The salty ocean breeze slams on my cheeks and with it come tiny droplets of water from the waves that just hit the wall. Walking hand in hand with my closest friend, I have no care or concern for what's going on...I am just engrossed in conversation with her. Soon we make way towards one of the many stalls that have been set up along our walking path, facing the ocean. We buy diced pineapples generously sprinkled with black salt and pepper. Popping the pineapples in our mouths, we walk towards one of the empty benches and stare out into the vast expanse of water ahead of us.
This was a very frequent escapade me and my friends indulged in when stress got to us during our time in medical school. Very often, these visits to the beach side were purposely timed towards late evening so that we would not only avoid the scorching afternoon sun but also manage to dine out and walk home at night, under the moonlight.
I spent a good five and a half years away from home and family in Sri Lanka. True, there were time when I longed to be home with family but over these five years, I found my second family in Sri Lanka. This second family of mine is a weird mix - there's my best(est) friend who's just as crazy as me, there's another who is extremely talkative, yet another who cracks the funniest of jokes, another who knows the in and the out of gadgets, another who's scared of dogs, one who always oversleeps and is late for work, one who is the saviour of the group at classes, one who is hardly seen without her mobile phone, one who loves to eat, one who wants to put on weight and eats but fails always, another who is struggling to shed some fat and then, there's me - me, who got overly attached to this second family of mine.
Not a day goes by when I do not think of them ~
June 17, 2015
May 26, 2015
Early morning gratitude
I wake up to a thundering sky
Bright white lightening streaks
Creating flashes of brightness,
The breeze, as cool as cool can be.
As my ear attunes to the splattering raindrops,
My eyes feast on the changing colours of the sky,
Shades of grey being painted, layers upon layers.
Thank you Rain Gods
For the downpour
For the much needed respite from the heat
Now I shall enjoy petrichor.
Bright white lightening streaks
Creating flashes of brightness,
The breeze, as cool as cool can be.
As my ear attunes to the splattering raindrops,
My eyes feast on the changing colours of the sky,
Shades of grey being painted, layers upon layers.
Thank you Rain Gods
For the downpour
For the much needed respite from the heat
Now I shall enjoy petrichor.
May 21, 2015
March 15, 2015
March 10, 2015
Letter to my 15 year old self
*What I'd tell my 15 year old self. At 15, I was a grade 11 student at Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School.
I'm 23 now*
Dearest Sweta
You need to loosen up. Smile and laugh more. Don't bother about your crooked canine peeping out when you do. Later in life, you'll remember the laughter, not the crooked canine.
Do not hold back from falling in love...it's natural. You have the right to fall in love several times just as much as you have the right to pick and choose. Everyone you love will teach you a lesson and all these lessons put together will help you find THE man.
Nobody has the right to use you. Stay away from men who lie, cheat & sweet talk. Nothing good will come from them. There'll be those who will hurt you & break your heart, but you have to stand back up on your feet. You can and you will!
Spend more time with friends. Acknowledge them. It's important to have a small circle of amazing friends...number doesn't matter. Open up, trust them and love them.
Appreciate the time you have with them- the lunch breaks, the endless gossip, those short outings...these are the memories that'll you cherish when away from them in college.
Forgive. I know you're not a Saint but you need to start putting into practice the art of forgiving. Forgiving is a value which will help YOU in the long run.Forgive the girl who spread rumours about you, forgive the boy who stole your lunch..you have more important things to deal with.
Moreover, Dumbledore always says that people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right!
Eat! Don't miss out on the burgers, the fries, the ice cream and all those chocolate filled goodness that's available. Thank your metabolism and relish these yumminess before your metabolism slows down and you start putting on weight.
Exercise! If you don't start now, you never will. Run with the dog instead of complaining and sending mum out with the dog. Play more of basketball and badminton and make use of that skipping rope that's accumulating dust in one of the boxes in the store room.
Shop with a purpose. Don't just buy whatever you think is nice. There's a reason why shops have fit-on rooms. Make use of them, spend a good amount of time shopping and deciding on what looks best on you. Don't blindly follow trends; wear what looks best on you.
DO NOT pick on your pimples. I know you get tempted to squeeze out the muck every time one appears on the face but resist the urge. Do whatever it takes, just don't pick on them. You'll thank me later.
People leave. You need to ready yourself for letting go. When you face loss, you'll think it's the end of the world and that you're finished but have faith in God and in the people around you. You will come out of it as a stronger person.
I know you feel that your mother is being over protective and looking at you with a microscope. Always remember that it's in your best interest and it's only because she loves you way more than you love her.
Value your family - everyone! They love you and care for you. Tell them that you do too. Tell your grandmother how much she means to you, say thank you for the dried fruits she brings for you. Tell them they matter before it's too late. Their absence will leave your heart hollow; a scar that even time cannot heal.
Speak up! If you feel strongly about something, voice your opinion. Do not be afraid to take the path un-trodden. You'll make mistakes but you'll also learn lessons from your mistakes; lessons you wouldn't get from anywhere else.
And finally, not everyone who started with you will finish with you. And that's okay.
