A Bundle Of Contradictions

Today's one of those days, When you've forgotten everything, That you'd memorized all night long,
You're worried that everything would go wrong; 
Today's one of those days,
When you'd rather stay in a cage,
With a poisonous, ominous snake,  Than stand in front of dozens on a stage;
Around you, are people lounging about,
As cool as cucumbers,
And here you are - Crippled with fear, struggling to remember; 
A shaky breath you take,
Pursue your lips, toss you hair,
Trying so hard to fake,
That you're an undaunted winner;
But all that false bravado falls,
When you see the first contender,
Enters the podium,
Clears his throat and stands tall; 
And then anxiety slithers in back,
Like a poisonous python,
Wrapping around you,
Making your insides go slack;
You see the first contender talk,
With flamboyant gestures, incredible voice modulation;
Seeing the audience,
It's sure he's won the adulation; 
And then, here you are,
Still trying to calm down,
Your thoughts running like a…

Dear reader, in a quest to dare to do something different, I decided to immerse myself in the college extracurricular activities. 
This involved volunteering for the college festivals, participating in oratory competitions (including a mentally scarring debate debacle) and of course, college clubs. 
My college, being the 76-year-old establishment that is, houses about 40-50 odd clubs (or forums, as we say here) and in these past two years, I've worked for around 3-5 of them. 
There are many reasons why clubs are really helpful.
For one, you really get to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do things that challenge you. Secondly, you get to work on your soft skills and learn how to manage your time/tasks efficiently. 
The third and the most important reason why clubs are really beneficial is because you meet people. Loads of them. 
And this post, dear reader, is exactly about those people. 
So without further ado, let's begin, shall we?
1. The Wise Owls 
If your club eve…

Hi there. 
I see no purpose in beginning this letter with niceties because I know what you're going to say: 
You're going to begin by saying how nobody in your family understands you. Then, you're going to move onto your friends and moan about how they don't "get you needs". After which, you're going to end with a note that you have no real friends and you're just a poor, poor lonely soul. 
But, my darling friend, have you ever bothered to consider that you might be the problem? 
Oh, now don't start with the theatrics and hear me out, will you? 
I like to believe that there are two types of lonely people - lonely people by circumstances and lonely people by their own behaviour and outlook. 
Lonely people by circumstances are those who try hard to mingle with others but are scornfully ignored. 
Lonely people by their own behaviour, on the other hand, are those who have everything - a rock solid family, an amazing group of friends and are materialist…

A lot of people think that writing’s just about throwing in words together and showing off how knowledgeable or cool they are. To them, writing is about just presenting the same content in fancier words so people go, “Ah, you have so much talent that you deserve a Nobel Prize in creative writing, buddy!” 
I have literally heard people say stuff like, “Oh, to me, when I write, it’s like I’m creating a picture. My writing is a painting and my words are the colours.” 
Some also say, “I want to show my depth to the world and I want to present oodles of my creativity to them!” 
Outwardly, I say, “Oh, that’s nice.” 
But inwardly, I’m cringing. 
Because when I write, I never feel like I’m a Picasso or Da Vinci of writing. I don’t feel like I’m doing something highly important or I’m doing something so phenomenal that nobody else can ape me. Simply put, I just don’t feel ‘cool’ about myself when I frame sentences. 
To me, writing is simply the art of verbally expressing oneself. 
Now, you wo…

Dear Bully,

Hi there, buddy.

I bet you don't remember me. Even if you do, I think I might be in the untouched, untapped holes of your mind.

But I?

I remember you very well.

I remember the first time we met, back in fourth grade. At first, I thought you were nice but later?

As the days flew by, I realised that I wasn't even worthy of being your Holiness's "acquaintance". The way you hurled your cutting words at me, the way your nose curled in disgust when you saw me and the way you made sure that I ended up crying my eyes out made it clear that I was a horrible insect that deserved to be stomped out of your way.

All those days, I remember distinctly, I found myself wondering as to why you hated me. I remember, I was being myself and it wasn't like I was hurting you on purpose or anything.

Let me be honest with you, my dear bully. I was hurt. Beyond hurt.

I won't go ahead and say that I was the bubbliest and the most cherubic child. But I won't deny th…

I have a question for you, darling reader: what's the worst thing in this world?

