Hurray!

We have sun-shine in the morning! (And I dont mean Ash, although we have that also!)

We have windows flung open! (Fresh warm air!)

We have azure skies! (Its the best kind you know)

We have dwarf daffodils! ('cos they're so much cooler)

We have clocks forward for British Summertime! (So what if we lose one hour)

Spring has finally sprung!
And it's easter, chocolat est imminent!

But enough of the weather appreciation society's press release.
There was a party last night. It was a big one. 3 people in the year, joint birthday do, last party before exams, held at the Walkers Stadium.

Last night I was feeling great, if not charmingly inebriated.
In the early hours of this morning I was merely feeling inebriated, and when I woke up, well...
I dont think it was a hangover, just tiredness, but symptoms included a spinning head, aching generally, slight nausea, and the requirement to nod-off against any surface within reach. Is that a hangover?

Oh and guess who had an end of term service this morning. It would have been hilarious to watch all the prefects rubbing their heads, stumbling over, and nodding-off during the whole thing, had I not been one of them.
I still havent recovered, but it was worth it.

In other news, my friend (the gay one*) got an offer from Imperial also! He is defering for a year so this means I will be a second year student when he starts, but its still great that we will be in the same place.

[*As a pose to the one who "likes" monkeys, or the one who I secretly like, or the ones that fancied me or any others mentioned previously. I really should start lettering them shouldn't I]

Anyway, Im going to go and lie on the floor in the hope that that will somehow stop the ache.
And remember kids, never mix drinks!

This comedian is simply fantastic.

He's an Canadian-born Indian by the name of Russell Peters, and in my opinion the funniest (desi) thing since Goodness Gracious Me.

I first watched his "Comedy Now!" show after a friend told me about it and was laughing so much/hard that I actually ended up on the floor!
When my parents came to see what the commotion was, they ended up staying to watch also.
My friends have also seen it and my friend Nick and I torment my maths teacher every lesson by quoting almost the entire show, much to the amusement of the rest of the class.
I've seen it 6 times now, yes a whole 6 times, and still love all the jokes.

They are not just Indian centred though. He draws on his Asian roots, but also explores attitudes towards race that is, whilst sometimes contraversial, hilarious and hard-hitting.

Below is a short clip, but I urge you to watch the whole show on Google Video!

Music Videos and Loan Ads

Fever! In the moring. Fever all through the night! I have a fever!

My God I feel so crap. This is possibly the 3rd worst time that I've been ill that I can remember, although the other 2 times were much worse than this.

Anyway, as a result, I was at home "recovering" today with nothing to keep me company but a bunch of soggy tissues, which more resembled Origami-gone-wrong, than Russian Dolls.

As I was bed/sofa bound, I spent the whole day wrapped in my duvet with 3 layers on and the fire going, watching TV.
I did attempt to watch a Will & Grace double bill that was on, but as that consisted of 2 1o minute portions of the comedy sandwiched between 40 minutes of patronising plonkers offering car insurance and bimbo women telling me that my CCJs wont be a problem and that I could consolidate all my existing monthly outgoings into one managable monthly repayment, I was forced over to the several music channels Sky offers.
And I swear, if that frizzy-haired cow asked me if I wanted an ICS diploma one more time...

So the music videos, and one thing that I didnt tire of seeing repeatedly was Rihanna's new video for S.O.S. Mmmmm like a galaxy caramel bar thats melting in the summer sun. I loved her in Pon De Replay, and in If Its Lovin, but this has to be her best video to date, and that green dress! (If you can call it a dress)

I also finally saw Orson's video for No Tomorrow.
Oh my god their all old and bald! Its so weird when you find that what you think they would look like is nothing like what they actually look like.
Oh and a conversation I had with mum last week:

Me: Mum! Orson are touring again!
Mum (feigning interest with a twist of sarcasm) : Hai? (Really? In Gujerati)
Me: Yeah.
Mum (still feigning) : To jaje (Then go)
Me: Can I? Its at the end of May, begining of June
Mum: Im so sorry for you.
Me: But half of my exams will be over then...
Mum: *Gives "the look" *
Me: Stupid Orson tour manager...

