okay sir!

Sir(writing on the board):Btw Shreyasi,oral er jonyo thik kore poro.Huevo maane murgir deem.....(Btw Shreyasi,study well for your orals.Huevo means egg)

I disappeared behind Miss Gopalan,my classmate.

Off to Rajasthan today! Will be back on 1st November. And royal battle begins after that. With vivas,projects,assignment submissions,classtests and ultimately the Enemy no 1...the semesters!

And so to prepare myself for the battle about to ensue , I"m carrying a bagful of six books.Six heavy monstrous threatening books,to be studied by me. :-(

So long.Au revoir!

I love the stretch of road from Maidan metro station to Park Street cemetary. It's full of hustle and bustle,with innumerable people hasitly making a beeline for their respective offices,jostling,grumbling,talking over their cellphones furiously,as a result colliding with other passers-by,thereby resulting in a verbal(sometimes abusive)war and a total pandemonium. Life is so furiously fast-paced in this corner of the city,as in the other parts. Buses,cars,trucks all trundle past you,honking horns,swearing at the jam,aften swerving and nearly hitting people.The footpath is absolutely dotted with potholes and mounds of cement and stonechips for some nearbly construction site.The flyover is jampacked with cars emitting fumes of ugly grimy smoke....

Inspite of all that,I simply love walking down that stretch of the road. Often,I take a detour and walk down Russel Street as well,main attraction being Hobby Center at one end and its rich platter of chocolates and fudgecakes. From there,I walk ,beside Trincas,Oxford,Flury's,Xaviers',Adventist Church to the cemetary and back.

My penchant for walk dates back to the days when Dadu used to wake me up at 4 in the morning and we used to for morning walks in Golf Green come rain or sun!. Be it summer or winter,he never failed to go for walks even if that meant being unable to wake up the lazy lump of his granddaughter.I've always loved walking.Be it at home,where I walk frantically round the table,to the balcony,in the rooms,in the kitchen,often in the corridors near the staircase,when I'm talking,eating or studying!So, naturally when I became a member of the USEFI library,I decided to walk a kilometer or two everyday.

I love Park Street.Love the quaint little shops on the footpath opposite Oxford,selling chocolates,cheap little trinklets,the mysterious shoddy lanes.I love drooling over the sight of Oxford,decked up in that all-familiar dim yellow light.The sight of KFC,Peter Cat and detest the fact that no smell of Chelo kebabs or sizzler or zinger burger waft out,unlike the roadside eateries. Moulin Rogue in its golden yellow glory.Barbeque which is now Flavors of China and confuse people who have left Kolkata long time back when Barbecue was Barbecue,and come back to discover the long-forgotten taste.

Park Street brings back hundreds of memories. Of Christmas.When we didn't have much money and still went to Flury's to buy a Christmas special Tootyfruity cake or a Farini cake.That was a treat we considered ourselves entitled to have,even if it burned a hole in our pocket!Then walking and admiring the lights,decorations,streamers in front of Trincas,Floriana or Waldorf with the band playing Christmas ballads,the street musicians in their rustic oldworld charm.There were less number of cars and more pedestrians on the streets,all walking,laughing,admiring the verve of life everywhere and awaiting with bated breath for the dong at 12 from St. Paul's Cathedral. I was small and never got to stay there till 12. But I used to hear stories form my uncles and brothers of how people would just break out into a mad frenzy of clappings,hugs and all that. The last Christmas I went to Park Street was years back, probably when I was in class 10 or something. And we sat in the car,facing Trincas for like an hour or two,stuck in a severe jam. It was so suffocating! I wished I could just get out of the goddamn car and walk,as I"ve always walked.

I remember the first day I went to USEFI. I thought that it was located somewhere in Park Street and had a very very wrong preconceived notion that I know the area quite well and would be able to figure out my way. Hehe! I forgot that I ,actually, have a very bad, real bad, road sense.I took a bus to Mullickbazaar and walked all the way to Park Street Metro Station only to find out that the easiest way to reach USEFI was to take the metro to Maidan! But the walk had woven its magic and I had once again fallen in love with Park Street and its oldworld charm.With BLue Fox,that still reminds me of Feluda and Chris Godwin.The cemetary gate,silent,solid,still. The tall,imposing offices,rows and rowsa of expensive boutiques standing side by side with roadside vendors selling plateful of hot parathas and chicken chow . The hole-in-the-wall restaurants,cafes et al. Xaviers' and the buzz around it. Sudder Street.Hippie para. And the long, long road that leads to Victoria Memorial and Race Course.

