Hakuna Matata

Self-Improvement 1

uniquegrl7 — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 04:11:35 GMT

So. Self-improvement. It's a big word, and I've always imagined it to be this big thing. Self-improvement meant transformation. It meant that geeky girl getting the makeover. It meant the Biggest Loser. It meant me becoming someone and something else, because who I was wasn't good enough.

I still don't think I'm good enough, in a lot of ways. But I've realized that trying to drastically transform myself generally makes things go drastically back to the way they were. So now I'm thinking of self-improvement as the little things. Small improvements that maybe, potentially, could mean things in my life improving overall, but even if they don't, they'll probably make my life better. I do have big things I want to change about my life and myself, but I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle them just yet.

So here are the things I want to improve about my life. And I'll be posting once every couple weeks to discuss my progress, add some things that need improvement, subtract some things that maybe I've changed my mind about improving, etc.

The Little Things:

- Fitness - So I consider myself to be physically fit. My weight has not fluctuated drastically since I was in the 10th grade. I joke about how people always tell me that I've lost weight as a compliment, but I literally have not gained or lost a pound. However, high school-me was playing tennis every single day from summer to fall, and in the winter and spring I would be dancing multiple times a week. College-me still dances, but only during the semesters. Plus, my stamina has always been terrible, and I want to be able to perform a full 8-minute Bollywood set with a smile still glued on my face by the end of it.

How I am going to improve this: I've begun doing the Seven-Minute Workout every few days, and for now I want to increase that to once a day once my foot heals up. My heel's been hurting every time I put pressure on it, but I went to the doctor today, and I know that it's going to be fine in a few days.

-Writing - So this could be considered a big thing, but I'm forcing it to be a little thing so that I actually do it. I've been working on my novel for almost a year now, and it's survived multiple computer failures, semesters of hell, and internships. I haven't been able to give it my full attention since last summer when I was taking creative writing classes, but recently, I haven't even touched it. It's a matter of a combination of writer's block, not having MS Word on this computer, and being in too many places at once and not uploading the files onto Google Drive. Also, I keep second-guessing my main character and her backstory.

How I am going to improve this: I am going to pledge to write 1400 words a week, which is only 200 words a day. It's doable, and it's entirely within my capabilities. And I'm promising to have the word count by the end of the week so that even if I can't find time to write one day, I can still make it up the next day. Additionally, I'm going to begin brainstorming article ideas, because I gotta get ish published if I wanna be taken seriously as a writer. I also have to stop using words like "gotta," "ish," and "wanna," I suppose. This blog will probably also help me out in writing.

-Organization - I am not a very organized person. I feel like I've gotten better at this over the years, but I still have a tendency to forget things and not show up to things or do things I'm supposed to do. I've gotten planners and tried a lot of things, but none of it has stuck.

How I am going to improve this: I think I need a planner that is flexible enough that I can turn it into whatever I want or need for the day. I don't tend to have routines that repeat daily or even weekly, and I need something that suits this. I have a lot going on and I need to write it down. I also need to learn to forgive myself when I don't touch my planner for a week. Because what happens is that I don't touch it for a week, and then I feel like the whole thing's shot and I live a disorganized life another few weeks because I feel like I've failed at using a planner and it's never going to work, and then I start all over. Maybe I'll try bullet journaling, but it seems like a lot of work. I'm not sure what's going to work yet, but a regular old planner worked for me for a few months this past semester, so I might give that a go again.

The Big Things:

-Flakiness - So I'm a bit of a croissant. I'm incredibly flaky but I've got a wonderful, soft, tasty inside that just makes you like me anyway. (I have to give credit for that joke to Franky, my fave.) I'm terrible at making and keeping plans, finishing things for myself or others, and just being a functional human being.

How I am going to improve this: Communicating and saying no when I know something's not possible. I am an idealist, and I plan like one. Ideally, I'd be able to do everything there is to do in New York City within a day. Ideally, I'd also be able to clone myself into multiple bodies to be able to do and experience these things. But I can't do those things, and I need to stop saying yes with a smile on my face when I really mean no. Also, I need to be able to cancel plans without getting nervous about it or just not showing up without prior notice. It's rude and I need to remember that being nervous about making that phone call to cancel plans is a lot nicer than being nervous about not showing up and wondering if that friend will ever want to hang out with you again.

-Stubbornness - I'm a stubborn sonuvabitch. When I was two years old, my mom was trying to feed me a grape after dinner, and I didn't want it. She still put it in my mouth. The next morning, the grape was still there. A few days ago, a dish left in the sink ended in an epic argument that both my mom and I regret.

