Thursday 17 April 2014

An Open Letter to My 16 year old Self.....


Dear 16 year old me,

Look, it’s your future self — 8 years in the future, to be exact. I am a lawyer now and not a hippie as you are planning to be. I am still cool and to tell you the truth, life is much cooler than you think it is but kid, you shall discover all that eventually.

I have a few things I should tell you and I know that it might prick your heart, but for the sake of self salvation I think I owe you a few pointers towards the right direction.

I know that you are not happy with yourself. Let us just put out in the open the insecurities you are battling with currently. You have an ugly hairstyle which your mother plaits and ribbons everyday with black, as you step out to school. Your Gandhi style spectacles and bushy eyebrows are also a cause of major concern as well as your ever expanding waist line. But Honey, I have a piece of advice for you. You will not always be like this. Stop fretting over how you look and start appreciating what you are. You are a good singer and you have friends who have been with you since kindergarten. That is a great achievement.

I know that right now you are addicted to Yahoo messenger which by the way would be the root cause behind your fucked up board percentage. I know how you get a high by simply getting into chat rooms and fighting with every random bloke you can find. This shall also be the place where you learn the word ‘Nincompoop’ which by the way would be the only addition to your English vocabulary that Yahoo messenger will ever make. You think that all this makes you cool. Well in all honesty, you are being a complete loser and you are just wasting your time, which you shall regret the moment you step out of the examination hall. Also ‘spicy_chick_here’ is a really bad username and has sexual innuendos that you ignorantly overlook. 

Stop praying to the good Lord to add some spice to your stale existence. I am suffering because of it right now as I am living a life so spicy that it burns during my morning toilet episodes. Enjoy the boring, stale, Maggi filled lifestyle that you have because once you reach where I am right now, life will keep you on your toes. Also stop going to the British library only to read authors that deal majorly with explicit content. You will get to experience the real stuff later in life so hold on your horses and be a good girl. Life is great!

Your parents are not your enemies so kid, you better listen to them! When they tell you not to take the bike to school, acknowledge their commands because if you had, I would not have had this scar on my right ankle. Being a continuous rebel for no cause whatsoever, is not a wise thing to do.

Tell our mom to let you sleep alone in a room because if you don’t start sleeping alone now, you will be spending 5 years of your law school sleeping in the hostel room every night with the lights on and a conglomeration of Jesus and Krishna idols happening beneath your pillow. Be a little strong.

This year you shall start your first ever blog on rediff and the title of your first post shall be ‘INDIAN MOTHERS- THE BIGGEST SPIES’. Of course you would delete the blog after a few months and you will do that for good!

I want to prepare you for your life ahead. I want to tell you to not accept any man as your boyfriend just because you entered College and having a boyfriend was like owning a purple Unicorn. Your first relationship is going to suck real bad but you would dump him over the phone while pushing French Fries down your Oesophagus. That is not love.  But hold on, Love shall happen to you and girl, you shall be blessed indeed!

I am not like you, yet I am so much like you. I have a better hairstyle and I no more wear glasses. I have learnt the art of applying makeup and I have reduced a considerable amount of weight, though the battle still continues. I am much for confident and happier than you are and this should make you happy because a few years down the lane, you would be me and you are going to love being me.

I know that you are getting bored, so let me tell you that you have a bright future ahead. Though I don’t know where life would lead me, I do know that you are walking on the right path, making a few innocent mistakes while on the go.

So believe in yourself kid and love yourself more, because you are precious to me. Also you are way cooler than you think you are.

Love,

24 year Old You.



P.S- Have you written a letter like this to your old self? 
P.P.S- Check out FOODPANDA? You can order food Online, provided it covers the city you belong to!!! Check them out  HERE
Image Courtesy- Maharishi Google

125 comments:

  1. Awww Red, this made me emotional. I can see my life gone by, in front of my eyes. I am in tears. I love you Red, I really do. <3

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    1. Thank you soooo much for being the first to read babe :)

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  2. *claps*
    Its great how your life has shaped up in the last 8 years. :D
    I love the Now-you and the Little-you. :) :)
    be careful about the morning episodes though..:P :P
    P.s: I haven't yet written a letter to the younger me, m sure I will end up burning myself to ashes in the retrospect. I was a terror child...However I have written two letters for the older me (for 30, and for 50) :D (I thought I was the only one to do so but after reading this post I think there is finally some hope)

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    1. You could have linked them to me na. I would loooooooove to read!

