A to Z - Akash

I am in yet another school- my 7th school in 8 years. I can't even make an effort anymore. I smile, I wave, I make inane conversation mechanically. All the schools look the same, grey or pale green institutional colors with bars in the windows. There are more people who have coalesced into a single identity than I can remember.

As the breeze from the window hit me, I thanked my stars for having bagged the prime window seat. All my years of moving have left me with one important lesson. 'Always be on time on the first day of school'. I was inevitably late every other day. The first day for me is a milestone. The day you pick your seats and proceed to scare away everyone from you for the rest of the year with the best imitation of the evil eye. I never failed to get the seat I wanted.

"Eeeh," a shriek interrupted my thoughts. A slightly built classmate of mine was busy shushing her statuesque friend. Her friend towered over her but quailed in the line of her fierce gaze. Turning slightly, she caught me observing their conversation and it deepened into an angry or embarrassed flush. I puzzled over which it was. Wait, the taller girl looked familiar. She was a danger Sam had warned me against. Sam was my campus buddy. My first normal campus buddy, actually. Therefore by default, he was the first person I met at Avon High. Providentially, he turned out to be awesome and in the same grade as me. To quote Sam, 'She is on the prowl. So take care.' That sounded ominous and he assured me it had nothing to do with any sort of relationship which confused me even further.

Still, I took his warning to heart. I needed to figure my life out before I even thought about anything else. A school each year was hard enough without any potential entanglements. I did not work well with high maintenance. "Zara! Zara! Stop!" Nina cried out. So her name was Zara. Interesting name! She didn't pay any attention and just continued walking. "Sam!" I tapped his shoulder. He had the other good window seat in front of me." I need a drink of water!" "The cooler's down the hallway. Head straight down and take a right". "Cool! Thanks! No, I 'll find it, not a problem!" I hurried in the direction of the water cooler.

The Week That Was!

Madras Market IV:

This is the 4th Madras Market that is happening in Chennai, but the first time I have been in the city and had a chance to go to it. It was not as large as the Bangalore Soul Santhe, but had some super interesting stalls that equaled if not went further than some of the shops I saw here.

A recap of the most unique and cool stalls at the Madras Market:

- Mural Aura: Hand-painted murals on the kerala mundus, dupattas, tables, trays and coasters. Beautifully painted kathakali dancers and gods in multi-colours surrounded you in this stall. The best buy according to me here was the buddy table, as side table topped with a pretty mural.

- Dharti: An eco-friendly jewellery store. Paper quill jewellery which looks so good it could be terracotta jewellery. Painted in bright neon colors which are in vogue now, they are sure to top off any outfit. There were choices of jhumkis in pink and blue, cone shaped earrings in orange and cream, cute little studs.

-  Angi: A new age T shirt store with an old world spin. Angi's USP is bringing back Tamil Culture with  a bang and conveying the message so it reached young people. So that's why the message on the T- shirt. From Bharatiyar to Periyar, Tirukkural to Skanda, this expanding T-shirt range with a reasonable price is something to look out for. They have free shipping all over India and a growing online presence.

Books I read:

Inspirational and Beautiful without being pedantic. Moving , funny, self depreciating stories which include you in their narrative, they don't unlock the secret to life, just give you encouragement to run behind your dreams while you still have time

Dystopia in post war England. Interesting peter pan and 1985 cross. None of the characters seem all there and you cannot relate to any of them. But they creep you out and leave you waiting for more.








 Chick lit to relieve the heavy first two books. About a girl new to the dating scene after a long time. Funny for most part with a typical happy ending, it was a good light read.

Watched this movie long after its release. Super funny, left me rolling on the floor with laughter. Tongue in cheek look at films, film making and gangstas! Absolutely loved the antics of the villain and his acting coach!

My 2014 Reading Challenge

Purnima's books

The Beach House 

by Jane Green

Average read, insensitive handling of some issues grated on your nerves. Not even recommended as a read to pass time.
 

Magnolia Wednesdays

by Wendy Wax

Interesting interpretation of Gone With the Wind in modern times. Falters a couple of times on plot but picks up pace along the way. Enjoyable light read which is funny and moving.
 

The Wednesday Sisters

by Meg Waite Clayton

Goes in a minute from superficial to super deep. Excellent manipulation of language manipulates your feelings and you almost feel like a " Wednesday Sister" yourself.  Book club sort of book- but surprisingly I did not come away with any " OMG, I need to read these" titles.
 

Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn

Best book I have read all year. I started the year with this book. Phenomenal book, keeps you on the edge of your seat. Wonderfully written, exciting, racy, intellectual thriller. Was sad to see the book end.
  

The Case of the Calendar Girl

by Erle Stanley Gardner
Guilty Pleasure! Not so much a pleasure though this one with a weak plot left me feeling only guilty. 

I reset my expectations this year to account for all my occupational and non occupational hazards and went with 150 books instead of 200 books this year. Unfortunately for me, I have once again over estimated myself and am 57 books behind schedule. I am still struggling ineffectually to cope my over ambition of 8 months ago.

Passenger: On a weird journey

 My reading speed seems to be reducing as my age increases. I have been on this book now for almost a week. It is quite unusual for me considering that this is quite a short book. Well, it might have to do with the fact that this story is very unusual and in some ways quite disturbing. I have to take breaks from this book to recover and get back to reading it. Right now, it is pretty much only the half hour I spend waiting for my office shuttle that I get to dip into this story.

It is in a fashion a nod to the tale of two cities, in this case two people named after cities. Milan and Roma, the protagonists of this story have a unique symbiotic relationship. It is not a story of traditional affection or familial relationships. It is the story of an enduring love and the consequences which everyone faces as a result. Milan, is a not unusually confused individual, sort of going through a mid life crisis.

Milan starts of as a sort of clueless individual, he does not have a clue beyond his music. So, it is a  poetic justice of a kind that when faced with needing to communicate with Roma, he chooses to use music.  We follow Milan's evolution from a self centered individual to a person almost obsessed with helping Roma. It could be love which drives him tinted with a bit of guilt. But whatever he feels for Roma makes him behave in ways he never imagined, forge relationships he would never have otherwise and learn to be a better and worse personality than he could have ever become himself.

This takes living with a conjoined twin or a sibling that you have to take care of to a whole new level. The story follows Roma and Milan's journey and leaves you wondering if Roma is the Milan's muse or the albatross around his neck.