How I am going to improve this: I have no idea. I think I'm most stubborn when someone is disagreeing with me about something and when there's something bigger going on. So maybe I just have to remember to scale my stubbornness and weigh it next to the problem that is actually in front of me and at hand. I may not be able to stop reacting badly, but maybe I'll be able to react the correct amount based on how large or small the problem is.

-Lying - I tend to lie to myself when things are going wrong. I tell myself that they're not going wrong. Or even if I know perfectly well that they're going wrong, I tend to lie to everyone around me and pretend everything is going swimmingly. I've gotten a little too good at it. Nobody seems to suspect a thing when I'm at my worst. And if I know that someone will, I avoid them at all costs as much as humanly possible.

How I am going to improve this: Trust. I feel like I fail myself a lot of the time, which is why I lie to myself even when I know I'm lying to myself. I also don't trust others with my feelings and my secrets. I know there are at least a couple people in this world that I can trust, and I just have to be less flaky about my friendships with them and communicate on a regular basis.

-Overall Mental Health - I haven't been happy in a while. And I know this, because I've been happy before and I remember what it's like. I'm not sure if I'm depressed or not, but I know that my mental health has taken a beating the last couple years and I've been avoiding confronting it.

How I am going to improve this: If, by the end of the summer, I don't feel like I've made enough improvement by myself, I'm going to go to a counsellor, or maybe a therapist. Even if I do improve, I think I probably should because I've been feeling crappy for a while and have been avoiding this feeling for a while. However, it's all about the little things, right? These next two weeks, I'm assigning myself the job of creating achievable goals that I can feel good about.

I've been thinking about making a post like this, a committment like this, for a while. However, I was spurred into doing this after watching the Parks and Rec episode where Leslie and Ben get married. It's gorgeous and made me feel all the good things and made me wish that I had a Ben for my Leslie. But then I remembered, I'm not Leslie yet. Not that I necessarily want to be a neurotic binder-making overly-loving freak, but I'm not the me I want to be yet. I'm not the me that I want my true love to meet. I need to learn how to be the best version of myself. I know that it's a never-ending process, but I think I'm ready to begin that journey.

I'll see you in two weeks.
Nirali.

2015 Favorites

uniquegrl7 — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 14:55:31 GMT

I made a video entitled "State of the Sparkler" that talks about my 2016 goals and how I reacted to 2015, but here are my favorites, because I love a good list.

2015 Favorites

Books

You can see every book I read in 2015 right here on my goodreads. It was a good year of reading for me. I read books by many "diverse" authors and many books that were just plain good. Here are my five favorites.

4. 11/22/63 by Stephen King: This is the first Stephen King book I've ever read and, while it wasn't his usual genre, it was incredible. His writing is amazing, and he still manages to give you chills while going through this love story that transcends time.

3. Wit by Margaret Edson: Oh man, where to begin? My story with this book starts in high school in my AP Lit class. After we exhausted seniors had finished taking the AP exam, my professor decided to start a new unit on John Dunne. It was a short one, probably took just two classes, but my appreciation for the poem "Death Be Not Proud" was immense after that life-changing class. Then, my teacher brought in the movie Wit with Emma Thompson, and it has remained in my mind ever since. I finally bought it a few weeks ago on an impulse while at the Strand, and this play was just as perfect as the film. I fell in love with Vivian Bearing all over again, and fell even more in love with poetry.

2. Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson: Apparently I really love fiction that has to do with poetry. "Hope is the thing with feathers" is my favorite poem by Emily Dickinson, so when I saw that there was a children's book based on it by Jaqueline Woodson, I had to get it. This book is equally about being a naive child and about race, and while the poem doesn't feature as heavily as I initially thought, it serves to remind us all that there is always hope in the face of negativity.

1. Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob: I made a video on this book already, which you can watch here, but in short, this book owned my heart. The way the timelines worked and the writing just made the story more compelling.

These are the best TV shows I saw in 2015.

5. The Mindy Project: I have a long love for Mindy, both Kaling and Lahiri, and it only got better with the newest season of The Mindy Project, with Mindy learning how to be independent and Danny being nothing short of an asshat. Too much fun to watch.

4. 30 Rock: Thanks to my former roommate Erica, the Tina to my Amy, I got addicted to 30 Rock. I tried it years before, but couldn't stomach the first two episodes. But after getting through those two painful episodes, I watched as Liz Lemon and Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney brilliantly tried and failed at creating a weekly live show. So much fun to watch.

3. Parks and Recreation: This only comes in third because I'm too upset that it's over. But the final season was the best send-off of any show I've ever seen, and truly honored this brilliant show.

