Summary (seems appropriate).

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

·          Finished school

·          Taught the piano

·          Started college

·          Moved to a new city to live on my own

·          Went on a long holiday by myself

·          Turned eighteen, though that’s nearly over now.

·          Uh, several other things which I can’t actually write on a public forum.

2. Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I never make resolutions at New Year. I like starting the year off on a happy note. Giving up bad habits would not make me happy.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes.

5. What countries did you visit?

I travelled a lot within India, but outside just Malaysia and Indonesia.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A stable mind and inner peace, perhaps? Also cheaper alcohol.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory and why?

No date in particular, but time slots. The first half of the year for leaving school and embarking on my Amazing Holiday and coming home to a fabulous summer. The second half, for getting into the college of my choice and moving to Delhi and living on my own.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Not failing at anything I set out to do.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Hm. Maybe selfishness? Yeah. Selfishness.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing apart from the usual falling into a ditch.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Daddy, for switching to bidis instead of smoking cigarettes though I’m not sure whether this is because of a vague attempt to be semi health conscious or because he’s cheap. My brother, for doing so well at work even though he loathes his job. Mama, for being the strongest, most selfless person I know.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

HAH! I would love to mention several people but I can’t.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Cigarettes. Alcohol. Autos.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The whole school/college saga, the trip to KL and Bali (and the tan), Delhi, the Jaipur wedding, and this Christmas (which has so far lived up to my expectations)

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Can’t think of one offhand. Oh alright, I can. But I don’t want to tell you.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

Both.

19. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Nothing really.

20. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Smoking, biting fingernails, cutting off hair.

21. How will you be spending Christmas?

Christmas is over. I saw it in with drunken friends (after the obligatory carol singing and mulled wine with family) and then I spent the day with family and more wine and Articulate and turkey and mince pies and basically the way Christmas should be spent.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Uh uh.

23. How many one night stands?

Lalalala.

24. What was your favourite TV programme?

Gossip Girl and no, I’m not ashamed.

26. What was the best book you read?

Quite a few, but Seth’s An Equal Music, Cartography (thanks Naomi), Divakaruni’s Palace of Illusions and Lessing’s The Golden Notebook spring to mind.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I discovered my voice is really as bad as everyone always said it was, and that I’m a good piano teacher.

28. What did you want and get?

I think I got almost everything I wanted.

29. What did you want and not get?

More meat.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

Going by films I’ve SEEN this year, not the ones that necessarily came out, I’d say The Reader, Schindler’s List, Big Fish, Stage Beauty, The Pianist- okay, it’s a long list. I saw a lot of good films this year courtesy Proiti M. And to be honest, The Ugly Truth would be up there on the favourite list too (must see for Man Whores).

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I had a huge party (joint with Min) on the Outside Terrace. Turned eighteen.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Six months in Bali instead of ten days, friends like Min and Aditya joining DU.  

34. What kept you sane?

My extreme level headedness of course.

37. Who was the worst new person you met?

Man Girl *cough*. She’s tied with Ape Boy though.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Nick (sometimes)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

When the going gets tough, curl up under the sheets and do not emerge until the end of the year.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

No.

I got an iPhone for Christmas. Hahahaha (My brother is going to be sick when he reads this).And a laptop. I wonder what my birthday next week will bring.

This has been the best Christmas ever- and the presents actually have nothing to do with it. But more on that later. Turkey, wine and family await. 

Merry Christmas. 

I'm happy. 

You know what annoys me about Woolf?

Her writing is beautiful but it flutters too much. You can't pin it down or grasp it or draw it out. Maybe for some people, that's a good thing. But it pisses the hell out of me.

Keeping In Touch.

 I'm going back home for Christmas in a couple of weeks and I'm going to be seeing a lot of friends who I said goodbye to almost six months ago. The move to college (not just my move, but everyone's- it's been a bloody migration) has changed relationships- some are stronger, some are weaker and some are just...different. Deep reflection (helped pass the half an hour I spent being trapped in a god forsaken Metro) and being influenced by my insane brother's love for categorising things made me realise that there are various kinds of- what I like to call- Keep In Touchers in our lives...

