So, I’ve been a little stressed lately. I seem to respond to it by becoming an emotional wreck and also ridiculously quiet. One minute I’ll be fine and the next I’ll be like OH GOD I CANNOT WORK HERE.

Today I realized I was unhappy, and it wasn’t my job; it was my career.
I pursued a career that I thought was stable and that would make my parents proud of me—I just wasn’t doing anything I enjoyed. And I realized that doing these things everyday you don’t enjoy does not help coming home and writing things you do enjoy, you burn yourself out. The best thing that can ever happen to me, creatively, is unemployment. And then I’m pretty sure things will be fun again.
So now I just have to get a job which I love, where my mind gets to play all day while my mouth and hands are on the clock and hopefully…..hopefully, I will have the strength to achieve it.

I am absolutely terrified.

More than that though, the thought of reaching my goal makes me feel absolutely thrilled.

That said, I’m so damn tired, and I feel pretty guilty about it. I suppose that I won’t feel guilty as long as I remember to keep everything in perspective. I don’t really know what else to say. I just can’t seem to concentrate on anything.

Tonight there’s going to be a jazz concert at Good Shepherd’s Auditorium on Residency Road, so if you’ve ever met me and you love jazz then come on out. Tickets are priced at 750, 1500 and 2500 Rupees. Runa and my new friend Yuvi will be in attendance, along with rumored appearances by former exes, people I might or might not currently like so much and HOT Dave Weckl. I guarantee you have never heard anything more brilliant than this band.

I’m sorry, but I won’t be posting any music here on EC today. I seem to be having some problem with uploading my music and my gadget refusing to work has somewhat wrecked the process of writing a music review.
After the problem is fixed I can once again resume my position as the clever music ace. Until then rest assured that you, dear readers, are not forgotten and I do not aim to continue neglecting you. I shall return.

For those of us who are single and happy this Valentine's Day, I have compiled a very short list of activities:

1. Create your very own project, in which one writes lines to (or at) your ex (or exes). Here is mine:

Reminisce the times when I
said I disliked kissing in public?
I meant just with you.

2. Get good and drunk.

3. Throwing paper pellets at happy, life-loving couples always brings a smile to my face on days like these.

4. Think about how every story you've ever read and every movie you’ve ever seen that has told you that love is something you feel for someone who is the perfect best friend, the perfect companion, the perfect lover, the perfect intellectual soul, and the perfect conversationalist.

Evidently only a crazed madcap would expect to find all these in one individual. So, just as obviously, this can't be what love is.

So this was my recognition about love. And now my question is: so what the hell is it?

5. The story of Saint Valentine's was that he, by order, was bludgeoned and then killed. I think it would be right for each of us to remember and celebrate today by selecting someone to pound and then murder. I already have two in mind.

This for now. Feel free to add to the list.

Last show on Sunday. After that I’ll update y’all on the Attakalari Festival.

Note to self: check the status of the flight.

I'm neurotic when it comes to travel. I hope I score a nice aisle seat with a cute guy beside me. I have always been a nervous flyer. This time I'm alot more jumpy and anxious as it's the first time on my own. I seem like I'm not bothered but I keep an eye out for all of the world's evils.

Xanax, anyone?

Days Until I Fly To Dimapur: 1

People Left on Shopping List*: 50

*Number is a minimum and subject to change.

A couple more hours until I'm out of this place! I have compiled a list of ten things I hope to accomplish before I return to B'lore at the end of the month:

1. Go for the movie 'Quantum of Solace' with some new friends.

2. Dine on smoked bacon, smoked bacon, smoked bacon!

3. Travel safely on two non-delayed, hopefully non-nauseating and non-painful flights from here to Dimapur via Kolkata.

4. Meet my niece –Abigail.

5. Visit my friends from college, Zenith, Ralli and Ela.

7. Meet an old friend and recently made DCP officer of Dimapur.

8. Get drunk.

9. Get lots of shopping done and visit places of interest.

10. Go for a local concert.

OMG, TGIF, welcome at last to another artist showcased here on EC. I'd never have heard of this radiant artist if not for Imcha. The name is Senti Toy.
At first listen I loved it and that prompted me to take a trip through this article written on her here.

Her sound reminds me of a lot of different and equally diverse influences and for the first hour or so I found myself unable to accurately put into words what I was hearing.

I guess you could say this is a serious example of the new wave of genre blurring musical acts (and really, what's a genre today? Everything is broken off from multiple patterns. Even MySpace has you list the three- yeah, you heard- three genres your band's music fits into.)
So the track below is by Naga artist, Senti Toy called 'How Many Stories Do You Read on My Face' and it's my new favorite song because it sounds so very intricate and oriental. After this track ended, my head mentally ticked off and said "ok, that's going online," because it easily makes for one of the best songs I have heard in a long time.

I'll shut up now so you can listen more closely to 'How Many Stories Do You Read on My Face' by Senti Toy. Happy weekend, everyone. I shall try to post from Nagaland if I am able to.

I'll miss you almost as much as you'll miss me.