claire

a disclosure

Exam - The 12 Week Challenge

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Last night, I was thinking whether I'd be able to go home this winter. While every one was heading towards home for the holidays last year, I was heading away leaving behind a new unworn pair of boots that I've ordered from NEXT. I had to spend the most awaited days of my life - Christmas, My birthday and New year away from home. I can't predict my stay here in IITG, either my boss will extend my stay, or he might tell me to pack my stuffs in October (Its a three months extension basis). Whatever it may be, I have to be here on 23rd December, to write an exam. So either if I stay here, or if I come from home, I will be needing a flight ticket to home before Christmas. I was just browsing through Make my trip site, then I saw a cheap ticket, I bought it without any second thoughts, with all the money I've got in my bank account. But I still can't be sure whether I'll be able to make this trip, its all in God's hands, I should leave it according to His will. 

Ever since I've Post graduated, me and my friends have been applying for the National Eligibility Test (NET), in which we always fail to succeed. My best friend in Chennai once told me "Mimi, I think its a waste. It's like I'm donating 800rs (400 June exam + 400 Dec exam) every year to CSIR". She's from general class, so she had to pay 400rs for applying while we, from the Scheduled Tribe have to pay 100rs.

There are many reasons why we can't clear this exam. Our subject comes under Life Science, and the exam is conducted jointly by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and University Grants Commission (UGC) . Its not like those other subjects which has been conducted solely by the UGC, and we do not have an exam center in Mizoram. The nearest centers are either Imphal, Guwahati or Kolkata. So we get a little sad when every once in a while, someone updates their fb status "I've cleared NET", and our relatives asks, "How about you?". Its annoying to explain every time, "Their NET and our NET isn't the same!" Unlike the exams conducted by the UGC, there is a 25% negative marking for each wrong answer, and the question itself is very very tricky.

Ok, keeping the excuses aside, whether we like it or not, we have to give this exam. There's no point in wailing about it. And frankly, we don't study, and surely we don't deserve to clear it without studying. Most times I did not attempt the exam, coz I had to travel, and I thought it was a waste of time and money to attempt an exam which I didn't study for. 

I called up Mom this morning, to tell her about the ticket that I've bought for December. She was happy about it. She said she has been having a dedicated prayer exclusively for me these days, and as a matter of fact she was just about to pray when I called her. She wants me to clear this exam. It has been dragging for so long. And truth be told, I'm not a very bright person, I succeed only when I study and work for something. In my B.Sc years, I got 98% in Botany and with it, I broke the record in University of Mysore, and every one thought I was so bright and smart. Well, they did not know how much I studied. I want to be that person again. Someone who works hard, and achieves a fruit out of it.

I turned the pages of the NET syllabus today, click HERE in case your interested to know about it. There are, in short, 13 units, and I have exactly 12 weeks and few days left to face the exam. The 13 units itself has been divided into so many parts, and its a combination of Botany, Zoology, Immunology, Microbiology, Human Genetics etc. I have to get my lazy brain to work. And so I plan to update my progress every week here in my blog, so that I can keep myself disciplined. This little project is going to be tough I know, and my research/lab work will go on in between. But I gotta do what I gotta do! So even if I can't clear the test, I can at least be content about it and say that "I've tried".

To my blog readers - I need your prayers and support, I will keep you updated every week. To mom - please keep praying for me, I will try my best to achieve what you wanted. To that sweet guy who might want some time with me - I will not be available much, and I can't stop you from not talking to other girls. But I promise, once I get done with this test, and if your'e still interested, I can make you a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate, on a cold winters' night, and we can cuddle up and watch a movie next to our fireplace :-) To Social Networking - I will not try to hibernate from you, because seriously, you have been a part of me since my B.Sc days, and you never were a reason that I don't do well in anything. I hate it when people think its Facebook that controls you. You should control it, don't let it control you. Wish me luck guys.

*NERD MODE ON* 







Have you met Mimi Hrahsel?

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If not, you should. She's beautiful, intelligent and smart. A down to earth kind of girl. She's an awesome writer, she's good with words. You should visit her blog. If you want to be her man, you have to be good to her. She takes relationships seriously. She likes it when it rains. She grew up falling in love with MLTR songs. She loves to try out different kinds of food, and she loves to travel. The best thing I like about her, is that she's a true Mizo girl. She'll stand up for who she is. If she finds out any Mizo name written wrongly in national newspapers, or any false rumors about the clan, she will write thousands of complaints if she has to. She is friends with Makima, Chhama and Casey.

Yes, here she is... *drum roll*  The lovely Mimi Hrahsel!


Oh wait, there's two of them. Which one am I talking about?

