#A-to-Z #Challenge #Reflections Post 2014

This year's challenge has been mixed feelings for me. As always, for the third time in a row, I have enjoyed having a daily post to write about, to think about, and to strive towards. However, I haven't been able to network the way I did the last couple of years. Partly, this has been due to my lack of planning and ending up with a theme that proved really difficult to write upon.
Also, April proved to be unusually busy! I hadn't expected it to be quite so intense, a lot of lovely travelling, a lot of holidays with the family, casting my first vote in the largest election in the world, among other things. So, all in all, I'm not too sure if I will come back to do this next year - but that's too far away to worry about!
I'm very proud of S, over at Failed Experiments & Experimental Failings, who finally managed to get her writing juices flowing at her third attempt at the challenge. What a lovely theme, and what enjoyable posts! Another big shout out to T, over at Scouring Monk, who I owe big time, for taking the time to read each one of my posts, and coming up with some hilarious ones of his own :)
I’d like to sincerely thank the organizers, hosts, co-hosts and helpers of the challenge. Good job!
That's all folks!

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This is the reflections post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour, Interpretation, Journalling, Keats, Language, Metaphysical Poetry, Narration, Ode, Papillion(ed), Quatrain, Romanticism, Shakespeare, Tone, University, Victorian Literature, Wilde's Wit, Xenophobia, Yeats, Zen

Z... is for Zen

When I read, it takes me to a beautiful meditative state. Even when I'm studying, rather than reading, I still don't need to make too much of an effort. I'm trying to achieve that with writing too. Sometimes, it works, I get engrossed in what I'm writing and the result is always close to my heart - special. It is this state of calm, quiet, serene peace that draws me to literature.
Every book is like a new friend that takes me on a journey through time, through emotions, and introduces me to feelings I never felt before. This feeling is like an addiction, the more I learn to lose myself, the more I'm drawn into it, with no intention of coming back. When I read Orkney, it was as if someone had been dunking my head in cold water. But even that was pleasurable. Zen, as I have have learnt, is never too far away.
With this, the A-to-Z Challenge comes to an end and I have only one wish for you, may you find your Zen.

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This is the twenty-sixth post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour, Interpretation, Journalling, Keats, Language, Metaphysical Poetry, Narration, Ode, Papillion(ed), Quatrain, Romanticism, Shakespeare, Tone, University, Victorian Literature, Wilde's Wit, Xenophobia, Yeats

V... is for Victorian Literature

I spoke of the lofty thoughts and ideals of Romanticism earlier. This period was followed by the reign of Queen Victoria in Britain, from 1838 to 1901 and this period produced some very significant literary works that I'm required to study. While poetry was the most important form with the Romantics, the novel, as we now know it, became the leading literary genre in the Victorian times. Some of the noteworthy novelists of this period include Dickens, Eliot, the Bronte sisters, and Hardy. There were some great poets too - Browning, Yeats, and Tennyson.
From wiki, I have, "Victorian novels tend to be idealised portraits of difficult lives in which hard work, perseverance, love and luck win out in the end; virtue would be rewarded and wrongdoers are suitably punished. They tended to be of an improving nature with a central moral lesson at heart. While this formula was the basis for much of earlier Victorian fiction, the situation became more complex as the century progressed. There was a struggle to conquer the flaws of human beings with great virtues. It was a principle that those who struggle to attain morality would most probably achieve positive results in the end if not tortured by natural circumstances or evil vices."
Though this period produced a vast array of works, their common themes made them cluster together as the kind of things the reader at the time wished to read. My personal favourite is Dickens, I have read all of his novels barring a couple, and there is something about the way he writes that draws me to the novels.

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This is the twenty-second post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour, Interpretation, Journalling, Keats, Language, Metaphysical Poetry, Narration, Ode, Papillion(ed), Quatrain, Romanticism, Shakespeare, Tone, University

S... is for Shakespeare

Tomorrow is Shakespeare's birthday. I have read a lot of him in school, most notably Julius Caesar and Tempest. This time, I'm having to read Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He was the reason I learnt to read plays, and his plays were the reason I learnt to like them. During my UK stay, I didn't get a chance to visit Stratford, unfortunately, but someday. I did go to the RSC-managed Shakespeare's Globe, built to replicate the original building at the original site. I took a guided tour and highly recommend it for the next time you're in London!
I do like the way he writes. While some of his themes are most definitely outdated and bizarre, I really enjoy the dialogues. The plotting and planning, the soliloquies, the proclamation of love - all of them, I find them entertaining and well written. Having said that, I think it is important for one to be initially 'taught' how to read Shakespeare, and then left on one's own to figure out the rest of his vast body of work. I would think it rather difficult to truly understand and enjoy his works if I weren't taught it. Anyway, Happy Birthday to him. He has already achieved immortality through his works...

