Youth Wasted.

As I was walking to the nearby track for my afternoon run, I walked by an elderly man with a backpack on that stopped to catch a breath of air. I asked him if he needed help carrying whatever it was he was carrying, but he kindly refused and we struck up a random conversation. (I'm notorious for talking to strangers. I think it comes to me naturally as my subconsious rebelling against my parents who always told me not to do so.)

He told me that "Youth is wasted on the young." He went on to explain that young people have everything going for them physically; they're in the best health they'll ever be in. Their minds are sharp BUT they lack the patience, understanding and wisdom, which results in such a waste of this precious time in life. They're in such a rush to grow up, that they miss all the opportunites and abilities of the body that a person who's lived & learned knows what they want to do but don't have the body for anymore. Another way of putting that saying is, "If I could go back to (what ever age) and if I know then what I know now, life would be wonderful."

His speech was so inspiring that I totally walked past the track and walked him to the library several streets down. He was living proof that he was enjoyin every day of his life as though they were of his youth; he was 89 years old strong and healthy. My guess before he told me was somewhere in his 60's.

I definitely enjoyed my run today. Youth not wasted. :)

Feeling Old.

I didn't get carded buying wine today. I'm feeling a bit insecure, wondering if I look wayyyyy over 21 already. Having been 21 just two years ago, I was hoping that I'd still be carded for looking questionably in my earlier 20's at least until I turned 25.

To make myself feel better, I'm believing that I wasn't carded precisely because I was buying wine, a more mature person's alcohol. Had I been buying vodka, jagger, or more typically college party hard alcohols I would have been carded for sure.

Chinese Astrology.

With the Chinese New Year almost here, I felt the sudden urge to look up Chinese Astrology and try to piece together what it predicted for my fortunes this coming year. Unlike the Western Zodiac, which is based on constellations and birth months, Chinese Astrology operates on cycles of years, lunar months, and two-hour periods of the day.

So according to the various sites I visited:

丑 Ox (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water): The Ox person is dependable, calm, methodical, patient, hardworking, ambitious, conventional, disciplined, steady, modest, fair-minded, logical, resolute, tenacious. They can also sometimes be stubborn, narrowminded, materialistic, rigid, demanding and nurture grievances. The Ox can attain prosperity and success through fortitude, hard work and natural leadership qualities. Good dentists, surgeons, engineers, and archaeologists. Ox years include 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997. The month of the Ox is Jan 6 - Feb 3, and the hours of the Ox are 1am - 3am.

YAY! OXES MAKE GOOD DENTISTS! :D

Ok, although the Ox's general element is Water, my specific element is Wood (because I was born in in a year ending in "5"). The only interesting thing written about the Wood Element is that is my "Season" is Spring, and "Most Favorable Colors" are green & brown. It gave me my optimal working and sleeping position in degrees, but I don't know how to exactly go about measuring that.

Anyway, I found a Chinese website that formulated a specific analysis of your life's high & low periods based on the numerology of your name, birth time, location, and date. Here's a table I was provided with. Tell me you don't think this sounds SUPER DEPRESSING:

1990 - 1999 (Age 5 - 14) -- Luck against you
2000 - 2009 (Age 15 - 24) -- Luck against you
2010 - 2019 (Age 25 - 34) -- Luck against you
2020 - 2029 (Age 35 - 44) -- Luck with you
2030 - 2039 (Age 45 - 54) -- Luck with you
2040 - 2049 (Age 55 - 64) -- Luck with you
2050 - 2059 (Age 65 - 74) -- Luck with you
2060 - 2069 (Age 75 - 84) -- Luck with you
2070 - 2079 (Age 85 - 94) -- Luck with you
2080 - 2089 (Age 95 - 104) -- Luck against you
2090 - 2099 (Age 105 -114) -- Luck against you

Basically, Luck is supposed to be against me throughout the prime of my life and when I'm at the brink of death. Great.

Aarz Kiya Hai IV.

This is what I found scribbled in my DAT book under some Plant Life Cycle notes:

Roney de aaj humko,
Dho aakhein sujaney de.
Bahon mein le le,
Aur khud ko bheeg janey de.

Hai seeney mein kaid dariya
Vo chuut jahey ga.
Hai itna dhard
Ke tera damaan bheeg jahey ga.