Gotcha! I bet you were thinking - "Why is this girl bragging about herself?". Were you? hmm? hmmm? hmmmmmm? :P

Anyways, I'm going to write about a girl whom I've come to know in the online world, due to our names being similar. Mimi (the pretty one in black jacket) and me, we were often tagged wrongly in Facebook photos (Facebook did not show thumbnails that time while tagging, it was just names). We have lots of friends in common. So whenever someone uploads her picture, they would tag me. I think it was vice versa too, right Mim? And there are fans like Amos who would enjoy the similarities of our names, and he would be hyper-excited if we both comment on his posts. Sometimes he would comment "Will the real Mimi Hrahsel please stand up?", or sometimes "Ka thi dawn! Mimi Hrahsel leh Mimi Hrahsel in an lo comment!". Hehe, Dear Amos, we pronounce you our number one fan :D. We had our mutual friends confused many times. And some of them would beg, "One of you please change your name!". For some time, due to the much begging and pleading, I changed my fb name to 'Meme Hrahsel', then everyone started to call me 'Me Me' (Me pronounced as in Ma-nicure). I got fed up, so I changed back to Mimi, this time both M's in big letters - MiMi Hrahsel :-)

Frankly, in the beginning, I got a little irritated. I was thinking "Who is this girl, why can't she just change her name, and she's friends with my friends too?!" I think I've ignored few friend requests because her friends and cousins thought I was her. (Sorry Mims). Later, we added each other as friends. Then, I came to learn the so many similarities we have. "She's cool, she's really cool" was my second opinion and my forever will be - opinion about her (unless she plans to steal my boyfriend or something :P). Now, every once in a while, I get emails which was meant for her, or requests on Instagram, I'd forward/inform about it to her with a smile. I guess I'm getting used to it.

Keeping aside the similarities, I think she's the smarter and hotter version of me. Unlike me, she's good in fashion. She dresses way cooler than me. A graduate from IIMB, she's working at ZOVI right now. Independent and intelligent. One among the Mizo girls that I respect.

So, after many wrong taggings and comments, we finally got to meet while I was attending a conference at IISc, Bangalore in November 2010. I can't tell who was more excited, us or our friends (haha). We had a good time at 'Kyra - The restaurant' where a Mizo band Boomarang was performing. Too bad I couldn't stay for long since I had to catch a night bus going to Chennai, and Makima had to pay 400Rs for eating peanuts only (wahahahaha). But it was worth a visit. If I were to stay in Bangalore, I'm sure they would be the circle of friends I'd end up with.

Finding out and getting to know people having a name like yours, ain't that bad at all :-)

PS: Visit Mimi's blog at mimiehrahsel.blogspot.com. You'll see how good a writer she is.











Unlike most girls

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This morning, I was on my way to lab, as usual with my iPod in the pocket. But I noticed that it got stuck, and so I was music-less for 20 mins. Luckily it was slightly drizzling, and the weather was perfect. So my walk to the lab was not lengthening (without music) as I supposed it would be. I enjoyed the drizzle and the breeze. This iPod is special, because it was a birthday gift from Prissy in year 2008, and at the back its inscribed "Live it out Mim. Love, Kim". Its something I couldn't afford otherwise, so it becomes a treasure. As soon as I reached the lab, I told Adree about it, and I googled on how I should get it fixed. I had the answer at one go, "Press the middle button and the menu button for 5 to 15 seconds, and an Apple logo will appear". I followed the instructions and it worked. I was relieved. Adree asked me how I googled. I told her that I have just typed "Ipod hang". She said, "Mimi, you have a boy's mind. If I were you, I would have typed - My ipod got hanged, what shall I do?". We laughed.

When I was small, I hardly wore skirts. Well, growing up with five big brothers, I was much more comfortable with pants. I didn't even know how to sit while wearing a skirt. I remember in one of my Sunday school photos, we were in Beginner's department, all the girls sat nicely, covering whatever they had to cover, while I was sitting with all my panty showing. Gee! What an embarrassment :-) The other day, on our Meeting with Aduhi, and my sample collection (mentioned in the previous post), there was a bomb scare just outside where we had dinner and all the traffic was halted. Brother 2 was the one who had sent those samples. So he asked me if I have received my stuffs or not. I told him we went there, and there was a bomb scare. He replied "What if ur bombed? Ud survive. Coz ur bullet/bomb proof since childhood!" 

 I guess Adree's right. I may have a boy's mind. Because the other day, I saw a photo shared on 9gag about 'boy vs girl's desktop'. My desktop is quite neat, and my bed is always made. So I was thinking, maybe I'm in between :D (jk). But when I've come to think of it, I'm not like most girls, and it has its pros and cons.