Nope. It's not corrupt government officials. It's not riots or wars or any other forms of violence. It's definitely not malnourished children barely scraping by in third world countries. 
Turns out, the worst thing in this world is - gasp! - gaining weight. 
Nope. I'm not kidding. 
Gaining weight is not good, according to the societal norms. Once you gain weight, you look like you've been having food that you actually like, you look like your health is stable and it seems like you're actually comfortable in your (horrendously flabby!) skin. 
And, my dears, we don't want that, do we? 
We live in a world where stick-thin people - who refuse to eat food which they are lucky they can have - are idolized. We live in a world where people who are healthy are considered as some sort of hideous balls who don't deserve to be within our presence. 
So, as a concerned blogger, I wo…

Have you ever thought about what type of personality you've ever had? Have you ever clicked on online lists 'see if you're a somber introvert or a wild extrovert'? Most importantly, have you ever felt confused when you saw those lists and discovered that you related to both the aspects? 
Since a very long time, I've been struggling to define what I really am. Some people say I'm very talkative, while the others say that I'm rather quiet. Sometimes, I feel like chatting nineteen to the dozens and there are times when I feel like I'm best left alone. 
Strange, isn't it? 
Thus, the other day, I got an idea, why don't I ask people their definitions of what it means to be an introvert/extrovert? 
So, I ended up asking a couple of people. Then, I decided I'll categorize their answers, list them down here and try to come to my own conclusions about it. So here, I've compiled a segregated list of all the types I've discovered so far. I hope…

So, M from the amazing blog, The Life Of Little Me, nominated me for TMI (Too Much Information). Thank you so much, M! Guys, do check out her blog because it's one of the coolest blogs ever! :) So here, you're supposed to answer some questions and then nominate a set of bloggers for the same! :D 1. What are you wearing?

Right now, I’m wearing a loose green T-shirt and striped, pale-blue capris.

2. Have you ever been in love?

As much as I’d love to tell you a passionate, tragic (not to mention completely unrealistic) out-of-the-way Mills & Boons story, I actually have never fallen in love. I’ve had crushes, yes. But that’s about it.

3. Have you ever had a terrible break up?

I haven’t fallen in love, dude. How can one expect me to have a terrible break up? :p

4.  How tall are you?

I guess five feet five but I’m keeping my hopes up.

5. How much do you weigh?

50 kilograms – I think it’s really okay for my height. Had I been 40 kgs, then I WOULD HAVE been worried.

6. Any tattoos?

If yo…

Something I wrote a long, long time ago. I hope you can relate to this, dear reader! 

Your dreams are,  Vivid like reality and  They are so, so far;  They race in your mind,  Instead of stopping,  They continue to rewind! 
You slog all night, You put up a good fight,  But there's no one to see,  To see you do your duty; 
You pay heed,  You put passion,  That burns brightly like fire,  Over the thing you so dearly desire; 
You're still dreaming,  Lost in your own little utopia,  Until a few words,  Transform it into a dystopia; 
You come to know,  That the thing you crave,  Won't be yours,  But of someone else; 
You feel as though,  It's all a gigantic lie;  You feel so, so,  Utterly destroyed; 
All the sweat you put in,  All the love you showered in,  All the passion you utilised in,  Was just a waste of time; 
Now, your dreams are,  Shattered like broken glass and,  Will always be so, so far;  They will always race in your mind, Always haunt you,  And won't stop &…

A few pointers before you start reading this:  a) It's a mixture of blank verse and your typical rhyming-schemed poem. b) It's highly unedited.  c) It's kinda based - sorry, totally based - on a true story. 
I remember a time,  Where there were a few,  I slavishly adored,  And one of them was you;
I was a silly little girl,  Searching for an idol,  And there you were -  Pretty, introverted and rib-ticklingly funny! 
I remember boasting,  About your greatness;  I remember toasting,  Your many a success; 
I was a little peacock,  Only not as wondrous looking;  And you were the rain,  Giving me pure, unadulterated joy! 
But days passed,  Faster than a ray of light; Seasons changed,  And unfortunately, so did you; 
You became more beautiful,  You became more confident,  You became more popular,  You became someone I didn't know; 
The last time I saw you,  You weren't the sweetheart that you used to be;  You weren't the person I used to worship, day and night;  Now…