Felines!

He arrives with his trademark hungry yowl, glides up the stairs with an elegant leap, and proceeds, straight away, to business. He pads carefully towards the bowl of milk, his object of desire. A paw is extended delicately towards the proffering, to make sure it has no hidden surprises to spring. Satisfied that it isn't dangerous, he leans over it and sniffs. He retreats with a disgusted snort, finding that the bowl contains traces of leftover coffee.

Hunger, however, drives him back. A disdainful look is cast at the bowl, before he approaches it again, and this time, a tongue is furtively extended into the bowl. It's not so bad; quickly, the bowl is empty, and the steel gleams once again in the sun.
Then he departs as silently as he came.

That's Skimble (named after Skimbleshanks, from Eliot's poem. He was also a character in the musical 'Cats') for you. All business. No time for pleasantries. Eats, shoots (well, not quite! :P) and leaves.
But come evening, and that uninterested glance in your direction of the morning, is replaced by a loud, machine-like purring and vigorous rubbing against your legs.

The change is as startling as it is revealing – something I've learnt about cats, from all the ones we've kept over the years – Frisky, Cookie, Jaamu, Snowy, Amber, Crystal, Pearl, Kittu, Mocha, Apollo, Dusky, Felix and Pluto, which, as I don't need to mention, is quite a few felines! (Though most of them were killed by dogs, I'm happy to say that Pluto is still going strong, and last vacation, she had three pure white kittens :) !! That's what comes from
being named after the God of the Underworld. Read Rick Riordan much, anybody?) But, to get back to what I was saying, a cat is Never your's. He's wild inside, and he always will be.

Cats and dogs are like chalk and cheese. They're as similar to dogs as humans are to horses!
Dogs are known to be loyal, loving and faithful to their owners. They'll always be there for you. Cats, on the other hand, are their own masters. They come and go as they like, and will pay you attention only when it suits them (for instance, as a 'Thank you' for that yummy bit of French toast you gave them in the morning). If they're not in the mood, they'll reject your affections coldly, giving you that “Umm, what do you think you're DOING??” look, leaving
you feeling foolish and thinking, okay, maybe he isn't Mine after all.
And when you've just about given up (and are despairing over the fact that even cats have started rejecting you) he reappears, darting in with grace that only a feline can manage, and showering you with such affection, you wonder why you ever doubted him! He purrs (rumbles, more like), tries to climb into your lap, and transforms your grumpy features into a smile.
And then he disappears again, to stalk a butterfly, or hunt a moth.

But I guarantee you, you'll never have a boring moment with a cat. They provide you with endless entertainment, be it when they're getting tangled up in a ball of yarn, or leaping onto the board when you're playing Scrabble (and completely destroying your game!), pouncing on brooms while the house is being swept, or just curling up in your lap and gazing at you through half-lidded eyes.

Of course, it isn't restricted to cats. Many other animals are equally charming creatures, engaging you in games you thought you would never play, and surprising you with their mannerisms. Dogs, squirrels, pigeons, parakeets – they all have their unique antics and are delightful companions in their own right.
If you haven't kept a pet, or had contact with animals, you haven't lived life!

Wishlist for college

No, I'm not going to present you with a crazy list of wishes, like “I wish I could kidnap Rick Riordan, and make him immortal, so that he goes on writing forever and ever” or “I wish Harry Potter hadn't ended”. The following are pretty rational, and (in my view) Completely justified wishes! :D

1. Chocolate on our canteen menu (seriously, once you think about it, you realise just how ridiculous it is! Just how can there not be any chocolate whatsoever, in the canteen?!):

For all those times you stumble out of lab at 5 or 5.30 in the evening, feet burning from a continuous 180 minutes of standing, mind aching from trying to figure out Why experimental results hardly ever complement what you learn in theory, and you're just craving for sugar and caffeine. And the only available options are papaya milkshake, tea, and coffee. Well, coffee pretty much meets the demands. But chocolate is chocolate. I rest my case.

2. Nature Club

We have to, we have to, we have to! Have a Nature Club, that is. Our present campus is pretty large, and full of magpie robins and sunbirds and tree-pies and whatnot. If there was the option of waking up at 6.00 on a Sunday morning, and roaming around in the cool morning air, scouting out for interesting flora and fauna, yes, I'm definitely in :)
Especially once we move to Vithura! It's out of the question Not to have a Nature Club, when we'll be living in the heart of the Western Ghats, surrounded by thick, almost rainforest-like undergrowth, and a variety of animals – be they canine, feline, bovine or equine! (and of course, the beloved pachyderms).
(photo credits to me ;) it's a Blue Tiger)

3. Books, books, books!
Yes yes, we Are science students, but Bartle and Atkins aren't the only books we read! For all those times you're tired of reading a textbook, because you've read it so many times already (just kidding :P ) and you need a refreshing uptake on the outside world. Or a refreshing entry into your favourite fantasy world. A handful of Archers, Crichtons, or Rowlings will do. (but Please, no Twilight :| )






4. Physical exercise / Yoga
We do need some! I definitely wasn't the most regular P.T.-goer in school (which is a major understatement!), but I'll tell you what I do miss:
Walking back from morning P.T., breathing heavily (and sweating profusely). And then collapsing in an exhausted heap on the cool floor of your hostel, lazily removing your shoes, and basking in the weak sunlight.
The feeling you get when you've just returned from Stamina Building (or Long Run) is un-matchable! It's just.. tired, and ridiculously cheerful. Like you're on top of the world.
(sorry Anisha and Ash, I just needed a pic. Plus you guys look like twins here!)


