Random Things That Make Me Happy

Inspired by a new friend who hasn't been around for as long as it seems. Written while my studying lay undone. It's hot and it's late. Perhaps that's why.

Nutella.
My laptop, my rocking chair and my quilt.
Movies with my mom and cheese popcorn.
Dinners with my dad.
My personal trainer.
IM’s that wake me up at odd hours.
A puppy that chewed just a little too hard on my toe.
Deepa. And everything about her.
Girls on the PU drive in bright yellow peep toes.
Packing for holidays.
Shopping for holidays.
Holidays!
Camo.
Bijayini Didi
Sarcasm that I just don’t get.
Stripper shoes.
French manicures that make people stiller than I’ve ever seen them.
Pigs, Woody and Him.
The stuffed Chandra and Derek.
The real Chandra and Derek.
Padma ma'am, MOT, VBT, Coordination and Stereo
Praise.
Lawrence, Pankhaj and George.
My twin.
Quirks in my family.
Uniforms.
Random relatives who love me JLT.
Pulling legs.
A book that I remember parts of at strange times.
Orissa and Aja.
SMS and Non-Forwarded email.
Letters and webcams.
Randomness and D-O-R-Ks.
Losing to someone who was simply brilliant
Conversations during long walks that last till 4 am.
Coke, Eskimos with whipped cream, Chicken Tikka Sandwiches and Icecream – not necessarily together.
Jazz A Capella
Malteasers.
People who bring me Malteasers.
Bub.
The fact that my grandmother thinks I am perfect.
Symmetry.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Being a science nerd.
Confusing people by telling them how things REALLY work.
Realising that there are a LOT of people who love me.
Lists like these.
Love, June 10th and September 28th.
Unintentional romance.
Being a “pool of me” or “muddy and cold”
…and getting away with it.

Dreams On A Cheque

Maybe it was the weather; the fact that it was a little cloudy… dark clouds teased us with the threat of rain. Maybe the looming end of yet ANOTHER semester makes one muse about the future. Then again, maybe it wasn’t half as romantic as that, and we started talking about our dreams and plans for the future simply because Aruna’s zoology class is downright boring.

My mind was wandering already, the way it usually does – jumping quickly from one random thought to another, when I got a note from Chetana, who sat behind me. The note seemed to be in an old cheque from ICICI of Roshni’s - undoubtedly one she had forgotten to cash…or one she simply could not use thanks to some circumstance only Roshni could get stuck in.

“So what up yo! Ok…imagine yourself when you are 25. Where do you see yourself? Give a description right down to what you’re wearing, and what’s on your mind. =) ”!

My first instinct was to laugh. Only Chet could come up with that in the middle of a class on vertebrate respiration and really expect and answer. In turned to pass her a bemused smile, and got a toothy grin in response. “Alright…” I thought. “Where do I see myself in 6 years…?”

Ever tried answering that question? Answering it is crazy hard! Every response created a Polaroid image…a single snapshot – speaking a thousand words on what we want our futures to look like. I was amazed at the ambition and diversity I found in one section of one class… Environmental lawyers and managers, science communicators, films in the making, wildlife photographers, social activists, resorts, time capsules, wedding bells, leeches and khaki – all from 6 girls in the last two rows of a single zoology class.

Everyone secretly wants to save the world. One wants to save the dolphins, another wants to fight for human rights. We all want to save the Earth from global warming or find alternatives to fossil fuels…or merely tell the world the stories of those who can. We also know that a single person can’t change the world…but that isn’t about to stop us from trying. From dreaming.

Proud of my friends, I secretly wondered what it would be like, six years from now…to meet them all again. Perhaps on Roshni’s boat, talking about out lives over glasses of champagne. Who knows? For now…this is the stuff that keeps us going; the stuff our dreams are made of.