2.Great British Bake-Off: Or, at Netflix likes to call it, "The Great British Baking Show." This show is elegant and beautiful and makes me want to bake. I've watched a lot of food reality shows, but this one takes the cake. I only saw the season that was on Netflix, where Chetna and Martha were robbed of the title. In America, this would mean a food fight or something, but in British TV, this just means hugs and kisses to other deserving contestants. I love it.

1. Please Like Me: This Australian comedy is brilliant. I watched it on Hulu because someone on Tumblr suggested it to me, and it quickly took over my life over winter break. Saying anything more about it will probably spoil it, but I'm extremely tempted to actually buy the third season on Amazon because I'm that obsessed. And I never buy anything if I can wait.

Music

These are the top 5 albums I listened to in 2015. But they didn't necessarily come out in 2015.

5. Earth Sick by Oh Land: This 2014 album by Oh Land is incredible.

4. Son of Evil Reindeer by Reindeer Section: This album by Snow Patrol's supergroup was released in 2002, but it only recently got on iTunes and I'm addicted. Snow Patrol has been my favorite band since the sixth grade, and while this album has a completely different sound, it's still perfect. It's great for chilling with some hot cocoa while watching three feet of snow fall outside of your house, which is what I'm doing right now.

3. Magical Girl by Gunnarolla: This got me through finals hell in December. I've loved Gunnarolla for a long time, but this album is perfect background music for just about anything. It's magical and soft and lovely.

2. Bajirao Mastani soundtrack: Sanjay Leela Bhansali has done it again, folks. From the playful Pinga to the quietly dramatic Deewani Mastani, every track on this album is a delight.

1. Hamilton soundtrack: I think you all understand why. This album left me so satisfied that I listened to it for pretty much three weeks straight. It tells a story while maintaining amazing music and lyrics. And I am extremely proud of the fact that I can sing along to Satisfied and Wait for It perfectly.

Hope you guys enjoyed and enjoy watching/reading/listening to these.

A Reintroduction

uniquegrl7 — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 06:34:58 GMT

Hey everyone. It's been a while. Four years, in fact. The lovely holyfant talked about this in her most recent post, which inspired me to do so as well. I used to post a lot on LJ, and my shift to tumblr was mostly because everyone else was doing it, and I discovered AO3. But, AO3 is a fanfic-only platform, and tumblr isn't conducive to conversations that aren't vitriolic or just absolutely ridiculous. (While I do like their new chat feature, it's hard to start a personal conversation with someone you've only met via the internet) So, I'm back. And I thought I'd reintroduce myself to anyone on my flist who's still around. (See? I still know the lingo!) A lot has changed in my time away, and I can't wait to get to know this corner of the internet again.

So, who am I?

Name: Nirali
Age: 20
Gender: Female

What am I up to?

College: NYU - English Major, Social Entrepreneurship and Creative Writing Minors
Writing: Currently, a novel's in progress, and clearly I'm writing on this LJ. Fic-wise, I've been running the tumblr fanfictionguide for a little over a year, but that's more reading. I haven't been writing many fics, although you can find the ones I have written post-LJ on my AO3 account. I won last year's NaNoWriMo, the first I participated in, and this year I'm not really doing it because I feel like the novel I'm writing requires a much slower pace, and because I don't have time.
Dance: Not sure if I talked about this before, but I was doing Kathak when I was here last, and now I'm doing more Bollywood stuff. I'm part of NYU Dillagi, a sort of co-ed dance team.
Videoblogging: This is a thing I think I got into after I was sort of done with LJ. Basically, I discovered Nerdfighteria, watched the vlogbrothers for about a year before starting to make my own video content. I'm still making videos pretty regularly, and you can watch them here at youtube.com/firewordsparkler :)

Where am I? Where have I been?
Let's see...I moved multiple times in the last few years, although my last move was within the same city so not sure if that counts. My first move was from my small town in New Jersey all the way across the Atlantic to London, England. Yup! For all of my freshman year of university, I studied in the wonderful city that managed to colonize the world.
Then, I moved back to the East Coast to New York City, where I dormed in NYU for a year before moving again to live with my sister in a fantastic midtown apartment. So that's where I am right now. In my apartment in Manhattan. How cool is that?

When?
I thought the five Ws thing would work, but not really. It is currently 1:29 am EST and I am falling asleep, so I'll continue this in the future when my mind is slightly more coherent.

Why?
Am I coming back to LJ? Because I love it and I miss it. While I wasn't posting on LJ at all for the last four years, I did do quite a bit of lurking. I came to LJ for the fics and stayed for the real stories - as well as the awesome fics. I miss fandom being substantial. This is where I learned why Finn Hudson was awful, where I got into politics with ONTD politics. Where I could freely discuss things and expect coherent responses instead of trolls v SJWs. I feel like that void was filled by Youtube for a long time. While I'm still getting a lot of substance from youtube, it's a very specific focus and I feel like I can explore all my interests here.