Unlike most girls (pros): 
I'm not afraid of the dark. And I'm not afraid of insects or snakes or lizards or frogs. I can carry my own luggage without asking someone's help. I'd go twice or thrice back and forth if I have to. I'm not afraid to stay in the lab up to 12am on my own. My lab-mates would be worried sometimes, if my work gets prolonged. I know there are securities inside the campus, so I feel that I'm quite safe, while some of my girl-friends would need company if they were to stay late. I can change gas cylinders when it gets emptied while cooking, provided the full cylinder should have a trolley. And I can carry empty gas cylinders from my house to the distributing point, which may be about 50 paces (:D). I'm not afraid of syringe and injections. I can swallow medicines ever since childhood. I can travel alone (train/bus/plane), and I remember staying up all night alone in Kolkata airport because I did not get room to stay (This, I guess some girls can do too, but, just mentioning!). When I was small, I used to get sick while traveling by road. So we would just hang a carry bag on my neck, and I'd just puke whenever I felt like it without disturbing the others. Cool eh? :P 

Unlike most girls (cons):
Cleaning rice - Buh thlei
I cannot arrange flowers even though I admire them. I cannot sew dresses and clothes (I can put buttons :D). Mom and dad are both experts in stitching and tailoring stuffs, and their daughter is zero at it (hihi). I don't know which color eye-shadow would match my eyes, or in which pattern I should apply. I don't know which lipstick color would match my lips. I don't know dress designs, I wear whatever my tailor stitches for me. I'm not interested in the trending fashion. I don't know how to fix my hair, leave it straight or tie it up. On occasions, curl it. That's all I got. I have just one color nail-polish. Mocha express from Revlon. I feel uneasy using colors like bright red, or blue or black, but I love it when its used by other girls. Due to my allergy/sinusitis, I cannot clean the rice in our traditional way of "Buh thlei". I guess, of all the cons mentioned, buh thlei may be one of the things I want to learn most, but my sneezing nose and watery eyes just wouldn't let me. I'd sit with mom whenever she brings out rice to clean, then I'd end up lying in bed with a running nose. So I gave up trying. 

To all the girls who can do all these things that I cannot do - RESPECT!





Meeting Aduhi Chawngthu

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Me and Chhamanator were on our way to meet our blogger friend Aduhi who had come to Guwahati a few days back. We were on the bus which was about an hour drive to reach where she stayed. I asked Chhamanator, "Do you know where Aduhi lives, back in Mizoram?" He replied "Nope!". "Have you met her before?"  He said, "No, this will be my first time too." It's always exciting to meet someone for the first time, whom you have known (online) for quite some time. I started blogging three years ago, and I remember changing my blog layout quite often because I could not find the 'neat' template I wanted - a template which would reflect a 'Diary' since my blog is all about a disclosure of my diary. One day, while reading Aduhi's blog, I recognized she was using a new 'notepad-like' template, and it was exactly what I wanted. So I hunted something similar for myself, and that is how I got my 'now' template. I haven't changed it ever since. 

Pssst... This link leads to our first online interaction. Click THIS. :-)

I've been always impressed with the way she writes. She writes great stories too! She uses simple words, which I don't have to 'google' about, and it is easy to read, for a non-literature student and a non-book reader like myself. I'm not interested in reading books. Yup! That's why I love blogs. They are short and sweet. Way before I started to have my own blog, Aduhi's blog was one of the blogs I visited most, which I would find on the right side of a Mizo website misual.com put up by my cousin Sandman. I was not sure whether it would be impolite to just comment on a stranger's blog, so, many posts I read and left un-commented. But I guess I did the right thing when I started putting up my comments, she promptly commented on mine, and then, we added each other on Facebook, and then, we finally get to meet :-)

Our arrival was much delayed since we were caught up in traffic jam. We texted and called each other in between. While texting, I remember one of her blog post where she wrote about how she hated using short cut words in sms, so I kept in mind to use the correct words :-). I also remembered Sandman's post where he wrote about online friends. We don't know where they live nor their parents name or what their parents do, or their real names, but what we do know is their likes and dislikes, their favorite color, their birthdays, the kind of music they like, their opinion about the society or politics, and so on. That is whats exciting about meeting online friends. You don't know them, but you actually know them pretty well :D. 

Finally, we arrived. We shook hands and started to talk. You wouldn't believe how smooth the conversation went. There was nothing awkward about it. Seems as if we are long lost friends, who could finally meet after so many years. She said, "You're shorter than I expected". We all laughed. She must have thought I was having a supermodel figure or something :P. We took her to a restaurant nearby, where we had Mutton biryani. I guess we made a mistake on taking her to a North-East biryani shop, to a person who has come from the land of biryani itself (Hyderabad). It must not have been what she expected, but she ate without any complain. The best part was, I could actually talk and laugh to tears with her. It was fun.

I don't want to take credit for travelling more than an hour to meet her, because honestly, it was a day that my samples were to arrive from Mizoram. They've been sending it every week, so I had to go and collect it, and she happened to be in town, and Chhamanator was kind enough to come along. Since our campus is that far from the city, we don't usually go there, if not for church, or good food, or for shopping. But I would be lying if I say it was not worth to meet her. I'm glad we did. We bid goodbye, with lingering memories of the short meeting. The next meeting, we know not when. 

So, here's a toast to online world, to blogging and to the good friends it had brought me. 
Cheers!



