Date a girl who travels, I say, or don't, how does it matter?

I'm the sort who feels claustrophobic in a party, awkward in a large group, suffocated in constant company, deadbeat when confined to a place for long. Traveling is in my genes. A long holiday doesn't imply party time, it means discovering a new place, or rediscovering an old place via a new path. Just today, I read a blog post about how you should NOT date a person who loves to travel. Something about how you can't handle her and all that jazz. Though beautifully written, I say, how does it even matter? When wanderlust consumes you, nothing else matters!
As I embark on yet another journey on the eve of Lunar/Chinese New Year tomorrow, here's a list of the top 15 destinations I've been to in the past few years (there are so many that I've missed orredy lah, oops I mean, already) :

1) Masai Mara National Park, Kenya:

Why I went: Masai warriors, my love for the wild

2) Neora Valley National Park, West Bengal, India:

Why I went: To get even more up, close and personal with Kanchendzonga than I've been in Gangtok

3) Sandakan, Borneo, Malaysia:

Why I went: The origin of the Orang-utans and proboscis monkeys

4) Chennai, India:

Why I went: Mum's conference, essence of the South

5) Tioman Island, Malaysia:

Why I went: Snorkel, eat, eat, snorkel

6) Changu Lake, Sikkim, India:

Why I went: Snow fight, relive childhood yak ride memories

7) Singapore, Singapore:

 Why I went or rather came: First time non-parental guidance provided foreign trip, pre-21st birthday bash

8) Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, India:

Why I went: Ghost stories of Rani Roopmati, Forts of Mandu

9) Cameron Highlands, Malaysia:

Why I went: Strawberry-picking, Tea and scones, Strawberry-shaped cushion and Vegetable Shopping

10) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

Why I went: It's my 2nd home.

11) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India:

Why I went: It's my 3rd home.

12) New Delhi, Delhi, India:

Why I went: Definitely not because it's not safe

13) Melaka/Melacca/Malacca, Malaysia: 

Why I went: View of the South China Sea from A Famosa Fort

14) Temi Tea Gardens, Sikkim:

Why I went: Sip tea amidst the tea gardens;cherry blossoms signifying the impending exams

15) Cheratin Beach, Malaysia:

Why I went: To have a beach all to ourselves, wildlife river cruise

Music therapy

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." - Bob Marley

Music therapy is actually a THING! I 'googled' it and there was a whole Wikipedia article about music therapy and its detailed history. But let's not go into all that. Concisely, music is a therapeutic solution to a variety of diseases- cardiac, neurological and psychiatric. It's a remedy for adolescents with mood swings, adults with difficulty in social skills and emotional developments. It's known to alleviate patients suffering from dementia, amnesia, aphasia, schizophrenia, depression and coronary heart diseases.Well, thankfully, my case isn't so severe (YET ;) ). I only require music as a cure when I'm convalescing from mild physical illness and missing home; wanting an ego boost after a fight with a friend; recuperating from a heartbreak or when studies bog me down! Eating alone, traveling in public transport, insomnia, boredom - music is my redemption. Have you ever felt that the lyrics of the song is just right for you? Not too subtle but not exaggerated as well? That's the best kind of music. Have you also felt like the chorus is so catchy that you can't get over it for days? That is also the best kind of music. Have you completely not related yourself to the song and still like it for its theme and beat? That's also the best kind of music. Like someone once said, "All music is beautiful." Sometimes music is enough, no meaningful lyrics necessary. Music calms your state of anxiety, decreases depression and elevates you mood. It releases your rage, diminishes your despair and glorifies your gladness.

Shreya Sharma

Is it because it's her birth month? Is it because I'm reading a book written by her cousin brother which is based in Gangtok and brings me an insurmountable amount of nostalgia mostly of her? Or is it because we haven't properly communicated for as long as I can remember? Maybe it's all of the above which makes me miss my namesake so much. You see, it's not just a name that we share. Our bond is unbreakable. In the past 6 years, I've met her just twice for a short duration, we haven't talked over the phone except "Hi, happy birthday" for a year and a half. And still our friendship remains.

