Too Weird to Title

Specimen #92512

Traits:

Vision - Based on movement, rather weak.

Anger management level - Zero.

Roar - Deafening.

Social skills - Awkward.
Hmmmm, that's sounds like a T-Rex.

Oh, wait. That sounds like me too. Sigh.

Wish Upon A Star

It's been a long time since I stopped believing in wishing on a shooting star. I think it was when we learnt about comets, meteors and dying stars in school. That's not the point. I may have stopped believing in wishing upon a star, I've not stopped wishing. I wish for a lot of things. Every day. Every minute. 

For one thing, I wish had better teeth. And I wish people (random strangers even) stopped telling me to get them fixed.

I also wish I had a photographer friend who would take really artistic pictures of me and I could show them off and get a thousand compliments.

And for a puppy that never would grow into a dog.

That I could be a badass-vampire-hunting-pirate.

That my room never needed cleaning.

That I could eat without getting fat, earn without working and love without hurting.

That my bookshelf would have a hinge that revealed a secret passage to a curious place.

"And I wished for things that I don't need..."

Blood-shot

Pick that almost healed scab.

Ask not what caused it.

You know you want it to bleed once more.

A pinprick of scarlet swelling into a pool.

And then running  red furrows down your skin.

Warm and sticky and icky.

Watch the patterns it makes.

Oozing.

Let it spill and drip and slip.

Count the minutes until it stops.

By itself.

You'll do it again.

Because you can't cry.

The Conversationist

A conversation is like a game of table-tennis. To have a good one you need a good opponent who can give you a good rally. Yes, you need to listen, but you also have to actively participate. It never works otherwise. It's not a passive situation where you can take a backseat and let the other take all the responsibility of driving the tete-a-tete. A conversation is not a seminar, it is not a lecture, it is not pep-talk. There are reasons why those are not synonyms for conversation. A conversation needs nuances, it needs agility, it needs response.

X: Hey, what're you doing?

Y: Nothing much, just watching Perfume, the Story of a Murderer.

X: What's that?

Y: You know that movie where the protagonist makes perfumes from women's bodies after killing them?

X: No...

Y: Erm... The one where he was born with an extraordinary sense of smell...

X: No...

Y: You should watch it.

X: Okay.

Y: Do you want to download it? I can send you a link...

X: Maybe later.

Y: ...


How would you rate this conversation? I'd give it a maximum of 3 on a scale of 10. Do you know how this could have been a good conversation? Like this -
X: Hey, what're you doing?


Y: Nothing much, just watching Perfume, the Story of a Murderer.

X: What's that?

Y: You know that movie where the protagonist makes perfumes from women's bodies after killing them?

X: No... What's the story like?

Y: It's really weird! This guy is born with an extra sensitive nose and he's bent on making the best perfume in the world...

X: So why is it called a story of a murderer?

Y: Because he kills women to steal their body fragrances...

X: Woah! That's psycho!

Y: Do you want to download it? I cam send you a link...

X: Yeah why not? It's bizarre though...
Y: Well, do watch it and tell me how you liked it.

X: Will do...


Now that's more like it, isn't it?

Good conversationists are hard to find these days. I happen to be one of those people who find a good conversation highly erotic.

Friends Without Benefits

What I'm about to make can be a very controversial statement. Some may consider it anti-feminism. However, from personal experience, I've found it to be true.

Guys are easier to be friends with compared to girls.

Now, if you ask me for reasons, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you any. Whether or not girls and guys can remain friends and only that is also a valid question. But, all that given and said, I will stick to what I've just stated. 

If you are the no-nonsense, undramatic, slightly weird girl like me, I'm pretty sure you'll agree. I'm not undermining any of the friendships I share with my girls, but I also realize that having male friends, that too good ones, has made me quite a balanced individual.

An Apology

People who know me will know that I don't do this often. But I think I owe this to my writing career.

I am sorry. I am sorry that I've not written for all this while. I'm sorry that I couldn't complete the A-Z Challenge.

And, I'm not making any excuses.

I will, however, try to be more regular. I will try harder to write better. I will definitely try not to disappoint anyone, including myself.

Mahalaya

1500 kilometers from home, some Bengali youths gathered on the fourth floor of the Academic Building of their University at 0400 hours on 15th October 2012. They came in varied attires and night clothes, some yawning, some rubbing their eyes, but all of them intent and excited, for one thing. That one thing was the elocution of Mahalaya.

They didn't have the authenticity of the Akashbani live telecast of the Mahalaya programme. All they had was pure devotion, to the tradition of beginning the best time of a Bengali life - Durga Puja.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of Mahalaya, it is the day when Maa Durga defeated the evil Mahishasur, restoring the world to peace and prosperity. Seven days from this day, the epitome of the good over evil will be worshiped. It is also the homecoming of the victorious, and us mortals rejoice in it to extents a non-Bengali cannot ever comprehend. Maa Durga is not just a deity who defeated evil for us, she is our very own mother and beloved daughter at the same time. The entire battle of Maa Durga and Mahishasur has been retold many times, but this particular rendition by Birendrakrishna Bhadra and his team is aired on the radio every year for all. It is an unwritten custom for many of us that we listen to it religiously, because if not anything, it is a beautiful form of elocution art.

Durga Puja has always been an integral part of my life, like all other Bengalis. This year, away from home, I feel the significance all the more. I can hardly wait to go back. Puja is not just a time for worship and prayer, it is also the time when families get together, friends re-unite and everybody is offered a piece of happiness. 

Every year, Puja brings new hopes. Hopes of conquering evil. Hopes of regaining lost strength. Hopes of a better day. Every year, Maa Durga saves us from the lurking demons -  ones we encounter every day, on the road, in our workplaces, in our homes, inside ourselves.

This year, Mahalaya not only sets off the homecoming for Maa Durga, it marks the homecoming for me too. I'm going home.