I even thought Victoria was somewhere on Park Street,my sense of direction is just so pathetic. The day I first walked all the way to Victoria,it was cloudy with the monsoon sky threatening to burst every now and then.I didn't carry an umbrella and wished fervently to go back.But insanity got the better of me.The first sight of Victoria against an overcast Kolkata sky is one of the many things that makes hate the idea of leaving the city years later.I will run out of words to descibe it and any sort of description would fall short of actually describing its ethereal beauty. Victoria Memorial, or rather the fairy on top always evokes a sense of irrepressible grief. Of sadness,pangs of separation. Sounds phony, eh? But true. I don't know what it does to me. I keep on staring at it,until my eyes grow smart.When the myriad colors are just sprayed across the sky during sunset,the Race Course looks beautiful.The shining silhoutte of the Vidyasagar Setu evokes a sense of craving in me,craving for what I don't know.It's as if, I want something desperately but can't figure out what.Or how.It's utterly ridiculously phony, I tell you.

I wish I could write a book on Park Street.The street musicians of my childhood.The Christmas ballads.The churchbells from St. Paul's. Tarotcard readers on the streets.Standing in front of KFC and sighing at the nearempty pockets.Oxford.Flury's.Trincas.The lightings of Floriana.Hobby Center.Breathing in the cool-happy-crazy air.That makes your insides go hollow and yet makes you so full and warm.Of basking in the citylights and walking on the streets of Kolkata.Of living and loving in this great great great city.

If only, I could make you sit,chained to a rickety old bug-ridden chair,in a cyber cafe which practically breeds pesky little mosquitoes ,that goes 'zzzzz ' around your head and give you large angry red bites all over your legs,and the entire goddamn place is infested with mosquitoes and ants, and the BB speed is just pathetic,while people come swarming in,shouting at each other over the cellphones(They think they're Ron Weasley,trying to figure out how a phone works and whether it's actually meant for making long-distance conversation),and the guy next to you uses all the expletives in the modern day Oxford English dictionary to describe the Internet speed and the Jodhpur Park puja pandal simultaneously,and your tummy is too stuffed with all the good food in the world and yet you can't loosen your belt and breathe easy ,because you're real tightly chained to the chair...I'll make sure you aren't wearing that black hooded thing and your legs are exposed so that the mosquitoes get greater surface area to bite the hell out of you.And I will wear a bloodstained,horrible bloated-cheeks chalky white with narrow reddish slits for eyes skeleton mask and brandish a knife,have my voice modulated electronically and recorded so that I can psyche you and say in that infamous rumble....Let's play a game....

....Aj boshe onko korte ekdum ichhe korchhena!

Beriye fuchka khete,adda marte,parar pandal e giye last minute shaaj dekhte,Gopalkakur theke pujor shondhyer artist programmer list shunte, Gariahat er more giye dul kinte,Bedwin theke roll kine khete,chhotobelar moto Jadavpur Station Road e giye balloon kine Ma er kaaner kacche fatate,bundle bundle cap r bonduk kinte,Borobarite dhunuchi naacher rehearsal dekhte,hothat ekbar High School er shamne Law College er pashe chhoto pandal ta dekhte,Tasty Corner theke kochuri r kaju borfi khete,Ekdalia obdhi hete Subrata Mukherjee r pujo pandal dekhte ar candyfloss khete,Gariahat er more dariye comics book kinte...

Mamabari giye notun jama dekhate,Tiltildadader barir chhaade shobai miley dumbcharades ar cricket khelte,tarpor Kaberimamir banano mangsher jhol bhaat kheye dupurbela tv dekhte dekhte ghumote,bikele Baba,Pradipkaku r Shumukakur sathe shobai miley kachhepither thakur dekhte jete,Ashoknagar giye khola shobji-van e chepe thakur dekhte,Golbajar giye roll ar chicken chowmein khete,Dadur dokane boshe dokan-dokan khelte ar majhe majhe hojmi r logenze er shishi khule khete,Kutuder bari,Babanmamader bari jete,shamner park e dolna r dinosaur slip chorte,Shanghoti Park e boating korte,Baghbazar er purono barite dupurbela tengra maachher jhaal ar aloo posto kheye rolling khaat e shuye Tintin porte,Bommar kachhe Brindaban e Bangladesh er golpo shunte,bikele uthe Dadur sathe giye chips r pastry khete,Shobhabazar purono barite shondhebela thakurdalane arati dekhte,bhog khete,raate luchi-pathar mangsho khete,bhetorbarite tiya ar payrar basha dekhte,Ultadangar borobarite ekdum hariye jete,Maniktolar barite purono library khule Uncle Tom's Cabin porte....

