Mwah Shilps! :)

No matter what I write about you and the times I spent with you, nothing, NOTHING, will come close to telling you what you mean to me. Im sooooooooooooooo happy that you will be starting a new life in a new city (TRUST ME Hyd is awesome!!! And the sights... ufff kya batao!!! *wink wink*) and at the same times Im million times more sad that you are going to go away from us all...

The time I spent with you... laughing mostly... and some of it crying and some more of it fighting... I will always always remember it. When I sit to think of the three years that I spent with you, there are so many memories that crowd my mind.. All the times that bring a smile to my face instantly, making me thank the big guy up there, for blessing me with a friend like you.

I remember how we all came together, you, moni, pranita, varu and me... strangely beginning in the LR (Ladies Room) of all places!! How many times we have sat there, completing assignments, laughing about teachers, talking about crushes and boyfriends (apne AND doosro ke... hehehehe!)... and omg!! taking those million pics!!!! :) :) :)

I remember how we formulated our "MOM" theory... talking about the eccentricities of our respective mom's.. Hehehe!!! The MOM Theory of our girl gang was that all moms in the world refered some common hidden book in the world. The book had all the same theories that moms uncannily seemed to follow (for example -- "If your friend (who i have seen with my own eyes) is not going for that outing, you are not allowed", "Any guy who calls you after 10.00 PM is a 'bigda' hua ladka!")and they all referred the same dialogues -- ("haaaannn.... yeh toh guesthouse refering to home) hai!!!! mann aata hai tab aati hai... mi tar molkarin aahe na! ('Im just a maid' in marathi)" .... "Once I say NO it means NO!"... "Friends ke liye tere pass time hai... Mere liye nahi hai!!! (tragic voice)" And even if we were not allowed for those outings, or we had to invent some seriously crazy code names for the bigde hue ladke who called after 10.00PM... we found a way to laugh about it all... And my god! Do I miss that wonderful laughter! :)

Shimla-Manali trip was the best time of my life, with the SHOT gang and the crazy antics we did... The people we troubled in the trains, the masti with did our RR Gang... Remember how Karthik sprayed his deo at us when we yelled "shot diya shot diya" complete with mawali steps on the train, and yelled back "baas maara baas maara" :D :D You, Prani, Moni, Sari, Varu had the best time, in the snow, shooting snowballs at the "others" :D having CRAZYYYYY photoshoots where we pretended to be models in demand :P which we actually are anyway :P hehehhee!!! Rem how we were singing songs while we on on those horses with weird haircuts, how we ran around in the Manali hotel pretending to be ghosts (with a seriously BAD sense of humor!!), troubling couples, talking about the future late in the night and then finally saying "Abe yaar yeh sab kya SHOT hai... chalo CID dekhte hai!" ... Life was so wondeful with a friend like you.

Naintal trip was the icing on the cake, with the vodka party and the Danger Duckies... Then the jeep ride in Jim Corbett where all we saw were elephants :P, then coming and playing sakhli on the hotel grounds :D.. I remember getting scared out of my wits when we heard that sudden knock on the door in the dead of the night, with the lights all gone, and weird sounding rasping from the other side... and the GENIUSES that we are.. we carry PILLOWS as shields!!! and go open the door to not a ghost but Gul!!! Ofc no ghost would have hair THAT long! :P the gossip-cum-what happens in the future sessions in the middle of the night where Gul wanted to open the windows because "the insects will be sleeping anyway" :D

Sharing dabba in the canteen, sitting in the quad, hanging out in the LR of all places possible, bunking lects, sitting for lects and throwing paper balls, fighting with mad people in exam dept, going crazy about Salman :P (of Dance India Dance fame), enjoying every fest of college with crazy screaming... You made college a LOT awesomer than before! :) You are one of the few people who make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have friends like you guys! :)

All the best for whatever you do (Im TELLING you .NET is awesome! :P JAVA SUCKS!) And hope you find happiness where you are (If you find extra tall dark handsome from down there, send me ASAP! :P) and Ill misssss youuu!!!!! Now who will tell Pranita with me "Nice try huh, Nice try! " :( and who will tell her "Annie tak pohochne ke liye tujhe mere paise guzarna padega" I'll miss you babe!!!


Love you LOTS!,
Proud SHOT gang member,
Annie. :)

A Thousand Splendid Suns.

