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Thursday, May 28, 2009
First Taste of Bangkok!
(makes me laugh everytime)
What am I doing in Bangkok in the first place?? I am here to help out with the HIV/Aids awareness program of AIESEC. Like us, they have a target to reach for the no. of workshop attendees in order to receive funding from Standard Chartered Bank. After BKK, I'll be heading directly to Delhi for 2 weeks and then 3 weeks in UK to celebrate my brother's graduation (more like to celebrate the end of the extremely high fees giving ritual HAH).
So after a long wait at Starbug/bucks at the BKK Suvarnabhumi - awesome- airport, we waited yet another hour or so for Jolin who is high up in the AIESEC Asia-pacific (got to find out the post!).
It was there I learnt that, when they told me the MC will be busy with national planning, they meant the entire AIESEC Thailand would be spending 4 days (talking about AIESEC) on the outskirts of Bangkok. I kept thinking I'll continue doing my work in main city Bangkok (which is to raise workshop attendee nos. for the TRUST program) while the rest planned.
The place where I am currently enjoying Thai food is called 'We Train' which is a school/venue for women empowerment and such. The rooms are dorm style with bunk beds that shake (like crazy shake) every time I'd breathe. But it was exciting to sleep dorm style again. And needless to say, I look forward to breakfasts, lunches and dinners and regret that there are no suppers. All thanks to the awesomeness of Thai food. It's 4.02PM and (for the first time I am OK with the fact that) I am looking forward to dinner at 6PM (dinner at 6PM??).
Well, I am rather pleased that AIESEC Thailand was my choice for CEEDership.
The situation is such that Aiesecers here generally tend to talk in Thai and Thai sounds like a string of thickly spoken mandarin/vietnamese sounding words with a tune. And the Management Committee has a lot of international aiesecers which I feel is a good thing and also an indication of something that needs attention.
On the brighter note, the Thai aiesecers are really friendly. With the small exception of my immigration officers at the airport who needed some loving at night, seriously. I couldn't help but say, when I left, 'PLEASE have a nice day' BIG smile
And with Charmy Dolly, I doubt I can get bored here. She just told Suchith (current president of aiesec in Thailand) to wake up while she was presenting! HAHAHA hilarious.
AIESEC has a culture of.. certain.. roll calls. It goes something like this:
someone: AIESEC! everyone: WHATS UP! someone: AIESEC! everyone: WHATS UPPPP!!!!
someone: how are you feeling?? everyone: excellent! someone: HOW ARE YOU FEELING? everyone: EXCELLENT! someone: how are you FUCK ING feeling? everyone: FUCKING excellent!
And this is what happened in AIESEC Thailand after this very routine roll call.
Oom (elect MCP): After the presentations, we will give you guys a 30 min break. Everyone: Yay! Tom: Do you want a BREAK??? Everyone: YEAHH!! Some loud aiesecer: Do you want a FUCK ING break?!
HAHAHA. The immigration officer could do with one.
Lastly, I am trying to get some AIESEC Singapore work done in between the endless dance routines =D
Will upload pictures VERY soon. Thanks to Johann for lending me his Fuji DSLR for the summer! Wednesday, April 22, 2009
It's that time of the semester again.
Study Break. Followed by the reason for the study break - Final Term Exams.
Every time the study break rolls around (It really does just comes along and I don't even see it coming), I am swamped with the same damn emotions/thoughts/views and I can't help but feel like a complete loser.
They are such:
1) Crap, I could've been consistent and not have to worry about it now. 2) Crap, I really did waste a lot of time. 3) Crap, what the hell have I wasted my time on?? 4) Crap, why am I wasting my time now writing this blog post?
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Just wrote a long angsty blog post. Then I realised it's against my blog morals (yeah we have those) to do that.
