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Overrated.

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Well, we all make mistakes, dear, so just put it behind you. We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.

L.M. Montgomery (via quotemadness)

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You cannot save people, you can only love them.

Anaïs Nin (via onlinecounsellingcollege)

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Words are everything. Words give wings even to those who have been stamped upon, broken beyond all hope of repair.

Samantha Shannon (via quotemadness)

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They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise (via thelovejournals)

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The world needs more of them.

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Book excerpt #1

“I asked around: Who was Jack Gilbert? Students told me he was the most extraordinary man they’d ever encountered. He had seemed not quite of this world, they said. He seemed to live in a state of uninterrupted marvel, and he encouraged them to do the same. He didn’t teach them how to write poetry, they said, but why: because of delight. Because of stubborn gladness. He told them that they must live their most creative lives as a means of fighting back against the ruthless furnace of this world.”

BIG MAGIC - Elizabeth Gilbert

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james turning down every hogsmeade invitation by telling them he’s going stag

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Resolutions.

I've been idle for just too long. And this is my way of getting out of the four walls of my mind. With small commitments every day, discoveries, realizations, my understanding of things greater than me, my acceptance of the things I can't change, here is my blog. And this time, I make myself a promise to keep.

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After my initial reluctance to take a selfie in class when ma'am gave us PERMISSION to do so, I decided to take one anyway, because, well, how many people get the chance to say that they were 'allowed' to take a selfie and write about it? But for some reason, I felt particularly shy that day, maybe it was because of the thought that everyone else would see me take a selfie. Not that I haven't taken selfies in public, but every time that I have, I was always with friends and we were all being shameless together, so the question of being 'embarrassed' or 'shy' was never there.  So let me describe this picture. After a few futile attempts of taking a selfie, I placed the camera a little more forward and managed to get a view of the rest of the class. and that's when I noticed these two fellows at the back silently observing my every move. Knowing that they were watching me, made me even more self-conscious. So, I decided to simply just take a picture with them instead. I felt more at ease and the picture managed to capture Noel's creepy I-see-what-you're-doing expression and Jerin's absolutely amused stance. I like this picture because it reminds me of how they reacted to me trying to take a selfie, which was quite funny.  Now to answer the real question of why we take selfies, I tried to find out how selfies were defined online. The Oxford dictionary describes it as 'A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media'. Wikipedia goes a step further by explaining that selfies are usually flattering and made to appear casual. They are usually taken at arm's length or pointed at a mirror, rather than by using a self timer.

Now why do we take selfies? We take them most of all, to remember an event in our lives, to capture a moment and maybe share it with others. We are more involved in the pictures we take because we don't have to step out of it, we take the pictures ourselves, we can be sure of how the photo will turn out when we take it using the front camera of a phone, rather than by asking someone else to take a picture for us. Taking a group selfie is more of an experience that everyone present in the photograph shares and will remember and the selfie is just a nice reminder of that moment. The selfie obsession though, on the other hand, has more negative than positive discussions. From narcissism, to depression, to mental unstability to self obsession, the list just goes on, The critics are many, and it's for a good reason too.

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Most embarrassing photograph.

