Shivram's Journal

Fall has ended. Winter has begun. My first semester of college has ended. It feels like time has flown by, much faster than it usually does, but why? Was it because every day was eventful, because there was always something interesting happening. People tell me that time only flies faster from here on. I went into college with a lot of plans. In...

I barely remember when my last post was. Was it March, or was it April? Either way, it's been almost half a year. Life has taken a bit of a wild ride. August was, perhaps, the wildest month of my life. I joined college, made a whole new bunch of friends, and enjoyed a lot. I am, as they say, touching grass. But, amid all of this, the blog has...

Hi, I'm Shivram, and I'm terrible at writing long-form articles, like this one here. Here's a warning: this article will be long, at least by my standards. I've made it a goal to take up no less than 10 minutes of your time. First, a bit more about myself. I'm a person who has lots of hobbies and passions that keep changing with time. I've...

My schedule seems to be tightening every day. Yet, I've been finding time to get away from the tedium and enjoy life. I feel a sudden urgency to live life to the fullest. Here in the centre of the city, life is colourless. Trees are rarer than cars. The greenery and the wilderness lie far away, in the outskirts of the city. I've taken to cycling...

I've been listening to a lot of music lately and observed something - there is a certain quality, a certain depth, do a song sung by a single person, that you can't find in a song sung by a choir. Singing solo brings out all the small quirks of the singer's voice. The quavering, the variations in pitch, all the so-called imperfections. I feel...

Remember then: there is only one time that is important-- Now! -- Leo Tolstoy Why wait for a new year to improve yourself? There's always a new month, a new day, a new minute, and a new second. There's no auspicious moment for starting something new. October was a wonderful month. I was productive, completed most of my backlogs, and even took a...

I really liked this post by lili, and can't resist writing about my own dreams. I'm the kind of person who goes weeks without dreaming and then gets some really surreal dreams. The earliest dream I remember is from when I was around five years old. I woke up in the middle of the night and walked to the living room where I saw the silheoutte of an...

When September started, I tried something new. I decided to keep a pocket diary with me at all times and jot down everything - random thoughts, things to remember, etc., etc. I also set up a wiki - a place where I can collect linked information that might be useful to me in the future. Today marks one month since I started my diary. I have only...

Many months ago, I wrote about how boredom is essential to foster creativity (link to post). What I thought was boredom was actually leisure. What's the difference?Boredom is pessimistic. It's a state of mind where everything appears to be dull or tedious. It's when every minute feels like an hour; when nothing gives you satisfaction. When we are...

Content Warning: Death and loss I first read this poem in a magazine in my childhood. Today, a few lines came to my mind. It took several hours of fervent searching. Finally, I managed to find it on archive.org. Here's River Girl by Shriya Ghate and Sunando C, for you to enjoy. Just off the beaten path, When the city thins and the distant hills...

Laziness is my fatal flaw. I take the easy way out of things, even if it will lead to suffering in the long run. One day, many months ago, I had some work to do. I told myself that I would do it later. That was the first lie - the one that lit the flame. Now, I realise that I can no longer trust myself - my mind justifies every guilty pleasure....