A Bundle Of Contradictions

Pehli baar ek hi baar aata hai! (The 'first time' experience comes only once in your life) - Amitabh Bachchan in English Vinglish The first thing that would come to your mind is: 
Why is Archie (who's been a very tardy blogger lately) beginning this blog post with a very oh-so-filmy quote? 
Well, it's because I (finally) got a chance to go to Germany for a radio project after endless days of dreaming, wishing, hoping and despairing.


Which is also why I haven't been a very regular updater of this blog. 
Also there's the fact that I've been very tardy and I feel like the content I'm coming up is shit.
Never mind that. 
The thing is, after I'd posted last, I got busy with the tickets, visa appointments and the entire packing frenzy. 
Every single day went from the constant messages with "Congratulations, dear! I'm so proud of you!" to the even more regular drilling of "It's going to be very cold in Germany, you have to wear really…

All right. Ol' Archie is back from the dead.

I'm sorry for being such a tardy updater, dear reader.  
But things have been so strenuous lately! 
For one, my exams ended and a week later, my German class started and so did my stint as an intern at this super-cool content writing firm. 
So far, it's been a fantastic experience! I'm getting to learn so much about writing, research and marketing. Each day, I get to be a part of incredible meetings, discover new things and most importantly - write for some of the biggest companies in the country! 
Anyway, more on my internship later and onto this post! 
This is the 100th post on my blog. 100th.

A freaking century if you want to use a cricket jargon. 
Damn. 
It's been SO LONG. I started it waaaaaaaaay back in December 2011 and since then I've been pretty (somewhat) regular. 
And going through my old posts, I've realized that I have grown so much as an individual.

Five years ago, I was this little caterpillar who …

Here I am, staring at the computer screen, completely run out of ideas.

That's what happens to you when you end up giving three solo PowerPoint presentations, a four-hour long midterm exam and a ton of other extracurricular activities. 
Might I add, you've done none of these activities to the best of your abilities and you've only done it for the sake of passing. 
Anyhow. 
So, as I have no grand ideas to amuse you, allow me to tell you about my majestically amazing self in a list of 25 points (Because hey, it's close to Christmas). 
Here goes nothing: 
A List Of My Favourite Things/Situations/People
1. As strange as it may sound, I love the smell of wood-smoke. I don't know why, but it really seems so crisp and invokes really nostalgic memories. 
2. It may seem really contrary to my overall character, but I really enjoy singing. I know I have a very high-pitched (sometimes really a virile mixture of nasal and shrill when I'm angry) voice. Yet, I enjoy singing m…

To say that June 2015 was one of the saddest months of my life would be the understatement of this millennium. 
Every morning, waking up was sheer torture. Whenever my eyes flew open, I used to have this strong urge to stay there, in my bed forever. I used to stare at the ceiling and I used to desperately wish to stay at home. 
But, since I had my German class to go to, I had to literally force myself to get up, dress up and show up. 
My German class was all the more torturous. I never talked to anybody, except to ask about what's going on. I used to constantly get zoned out, stare into the empty space and just think: I'm in so much deep trouble. 
I felt like I'd failed everybody, especially myself. 
I used to write in my diaries, constantly write about how much I'd drawn into a shell, constantly write about how upset I was with the way things turned out and all I wanted to do was things to turn out well. 
But, as the days passed, I realized that I hated being sad all…

Dear God (or any other superior being that presides over our lives),
Hi there.  I know, a lot of people out there doubt the fact that You exist. I know, a lot of people out there apparently know that You don't exist (because there's no 'scientific proof' or maybe because they want to sound cool because come on, haters are the 'new cool'.) But, after years of being confused and befuddled whether You're really there or not, I've realized that You are there. You are there within each and every one of us. You're there in the air, You're there in the water, You're there on the earth, You're everywhere. You are infinite and You don't have a typical form. You have a strong presence though, which always, always helps people to move forward. You help people, not directly or magically, but with your mere presence. You're Hope, You're the Light that people find in a dark abyss. You're the Giver of positivity and it's only up…