High-School Romances

There is something amazingly beautiful about high school love stories. They are so true, young, fresh and innocent. People are young, impressionable and mostly in-experienced and completely open to experiences. There are no older memories tarnishing the experience, there are no experiences dissuading you. There is only a high level of expectation, the joy of discovering the unknown and mostly an earnest hope that it will be magical.

The first kiss, the joys of watching, waiting, exchanging notes, buying cards, are all things one just never experiences again. The good thing about that age is that you actually change together and hence in those formative years, who you are with plays a very important role. You try to become the person the other appreciates, you try to like the music the other one listens to, you read similar books, and finally you paint pictures of the future and plan your life. Of course how life turns out years later, just makes you go back and wonder or smile. But the truth is those experiences never come back again. With each new relationship, you probably lose a part of yourself, you find new things about yourself and you swear you will not do what you did earlier ever again. However, this is life and we all change from being vulnerable and romantic to being practical and cynical at times. However, a lucky few probably end up with their high school love or still feel high-school like, despite years of trying. What is important is to hope that everyone experienced the magic and that hopefully the magic has had an effect on them that they are carrying for life!

She walked in and he just knew, 
Something was amiss and he felt something new.
He shared his anxiety not with her but his friend.
The one who delivered to her all messages he would send.


Soon they got talking, but he never let her know.
She walked in one day saying there was something she had to show :-)
She moved close and brushed her lips quickly against his cheek,
His heart skipped a beat and his knees went all weak!


They spent time together and stole glances in class.
They were a couple and stood out during morning mass!
They had sweet names for each other, they would call.
They composed poetry and that was not all.


Breaking-Making, Philosophy and rock!
Spending time waiting or staring into a clock!
One day without a warning or even a bolt,
Time had come when their love was about to jolt!


They had to move on and make choices new.
Leave things behind and they hadn't a clue!
We plan life, we dream, we wish we can hold tight.
But destiny and time often bring on a fight!


Boy meets girl and girl meets boy,
The story of many and a promise to joy
Some stories end with the same one at last!
Some stories just leave us with memories of a lovely past.

** Inspired whilst watching that 70's show. Apologies for poetry with rhymes - the kind I would have composed back in high school:-)

Guitaring - Key-Tarring and Sore Fingers

Got myself a guitar and decided to practice like never before. I have to admit I get the whole theory around it, trying it is something else. Unfortunately, the pain in my fingers just gets worse and yet I am determined to continue to play against all odds.

So here is my tip - Pick an electric guitar if you want to make this journey easy. Second of all, hope that the winter cold does not show up, just when you think you have conditioned your fingers and lastly keep up the morale even if things are going slow.

The journey starts with understanding the fret board! Then playing the basic notes over and over again. Your fingers will initially never stretch or press against the string to make the sound clear, but keep trying and you will soon find things working.

If you have an iPad or even a PC download a guitar tuning application. Learn the basic chords - C, G , D, Am, E, Dm and finally move onto F. If you can play the F you have moved up the chain suddenly (Hoorah!). There are heaps of videos out there that can teach you how to play these. Pick up a song that you can try these on and fortunately for me since I drum, the strumming pattern just happens. Given than I have a keen ear, I am overly critical of my playing when it sounds even a little off. Your fingers will turn from soft hurting fingers to hardened hurting fingers. Your shoulders may begin to ache even and finally you will have Aha moments where you can play your first chord, then you learn to change chords and finally you may actually play a song. Its been  1 week of active work for me to play a few solos and  3 songs on my guitar. However, I do know that I have a  long way to go before the sound are clear and I am not covering up for the mistakes I make.

You will find heaps of advise on the internet but here is what worked for me: Focus on freeing up your fingers, making them stretch, playing with the tips of your fingers and by pressing hard against the fret board. Focus on movements of chords. Watch how your fingers move from a chord to the other. Ask yourself, is this logically the easiest way to do it or is there a better approach to changing chords. Finally, celebrating moments of success is very important.

Besides my guitar, I have my key board opened up and have spent a lot of time working on my fingering and getting the left side more co-ordinated. Its the first week I have realized how playing is easy but mastering very very tough! I have learnt that hours are spent in a day strumming or playing and yet I have not made much of a breakthrough. However, the good thing is that this has opened up my world suddenly with a zillion more possibilities. I imagine mastering the most complex pieces of guitaring and playing away on an electric guitar soon. I fancy myself playing a symphony on a piano and despite my sore fingers, I have a refreshed soul!

November Recap

Had parents over for 3 months and now I walk into an empty house with the cold of December setting in. Went to Winter Wonderland a few times with kids of friends and family. Shopped like crazy for family.

Got some respite over weekend. Travelled to Brussels and have a hectic week lined up. Catching up on a few movies I had missed out

Rockstar
Delhi Belly
Ra.One

More update from London soon. Till then hope you have all had a nice month.

A still from the sunset

There is poetry when the sun sets.

There is poetry in watching a bird fly

When that sky in all its orange nets,

Seems like a painting for the passers by.

There is magic in the cold breeze

There is magic in that grass so green

Thoughts slip in like I am at ease

Love, expression never quite this keen!

No pen, no paper, to jot down the thought

No camera to capture the moment passing by

But I know who, I know what, I sought

In that romantic moment, right below a vast sky!

Sometimes, Dreams dont let you give

I have a picture in my mind,

The paint is still wet,

It is good I wish to stain it now

Since the colors haven’t set

I shall paint a white sky

I shall paint a blanket of snow

I shall paint a picture true

A picture that has an endless flow

I don’t wish to show it about

I don’t wish to put it on my wall

I just wish to have a painting

That you are not ashamed to call

All this while I painted a picture

Of a dream I wished to live

I forgot that sometimes

Dreams don’t let u give.