TRANSLATION:
Let me cry today
Until my eyes do swell.
Take me in your arms
And allow yourself to be drenched.

The ocean inprisoned in my chest
Will set itself free.
I'm overcome with so much pain,
That you indeed will be drenched.

Ok, I'm not an emotional mess. Dard-e-Shayari is written in such colorful language, that I can't help appreciate it.

But speaking of DAT books, its time to stop blogging and get back to studying! <3

Aarz Kiya Hai III.

Today, my poet of choice is Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana. He was famous during the time of the Mughal emperor Akbar in the late 1500s. I absolutely love his Hindi couplets (Dohas).

Rahiman dhaga prem ka, mat todo chatkay
Toote se phir na jude, jude gaanth pad jaye.
TRANSLATION:
Says Rahim, don't allow the delicate thread of love (between individuals) to snap. For once it snaps, it cannot be rejoined. And if rejoin it, will forever bear a knot.

Bade badai na karain, bade na bole bol
Rahiman heera kab kahe lakh taka mero mol.
TRANSLATION:
"The truly great never reveal their worth. Nor do those who are truly worthy of praise, praise themselves. Says Rahim, like a diamond, he never feels the need to brag that he's worth millions."

Rahiman dekhi baden ko, laghu na dije daari
Jahan kaam aawe sui, kaha kare talwari.
TRANSLATION:
"Says Rahim, do not spurn the trivial seeing the weighty. When you need a sewing needle, of what use a sword?"

Rahiman ya tan soop hai leejeeaye jagat pachhor
Harikan ko udijan dey garuay rakhee bator.
TRANSLATION:
“Says, Rahim, this mind (body) is like a sieve; sort your friends out through it. Let the light (bad) ones and go (fly in the wind) and carefully keep the heavy (good) ones.”

Kheera mukh te kaatye, maliyat laun lagye
Rahiman karue mukh ko chahiyat eehi sazaye.
TRANSLATION:
"To cure a bitter cucumber, we cut its head off and rub in salt. Says Rahim to cure a bitter mouth we should make use of the same remedy."

Je Rahim uttam prakrati, ka kari sakat kusung
Chandan vish vyapat nahi, liptat rahat bhujang.
TRANSLATION:
"Says Rahim, How will evil corrupt, he who has an excellent character? After all does the sandalwood become poisonous by having snakes lie around its trunk?"

Kahee Rahim sampati sage, banat bahut bahu reet
Bipati kasoti je kase, te hi saanche meet.
TRANSLATION:
"Says Rahim, people will find many many ways to be related to fortune. But only he is a true friend, who stands by you in misfortune."

Cooking Desi.

My cousin's daughter (who is actually like 5 years older than me), came from India a few years ago. With any elder Indian that hasn't seen me in a while, the conversation topic is about my "studies" or about my "marriage plans." Well, I was surprised when the conversation instead started off with:

Cousin's Daughter: So do you eat Indian food?
Me: Uh, yeah I do from time to time.
CD: You don't eat it all the time?
Me: No.
CD: So what do you make when you're in Berkeley?
Me: Pasta, rice, pizza, noodles, and such.
CD: You don't cook Indian food?
Me: No, it takes too much time.
CD: But you do know how right? Make a thurka and all?
Me: Yea, sure.
CD: So you just don't make it?
Me: Nope.
CD: Wait, are you planning on marrying an Indian guy?

Huh? What? How did a simple cooking conversation jump to my marital preferences? How exactly does what I cook correlate with the race I prefer to marry? Well, if who I'll marry was determined by what I cook, my man would be Italian for sure. If it correlates with the food I most enjoy eating, then no doubt, he'd be Thai.

.

So Italian or Thai? I'll have to get back to you on that one...

Analyze This IV.

No, I didn't have a nightmare last night. I did, however, come across a message I had written to my friend about the one I had back in October that I still clearly remember. This was the message:

"Ok, so I fell asleep to Tout Le Monde on repeat and I had the most twisted nightmare ever!! So I was giving a report presentation (that prob came into my dreams cuz of our convo) with Cindy and other classmates in a tent in the middle of the woods. I was the last person of the group to go present and the other finished groupies stepped outside for a min... and got eaten up by cannibals!! we couldnt find the cannibals but apparently they were followin me cuz they'd friggin gobble up anyone I'd hang out with!! and then i was like omg, no more Berkeley/woods life for meeh, i'm going home to SJ where there aint no cannibals!! but this time i'm home juss to see the bones of my eaten family members all around the house!! and the music was incorporated into my dreams, superrr eerie. when i started hearin it in my dreams the "end credits" of the "movie dream" started rollin. HELLA CREEPY. I'm never listening to that song while sleepin ever again!!"

