Kats is finally lazy and Chulbuli too..

Oh God! Has been such a long time since I spoke to you all. I hope you are not very angry at me.

So many things one after the other, first there was the cultural festival. You won't believe it when I say but, even after completing three years of college life she never participated in it. This time she did, and I made her participate in ever possible event. She kept on complaining that she wouldn't have time to study. In a leamon finding seeds that are buried is so difficult, but if you look around and poke around here and there you'll find it,isn't it? I felt that free time was like that seed; most lemons have seeds, so I think everyone can find free time. She found free time to study,but I wasn't given the time to write to you all.

Then after that she had exams,exams,exams and exams. It was a long time of exams and when its exam time is Barney duty for me. Dance around being Barney the dino,to cheer her up when she is confused or worried or tensed; I did a lot of dancing around. There is this teacher of Kats -she has told me strictly not to tell his name,so I can't and won't and if you know,please be shush about it- he is a taller and bearded version of Winne the Pooh,maybe I think he has a larger tummy and dances around the classroom like Barney the dino without music. Rekha has told me how difficult she find its to hide her laugh; even I would find ti difficult if  I was sitting with them in the class watching a Winne the Pooh with a beard dancing around. It was his exam that everyone was really scared about. They say everything is known,taught, and the questions he asks are from that and still they don't know how to get full marks. Rekha and Kats struggled in remembering the names and the shapes of the compounds(thats is what they call many atoms stuck together to form shapes). So before his exam I had to be Barney ALL day long. More than Kats, I think I have worked for her exams.

Then came holidays. I thought,just thought it would be about getting up a little late, licking the nutella in the fridge and watching Doraemon on TV. But on day two of vacation itself it was ruined. Kats decided to go for early morning walks,everyday. Yes, everyday!! She pulls me out of bed at 5:15 am every day for a walk. Sacred of sleeping one minute beyond she has three alarms one after the other, all with very irritating music. Like one wasn't enough. If she had to go for walk so badly, she would have got up on her own..why alarm ?

I don't like the waking up part of the morning walk but it is fun. Its not very sunny at that time,sometimes the sun is still hiding behind the clouds. There are many people walking too. There are so many birdies around, the mynah, the wood pecker, a black bird with a long black feather, and a big ball like furry light brown bird. And the trees look so different early morning. There is a tree, which has both dark and light green leaves at the same time. And there is a tree on which another tree has spread its roots and is growing. To even see good things, we need make an effort.

Another good thing that we are doing together is learning Hindustani music. There is one harmonium and one teacher, but the two of us, so there is some fight some times. Kats wants to sing exactly what teacher teaches us, I want to try everything. She says, "We must learn properly what is taught.. " "But where is the fun! Doing the same thing again and again. We must do something different" I reply to her. Then Kats tells what Amma has told, that unless we learn out ABCs correctly we won't find making new sentences fun. 

Today, we got up early but didn't go out for a walk. No we are not any yoga either. Its Chulbuli's day! Kats a swollen face because we didn't. It rained last night when we were fast asleep. The weather outside is very nice, you can't tell whether its morning or evening, there is wind blowing. Its a perfect rainy day to be lazy, and -Amma gave her certificate- sometimes its okay to be lazy!

Surprizes at the Saloon

Kats is becoming better as the days go by,no she is not yet not-thinking about numbers like marks in exams and her weight on the scales. She cut her hair short! I know its not exactly nice, long hair looks very fairy tale princessy, but for long I used to have short hair for which I would put colourful clips,hair bands and tiny beads. You can't do all of that easily with long hair; but don't be under the impression that she got it is for those wonderful things that she can't use.

Her reasons are pretty serious. One morning when she applied coconut oil and combed her hair she lost some hair, she took head bath and combed she lost more. I must confess, even I felt if she combed once again it won't be too soon before she wouldn't have anything left to comb. Because as she said that day, “Its better to have short hair than have no hair at all.” And so she decided to get her hair cut.

She spent the whole day thinking of a hair style, different movies, different actresses, pop-stars, friends, neighbours. Mentally, it was like flipping through a thousand photographs over and over again looking for some hair style to whipser into her ears to choose it. I gave her a suggestion, to get a hairstyle like Rihanna (she is one of Kats's favouraite pop star), and she does have a funny hair style. One side of her head is a clean shave and the other side has almost shoulder lenght hair which has been cut in a manner that the top ones are short and as you go down the hair gets longer. Kats says it called a step cut, but I wonder for whom/what are those steps for? Lice can crawl on hair easily na?