How?
Working wifi and a computer.

A ficlet for the prompt meme.

uniquegrl7 — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:01:19 GMT

Title: The Baby
Fandom: Glee
Ship: Puck/Rachel
Rating: PG-13, because everyone knows that if Glee wasn't on network television, Puck would be cursing a helluva lot more.
Prompt: "Rachel and Puck get in a car crash, she wakes up to Puck sleeping in the
chair next to her bed. As soon as her eyes open Puck jumps up and hugs
her. Rachel's first response is
Rachel: The baby?
Puck looks at her and shakes his head.' by xxxalexandraxxx – puckrachel drabble meme (part 8)
Word Count: 569
Summary: "It was your first gift to me"

*Warning: Flufftastic at the end in the middle*
A/N: Hope I didn't completely ruin it :)
Rachel awakes to a beeping sound and a stark white room. It takes her about a minute to figure out where she is, and another minute to realize that the lump in the chair beside her bed is her snoozing boyfriend. And then she remembers. The crash. The scream. The darkness. She flinches.

As soon as she shifts a little bit to get comfortable, Noah wakes up and cups her face. "Hey baby, are you okay? Do you need anything? Water? The nurse? Do you remember what happened? Are you okay? Are you sure you don't need anything, love?" He's rambling at a speed that rivals her own, and that's really saying something.

But Rachel is thinking of something else entirely. "The baby?" she asks.

He glares at her, thins his lips, and shakes his head. "Seriously? You are asking about a fucking car when you could have been fucking killed?"

Sam, who drove Puck to the hospital, bursts out laughing from the doorway. "See, dude, I told you she loves that thing more than she values her life."

Puck shifts his death glare from Rachel to Sam, and Sam lifts his hands up in defeat. Noah then looks back at Rachel and asks her, "Baby, are you sure you don't have a concussion or brain damage or something? Do you need anything? Because there's absolutely no way you'd be asking about that stupid car rather than yourself if you were okay." Looking at Rachel's distraught face, however, told Puck that she actually did care for her car more than her life. He then proceeded to pace back and forth, cursing in Yiddish about Rachel's ridiculousness.

"Noah, stop! Please stop, Noah!" Rachel exclaimed. He kept pacing. "Noah, look at me!" He stopped and stared at her, waiting for her to say something. "Okay, now. Will you tell me what happened to the car?"

"Rachel do you even <i>care</i> if anything happened to you? That I almost lost you? No, you care about that fucking car more than you care about staying safe." He started pacing again.

"Noah, I'm okay. I'm alive. I'm fine. That's why I'm asking about the car. The car is what matters to me right now."

He paused and looked her in the eye. "Why would you care about that car? It's a car from the fucking junkyard that Burt and I put back together, and it barely runs well."

"But don't you see? That's why I wanted t know about the car. You made it for me. That's the first time anyone other than my family gave me anything important. It was your first gift to me. So what if it runs horribly! It's mine and I want to know the damage!"

Noah smiled warmly at her and cupped her face. "This is why I love you so much." He gave her a peck on the lips. "But babe, as much as I'm glad you feel that way, but you still come first. You always come first."

Rachel huffed. "Seriously? Just tell me what happened to the car."

"Okay, but please try not to kill me."

"Will you just tell me?"

"Okay, babe, here goes," he took a deep breath, and said, "it didn't survive. It was completely totaled and it can't be fixed."

The scream coming from Rachel's mouth was heard by the entire town, until Noah stopped covering his ears and kissed her.

Writer's Block: World Vegetarian Awareness Month

uniquegrl7 — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 05:58:46 GMT

Well, I'm vegetarian, and I've been my entire life, so I have MANY favorite foods, and all of them are obviously vegetarian. :)

There's the obvious Indian stuff, because y'know, I'm Indian and all...:
Rava Dosa
Paneer Makhani
Palak Paneer
Chilli Paneer
Anything with Paneer
Samosas
Curry (...as stereotypical as that is...)
Rotli, Dal, Bhaat, Shaak (Typical Gujarati meal)

So, there's the Italian stuff, too:
Penne a la vodka pasta
Pizza (olive toppings)

There's Mexican:
Mexican Pizzas
Enchiladas (there's one with green sauce and paneer inside instead of black beans which is to die for)
Seven-layer bean dip

Chinese/Thai:
The really thick, flat noodles w/ peanut sauce
Tom Kha soup

Other stuffs:
Falafel
Stuffed mushrooms
I really like desserts, too:
Brownies, cupcakes, anything with chocolate, fro-yo

I could go on...but should I? To sum it up, I'll say that my favorite food in the world is...(drumroll please)...the CPK Tostada Pizza. For today, at least :)

Greetings, awesome people

uniquegrl7 — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 05:21:09 GMT

Stolen from lavender_love00 :)

YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, I want to know 28 things about you. I don't care if we've never talked, never really clicked, or if we already know everything about each other. I really don't. You are obviously on my flist, so let me know with whom I'm friends!