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  3. Please delete the previous comment. I loved reading this! Could relate to so many things. Two years back I wrote a letter to my younger self too.

    Read it here: http://astha18prak.blogspot.in/2012/02/dear-fifteen-year-old-me.html

    :D

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  4. Good one, Red :) Some good 'life lessons' in there.. Some of those were real funny too.. I can so connect to the Yahoo messenger thing.. though I assure you I didn't go as far as a 'spicy_chick' or a 'hot_broad' :P and I picked fights with people on the computer programming and physics chat rooms - yeah I was a nerd.. and maybe even now too :D That you are a singer is new info..
    P.S. - Yes, I have written a note to my old self (not 16, 11 it was, I guess) and the title actually reminded me of that..

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    1. Link me to the note boss!!! if it is there in ur blog!!!
      I was spicy _chick :D

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    2. Yes, it is on my blog.. get ready for some philosophy if you are going to read it.. :D http://themuseumpiece.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/a-note-to-my-past-self/

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  5. "friends who have been with you since kindergarten" is indeed an achievement! Nice post Red :)

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  6. Red, Well done you ! And I must say, from whatever I have read of you (albeit only a few posts), I believe you have truly outdone all the other ones I have read. It's quite an amazing experience looking back a few years and wondering "What the hell was I thinking?". Brilliantly done and I'm glad you've given 16 year old you a good talking to, without mincing your words :P

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    1. I am glad you liked this one. I wanted to write this one for the longest time!!!! :)

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  7. So, you were the Spicy Chick, haan ;) hahaha.. You have come a long long way girl.. Red, this post made me go hahaha and awwwww all at the same time, babe.. I wonder what would I have written to myself..

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    1. i am still spicy baby :P
      Thank you so much for reading!

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  8. Another awesome post !
    Love what you write !

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  9. Brilliant Red its your first post that I read and it has hooked me. Loved it

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  10. My self letter to a 16 year old self will probably contain only one line.

    But nevertheless, you have a lot to tell your 16 year old. I am sure she would have benefited from this letter. So spicy_chick_here was you. I always wondered who that was. (Okay, I am kidding. :P)
    A great post indeed. Well written. :D

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    1. hahahah who were u!! Yes I was the infamous spicy_chick_ here :P

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  11. You were a Rebel 8 years back too my Red Fighter !!

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  12. "I am not like you, yet I am so much like you." This line hit me.
    hahhahahhah.. spicy_chick_here! I was vinati_star xD

    I once wrote a letter to my 30 year old self, haven't posted it though. May be someday I will. :)

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    1. WHY WOULD U NOT POST THAT! my dear dear vinati_star

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  13. That is a bit of sane and practical advice to the 16 year old you and all 16 year olds.There is plenty of wisdom..
    You always come up with something different.

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  14. Your 16 years old sounds like my current 25+years old ass.

    Hallelujah!! Whatever that means.

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    1. hahah u r like tht now?! I already like u!!!!

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  15. When we were 16, didn't we all wish for a reassurance that everything will indeed be alright. That our parents are not our worst enemies, that we'll find love and some degree of success and that life become even more beautiful than we'd ever imagined.

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    1. I wished and then i thought it would never happen. I was sooooo full of negativity and self hatred!!

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  16. Made for quite the interesting morning read, Red. Raw, honest, yet so very sweet! The adolescent years really are something else, right? Had to laugh at the yahoo chat reference. Been there though not as spicy chick ;)

    And, singer! We share something in common now :)

    Great idea for a post!

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    1. u are a singer?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually to be frank you do look like one...with a very sweet sound :)

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  17. if i write a letter to my younger self, probably most of the points here would be included in that :D i like the way how u hav blown some advice without chiding your younger self for the mistakes! n u r a singer? I am too :-D hi-5 :-)

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    1. U r a singer tooo? Hi5 sister!!!!! I am glad you read!!!