Tout Le Monde:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOKiLHxBmMU

Playing Possum.

Yesterday night I went to take out the trash and I saw something on the backyard fence that I first thought was a cat. To my surprise, it didn't run away. When it turned its face in my direction I FREAKED OUT. It had a pig-like face, cat-like fur, and a huge-rat like tail. WTF was this creature???!!!

Whatever it was, was NOT cute. Pigs scare me senseless since I watched Saw (they use pig faces as masks in that movie). I guessed that it was an opossum from pictures I've seen in biology books in the past. But I thought they were native to Australia, so what was it doing in my yard? Also, I wondered why it wasn't afraid of me? It didn't even flinch even when I shone a flashlight at it.

So then I did what I do when I'm overwhelmed with questions. I consulted Wikipedia. My most reliable reference. :P Confirmed. It was indeed an opossum. They're native to South America and Canada. On few occasions they're seen in the extreme of North America. Yeah, but not yesterday! Homie got lost and ended up on the west coast.

Anyway, I learned a couple things. One, they're nocturnal, like me :). And according to Wiki, when they feel threatened they will "play possum" and mimik a sick or dead animal. They draw their lips back, bare their teeth, foam at the mouth, and secrete a "foul-smelling fluid from their anal glands." EEW. The whole physiological response is involuntary; they kind of lose consciousness during this time. Allegedly you can even prod, turn over, and carry away the stiffened up animal and it won't do anything.

I would NOT want to poke or prod an animal like that. It's known to be the mammal with greatest number of teeth. Oh, and they're 8x more likely to have rabies than dogs; 1 in 800 opossums are carriers of the disease.

Opossums are attracted to garbabe and persimmons. Both which can be found in my backyard. Great, I don't think thats the last I'll be see of that critter.

Analyze This III.

A Dreams Class & various psychology books have told me that dreams are usually coded messages that correlate to the events of your day & your life. Tell me why I dreamt this then:

I was a squirrel & had a raccoon as a “partner in crime.” We would go out on missions to steal animal babies from mothers with post-partum depression. The whole city (that we were “working” in) were out to get us for it. After stealing a baby, we would hide it behind a bush in a cave that looked like a train tunnel. And that’s how my entire dream went.

Happy Lohri.

My cousin sent me a message wishing me a "Happy Lohri." Lohri has been one Indian holiday I never quite understood why we celebrate. All I know is that theres candy giving, dancing, and kids involved. Every year I've told myself I'd look it up. Well, after 23 years of putting it off, the day has come.

Ok, browsing through random websites, I have learned:

• Lohri is celebrated on January 13th of every year, because it's been decided to be the last of the coldest days of the year.
• It's a fundamentally agricultural festival and thats why it's a popular day in Punjab and North India (farming states).
• In January, fresh crops of wheat have started growing & farmers are ecstatic.
• During the day time, children go from door to door singing in praise of Dulha Bhatti (he is a thief that helps the poor & fights for their rights)
• The children are given sweets, nuts, and money (which is termed "Lohri")
• At night, Lohri is celebrated outdoors with family and friends around a bonfire. Singing and dancing take place.
• The community feasts together on sarson ka saag and makki ki roti.
• A prayer is made to Agni (the Fire God), and Prasad is distributed (til, gazak, gur, phaliya, and peanuts). Prasad is also offered to the sacred fire.
• If there has been a happy occasion in the family (i.e. birth of a child or a marriage) in the past year, the family usually hosts a party to celebrate the first Lohri of the new child or couple.

There you have it. Lohri explained by the ABCD. :)

Aarz Kiya Hai II.