I wrote a review a very long time back for the college magazine about my favorite book - A Thousand Splendid suns. If you haven't yet read the book then go and read it NOW! Now, I'm hardly the expert of reviews, because this happens to be the only one I have ever written :P so I'm not exactly sure how long it is supposed to be. But anyways, hope you guys like it. Here goes :


"Khaled Hosseini's 2003 novel "The Kite Runner" arrived at the perfect post-9/11 moment, bringing into glaring spotlight the suddenly notorious Islamic nation of Afghanistan & then slowly weaved a rich, deeply affecting & painfully heart wrenching story that spoke of friendship, treachery, Taliban cruelty, and redemption. Next, Hosseini presents before us, a heart breaking follow-up “A Thousand Splendid Suns", set once again against the backdrop of recent violence of Afghanistan, which literally reveals the bruises beneath the burqa.

“The Kite Runner” got off a gripping start & later stumbled into sentimentality. Like a stark contrast “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” starts off subtly, slowing unfurling, progressively gaining speed & emotional power. Hosseini who was born in Kabul and moved to the United States in 1980,is a gifted storyteller who creates characters deftly, colored with simplicity & rudimentary boldfaced emotions, intertwined expertly with melodramatic plot lines. The story gives an intimate look at a nation that is torn apart by war, in a way that speaks to a vast majority of the world's readers. Because inspite of his writing being vivid & descriptive, it remains balanced & shockingly real, which gives you a distinct feeling that you are right there watching it all happen.

A Thousand Splendid Suns offers a harrowing insight into the lives of Afghan women spanning over the last 3 decades, alternating between the points of view of the two main protagonists of the story – Mariam & Laila, who are women born into very different circumstances. The story set primarily in Kabul starts in 1964 with a five-year-old Mariam, & finally ends in 2003, spanning over the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the defeat and withdrawal of the Russians that led to the warlords in-fighting, followed by the rise of the Taliban, and ends with the beginning of democratic rule.

Mariam is the abandoned illegitimate daughter, result of a wealthy businessman’s sexual dalliance with a washerwoman. At 15, curious about the outside world, & the remainder of her blood ties, she decides to take her life’s course into her own hands… & it isn’t one she always desired. Her mother commits suicide and she is forced to marry Rasheed, a shoemaker in Kabul, who apart from being 3 times her age, is a coarse, lecherous and violent man who effectively turns Mariam’s already disheveled life into a living hell. Hossieni reveals how Mariam’s destiny is taken from her hands in a casual, almost impassive way, which gives an insight to his natural storytelling talents, pulling the readers heartstrings in just the right way.

The life of the novel’s other heroine, Laila, takes an even sharper trajectory toward ruin. Though she is the cherished daughter of an intellectual, Laila finds her life shattered when first her brothers fall martyr for the country, & then a rocket —a result of the mujahideen running riot in the country— lands on her house and kills her parents. Alone in a war torn country, half deaf by a bomb blast & terrified that she is pregnant by her childhood sweetheart Tariq, who has already left Afghanistan, Laila is forced to take cover with Rasheed and his wife. Soon her life starts to resemble the one that countless Afghan women live each day, & she finds herself, at 14, Rasheed’s new wife.

There is no joy in this grotesque union, only humiliation & servitude, but the slow-growing friendship between the 2 women, against all expectations, sustains and transforms them over the increasingly gruesome years that come. The romantic twists in the story may seem fairytale-like but all in all the story remains a sadly accurate version of what many Afghan women have experienced.

At its best, the novel is a view into all the big events of Afghan history, through a veil: daily mundane household chores, the way the family treats each other, their daily life – we see nothing except through their eyes, & that is what makes the novel a stirring read. The novel never feels like a history lesson or a window on human rights issue, all of the best elements of fiction are present right there: love, betrayal, crisis, scandal, the best and worst of human behavior. What's unmistakable though is how much war -- be in the Soviets, the Americans or the Taliban and various factions -- have gutted the country. This is a story of a country in which there are roughly 2 million war widows & almost as many beggars as there are burqa’s. Nearly every family who stayed had someone who was murdered, raped and tortured and sometimes entire families were massacred.

Someone who keeps track of international news will be well exposed to the atrocities of war & the suffering of women, but as fiction, it devastates in an unflinchingly real way, that will force each reader to imagine the consequence of facing such a grim fate. All in all there are the lessons to be learnt: true love never dies; justice will be done; sisterhood is powerful. It’s a novel that will keep you on the edge till u read the last line, well worth a read, impossible to resist. Speaking of his countrymen in “The Kite Runner” made Khaled Hossieni a well known name among the new genre of writers, but it is the plight of Afghan women in “A thousand splendid suns” that has brought him to realize his full powers as a novelist.

