My Bucket List!




Image Credit: southernwritersmagazine.blogspot.com

So what do people usually want to do before they kick the bucket? Some want to climb a mountain, some want to go bungee jumping or pierce their tongue....but mine isn't that wild!(I'm a big scaredy cat....I can't even ride a rollercoaster without getting death visions!) Here are most of the things that I would love to accomplish before this world has to bade me goodbye! :)

•  See my name on the cover of a book - Now who wouldn't want to be the next J.K.Rowling?
  
• Go backpacking across Europe all by myself! :)
  
• See myself on TV (Obviously if I'm going to be a famous author the interviews should follow! :P )
• Act in a cheesy Hindi Rom-Com Film!!
  
• Start my own travel and lifestyle magazine :)
  
• Get my portfolio made!
  
• Give an award winning speech on stage in front of hundreds of people thanking my dog and everything else! :P
  
• Meet Prince William. and Daniel Radcliffe. (Aah...a girl can dream, can't she?)
  
• Visit the Taj Mahal. (Yeah, I haven't done that yet!!!)
  
• Host a show on TV.
  
• Win an inter-country Scrabble competition.
  
• See what it feels like to be insanely drunk. Do crazy stuff and not have to pay for it later!!
  
• Buy a duplex apartment and furnish it myself.
• Write a movie script and see the final product on the big screen! :)
  
• Run across a sarson ka khet to my lover... a la DDLJ!! :P
  
• Learn atleast 3 foreign languages!
  
• Learn how to play atleast 2 musical instruments. (And a little more than just "Happy Birthday"!)
  
• Be a cartoonist. or a professional photographer.
  
• Drive a red Ferrari.
  
• Go see a music concert live.
  
• Take a road trip with my friends.
  
• Wear a white wedding dress....just for fun!! :)
  
• Visit the North Pole.
  
  This surely won't be the end...but I'd love to see things getting crossed off my list soon! (For those who think I'm crazy......I'll send you a picture from the North Pole!! :P)

Eleven years of a Childhood...

There would be very few children born in the 90s, whose childhood memories would be complete without mentions of 'Harry Potter'. I'm definitely not one of them. Harry Potter is the reason many children started reading...the reason many started believing in magic....Harry Potter is not just a book, it is a part of people's lives. The magical world of Hogwarts has, for the past 11 years, enthralled millions of people the world over. Including me.

It was on a lonely evening somewhere in the second week of April 2000 that I first started reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.(No, I'm not that bad a fan..I know thats not the first book!) My brother and I were both stuck at home for three weeks, due a bout of chickenpox. (I inflicted my brother with it..HAHA.) With nothing to do and nowhere to go, my mum thought the only way to keep us from scratching our scabs was to dump books into our hands. And so she borrowed the first three books from my neighbour's kids.
"I've heard these are really nice children's books. You should try reading these." She said, and gave the books to us.  And thus started for me, over a decade of magical insanity.
As my brother started with the first book, I picked up Prisoner of Azkaban and gave it a read. A little boy waiting for the clock to strike 12 for his birthday. Owls delivering letters. Blowing up an aunt. Running away from home. Boarding the Knight bus. Even without reading the first two books, I was hooked. (Only till page 49, for by then my brother was done with the 1st book and I got my turn)

Through the past eleven years, I've done all that one has to do to be called a true Harry Potter fan. Stood in lines from 5:30am to get a copy of a new book; bought any book that had the words "Harry Potter" or "J.K. Rowling" in the title; bought merchandise including t shirts, keychains, posters, pencil boxes, bags, mugs and a lot more. Seen all the movies on the first day. Collected articles and pictures about the books and movies. Joined 'Harry Potter' fansites. Forced a parent to read the books. Fought with people who dislike Harry Potter for no reason. Yes, I'm totally a part of the Harry Potter generation.

Although there will be no more books or movies to look forward to, I'm going to cherish all the years I spent watching, talking about and reading Harry Potter. As one of my friends correctly pointed out, 'Magic Never Ends'... nor will the madness that surrounds Harry Potter.

Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for the characters of your imagination, that made up an imporant part of my life. Thank you, Rowling, for these eleven magical years...

A Royal Wish...

"I, William Arthur Phillip Louis, take thee, Catherine Elizabeth to my wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish. Till death us do part. According to God's holy law. And thereto I give thee my troth."

Almost everyone loves to watch a Royal Wedding, moreso when it involves the future King of England. Marriages, they say, are made in heaven, and one would hope that this one too, has God's blessing to last forever.

But as I watched the grand ceremony unfold, as I saw Katherine in her gorgeous wedding dress, and the royal couple have their first kiss, my mind was filled with thoughts of how my own special day would be...


That I may not have a queen for a grandmother, but I'm sure my relatives will make it a day for me to remember.


People from the world over may not be invited to my wedding, but those would be there, who mean the world to me.

I may not wear an $83000 dress, but I'm definitely going to try to look like a million bucks.

My father may not escort me in a grand car, but he's definitely going to have a huge smile on his face while walking me down the aisle.


I may not have an 8 tier wedding cake, but mine's still going to be as delicious.


My wedding ring may not be made from welsh gold, but its still going to bind me to my partner for eternity..


And as I sat through all the repeat telecasts of that wonderful ceremony, I thought, that its certain that I won't be marrying a prince, but I'm still going to have my own Royal Wedding...  


                                   "...Till death do us part.."

Golden...

It's a wonderful creation of God. Ofcourse, we've all cursed it during summer months, but the Sun is so much more than just a big ball of heat. I've always loved watching sunsets,and sometimes sunrises too, and have always been enamoured by its beauty. I love it when the sun sets, and my living room is enveloped by the sun's rays and turns into a beautiful orange colour. The most wonderful sights of nature are those, when the clouds turn pink,orange and dark blue as the sun goes down...truly a beautiful image.


More than just watching gorgeous sunsets, I love capturing them on camera. For what can be more amazing a scene to capture than nature in all its glory? Here are some of my favourite snaps of the wonderful Golden Star....

This picture was taken from a friend's balcony just before the sun was to set. The sunlight falling on the water, with the Sea Link looking oh so tiny as compared to the wonderful sun. This picture always makes me smile to myself.....what is a man-made structure in comparison to the glory of God?

Another one of my favourites, is a picture I took on a trip to Rajasthan.

Taken from inside a palace, you can see the sun's golden rays through the beautiful floral carvings of the window. Try as you might, but the sun's rays will find you no matter how dark a room you try to hide in. :) I love how the sunlight makes the floral design "come alive" and shine.

Such a simple scene, but possessing so much depth, this picture was taken from the sands of Goa. I love how the golden light of the sun covers everything, making even the majestic blue sea shine with a tinge of gold.

No, this is not a painting, but another picture taken along the beaches of Goa. I love the beautiful colours of this photo...grey clouds turning orange, with a little bit of pink, the white waves lashing to and fro from the dark blue sea, along the brown sands of the beach. A beautiful image, created by none other than Mother Nature.
Really, there are very few things as awe inspiring as the ways and colours of nature, especially that of the sun.