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This is the nineteenth post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour, Interpretation, Journalling, Keats, Language, Metaphysical Poetry, Narration, Ode, Papillion(ed), Quatrain, Romanticism

N... is for Narration

Narration is everything! Isn't it? Think about it, when you begin reading a book and there is a host of different characters, the author has the option of telling the story through one or many voices. This directs how the story is told, what the voice sounds like, and to a large extent even determines the tone of the novel. What could be a happy ending from the point of view of one of the characters could be a very tragic, or at the very least, a disappointing end for another.
Sometimes, multiple narrators annoy me. Wuthering Heights and My Name is Red, for example, failed me because too many people were speaking one by one and there wasn't a single point from which to approach the story. However, I make an exception for Treasure Island, what a tale! Dual narrations are good, though. Look at Gone Girl, look at Kafka on the Shore, both lovely examples of fabulous books. And then there's the autobiographical, the way Ralph tells the story in Coral Island, the voice of Dr Watson in Sherlock Holmes novels is unparalleled. No one tells a tale like they do. I also like the withheld information mystery, like the name of the second Mrs de Winter in Rebecca and the professor's young wife in Orkney. What kind of narratives do you like?

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This is the fourteenth post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour, Interpretation, Journalling, Keats, Language, Metaphysical Poetry

L... is for Language

One of the modules I'm required to take is called Aspects of Language. It deals with what language is, why it came into being, and what is it used for. Though we all may know the answers to these questions, it is very interesting to analyze them properly. For instance, I had to study about the similarities and differences between animal and human language and I want to share it with you here, because it is interesting to know.
The most traditional way of understanding human language is by comparing and contrasting it with animal language, if at all it may be termed so.

Sound signals – both humans and animals use sound signals to convey emotions. But humans have developed a way to transfer language onto other mediums like written and seen.
Arbitrariness – when animals communicate an emotion, they generally assume a pose or attitude to go with it. Attackers spit and growl, the prey makes helpless noises. When humans communicate, there is usually no correlation between the emotion and the word being used to describe it. When one proclaims joy, one doesn’t need to jump around! The symbols used are thus arbitrary. This is also the reason why there are multiple words for the same thing, ie, synonyms.
Learning – while birds that aren’t taught will sing, babies that aren’t taught language will babble unintelligently. If a fawn is threatened by a predator, it will instantly cry out the sound for help, but a threatened child will not be able to should ‘Help!’ However, a child that has been taught the symbolism will. Thus, while both humans and animals CAN learn, humans can only learn when taught. Animals seem to be born with knowledge of their language.
Displacement – Humans can describe things which are not around them, by means of language, this is displacement. We can talk of danger as an experience, but animals will only cry danger when there is danger in their vicinity. Thus the ability to converse through the boundaries of time and space is an important distinguishing characteristic.
Creativity and breadth – Human language is vast! While animals are endowed with the most basic vocabulary to survive, humans have limitless options with language. It is this that sets them apart in the animal kingdom, the ability to use language as luxury.
Duality – Animals use sounds in isolation or simple combinations. Humans have a more complicated way. Sounds and words are on one level but how they are struck together to form meaningful sentences is another level. This depends on grammar and structure of different languages.
Structure – Because of the framework of grammar, words can be rearranged to form sentences with the same meaning. A chunk of words can be rearranged differently, and this is unique to human languages.