-- Annie.

Good Girl Gone Bad.

The beep of her phone startled her, abruptly halting the pens advent of the idle doodling on the last page of her notebook. She took the cellphone out of her bag.

'1 new message’

"Free at 8?"

She ran her fingers through her thick black hair, turning slightly to her left. She saw him sitting at the far end of the class, turned towards her, watching her nonchalantly, casually flicking his phone in his hand. She turned back ahead as the professor droned on in his ultra-bored voice about the assignment to be handed in the next day. She slowly stashed her books into her bag, and started to walk out with the rest of the crowd, with the bag riding low on her waist.

She felt another beep as her cell vibrated in her back pocket. She turned back to him and gave a curt nod. She turned back ahead, but not before she saw her twine her fingers through his. Her lips curled into something between a sneer and a crooked smile and she walked out of the class with her heels tapping loudly, sure that he was watching her.

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He sat impatiently in his car, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, checking the rear view mirror every other second. She finally appeared, at the back end of the road, walking in a slow rhythmic grace towards him. Her worn out, faded jeans clung to those long shapely legs, almost making him sigh. Her eyes, outlined with black kohl, flashed with the dangerous light like always, guarded and cautious, like a feline just about to attack.

“Waiting for me honey?” she drawled in that deep husky voice, as she slid easily into the seat beside him. He gave her two seconds to close the door behind her, before he was claiming her lips with the urgency that was threatening to dangerously spin out of control.

He felt her hands pushing him back, softly but with an undeniable strength beneath them. He leaned back, took a deep breath and cleared his mind of his thoughts, and took off with squealing tires that left a cloud of dust in its wake.

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The night had turned colder, and they lay on the back seat of the car, sharing a sheet between the two of them. She shifted slightly snuggling deeper under the sheet, pulling the strap of her bra back over her shoulder. He sat leaned against the window, frosted with the vapor, running his fingers through his hair now damp with the sweat. Suddenly striking like a naughty kitten, she nudged him on the chest with her foot under the blanket. He looked up at her, smiling the crooked smile, watching as she gave him the almost drowsy half-smile, mysterious stare, that he could never decipher, but which never failed to arouse him. He made to move towards her, his hands sliding up her thighs, and she moved to take him over her, reaching for his shoulder when the shrill sound of his cell phone broke loudly into the nights silence.

She sat up abruptly, her eyes turning back to chips of black hard stone, the smile gone from her face. He rolled his eyes and he didn’t need to check his phone before he said in clipping tones, “It’s her.”

It was the signal for her to remain quiet. In the silence of the night, she heard every word from the phone like she was right there on the back seat of the car.

“Sweetheart, where are you? I have been waiting for your call for the entire evening!”

He said in a bored sounding flat monotone, “I was busy baby, remember we have that networks assignment to hand in tomorrow?”

He pulled her in his arms, balancing the phone between his shoulder and right ear, his fingers idly playing with her hair, damp too, slipping lower to the tattoo on her left hip. He tuned her out, as she went on about how many dresses she got from the million stores she went to that afternoon. And then he gasped as she suddenly got on top of him.

“What’s wrong honey? What happened?” came the voice from the phone, barely missing anything. But he hardly heard anything, because she was so close to him, cupping his face with both hands, he could almost hear her heartbeat, her hair tumbling all over her shoulder onto his chest.

“I’ll call you back later. I broke my toenail.” He flicked his cell closed and threw it somewhere in the front. She laughed then, a rich sound, throwing her hair over her shoulder and looking down at him grinning, “Broke your toenail? Seriously? ” He grabbed the hair at the back of her head and pulled her back closer, eliminating the last of the distance between them.

They didn’t complete the networks assignment after all.

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“Happy anniversary baby” she crooned, planting a big smack on his lips, right in front of the whole class. The girl’s aww-ed and the guys wolf-whistled. A cake had been called for to celebrate their 3 years of togetherness. He didn’t like the way it all was projected as some grand affair, he hated the crowds. He looked over the faces around him to the far end of class, watched her as she stood leaning back against the wall, the same old mysterious stare directed towards him.

He didn’t realize that someone else was watching her too.

“The punk chic’s got the hots for your guy. Look how she stares.” Her best friend whispered into her ears, she turned to look and it was true. There was pure animal hunger on that girls face. A possessive flash of jealousy made her walk purposefully towards him and turn him to face her. She kissed him lightly on the lips and pulling away to smile back at him. Slipping her hands down his arm, she nodded towards the cake, pulling him softly along with her.