01✖ Your Middle Name:
02✖ Age:
03✖ Single or Taken:
04✖ Favourite Film:
05✖ Favourite Song or Album:
06✖ Favourite Band/Artist:
07✖ Dirty or Clean:
08✖ Tattoos and/or Piercings:
09✖ Do we know each other outside of LJ?
10✖ What's your philosophy on life?
12✖ Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
13✖ What is your favourite memory of us?
14✖ What is your favourite guilty pleasure?
15✖ Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16✖ You can have three wishes (for yourself)
17✖ Can we get together and make a cake?
18✖ Which country is your spiritual home?
19✖ What is your big weakness?
20✖ Do you think I'm a good person?
21✖ What was your best/favourite subject at school?
22✖ Describe your accent:
23✖ If you could change anything about me, would you?
24✖ What do you wear to sleep?
25✖ Trousers or skirts?
26✖ Cigarettes or alcohol?
27✖ If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
28✖ Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?

I figured I'd pimp my land on my journal.

uniquegrl7 — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:39:45 GMT

Join starkid_land</lj> !

If you like StarkidPotter/Team Starkid, then you'll love Starkid Land!

starkid_land</lj> is an interactive fan community where you join one of three teams: Team A Very Potter, Team MAMD, or Team Starship and compete in various challenges like art/writing contests, games and puzzles to earn points. The team with the most points at the end of the round wins!

So what are you waiting for?

Round 1 is just starting, so apply here!

Side note: I'm on team MAMD, which is a totally awesome show, and therefore a totally awesome team.

I am freaking out right now.

uniquegrl7 — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 05:26:46 GMT

I am absolutely, absurdly happy with life right now because of three things.

First, and least important, IT'S SUMMER! It's the most wonderful time of the year other than winter, and my two-month holiday break just began yesterday, so it just might mean I'll actually write and post fic for once. (lol jk, do I ever actually do that?) But, I'm going to be playing tennis and being active, and I'm going to Texas for a JAINA convention and Maine with my entire family (kill me now). I'm very excited for these things, but onto things more important than real life...

The second thing: POTTERMORE!!!!!!!! It is not the end. There is no end in sight. I know that we've all been tumblr-ing about this for ages, but now JKR is saying it. She is saying that we're amazing fans and she's doing this for us ~~and more money.~~ I can't wait for July 31st now so I can try to get in early and I'm just really really ridiculously (hehe, riddikulus-ly) insanely excited about this. And onto actual world things:

The third thing: THEY LEGALIZED GAY MARRAIGE IN NEW YORK!!! Now this doesn't affect me directly, but it affects me in that it affects my best friend John. It also means I can marry whoever the fuck I want if I just travel twenty minutes north (and turn 18), and it means that New York realizes that love knows no bounds. Now hopefully the rest of this country can realize what the state of New York has realized and stop being homophobic bigots who think that it's right to prohibit a natural right of man to a certain people.

So yeah, I'm happy. Really really happy. So happy that I might reconsider moving to Mars the minute I get a rocketship and my faith in this world just might be restored.

Writer's Block: Talk of the town

uniquegrl7 — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 03:12:06 GMT

Lord Tubbington, Brittany S. Pierce's cat, because he is just so fascinating! I mean, he can read, he likes fondue, he's pretty much exactly like me. I'd ask him why he enjoys reading Brittany's diary, of course.

But seriously, I'd want JK Rowling on my show, because she is just so absolutely amazing and has affected my life in the most positive ways possible, and I know that I'm just one of the many hearts she's touched with her novels and her actions, so I think many would want to watch the talk show, too.