1. The One You're Always In Touch With: This sort of friend is special because, well, let's face it- if there's even one person out there who makes the effort to keep in touch at least twice a week despite your being in different cities/countries and who knows exactly what's going on in your life at any given moment, it means you're not alone. It means that you're probably a semi nice person. It means that you're probably loved. It means a lot of things.
I don't want to brag or anything but I have a lot of friends in this category-Moo, MWF, Tanu and Jahnavi. Mothers, grandmothers and stalkers don't count.

2. The One Who's Always There: This sort of friend is not someone you talk to everyday. It doesn't really matter though, because whenever you need this friend (or the friend needs you), all you need to do is send a text or a quick email and you get an instant response. The specialness of Type 2 friends lies in the fact that they never make you feel as if you're being a nuisance and no matter how busy they are, they always make time for you.
Pria and my brother (who is sort of my friend, I suppose) fall into this category. So does Bon.


3. The One You Never Talk To Or Text But Who Loves You Anyway: You somehow never have time to call/text/keep in touch with this friend. But it doesn't matter and you don't even feel the need to because you already have Types 1 and 2 to talk to if you need someone to talk to. Besides, with this friend, even though you don't feel the urge to talk to them regularly, you're aware that you love them and that they love you. And the moment you see them, even if its been months and months since you last saw each other, it's going to be as if you never were apart at all.
For example, I rarely talk to Ishani or Jayatri but when I do or even when I see them, it's as if no time has passed. We fall back comfortably into our old places. It's the same with Arjun M- something which anyone who knew me at fourteen will find hilarious.


4. The One You're Not Particularly Close To But Who You Miss In a General Sort Of Way Because They Were Once a Part Of Your Everyday Life: School friends fall into this category. Close school friends. Maybe you weren't best friends or anything, but you went out for lunch and you sat together in class and you copied each other's homework and you whined about tests to each other. You do feel a genuine affection- maybe even love- for them. Maybe you haven't kept in touch over the year except for an occasional 'hi' over facebook or a random conversation on Skype, but you look forward to seeing them again and catching up. They still mean something and maybe, in a funny sort of way, they always will.
   Basically, a lot of classmates come to mind.


5.The One You Talk To Rarely: These friends can be sub-divided into two parts.

A) The Type 5 Part A friend is someone you talk to rarely but when you do talk, you catch up on absolutely everything. 
For example, Jahnavi J and Rohini.

B) The Type 5 Part B friend is someone you talk to rarely and when you do finally talk, it's awkard because a lot of time has passed and neither of you are in the same place anymore. And there's nothing you can do about it.
I don't think I'm going to tell you who belongs here.


6. The One You've Lost Complete Touch With: Again, these friends can be sub-divided into two parts:

A) You miss this friend with all your heart.

B) You don't miss this friend. At all.

Again, I don't think I'm going to reveal the people I've shoved into the above categories. I don't have a handkerchief on me.
(Joke).


7. The One You Want To Lose Complete Touch With: But they just won't LET you. So annoying. Unless they feel that you're a Type 6 Part A friend. In which case it's sad (for them). And sad for you, because it's quite probable that your Type 6 Part A friend considers you a Type 7 friend. Re-read this carefully if it doesn't make sense because it should.


8. The Stalker: I decided to give this person his own category. Pretty self explanatory and similar to the One You Want To Lose Complete Touch With. The difference lies in the degree- and let me emphasise that it's the difference between a nice, warm afternoon bath (with bubbles) and dying of severe burns in the ICU. A word of advice, don't ever accidentally give your number to a random South African student you met outside a metro station. Especially if they're carrying a Bible in their pocket and offer to teach you how to cook. I should also make it clear that this type of friend is not a friend, this type is a potential rapist/murderer. You really shouldn't keep in touch with them.


9. The Rest: I had to shove them in somewhere. These include various family members who you're mildly fond of, acquaintances you neither like nor dislike and basically everyone else who just doesn't fit into Types 1 to 8. I suppose these people just shouldn't be classified Keeper In Touchers but the fact is, you are in touch with them. You just don't know how or why and that's okay because if you did, they wouldn't be in this category.


Anyway, Tanu's on Skype now and I'm going to go and talk to her. We'll both be home for Christmas soon- everybody will- and so neither of us will have to be a Keep In Toucher, at least for a while.