Things That Define Me

       The one thing I find toughest is to write the 'About Me' section. Let it be writing an introduction in a social media site, or setting up my profile in a new site, or introducing myself in a group or writing the 'About Me' section of my blog; I always find it hard. I would be happy to say 'Hi! I am Swathi Shenoy' and end it with that but I can hardly do that. Introductions are meant to let people know more about you and such introductions would have been easier if there were only few things that define me; few things to let people know who I really am. But that is surely not the case. Let me tell you why!

      I am a writer. I pour my heart out through writing. When I fail to express my feelings out loud, writing comes to my rescue. When there are things I cannot share with anyone, they take the form of stories. People read it as fiction but many of them are inspired by the things happening around me. When something good or bad happens, I have to write about it, else I cannot sleep peacefully! I am an introvert and writing is my Knight in Shining Armour!

       With writing comes, the interest in reading. And I am not immune to this. I am an avid reader. My day isn't complete if I don't read at least a few pages of a novel. Reading helps me live a different life in a different world altogether. How can I not love it? Here is a sneak peak of my library:

       I am a singer. It was my mom's dream to be a singer but she couldn't achieve it (Oh, she has a very sweet voice). So, I was sent to music classes since the age of six and I have always enjoyed it immensely. Music is the magic that can soothe your mind like nothing else can. I count it as a blessing to have been trained in this field.

       I love dancing too. Though I always wanted to join a dance classes, I never got a chance to. That didn't stop me from learning. I am a self trained dancer and a good one at that. I never missed an opportunity to step on the stage.

       I am an artist. I love sketching and painting. People who are regular to this blog know that. What started as just a small hobby to pass time, soon turned into a passion and before I knew, I was in love with it. Capturing the beauty of the world through my pencils or paint brush is something that I love a lot. Though I am a little slow at it, the satisfaction I get when the art work is complete, makes it worthwhile.

 

       It's not just the sketching and painting, I love crafts, stitching and Quilling too. I always keep looking for something new to make; painting on tiles, pots, glass, making something from ice cream sticks... anything. Whenever I see something interesting at my friends' or relatives' home, I bug them till they tell me how to do it.

 

       I am a cook too. I love experimenting new things. Internet is my teacher and I always keep trying new things. Oh, I promise you they are all edible. My friends and family love them, so I trust my experiments are good.

 

       I love sports too. I learnt Swimming, Volleyball, Chess and Karate when I was in school. I used to find it difficult to make time for everything but that never stopped me. They say 'When you want something, there will be no excuses. You will always make time for something you love' and I can't agree more to this. It has always been like that for me.

       Oh, I am a student too, currently pursuing Engineering in Computer Science but that's not all. I am an enthusiastic student in the journey of life, always eager to learn new things. My varying interests and the things I keep learning are a result of this enthusiasm.

       Does it end here? Not at all!! There are many more things that define me - I am a dreamer, a friend, a daughter, a sister, an enthusiastic traveler, a perfectionist and much more. But how can I explain all this when someone asks my introduction in brief? I fumble and stammer to get the right words. To say all these makes me feel like I am showing off. But trust me, that is not the case. It is who I am. Take out even a single thing out of the list and the introduction is incomplete. 

       I still remember an incident from my interview. The hardest thing for me was preparing my resume. I had tried to keep the 'interests' and 'achievements' column as short as possible. Still, during the H.R. round, I was asked "How is that you do all these? How will you manage your time?" I just smiled and said "It is because I love what I do" There, that is the answer. I love each and every thing of these activities and they as a whole, define who I am. But it is difficult to make everyone understand. 

       So, whenever someone asks about me, I just smile and say "A girl with lots of dreams" Now, doesn't that  sounds simple enough for the first time? So, ladies and gentlemen, that's Swathi Shenoy for you.

PS: This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus.

Also linking this to the Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge.

Until the next post,
Keep Smiling :)

Love,
Swathi :)

A Foe Turned Friend!

       "I will be there in 10. Be ready, unless you want me to drag you there in whatever avatar you are right now" I smiled and hit send. I knew 10 minutes were no where enough for my darling Aliya to get ready; unlike me, she needed hours! No sooner had I kept my cell down, I received the reply "I hate you". That made my smile go wider. "My pleasure sweetheart. Now go before I change my mind and come right away" I had tried persuasion but when that had failed, I resorted to threatening which was working fine so far. Five years ago, I had never imagined that we would be best friends, let alone people who acknowledge each other! But things seldom go as we plan. As I sat waiting for her, my mind started taking a trip down the memory lane.