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  18. Let me guess, had you not done all that as a 16 year old, you wouldn't probably be who you are and wouldn't have written this awesome letter! I am sure, you are happy with whatever you did and carry no regrets, right?

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    1. DAMN RIGHT u r...though I do wish that I was not so negative in life then!! But it all turned out good!

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  19. True. I also want to tell my sixteen year old self that class ten mathematics marks don't matter at all.
    We are all wise after the events....wish there was a time machine. But then that would add to more stress.

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    1. maths and chemistry marks did not matter..nothing mattered!! not even board marks :P
      Thank u so much for reaading!

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  20. Oh my oh my! I've written a letter to old me too in fact I love writing letters to myself! Sometimes you look back and can't believe the foolish things you've done you know? Lwt me tell you guilty of the yahoo messenger too, fighting with random strangers lol brought back so many memories! ( uhm username cute_angel...yeah horrible no) I wish I didnt spend time reading useless books in my teenage too, but then again it was a part of this transformation so eh! I wish I hadn't given up singing while in college *sigh*
    Loved this loved this!

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    1. useless books made us learn u knw :P
      and y did u stop singing my love :O

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  21. My younger self would go ''What the Hell happened" if she sees me today... Kiya jo thi mai... I myself can't believe :P
    //‘INDIAN MOTHERS- THE BIGGEST SPIES’/// hahaha That sounds awsome... any chance I could read that anywhere :D
    ‘spicy_chick_here’// you know what I had luxxxmii ... yup triple X ... you can imagine what all links I got in my IM :P

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    1. I am sure your younger self would be saying so out of happiness!!!
      hello luxxxmii ...asl pleej?

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  22. We may not know what you look like, for you don't believe in pouty selfies. Drats! But do you realise how much of YOU there is in this post? And not just you now but from back then too and the one which evolved from 16 to 24. While I enjoyed the sprinkle of wit, I really liked the "wise voice of concern" which any 16 year old could do with today. I could have done with it, really, when I was spending expensive internet hours asl-ing and chatting with a "ramp-model-guy" least realising why. :P Makes me think there is SO much in common one can have with a stranger, simply by being born in the same times.
    There is something very touching about this post, even as there is a dose of classically-Red humour!

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    1. I am so so happy that you read this one!!
      I got this idea after reading some international blogs and thought hey why not write one to myself!!!!
      ramp model guys , they all claimed to be :( God knws how they really looked :P

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  23. Firstly, its such a great idea to write a letter to your younger self ! And when its you who is giving all these gyans , your younger self is likely to listen. !! Nice post ! Very different from my regular dose of updates !

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    1. I am the thank u my Anita. I am the thank you!! But to my fair, I do not think my younger self would even care to read this letter. Sigh! She was tht vain.

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  24. Oh spicy-chick-here, you should have also told the 16-year old you that at 24 you will have a serious fan following on your blog because the readers would truly love what you are posting here. And well, I was rhythm divine and I found my soulmate...who cares about marks then!
    After reading this post I want to write 'P is for Open Letter' :p

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    1. Hey are being too generous here. Not that I am complaining :D
      And u write write!! I would reaaaaaaaaaad!

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  25. Ha, isn't it always fun to write to your 16 year old self. I had written one too - http://dipteeraut.blogspot.in/2013/03/a-letter-to-my-sixteen-year-old-self.html

    But I loved you letter.

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    1. I am on my way to read urs!! Thankk u for reading love!

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  26. "I am suffering because of it right now as I am living a life so spicy that it burns during my morning toilet episodes." Hahahahahah I'm still laughing here :D

    Did the 16 year old you, know that you will be a big celebrity in about eight years? You need to add that here.

    You are gorgeous and amazing. Stay that way! :D

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    1. My misery makes u laugh :( :P
      I am not celebrity..I am time pass :D
      THANK U LEO!

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  27. Sigh to turn back and look at yourself when you are 16. Why does no one ever tell us the things this way? Hindsight is always 20/20.

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    1. HEHEH that was amazingly put! Glad u reaad!