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This is the twelfth post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour, Interpretation, Journalling, Keats

K... is for Keats

I don't have much for K, but I'll leave you with a poem by Keats.
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A Galloway Song

Ah! ken ye what I met the day
Out oure the Mountains
A coming down by craggi[e]s grey
An mossie fountains --
A[h] goud hair'd Marie yeve I pray
Ane minute's guessing --
For that I met upon the way
Is past expressing.
As I stood where a rocky brig
A torrent crosses
I spied upon a misty rig
A troup o' Horses --
And as they trotted down the glen
I sped to meet them
To see if I might know the Men
To stop and greet them.
First Willie on his sleek mare came
At canting gallop --
His long hair rustled like a flame
On board a shallop.
Then came his brother Rab and then
Young Peggy's Mither
And Peggy too -- adown the glen
They went togither --
I saw her wrappit in her hood
Fra wind and raining --
Her cheek was flush wi' timid blood
'Twixt growth and waning --
She turn'd her dazed head full oft
For there her Brithers
Came riding with her Bridegroom soft
And mony ithers.
Young Tam came up an' eyed me quick
With reddened cheek --
Braw Tam was daffed like a chick --
He coud na speak --
Ah Marie they are all gane hame
Through blustering weather
An' every heart is full on flame
Ah! Marie they are all gone hame
Fra happy wedding,
Whilst I -- Ah is it not a shame?
Sad tears am shedding.

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This is the eleventh post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour, Interpretation, Journalling

I... is for Interpretation

Interpreting something that one reads is a representation of what one is. How a text is perceived is to a large extent the reader's personality. For instance, a lot of my avid reader female friends are massive fans of Darcy, Heathcliff, and Rhett. What is it about these men that attracts young women, I wonder. I am personally not attracted to any of them. So what is it that draws one? What is the individual's interpretation of a plot? Of dialogues? What do writers want to convey when they write a particular statement in a particular way?
How does one ever know? Which critics are right? It is so strange that the study of literature involves the reading of those people who have read texts widely and have offered their own thorough opinion. I find it strange because every person is entitled to his/her own opinion. Why should I have to conform or quote? Why can't I be a critic!? What's your take on the interpretation of novels, poems, and plays?

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This is the ninth post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis, Drama, Edinburgh, Faust, Gothic Fiction, Humour

D... is for Drama

Reading drama is very different from reading novels, you don't need me to tell you that. When I was much younger, I hated drama with a passion. I could never understand why dialogues have to be so difficult to understand (that's what I thought at the time). In fact, I'm not good with a lot of dialogues at length, I get muddled, that's a reason why I never read too many of Agatha Christie's novels. They tend to have long conversations and I get confused about who's saying what!
This was until I had to read 'Julius Caesar' in school, when I was 13 followed by 'Tempest' when I was 15. We had Oxford University Press annotated Shakespeare editions. And we had a very meticulous teach, who wasn't life changing or brilliant, but disciplined. The combination of the two meant that we were taught to read Shakespeare and understand him using the annotations on the side. We were required to enact them too, and I was Cassius. I have enjoyed drama ever since! It is always different and they is so much fun in imagining oneself in a character's shoes. This time around, for MA, I need to read a variety of playwrights, and they're all exciting, moving, and brilliant in their own right. Have you read any of these? What have you thought of it (them)?

The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Hamlet
Alchemist by Ben Jonson
The Playboy of the Western World
Pygmalion
Murder in the Cathedral
Waiting for Godot
Look Back in Anger

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This is the fourth post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature, Critical Analysis

C... is for Critical Analysis

I have read for as long as I can remember. We are a family of bookworms on my Mum's side, Mum, Gran, Greatgran, all are avid readers. Also, because I'm an only child, Mum set me with books whenever she had work to do and I was being a pest. However, at the time, until I was much older, I never analysed texts critically, I didn't know what that meant. Last year, however, I took a MOOC on Coursera called 'English Composition I: Achieving Expertise'. It was conducted by Duke University and I learnt quite a bit from it. Although it was aimed at writing, it also taught us how to read critically. This proved to be a boon when I had to submit a 20,000 word dissertation for my Masters in Edinburgh.
Reading critically is the first step to being a good writer. It isn't enough to read and understand. It is important to look at undertones, if any, and link various parts of the text to a set of themes that are usually revealed right at the onset. Character analyses are far easier, because writers tend to pan them out in a way to create a succinct image in the readers' minds. But theme-wise breakdown of a play or novel is quite challenging.
Added to that, is the task of sifting through piles of what crappy critics think the author meant to say. For example, I was reading a criticism of Wuthering Heights where the critic claimed that Mr Lockwood's progression from his landlord's living room, to kitchen, to guest bedroom reflects the opening of various layers of the plot! What rubbish, I say! Isn't that how guests enter people's homes every day!? What has that got anything to do with layers or whatever...
Anyway, critical thinking comes with experience and practice. I'm trying to cultivate it little-by-little.