Thammader purono barite butter churi kore khete,camp khaate shuye Mahabharat dekhte,Hajaribagh,Giyagunj er golpo shunte,uthone bori shukote dite,Barasat e Dadu barite Mamonipishir ranna khete ar golpo korte,Dadur sathe golpo korte,Jhumpi r Putulir sathe khelte,dupure chingrimaach kheye kaather ghore giye ghumote,bikele dokan luut kore icecream,cold drinks r chips khete,melay giye jilipi khete,Choi er sathe Barasat ghurte jete,Bultider bari jete,Chakulia e mejodida der barir shojnegaachhe e shuopoka dekhte,raat jege Golamchor khelte,Ghatshila,Fuldungri Burudi dam jete,Subarnarekhar dhare chhutte,bhorbela uthe Naga Gardens er pujo dekhte,Chakulia station e bikelbela sunset dekhte,tarpor chhutte bari giye dadu khobor dekhte boshar agei Cartoon Network ar raate Superhit Muqablaa dekhte...

Kali pujor agey para theke shobbai mile bus e kore Baaji Bajar jete,giye sundae khete,dupurbelay amader chhaade shobai mile gol kore boshe tubri banate,shondhebelay tubri test korte,choddoprodip-ponchoprodip jalate,Lokkhipujoy alpana dite,luchi bhajte,naru banate,cherry-doi-murki khete,bhaifontay pronaam kora niye jhogra korte,jomano baaji porate,Christmas e shobai miley Park Street er alo dekhte jete,Flury's e cake khete,St. Paul's e giye carol shunte r gawar cheshta korte,shokale onko koranor jonyo Ma je Kaberimamir kaache boka khachhe sheta shune gloat korte,Eden e khela dekhte jete,Nicco Park e cyclone chore Piudidike bhoy dekhate,Food Park e icecream niye maramari korte,chiriyakhana jete,bandor er chhola shob nijei kheye nite,bari fire Ma One Day at a Zoo likhte bolle kandte,Diamond Harbour e picnic e jete,boimela jete,badminton khelte,dupurbela chhade boshe chul shukote r komolalebu khete,fruitcake gift peye lukiye rakhte,New Year's Eve e Kaberimamider chhaade shobai miley picnic korte,bonfire korte,tv te New Year's program dekhte,Shumukakur magic dekhte,Kaberimamir kole boshe lukiye aachaar r tomato khete,paray shobcheye chhoto bole ektuo boka na khete,Bua r bari giye saree ar salwar ghatte,Ballygunge e Piudidir mamabarir thanda ghare jete,winter vacation e para theke shobai Baharampur jete,Hajarduari dekhte,Benukakuder barir chhaade khokho khelte,shankranti te puli-pithe-payesh khete,keno shimaaier payesh hoyni ta niye thammar kachhe ghenghen korte.....

Baba Ma er ar nijer chhotobelar golpo shunte,oder colleger golpo shunte,school jete,school theke bondhuder sathe bari firte...

bhishon bhishon icchhe korchhe.

P,S: Puro khaddyomoy post!! almost every alternate line e ekta khabar er mention!!ki petuk re ami!!!

New shoes currently top my hitlist. They are a bunch of vicious objects, whose only aim is to create ugly painful blisters on your feet,which bleeds.And creates a gory mess while you hobble in pain.I was bullied into buying a pair of shoes last week.I didn't want to really.I'm way too much happy and satisifed with my old chappals which,in spite of being many months old,are in a very good condition! But Dida and Ma just won't take no for an answer and I was dragged to go shoe-shopping.

I adore shopping with Ma.But I detest shoe-shopping. Firstly,the shop rarely has a size that fits me(I have this very tiny pair of feet you see).But it's a matter of reputation for the shopkeepers,in front of the other customers.So they keep on saying..Boshun boshun...amra dekchhi.While I cringe in mortal embarassment.People stare.A few are brash enough to ask me subtley..tumi kon class e poro??..And I look away firmly from the onlookers and stare at my disgraced feet.