If I had to choose one sole photograph to abolish from the surface of the earth, I would have had a tough time choosing from the numerous weirdly looking pictures of this face that is mine. As much as I love and accept the features of my own face, there are moments when I suddenly wish my face was a little more photogenic at least. When I think of photos I would like to 'abolish', I immediately think of those photographs which were taken by friends or family when I wasn't ready or when I had some weird expression on my face. Photos which look like the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and my face got stuck in some awkward stance. But it was after sir mentioned the formal photograph taking experience that I remembered my childhood terror. I hated taking photographs of myself as a child, let alone formal passport photos. It is after a long period that I eventually grew out of that phobia and began embracing my digital face. Until then, every passport photograph was a dreaded terror. One of my ugliest photos by far, is the photograph which is in my present passport. My passport had expired and we knew it would take a long time to renew it. We kept everything I would need for the procedure aside, ready to be taken out when asked. So when my appointment came, I was prepared. I had all my official documents ready and waiting and even carried extra photos of myself just in case they needed more copies. This was the first time I was completing a formal procedure on my own. Being the youngest in my family, I have always had help with all the official procedures. But this time, I had to do it myself. Even though all I had to do was go from one section to the other signing my name wherever needed and showing the documents and proofs whenever required. So I was all set to take out the photographs I had with me to give to the lady at the counter when she asked me to 'sit on that chair, and look at the camera'. In my head I'm thinking, 'aren't retina scans different?'. And when I sit on the chair, I finally realized what it was, that they wouldn't be asking for the phots I had with me. They wanted instant photographs! And there I was in all my splendour, tired, sleepy sweating and exhausted with my hair sticking out in every direction, in front of a white background, wearing a white T-shirt and looking about ten years older than I was. I gave the only resemblance to a smile I could muster and willed the procedure to magically get over soon. When I finally got out of the building, I met my mother and sister who were waiting outside for me. As soon as I saw then, all the questions came pouring out, 'How was it?', 'Did you give the right documents when they asked for it?', 'Did you give your photos when they asked?', and so on. I looked at my mother, lsughed and told her that I didn't need to give my passport sized photographs because they took one on the spot. My mother stopped walking and exclaimed in shock. She pointed out what I already knew, that I looked like I had been on the most tiring journey in my life and that worst of all I was wearing white, and oh goodness, why didnt I listen to her when she told me to wear that pink top this morning? At least that wouldn't have made me look fifty years old! So next time I'd better listen to her when she says something. And oh dear, why didn't someone tell us that we didnt need to carry our own passport sized photographs? The rant went on. While my sister and I just laughed at the whole situation. And then my mother turned to me and said, 'well, there's nothing we can do now. So lets just wait for the passport to come and we will see how you look in the photograph. And no matter what, you have to bear with this photograph on your passport for the next ten years'. When I got my passport a few weeks later, we saw the photo inside. And yes, I look like I took the photo after running a marathon in the hot sun.

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So, this is a photograph I clicked when I was on the train to Trivandrum last month. I have posted the same photo on my Instagram account. The reason I picked this photo is because this was a very unexpected photograph and yet it came out well. It was around 8 in the morning, I was waiting for the train to reach my station and I was already restless after spending more than half a day in the train. So I started clicking random pictures because I've always loved clicking pictures from trains. The train then stopped for something, maybe a train crossing. When I looked out the window and I slowly noticed how the train tracks were parallel to the bars on my window. But as I began clicking, the train started to move and the ones I clicked weren't aligned properly. I continued taking photographs as the train gained momentum and suddenly I saw something on the screen before I noticed it outside the window. An old man standing beside the tracks, waiting for the train to pass so that he could cross to the other side. He appeared on the photograph, perfectly in the middle, with the tracks perfectly aligned with the window bars. And the beauty of this picture is that it was taken while the train was moving, so there is no way I could have planned to get this picture or anything better than it.

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Wikileaks

Wikileaks is a self-described not-for-profit organization that was launched in 2006 for the sole purpose of disseminating original documents from anonymous sources and leaks. 

Their website clearly states the kind of information that they are looking for: “Wikileaks will accept restricted or censored material of political, ethical, diplomatic or historical significance. We do not accept rumor, opinion, other kinds of first hand accounts or material that is publicly available elsewhere.”

  Wikileaks makes sure you send your files as Wiki’s and also makes sure that they are not editable. The organisation lives solely on donations its major sources of funds come from the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and the National Newspaper Publishers Association. In return it provides its documents to newspapers.

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The Israel-Gaza conflict

This can be described as a war between two countries, two governments, or two religions. Describe it in any way you wish to, here are some of the most basic facts regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict. At the end of this article, you decide for yourself exactly which 'side' you're on, or you'll realize that this is in fact a war against humanity.

Gaza is situated at the border of Palestine. In 1967 the Israelites had captured Gaza and in 2005 they released the troops. But there were many restrictions imposed on the Palestinian people in gaza. They wanted complete liberty from Israel but rockets kept firing from the militants in Gaza. Subsequently, the Israeli air strikes on the territory kept increasing after the killing of three Israeli teenagers in June. The Israelis blamed this on Hamas and this soon led to a breaking down on the group in the West Bank. At first Hamas did not agree that they were a part of the killings but later on a political leader (of the Hamas) said that members had carried them out. People started getting angrier after a Palestinian teenager was burnt and killed near his house in Jerusalem on the 2nd of July and this further led to a series of riots in Gaza, six Jews were suspected and arrested after this. On the 7th of July Hamas claimed the responsibility of firing rockets after which there have been a series of attacks between the two cities which has led to killing several members. The death toll in Palestine is 1777 and in Israel it is around 67 and bodies are yet to be found in both the countries.

At the moment the whole conflict in Gaza is over as they have signed a peace accord made by the Egyptians. I think this is a pointless amount of killing of civilian lives and all of this can be avoided from further escalation if they keep to their accord.