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This is the third post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism, British literature

B... is for British Literature

Right at the onset, I would like to say that I'm quite overwhelmed by the lovely comments I got on my post yesterday. It is a beautiful feeling to read them. I'm having a busy day today (my cousin is coming and I'll see him after two years!) but I'll read more blogs tomorrow.
So, like I said, my first year modules for school are all about British literature. And while I've never been one to think of a person's nationality while I read his/her works, I was quite surprised. I have read many of the poets, playwrights, and novelists on my course without thinking that they were British, but they were! So many of them! While it is natural that this should all be happening in the country that gave the world the language itself, but it is still wonderful that they can read, write, and enjoy in their mother tongue.
I've always expressed myself best in English. A rigorous secondary school education coupled with an inherent love for the language ensured that English became my first language. So I would never know what it is like to enjoy studying in a language that is fairly alien, but friends tell me that it is a chore. Anyway, point being that I'm glad the British gave us this wealth of Literature and that I finally got around to studying it. Another happy coincidence is that the course creators have included Sylvia Plath, who was married to an Englishman. I do like her works.
In case, you're wondering, for second year, we were given optional modules to choose from Indian, Canadian, Australian, and American Literature. I chose American (Hemingway, Twain, Fitzgerald, Capote sigh) and Australian (because I have NO idea what it contains!).

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This is the second post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.
Previously, Archaism

A... is for Archaism

As the immortal song goes "Let's start at the very beginning / A very good place to start"...
By a series of chance encounters, coincidences, and timing clashes, I'm studying towards a Masters in Literature. Finally, I say! It has been a long time coming, this chance meeting with Literature. But it is here now, and how!
My modules include largely British literature, it is where 'English' began, where it took form, and went through all of its many recognisable phases. I am reading a lot of archaic literature, as a result. Derived from the Ancient Greek: archaîos means 'from the beginning or ancient'. It is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current.
Chaucer, for instance, I'm losing hope with. I don't think I will ever enjoy him. But Donne, I love. "Wuthering Heights' I'm reading for the first time, but 'Great Expectations' is like meeting an old friend who I know page by page. But my newest experience has been the study of the Structure of language itself. Asking the questions of 'What is language?', 'Why do we need it?', 'How to understand and construct criticism?' etc, have been proving to be wonderful exercises.
Archaism and its ideas which seem hardly relevant in today's modern world is an integral part of learning the language. It is imperative to understand where what we read today comes from. However outdated and illogical characters and plots seem, they provide a succinct glimpse of life and times of their inception.
I will leave you with this poem by Donne, considered very outrageous upon its publication, for what it suggests.

The Flea

Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deniest me is;
It sucked me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;
Thou know’st that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead,
    Yet this enjoys before it woo,
    And pampered swells with one blood made of two,
    And this, alas, is more than we would do.

Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, nay more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our mariage bed, and marriage temple is;
Though parents grudge, and you, w'are met,
And cloistered in these living walls of jet.
    Though use make you apt to kill me,
    Let not to that, self-murder added be,
    And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?
Wherein could this flea guilty be,
Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?
Yet thou triumph’st, and say'st that thou
Find’st not thy self, nor me the weaker now;
    ’Tis true; then learn how false, fears be:
    Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me,
    Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.
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This is the first post for the April A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2014.

Late, very late to the party – My #AtoZChallenge Theme Reveal

I do have a very valid excuse for this one. If you know me, you know that I'm very organised. And since I do not 'do' many challenges and lists on the blogging world, I usually do not completely forget about the ones I take up. But last month, I started studying Literature, and the assignment submission deadline was March 31st. Because I'm such a good girl, I submitted them a week in advance! But sadly, that meant that I missed the theme reveal day for the #AtoZChallenge 2014... anyway, here we are now!