Love,
Your Older Self
I'm 23 now*
Dearest Sweta
You need to loosen up. Smile and laugh more. Don't bother about your crooked canine peeping out when you do. Later in life, you'll remember the laughter, not the crooked canine.
Do not hold back from falling in love...it's natural. You have the right to fall in love several times just as much as you have the right to pick and choose. Everyone you love will teach you a lesson and all these lessons put together will help you find THE man.
Nobody has the right to use you. Stay away from men who lie, cheat & sweet talk. Nothing good will come from them. There'll be those who will hurt you & break your heart, but you have to stand back up on your feet. You can and you will!
Spend more time with friends. Acknowledge them. It's important to have a small circle of amazing friends...number doesn't matter. Open up, trust them and love them.
Appreciate the time you have with them- the lunch breaks, the endless gossip, those short outings...these are the memories that'll you cherish when away from them in college.
Forgive. I know you're not a Saint but you need to start putting into practice the art of forgiving. Forgiving is a value which will help YOU in the long run.Forgive the girl who spread rumours about you, forgive the boy who stole your lunch..you have more important things to deal with.
Moreover, Dumbledore always says that people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right!
Eat! Don't miss out on the burgers, the fries, the ice cream and all those chocolate filled goodness that's available. Thank your metabolism and relish these yumminess before your metabolism slows down and you start putting on weight.
Exercise! If you don't start now, you never will. Run with the dog instead of complaining and sending mum out with the dog. Play more of basketball and badminton and make use of that skipping rope that's accumulating dust in one of the boxes in the store room.
Shop with a purpose. Don't just buy whatever you think is nice. There's a reason why shops have fit-on rooms. Make use of them, spend a good amount of time shopping and deciding on what looks best on you. Don't blindly follow trends; wear what looks best on you.
DO NOT pick on your pimples. I know you get tempted to squeeze out the muck every time one appears on the face but resist the urge. Do whatever it takes, just don't pick on them. You'll thank me later.
People leave. You need to ready yourself for letting go. When you face loss, you'll think it's the end of the world and that you're finished but have faith in God and in the people around you. You will come out of it as a stronger person.
I know you feel that your mother is being over protective and looking at you with a microscope. Always remember that it's in your best interest and it's only because she loves you way more than you love her.
Value your family - everyone! They love you and care for you. Tell them that you do too. Tell your grandmother how much she means to you, say thank you for the dried fruits she brings for you. Tell them they matter before it's too late. Their absence will leave your heart hollow; a scar that even time cannot heal.
Speak up! If you feel strongly about something, voice your opinion. Do not be afraid to take the path un-trodden. You'll make mistakes but you'll also learn lessons from your mistakes; lessons you wouldn't get from anywhere else.
And finally, not everyone who started with you will finish with you. And that's okay.
Love,
Your Older Self
February 28, 2015
Metamorphosis
The touch of a hand
The stroke of the hair
The soft, meaningless giggles
A billion butterflies in the stomach
And gazillion emotions running wild.
Unplanned encounters
Spontaneous dates
Fun filled days from dawn to dusk
Late night conversations
All in a tiny colourful bubble.
Pop burst the colourful bubble
No more touching, cuddling or giggling
Conversations rendered confined to that by the eyes
Smiles taken over by sadness
Why do all good things come to an end?
The stroke of the hair
The soft, meaningless giggles
A billion butterflies in the stomach
And gazillion emotions running wild.
Unplanned encounters
Spontaneous dates
Fun filled days from dawn to dusk
Late night conversations
All in a tiny colourful bubble.
Pop burst the colourful bubble
No more touching, cuddling or giggling
Conversations rendered confined to that by the eyes
Smiles taken over by sadness
Why do all good things come to an end?
November 1, 2014
To goals, hopes and dreams
Shhhh do you hear that?
No vile noises or voices
No annoying sounds or clowns
Just me and my meandering mind.
Grew up wanting to be many,
From Snow White to Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty to the (hair) opluent Rapunzel.
Dreamt of a knight in shining armour, never without his stallion.
Growing older wanting to be many,
From Victoria Beckham, Sylvia Plath
To a world famous doctor.
Dreaming of happiness, sleeping on clouds.
This life has no paucity of dreams
Or inspiration
Or opportunities
Only has a dearth of sentiment, masked faces gallore.
A pleasant dusk, inching ever so closely towards dark
The first day of November
My mind continues to meander
To glistening stars, to a bright white moon and a gazillion dreams, yet to be conquered.
Final exams in sixteen days #ScaryStoriesIn5Words
No vile noises or voices
No annoying sounds or clowns
Just me and my meandering mind.
Grew up wanting to be many,
From Snow White to Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty to the (hair) opluent Rapunzel.
Dreamt of a knight in shining armour, never without his stallion.
Growing older wanting to be many,
From Victoria Beckham, Sylvia Plath
To a world famous doctor.
Dreaming of happiness, sleeping on clouds.
This life has no paucity of dreams
Or inspiration
Or opportunities
Only has a dearth of sentiment, masked faces gallore.
A pleasant dusk, inching ever so closely towards dark
The first day of November
My mind continues to meander
To glistening stars, to a bright white moon and a gazillion dreams, yet to be conquered.
Final exams in sixteen days #ScaryStoriesIn5Words
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