It was almost at lunch time when she declared, “Chulbuli, I'm getting my hair cut, just like it used to be long back. ” At first i wasn't sure how long was her long back, but later she drew line in the air above her shoulder.

Rekha and I gave her company to the salon, being in a bigger city it was all like the ones on TV, not like the tiny ones in Here. Everyone was wearing black tee shirts and jeans at the salon, but they didn't look like the people in the salons on TV, they looked like people who travel with us in the bus.

The lady who was supposed to cut her hair was suggesting haristyles for her, another reapeat of the thousand photorpahs that she had gone through. I was scared that she might choose one of them. Why was I scared? I don't know...

But she told the lady “No cut it short, upto my shoulder. Just like i used to have, long back..” Later I asked her why she choose it, she said “Cause I am my favourite model, and there can be no better inspiration for me than me myself.”

No answers to Chulbuli's questions!

After Kats's 'exams' got over she had a long list of things to do before leaving for Here. She walked with Shanti, Sanjeevani and Rekha from her hostel to Himadrija and Indigo's room in the hostel that is like so many miles away. The walk is like almost a walk through a jungle to reach another country, where on the way there is a brook(tiny version of river), big rocks, and monkeys, peacocks. Like the journey the nomads make.

Most of the times when she travels to Indigo and Hima's place, it is like a turning point, a point form where things change.While we were walking, I asked Kats, "Wouldn't it be fun if we could do this walking around everyday? See all the beauty around us." Kats rolled her eyes in reply, "And darling, who would attend the classes for me? The lizard in our wing's bathroom?" Lizard attending was not a bad option at all according to me, but for a few problems. No it is not Kats's desk partner, she doesn't have one, she refers to sit alone on the first bench in the corner of the class, it is the girls who sit behind her. Both Shanti and Rekha are scared of lizards. Also, to be able to take notes for Kats in her absence would be difficult for it(we don't know whether the lizard is a boy or a girl you see) with all the yummy distractions buzzing around, also to be able to talk in our language and ask the teacher the questions she has would need a long training.  After all of those thoughts I forgot to reply to her and I am sure she thought I had not solution to it. Before I could choose to speak about it, she spoke, "Chulbulli, you know something? If you played the same game everyday, you'll get bored too soon. Similarly if we do all this excursion everyday, it'll lose its charm. " Is it true what she said? Some games I have played everyday like hide and seek, but I am still not bored of it, what changed though was the people with whom I played. So.. is that its not just the journey but the people, the things, the sky, the moon everything that makes every journey different?

Later that night we sat in the balcony of the 'wing' of the hostel where her room is. For those who don't know about hostels, hostel is like mini home, without Mummy and Daddy, you have new and different family members. Some like to talk, some don't; some study in the same class, some don't; some are older than her, some younger, some as old as her. What is common in them all is, they have left their own families and traveled a large distance to learn. As for a wing, a wing  is a bunch of rooms that are close together, one after the other. In Kats's case, her wing has a door, their own bathroom, two basins and a balcony where the mango tree's branch spreads out its arms. 

So under the dark sky, with a few twinkling stars, and the dark green mango leaves hanging over our head as the cold winter was punching us I asked Kats that if she had the chance of doing what she really wanted to do, what she thought she really was sent to do by leaving everything now would she do it? She didn't reply! She was so silent that i could hear all the leaves above our heads rattle,  I even tried to count the number of rattles that the leaves made as she stood in silence. Then I thought maybe I asked a difficult question, so I asked her again, differently, "So if you were in a closed cold stone-made cave like room like the ones where the Flintstones live in, with a window, and there was a huge garden outside with flowers of the colour of the rainbow, and a pond with swans like in the fairy tales. What would you choose?" She was still very silent. I didn't know what was wrong with the question. She finally answered when 50 or more leaves had rattled, I think the tree was curious too. She said, 

"I would stay outside during the day play and enjoy. And at night would come back to the cave."

And then I understood what I forgot to ask her, what if she could choose only one? I asked her. And again there was silence. I started to count the stars, that is what daddy had taught me to do when I can't wait for something, and after that all I remember is black.

