Yes, I'm blogging after the longest time. NOT like I had nothing to write about. just plain plain lazy. Hmm so last I posted was around the swine flu break. Lots of things have changed!
I've at some points tried to observe 'patterns' in my life. I'd concluded that the happiest things are always the most unexpected ones, the ones which completely take you by surprise. Well, conclusion arrived at was true. :) Touchwood.
I've also firmly concluded that when things are going really, really bad, something really really good is also in store for one. I saw a bit of really really bad. Lol, had this horrendous submission which deserves a post by itself. If it werent for a bunch of stunning friends, would never have submitted. And it ultimately worked out :)
I've also travelled a LOT. As in, for me a LOT. Ok so in the break went to Ahmedabad and Udaipur. Really really nice. Then Bombay (home :)), then back to Bangalore. Then, went to Oxford, London, Cambridge. :) Really really nice. I remember when I came to know I would be going there, it seemed so surreal. I couldnt believe that I was actually going there. I've grown up reading books by English authors (way better than American authors in my opinion), and well it seemed like I already knew the place. All the names seemed so familiar! So I liked London. And Oxford. Cambridge was pretty but preferred Oxford. Simultaneously, missed India a LOT. I never thought I would be this kind of a person. Missing India so much. Nonetheless it's happened to me before, and happened when I went to England too. Missed 'my people'. Everyone seems a stranger abroad. I keep on thinking, so if I fall sick, fall on the road, will anyone here even care? Also it was bloody cold. I can't stand too much cold.
Currently I'm in a daze in re the way the trimester is going. I'm doing something which involves a LOT of work. I like it. Sometimes get motivated and work like mad. Sometimes find it boring or not inspiring enough. :( Plus I'm off almost everything else. Currently I'm sitting in the library and writing this, and it's Christmas. Past two years have gone home for Christmas. Not this year. Sigh. However have met two awesome people courtesy work. So it's all good. :)
Oh yes have completed two and a half years in college. Halfway down hence. Lovely feeling :) I look at my batch and think, wow so much has changed. People have changed. Different relationships, different priorities, different cliques (ok wait latter's remained almost constant for most people).
And I'm listening to new music! My shady new music is always there, yes. However courtesy someone have been getting exposed to awesome new kinds of music, lovely lovely :) And my Secret Santa from class gifted me Wolf Hall, which I've been lusting for for a long time. :)
Things I want right NOW? Watch Avatar, 3 Idiots, settle down to a nice book, watch more movies present on my laptop for the longest time, extermination of pimples (sigh, I NEVER get them usually), and other stuff. :)
Things I aspire for? Getting more work done, a better sleep cycle, more healthy living. Sigh.
Ok so this post has been more of an 'update' post. Generally, concluding observation is that life can be so unexpectedly awesome.
Showing posts with label law school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label law school. Show all posts
I don't know what to name this post
So well I think I blog only in holidays.
So I have an unexpected swine flu break; which is prima facie awesome because it is HOME as opposed to LAW SCHOOL. However while I'm 'decently loving it' I miss college! This is slightly weird because I have a very busy trimester this time; and I KNOW tons of work awaits me when I hit B'lore. However I still miss it! See I usually have always loved home (except I think first ever Oct hols when I was missing coll dreadfully), but I think one needs to be away from it for some considerable amount of time to actually miss it, need it etc etc. Is it the same for lovers; i.e. does absence actually make the heart grow fonder? Dunno. Anyway, coming back to original topic, as I was saying, home needs to be wanted really badly to be appreciated. Plus even though I have tons of work to do and I've spent these nights (and days) utterly frustrated / sad / irritated / tense about impossible deadlines and jam packed weekends (and I know I'm going to be like that even when I go back), I had mentally prepared myself for the same at the start of trim. So this sudden break acted as a total speed breaker (I canNOT believe I'm giving driving analogies), and here I am at home. And now experiencing complete inertia of rest. So when these 'hols' end I know I'm going to hate going back. Sigh. I believe I'm contradicted myself throughout this paragraph. I think it's a consequence of always, always thinking the grass is greener on the other side; a trait which I must get rid of.
However, on a more positive note, I have managed to get rid of this trait when I think of law school. There have been times in the last 2 yrs when I've simply hated law school (have, I admit, cried on the last day of hols once) and have wanted to scamper off home and have regretted decision to not simply do a Bachelor in Arts. Now, I love law school! Yes it has these idiotic deadlines, numerous submissions, crazy people... but I cannot imagine not interacting with these ppl on a day to day basis. I live with these people ya. Another batch graduated this year, meeting them made me sad about them leaving and about me leaving too! Is 5 yrs enough?!