But coming back to new shoes,I have worn a pair of new red chappals for two days and lo! my feet are blistered and bleeding to no end.And I am walking with a slight limp now which I don't like.It hurts like hell.I wish I could wear a pair of kharams.Or go to college wearing hawaii choti.But Ma won't just listen to it.So I am advised to wear the new shoes,so that my feet get used to them and the straps come loose.I want to shoot them and throw them away down the drains of 8B. But then people will drive a bullet through my head and I'll be singing Another Hole in The Head(I should get an award for cracking the saddest pj in the whole world).

Puja is round the corner.The weather is brilliant with loads of bright sunshine,blue sky,occassional drizzle(not the kind of torrential downpour that spoils the pandal decorations and the mood as well),a cool nip in the air and a very happyhappy buzz. There's a distinct smell of the Puja season.Antara Chowdhury once sang...Pujor gondho eshechhe..I thoroughly agree with her.There's a very filling,warm,inexplicable but nevertheless happy smell of Puja.I had gone to Mamabari,minutes before writing this post.And I could smell it,feel it under my skin.Which kind of prompted me to type this rather random post!

What are all your puja plans? I haven't made any yet,except for Ashtami.Rest of the days,I am yet to figure out.Leaving for Rajasthan on the 17th.Meanwhile I have to study as well,which I'm not liking at all.And my feet hurts like hell! I hate new shoes.So long.Au revoir.Happy Pujas.

1. Songbird-Eva Cassidy
2.Turn me on-Norah Jones
3.One Step Closer-Linkin Park
4.Both sides now-Joni Mitchell
5. Clocks-Coldplay
6.Kashmir-Led Zeppelin
7.Back in Black-ACDC
8.Californication-RHCP
9.Bawnra Maan-Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi
10.Here Without You-3 Doors Down
11.Ziggy Stardust-David Bowie
12.Bittersweet Symphony-The Verve
13.Suddenly I see-KT Tunstall
14.When I'm gone-Simple Plan
15.Hey Jude-The Beatles
16.Accidentally in love-Counting Crows
17.New Shoes-Paulo Nutini
18.Runaway-The Corrs
19.One of Us-Joan Osbourne
20.Wonderwall-Oasis

Quite a lot.:-)

P.S: Btw,I forgot to mention Anyone else but you by The Moldy Peaches!

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i want to watch Dark Knight and go to South City Mall with Souvik!

French test tomorrow at 9.I'm yet to do subjonctif,participe present, gerundif and conditional. I am confident only about the parler test i.e. the oral test. I'm sure something's gonna go wrong during ecouter i.e. the listening part.Either I'll be too nervous to concentrate or I won't be able to figure out anything at all . Production ecrit i.e. the creative writing part I'll manage,only if I'm armed with a good stock of vocabulary. Rest I don't know.

Let's see. All the best to me.

There's a terrific smell of matar paneer wafting from the kitchen and distracting me so much that it's absolutely impossible to finish writing this Java program now.Accompanying it,is the unmistakeable aroma of buttered naan ! This is just too much to stomach and go on writing a program on bank transactions and deposits,as if nothing has happened.

Naan,matar paneer and kheer.What else can the foodie's soul ask for?

Except perhaps, the Drums of Heaven from Food Court,South City Mall.

My cellphone is spooked.

One rainy afternoon.The irresistable smell of fried illish maachh and ghee in khichudi. Manna Dey's soulful voice singing Coffee houser shei addata.. And My father started reminiscing about his college days.How they used to sit on the ledge at the canteen,play carrom and 29,some of them made passes at the passerby women(at this juncture, Ma and I looked at him intently,about to press for more personal details but he completely ignored us! ),the samosa-and-tea breaks in between boring lectures,the recitations of Banalata Sen, a couple of chengra chhokras, all inspired by the sudden glimpse of the too familiar laal orna..how they broke into an impromptu jig with Ke tumi Nandini in the background while poor laal orna had to endure their hoola dance and do some quick disappearing act to avoid further embarassments.Ma punctuated his recollections with sporadic outbursts of eeesh!!ki oshobhyo chhile go tomra! which sadly went unheeded as both me and Baba convulsed into laughter.Or Baba used to retaliate with a aha!!jeno tomra koto kochi khuki chhile! It's hard to take sides without implicating either parent!