Well it was basically about how miserable my life is bla bla and how I am finally tired and that emotions are useless and make a person weak. bla bla bla. Nonsense that I don't actually think is true and tomorrow I'll go back to being an emotional fool. BUT nonetheless. NOW. presently. I want a break, from everything and I want no one to stop me and I want to do what I want and what makes me happy. So tomorrow, I am going to buy a big tub on Hagen Daz (sp) strawberry ice cream and indulge and watch a sad movie 'Into the Wild'. I will call up all my closest friends and talk for hours about the old days and the future. If ever that I do believe god exists is when I turn to my friends in my weakest state and they know just what to say to make me smile again. Thank god for friends.. the ones that I have. And I am one of those lucky people who has a lot of true friends. All you suckers with a 1000 people on FB. Truly you are all just loners desperate to add people on FB (or you are just popular or you are Indian and you have your whole extended family on FB.. mama mami bhai bahen jiju saala saali). And I want to go play paintball. There is a lot of anger that needs to come out in a completely non-emotional way right now. Therefore, paintball. I want to talk to Rimjhim again because I truly felt like we were back to our good old J1 days when i talked for an hour with her today. The golden days. It's true what a person really wants to feel good about himself/herself is positive attention (preferably from the opposite sex). Oh, what all we do for attention. Why can't we be self-sufficient like those other people. Sucky shi ty life. I want ice cream. And some loving and maybe some shopping.
Uh, it's still a long angsty blog post. blablabla
Saturday, March 21, 2009
ETHICS
Its All Personal
I often find myself, and often see my friends and family, in a situation whereby either you can do the thing somebody 'taught' you, told you as the 'desired' or 'prescribed' action or you can risk being called 'moral', 'emotional' and, if I daresay, 'lacking common sense'.
Think about it. I have a story... exciting to hear.. almost gossip material...
Friend: So tell me some gossipp! I: Oh did you hear... blah blah he blah blha blah Friend: OMG no SHi T! I: Yeahh
Next thing I know, somebody wants me to write about it... Not factually but with a sensational twist. WHY? Because of viewership/readership.
So, I ask myself. Hmmm... I'll probably seem like weird if I stand up for the subject of the story and being moral is for emotional fools. I am smart, practical and this is how it works in journalism.
But this is why journalism has moved away from being the 'fourth pillar' of our society to a business that the normal man fears. We do not think about the various 'non-profit' and 'non-practical' repercussions of our actions.
Tomorrow, your genuine problem or silly mistake might also become sensational news for the laughter of the mass and then you'll say 'f ucking CB/BC reporter'. (Chinese and Indian pop language unites!)
And this is just an example to illustrate many situations we face and they aren't limited to when you enter the working world. It happens now. Anywhere, anytime.
Before you make a decision on what you want to do about it... try not taking the simple way out. Morality is desired in our fuc ked up, full of corruption, deceitful world and the solution starts with each one of us. And trust me, morality isn't easy to achieve.
If you are already thinking 'Radhika.. stop being so emotional.. stop thinking so much', then you are just too lazy or lived in Singapore all your life (living in Singapore kills your brain cells). Or have nothing to do in life. Step out, notice... there are losers, hungry people rolling the society in their hands for their own profit. If you can't stop them (because personally, I don't wanna die), at least make yourself a conscious, morally upright (and strong... morals doesn't mean weak) person. So, when one day you become a famous journalist, lawyer, businessman or politician (oh, these b astardssss) you'll die a peaceful death knowing you helped someone you perhaps didn't even know.
Really, think about it. It's the only thing that can save us from ourselves.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
NTU Admission Essay
'You must be the change you wish to see in the world'- I could only think of these words of Mahatma Gandhi when I was sitting with a group of fellow Indians who only had bitter words for their nation, India. They displayed their disgust at the corruption, the widespread poverty, the dirty roads and long queues. They complained about the high income taxes and the useless government that got elected. They said, with much conviction, that India has no hope. At such a juncture, I felt it was necessary to provide my own opinion, whether it complimented theirs or not and I commented, with all due for my elders present then, that all they were displaying was not an awareness of India's problems but a weak way of escaping from a nation that they essentially had a part in building. What outraged me more was the simplicity with which many people can disgrace India and do that, and nothing more. And what angered me the most was the lack of confidence and hope for India's future. This incident set me thinking and I realised that there are so many changes I wish to see in the world and sitting around, complaining about them would put me in the same boat as the people mentioned above. Therefore, as an educated citizen of the world, it is essential I make an effort or have a vision to find a remedy for any problem that bothers me. Only then will I be able to actualise Mahatma Gandhi's great words.