Touchwood, I'll always be like that about college :)
Ooh please notice - got new template!
So I have an unexpected swine flu break; which is prima facie awesome because it is HOME as opposed to LAW SCHOOL. However while I'm 'decently loving it' I miss college! This is slightly weird because I have a very busy trimester this time; and I KNOW tons of work awaits me when I hit B'lore. However I still miss it! See I usually have always loved home (except I think first ever Oct hols when I was missing coll dreadfully), but I think one needs to be away from it for some considerable amount of time to actually miss it, need it etc etc. Is it the same for lovers; i.e. does absence actually make the heart grow fonder? Dunno. Anyway, coming back to original topic, as I was saying, home needs to be wanted really badly to be appreciated. Plus even though I have tons of work to do and I've spent these nights (and days) utterly frustrated / sad / irritated / tense about impossible deadlines and jam packed weekends (and I know I'm going to be like that even when I go back), I had mentally prepared myself for the same at the start of trim. So this sudden break acted as a total speed breaker (I canNOT believe I'm giving driving analogies), and here I am at home. And now experiencing complete inertia of rest. So when these 'hols' end I know I'm going to hate going back. Sigh. I believe I'm contradicted myself throughout this paragraph. I think it's a consequence of always, always thinking the grass is greener on the other side; a trait which I must get rid of.
However, on a more positive note, I have managed to get rid of this trait when I think of law school. There have been times in the last 2 yrs when I've simply hated law school (have, I admit, cried on the last day of hols once) and have wanted to scamper off home and have regretted decision to not simply do a Bachelor in Arts. Now, I love law school! Yes it has these idiotic deadlines, numerous submissions, crazy people... but I cannot imagine not interacting with these ppl on a day to day basis. I live with these people ya. Another batch graduated this year, meeting them made me sad about them leaving and about me leaving too! Is 5 yrs enough?!
Touchwood, I'll always be like that about college :)
Ooh please notice - got new template!
On Domestic Violence: The Bell Bajao Campaign
The past year in law school, somehow, I've done / read a lot of stuff relating to domestic violence (DV). My first tryst with anything related to domestic violence was an internship at this place called Majlis, in Bombay. Majlis is an NGO fighting for women's rights in various spheres and was started by Flavia Agnes. It was a wonderful experience, and though it may sound cliched, the internship was an eye opener.
I then did a project on DV in Crim Law I. I also studied it in Family Law I. And roomie gifted a book, Strange Fits of Passion, by Anita Shreve, which is a wonderful insight into what goes through the mind of a victim. In the book, the central character is 'free' in the sense that she at any point does have the liberty to go to the police and report the case. So at times, while reading the book, you would ask yourself - why the hell isn't she doing that? However she is so terrorised of her husband (she keeps on saying, "He'll kill me") that she doesn't. She chooses to flee to another town with her baby and live incognito, but she doesn't report the case. I won't tell you how the book ends, but I would recommend it to you all (thankoo momo :)!).
Domestic violence cases are complex in the sense that they deal with something which happens behind closed doors. I've never come across anyone who I know personally and has been a victim - but something does need to be done about it. So this post is about the 'Bell Bajao' Campaign. Some of you might have seen the ad on TV, which in my opinion is a piece of brilliant advertising work(done by Ogilvy & Mather). Boman Irani's in his house, but he can hear shouts etc from a neighbouring house - one can make out that the woman is being battered. So he goes up to the house, rings the bell. There is silence. Then the man opens the house. And Irani asks, "Can I use your phone?". The man looks sheepish, very. And as far as I can remember, the ad ends. It goes without saying that the ad does have a lot more to it - visual impact etc is awesome :)
So well, while this does not suggest a long term solution obviously, I really think it's a nice innovative idea. To be honest, I've never done much of social work - have always been too lazy to take any kind of initiative. When I saw the ad though, I was really enthused. It's a nice idea which does not require much of one. As DV is a crime which happens inside the house, proving the same is difficult. With the advent of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, the law has changed dramatically. Nonetheless I'm not too sure whether much has actually changed or not. Also while legal action is one option, a simple ringing of a bell, consequently making the abuser aware of the fact that everyone knows, an action which threatens and corners him and one which should ideally lead to a phone call to the cops, can change things. So I really do hope that I help. And would want you all to too!