Why I love Luna Lovegood

uniquegrl7 — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:39:41 GMT

as posted in the hp_commonroom community:

Luna Lovegood is one of my favorite characters in the entire series. I love that she's smart and she is in Ravenclaw for a reason, despite those who think she is simply "loony" and stupid. She is the sweetest character, only standing for what is good. She sees things others don't, when it comes to mythical creatures and when it comes to people. She was one of the few who believed Harry in the fifth book, when she was introduced, even when it wasn't the popular opinion. She may daydream a lot, like when she was the commentator for the Quidditch game, but she notices things other people don't. She appreciates things for who and what they truly are, like when we saw the friendship picture she painted in her bedroom. She reminds me of a troubled genius who can't really connect with anyone other than those who are of the same mindset and of the same mental capacity as her. She is one of those girls that is so nice, yet a little different, so she's ostracized by the masses. She seems like one of those people who is very idealistic, like when her shoes were lost, but she always knew that they would eventually turn up. People take her things, not because they think she's weird, but because they're jealous of her. She's not at all afraid to be herself. She does not care about what others think. She's not deaf to the criticisms of her made by her peers, but she doesn't listen and she is secure enough in herself that she can be herself even in the face of adversity. She can believe whatever she wants to believe in, even if not everyone believes it. She is one of the strongest characters in the books. This is why I love her.

uniquegrl7 — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:58:49 GMT

LETS GO INDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back from the dead! And with a fill (sort of)!

uniquegrl7 — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:28:56 GMT

So the prompt from the p/r drabble meme was: A canon story without the following 15 words: badass, skirt, crazy, midget, arms, make(ing)-out, dude, pregnant(/preggers), football, hot(ter/test), fuck(er/ing/etc.), epic, star(s), slushie, love.

I was feeling rebellious tonight, so I kind of, sort of, well really changed the prompt so that it read "A canon story WITH the following words..." Anyway, the words I wasn't supposed to use are in caps because it would sound like I was shouting at the prompter. (hope you get where my weird sense of humor is coming from, inspire16)

***And yes, I am making this overly cliched on purpose, but I still like to think that there's some pretty good writing in this somewhere. Enjoy!***

Puck walked over to Rachel with a grape SLUSHIE in his hand. It was like deja vu or something, but he was getting those Jewish dreams again, and Rachel was back to wearing those really short SKIRTS. Plus, they were really starting to get close now. Finn and Quinn were completely out of the picture for both of them, and they could honestly talk about anything together. One day, Rachel even called them, dare he say it, friends. She was closing her locker when he said, "So, Berry, I was thinking..."

"That must have been rather difficult for you," she interrupted.

Normally, he would laugh, because they were friends now. Instead, he scratched his head, looked down, and said, "Yeah well, here it is: You're HOT, I'm HOTTER. We're both Jews. I think together, we'd make something EPIC."

She smirked. "Yeah well, seeing as you can't really think beyond MAKING OUT and FUCKING, I don't think that would be a possibility."

His jaw dropped. "DUDE, seriously? I joined the celibacy club for you, and I'm still a BADASS! You're such a CRAZY MIDGET for even thinking I'm not badass enough to be deeper than making out and fucking. I mean you already know that my 'ARMS are lovely!'"

As Noah was taking a breather from the most he had ever spoken at one time, Rachel looked up at him and her eyes filled with LOVE. "You joined for me? I thought you joined for Quinn. After all, you did get her PREGNANT last year."

He rolled his eyes. He honestly wanted to block out the entirety of last year (save for the week when he dated McKinley's brightest STAR). "Yeah, well you can't change the past. But can't you see? I'd rather be part of something EPIC with you than relive history with Quinn. I know you think that I'm nothing more than a deadbeat high school FOOTBALL player who has nothing else going for him, but with you, I can be bigger than that. You make me a better person."

They gazed at each other for a few seconds before leaning in and-ring! The bell rang, signaling classes starting, and the two were snapped out of their trance.

He leaned in close to her again and whispered in her ear, "See you at lunch."

Rachel couldn't help the shivers he sent down her spine as she grabbed her books and hurried to class. She couldn't wait to tell him how she really felt at lunch.

**So I'd really like for someone to actually fill this, because the prompt is actually all kinds of awesome.**

Alas! Another ficlet...sorry in advance for all the angst.

uniquegrl7 — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:00:06 GMT

Untitled
Prompt by: gomezxhenrie at the drabble meme. Rachel: I’m scared of not being with you. Noah: Oh baby, that’ll never happen.
Disclaimer: If I owned it, there would be no plot. Only Puckleberry.

Enjoy!

They’re on their way home from the doctor’s office when she finally breaks down. She knows that he’s scared shitless, more so than he is, but she can’t help it. Her husband for ten years has a brain tumor. Even though she’s seen more Grey’s Anatomy than probably anyone on the planet, she’s fairly sure there’s no Derek Shepherd out there with some breakthrough cure for ginormous tumors.

He’s driving, but does his best to comfort her by rubbing circles on her back and pulling her close. That’s when she realizes that he shouldn’t be driving.