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  28. Wow! I think I need to tell about the chat rooms to the 17 year old me for that's when I discovered Yahoo Messenger and chat rooms...I wish I had some sense when I was younger and taken some different decisions...The 16 year old you would have loved the 24 year old you!

    O for Ostracized-Random Thoughts Naba

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    1. Thank u for reading Naba!!! and I guess my 16 yr old would have indeed loved me. I can hope atleast :P

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  29. Awesome letter. I had written such a letter as a post couple years back advising the past me to grow up. :)
    As long as both you's are happy, it's fine :)

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    1. link the post to me!!! if it is in ur blog!!!!
      Thank u for reading!!!!!

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  30. You are cool. And you write kick-ass too. :)

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  31. This is the most honest letter to your younger self! And I got a peek of who RED is too! Love! :)

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  32. A good read Red :)

    Did make me nostalgic..

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  33. Hahaha, I think I've written to my 14 year old self, sometime in the past on my blog. :)

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  34. Spicy_chick_here?!! Really...?? -_- You were like this at ur 16 RED? :D Lot of wisdom around... :)

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  35. I have written a letter to my younger self too. Yahoo messenger and scoring horribly in boards happened to me too!
    These letters are also a way to remind ourselves, even if things don't work out the way we want it too,right now, we will be better off and happier at a later stage in life.
    Well wrtiten, Red! :D

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    1. You said it...your present could be truly bad..but that has nothing to do with ur future! :)

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  36. ‘spicy_chick_here’ Hahaha...I remember having hours of brainstorming to find such suitable usernames. Lovely post it is. So honest :)

    PS: I have few letter written for myself... But feel hesitant in posting them :)

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  37. I am happy to read this. I always anticipate how would I look at my life when I totally turns into a responsible adult busy with family, job and all other things meant for a grown up mature woman. Reading this made me think about what all in my life needed a reconsideration, but it's too late for a few things. :)

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    1. if its late for a few things...it is not late for the rest. Stay happy my lovely! Always :)

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  38. Red? *Hugs* Such a letter, this was. Made me so senti!

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    1. hehe glad my MSM.. Yes u will always be MSM to me!

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  39. Spicy as a whole! Loved the way you have spilled advice on the little 16 of yourself and made the whole letter entertaining :)

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  40. haha thats a real cool letter Red :)

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  41. This is such a COOL idea! :) Loved it to the hilt :) and I could actually imagine the sixteen year old you with a lot of ease :)

    and gal.. seriously.. ‘spicy_chick_here'??? :P

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    1. hahah I was messed up. seriously messed up! Thank u for reading! :)

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  42. Loved your post. I really wish it were possible to receive a letter from an older me :)

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  43. This blog is so full of life...love reading everything here

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  44. A delightful post, Red! Only you could have written this:)

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  45. emotional with such brilliant writeup :) .. the way you write i'm feel honored now that you visited my blog !

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    1. now dont be so humble. U have a great blog :)

      Delete
  46. This was so true for me too at a few instances that I laughed and paused, thought till I had absorbed it's essence.
    Beautifully portrayed red handed, and at so many instances the matching phases made me see that we're very similar.
    I'm in the exact mid point of this phase, this gave me a beautiful reality check. Thank you. :)

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  47. This was so true for me too at a few instances that I laughed and paused, thought till I had absorbed it's essence.
    Beautifully portrayed red handed, and at so many instances the matching phases made me see that we're very similar.
    I'm in the exact mid point of this phase, this gave me a beautiful reality check. Thank you. :)

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    1. we are truly similar...every teen indian chick goes thru this..the transformation phase!
      you have a beautiful future planned for u love...beautiful!

      Delete
  48. Yahoo Messenger Chat Rooms, and that famous 'asl plz'. Seriously, life was so much different then. Lots of worries that seem so insignificant now. But perhaps, that's how we grow :-)

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    1. hahaha perhaps that is how we grow indeeed!! Thank u for reading!!!

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  49. What an idea Red! This is what is called creativity .Hats off !