Since I've begun studying again, and this time something that I absolutely love; it is only fair that I write about it too! So my theme for this year is 'English Literature Year 1 - Tassels & Troubles'.
I hope you will pick it up from last year's fun. I have had such a great time with this Challenge in the past two years (2013 Scotland, 2012 Books) and I'm sure this year too will be very rewarding! Here's to a brilliant time, folks! Good Luck!

W... is for Writers' Museum, The

This is by far the best museum I have been to. Dedicated to the lives of  Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, the three of the greatest Scottish writers. There are, of course, painting and sculptures, but there's also memorabilia - their desks, their pens, shoes even.
There are tales of how their greatest works came to be, their stories, inspirations, and thoughts. Lives of these men are brought out in a beautiful collection of objects that were related to them. I grew up reading Kidnapped, Treasure Island, and Stevenson's poetry, some of my favourite childrens' works ever! And for me to visit this place was like taking a spin in a time machine and coming face-to-face with my ten year old self.
I loved it! And the courtyard in front of it has their immortal words and the works of other famous authors set in stone. How lovely!

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye, John o' Groats, Kirk, Loch Lomond and Luss, Mogwai, Necropolis, Old Man of Storr, Portobello, Queen of Scots, Robert Burns, Stirling, Tantallon Castle, Urquhart Castle, Venison.

Liebster Award!

My lovely friend S, over at Failed Experiments & Experimental Failings, nominated me for the Liebster Award!
A couple of days later, Kathleen from Writing, Reading, and Life, nominated me again! I have only started reading her blog but the name, if you know me, is like a magnet and you should definitely stop by.
This is very special to me as this is the FIRST award this blog has won. Thank you, both of you!
This is a pay-it-forward award. It’s only for participants of the A-Z blogging challenge that began on April 1st... I understand that some of you might not 'do' blogging awards, so just take it as my appreciation for your work :)

The rules are:
1. Thank the person who nominated me and link back to their site
2. Post 11 random things about myself
3. Answer 11 questions that S has for me
4. Ask my nominees 11 questions of my own!


Here we go then:

11 things about myself:

1. I'd really like to be a travel writer. Being paid to travel and to write is my dream.
2. My friends are my life. As an only child, they have always been my support system.
3. I love Scotland! There is something simple and unpretentious about life here.
4. I have lived 23 years of my life in India and am not patriotic at all. Close friends say I was born in the wrong country :P
5. Poetry is a sublime form of life.
6. I believe in magic and fairies!
7. My favourite movie is Walt Disney's Cinderella; there is wayyyyy too much to learn from it.
8. I'm a huge pessimist when my feet are on the ground.
9. I love entering peoples' lives when they are messed up and then fixing them!
10. I get taken for granted by friends a lot, I hate it!
11. I am a Grammar Nazi.

Now to answer the questions S put up:

1. What does your name mean? Do you like your name? Have you ever wanted to change it?
It means 'the rising'. I do like my name. I am called Jhelum at home (most Bengali kids have two names lol), sometimes I wish I was called Udita at home and Jhelum formally.

2. Why did you start your blog?
This blog began on 18th Feb, 2007, the day I turned 18. I wrote my first post at 1800 hrs.

3. Tea or coffee?
Both

4. If you could revisit a  day or a certain period of your life, what would it be?
It would have to be my undergrad years, I loved it then, and I would like to relieve it again!

5. What’s your favourite thing about the internet?
Being able to read pretty much anything that I want to read

6. Do you think all this technology and social media has made us better or worse at being social?
Definitely worse! People can't even read real maps anymore!

7. What’s your favourite food?
I'm not fussy about food, anything goes. But I quite like my Gran's Mutton Curry :)

8. Are you a city person or a country-side person?
Oh I'm a countryside person through and through; I'm miserable in cities

9. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy or spend on?
More books :) and travelling

10. Why did you decide to do the A-Z challenge this year?
It gave me a reason to put down in words all the thoughts I have in my head. Also, I wanted to catalogue Scotland the way I saw it.