Ooh ooh! And I saw the Feeling's video for Sewn. No cider or sun in sight. Guess Any wins that one. And is it just me, or does the lead dude look like Tom Cruise?

My new favourite band. (That expression is so re-usable.) Im loving The Kooks. The band has a great lead vocalist and Naive is a great track.
"And I know that she knows that Im not fond of askin'..."

An old video, but Hard-Fi's Hard To Beat. I really liked how multi-racial this video was. The song tells of a guy and a girl getting together and in the video they show 3 couples getting...coupled. One White, one Asian, and the other Black. They didn't have to do that but I appreciated that they did.

And finally it seems that its not Just me that thinks MR's take on RH is great. But whatever your opinion of the song, you can't deny that the video is fantastic!

Toma-tastic

We were all just eating dinner, and my sister was quite frankly, being a moody-cow, annoying me with some rather unkind comments about me being ill.

I had cleared my plate apart from 2 rather juicy tomatoes that I didnt want to eat, and she jumped at the chance to be condescending,
"Eat your tomatoes. They've been especially put in your plate for you to eat, anaemic boy."

Reluctantly I picked one up and bit into it, accidently spraying tomato juice and seeds all over her (and a little over mum who was accidently caught in the cross-fire).

As you can imagine she was not impressed.

I on the other hand couldnt stop laughing as she wiped the goo off herself, especially when dad rather unhelpfully chipped in with,
"Its going to make your hair all sticky now."

I did think about pointing out the one seed she had missed in her hair, but then again, you know what they say,
"what goes around, comes around."

Feel Good Time

Yay!

Life is good.

Im feeling good. (Well actually, I have the sniffles, a raw cough and a sore throat with no likely chances of it being "soothed" in a lift...)

But other than that, all is Coolies in the land of Azuric.

Everything seems to be going well also, without wanting to jinx anything. (This is the point where I look up to see a piano falling from the sky or something.)

I got my student finance forms/booklets/guides today. It seems an entire forests worth of documentation.
And Im confuzed, I get a "student loan" right?
And that covers my living expenses right?
Or does that cover my tuition fees?
Or both?
And can I get a student loan from a bank also?
Or just a student account? With an overdraft and "low" interest rates?

Well actually it seems like I've already got one .
Imagine my horror when I checked my balance at the ATM the other day to find that funds are £14.36 -

"-" ?
What the hell is "- " ?!
I owe them money?!
I'll have to go to the worlds local bank and sort it out because I know I didnt use that account for anything.
Ooh! Potential bank error in my favour, collect £50? Or is that just wishfull thinking?
They converted my current account to a student one for me when I turned 18.
That was rather annoying of them.
Does this mean that I dont get the free gift they normally tempt you with?

So anyway, in conclusion, Im going to be poor. As a student. In London.

But, I have a plan!

And it goes something like this...
After exams finish, go throw CVs around everywhere.
Get job in well known chain store. Preferably a high-street mens clothing store.
Work Weekends till school finishes.
Work relatively full-time over summer holidays.
Save up loads of money.
Buy essential student items such as a laptop and multiple wardrobes of clothing. (This is where staff discount comes in handy! ;-)
As its a chain store, transfer job over to London branch.
Work in London whilst studying.

Therefore I have money, and better social life, and meet more people.

How exciting!

And I think im going to ask for an Oyster Card for my birthday.

But anyway, back to reality,
I better go deal with a maths paper thats making me feel guilty.

Rang De Basanti

I've just been to see an Indian film, Rang De Basanti. (OWS)

(Translates to "Paint it Orange", refers to the Colour of Patriotism - the Orange colour of the Triranga, India's national flag.)

The cinema experience was good. Well apart from the slight projection error just before the intermission.
This film has been out for ages, and so was no longer showing at the Odeon, so instead we went to a independent cinema in the "ghetto-ends" of Leicester.
It was great, because we were the only people in the room! Bet you've never had a cinema experience like that.