The link of the campaign's website is -
http://www.bellbajao.org/index.php
Ok now time for my 'I like' thing. Ok currently, I like my birthday presents :D Birthday was on the 11th of this month, and got some really nice gifts from 'frands'. Sigh. I LOVE birthdays because of this! Yes I'm horribly materialistic and LOVE gifts :D Thank you so much to aforementioned frands and to everyone else for all the wishes (yes yes I LOVE them too, not that materialistic!)!
I then did a project on DV in Crim Law I. I also studied it in Family Law I. And roomie gifted a book, Strange Fits of Passion, by Anita Shreve, which is a wonderful insight into what goes through the mind of a victim. In the book, the central character is 'free' in the sense that she at any point does have the liberty to go to the police and report the case. So at times, while reading the book, you would ask yourself - why the hell isn't she doing that? However she is so terrorised of her husband (she keeps on saying, "He'll kill me") that she doesn't. She chooses to flee to another town with her baby and live incognito, but she doesn't report the case. I won't tell you how the book ends, but I would recommend it to you all (thankoo momo :)!).
Domestic violence cases are complex in the sense that they deal with something which happens behind closed doors. I've never come across anyone who I know personally and has been a victim - but something does need to be done about it. So this post is about the 'Bell Bajao' Campaign. Some of you might have seen the ad on TV, which in my opinion is a piece of brilliant advertising work(done by Ogilvy & Mather). Boman Irani's in his house, but he can hear shouts etc from a neighbouring house - one can make out that the woman is being battered. So he goes up to the house, rings the bell. There is silence. Then the man opens the house. And Irani asks, "Can I use your phone?". The man looks sheepish, very. And as far as I can remember, the ad ends. It goes without saying that the ad does have a lot more to it - visual impact etc is awesome :)
So well, while this does not suggest a long term solution obviously, I really think it's a nice innovative idea. To be honest, I've never done much of social work - have always been too lazy to take any kind of initiative. When I saw the ad though, I was really enthused. It's a nice idea which does not require much of one. As DV is a crime which happens inside the house, proving the same is difficult. With the advent of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, the law has changed dramatically. Nonetheless I'm not too sure whether much has actually changed or not. Also while legal action is one option, a simple ringing of a bell, consequently making the abuser aware of the fact that everyone knows, an action which threatens and corners him and one which should ideally lead to a phone call to the cops, can change things. So I really do hope that I help. And would want you all to too!
The link of the campaign's website is -
http://www.bellbajao.org/index.php
Ok now time for my 'I like' thing. Ok currently, I like my birthday presents :D Birthday was on the 11th of this month, and got some really nice gifts from 'frands'. Sigh. I LOVE birthdays because of this! Yes I'm horribly materialistic and LOVE gifts :D Thank you so much to aforementioned frands and to everyone else for all the wishes (yes yes I LOVE them too, not that materialistic!)!
Of Summer
Of ice-creams and bricks,
Of cold drinks and rasna in ice to create orange candy,
Of cold drinks and rasna in ice to create orange candy,
Of art class and casio class and once upon a time odissi class,
Of Holi and Mamma's birthday,
Of results and no school and Papa making plans,
Of Kwality in Calcutta and Eden Ice Cream Parlour in Bombay,
Of Mama and Delhi, Mausi and Noida, Baba-Dadi and Arrah, Nana-Nani and Lucknow,
Of pethas and Nani and mangoes,
Of discovering Mother Dairy and Mami's Cold Coffee,
Of dark room and swimming in Asiad and in Lake Castle Club,
Of langdas and alphansoes (or is it alphonsoes?),
Of cotton clothes and getting tanned and fretting over the latter,
Of many showers and beaches, Puri and Bombay,
Of Archies and Tintin and Asterix,
Of attempting to playing water polo and playing the rather simple, polo,
Of soup and Rajdhani,
Of changes in friendship dynamics (:)),
Of Baba and Pepsi,
Of horror movies and lays and Coke and Nitty's house,
Of Goa and tantrums (me),
Of Bhaiya always,
Of exams over and birthday gone,
Of cricket in the colony, and throwball in the building,
Of remembering some and forgetting the rest.
Summer's on the anvil, incessant perspiration is the first indicator. :) I was feeling a little nostalgic, and I was scared I'll forget what summers have been over the years. So here's a little reminder for myself :) Summer holidays are absolutely the best time ever! This time, like last year, I'm going to be in law school, and not at home. While I can't do some of the things mentioned above consequently, summers in law school are not that bad too (for instance there is always Univ Week to look forward to). Also, I just enjoyed 7 fantabulous weeks at home!