She saw everything from across the class, her eyes an unfathomable black and her face an impassive mask. She turned and slowly walked away, certain that he was not watching her anymore.

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“You don’t deserve to live bitch.”

She was hunched over the sink in the washroom, and she straightened up with a flash, meeting crazed furious eyes in the mirror. She turned around, pure, bone-chilling fear gripping every fiber of her being. It was strange because she had never felt fear ever in her entire life, till this moment as she stared at the girl shaking with anger, her eyes saying that she was beyond any reason. She opened her mouth to scream but it was too late.

The terror was the last thing she ever felt, before the hammer came crashing into her face.

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“Did they find out who it was?”

“It was late. She was about to go out. No one saw who it was.”

“Could it be one of us?”

He heard nothing of it all, numb with the sight of closed coffin. They said her face was smashed so bad that they couldn’t even fix it up for her funeral. He still felt like it was all just a bad dream.

He felt a beep from his cell phone. He slowly took it out and flicked it open. He looked up across the cemetery and saw her standing below the willow at the end of the grounds. Even from that far he could see that half-smile and that mysterious stare.

‘1 new message’

“Free at 8?”

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~Annie.

P.S: *grin*

And its that time of the year again...

I swear the first thing that comes to my mind on this New Years is that the year went by SO soon! It feels like just yesterday that I was changing my calender from 2008 to 2009... But its over now and there are so many things that have changed... so many things that are gone and so many that are new and are taking some getting used to... so many things have happened since...

This was the year of a lot of first's and last's...

First real, hurts-like-hell, almost-killed-me heartbreak..
Never thought Ill survive it but I DID! Thanks to 2009 for bringing this change which in turn changed a lot of things in my life..

First tattoo..
"You can do anything you want, if you only believe in yourself.."

Last trip with the Wizards...Last sem of college... seeing the Last of VJTI...
The last trip with the Wizards was just as awesome as all the other ones, but this one made everyone laugh a lot more, cry a lot more and hold hands a lot tighter because who knows when we all would meet again...

Last farewell ... Last of paperball throwing and bunking lects to go sit in the quad...
College got over after all, saying goodbye to dear friends I will never meet again was so strange... Seeing my bestest friends leave for US was even worse, for a moment there I felt so alone. But as it turns out I wasnt and life had so many goodies in store for me.

First job... First business suit and Last of those girly skirts :P
The job that I was so dreading to walk into on the 1st of July, turned out to be everyone's envy for being so incredibly COOL! :) I'm having such a great time, in my own world, on my own.. nothing really beats this feeling.. :)

First online friends..
This year saw me getting addicted to the net like never before. LOL. This place.. Blogsville.. has been so crazy and sweet and bitter and fun and... so unpredictable. It made me sad and it made me happy. I am not much of a believer in analyzing every single thing that happens, like a true engineer I just look for the end result :) which was that I made some really good friends and learnt some really important lessons :)

First walks alone... Last walks with fingers intertwined..
First feeling of being free... and independent..
For the first time in my entire 22 years of life, this year made me do things on my own, be there for myself. It was strange because I have always had someone or the other with me all the time, but it was easy to get used to, and it wasn't quite so weird anymore. Lately I think I like taking those walks alone, I like doing things that are impulsive and crazy (I can see Arnab grinning now :P) and I sure like the feeling of being so independent. I swore to myself, and I have every intention of keeping that promise, that I will never let anyone take this away from me.
Noone. Ever.

I dont know what happens in the next year, everything is unplanned. Things are hazy and blurry, I dont know exactly what I want to do and who I want to end up being.. and I think that is just fine. Things will work out in the way they want to and when they want to. Till then.. well.. rock on \m/ :)

I hope everyone else is looking forward to the new year and the surprises in store too! Wishing all of you a very happy new year! Mwah! love ya all! :)


~ Annie.
P.S: Me: "Bye bhi nai bola".. Nik (grinning): "Hi bola tha kya?" Thanks for saying :)

Lazy Saturday ....

I spend this Saturday having a nice chinese lunch with one of my closest friends and then strolling around out all time fav hangout - Shivaji Park. Now this friend had just got a new cam from US (and I actually mean JUST) and he was excitedly opening up the parcel while our order was on the way :) As it turns out it was one of the awesomest cam's I have ever used. We both (we play pretend couple sometimes :P) were like "Honey Im no longer in love with you, because this beauty has taken my heart away" And it DID! TRUST ME! It was the new Canon Powershot SX120 IS and its :O! Sinful! Check out the pictures at my photoblog here - SnapShots.