“Pull over,” she says. Her tears have ceased and now she’s just having a little trouble catching her breath. He just stares at her as if she’s crazy. It’s certainly not the first time he’s done that, but she can’t help but think it may be the last. He pulls over though (he always listens to her), and looks at her expectantly.

“You shouldn’t be driving,” Rachel says. “You have a brain tumor and you shouldn’t be driving.”

He rolls his eyes. “Rach, I’m in the same exact state that I was in while driving to the doctor’s. I’m pretty sure we can make it back in one piece.” He pauses for a second, then adds, "Plus you know how I feel about your driving skills. I'm sorry babe, you're amazing at pretty much everything, but your driving sucks."

She opens her mouth, as if to argue with him, but all that comes out is a sob. Noah automatically leans over and hugs her. He holds her there for a while, whispering in her ear that it’ll all be okay even though he doesn’t know that. He closes his eyes and lets a few tears of his own slip out.

“I’m scared of not being with you,” she says softly into his shoulder. He thinks his heart breaks even more at her words.

“Oh, baby that’ll never happen.” He’s scared of the exact same thing, more so than the actual tumor and upcoming surgeries, but his gut is telling him that they’re gonna make it.

“And don’t you dare die.”

He’s silent for a second, and then says, “Babe, I’ve survived living with you for the past twelve years of my life. Plus, I’m the biggest badass the world has ever seen. Do you really think I’m gonna let some stupid tumor kill me?”

She cracks a smile at that. Leave it to Noah Puckerman to make jokes when he’s just received arguably the worst news of his life.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks.

“I should be asking you that question.”

“I completely agree. I mean, everyone already knows you’re crazy.”

She hits his arm, and he grins as he pulls the car back onto the highway. She thinks—no, she knows—that everything’s going to work out.

Finally, a fic(let)!

uniquegrl7 — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:13:36 GMT

So, in addition to Grey's (and I haven't seen the previous episode, so bear with me!) I have a new fandom: Glee :) and in ~~kind of~~ honor of this, I ~~was forced to by my idea~~ decided to write a small ficlet in response to a prompt on the gleefics weekend meme #1 page. So in case you're too lazy to actually go there and find it, because I would do that too, I decided to post it here as well. And by the way, ~~I hate that stupid old pick-up truck you never let me drive~~ it's a Puck/Rachel ficlet...so...umm...yeah.

Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Puck/Rachel
Prompt: "Rachel/Puck the first time Rachel pulls a 'prank' on Noah" from lauraisace
Rating: PG-13 for some language

The Movie Prank

Rachel wants to learn how to drive stick shift, and she wants her boyfriend of two months (Puck still isn't sure how they lasted that long) to teach her how because her gay dads don't know how. So he agrees to teach her one weekend, and in return he's getting the rest of the weekend full of Lethal Weapon and other badass movies, without complaints (or extraordinarily long commentary on how watching West Side Story for the fiftieth time would have been a better idea) from Rachel, as long as he doesn't complain all weekend either.

That's when he should have known something was up. Why would her dads even buy her a car with a stick shift, and how can Rachel go even a minute without complaining about his lack of taste in movies?

But Puck went with her plan, (why wouldn't he, he was getting a weekend with his girl AND his favorite movies) and taught her how to drive stick shift one day after Friday football practice, both of which took longer than he thought.

What happened after that, though, was the real shocker.

When Rachel and he were done with the driving lesson, the couple had the house to themselves, and Noah placed turned on the DVD player, only to find West Side Story playing instead of Lethal Weapon. He rolls his eyes at the lame prank, and goes to change the movie. He makes sure that the DVD says Lethal Weapon 2 on it, and puts it in the DVD player. When the DVD begins to play, Rachel begins humming with the melody on the DVD, and Puck is shocked to find out that instead of Lethal Weapon 2, Rent is playing on the TV screen.

That's when it hits him. Berry completely switched his badass DVD collection with her DVDs, and put the covers of his DVDs on hers.

She's not even trying to contain her laughter when he realizes what happened. All she says is, "I finally got payback for all the Slushees," before bursting out into hysterical laughter again.

Puck is still dazed and confused (fuck, he's acting like Finn now) about how she pulled it off when she starts making out with him, but suddenly, it doesn't really matter that he's stuck watching musicals anymore. If she makes out with him as amazingly as she is right now, he'll probably sell off his entire badass movie collection.