11. Describe yourself in 4 words.
Imagination. Creativity. Free. Aquarius.

Now for Kathleen's questions:


1. Of the Three Stooges, which one are you most like: Larry, Curly, or Moe? Curly!

2. If you could take the place of any character in any book, who would it be and why?
Tough, maybe Alice, or Sophie... they're both curious :)

3. Mac or PC? PC

4. What is your favorite book cover of all time?
Don't know, maybe the old cover for The Bell Jar

5. What are the last 5 books you’ve read?
Leave of Absence
This Mobius Strip of Ifs
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
Leonardo’s Swans
... all of which i have written about at BookMark

6. If your life was a movie, who would you want to play your nemesis? (HA! Tricked you on that one!)
Liv Tyler

7. Vanilla or Chocolate? Vanilla :)

8. By some strange accident of fate, I’ve been stranded in your home town. Can I stay at your place?
Yes!

9. Are you sure? Yeah...

10. What was your favorite book as a child?
Moby Dick and Treasure Island

11. What is one word that describes your current MC?
MC?


So, here are the people I nominate. They are doing a great job in their spaces!
Life and Times of a Student
MAGICAL MYSTICAL MIMI
The Ruralhood
Paula's Place
Life on the Muskoka River
Crazy California Claire
Finding Eliza
Voices in my Head
Oh, Frog it!
Michael Abayomi
Phenomenal Lass

My questions for you are:

1. Do you know the meaning of the German word 'Liebster'?
2. One place on your must go list?
3. Do you believe in astrology? Why? Why not?
4. What is the most daredevil thing you've done?
5. What is your favourite book? If you don't read, movie?
6. What is your biggest weakness?
7. Do you believe in fairies?
8. Tea or Coffee?
9. Who is your best critic?
10. Life in five words?
11. One blogger you read everyday (doesn't matter if they aren't taking the challenge)

Enjoy!

A-to-Z Challenge Reflections Post

I'm just going to tell you what really was, based on the questions that were considered worth reflecting on...
Working on the A-to-Z Challenge was wonderful. I took it for the first time, in fact, I just happened to chance upon it in December and I thought to myself, while signing up, 'Oh, so much fun, I'm totally going to have a ready alphabet by the time April comes!'
That did not happen. Not only did I not have a ready steady line of posts, I hadn't even thought of a theme. This blog was never meant for greatness. It is called 'Shreds & Shards', it contained deep and dark poetry of the personal kind, random ramblings of a college student. It began when blogging wasn't so much a fad. Even before this challenge began, I had some 10 odd followers, all fairly close friends or colleagues. And now I have over two scores! I feel loved and honoured, most importantly, read.
It was April 1st! And I thought, what the hell, let's do it. I thought I'd not have a theme and just wrote about 'Atticus'. But then, I logged in the next morning and saw the response... people liked it! So I thought I was going to be posting about fictional characters. I took out a pen and paper, jotted down the first set that popped into my head, from A to Z. That's it. I did think of Q, X, Y, and Z later on, but otherwise I knew at least what I was going to be writing about.
I began visiting other blogs, again, I was overwhelmed by the amount of dedication that people were putting into this challenge. Commenting was never an issue for me, if there was something I had to say, I'd say it, word verification or not!
I was having a ball! I was putting in 15 minutes into my posts, most of them were shoddy, and I was spending another 15 on commenting and replying. That's it. April was a busy month. V and K will vouch for it. Neither of them thought I was going to make it. I was busy at work, busy at home. On the personal front things were piling up one on top of another... it was crazy! Time management could've been an issue but for he fact that here was NO time at all, managed or unmanaged, days and nights were just seamlessly merging into one another. The only saving grace was that I was posting from the other side of the globe as compared to most others, so I had the advantage in terms of time zones! V and K were both amazing, helpful and motivating. They will never know just HOW grateful I am...
So many people in blogsphere said so many kind things, I'm going to feature them all here soon. I'm not doing it now because it isn't fair to hem for me to be jotting their names in a hurry,; I'll do it, and do it well. And next year, I'm probably going to stick to the same theme and have different characters, and my posts will be more prepared. I'm not such a shoddy writer, I am better, I will be better!
For the hosts, you guys were amazing, you were all over the place! It was hard work for me, I can't even imagine what it must've been like for you. Just one selfish thing, I so with this was happening in November and not April! Only because in November, it is 20 degrees here, while in April, it's 40! It's way too hot to be doing anything productive! But that's just me :P
If you read and liked, if you stopped by just today, if you've followed me, thank you. Your words are important, they make me want to be better. Good luck, stay happy, and keep the faith!

There will always be more to write...

Congratulations to all of you!
Udita
udita.banerjee@gmail.com