Adree

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She calls me Mimi
I call her Adree
We both love Chicken Tandoori

She calls me monkey
I call her donkey
Yay we are both funky

She asks me why I'm sad
I tell her the reason why I'm mad
And she tries her best to make me glad

She reads books
I sing from hymnbooks
We both love great cooks

She asks me all kinds of questions with "Why"
I answer her "Because the sky so high"
Which makes us both smile

We may one day become scientists
I hope we don't end up being a stylist
At least we should achieve to be a cyclist

She wants me to mention her in my blog
So before she beats me with a log
I'm jotting down words prior to her morning jog

Hey Adree! I'm in a poetic mood
I'm sorry if this is not good
But I know I can still cheer you up with food


NB: Trying out a poem for my friend, who has been more or less like a mom to me, advising me and guiding me in all possible ways, but sometimes she's like a baby too :P

Happy birthday, in advance, my dear friend
I'm glad to have you in my life




Proud to be a Mizo

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When using the above picture as my Facebook cover photo (which was designed by my friend Samuel), it got many ‘Likes’. But one of my friends frankly commented “I don’t get this, is there something to be proud of, or even if I was British or American... I still won’t get it. It’s something which happened by accident of birth and not something we've achieved”. It got me thinking, she has a point there. What am I proud of?

When I was a little girl, I always thought I was less fortunate. Television made me see white skin colored girls, with all the good toys, blonde hairs and pretty smiles. They have clean city and good roads, beautiful houses and green lawns, they have washing machines and dish washers, they have yellow school buses, they get to wear anything they want in school, they have their own lockers, they have prom nights and campings, they have beaches and resorts, movie theatres and music schools, and if they can act or sing or play a game, they become millionaires by the time they turn sixteen. Well, that was what media and movies taught me about ‘Sap’ (the Western people). They seem to enjoy life so much. “Dear God, why wasn’t I born a Sap?” was my question many a times.

In Mizoram, our roads are small, rough and curvy. Our houses are one inch apart from our neighbors, the city is congested. It’s a better option to walk, because you’ll get stuck in traffic jams full of government vehicles trying to reach their offices situated within the city area. The internet speed becomes super slow, we don’t have Domino’s Pizza, KFC and big air-conditioned shopping malls, we don’t have good playgrounds for sportsmen, we have corrupted politicians, and when it rains, we get landslides. Majority of us are Christians, but we all don’t show a Christian lifestyle, there are murders and fights, thefts and prostitutions. The evilness of today’s world is slowly creeping in to our very young State, a State with a population of 10.91lakh, invading the innocent minds like any other people in the world.

In spite of all these, I’ve slowly come to realize the reason why I am proud. I’m proud of the fact that, even though so young a tribe, we have achieved so much. We rank 1st in literacy according to the Census of India report, and our HDI (Human Development Index) is marked High. Ours is the only state without homeless. This shows how much we are trying. We may not have the best resource or the best technology, but we have a social connection with each other, and humanity still exists in our soul. Last month, two young people got lost near a river, and it touched the hearts of the entire Mizo clan, and many of them set out to search for them. We have a quality called ‘Tlawmngaihna’, which doesn’t have an exact word in English, but may be close to ‘selfless service for others’. When someone dies, even if it is a person whom we don’t know, we are ready to stay up all night and mourn with the grieving family. When we found out that Mom had cancer, I couldn’t believe the many people who came and prayed for her, people that we haven’t even talked to in our lives. This is what we do, as a Mizo and as a Christian. They say that Tlawmngaihna is fading among the youths; well we have to make sure that it doesn’t, and I personally feel that it will not, because it is God’s special gift to us.

Our women, they are beautiful, ambitious and smart. They have good head on their shoulders. I’m proud of our men, even though so possessive and they sometimes come up with the not so appreciative comments to girls above 25 years saying “I in la young” when she puts on a dress, or has a new hair style, or rides a bicycle or gets adapted to new age music. I find it annoying (:P). Most of us girls complain about their “narrow mindedness” when it comes to interracial relationships and marriages, but if we give it a clear thought, they ought to be. Because they are born as “men” and it is their responsibility to preserve the race, a race having a population not even enough to open Shopper’s Stop and Movie theatres and eateries like Pizza Hut or Café Coffee Day, to earn profits. Yes, that is how less we are. And it hurts them to see their own girls being taken by an already well-established race. So, maybe we should cut them some slack.  After all, they may talk harsh, but do we really see them break legs and bones when their sister/daughter gets married to the love of her life? They slowly accept and bless, with an aching heart.