                                                                                     5. Class Hikes
Well I guess this could have come under the previous one, but I kept it separate. This isn't from a health-minded point of view or whatever.  Class hikes are one of those times where you bond very strongly with your classmates. They also provide some of the most fun, memorable moments as students! I'm sure Vithura is going to need our exploring :D , hikes to nearby places, & moonlit, night-time strolls!


6. Student Assemblies
Well, not “assemblies”, but just small presentations and things like that. Where you get to share things which you find interesting (like the Russian, Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned with polonium, because he defected to Britain and worked for MI5 and MI6, which was what I talked about in school)

First Language - English, Second Language - Hindi, Third Language - Telugu

Before I start, since this is the first post, I'll add a word on the title: Sugar Coated Nothings. It's supposed to indicate that most of this is junk (like empty calories), but sometimes you might come across something more! If you like reading my junk, well, yay :P

First Language – English, Second Language – Hindi, Third Language – Telugu.

Well, the second and third - not necessarily in that order. They're pretty much interchangeable.

Being brought up in an English medium school definitely has its perks. Only when you reach college, do you begin to wish you paid more attention in "H/T" (Hindi/Telugu) !

For me, atleast, it was a huge shock.

I, for all purposes, LIVE in English. My favourite authors? J. K. Rowling, Jonathan Stroud, Rick Riordan, Philip Pullman, Gerald Durrell, Eva Ibbotson, Jeffrey Archer, James Herriot, Michael Crichton, C. S. Lewis, Jim Corbett, Walter Farley, etc.

Music? Mainly English (well, it's not like I understand the lyrics when I listen to Hindi

music).

Poetry? Tennyson (the Master :) !!! ), Yeats, Frost, Lawrence, Browning, Eliot, Coleridge (Rime of the Ancient Mariner is one of my All-time Favourites!), Keats.. You'd never catch me reading a Hindi book!

But before you get prejudiced, it's lack of knowledge, rather than dislike, which stops me from reading Hindi literature. Brought up in an environment where English is the primary (and at most times, Only) mode of communication, I never actually paid attention in "Second Lang" or "Third Lang".
Besides, I Loved English (with a capital L). I loved Enid Blyton and Lucy Daniels and A. A. Milne and Dr. Seuss..... who needed anything else when there were always the wrapped-candy universes of The Famous Five, Secret Seven, Animal Ark, and the eternal Winnie-The-Pooh, to go back to? And we had the best of the best English teachers to guide us through, introducing us to new, delightful worlds! I lived English. I breathed it, I talked it, I lived it. And never, ever did I think it would get me in trouble!
Rishi Valley, despite being situated in the heart of South India, communicates, for almost all purposes, in English. The most Telugu you pick up is from the akkas, “kunchum” and “inka” (for the yummy stuff in the D.H !!) and “oddhu” (for the infamous "green veg" of Junior School). And besides, they've learnt enough English for a half-gesturing, half-linguistic way for most things to be put across! Third Language was hardly paid any attention. They were "fun-classes" for most people, “No sweat, it's only Third Lang”. Then came the final test - the dreaded Eighth Std Third Language “Exam”. And then? 'No more Third Lang, yippee!'
Second Lang (Hindi, for me) of course, didn't stop there. We had it all the way till our ICSE. I painfully made my way through Ekanki Suman and Gadhya Sankalan and god knows how many other books, and managed 78 in my boards. And that was the end of it! I thought I would finally be free of my struggles with languages!
Of course, as I realise now, I was horribly wrong. And I can't even begin to say how much I wish I had paid attention in those classes! My Telugu was branded “Hybrid Telugu” (truly mortifying, trust me!); as a result, my Hindi will not see the light of the day. English is my one and only means of communication. It is a Big disadvantage, especially when you're studying in a place where most people speak (insert one: Malayalam/ Telugu/ Hindi). As if that wasn't enough, I also get made fun of, for speaking English at home! Hey, that's just not fair!
Maybe its just me, and my language skills aren't up to the notch! Maybe the area of my brain which is supposed to be involved in communication got damaged when I fell as a child or something! But all I can say is, I sincerely wish I could turn the clock back, and get a little better at the languages I'm supposed to know!