And the film.
Well, mixed messages. It was good. But I'd have written it better myself.
I didn't like the ending at all, and was quite surprised that the Indian Government allowed the production of such a film.
A film portraying the US Government like that would never be allowed to be made in Hollywood, let alone be shown the world over.
But I guess that shows the power that the Bollywood Film Industry has, and the true democracy of India.

One thing that made me laugh was the scene just after they had been to see a movie, where one of the guys says to Sue, the English girl,
"I love the songs and dance, do they have them in your movies?"
And another guy chips in,
"Thats why we grow trees in India, to dance round them".

It was good that the writers could laugh at themselves and the stereotypes of Bollywood movies.
It is true, some (not all!) Indian films are cringe-worthy with excess singing in fields, dancing around trees, and severe cheese, with about a hundred costume and scene changes that include the Pyramids of Giza, the Swiss Alps, and Big Ben, all in one song.
And I used to ridicule them, infact we all still do when conversation arises at family get-togethers.

But last year I watched this amazing reality-documentary-show on BBC 2 where Bristish people competed for a role in a Bollywood film.
In one episode, one of the contestants was talking to children in Bombay's slums, and found this orphan girl who was so poor and deprived of any education or upbringing that she didn't even know her own age.
Upon reflecting on her experiences, the contestant explained that most people in India are so poor and have to work so hard to make a living, that watching a 3 hour cheese-fest film where good always overcomes evil and the hero always gets the heroine, provides them with an escape from the hardships of everyday life.

And plus, sometimes its fun to sit back and soak up the cheese and have a laugh.

But back to Rang De Basanti...

India is angry.
Not its government, its people. They are angry at the corruption in the current political system, and at the years of abuse and silenced voices that their Motherland suffered under the British Raj.
And film makers like Amir Khan are using the largest media outlet they have, to awaken their generation and express their opinions - Bollywood - the biggest film industry in the world.

It started with (the Cannes film festival nominated) Lagaan, and since have followed The Rising, and Page 3 to name but a few.

There was also a really sad moment, I dont want to give away the whole plot, but it included the rather predictable death of a son.
The funeral scenes are portrayed with a beautiful song. I've heard this song before on the radio, but as its all in Hindi didn't understand it. It was only when it was put to the story of the film with subtitles that my eyes began to water. Something along the lines of a mother singing,
"This game of hide and seek has to end, my eyes have grown weary looking for you son",
and the son replying (singing about being in Heaven),
"Don't worry about me Mother, im in the most amazing place, where the waterfalls are of rainbows, the only thing is that you are not here with me."

The film overall was inspiring, and I hope it gives the young generation of India the right messages, that you can change things by first changing yourself.

"In India today, we have a lady born a Catholic (Sonia Gandhi) stepping aside so a Sikh (Manmohan Singh) could be sworn in by a Muslim president (Abdul Kalam) to lead a nation that's 82% Hindu.
I defy anyone to cite another country with such diversity and tolerance to its political leadership."

I've finally started Scribbling.

Oh.

You didn't know I had another two blogs?

Well I do.

Products of severe boredom and work avoiding during half term.
They are still a little bare, and still not sure where they are going, but they will develop over time.

Yay for the weekend!

Yes! Finally its the weekend!

Two days break from all the hardships of school in which i can do nothing but...
...revise and homework! Yay!

Anyway, amusing incident of the week:

So im walking home through town after school and im about to cross a road which has a car parked on it.
Now I have to pass this car before I can cross and so carry on walking towards it.
As I approach I notice an old man inside and we both make eye contact so I give a weak smile
(it was so so cold, I couldnt waste energy on full on smiling).
Then the man slowly locks his door!

How rude!

I just began laughing.
Okay, fair enough if I was plastered head to toe in Nike or Adidas and dripping with
Chav bling, but I was in a suit and respectable looking coat (although it does have a hood)
with my school bag.
What did he think I was going to do? Open the door, drag him out and make him to do
my maths homework?