So, even though we may not have green lawns and beautiful houses, my Mizoram is still beautiful, because it looks green from top and it has beautiful people inside. Our roads may be rough and curvy, but our hearts are smooth and reliable. The government is doing its best to promote sports and education; I bet the coming generation will make us more proud, because things are getting developed. We will excel in arts and music, because we are good at it, we just need the right platform to exhibit our talents. Our school children look smart and tidy in their school uniforms. Our politicians do corrupt, but then, don’t all politicians do? Our houses may be one inch close to our neighbors, but we treat each other as families. Traffic jam? Yes, you can't escape that. But our drivers are polite and they don't honk the horns any time they like. We may not live up to the expected Christian lifestyle, but then again, nobody’s perfect. We may see landslides during monsoon, and at the same time it gives us a chance to see the many tlawmngai guys, ever willing to help one who gets stuck in the mud, or to clear the road. We may not have big shopping malls, but we have the latest of fashion in the world, and we have talented tailors who can stitch all the designs we need. Our shops may not have AC but the weather itself is air-conditioned. We may not have Hard Rock Cafe or McDonalds, but our taste buds only really gets satisfied with Mizo dishes like Sachek and Vawklubai and Sawhchiar.

Now, coming back to the photo comment, I guess being “Proud to be a Mizo” means being proud of who we are. God created us for a purpose and we are born for a reason. So whether you are born a Mizo, or a Bengali, or a Tamil, or an African, or American, or European, or even a cocktail of two races, just be proud of who you are. Being born this way may not be something we have achieved, but I have learned in my path of life, that people who are happy with who they are, are the most fortunate people, and that sure is something to be proud of.

As for me, I am Proud to be a Mizo :-) and I leave you with one of my favorite Mizo song

"Zam ngai lo Vala tang ta che, I ram leh hnam humhim nan"

















Hostel Life - Then and Now

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When I was in 2nd standard, mom had to go away for a week to attend a camp. And dad did what he thought was best for me - put me in a hostel. I can still recall mom's expression while telling her friends about it,
"Mami Pa ka ngei zia chu, reilo te ka awm loh chhungin hostel ah a lo dah ringawt anih chu!"
(I can't believe that he had to keep her in a hostel while I was away only for a short while)
and I remember dad saying with a chuckle
"Puitlin zir nan a tha alawm",
(She can learn how to be mature)
and mom was like
"Hmmm, tun ang hunah puitlin zir a la hun lo!".
(This is not the time for her to learn how to be mature!)

LOL

I had to stay that whole term because dad had already paid the fees. Danjusteen (spell check?) Hostel, Tlangnuam, was the first hostel I was in. I remember being punished for eating 'Suzi' (Sooji halwa) on a Saturday afternoon, which was supposed to be our lunch on a day out to Children's park. And during weekends we would go to school to pick up 'spitted' tamarind seeds and eat it (yuck) because the big ones said so. I remember all my eatables being stolen by the big boys and girls, and I could do nothing about it. I remember playing hide and seek on a dark stormy 'lights out' night, and one of the big girls was hiding on the wall railing, and I happen to see her just when the lightning flashed. I was so scared! I remember us girls sneaking into the boy’s dorm in the middle of the night, and applying the waxy shoe polish on their faces, and the next day, we woke up with the same faces, with mustaches and dark highlighted eye brows. Dayum, we could never outwit the boys! I remember one of the big boys having a crush on me, and he used to call me "Bialnu", and the big girls told me to call him back "Bialpa" though I was not quite sure of the meaning then. I remember trying my best to hide my tears while seeing off my Bro Chhuanawma, who would pay me a visit once in two weeks. I remember seeing my mom near my house from the bus, when we were on our way to Children's park. I called her, but she couldn't hear, I just cried. I remember playing football for the first time in my life inside the hostel dining room, where I thought it was allowed to use hands, and everyone laughed at me. I remember wearing checked yellow and black 'dekthron trial' hostel uniform to a Roman Catholic church. I remember mom taking me home one day with a special permission; she bathed me, and made me wear a bright red new t-shirt. I can still picture the design and the print it had.

Then the next hostel I had to be in was when I started college. My first roommates were three Tibetan girls and one Manipuri. We went along very well, we became good friends. Then later in the second year, when we get to choose our roommates, I had all Mizo roommates, which was quite convenient. I didn't have much trouble during my graduation years. It was when I started joining hostel in Post graduation, that I had to face all kinds of people that I never knew would exist. My roommates were - one who was always on the phone, she wasn't much harm; another who was a little uhmm.. 99, if you know what I mean, who would sometimes talk to herself all night. And the third one was quite sociable; I thought we were getting along just fine when I started to notice my money getting lost bit by bit. First, I thought I have misplaced it, because I am so oblivious and I didn't want to blame her, coz I didn't have proof. But I started locking my drawers and closet, and I had to carry the keys wherever I went, even in the toilet, which was very troublesome for me. I had applied for new room where I could stay with my Mizo friends, but it was not available yet. 