Shreya Sharma a.k.a. Phhuchchu a.k.a. Baby Doll (called with sarcasm) despite having the same name is so darn different from me, in both behavior and appearance- she, the cheery, friendly and not-a-care-about-the world one and me the poker-faced, introverted and trying-not-to-care one; she the short, fair, cute one and me the tall, dusky, geeky one. One, never falling and another unfailingly in love (and changing with season). One a pure veg and another who can't live a day without non-veg food. One allergic to drama and another a drama queen. Yet, so similar. Both extremely talkative among their friends, overly annoying and pretty smart. Both sharing the same love for books (non-academic, of course), cute kids (only cute kids, mind you), sarcasm, Arjun Rampal and momos. Both highly repelling 'chamelipan' or 'naekami'. Both extremely attracted to slapstick humour - she the "laugh-er" and I the "cracker".

No we've not been mates since we were toddlers, no she was never my 'best friend' and no, I don't know where she is now and what she's doing. All I know is that she's my long distance friend and you see, it's not just a name that we share.

I am a part Singaporean lah! : Chapter 1

Experiencing writer's block, yet penning it down.

Every new step in life I take, I am a different person. In these past few months of being in Singapore, I have undergone tremendous amelioration. In fact, I quite resemble the Shreya I was back in school, but more in control and like a friend commented, I've grown as a person ( in age, too :P) since then. I feel I was quite vapid back in college and extremely serious and partially blame the influence of others upon me. But ever since I came to NTU, I have been living it up. To me, this is LIFE. The last time I really LIVED was back in the 10th standard, in boarding school, Gangtok. I haven't been able to get over it. Until now! 

In Singapore, I've realized so many things. That every far-off relative, every random acquaintance and most importantly, every friend counts. That it's alright to be alone sometimes, most of the time, not all the time. :P That it's worth it to go that extra mile for the people who matter, however much they have wronged you and vice versa. That caring about what the world thinks is overrated. That you are completely sane to be depressed/ frustrated sometimes, blame it on the 'Island Fever' (although the term actually means a psychological illness suffered by the poor people of Hawaii as they feel they are trapped in the island. :P) That being smart is not as vital as being diligent and extremely interested, even though it helps. That even if your direction sense is negative ;), you will never get lost. If you do, someone will always find you :) (literally and figuratively). That technology can conquer the world. That it's okay to be missing your country at times but abnormal to be missing it constantly. 

And the novel experiences! The incredible and each time unique orchestras, concerts and live performances. Grand fireworks on almost all special occasions except Diwali (Oh irony!). Ice-skating. Kayaking. German Beer. Exciting new food items. First part-time job ( and hence first salary). First paid internship. The new 'good friends'. First foreign friends. Like I said, writer's block! Or maybe I am just too overwhelmed to write uninhibitedly. For these past few months, I have LIVED, my friend.

Shaw Foundation Theater

Clarke Quay- the place I've been to the most so far.

Kayaking- the dream came true after all

The accidental affair- Ice Skating/falling

Like I said- Fireworks

Foooooooood

We have a beautiful pool at NTU

Not so beautiful lake, though, and rumored to be haunted

Birthday treat

Oktoberfest

My extremely random and only non-NTU friend

RoomieLove

Luck to me is?

Not long ago, we had this event, TedX NTU in our university where the theme was 'The Luck Factor' where historians, philosophers, biologists and psychologists talked about various angles of luck. Each individual in the audience was given a tag to stick on their arm where our name and 'Luck to you is:' had to be entered. This got me thinking- What IS luck to me? On retrospection I figured that it has meant everything to me so far. I mean, I'm a girl with no exceptional talent or intelligence. I'm not innovative nor do I possess a heart of gold to commit to charity.

Yet, I possess what many with the above mentioned qualities do not even dream of. I AM lucky to have doting and well-off parents with whom I've seen places my friends haven't had a chance to; who have contributed/ willing to contribute so much on my education; who are extremely modern in attitude (sometimes even more than I am) to not have any restrictions upon me, as long as I'm not surpassing boundaries/studying properly. I AM lucky to be endowed with a loving (and sometimes, ignorant), perfectly disciplined and successful elder brother whom I idolize - one who makes me ponder "Hey that could be me in a few years!" Yes I AM lucky to be friends with some remarkable people- some overachievers, some with such beautiful souls guiding me through thick and thin, some incredibly funny and fun ones and some close to the heart for life. In fact, sometimes I feel that I have so many friends that I have none at all (which is sad :P).

If it was not for LUCK, I wouldn't be born a Bengali. Even though I'm a non-singing, non-epic-movie-directing, non-Nobel Prize winning Bengali, I take extreme pride in my roots. (and I'm NOT undermining other cultures/ nationalities.) If it was not for LUCK, I wouldn't have been able to reside in fantastic places such as Pokhara, Sikkim, Siliguri, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. If it was not for LUCK, I wouldn't have been repeatedly getting whatever questions I studied as the questions in the exams and aced (very lucky indeed). If it was not for LUCK, I would have missed many important journeys in life, had I not come across that one person who helped me to undertake the journey. If it was not for LUCK, I wouldn't have been studying in NTU. If it was not for LUCK, I would cease to exist.