Kats goes to college...Chulbuli observes

Hi everyone! it's such a relief to talk(literally) to you all after such a long time.Soooooo much has happened over the past few weeks that it may take over a series of blogs to tell you all everything.

The good news is Kats is doing what she wanted to do,study chemistry.

Its a long,long story,but finally it does have a very very lovely ending.
As you all might remember Plan B was going to be taken up by our dearest Kats.But the great Bhaggu above had other intentions. Kats was living an life of uncertainty,not that life isn't uncertain,but for poor Kats life was more uncertain then than ever. On 6th of August Plan B ws posponted,i.e. the Plan B place postponed it joining date.Our dear Kats was on the "Waiting list" for the University of Bucca Urbs.It was on 6th evening itself that Kat's father decided to attend the waiting list counseling.

The wait at the counseling was phenomenal.Finally at around 4:30 pm on 9th inside a tin hall with hot winds blowing in and out of the window the vacancies in Chemistry were announced.There were 5 vacancies in the "General" category (these elder people are odd they categorize people as well,thats really odd and funny),Kats is general.Out of those from the waiting list who had reported Kats was no.2.So if you do the math,even if the girl above her took chem(which she actually did,she would get chem). After announcing the vacancies they called out all the names in the waitlist (that was really funny because they had the list of students who had reported) maybe they just wanted to increase the wait.It was like as a lolly pop was moving back and forth in front of her mouth the moment she began to move closer towards it,it moved away from her.

Finally when Kats's name was announced she got up from the milkly white chair on which she was seated.She was sitting in one of the last few rows of the tin box room.When she rose from her chair she made expression similar to the women receiving the title of Miss World or Miss Universe(not Miss.Country because in the titles I've stated they literally weep quite loudly,she was almost going to to the same,that was really funny though). And finally after 7:30 pm Kats was a bonafied student of University of Bucca Urbs.

And the journey continues...

An emotional roller coaster ride…..Chulbuli already feels sick

Oh my God! Those are the words that come to my mind, when I think  about the last few days. I don’t even know how many days. Kats is oscillating between tears, and exhilaration (I learnt this word from Kats it means unusually happy) at an alarming rate.

 

As I had told you the last time Kats was waiting for some results. The result of the 5 year integrated MSc programme with the University of Bacca urbs was due on 22^nd of June. But there was nothing on 22^nd, she waited till 25^th evening. And on 25^th evening it said “You haven’t qualified for the interview”. Those words were written at the centre of the page in big bold letters in pink. Kats never liked pink and at moment she started to hate it even more than ever. A stream of tears started to flow right out of her eyes, uncontrolled. Kats was upset. Though I never leave an opportunity to complain about her, that day even I felt bad. It was her dream to study chemistry, now she had to study something else that she wasn’t very much interested in. It’s not that the ‘Plan B’ as (she calls it) is bad, it’s just that she likes chemistry more than it. She spent the entire night sleeplessly, staring right at the ceiling trying hard to find a silver lining in this dark cloud. It takes time for anyone to accept the fact that what you want isn’t what you get. But maybe as I have always felt, Kats doesn’t exactly know what she wants, or maybe she does but isn’t sure whether this is the time to seek it. The next day wasn’t very difficult for her as she went out with her daddy to the bank. And then on the way back home suddenly she suddenly decided to visit her school.

 

School was definitely a refreshing change. It was the positive environment she needed to be in for a while. For the first time in many days she was greeted with a warm hello and not with a volley of questions like “what is your rank in X entrance exam?” For a change people wanted to know when she is going to college and not which one. A refreshing change indeed it was. The ‘children’ (as Kats calls them) were happy to see their ‘Didi’ (yeah that’s what they call her at school Kats Didi) one last time and wanted to know when ‘Didi’ would come back to visit them, nothing else. That was the best thing by far. And thankfully it did bring the smile back on her face. I’ve never told her but I hope some one does tell her that she looks the best with a smile. She can’t smile without flashing her teeth (that’s an infectious disease so better beware), she way too proud about her toothpaste and tooth brush and it seems that she intends to become the ‘brand ambassador’ (that’s the person who is in every AD of the product) of both the toothbrush and the toothpaste company someday.