~Annie.

P.S: I have ALWAYS wanted a good cam because Im so in love with Mumbai and there are a million things to click here, but unfortunately I dont have a great cam (I have to make do with my cells cybershot :P)... I might get one soon, and then Im sure Ill need a seperate blog for all the zillion pics :P

P.P.S: Sorrrrryyyyy for the pathetic resolution, but thats the best my sucky net would allow :( :( But no matter what, I love all my pics!!!! :P :D :)

Its that time of the year again....

... The jingle of the bells ...

...The flickering yellow lights of candles...

... Socks hung out for Santa ...

... The smell of pine in the air ...

... Waking upto gifts wrapped in shiny gold paper ...

...and CANDIES!!! ...

... and the CHOCOLATES!!!!...

... And the sweet sound of Christmas Carols ... :)

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ, the Saviour is born

Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

...And Christmas is just round' the corner!!!! :)

You never came

My eyes have lost their sleep in watching
Yet if I do not meet thee
Still it is sweet to watch ..

My heart sits in the shadow of the rains
Waiting for thy love
If she is deprived still it is sweet to hope

They walk away in different paths
Leaving me behind
If Im alone still it is sweet to listen to thy footsteps

The wistful face of the earth weaving its autumn mists
Wakens longing in my heart
If it is in vain, still it is sweet to feel the pain of longing....

-Tagore.

P.S: I wish you knew just how much it hurts when you do something like that.

THANKS!!!! :)

I wrote and rewrote and yet again rewrote my Birthday Post... trying to describe how my day was.. And as you can see I didn't manage to get it quite so right :) But well that's.. er.. me :P I want to say so many things to so many people... But then words just wont be enough. So I'm going to make this as to the point as possible. This is a "Thank You" to all the wonderful people who make me wonder how in the world did I end up having one of my bestest birthdays!!!! :)

First, Thanks to Arnab who was the first person to call me and give me a sign that my sad birthday wasn't going to be sad after all!!! :P And you sang!!!!!! how AWWWWW is thatttt!!!! I cant wait to meet you and hear a live performance :P

Thanks to 'The Jerk' :P You know why. I reaaallllyyy wished you would have called me by my most favorite name in the whole world.. but oh well!!! NO thanks for the 'please!!!' during the movie. Thanks for confirming that IITians are geeks (I always knew that!) NO Thanks for making fun of my kitty-teddy *whack* and Thanks for the Rocher :) You are one of the awesomest friend I have ever had and I am so so happy that our friendship is so kickass strong! :)

Thanks to Abha & Ketki, my bestest most oldest friends. It was so wonderful meeting up with you, like it always is.. The place has quickly turned into one of my favorite places of recent times to hang out at.. I love you guys for all the years of friendship we have had.. You made my birthday truly complete :)

Thanks to Karan. I cant express just how happy he made me! It was the second time I was meeting him and he was just amazing!!! The tradition of getting a cake for my Birthday continues (I was almost convinced it was going to stop with my 21st one) I cant believe you actually got me Koki!!! (a sindhi dish that I absolutely LOVE!) Awwww!!!!..Thanks for driving from all the way across town to get me my most awesome cake, my most awesome surprise and the most awesome message :) :) :)... which brings me to my next thanks..

Thanks to Isha. omg omg omg!!!! :P I love you! *whack to Karan for sniggering as I know he is!* I cant believe how close we have become over the last months, and how awesome talking to you is.. You are truly my soul sister.. MWAH! :) and I just cant wait to meet you too.... *HUGS*

Thanks to Nik for coming home and devouring half of my leftover birthday cake! :P Thanks for the "belated" birthday party that began at 12.00 6th of Dec.. and lasted for 2 hours where we watched Tevez make the most spectacular goal, had hookah like there was no tomorrow and drove around in the chilly dead of the night... :P Thanks!! :)

Thanks finally to the couple that has been my favourite lately - Binu and Varu :) Love you guys for the gift and love you guys to make the time to meet me (Though you guys could have cut short the 'romantic walk' that resulted in you guys showing up half an hour late!! :P)

and last but not the least...

