"Just gonna stand there and watch me burn, but that's alright because I like the way it hurts"

Those are the first two lines of Eminem's new song featuring Rihanna called "Love the way you lie". I just can’t stop listening to it. Not just because of the music (I love rap), but also because of the lyrics. Many of Eminem's lyrics are really meaningful, but none as much as this one. Google it, or take a look at the lyrics for yourself here.

My favourite line apart from the one above is this:

Now you get to watch her leave

Out the window
Guess that's why they call it window pane

Pure genius methinks. 

It's such a relatable song, both on an emotional as well as on a physical level. Anyone who has been in a serious relationship will know what this song is all about - the first feelings of love, of not having enough of each other, that rush from just spending time with each other, to feelings of suffocation, of pressure, of tension, and of anger. The beginning where it's new, it’s intoxicating, it’s exciting. And the end where it’s intolerable to the point of rage, pain and hatred. Not just that, but it also touches on being in an abusive relationship. This song is sexy.

And if the right message isn't delivered in the lyrics, it definitely is in the music video for this song. Eminem and Rihanna just belt out the words and aren't all that important in the video, but what makes it click is the show put on by Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan. You can watch the video here.

The pair plays volatile lovers in the video, and spends most of the time alternating between passionately kissing or fighting, screaming and shouting throughout. They share an amazingly powerful chemistry, and are one of the reasons why this video is such a success. This, combined with the use of fire makes it oh so sexy.

I’m addicted!

Note: This is purely my opinion and has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with my personal life. Please do not read too much into this and start feeling sorry for me. Cheers!

If you haven't eaten this, you haven't lived.

One of the most important aspects of life is food. To be more specific - good food. Although I live abroad, I’ve spent my entire childhood in India. While I have been exposed to many different cuisines, I’ve always enjoyed Indian food the best. And while India has a variety of cuisines (north Indian, south Indian, Andhra, Chettinad, Rajastani, Maharashtrian, Punjabi…well practically every state has their own cuisine), there is nothing more wonderful, nothing more creative, and nothing more delicious, than a local Indian delicacy known all over the country as pani puri.  

Here’s a picture of this amazing dish:

For all those going ‘Eh?’ this is how it’s done - you take one of those puris and poke a hole at the top, just one. Then you stuff the puri with whatever you want; potatoes, chickpeas, onions, lentils. I usually love it with a mixture of mashed potatoes and lots of different powdered spices. Once it’s full, you dunk the puri into a bowl filled with pani (which, roughly translated, is nothing but water, but in this case it is tangy water again mixed with lots of powdered spices and chutneys). You then put the whole thing into your mouth in one go, and when you bite, the pani splashes, and you know you’ve reached Heaven. 

I think my favorite pass-time in the whole world would be to have a pani puri-eating competition, just like Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Here’s a shot of the scene:

 Wouldn't this be absolutely amazing?!

You know you're in Bangalore when...

So I compiled this little list of differences that you notice only because you live in another country and haven’t visited your own for almost a year. I make it a habit to visit India every summer, for at least a month and half. I’ve done it for eight years now, and these are things that hit me on even the very first day – both positive and negative.

You know you’re in Bangalore when:

all announcements in the aircraft are repeated in Hindi.

as soon as the plane has landed on the runway, mobile phones are whipped out and switched on, even though the plane hasn’t come to a complete stop.

there is no trolley available for your cabin baggage. If it’s heavy, too bad. I learnt that the hard way as I walked the 232,343 miles till immigration carrying three bags.

Indian passport holders are let through with barely a murmur while foreigners are ordered to provide their boarding passes at immigration as proof of their legal travel.

nobody waits in line.

you just have to point to your luggage at the baggage claim and three porters will run and get it for you.

the minute you step out of the airport, a blast of cool breeze hits you, blowing your hair back and automatically making you smile and breathe it all in.

the breeze doesn’t stop, ever.

passers-by stare at you, look at you up and down, look at your luggage, and form an opinion about you as you’re greeting your family.

you pay extra for small things like parking just because you smile and say thank you, which leads them to consider you as a non-Indian.

you hear car horns, auto horns, and bicycle bells ringing non-stop out on the road before you even get into your car.

people spend less time concentrating on their driving and more time yelling at other drivers.

nobody sticks to their lanes while driving. Hell, most of the time there are no lanes.

But all these things make you realize that finally, you are HOME. And after all, home is where the love is.

"Don’t forget you’re going there primarily to study!"

Applying for a visa to study in the United Kingdom was quite a daunting task. Up until now, all these formalities were taken care of by my parents; all I had to do was to turn up and have a good time. But now that I would be living by myself for a whole year with my parents around 6500 miles away, I was apparently old enough and responsible enough to take care of this all on my own. After reading a zillion documents on which form to complete (I had to fill in two out of 2892632 forms on their website) and how to complete them, filling them out by hand, rewriting all my information after finding several mistakes, submitting an online application after learning that all my previous work was wasted, and waiting several days filled with dread (okay, I’m dramatizing, but still, you get the idea), I’m happy to announce that I’m (finally) tension-free – I GOT MY VISA.

So I gleefully turned to the next task – packing. I love packing. I don’t know why people grumble about it so much; you just take a bunch of stuff and unceremoniously dump it in a bag. No need to bother with the organization of it all, after all, who cares about all that when you’re allowed 40 kilos on the flight?

But when you’re a girl, you end up wanting to take much more than you need. My bed is now filled with clothing, arranged in several piles. I’m going away for one year, gotta take ALL my clothes with me, right? Wrong. Mom walks into my room, gives one glance at my bed, and shudders involuntarily. You have too many clothes, and you won’t be taking all of them. I already have one bag filled with bedding and utensils that are necessary. Because clothes are apparently not.