 

Then came the evening of the tissue company (I expected it to be so at least), Khushi and Kats met for the last time. It was past 9:30pm.They met on the lonely streets spoke like they would meet again the very next day. But they both knew that wasn’t true. It was that very evening she came to know that she was (finally) called for the interview at University of Bacca urbs. That day was very odd for her. It was like chocolate and bitter gourd (karela in hindi) ice cream. The bitter gourd (karela in hindi) part was that Khushi was going away and the chocolate part was the interview call.

 

It was because of this interview call that I wasn’t blogging. Though Kats is the one preparing, I thought I should be with her cheering her up. She needs to be cheered a lot. I truly mean that, you’d need a person dressed as Barney the dino singing to her to keep her smiling. Don’t you even start thinking that I wore the Barney outfit! You don’t get ones of my size, also its way too suffocating for me. Though I would surely love some to come dressed as Barney for Kats birthday, because both myself and Kats are huge fans of Barney, but me wearing the Barney outfit is ruled out.

 

The interview day finally came. Kats’s interview was scheduled towards the end. She was the second last candidate to be interviewed. She was nervous, very nervous. Not because it was her first interview but because she wanted to get through it badly. She was like the little girl jumping as high as possible to get the candy out of the adult’s hand. But our girl couldn’t get the candy.

 

She was told that she didn’t have the “Ability to think”. Which was quite surprising for everyone who knew her. She may not able to do many things like maintaining things neatly etc but she surely can think. Maybe think has a different meaning for those who interviewed her and those of us who know her. Maybe…..

 

But at the end of it Kats was again left disappointed, not by others but by herself that maybe she tried a little too hard. Maybe she mustn’t think anymore. It’s all this thinking that’s giving her so much of pain. , I think (I know even I Shouldn’t think when I say she mustn’t for one last time, let me…) she should be like the way she was when I was in control of her (i.e. as a child) always happy, cheerful and untouched and unaffected by the monsters of tension.  

Kushi is going away...Kats is so very lazy...CHulbuli is observing it all

Well again for a few days we were lost, both myself and Kats.
 No, we were not on an all expense trip to Egypt unravelling the secrets of king Tutankhamen or on an all expense trip to Disney world or to the wonderful wizarding world of harry potter (which we would appreciate if any of you could manage one for us :P ), we were just lazing around and for a change, simply watching  the rain fall, wind low, clouds thunder and mangoes fall off the tree. 

 

In the past three years or so Kats used to just manage to sleep for 6 hours a day or so, but for the past few she has been sleeping for more 12 hours a day. What does she do the rest 12 hours you may ask and you'll be surely amused and amazed on ‘uncovering’ the secret of the order in which she does things the entire day. Well she reads, writes, sings (pathetically in the bathroom, Indian Idol dreams are still awake maybe somewhere.. ref: And…Chulbuli is back….Kats decides…. ),cooks food, watches FIFA matches and post 5:30 pm roams around the entire ‘here’. I'm glad that an unplanned day isn't that hard for her any more.

 

Some more results are awaited, but now she has reached such a level of saturation that she is ready to take almost anything.

 

Khushi is going away. She is moving to ‘Redivivus urbs’, a very nice city. One big city with lots of people, lots to places to go to, many things to learn, most importantly a gazillion times better than 'here'.But as expected both Kats and Khushi are upset.But nothing can be done.This day was to come, its just that it feels that its a little too soon. Recently Khushi ‘threw' a party for all her friends (I don't know why people use the word 'threw', but they do,I find it odd, don't you?).All her friends had come.It wasn't exactly like the way myself or Kats expected it to be.We thought that it would be emotional and some, if not all would break down,none except for one did breakdown.Though Kats often says that "Sorrow and grief can not always be expressed through tears." I feel that when you really feel for someone,you can see it.I couldn't see much on many of the faces.Isn't it sad that everything is so hollow nowadays ? 

Kats,Kats oh Kats,I must write an ode on her laziness someday.She so the queen of this empire (the empire of laziness) as well.It's been ages since she cleaned her table or every cleaned the cupboard  containing her books.Maybe lazy isn't the word to describe her now,as she says she is 'relaxing'.But relaxing doesn't mean you sit on a pile of dirt does it? 

I know I've complained a lot about  Kats already.And I may seem like an ever complaining pest. So I think I must share some of my other observations about Kats and the people around her.

