Tuesday, November 29, 2016

How to Be Calm

happy
ˈhapi
adjective
feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.

Dear Upa,
                 For someone who’s exams start literally the day after tomorrow, I’m surprisingly calm. I guess it’s because I know that there was so much syllabus and such less time that no matter how much lesser I had procrastinated I would still be this screwed. And for some reason, there’s a strange, twisted sense of peace in that.

I’ve had a rough couple of days (weeks? months? idek at this point) and I thought it would affect me, but I think I made it through almost unscathed. I guess I’m just lucky. I’m not used to being this calm though, and I don’t know how long it’ll last, but I think I could get used to it.

That’s not to say I’m particularly happy. I don’t think I can be happy just yet. What is “happy”, anyway? I feel like it’s too abstract to convey in words, and that’s really weird. My goal in life is to be happy, and I’m not even sure what that is.

If happiness means being content, then I’m not happy. I’m happy that I have a goal, I’m happy that I’m working for it, and I’m happy that I know what will make me happy should I attain it. But I’ll only be truly happy when I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved, and that’s not going to happen for some time now.

So I guess in an equally strange, twisted way, right now, I’m not stupid enough to be happy.

Bye for now,

Aditi.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

How to Rice

Dear Aditi, 


   So Today I want to talk to you about rice. And no there is no deep philosophical metaphor comparing my love of rice to like fragility of the world. I wish I was that type of writer, but sadly I am not a writer. I am just a passionate rice enthusiast. 

So I was born in the rice land. That is not true, I was born in this city but my parents come from places near the rice land so that should count for something. Although, my mom was born in the same city as me but she was raised there. Anyway this is not important. This rice land is very beautiful from afar. But when you go near it, it’s still beautiful. But no, you need to go nearer. And then you will see the muddy muddy paddy fields where this beautiful thing called rice rests upon. It’s such a beautiful tale, isn’t it? Coming up from the dirty, rising from nothing, defying gravity. Be like rice. 

Rice may be white, but to me it’s like gold. Not all gold is rice. But sometimes it is. Now it may not have the same shine as the normal gold, but it shines in my eyes. And isn’t that what really counts. I think it is. Typing that got actually tears in my eyes, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I poke my nail with my nail a while back. Nope. I am just thinking of the purity of rice. So pure, so fresh. 

Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 
Rice. Rice. Rice. Rice. 

Love, 

Upa. 

Thursday, November 17, 2016

How to Find A Solution

Jugaad
(colloquial) a mechanical solution to a problem, work around to skip or solve a problem

Dear Upa,
                 I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. 

It's been that way for a while now, but I think I've reached a point where I've stopped pretending I know what I'm doing because a) it's too much effort, and b) no one else knows what they're doing, either. 

I don't have a plan. 
I have a goal, for now, but I have no idea how to achieve it. I'm literally making it up as I go, completely plan-deficient, winging every little problem that comes my way because honestly, I'm too tired to panic. 
Somewhere between working my butt off for a math UT that was a joke for the school and a stupid migraine that wants to kill me and other small problems that keep passing like buildings on a highway, I think I'm completely done. And the funny thing is, I'm actually good. 
Seriously, there has been an alarming hike in my "completely done with everything" level. It's working for me, actually, less thinking and more doing. 
I think this is good, whatever this is, and it's happened so many times this past week already. I'm getting my work done, I haven't gotten in trouble (yet) and I panic lesser, or for shorter amounts of time. 

Maybe it'll be a while before I actually have a plan. Maybe I'll never have a plan. Either way, I know I'll find a temporary solution to it so it doesn't bother me at the time. 
Every problem has a makeshift solution, and I realised I'm good at finding them. 
Unless it's math, of course. 

Bye for now, 

Aditi. 

Monday, November 14, 2016

How to Find Your Purpose

Dear Aditi,
   So I've had to write 3 Statement of Purposes in the past week. That didn't go so great.  I feel like at the start of 11th grade I had my whole life planned out, and I was sure of what I want to do, but as the months progressed I kind of lost pieces of my passion along the way. I did pick up new things, and dropped a few unnecessary ones along the way but I lost track.

I lost track of who I am, and what I want to be. And it insane to know what you want to do for your whole like when you are 17 and a sheltered child who never had to fend for himself but, I am suppose to. And a while ago, I did. Now, I kind of do.

It's still design. Of course it's still design. That's like my only talent, god knows writing isn't one because why do I use so many commas. Like at this point might as well make a whole sentence with only commas. But anyway, to find your way you must lose your way.
Well, I'm very lost and now I got to find my way.  

I just really hope whatever I have bullshitted will get me through somewhere. Because I know this is what I want to do, but I don't know what to do with it. Does that make sense? I have a strong feeling that would be a perfect statement if I was studying liberal arts and just studying because I want to study. But apparently designers don't study just because they want to study, they study to get hired. And then get money.

I want money, so I guess that's why I am studying????? I don't know anymore.
And college is starting tomorrow which I am already dreading because ew college. My plan is to sleep all day in college, I say that now. But we know that when the lecture starts I get scared if the teacher will catch me or not and never end of sleeping but also not end up understanding so it ends up being a waste of my time and theirs. I am going to check how much attendance I have and calculate how much I can bunk. I am going to willingly use maths in my daily life. Wow.