I had to go on a trip back to my old college, to collect my certificate, where one of my juniors, gave me a 'one of a kind' Poncho she got from Mumbai, with a napkin signed by Bipasha Basu, while she was on a date with John Abraham, and Nisha (my junior) happened to be in the same restaurant with them. (Nisha, if your'e reading this, I still have that napkin, it is placed neatly in between the pages of my diary). It was a quick trip, and I got back to my room and left my luggage under my bed, and rushed off to class. When in the evening, I came back to find my Poncho missing. First, I thought I had misplaced it, but I was so sure that I had kept it inside my bag. Then I noticed my roomie's closet being locked with a brand new lock (she never used a lock before) and I got suspicious. So, one fine evening, when she went for roll call (which we had every evening), I sneaked in to her room, (I had shifted to another room by then), looked for the keys, and opened her closet. My heart was pounding like anything. I had asked my friend Ruati to be on guard. Then I saw my Poncho inside. I grabbed it and hurried out of the room. I texted my roomie, told her I took back my belongings, I will not report her to the warden, and that I will be praying for her. Then, I wore that Poncho on our Hostel Night. You should see the look on her face when she saw me. (Ha ha ha)

So, I shifted in to a triple room where two of us were Mizos. The third girl stole my rs.500 and used my phone while I had gone for prayer. I noticed my balance being greatly reduced, but when I checked my recent calls, there was nothing. So I called up the customer care, and asked for the last number dialed from my sim card. Then I caught her. She had called up her boyfriend, but I kinda felt bad, so I didn't do anything. Mom laughed at me saying I must be very careless, because such things happen only to me. I told my other roomie Manui, to be careful. I went home on a vacation when Manui called me up and said her Rs.1000 was missing, and when she asked that other roomie, she said she didn't take it. I told mom right away, "See, it's not just me." (hehe). But that hostel did me no good, my grades were going low.

Then I shifted to my college hostel, where the only time you get water is from 5:30 am to 9 am, and you have to survive with one bucket of water all day to do all your stuffs. You will find no plug-points inside the rooms, and you are not allowed to keep mobile phones. Lights will go down at 10:30 pm, and if you want to study after that, you will have to light a candle on a hot summer with mosquitoes surrounding the light that you have lit. But I needed that to keep myself disciplined, and I was the only Mizo. I had great friends who taught me Tamil. My marks improved much that my teachers were shocked. 

I had seen different kinds of roommate during my many years of hostel life. I have made good friends with some, and some, I just can't forget their strange habits. Some would sleep straight off without changing their college wear. Some would talk on the phone all night while some would throw their belongings here and there. Some would "baby talk" with their boyfriends and make all sorts of noises, while some would leave their under garments unwashed (eewww). Some are very pretty, with big eyes, rosy lips and a great figure, but they hardly take bath. I guess my horizon has been widened much. 

Kan hnam hmeichhia hi kan lo che fel fai ber mai ani

And now, I am in a single room where I can access Internet anytime I want, place my bed in any way I want, charge my phone and laptop on any plug-points I want, with 24 hours water supply, where I can go and 'on' the geyser anytime I want, and take drinking water from the water cooler kept just outside my room, keep the light on the whole night if I want to. No more study hours where one has to pretend she is studying while she's actually dreaming or writing letters. No more keeping the phone in a 'silent mode'. No more eating Idli when we were left with no choice, now I can opt for bread and butter. 

In spite of all these, I find it funny to see the girls unhappy, especially about the food. Here we are given South Indian, North Indian, Chinese, American, all sorts of dishes. They should know how we survived with South Indian food, where we had no other option but to eat Idli, Rasam, Sambhar, Dosa. And now the girls are complaining after being provided with their own dish. If any girl asks me my opinion about the hostel and the food, I'd just smile and say, "It's not bad at all" because even if I can't eat Idli, I can go and order bread and omlette in the canteen :-). I guess its human nature to want for more, we just can't get enough, can we?











What a girl wants

comments (12)

So, everyone goes "Goo goo ga ga" over posts like Zei rapthlak dan Part 1, 2 and 3 written by my very zei friend (lol) Fathersphinx, and it makes me realize how people enjoy getting ideas on how to woo a woman and make her fall for you head over heels. And then there are thousands of posts on Facebook pages and Twitter about love and relationships, and it makes me wonder if John Legend's lyric must be true "Everybody knows, but nobody really knows", in this matter, with a different meaning from what John meant. So with this post, I just want to share some of the few experiences I can recall, that me and my girl-friends talked about, where some guys really made it to the top stories of a girl's topic. Remember, girls love to brag, so the crazier you do things for her, the better are your chances. So here it is, What a girl wants (WAGW) :-)

Pizza Corner "What" : Three friends went to eat at Pizza Corner. Since it was a once in a blue moon occasion, they ate, a lot! They ordered Pizza (Large) with an extra of everything along with Coke, Brownies, and even packed it for a friend who could not go with them. They knew the bill would be much, but they did not mind, because they hardly get the chance to do such stuffs together. They waited, waited and waited for the bill, but the waiters didn't bother. So one of them ran out of patience, and went to the manager's desk. "Excuse me, could we have the bill please?", and he replied with a smile "Ma'am, that gentleman has already paid for you", and she screamed "WHAAAAAAT?". It was a happy "what" since the guy was really cute, and an embarrassed "what" too, since they ate so much (haha). Later, after becoming good friends, the guy finally confessed "I never thought you girls would eat so much, I had to ask around to get an extra 500". :D Still, its one of the best moments they treasure till today.
WAGW:  Surprises