When it comes to Ma,she makes it a point to remind me at every point that she was a very good,sober,serious student...(you get the drift,don't you?).But then,I thwart all her plans to take a leaf out of her book and pester her with questions like Ma! oi chheletar golpo bolo je Presidency te shob meyeke dekhe kobita likhto..Stuffs like that just to embarass her a little bit but then to make her smile at the bittersweet memories!Baba joins in the camaraderie and poor Ma has no other option but to give in to my whimsical demands.And so, one whole afternoon is dedicated to the poor,bespectacled,apparently bhalo chheler moto dekhte dejected,jilted Romeo who found solace in writing secret poems about his muse(out of pity I refrain from using the plural form) and then got laughed at when they were discovered in the yellow pages of his chhera khata. And also to the studs of the college,half-lit ciggies and all that. Ma used to be a model student but then she took part in fair deal of mischief in class too like writing poems mocking teachers,drawing cartoons out of them,aiming erasers etc.It was rather hard to imagine that my Headgirl-in-school Ma had actually succeeded in shocking the hell out of her Chemistry professor by calling her Mota Umadi in front of everyone in the class.She insists it was a bad slip, but then we like to think otherwise!

Baba was in the college football team,carrom team.He played the violin.He was a star 29 player.He bunked pass classes and sneaked into movie halls with friends to watch Uttam-Suchitra romancing on the silver screen.And now, he sits on the sofa,newspaper in one hand,or with a laptop,setting his glasses and typing at a furious pace to finish an assigned project.Occassionally when the radio belts out an old Manna Dey song about a group of seven friends,the Grand er guitarist, the kobi kobi chehara whose poems were mocked at just as his life,the art colleger er chhele or the shukhi meye with the lakhpoti shwaami and the others,all drifted apart in the big bad world by the tides of time,he looks up,with a smile and shining eyes and says..Ei gaanta Sumanta ledge e boshe khaali golay gaito....Sumanta amader dept e ekmatro CAB r player...

And I try to imagine what life would be like after 3 years.

In spite of my inane fear of the dark and the eerie stuffs,I simply can't let go of my fascination for horror movies!

1.Put on 5 kilos weight and didn't have guilt trips.
2.Started reading a book on AI.
3.Drove the car really well,without making an attempt to smash it.
4.Learnt to marinate the chicken for preparing chicken korma.
5.Read Reading Lolita in Tehnran which I've been planning to do for quite a long time.
6.Had a long,long heart-to-heart chat with Choi,Ching and my brother.
7.Watched A Good Year and was amazed to find out that I could actually understand what people are talking in fluent French.And Guns of Navarone for the umpteenth time.
8.Had dark French chocolates with cheese/marshmallow.
9.Realised that I actually do not have much time left before the French A2 exam.
10.And smiled a lot...but then that I always do!
11.Thought of a few events and improvisations for U-Turn.

So summing up,life's really really good.I figured out that if you don't think straight and avoid unnecessary complications that arise mainly from your own inexplicable dumb ego or your prolific imagination,it screws you bigtime. But then,even if you do,it does! :-)..I'm NOT going into all that details.
By the way,if you haven't already noticed,the post title says 10 things...!

God! And to think I never actually knew that I had the capability of feeling shy and making a complete fool of myself~..!!

But it was amazing('amazing' being an understatement). :-).I have decided to refrain from the further use of 'good'!

And you know, I AM very bad at expressing myself. You just have to get the vibe.

*glittering eyes*

I wish I could figure out just exactly what and how I am feeling.It's a mixture of so many emotions that I'm clueless as to how to react to everything.

The last week I was rather "comfortably numb".It wasn't irreversible depression.Just a strange hollow feeling in the gut.But now,I've got over it completely.And it's replaced by this bizarre,indescribable state of mind that's getting on my nerves for several reasons.

People keep on starting every conversation with a "how's life?"or a "how are you doing?".And to tell the truth,I have no idea.Apart from the usual daily chores,I'm upto nothing special.Yeah, I talk a lot these days!And walk like crazy.But then I really don't know how to respond to this question as I have no idea just how I'm feeling.

Right now, I'm feeling

happy,warm,nice,pissed,anxious,scared, mad....something like that.And I can't even find something to listen to,something that's going to suit my mood.I just feel weird.Can someone suggest a weird song?

I'm looking forward to U-Turn bigtime.Hope everything goes fine.(without elaborating what can go wrong!)

And I hope I'd learn not to expect so much from people,that in the end it becomes suffocating for them.Or things get messed up by misunderstandings.

I'm tired of feeling weird.I wish something would just snap and I can feel something real and concrete.