End :)

Writer's Block: A rose by any other name ...

uniquegrl7 — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:56:12 GMT

I actually chose my livejournal name based on a couple not-so-interesting things. I thing the "grl" thing is obvious, but I actually used unique because my real name means unique. I also have a reason behind the number 7, which I use all the time for two reasons. First is a story: when I was 8, my dad helped me create my first email account. He then proceeded to write the number 7 at the end of it, thinking that this was my age at the time. He submitted the account, making it permanent, before I asked him why he used this number. Naturally, I was pretty angry that my dad thought I was a year younger than I really was. Later on, though, I was fine with it because there are 7 Harry Potter books and a number of other things happened that revolved around the number 7. So that's how I chose my LiveJournal username. Just thought I'd put that out there.

uniquegrl7 — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:05:19 GMT

Hi all,
So if you're reading this, which you (as in cyberspace) are probably not, you're probably wondering why I haven't posted in a while. It's mainly because January is a stressful month for me, as midterms are happening, but when February rolls around, I'll be writing like the mad person I am, so bear with me for now! But I do have a small Grey's ficlet/paragraph in store in honor of the crossover ~~tomorrow~~ tonight (Eeeks! It's past midnight!) to keep you hanging, and if you like it and would like me to continue it, please let me know because I will if there's a genuine interest in the story.

read on if you want to enjoy and comment on the ficlet!

Things have changed is the first thing you think when you step onto the sacred parking lot and stare at front of the hallowed halls of Seattle Grace-Mercy West Hospital. When you walks through the glass door and make your way toward the nurses station, you can feel everyone's eyes on you. But then again, some things will remain exactly the same. You catch Derek and Mark on the way to get coffee and you exchange overly bright and polite hellos with them. Mark seems way too tired and Derek looks happy in general but worried about his friend's well being.
Something seems off though, even with Mark having a daughter and half the people not knowing who you are, something else is nagging you in the back of your mind, and you have no idea what it is. And that;s when you see them come out of an oncall room together. You don't know the girl's name, but you definitely know who the guy is. Everything has changed.

End!!! (for now) Told you it was short :)

A/N:If you want me to write more of this, please let me know because I will, I have an entire plot line to go off of. So please comment! Byee!

Snow Patrol and Fanfiction

uniquegrl7 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:15:22 GMT

I just saw the music vid. for Just Say Yes, by Snow Patrol and I have to admit, it is quite awesome, once you get past the odd costumes. It's really another awesome song by the band and it makes me even more in love with Gary Lightbody. *Sigh* I love them. And I'm happy today. It's been a really good day. And it is Friday, the 13th. The supposed unluckiest day of the year. And I had a good day. I'm at peace and I just listened to an awesome song for the first time. Oh, here's the link for it: (I'm not sure how to embed the video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGc2iT6X2_8&feature=fvst

Enjoy! (If anyone's into the most amazing band...)

On another note, I will be posting fanfics (or fanfictions) onto this blog, mainly about Grey's Anatomy, Glee and Harry Potter, my two loves. Unfortunately, I cannot go on fanfiction.net until further notice, but I do have a couple stories posted on that site under the same username. (And you can find so much more on that site as well, I love it!) I'll start posting the stories soon, hopefully, and I hope you (my few readers) comment! I'm all about Mer/Der and the occasional other canon pairing, but I'll read and write about just about any pairing in Potterland, though I'm partial to fics with Draco or the Marauders in them. If anyone has any suggestions for a fanfic I should read or any suggestions for what I should write, please comment!

Thanks for reading!
UG7

uniquegrl7 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:30:46 GMT

My name isn't going to be said on this site, I am UG7/uniquegrl7, and this is obviously my first live journal entry, which I'm going to use to tell you a bit about myself. I'm Indian, live in America, and that's all the personal stuff you're going to get, dear reader. I'm an average high-schooler academically, but I am unique, as my username claims. I like to get to the point, while using avid descriptions that are pages long like Steinbeck. I'm a living contradiction, slightly OCD. I have a tendency to ramble. I'm random. I love Grey's Anatomy, which is the reason why you're going to know a bit more about me:

My mother's maiden name, you're not going to find out. I have one sister. I have, uh, one niece. No nephews. I like strawberry ice cream, don't drink, don't smoke. I'm vegetarian. And I cheat when play cards. And I Iove to dance. Um, favorite novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Favorite band, Snow Patrol. My favorite color is purple. I don't like light purple, more of an violet. The scar right here on my arm, that's why I don't run on wet grass anymore. And I live in a house. All of this bedroom is mine. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with it, other than sleep and post these entries. So that's it. That's all you've earned for now. The rest you're just... just gonna have to take on faith.

Anyone who knows who said something like this, and in which episode, gets a virtual cookie, because I can't bake for life.. (That episode thing was a pretty big hint, by the way, along with the whole loving Grey's Anatomy thing.)

Okay...this wasn't awkward at all...bye! (or in Grey's--Owenstina--style, Take care now!)