Kats has suddenly become a topic of interest for all her neighbours and the people around her.Everyone wants to know how much she scored in various exams,where does she intend to study,what does she intend to study,etc. Those people who never even acknowledged her existence  have suddenly got interested in her 'future'.I find it amusing.The poor girl has to answer every odd question a passer-by on the street asks her.She may choose not to answer but sadly she does mind her manners.

Amidst all of this no one has for once though of what poor Kats is going through.I know Kats hasn't done somethings in the way she was supposed to,but the things which she has done as one is supposed to, haven't given her what she wants.

I can see the disappointment in her eyes,the loss of the will to do her best.She is sad,not because she has to answer everyone,but because she couldn't do what maybe she could have.

Now for a change I feel she shouldn't answer any more questions.
She does feel like yelling on the faces of the passers by to "mind their own business".But again,the word  'manners' comes in the way.

Maybe sometime I should take over and say so,what do you think? 

Whatever maybe your answer Kats isn't that happy now,I'm trying my best to cheer her,lets see whether I succeed.  

And…Chulbuli is back….Kats decides….

First of all apologies for not being able to stay in touch with you all, due Kats and her ever so busy life I was lost. 

So much has happened that the account of all the incidents would take the next week totally. Nothing very adventurous has happened (if you consider cycling around the locality as adventurous then, there was some adventure.)

As the results started pouring in the Kat's skin colour changed as follows: 

 

 

And after the result this is what used to happen :

 

Kats isn’t exactly unpredictable; it’s just her mood that is unpredictable. If you know her mood you know she’ll do next.

Amidst all these exams, results and more exams suddenly Kats has woken up.
Woken up from deep slumber. And no there was fairy tale like reason for the same.

It’s just that, it has happened. 

 

When I was in complete control of her she wanted to be 14 different things.

(I don’t even remember all the 14 ironically.)But as she grew older there were only a few options that were left with her.

 

When all she was me, that is she was reaaally young she wanted to be a dancer.
She loved dancing, wasn’t very good at it but loved and tried to dance away with lots of joy. But as she grew older and older she learnt that dancing isn’t job. I don’t know why elders say so….? I don’t know why then do they allow us (children) to learn all these?
I wonder what makes something a job and what doesn’t!

Then some where in class 4 or before she wanted to be a doctor, the old nanny who took care of her wanted her to become one. Her parents wanted the same too.

But then she learnt that she had to sit in a dark place with dead bodies. OMG!
And that very day she decided not to become a doctor!

Then what next you may ask? 
I warn you Kats is one heck of a girl! Very indecisive….

Then what! Then came the era of singing reality shows. And yes! SHE WANTED TO BECOME A SINGER! She still has a penchant for singing.

I can challenge you that if a person can listen to her sing ‘Yeh Ishq hai’ from Jab We Met and not leave by the end of the 2^nd line, that person is deaf. Her ‘sur’ is like Kashmir and the original ‘sur’ of the song Kanyakumari!

Then what, when she came to class 9, ’the most interesting year in her life’ as she says (and even I agree!) she had four proper options, architect/interior designer, lawyer, researcher and politician .

 

Architecture was dropped midway in class 9 itself as she learn that one need to draw really well for that. And I can assure you that even the egg she draws isn’t a perfect oval! The human figures he draws look like Lord Voldemort’s distorted form. And if age were estimated by the way one fills colours she’s be aged 2 or maybe less! 

 

Lawyer was dropped as well. Because right in front of Kats’s grandfather’s house was lawyer and he used to get all kinds of 'dangerous guests' at odd times. There used to stand a white omni just like ones used in movies to kidnap right in front of his house. It was one creepy house! 

Politician was again labeled as ‘not a job’.

 

Yes, from then to this date all that has stood the test of time in her heart is research.

She likes it. She enjoys it and she doesn't need a smile to do it, but while doing it a smile sprouts on her face.  

She says she wants to study chemistry.

Chemistry is fun! So many colours, so many odours (ranging from rotten egg to rotten fish to scent of flowers), so much of activity and so much of drama, even I like it!

 

So finally for now research in chemistry has been frozen. Let’s see what happens next.

Whether she sticks to it or whether she finds something else.

At the end of the day she is the great Kats, queen of the land of the lost!