Worst event of the week:

The massive blazing row my sister and I just had.
Mum got involved, stupidly.
Mums always get involved in their childrens arguments for no reason. And then she made it
all about her, and made us feel bad for "ruining her day" and got really stressed about something that didnt even concern her. And really angry. And I mean really angry.
And im still not talking to my sister. And it seems that mum isn't talking to me, but I doubt
that will be the case in a few hours.
Granted my sister's job is really hard and so are our parents, but she didn't have to take
her stress out on me. I've had a stressy week also.
But apparently she has "been through all that already. A-levels."

Except she hasn't. Because it's not just something like A-levels.
She doesn't know what its like to be me. Having these feelings. And having to deal with them.
I didn't ask for any of this. Its just there. And its not like it goes away.
Its here every day.
And I have to put up with it, and worry about it, and what it may lead to.
And keep it all to myself. I don't have anyone to talk to about it.
Im not going to talk to my Mum about it. (Although she has offered many times before.)
And im definately not going to talk to her about it, as she obviously has some sort of problem with it.
And so when I say Ive had a really hard week, its not just because of deadlines and work stress.
Its because of a whole load of other thoughts/feelings/worry that I didnt ask for, but am dealing with anyway.
Stuff that she can't even imagine.

(Im not feeling sorry-for-myself here. And I dont want anyone reading this to either. Im just blogging what my thoughts are, because its easier to write things down sometimes.)

Im feeling better now, albeit a little tired.

Most "Awww!" event of the week:

Being late one morning I was getting dressed hurriedly and had my shirt on before realising that the cufflinks were not in it.
As im sure you will know from experience, its really difficult to put cufflinks in a shirt you
are already wearing so I asked my mum to put them in for me.
As she was fiddling with the cuffs, I thought I'd beat her to it and imitated her with,
"wants to go and live in London and cant even put cufflinks in",
to which she replied,
"yeah, exactly. Worry me to death you do".
I laughed and asked why she is so worried about me going, and she answered with,
"Because you are part of my heart and I will miss you."

Awwww!
My mum and I are really close, and I know I will miss her loads, but I fear she will miss me more, because I will be much more busy with new experiences/uni.

Bargain of the week:

I bought one of those, oh how to describe them...light funky sporty-ish zip jackets from Topman.
Was £50, bagged for £18!!!
And a (you may want to sit down for this, im still surprised i bought this myself) NIKE
(but its not Chavy i swear!!) T-shirt.
Its grey and has NIKE with the "Swoosh" logo in big gold, lettering on the chest.
I know it probably sounds awful, but I can assure you it is not.
It looks a bit like something out of a Run DMC video. A lil' funky hip-hop-ish.
Was probably over £15, bagged for £5!!

Anyway, lots of other random crap also happened this week but its not that interesting,
so im going to toddle off to bed...or the sofa...or even the floor!

Azuric,

Now Thats Floor for Thought

Imagine if everything was upside down and we all walked on the ceiling and you had to step up to walk out of a room.

I've been lying on the floor for quite a while now.

I cant remember how i got here actually.

Dont worry, i didnt fall or anything, i am ok.
I just began thinking and cant be bothered to get up.
Im still on the floor as im writing now.

And its quite cool down here. You can see the bottom of desks and chairs and everything!
Everything from a new perspective. You should try it!

So what have i been thinking about?

Well obviously im ecstatic about my offer. Its such a relief. But i havent really been thinking about it much. October is ages away and im a believe-it-when-i-see it kind of person.

There is something wrong with me.

I dont think i can ever be happy. Its like i said in that post before. I am so so greatful and relieved about my offer but now the previous little thing in the back of my mind has returned (that being feeling a need to be in a relationship), and there is the little voice saying i still have to get the grades.

Now im thinking that the first worry will be sorted when i go to uni as there will be loads of new people to meet and im not meeting anyone new here at home at the moment.

However, what if its not that easy to achieve what im aiming to at uni? What if its not as easy as im assuming it will be? After all, why should it be? What if the reasons as to why nothing is happening here also apply there?

Hmmm...

Anyway, i better listen to the other little voice and get back to work...