Thanks to Nikhil... For the gift!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!! You are crazy seriously!!! I cant believe you did that!!!! Awwwwwww.... Thanks for everything. I hope you know you are one of the awesomest guys I know here on Blogsville and one of the very few people who know and accept me the way I am.. for which I am so so grateful :) Meoooowwwwwww!!! :)

So as it turns out, out of 'the list' I didnt get flowers or my bada wala teddy or the goodnight kiss... I didnt get the watch or the Apple Macbook AIR :P... But I got some really warm hugs and some really awesome surprises (one of the best of em' was Ishani calling me up and asking me Guess Who??!!! :P).. I didn't get my flawless complexion but I did get a extremely uncomfortable (because I was glaring) 'nice hair' :P I had a lot of laughs and the most wonderful friends... I didn't get the ice-cream.. I got a sizzling brownie instead :) I got my good movie (Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure :P (If you don't know who is Tinkerbell... refer my FB display pic)).. I got my good book ("The girl with the dragon tattoo").... I missed the beach but I think the drive in the cold made the perfect ending.. :)

But NOTHING beat the feeling of having my bestest friends around me (in some strange way not even literally 'around' me but still so so close!).. NOTHING beat the feeling of.. feeling so loved. :)

Annie.
P.S: I just CANT believe how lucky I am! :) Thanks all you guys!!!!!!

Birthday Wishlist...

7th Day from now.... wow so close!!! :) :) :)


Someone singing me happy bday in a veryyyy buttery voice at 12 in the night :)
Beautiful red roses...
Teddy bear -- badaaaa wala :)...
A pleasant suprise...
Warm Hugs...
Someone to hold my hand out of the blue...
A new Fasttrack watch...
YET another bottle of Davidoff :P...
Jewellery...
A new cam...
Ok since this is MY list and I can dream as much as I want ... Apple Macbook AIR :P
Lots of laughter...NO tears!!! *I hav had really bad last few bdays* :(
A good movie... (n NO I DONT want to see Paa which is releasing the day before!)
A good book...
Clothes!!!!...
A sexy new bag...
Shoes.. :P *I can never have enuf of these :P*
Someone telling me I look very pretty...
Flawless complexion on that day atleast :P
Lots of smiles.. for no reason :)
Watching the sun go down at the beachside and hearing the waves as they come by.. *sighhhh!!*
Chocolate Chip Icecream... :)
A good night kiss that leaves me breathless...



I know none of the things I really really want for my bday will actually come true. I know that my 22nd bday is going to be just another day... just like my 21st bday. My best friends are away or busy, my crush is an idiot :P, and basically it will be over even before I realize it... and as much as I hate the sound of that I cannot do anything about it :(

But what the heck?! :P
Whats life without impossible dreams nai? :)

~ Annie

To the bravest daughter I have ever known,

I know you miss your Dad more than anything else in this whole world. I know you miss him everyday, and the fact that you are in an alien city so so far away from home.. from Mumbai makes it ten times more worse. I know that everyday not having him around makes you sad but I also know that knowing him better than anyone else, makes you so incredibly proud to be called the daughter of such an amazing man.

I know its been an year and there is no use trying to hide facts behind fake makeup, I know nothing has been done to the man who killed your father. You must be bitter about the fact that its taking so long, and people are actually trying to prove the bastards innocence(?). It makes my blood boil when I see that. It makes me disgusted to know that even losing their best couldnt open their eyes. It makes me sad that the best one to go was so close to us all.

Sometimes its almost like the bloodiest, scariest night didnt happen at all. The way people have moved on with their lives and how the 'city that never sleeps' is back to the everyday chaos. I remember sitting at Riddhis birthday a year ago when it all happened, and having the shock of my life seeing the scenes that unfolded before me. I remember going home when Ketkis mom dad, scared out of their wits, came to pick up us girls. I remember being shook of my sleep, waken up by my mom at 5 in the morning when all the news channels broadcasted the same news - the news of your fathers death. I can not even imagine what you must have gone through.

Most of all I remember meeting you, after years, and yet nothing seemed changed.. and seeing how strong you were through the nightmare. I saw how you held your emotions, how you never once cried, and how proud you were of your father. I saw your father in you.

Its been a year, and I know it might not seem like it with the city returning back to the noone-waits-for-anyone-here pace, but every single person in this city, not just this one, but everyone who has seen what happened, respects and salutes your father for the sacrifice he made just so all of us could be safe. I am proud to have known such a man, and Im prouder to have known such a brave daughter. I salute you Diu.

London is far, but no matter how far, remember we all always have and will always love you to bits. Miss you, come back soon.

~ Annie.
P.S: We shall never forget... and we will never ever forgive.