Love,
upa.

Monday, November 7, 2016

How to Stress (Come On)

Nepenthe
(n.) something that can make you forget grief or suffering. 

Dear Upa, 
                 I'm so bad at stress. 
But, before you cue the roll of eyes accompanied with an equally exasperated "here we go again," let me elaborate. 

This year is exceptionally hard for everyone our age. Like everyone else, I get stressed all the time and it sucks. It's like I'm being pushed further and further to do better and to do more, and almost every single day is exhausting. Even if it isn't actually physically doing anything the mental stress is more than enough to cause a splitting headache, but here's the thing. 
When the stress is mine, I can deal with it. I can fix it (because my procrastination is usually the cause of it), and if that doesn't happen then I can just choose to not let it bother me. 

But when it's other people, that's when it really sucks. That I can't control, and sometimes nothing I will ever do is going to make it better. Of course, the fact that I'm literally across the country from more than half the people I love most in the world doesn't help much either, it's not like I can show up with cup cakes and the most non-awkward hug I can muster if I hear someone cry over the phone (I've done it before and I would do it again).
Don't get me wrong, sometimes it wears me down to hear problems after problems that other people are dealing with, because it just makes me sad. But I know I'd rather be weary of listening to problems than not listening to them at all and being oblivious to what they're going through. 
It's not just stress about the future, it's so many things together. Honestly, I'm surrounded by the strongest people to have ever existed, because the way I see everyone deal with their life just has me awestruck. I don't have half the problems they do, and I complain about things like back pain or being shouted at by people for doing better than them in tests. It's pathetic, lol. 
It stresses me out to see the people I love stressed, because I can't help them and I can't expect them to let me. That's why I got particularly emotional when I read what Kookie said about his hyungs, how seeing them sad makes him sad. It's so damn relatable. 
I trust them to be able to deal with their problems, because they are stronger than I will ever be. I wish I could make it better, and I do try. I wish they could see themselves the way I see them, and I wish they could know that they're the reason they're going to be okay. 
That life tries to knock them down over and over again, and here they are living, despite it all. 

I just wish they wouldn't take so much stress. 

Bye for now,
Aditi. 

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

How to Believe in God

Dear Aditi, 

Let's talk about God. And not the Jesus variety. 

So, for the zero people who read these. God is my senpai who I really like and is actual human goals in every sense of the way. She is very trash but incredible at academics, and she is the sweetest human who cheers people through the medium of dog memes. 

Anyway, the first time I had seen and noticed God in college was when she had worn a homestuck shirt to college, and I saw it told Niv and both of us followed her. Now I'm not into homestuck, honestly I don't get it and it's really long and complicated. But Niv is. So I was forcing her to go talk to this person who might be a homestuck fan or just got incredibly lucky as a cosplay. 

Turns out she was into that. And Niv and God quickly became friends. And Niv would come and fangirl to me about her. And it was cute. I was like I wish I had someone I could fangirl over like that about. Then realised I had you, and BTS and Saap Ghar. 

Niv had mentioned to be that God was also into BTS and anime and like almost everything I like. And I had just thought whoa she is a super human, that's a lot of fandoms. But then again I am also part of most of these fandoms. Except homestuck. 

And then I got added in a group. With fangirls and cosplayers and the whole lot of that. And God was one of them. And she was showing off all the Kpop merch her mumma bought her from Seoul. And I was so excited and also a little jealous. 

But she was a cool person who talked in memes, so it really resonated with me, on a personal level. 

And then she invited my group of friends to a Kpop Contest. To watch, and like meet more kpop humans. We all decided we would go for it, nothing could go wrong can it. 

Nope. Wrong. A lot can go wrong. Like rain. A whole lot of rain. And Mona didn't have an umbrella, which isn't really a problem since the rest of us were okay sharing. But she refused and got wet instead claiming it was fun. Honestly, I don't get how that can be fun, but I mean you do you. 

The only problem is that, since she was wet she couldn't come for the kpop thing and the other one loves her so went along with her. Which left me alone to go for the thing with all of my friend circle ditching me and the only hope I had was God. 

And that's when she stopped being a friend of a friend, and became an actual friend. A direct human who l like to interact with without any other reason than I just like them. 

Everything that Niv said about her was true. And she calls me Kookie, or son. Depending on the situation. And sometimes hibiscus to tease me.  

And I mostly call her God. Because God is hilarious. It's a funny name, and makes people confused. She is a genius for coming up with that. 


She is such an incredible person, that I have come to the realisation that she is one of the few people out there I can't stand disappointing. And I am completely whipped to the point where I will go out of my way just to make her happy even when she doesn't ask for it. 

The few people who when I see something in a shop, I will be like God will like that and then buy it for her. But she doesn't like people spending money on her, which makes it very problematic. She also isn't the type to be unappreciative when given a gift so that makes it slightly better. 

And in so many ways God is like you. So pure, and innocent (let's ignore the fact she writes gay smut, but if you ever think about getting a new hobby- I will always read your gay smut ;) ) 

Here is what I want to say. 

I really really like God. 

I even love God. 

But in the most platonic way possible. Okay, not the most platonic- I am always a little gay. 

But it's like the type of admiration that Kookie has for his hyungs. And I am so whipped but I wouldn't change it. 

Love, 
upa.