GJ Update

The latest from the Sixth form sh*thole of a battlefield:

So in recent weeks the Geeks have grown daring and rebelious, and have started grafitting the walls.
Sometime late last week the message "GEEKS RULE" was marked on the wall above the captured sofa.
This morning however, there was a crowd surrouding the area wielding textbooks and protractors and generally looking angry.
As I came closer to find out what the commotion was, I heard angry Jock-aimed disses and muffled cries of anguish.
Upon nearing the front I realised what the fuss was about...

In massive white graffiti letters were scrawled "JOCKS RULE" over the top of the original message!

I overheard Geeks talking later in the day, and apparently revenge plans include putting a dead fish inside the Jock sofa.

Er...these people are meant to be clever.
Have they not heard of something called diffusion?
Do they not realise that as the Sixth form Sh*thole is all one big room that eventually the smell will drift over to our side?

Actually, come to think of it I think the particular Geek who suggested this idea has a fish fetish.
After all, he was slapped round the face with one last term...

Ah, isn't school so great!

Happy Holi!

Holi is the Hindu festival of colour celebrating the arrival of Spring.

In India young and old celebrate by throwing coloured powder and paint at each other, and its an excuse for everyone to have lots of fun and get messy.

Unfortunately being here in the UK, we British Asians don't get to celebrate it in the same way, but still participate in the religious ceremony.

I think I've broken my face...

My cheek bones ache...

I've been smiling too much and too hard...

But I cant help it...

I got an offer from Imperial College London to do Medicine!!

YAY!! YAY!! YAY!! YAY!! YAY!! YAY!! YAY!!

After so much torture, waiting and hoping and praying, and rejection, after rejection...after rejection...

I got my one and final chance!

Now all I have to do is get the grades.
Forget mum grounding me, im grounding myself - social life canceled!

But im so relieved, the pressure is off now.
I have somewhere I actually want to go come September, and I have renewed motivation and something amazing to work for.

And as horrible as this experience was, it has made me stronger, and strenghened my faith. And its also taught me to be patient...the Guinness ads are right ;-)

And this means that (grades permitting) Im going to spend 6 years in London!
How exciting/daunting/fun/expensive/amazing!
When I told my sister that fact, she replied with: "Oh my God, im so sorry for you."
And mum reckons that I will get fed up and tired with it...but its London! It can't be that bad...can it?

Oh well, to be honest, I couldnt give a monkeys...

WOO-HOO!

Results

I got the results of those A-level modules I took in January today, and it looks like all that revision and chemical insomnia payed off.

I got 82/90 in Biology and 80/90 in Chemistry.

Admittedly its not as good as the previous modules but its still 2 A's.

Woo-hoo!

GO! GO! GO! Again!

Amazing!

Monday night was the best night I've had in ages. The GO! Team are amazing live!

I was surprised on arrival how intimate the gig was at Leicester Uni. Nice small venue which turned out to be packed. Which is the best way to see bands. And I cant wait for uni now, so many gigs, every week!

The support bands were smashing as well.

The first, Ambrose Tompkins, a cool blend of indie/folk/rock, sounded really good, especially as we were right up at the front, (and at this point to the left a bit and so right infront of the massive speakers). Although I think they were a little too mature for this crowd, and not very "JumpyFunky" like the GO! Team.
I almost felt sorry for the lead singer when he asked the crowd to join him in a chorus of "F**k God!" and was met with either silence and quite a few "No!"s.
But I liked them, good live music.

And the next band, The Grates, were (im running out of overly-positive describing words here) awsome! I'd have payed just to see them. Another 3 piece, female vocalist and drummer, and a guitarist guy.
The vocalist was gorgeous, and tres funky, with a sexy accent, jumping around on stage, really getting the crowd going.
By this point we were more central and still right up at the front against the barricades, and my friend kept waving and taking loads of photos of them. Then, a few songs in, to our surprise, she asked him his name and dedicated a song to him!

And then, once the crowd was all warmed up, ready, jumping and shouting, on came the GO! Team!
They are so unbelievably, amazingly great live. It really is like eating all your favourite sweets at once.
Just seeing Ian drop his guitar mid song and jump behind the drums, and then run back across the stage to play the harmonica, exactly sums up what the GO! Team are all about - extremely talented musicians throwing all their skills and sounds together in a punch-bowl of eclectic funk.

