My Last Year...

Don't worry, I'm not about to die! :P

I was talking about my last year in school - I'm now officially in tenth standard! The results came yesterday, and everyone in ninth was promoted to tenth. No time for dilly-dallying, 'cuz classes start for us tomorrow, May 4th, itself.

I'm really excited, but slightly nervous as well. The prospect of being in PHSS for completing my last year in school, it's all so overwhelming. I still remember my timid, eight-year-old self who was trying to take in the new atmosphere, when I came to Presentation for the first time. To imagine that so many years have passed, so quickly... it seems to me as if someone has pressed the fast forward button.

I want to make my last year in school the best one ever. I hope I can get through this year gracefully and pass my SSLC exams with flying colours. With your prayers and support, and my hardwork, I surely can do this!

Movie Review: Udaan

The best movies do not always have to be the ones which have the highest commercial success; Udaan is yet another movie that testifies to this statement.

The movie narrates the story of 17 year old wannabe-writer Rohan (enacted by Rajat Barmecha), who is forced to live his hardhearted father's (Ronit Roy) dreams instead of his own. What's more, he suffers physical and verbal abuse as well. Rohan also has to put up with a little half-brother he didn't even know existed, called Arjun (Aayan Boradia).

So what does Rohan do? Admit defeat - and abandon his dreams? Or fight back and pursue them? Watch Udaan and find out for yourself...

Udaan, meaning "Flight", is a straightforward and touching movie that inspires us to stand up for our dreams, to live them despite all hurdles. A fine plot, accompanied by Vikramaditya Motwane's fab direction, ensures that the movie keeps us captivated. The lead cast does a good job of bringing the characters to life, and the music by Amit Verma adds to the beauty of the film.

All in all, a superb movie that teaches how important one's flight to freedom is.

To Ban or Not to Ban

Damaging to the nervous, immune and reproductive systems. Can even lead to death. Established cause of the severe physical and mental deformities in affected areas, most notably Kasaragod district in Kerala. What's more, harmful for the environment as well. The adverse affects of Endosulfan, a highly toxic pesticide, are appalling.

Then why is the Centre opposing the global ban on the manufacture and use of this chemical, currently being considered in the Stockholm Convention? Frankly, this stance is senseless and sadistic! The Union Government is demanding more studies, as if the Kasaragod tragedy is not proof enough! Do we need more people poisoned? More disabled people? More children, whose lives will be empty of laughter?
NO, WE DO NOT! It's imperative that we citizens protest against the Government's callous stand.

Support the Endosulfan ban, support humanity!

Freedom At Last!

The demon called exams freed me from captivity!!!!

After months of the same old boring routine, now I can do whatever I wish to - sleep till 10 am, read my favourite books again and again, listen songs at full volume, eat cold stuff like icecreams and milkshakes without worrying about asthma... for one whole month. And I'm going to make the best of it, because next year I'm going to be in TENTH standard. I'll have to bury my nose in all those stupid textbooks, learning about electronics, polymers, genetics, trigonometry, blah blah blah. So I'm going full out, and try to enjoy life as much as I can - no revising, no homeworks, no waking up at 6 in the morning, no worrying about tests... just pure bliss.

Long live summer vacations! Long live freedom! :)

Chemistry Rocks!

I forgot to tell you all about this... so here it is:

I, along with my best friend Malavika, won the first prize in the team quiz on Chemistry conducted by the Regional Science Centre and Planetarium, Calicut... the prize was a gift voucher of Rs. 500/-  redeemable at TBS (bookstore aka my paradise).

And in another chemistry quiz contest (individual), conducted by the Darshanam Cultural Forum in association with Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), I was placed second and won a cash prize of Rs. 300 which will also be, most probably, spent on story books.... :)

Poem: The Constant

I had a constant
In my life.
The equations changed,
So did the terms,
But the one thing that
Stood unchanged, unperturbed,
Was my friend - the constant.

I have a constant
In my life.
Seasons change, and
So do circumstances,
But the single thing that
Stands firm, finite,
Is my friend - the constant.

I always will have a constant
In my life.
The world will change, and
So will I.
But the only thing that
Will stay the same is my friend, the constant,
Whose name is loneliness.

A Year Gone By...

I still find it hard to belive that yesterday was the last day of 9th standard. It seems as if school started just a few days before... but now, saying goodbye to that little room called 9B seems hard. In some ways, I'm still that immature girl I used to be in 8th, but ninth standard changed me a lot. It forced me to grow up a bit, to realize that life isn't always picture-perfect, that life isn't as simple as a fairytale... and that sometimes you've got to fight for yourself, sometimes you have to sacrifice a few things even if they mean a lot to you.

Ninth standard was also one of the most memorable years in my life. Ninth was the year during which I got the best friend I could ever ask for, it was the year during which I got to experience the best victories ever...
But it was a year of many downsides as well: Sonima chechi, a tenth standard student of my school, died in a horrible accident... two of my favourite teachers - Miss Leena and Miss Sumitra left the school... and I realized that people are not what they seem to be. Several horrible truths came up about people whom I thought were simple and innocent...

Ninth standard taught me to live, to dream, to hope... and as I go on to the last year of my school, I'll treasure all these memories. But there's a barrier on my way to the tenth standard: EXAMS! :)