Short notes: Once upon a time before cell phone was born, there was a boy who likes a girl. But the girl's dad drinks a lot, and when he drinks, he will shout at any visitor coming, especially if its his daughter's 'guy' friend. So every night, the boy would write something on a piece of paper and throw it up onto the girl's window, sometimes he'll write bible verses, sometimes just a 'hello' or 'goodnight', sometimes he'll wrap one candy with it. They are now married, to two different people (hehe) but I'm sure such memories will remain written in their hearts forever. Its the 'sweet nothings' that can make one fall for you :-)
WAGW: Sweet nothings

The Telegram: This was some years ago about a boy and a girl. Before mobile phones (again). The only source of contact was through payphones. The girl stayed in a strict hostel, no visitors allowed. Due to a misunderstanding, the girl did not call the guy for 2 days. 3rd day, while she was in class, an attendant came and gave a piece of paper to the class teacher. The teacher called out her name. She stood up, surprised, "Here's a telegram for you, please sign here", She read "Dear XXXX, I'm so sorry, please forgive me". The first thing she did right after class - rushed to the telephone booth and called him up. Sweet eh?
WAGW: Find all possible ways to get to her, show her impossible is nothing

The date: Once upon a time, two of my very close friends were/are dating (You know who you are). Valentine's day was coming up, and they were both very broke, but they wanted to do something, and you know, in a town like Aizawl, we don't get many options to hang out. So they decided to eat something at a restaurant with only rs.100 in their pocket. They looked at the menu, and chose the cheapest food they could afford, and had the 'not very' good food, but a 'very' good time. And the sweetest part is, both of them told me about this while they were (ahem) taking a break, at separate times, and both didn't know the other had told me. Sigh! Love! If you're both reading this, get married already!! :P
WAGW: Your time, not your money

Middle School Crush: Long time ago, a boy had a crush on a girl. But he never had the guts to tell her. After 23 years or so, they met in Facebook, and the boy confessed. The girl did not like him at first, because it was after so many years, and that too over an internet, she was scared that she'd make a wrong decision. But the guy did not give up. He knows she may not like him, but he remained a good friend to her. He "liked" all her Facebook pictures, and uses her photo as his phone wall-paper. Finally, they met. The girl started to like him very very much. She said "There may be thousands of reasons that I like about him, but the only thing that made me change my mind was, he never gave up on me".
WAGW: Persistence and assurance

Poker boy: Two people were dating, for many years. They faced many problems in between and also a few complications. The guy liked to play poker, and the girl hated it, because it takes away all her time to be with him. And they had different circle of friends, it was difficult to go out together every now and then. Once the girl went out with her friends, and texted just to inform him that she's on her way home, and that her friends are dropping her. When they reached home, there he was, at the gate of her house, with poker chips in his hands. All he wanted was a kiss goodnight. His friends kept calling him on the phone "Where did you run with your chips?". But all the phone calls were nothing but a background music to them, as they kissed, she may have had a great time that day, but just to see his face made her day complete, and all the complications flew away. Sigh!
WAGW: If its complicated, uncomplicate it!

The Dry Clean man: There was a very beautiful girl, who got out of a long disturbing relationship. She thought to herself over and over, "I don't think I will fall for a guy, ever again". She had to face an interview, so she went to give her suit for dry cleaning. When she went there to collect it, there was a not so handsome guy, and he asked while giving her stuffs to her "Oh, so you're from Mission Veng?", she was a bit surprised, but then understood that he read the receipt where her name and place was written. Then after a week or so, she got a text from an unknown number. She's that kind of girl who don't usually reply to stranger's texts. But the guy introduced himself right away "I am that dry clean guy from that shop". She was curious to know how he got her number. And later, she came to know that the guy had come to her locality, and tried all possible ways to have her number. Finally, he went to a "Prepaid top-up shop", which happens to be his friend's shop, and could get what he wanted. "I don't know if I'll fall for him, but the way he does things is so crazy romantic" she told me with a smile.
WAGW: Dare to be crazy!

The Boot Guy: Once a upon a time, it was a very cold winter in Delhi. There was a boy, who recently got in touch with his long time crush. The girl was in Aizawl and she wanted a boot, since the ones found in Aizawl were very "common". The girl had a friend who lived on the other side of Delhi, so that friend bought the boot for her. Long story short, the guy went all the way from where he stayed to that other part of Delhi, all alone, on a cold winter, to collect that boot, and delivered it to the girl when he went home. That boot will forever remain a "memorable boot" for the girl, even if the style goes out of fashion, that feeling she had for him will never fade.
WAGW: Go the distance for her

The Tattoo: A long long time ago, a boy loved a girl so much, that he tattoo-ed her name on his arm "EVE". He wrote beautiful posts on his blog about her. Though it was a long distance relationship, the girl felt loved. And I'm sure even though she is now married to a different guy (love sucks right? :D), it will remain inscribed in her heart, and may be it would make a story that she'd love to tell, to her kids and grand kids. The tattoo has now become "nEVEr AGAIN" :-)
WAGW: Dare to be more crazy!