PUNJABI SHAYARI:
Gaira de hatha vich apna hath fara ke tur geya.
Bewafa, mere seene vich khanjar khuba ke tur geya.
Naam ki lena ussda, te yaad ki karna ussnu,
Jo okhe vele palla chuda ke tur geya.
Phir kadi na mudeya oh mere pyaar di khatir,
Dil, jigar, ehsaas te jo pathar maar ke tur geya.
Uthdi na aakh sharam naal,
Jadon da oh kolo di nazaran chura ke tur geya.
Tarasdiya aakhan nu aje vi ussde vapis aaun de hain aas,
Jo kise be-dil leyi mera pyaar wala dil dukha ke tur geya.
Saanbh lenda ohh phul mere pyar da,
Par oh jaanda jaanda mere pyar de saare khat jala ke tur geya.
Aakhda si jo ke main ussdi izzat han,
Oh mainu hee mitti vich rula ke tur geya.

Google Gadgets.

So the other day I discovered Google Gadgets. Now I've filled up the whole left side of my blog with the ones I thought I'd want to see and would find useful on a daily basis. Seriously, I had a hard time narrowing it down because there were Gadgets with fun & games, stuff to go with your lifestyle, quotes, and a whole bunch of other good stuff.

I narrowed my Gadgets down to:

• Happiness Tips --> because who doesn't want to be at their happiest?
• Spanish Word & Phrase of the Day --> cuz I need to brush up on mine!
• Spanish for Travellers --> in case if I go to Honduras or Spanish speaking places again
• German Word & Phrase of the Day --> becauseeeeeeee... ;)
• Indian Movie Trailers --> duh! I need my Bollywood flicks!
• Top 5 Movies at the Box Office --> So I can stay updated with the American world & not be such a FOB)
• World News --> So I never find myself asking, "Who's side is Iraq on?" or something similarly stupid ever again.
• Socrates Quotes --> Cuz I want to know more about what him & his homies talked about
• Things to Ponder --> Pondering & Daydreaming are my favorite pastimes.
• Cheeky Quotes --> Sarcasm is always entertaining.
• Hangman --> The BEST game ever, so simple compared to the crap out there these days.

Analyze This II.

Before any major test, I always dream of almost getting violently attacked. I tend to overcome my attacker, which could be my subconscious telling me that I need to/will overcome my test. However, the way my mind chooses to depict that in dreams is always absurd. Take my dream last night for example:

My family and I were headed off to dance practice in a far away city. We decided to take 3 different cars (I don’t know why we felt like wasting hella money on gas or something). My mother and aunt were in one car, my brother and dad in another, and I was in a beat up mini van by myself. I was leading and realized when I got to the location of practice (some underground garage) that no one was behind me anymore.

I parked in some shady looking street near it. The street lights were broken and it was pretty dark, well into the night. As I walked up and down the streets trying to get signal for my almost dead phone to call my parents, some dude that was yapping on his phone spots me, makes a catcall and starts running towards me. As in real life, I had mace on my keychain and I sprayed the crap outta the dude (who was a bald, middle-aged man, with none but 3 teeth in his mouth that protruded out) and forgot about him.

I found one, lone street lamp that somehow gave off phone signal. As I called my parents no one picked up and my phone’s battery was very low. I was overcome with this eerie feeling that everyone but me was killed. I looked around, hoping that they would pull into the street soon. Further down the street I saw the door of my van ajar and cautiously walked toward it. “What the hell, I always lock doors and double check. Did I forget just this once? What the…” My eyes fell on a gasoline box that I immediately recognized as a bomb!

Looking toward the direction of Dude’s car, I saw that he had a remote in his hands to make the bomb go off. Without thinking I threw the gasoline-box-bomb in his direction just as he pushed the button. Hearing his car explode in the distance, I decided it was too dangerous for me to be outside and needed to seek shelter in someone’s home.

I saw one house on the street with their porch light on and cautiously entered. “Hello?” I called out. An old man tried stumbled towards me, and then gave up when he saw a chair close by. He seemed all boozed up. “Ok, he’s too intoxicated and old to be harmful,” I thought to myself. “Sir, can I use your phone?” I asked. He said it was fine but to make no more than two calls.

Seeing how smashed he was, I was pretty sure he was not going to be able to really keep track. As I played with the phone cord of the wall phone and called my parents, I noticed a picture of Dude that I had blown up outside. Shit, it was the guy’s son! I calmly told my parents my whereabouts and they picked me up, and we nonchalantly went to dance practice in that abandoned garage…

Nit Picky.

Over the past few years of my life, I've come to realize just how particular I am about a lot of things I do. Here's a list of some things I feel strongly about:

1. I strongly prefer to walk on the left side of a person and will walk around them and switch sides when they're not paying attention.