Im not going to go into lots of detail because if I do I will be here for ages, and not get anything else done.
But we got a smile from Sam and Ian and wave from Ninja!
Towards the end Sam dived into the crowd for a surf and we pushed him along also.
Speaking of crowd surfing, there was a painful-looking incident when some randomer decided to have a go and ended up being thrown over the barricades before being escorted away by security. Ouch!

They started the gig with "Panther Dash", and then played various tracks from the album, and several new ones. (Cant wait for the next one!) but I felt (and probably looked) like a kid who'd got to the bottom of his packet of skittles when they anounced their last song was "Titanic Vandalism", as they hadn't played "Ladyflash" yet!
But back they came just a few minutes later for the encore, and ended the gig with it! Woo-hoo!

And, at the end off it all, I got the set list off the stage as a souvenir! :-P

Pictures from the gig will be Flickrised soon (promise!) and I've even got videos!

The Set List!!

Sitting in the sun

Who ever said life is a lesson was right.

Its one big learning process.

And as the proverb goes "A fall into a ditch only makes you wiser"

Im learning from everything. Getting up and getting on after every set back, because thats all you can do.
Its a test of strengh, mentally and emotionally, and its character building.

And sometimes life doesnt take you where you want to go, but all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
You've just gotta have faith and patience.
It will all be okay in the end.

After all, everything happens for a reason.

House Party

I've just got back from a friends house party.

I didn't fancy going at first but im really glad i did. I think i needed it as well, after getting 2 more rejections yesterday, i needed some cheering up.

I love house parties, they're just so much more relaxed and intimate.
I took loads of funny pics too - plenty for the yearbook, and we danced, talked, chilled, and watched Love Actually.
Arguably not one of the most appropriate movies for a teen party, but I love it! Kiera knightleys smile at the wedding!

Best bits: taking hilarious photos, dancing to Orson, and laughing till it hurt to funny-alcohol-induced comments, which included my "ok now you put your finger in"
....you probably had to be there.

Worst bit: Spilling Sherry over my camera. Luckily it was okay. But what was a rather expensive bottle of Sherry doing at a teenagers house party in the first place i ask?!

Anwyay im really tired now, and i dont think posing in this condition was a very good idea in the first place, so im going to say bye now.

Im bored.

I didnt think that that was possible with the amount of work I have to do. But im bored of work.
And I have the feeling that this is not the first time Ive started a post with that statement.

So what have I been upto?

Well I missed seeing Kasabian again.

Word spread...relatively slowly actually, through the cafeteria that they were in the newsagents round the corner.

This would be the second time I've missed seeing them.
The first time Tom came into Oxfam for a browse. Nice to see that he's still humble despite the fame.

Although Im not all that bothered as he and Sergio did once ask my friend and I for directions to a music shop. At least I think it was them. Thats my story and Im sticking to it!

What? Living in Leicester this is about as good as it gets for celeb-spotting!

Other than that, my new favourite band are Orson.

*Impersonates Traci Bingham - "Oh my god, Orson are awesome!"*

I love "No Tomorrow".
Such a great track. It has so many bits to it.
All fused together in a get-up-m-dance-woo! mix.

Oh yes.
We had a Cathedral Service today for Ash Wednesday.
Grrr! Being a senior prefect can be so annoying, having to seat all the little brats, and deal with their mouthy comments, and it just went on and on.
Ok I do love it really, the authority, and walking around in Harry Potter-esque cloaks. But seriously, I mean on and on.
Although I did hear a great quote from somewhere in the Bible. I have no idea where, because, well im not Christian, and have never read it. I did start randomly one time but only got half-way through Genesis.
But anyway the quote:

"Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted"

And remember the exploding social life.
Well it seems that that problem has been sorted as I've been grounded!
How exciting!
I've never been grounded before.
And the worst/funniest thing is that it was for no reason.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to just tell mum that I'd be busy with parties for the next 5 weekends.
Or to argue about the benefits of Pro Plus tablets to students and lack of sideffects, before the declaration.

But apparently Im only allowed out 3 times from now untill July.

Yeah right!