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    1. First of all I want to ask u...why r u not blogging :(

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  50. Sometimes, all a 16 year old needs to hear is a voice that reassures them that all will be ok. Like this post, straight from the heart.

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  51. :D

    I really wish we could also get to know the response of the 16 year old you after reading this letter. :P

    Ohh... but you must be having your Yahoo ID right now, no ? Then why not add 'spicy_chick_here' as a friend on YM ? :D

    But I'm sure the 16 year old you enjoyed this letter as much as all of us have. :-)

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    1. The responce form tht 16 yr old will be "I used ur letter to make a paper boat"
      I am still on yahooo messenger but have forgotten the password :P
      So glad!

      Delete
  52. WOW.. Loved this post Red.. :) I too was on those chat rooms when I was young.. I usually went by the name potter_girl or something similar.. ;) I would love to write a post to my 16 year old self.. :) Loved every bit of it and could relate to most :) you forgot to tell her that she will be a celebrity later on.. :)

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    1. write a post then!! I would looooooooooooooove to read it babe!!! potter_girl is a cool name.
      Me no celeb :D

      Delete
  53. I've always wanted to write something like this, but never did it!
    This was so cool and straight from the heart.. a nice lil sneak peak ;)

    PS I love the new header..it is sooo YOU! And the whole blog looks great :)

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    1. write write a letter then!!!!!
      Thank u for reading babe!!!
      Yes the header is cool no... Neha noodles made for me :D

      Delete
  54. Stop confusing and corrupting the poor kid!!! And anyway who says any 16 year old is going to listen to a 24 year old?

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  55. Oh what a wonderful post :)

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  56. She seems like a sweet 16 year old :)

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  57. Ahem! Did this once for a Write-up Cafe prompt and had "Predictive Letter" picked up for a blogadda spicy saturday or some such thing, thanks I understand to Purba!

    This one, though, is a nice mix of fun and nostalgia - I merely clowned around as I usually do :)

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    1. wow!! Link me up to that post. Please????

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    2. That's the link

      http://jambudweepam.blogspot.in/2012/09/a-predictive-letter.html

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  58. Love it like anything and damn hilarious. Yeah! I remember falling in love, wearing specs and whining time on Yahoo messenger, dying to explore sex. Epic!
    www.vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com

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    1. hahah we all had the same story I think! heheheh

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  59. pretty nice blog, following :)

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  60. This felt like a mother-daughter moment. And I adore what the 16 year old spicy chick you :)<3

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  61. can I give a bear hug to both sweet sixteen and the hott 24 year olds ;)
    straight from the heart post !

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  62. Superb writing !
    Even I had a weird email id (my first id ;)) seems like, i'm not the only one!

    PS :- Trying to write one letter to myself :P

    Thanks for being the inspiration. :)

    Cheers

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  63. I have missed your posts - the energy, the excitement, the infectious confidence. And no, I have not really written a letter to my younger self, but the other way round. Maintaining a diary since 2006 and for the next six years has given me a hell lot of material to go through about myself. Beyond the embarrassment, there is still so many issues that I struggle with as I used to way back then. Not a very uplifting idea. 16 or 22 - still the same old loser who is shit scared to socialize and equally miserable with the self-inflicted isolation.

    About the first relationship - yes, oh yes. Calling it a Satan-spawned conspiracy to toy with my life is a complete understatement about the horrendous mistake I made when I committed myself to a guy. I am not sure if it was destined to suck but it eventually did and I am struggling again, to crawl out of this gutter of a mess. Ugh..

    Sorry for the rant. I have been on a writing binge (both on my blog and random comment sections) in order to avoid having a writer's block).

    Amazing post, Red. Loved it. :D

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  64. I m still the sole owner the only Id I have made in 12th... juhicutie ..... still reflected on my CVs... n I really ask myself why I chose that...how...logic....but then I m reminded of juhi muzzicmaniac!!! And the pagalpanti will continue....I think....hehehh...red, I think we deserve to be brand ambassadors for mirindaaaa.....pagalpanti bhi zaroori hai

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  65. Ah! You've come a long way!
    Life shapes us well as we look back to see! Epic post :)

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Spit It Out I Say !!!