I wanted to know - what have your summers been like?
Hmm, ok I like presently - the book When We Were Orphans, by Kazuo Ishiguro. It has this lovely balanced pace to it. I thought that some things were too coincidental, but overall loved the book. Also, if you're reading this please please read Never Let Me Go! Stunning book, imo. Looking forward to reading The Remains of the Day, and picking up The Unconsoled from where I left it.
....
A few disconnected observations...
Today are the last day of hols. Tomorrow I'll be in a train, and day after, I will be back in law school. I don't wanna go back. I'm trying to make myself feel 'positive' and am trying to be optimistic (which is very difficult, because I am actually an eternal pessimist), but well am failing. I'm dreading the deadlines, submissions, exams...grr! Oh and today I learnt that one of my first cousins, quite a close one, is off to the States to study. That's one more on the list of those bound for North American countries. She (cousin) is going, my own brother is going, a really really close Bombay friend is going (from now on, NM) and a certain Virgo (ass! Hence CV) is going - the first for a two yr course, the second for a four year course, the third for four / five months. My sense of isolation currently is rather marked. Sigh. I realise that their going is 'inevitable' (as the Mother calls it), that 'everyone has to go', but, to put it crudely, it rather sucks. I feel like Peyton in One Tree Hill. She keeps on saying that everyone leaves.
Yes, I'm rather a sitcom buff. Was, actually.
While reading the paper today, came across a shocker - our lovely government is reserving faculty seats for SCs and STs in the IITs. Faculty seats! Gosh. Umm, no wonder so many are off to U.S. !
There's this Rajasthani restaurant near my place, called - 'Jodha Cooks for Akbar'. I'm not a 'hard core' feminist, but did feel slight indignation and amusement on reading it.! It's a blatant sterotyping of women and an assumption of what their roles should be...! I'm sure it was unintentional, but that's what makes such labelling worse. Oh and it's quite funny too. I'm quite sure that Jodha anyway didn't cook for Akbar- they must be having a zillion bawarchis (or well whatever they're called!) to cook for them. Plus I don't think Akbar had Rajasthani cuisine (isn't Rajasthani cuisine vegetarian? Wouldn't he like have Mughlai, umm, non-vegetarian food?). I dunno what they've shown in the movie though. Lol, anyway there are allegations that there are misrepresentations in the film. Oh and weirdly, most chefs in these restaurants are anyway men... so well, Jodha does not cook for Akbar!
I realise that the last observation was especially pointless. But well had been wanting to write it down for sometime!
Today are the last day of hols. Tomorrow I'll be in a train, and day after, I will be back in law school. I don't wanna go back. I'm trying to make myself feel 'positive' and am trying to be optimistic (which is very difficult, because I am actually an eternal pessimist), but well am failing. I'm dreading the deadlines, submissions, exams...grr! Oh and today I learnt that one of my first cousins, quite a close one, is off to the States to study. That's one more on the list of those bound for North American countries. She (cousin) is going, my own brother is going, a really really close Bombay friend is going (from now on, NM) and a certain Virgo (ass! Hence CV) is going - the first for a two yr course, the second for a four year course, the third for four / five months. My sense of isolation currently is rather marked. Sigh. I realise that their going is 'inevitable' (as the Mother calls it), that 'everyone has to go', but, to put it crudely, it rather sucks. I feel like Peyton in One Tree Hill. She keeps on saying that everyone leaves.
Yes, I'm rather a sitcom buff. Was, actually.
While reading the paper today, came across a shocker - our lovely government is reserving faculty seats for SCs and STs in the IITs. Faculty seats! Gosh. Umm, no wonder so many are off to U.S. !
There's this Rajasthani restaurant near my place, called - 'Jodha Cooks for Akbar'. I'm not a 'hard core' feminist, but did feel slight indignation and amusement on reading it.! It's a blatant sterotyping of women and an assumption of what their roles should be...! I'm sure it was unintentional, but that's what makes such labelling worse. Oh and it's quite funny too. I'm quite sure that Jodha anyway didn't cook for Akbar- they must be having a zillion bawarchis (or well whatever they're called!) to cook for them. Plus I don't think Akbar had Rajasthani cuisine (isn't Rajasthani cuisine vegetarian? Wouldn't he like have Mughlai, umm, non-vegetarian food?). I dunno what they've shown in the movie though. Lol, anyway there are allegations that there are misrepresentations in the film. Oh and weirdly, most chefs in these restaurants are anyway men... so well, Jodha does not cook for Akbar!