        It was the first day of college. I was a bundle of excitement and nervousness. There was excitement arising from the fact that I was no longer a school girl. 'College student' - those two words were filling me with pride and excitement. At the same time, there was fear - fear of unknown. New place, new friends, new routine. I had no idea what to expect. All my friends were in a different section and I was left alone, thanks to the language I had selected. I desperately looked around for someone. I needed to make new friends. As I looked around the classroom, my eyes fell on the girl sitting in the far corner, in the last bench. 'Ostentatious' is the word that came to my mind when I saw her. She was laughing with her friends and when our eyes met, she gave me a bored glance and sneered before turning away! It was clear she didn't like me and oh! The feeling was mutual. I knew we weren't going to get along. I might as well avoid her than to start a cat fight.

       But destiny had different plans. A week later, labs started and to my chagrin, we were made lab partners. By the looks of it, she wasn't pleased either. I had come to know that her name was Aliya. We tried to convince our lecturer to let us switch partners but it was of no use. It seemed like we had no other option than to work together. "Just keep your distance from me" she growled in my direction. I flinched. Apparently, there are a few people who just can't get along, without any particular reason. Guess we fell into that list. "I have no intentions of befriending you, your Highness" I replied sarcastically and that was it. Thrice in a week, we had to work together for two hours and those were the longest hours. Much of it passed without any conversations, save for the occasional verbal insults we threw at each other.

       Months passed and finally it was the last lab of the year. I would no longer have to bear the torture of sitting next to my enemy. I gave myself a hi-5 mentally. I was determined to ignore her for the next two hours but a soft sob made me turn towards her. She looked like a mess; her eyes were red and swollen, as if she was crying for hours and her cheeks were tear stained. I realized I was staring when she looked up from her hands and glared at me or at least tried to. "Are you OK?" I asked her, unable to stop myself. She didn't reply. "Aliya?" I tried again. "Just leave me alone. Will you?" she hissed. I didn't know what was the reason for the state she was in and my attempt to talk were not welcome. So I tried to focus on the lecture. When the lab ended, my friends caught up with me and I got to know the reason behind Aliya's behavior. Apparently she had a nasty break up. Her boy friend had called her names in front of their whole group before dumping her and all her friends had sided up with him, leaving her all alone. Gossips always spread at lightening speed. For the first time, I felt pity for the poor girl.

        A lot of things changed in the next few days. When I saw Aliya sitting alone the next day, her shoulders slumped in defeat as our classmates made fun of her, I just couldn't let it be. I dragged her from her place to sit with us. Her protests were weak; she already looked defeated. For the next few days, we tried to cheer her. It was a difficult job considering she was not ready to let go of the past and looking at her old friends made her cry all over again. But slowly, she learned to ignore them. I was with her when she needed someone the most. I don't know why I did that; it still takes me by surprise that I helped a person whom I couldn't even bear sitting with! But it was destined to be. She started opening up to me and I found out she wasn't as bad as I had expected her to be. We weren't anything alike; we were like the poles of a magnet but still, I had found a true friend in her.

       Lenka's voice brought me back to the present. My cell phone was ringing and it was Aliya. I looked at my watch and swore. I was 30 minutes late. "Down to earth madam. Where the hell are you?" she shouted as soon as I picked her call. "Arey, I am stuck in traffic. Will be there soon" I lied as I ran out towards the garage. "I know you are getting out of your home now. Just get here before I change my mind" she muttered something under her breath before she hung up. She knew me so well! Who would have thought she, of all people, will turn out to be my best friend, who would stand by me through thick and thin? I definitely hadn't! But I am grateful, all the same.

PS: This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda. Also linking this to Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Fresh - Five Sentence Fiction #14

    His gaze followed her hungrily as she moved out of the cafe, swinging the bag of food in one hand and texting someone with the other.

     He followed the unsuspecting girl silently, waiting for the right moment to strike.

     'Now is the time' he thought as he noticed her turning towards a deserted street and lurched forward to snatch her bag, scaring her in the process.

      He didn't stop to see her reaction; he just ran with the bag which had fresh food that the girl had ordered from the cafe.

      He would feel guilty later, he thought; but at that moment, all he could think was the anguish of his little boy, who had been lying hungry and sick since days, thanks to their poverty.

PS: This post is written for Five Sentence Fiction - Fresh and Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)