Monday, December 29, 2008
This is a future of a friend who told me about her friend's sister's someone. Random, retarded Indian connection. I don't think justice has been done to her life with my writing, probably because that isn't exactly my forte. Nonetheless.
December 2009
She sits alone in her single bedroom browsing through her phone. A pile of messages from friends went unreplied that winter and there wasn't a single outgoing call made, except for food delivery.
And now, she tries to look past the tears that form in her eyes to catch a clear glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. It's messed up, she thinks. I am a fag.
The doctor had told Sarrah about her frail health. She listened intently. It was like walking down a staircase which ends in a quicksand. With each step down, you know how much you've left behind and with each step, you know how much weaker and vulnerable you have become. But, still, you keep walking down the damned steps.
She felt like that. She knew how and where she started to lose weight, when her knees shot up in pain and when she woke up with massive headaches.
She wanted it to be better. But no matter how hard she tried, it was in vain. Like Zimbabwe's economy just doesn't get better, neither did Sarrah's health. Whether it was weakening mental capacity that led to physical ruin, or vice versa, all she knew was - she wanted to be better.
In the few months that led to December 2009, Sarrah in all sense cut off all relations with everyone who loved her. She sat in that single bedroom with blue light and worked all day. God knows what she did. When did she bathe, some asked. Perhaps, at wee hours of the morning. Wait, she didn't just work all day. She also buried herself in self-pity, tears and utter hopelessness. It was all just unexplainable. Like a blur. Like something was wrong, nibbling away the peace of mind.
The chill wind when she went ice-skating, the soft hands intertwined, the movie theatre and the almost therapeutic aroma of caramel popcorn. A shriek somewhere. A movie star. The kisses and long drives.
Delivery boy was an hour late. Like Sarrah knew the account of time. On hindsight, as she dropped a tear, she lost everything for a cause that had now become unknown to her.
So, my friend's friend's sister's someone says:
Heck care, yo. Don't be stupid like Sarrah but do go indulge in the joys of your life.
hence...
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
1. I'll be nice to everyone. No taunts. Not to the EFs as well. 2. I'll be my usual chatty, can't shutup with 'you know whaaaats' while on the phone. 3. I'll finish that painting. 4. I'll sleep when normal human beings are expected to sleep. 5. Dean's list babyy. HAHA dream Dean, land at least on prof's list.
Basically, I want 2009 to be my year. It's Radhi's comeback time, bitches! Thursday, December 11, 2008
Phony Tarot Card ReadingLast night I went for my first future & past telling rendezvouz a.k.a Tarot Card reading. I must say it was disappointed for the amount I paid. I paid 500 rupees! To hear depressing stuff. Plus, she wasn't in gypsy clothes and there was no crystal ball. And she had a cold. pfft. What a rip off. She asked me to pick 7 cards. The first three were depictions of my recent past, the fourth card was my present and the next three cards were my near future. I will not spill the beans on how accurate she was about my present but the future was a bit too much to swallow. By the end of 2009, I will be doing some soul searching and thus, cut myself off from everyone. Me? Hardly possible. I need to be around people all the time. And then, I asked her a few questions and as I asked these questions, I need to pick out another card. So I asked her (this is proof of how wrong she is and I will prove it) if I would be a lawyer. And the card I picked out - the devil card, apparently. Did not like the look of it. That simply meant no. And with what simplicity she said it. -Smile- "No". Skank. Anyways, on the bright side. I will only get married in 2016 (this question was on my mum's request). Mum was in disbelief. She said, "But I want to see my grandchildren get married. Radhika, hurry up! Jaldi karo!" Easy money.
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