2. I hate hate hate walking in front of a person/people. (It makes me feel paranoid) So given a narrow walking spot I'll be found behind.

3. I unconsciously count everything. From how many times I've sprayed hairspray onto my hair, to the number of M&M's I've picked out of a bag.

4. I prefer odd numbers to even numbers. So much so that when arranging dates, I'll pick odd numbered days.

5. I always like to start things (i.e. studying, cooking) at the start of an hour or 1/2 past. (i.e. If I wake up at 8:50am, I will stay in bed until 9:00am to start my day)

6. I allot myself time when gettin ready (i.e. 15 minutes for hair, 10 minutes for make up, 15 minutes to eat)

7. I keep a rubberband on my right wrist, a watch on my left wrist, a tiny clip on my front right belt loop, and a bobbypin in my right pocket.

8. I absolutely can't stand crooked frames. So much so that I've straightened out the frames of awards on a doctor's exam room wall when he walked out for a minute.

9. I carry a nail cutter with me where ever I go because I have a hard time focusing on anything when my nail chips.

10. When adding liquids from a measuring cup to things I'm baking, I always put the cup on a table top to check if the meniscus meets the measurement line exactly.

11. I crop and center all pictures I post in albums.

12. I put a period at the end of blog titles & make the title 2-3 words long because I hate it when titles run into the second line in the "Blog Archive."...and I make sure the font color matches the picture I choose for my blog...

Wow, the more of this I'm writing the crazier I am sounding to myself. But than again who's "normal" anyway? :P Ok, I found a quote that describes my feelings exactly! ;)

"Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy." --Nora Ephron

Aarz Kiya Hai.

So the Blog name is ABCD Shayari and I had yet to post up some shayari (poetry). Well here is one of my favorite of all time:

Jis din se judah vo humse hua
Is dil ne dharkna chor diya.
Hai chaand ka mooh utra utra,
Taaro ne chamakna chor diya.
Vo saath humare hota tha
Berut hi bahar ah jaati thi.
Ab laakh baharein bhi ahey
Phoolon ne mehakna chor diya.
Ik din duaa maangi humne,
"Takdir humari badal de ay Malak."
Awaaz yehi ahi ke:
"Humne takdir badalna chor diya."

TRANSLATION:
Since the moment he was separated from me
My heart gave up on beating.
The moon’s face is now colorless and sad,
The stars have given up shining.
When he used to be with me,
It would be a beautiful, endless spring.
Now even when spring comes,
Flowers have given up smelling lovely.
One day I asked in a prayer,
"Oh Lord, have mercy and change my destiny"
The only response I received from above was,
"I have given up changing destinies."

I know, It's pretty emo, but very fitting of the gloomy weather today.

Personality Quizzes.

I love taking personality quizzes. They're an entertaining waste of time. And they're quizzes you can't fail! So according to Facebook Quizzes, I have discovered:

• My most compatible sign is Cancer (apparently I need someone motherly & suffocating)
• If I was a 2008 song, I would be Brittany Spear's "Womanizer" (cuz I "always get what I want & love it.")
• My lucky color is Red (cuz I'm "radiant", like parties, & fun, loud, crowded activities.)
• If I were a planet, I would be Earth (boringggg. I'd rather be Saturn w/pretty rings or a glowing Jupiter)
• If I were an alcoholic drink, I would be a daquiri (cuz this quiz thinks "Don't worry, be happy!" is my motto. Funny cuz "stressball" has been my nickame for quite a while now.)

On the topic of alcoholic drinks, Strawberry Daquiris are my favorite for sure! :)

Happy New Year!

Ok, so my "I will not procrastinate anymore" resolution went down the drain considering that I'm writing this blog 6 days late. hahaha.

This year I decided not to make any resolutions. But then that made me feel like I don't have any goals in life! To avoid feeling like a complete loser, I made one to take my vitamins everyday. So far so good. :)

NYE was possibly the most uneventful one I've had in years. This was the first year (since my kiddie years) that I slept in and didn't even get to see the clock strike 12am. I found sleeping to be a more satisfying way to kick off the year. True may be the saying that how you start the year is how you'll progress thru it... my year so far has been quite sluggish and sleepy. :P

On the topic of New Years, here's a quote I found that I really liked:

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential." --Ellen Goodman