PS: So sorry for my continuous updates :-) My mind is super-active these days, while I am hyper busy in lab than any other days, I hardly even get the time to sit during the day, but so much of blog topic keeps popping up in my head. I guess the mind works much better when you're not sitting idly.










You

comments (8)

You introduced me to a world of email
You said hotmail, rediffmail and yahoomail are the best
You helped me keep in touch with my old friends through long emails

You then asked me to sign up for Yahoo messenger, but msn I didn't like much
You showed me the fun of using ROTFL yahoo smiley with friends, with whom I buzz and chat with
 
You knew I was getting tired of long emails, so you showed me something fast - MIRC
You suggested Se^Norita would make a good nick
You showed me how to chat with new friends, with whom I ping and pm with
You drew out all my cash where I had to pay Rs.50 per hour for using cyber cafes
 
You came one day and said "MIRC is becoming too crowded, go to Hi5, you can have a profile picture there, and even upload and comment on photos".
You taught me how to decorate my Hi5 profile with glittery themes 
You introduced me to more new friends here, with whom I inbox-ed a lot

You asked me to check out Myspace, but I didn't like it that much
 
You then told me to sign up for Gmail, "We can g-talk, it saves phone bills"

You came up to me excitedly one day and said "There's a new place in town called Orkut, you can write testimonials there"
You helped me make more and more new friends there, with whom I scrap with

You then introduced me to one of my (now) favorite place - Blog
You brought out the writer in me, though I know I need to improve everyday
You helped me make even more and more and more new friends here, with whom I blog with
 
You then suddenly said "Orkut is getting boring, switch to Facebook, you can update status and write wall to wall posts, and even tag photos of friends there, the best part - you can play online games". I was excited!
You brought all my Yahoo, MIRC, hi5, Myspace and Blogger friends here, which made things much easier

You also once showed me a music site iLIKE where the only friend I had was cousin Kima who made fun of my playlists most of the time

You introduced me about Skype too, where I can video chat with my friends, but I forgot my password, and never bothered to log back in

You later came to me and said "Try Twitter too, it's fun" 
You said that I can even follow celebrities here, and get their updates

You sadly came one day saying, "Facebook might me down, join Google+, just in case", so I added all my friends where I can +1 their posts

You then told that Instagram is fun too, "You can heart your friend's photos"
You showed how to share my photos instantly from my phone

You were afraid I might leave Facebook like I did to the others, so
You showed me all the new facebook features, where I can now comment and like statuses, where I can even like and edit comments, where I can trace back my old posts using timeline, where I can tag my friend's names, and now I am stuck with it

You also introduced me to Friendster, Classmates.com, MyHeritage, NetLog, Tagged and Linked, but I never bothered to use them

I hope YOU don't disappear one day
Leaving me with no traces of history
Because if that day happens
I will go back to perfumed love letters and birthday cards

YOU, yes, I'm talking about YOU

YOU Social Network YOU :P



I complain

comments (10)


I complain
That my clothes are outdated
Then God showed me people who don’t even have spare clothes to wear

 I complain
That I’m too short
Then God gave me friends shorter than me who carry themselves with their head held high

 I complain
That I don’t have fingers and toes like them beautiful ladies
Then God gave me a friend having 12 fingers and 12 toes, and is the most confident person I’ve ever met

 I complain
That my skin tone’s not fair enough
Then God gave me beautiful friends having darker skin tones

 I complain
That my Android phone uses up battery too much
Then God showed me a man who doesnt even know what a mobile phone is

 I complain
That I hate mosquitoes, they leave scars on my skin
Then God showed me people living in malaria-prone area who dont even have enough protection

 I complain 
That dad doesn’t understand my problems sometimes
Then God gave me friends who have to live their lives with no one to call “Dad”

 I complain
My house is not cozy enough
Then God showed me people who can’t even afford a house

 I complain
That I’m not given the opportunity to go abroad
Then God showed me people who havent even seen a city bus in their life

 I complain
That life’s too tough
Then God showed me pictures of victims from the Muslim-Bodo riots who have lost all their lands and clothes, and they now live in a school

 I complain
That I don’t have a sister
Then God made me see friends who long to have at least one brother in their life

 I complain
That the money I have is not enough
Then God made me see a man earning his livelihood selling sliced pineapples everyday 

 Tell me, what do you complain about? I guess we have to start counting our blessings so that we can stop complaining and start appreciating

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