Someone once said, "The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself." True, to some extent I have created my own LUCK, as for the rest, I guess I've just been lucky. ;)

The Wish-list

It's the beginning of recess week and already half the semester has gone by. Time really flies!! If I am able to complete my course in 1 year, then I've successfully already completed 1/4^th of my post grad. Here’s my wish-list after convocation (when I’ll have to and get to behave like a real grown-up):

1)     Get a great job: I wish to acquire a job and position which is related to Power Engineering, demands relevant contribution from me and satisfies me. I mean, that’s why I've taken up this course, to do what I’m interested in and to start my career with a great first experience:  maybe as a power quality engineer or working in the field of renewables. For now, all I can do is hope! 

2)     Get a great place: Home is where the heart is. With the high accommodation costs in SG, a fresh post-grad can hardly boast of a seaside view or a personal swimming pool. All I wish for is a denizen that gives me peace of mind and has a fairly decent location/environment.

3)     Treat my family to something grand: Each one has high expectations from me. Fingers crossed, I don’t want the look of disappointment on their faces.

4)     Explore South-East Asia: That’s the main one. I want to save enough that’ll let me see the sights of Angkor Wat in Cambodia; Chiang Mai in Thailand; Bali, Indonesia and be enlightened about the lesser known countries for me- Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Vietnam, etc. I know it’s too much to wish for but even 3 countries in 3 years of bond period will satiate me.

5)     Learn German: German football team DFB (particularly, Miro, my hero), German sausages and now German beer, I've always had a fascination towards the country. Been there too! But there’s so much more. I look forward to working in the country one day, but that would call for another wish-list. For now, I would like to take up a course (for which I can pay through my own salary) in German which would allow me speak fairly fluent German. Knowing 5 languages isn't enough for me apparently, nor is the book “German for Dummies”. ;)

6)     Fall in love: Not with movie/TV stars, sportsperson or musicians; but with a real person. Not silly one-sided crush, but serious 2-sided LOUW!!

Goodbye Sikkim.

As happy as I was to be finally leaving college after four tormenting years, I was not quite thrilled to bid adieu to the state which has been a part of my life for 7 years and its people for 9 years (3 years of middle school, 4 years of graduation spent in Sikkim, been in touch with friends from Sikkim throughout high school even though I was away from the state.) I still remember the first trip to MG Marg and a roll from 'Roll House'. I remember my first day at Tashi Namgyal Academy in Class 8- first period was arts and first school friend Keyzom. The friends made in school, the fun we had, the hardships and perks of hostel life (Yes, Sikkim gave me my first boarding school experience in Class 9 & 10- back in the days when we did not have even a plug point in our dorms and had to wake up at 5 in the morning for exercise), the various competitions and occasions held in school were long bidden farewell, but the memories are still etched in the brain. The several trips taken with friends and parents to various places- long ones such Yumthang, Katao, Gurudongmar, Changu, Pelling, Ravangla, Yuksom and short ones to Rumtek, Bulbulay, Ganesh Tok, Enchey, Rangka, Temi Tarku, Aritar, Saramsa will truly be cherished. The only regret is not having had an opportunity to visit Namchi. I'll even miss the numerous Gangtok trips with my college mates and exploring new restaurants with every visit. I will indeed miss some of the local delicacies- momo (Ting and normal);shyaphalays; Nepali-style aloo dum, dallae-bamboo pickle; the fresh and organic products such as peaches, plums, pears, passion fruits, cucumbers, maize, tea; gundruk; etc. not to mention the aloo chyura and Hotel Tibet's wanton soup. Also, the scenic beauty has spoiled my eyes. The great Kanchenjunga from our school hostel window; the beautiful flowers, mountains and waterfalls; the view of the Teesta and hills peaking through clouds from our college hostel balcony; the cherry blossoms during impending winters and Sikkim rains have been gotten used to. I will miss speaking in Nepali with random people, will miss some great friends made for life, will miss Bhaichung Bhutia's annual trip to school, will miss the good-looking guys and really amicable people of Sikkim. However, what I will not miss are the dusty roads that lead me to the state. Goodbye Sikkim.