Then, shoes. I pulled out all both my trainers, all my flats, and all my heels. Dumped both trainers and all flats into the bag, and then handpicked, after much hesitation, six pairs of heels. Like I said before, I’m going for a whole year. And fresher’s week (or WeekOne as it is known in Nottingham UK) is supposed to be full of hardcore partying – I can’t possibly wear the same thing twice, right? Again, wrong. How can you wear heels when it’s snowing? Like it snows the whole year around. I gave in a little, but just a little – I packed four.

Next, bags. Now bags at least you will admit that variety is required; the argument of whose gonna keep track of what shoes you have on doesn’t work here. So I take all my bags out of the closet, unload them on my bed, and again, after much hesitation, I pick six. Luckily there was no argument there. Clearly moms also feel that six bags are alright. Or maybe they’ve run out of silly excuses - no need to pack sleeveless clothing, it’s always cold there, or why do you need so much stuff? Its only one year, you’re not moving there!

And then dad walks in. His eyes sweep across the mess that is my room, and delivers the mother of all silliest statements - Don’t forget you’re going there primarily to study!

Kill me now.

6 things to do during the holidays when you have tried all you can and are still bored beyond words

It’s the summer. That time of the year most looked forward to. Brilliant weather, amazing sales, travel discounts, and most importantly, not having to wake up at 8 AM in time for lectures. If you live away from home, it’s time to visit your family again and have great home food. If you’re the workaholic type and are reeling from the prospect of relaxing and doing nothing, don’t fret – summer internships are just tailor-made for people just like you.

But that’s it. While it’s the longest break from university life (just under four months), all of your friends are all over the world, so it’s not like you can hang out or something. Instant messaging is always an option but that’s just to keep in touch and assure your friends that although you’re having a great time, you still miss them and you haven’t forgotten them. Facebook is no different from email, except that people are on it more often and everyone can read what you write to everyone else, thereby promoting group conversations with ease. But again, it’s just not the same as actually being with each other.

So what to do during the summer? Your internship has ended. No more waking up at 6.30 AM and getting ready to sit in an office which has an air-conditioning system that is permanently stuck on five degrees. Forget light sweaters, fur coats are what you need. You’ve shopped so much that there’s no space in your closet anymore and you’re arguing with your mom about living in a house that’s too small to hold your 213,203 pairs of shoes. Is there anything left to do?

Fret not – I have brainstormed and come up with some ideas. And while you may not like them, they are ideas nonetheless!

1.       Travelling

This doesn’t necessarily mean spending millions and flying to Spain in order to join in the WC celebrations, hoping to catch a glimpse of David Villa (sorry, I just like mentioning his name). This is more like taking a break – head to a hill station to escape the summer heat, or to a nearby island to soak in the sun, sand and all the good-looking people who are bound to be there. Go and visit your cousins, have a reunion of your old school friends, make a trip together. 

2.       Relaxing

Yea I know, just staying at home is comforting enough. But what’s even better? Book a day in one of those peaceful spas – mud baths, steam rooms, aromatic full body massages, and the like. You’ll end up having the laziest day of your life, yet you’d never feel more full of energy. However, I do not recommend acupuncture – you want a lazy, calm day without any tension whatsoever, not a feel of what a torture chamber must be like.

3.       Be creative

This is especially for those of us concentrating on science during the rest of the year. What about our creative skills, nurtured during our younger years yet abandoned when most required? I was looking up CVs the other day (yea, that’s what my life involves now. Whoopee. ), and most employers receive so many that they devote a maximum of ten seconds for each one. What will make you stick out? No I’m not saying we should all start off with writing CVs now. But there are other ways. Spend your time on a painting. Make a scrapbook or a collage. Learn to sing while strumming a guitar. Draw a sketch of your favourite person. Write your own tune. Experiment with your look.

4.       Organization

Those who are messy and can’t be bothered or never have the time to pick up their clothes from the bed (or floor) and put them back into their closets can use this time for precisely that. Clothes can be hung on hangers or folded neatly on shelves. Shows can be lined one after the other or else put into their boxes and stacked in shelves, instead of being chucked under your bed. Yea, sounds fun, doesn’t it. But it can be made more interesting, by for example having a delicious snack or blasting loud music while you reorganize your room. Paint one wall a different colour. Print out some photos of you and your friends, and paste it all over your closet. Same goes for posters. Throw the old stuff away, whether it is torn clothes, broken shoes or old notes.

 

5.       Exercise

Yuck. I hate this. I wish we could all stay healthy and fit (and slim) without exercising. I keep telling myself that during the holidays I’ll go to the gym and become fit. It’s been one and a half months now, and I’ve been there just once. Exercise in the gym thrice a week. Get a personal trainer if you’re not sure about what to do there. Swimming is great for a full body workout - go swimming to get toned. Most people pig out during the summer and end up putting on weight due to a lack of exercise. While you may not be doing all this in a regular basis, it’s imperative as it makes up for the daily routine that isn’t in place anymore.

6.       Blogging and the blogosphere

See what I’m reduced to?! This is already my third post of the month, and it’s not even been three weeks. BUT, it’s a great way to improve your writing skills. Not to mention that instead of always having a topic, like you did for your essays way back in high school, it’s time to be imaginative and write about anything and everything you want. Applying to universities, especially abroad, require writing quite a number of essays. And these essays call for a more-than-satisfactory grasp of the English language that not many have. Enter blogging. If that’s not what you want, you can always browse the blogosphere and find some hilarious, well-written posts or various topics.

Wasn’t this an interesting read? (No I’m not a prude. That was pure sarcasm). But once you give these a try, you’ll have a look at that calendar and realise its back to the routine in no time. And while this may sound unbelievable, its true - a part of you will be looking forward to that. I certainly am.