Addicted

I recently re-discovered my love for making cards :) I'm in the process of putting together a huge stash of holiday cards (will post pictures once it's time to mail them out)

Here's a project that I worked on this weekend for a friend who is going to India this week. The order of pages is same as the order of the pictures. The windows open to show photos of the various times we've hung out together over the last couple of years. We were roommates for a little over a year, so it was hard choosing which pictures to include! I've not included pictures with the photos on the card, but this is just to give you (whoever bothers to read this blog anymore) an idea of what I've been working on! She's going back to India to get married, so please join me in wishing her all the best for this next stage in life :)

We Are Family

I seem to be back to my once-a-month random posts :P bleh..

Two trips to NYC in a week..it's been crazy!!! But I couldn't even begin to describe how totally different these two trips were.

Case 1 : 6 friends from Philly decide to try and cover as many touristy things in New York that they can fit into 2 days. Madame Tussuad's, Empire State, Times Square (walked up and down for some reason or the other at least 6-7 times!), Rockefeller Center, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, Little Italy, Jackson Heights. I think we would have easily walked around 30 miles (read 48 kms) in those 2 days.
We stayed in this 'hotel' which had small cubicles as rooms. It reminded some of us of prison cells and if you want to be a little more imaginative - those tiny bunks that you've heard exist in battleships ;) There were rules stuck in every possible crevice - "Don't be afraid of your freedom", "Please try not to slam doors or talk in your room after 10pm when your neighbours may be SLEEPING." , "Please flush frequently. Do not over stuff the toilets with paper. They clog easily. We appreciate your cooperation.", "Price subject to change according to customers attitude". Boy, were we glad to get out of there in the morning!
Overall..it was a trip to remember :) I'm pretty sure that the next time we go, we probably won't be staying overnight!

Case 2 : The congregation of 3 cousins. I just loved it. I haven't necessarily met these cousins many times before. There were the usual doses of chaotic family get-togethers, weddings and brief house visits. And there we were, all well into our 20s (as much as we'd like to deny it :P) , attempting to make a new beginning. Laughs turned into giggles and then eventually snorts over nothing much in particular :) Conversation flowed..opinions were exchanged..we had a lot to catch up on!
What I found weird was that even after all the years that have passed, we still had some vague sort of connection. Numerous attempts to get in touch earlier had failed for some reason or the other. But what was nice, was the fact that it had worked out this time :)
It's a refreshing change to meet someone after so long and for them to accept you unconditionally. For them to probably have more faith in you than you might have in yourself and vice versa. The fact that you can just kick back and relax - be yourself. I guess that's the magic of family. I just needed to be reminded of that..

Who Knew

The last post kind of inspired me to make a last attempt at contacting a very old friend of mine. And as luck would have it, I managed to get through to him and a meeting was fixed! Now let me fill you in on the blank spaces...

This is a guy who I last met when I was 7. He was my 'chaddi' buddy in the true sense of the word ;) Back then, we shared a back wall and all it took to get him to jump over the wall was to start filling the water in the paddle pool and scream his name out loud. Within minutes, there would be two kids splashing about in the pool as if there was not a care in the world! We were a team back then. Almost like a package deal :P He's the person who gave me the nickname that all my close friends call me to this day! I remember bits and pieces of our school bus trips together. Me running back to pick up things that he had left behind, he standing up for me when I got into trouble, both of us dealing with small-time bullies together, me bullying people who bullied him....

And there we were, more than 15 years later, attempting to make a new beginning. Laughs turned into snorts when we realized that we both still diligently pick any trace of capsicum from our food..Conversation flowed..opinions were exchanged, lists of top ten favourites were listed..we had a lot to catch up on!

What I found weird was that even after all the years that have passed, we still had some vague sort of connection. Numerous attempts to get in touch earlier had failed for some reason or the other. But what was nice, was the fact that it had worked out this time :)

It's a refreshing change to meet someone after so long and for them to accept you unconditionally. For them to probably have more faith in you than you might have in yourself and vice versa. It’s not everyday that you come across friends like this and for that, RB, I only have you to thank :)

Static

I'm always been amazed when I meet some old friends after such a long time and it's like not a day has passed since you last met up and you just seem to pick up from where you left off. I guess it's a pleasant surprise because usually I've never had much luck in that department. Now don't get me wrong, I've always seemed to have amazing friends. But most often, after extended periods of no contact, there just doesn't seem to be much to talk about.

I guess it is natural that people expect that all the things they left behind would be just as they last remembered them. But there is movement, everywhere. For all things. Within all of us. There keeps being reason for me to reflect on my portion in that.

And that's why these kinds of friends are all the more special. They're not very easy to come by! I almost always end up having this fuzzy feeling after a brief but nice conversation with them :)

I intend to get in touch with more old friends eventually. All this thinking has got me curious! I haven't been as good at keeping in touch with people as I would've hoped I'd be. So if you're out there..old friend, here I come :D

Tuesday's gone.

[This is something I wrote a few months ago. Thought it was apt to add this to my newly made blog]


Rewind.....9-10 months ago...

Summer's set in on good old Vellore. You can tell by the way everyone avoids leaving their rooms in the sweltering afternoons unless they want to risk complete dehydration and planning their walks around campus based on which building has decent bathrooms or water coolers :P

It's at times like this..that you feel like DOING something. ANYTHING! It must be the heat, you tell yourself..the only solace are the brief food breaks (essential for sanity) and 15 minute breaks in an A/C lab. The end of college still seems eons away. Who thinks about stuff like that anyway?

May 2007

We're almost done. With each passing day, we try pushing it further and further into the background. Nobody talks about it. I guess if we don't talk about it, it might not happen..

But with whatever we did..the inevitable happened. Every day had a new person to say 'good-bye' to. You try and keep a straight face..smile and wave..but even the slightest degree of emotion on the other person's face can make the hardest nuts to crack sob like a little baby when their backs are turned.

It ended with pregnant silences that seemed to leave everything and nothing unsaid (ironic,huh?); hugs with each person hesitant to let go; promises to meet again, to keep in touch, tears. But above everything else, it ended in a feeling of emptiness- a hollow feeling that eventually gave way to the realization that a way of life had just been laid to rest, and that this chapter of our lives had finally come to a close.

Present Day

People have moved on. Conversations only occur when a real effort is made. The old voices never fail to make you smile :) The old pictures now remind you of what seems like a distant memory. You almost have to pinch yourself to feel the pain at times. It feels like that candle has been snuffed out leaving you in total darkness.

There's talk of a reunion. Will that ever happen? God knows. The enthusiasm dwindles. But come what may..you still hope that you share the same magic with those people. That you can pick up from where you left off. That there's something left to rediscover when you go back!

The memories never fail to make you smile :) Those were happy times. The good life. When you could pick up the phone and talk for free! Those long drawn out conversations about some vague concept (which seemed important at the time). It's those memories which we all hold on to. Times moves on. People do too. But nothing can take away the memories of those times :D They did happen..and that small candle blowing in the wind will continue to burn for as long as those memories live on.