I realise that the last observation was especially pointless. But well had been wanting to write it down for sometime!
A few questions
1. There's this movie coming out, with the the tagline - 'When do you know it's love?'. My question - when do you know it's not love, or rather, when do you know it's no longer love? And does that then mean 'The End'? What is the end? No talking, forgetting everything, pretending it no longer existed? What if there is no 'end'? I don't know how many of you watch Grey's Anatomy (please do, it's super fun!) but well at the end of Season 3 there's this scene where Meredith screams to the world in general and to Derek in specific - 'It's over, it's so over.' - signifying to the audience that Meredith and Derek (the main couple) are finally off. Umm... but next season they're back at it again. Then I was reading the newspaper today, there was this news about a couple which has gotten back (and is probably re-marrying) after they got divorced way back in 1998. How does this work ya?
Oh and does one just 'give up' when the other is confused? Is it an 'insult' to one's 'self-respect', is it self-humiliating and degrading to not give up? Is an agreement to 'discuss' things after a certain time period, to keep everything in 'abeyance' - does that signify the end? During that 'time period' what does one do? Treat the 'thing' you had as the end? Again what does one 'do' if it's the end? And then again, what if it's not the end? What if there still is love and before you say it, there is love enough? Can someone please answer these questions?!
2. To divert a little, why o why does law school have to be endured for 5 long years?! I'm currently sitting at home, dreading going back and hence am in the phase where I don't like college. So well - isn't it inequitable that friends from school doing a Bachelor in Arts / Science / Commerce degree, get to graduate two whole years before me?! And even those engineering people graduate a year before! It's so unfair! I don't wanna go back? Why does such regimentation in education have to be endured?! Why can't I just educate myself by reading as many Somerset Maughams and other authors that I like?! (Ok such 'revolutionary' thoughts have to be read in context of the mood that I am presently!)
3. Is the key to 'living life' to not take things too seriously? How does that work out ya? Is it 'cool' to break rules and not take them seriously? Is it 'cool' to take law school academics 'un'seriously when in the process I might just lose more years and stay for more than 5 yrs in that place?! How does one fall in love and not take it seriously?! A fling is different but how does one treat a relationship 'un'seriously only because apparently one is 'young' and has a lot more to see?
4. Last question - rather, set of questions. How does one compartmentalise stuff in one's brain and not let one thing affect the other? Does one have to pretend that something never happened so that it doesn't affect the other stuff?
Ok, those are my list of questions. Could someone please answer them?! Oh and a disclaimer before I sign off, I LOVE law school, it's just that it's end of hols and I don't wanna go back : ( !
Oh and does one just 'give up' when the other is confused? Is it an 'insult' to one's 'self-respect', is it self-humiliating and degrading to not give up? Is an agreement to 'discuss' things after a certain time period, to keep everything in 'abeyance' - does that signify the end? During that 'time period' what does one do? Treat the 'thing' you had as the end? Again what does one 'do' if it's the end? And then again, what if it's not the end? What if there still is love and before you say it, there is love enough? Can someone please answer these questions?!
2. To divert a little, why o why does law school have to be endured for 5 long years?! I'm currently sitting at home, dreading going back and hence am in the phase where I don't like college. So well - isn't it inequitable that friends from school doing a Bachelor in Arts / Science / Commerce degree, get to graduate two whole years before me?! And even those engineering people graduate a year before! It's so unfair! I don't wanna go back? Why does such regimentation in education have to be endured?! Why can't I just educate myself by reading as many Somerset Maughams and other authors that I like?! (Ok such 'revolutionary' thoughts have to be read in context of the mood that I am presently!)
3. Is the key to 'living life' to not take things too seriously? How does that work out ya? Is it 'cool' to break rules and not take them seriously? Is it 'cool' to take law school academics 'un'seriously when in the process I might just lose more years and stay for more than 5 yrs in that place?! How does one fall in love and not take it seriously?! A fling is different but how does one treat a relationship 'un'seriously only because apparently one is 'young' and has a lot more to see?
4. Last question - rather, set of questions. How does one compartmentalise stuff in one's brain and not let one thing affect the other? Does one have to pretend that something never happened so that it doesn't affect the other stuff?
Ok, those are my list of questions. Could someone please answer them?! Oh and a disclaimer before I sign off, I LOVE law school, it's just that it's end of hols and I don't wanna go back : ( !
