1. Mom and Dad - Pretty self-explanatory, I think. Notice how I've put my mom before my dad? That's always how I picture them in my head - my mom's the more dominant one while my dad's the more 'silent spectator' kind. Mom is very much of an over-achiever; focussed, hard-working, dedicated, intolerant of mediocrity or incompetence, very short-tempered and emotionally unstable at times. She tries her ultimate best to always be there to help you out and support you when you need her but is NOT afflicted with the modern day syndrome of trying to be your kid's best friend (whoever started that idea deserves to be crucified). She gives me my privacy when I need it and somehow manages to make me feel more like an adult than anyone else does. I always get the feeling that she respects me (which is weird for a mom) and she runs almost all her major decisions by me, taking my advice and everything. Somehow, I always thought it should be the other way round.
           Dad is dad, not someone I know very much about but always permanently there. He's brilliant, lazy and sometimes completely loopy. Underneath his calm demeanor, he's a pretty sensitive guy and he's ready to do just about anything for his family. He still has a lot of growing up to do because he still deals with a lot of emotionally jarring situations like a kid... ergo, whenever things don't go his way, he sulks, throws tantrums and generally annoys everybody else to the point of insanity. But, he's basically a fun guy who begins singing or dancing whenever he feels like it and can make you laugh any time he wants to. But then again, his brand of sarcastic humour isn't all that hilarious when the joke is levelled at you. Fundamentally, he's a pretty traditional guy but by now, he's made so many concessions for all of us that it hardly holds true now.

2. Ron - Ron's my younger brother and there cannot be a more painful person in the world. He's ten and at the stage where he thinks he knows everything. But more than that, what really bugs the hell out of me is the fact that he completely looks upto me. Its like I'm his idol or something... and frankly, I have enough personal problems of my own without having to set a good example. Other than that, he doesn't always treat me like a deity either. He's always in my room, he's constantly listening in on my phone conversations and he always wants to use the computer or watch TV when I want to. Of course, nowdays, he's being incredibly supportive and a general do-gooder because he just realized that I'm leaving for college in a couple of months and he wants my room.

3. Stony - With the countless references to him in the diary, it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that he's my boyfriend. A nice guy except that he somehow manages to annoy all of my friends ALL of the time. My parents maintain a resigned and detached attitude towards him, my friends think he can be a hell of a jerk sometimes and most of my classmates poke fun at me because he's two years younger than me. And me? Well, I'm absolutely crazy about him. Maybe he's obnoxious and his sense of humour is insulting. Maybe he's more annoying than the VJs on MTV when he's got a point to prove. Maybe he's judgemental to the point of paralysis. And maybe he frustrates me so much that I want to throw everything (sharp) I can reach at him. But, I love him and I know he loves me and that's all that's important. And as for all his faults, well... I couldn't care less. And compared to mine, they are tiny.

4. Junky, Morphine, Xandox and Dalila - Four best friends who are my support system in this mess we like to call a world. We've seen it all and we've survived. I don't know how. There have been fights over guys, over music compositions and over cliques and all our differences have been highlighted over the years. But when we're together, all that stops to matter. Through all this, we've come to understand each other with an understanding that does not need to be put into words. We went through a rough patch in the middle with Junky and Dalila warring, but now things are steadily going back to normal. Xandox and me were in another school these last two years while Junky, Dalila and Morphine remained in our original one. Though I've been as "pal-ly" with them as before, Xandox with her million coaching classes and her determination to get into an IIT, has kinda lost touch with them. But then again, when she gets together with all of them again, its like nothing's changed. So, we're basically like a pendulum. We swing away at times but always meet back at the common point.

5. Nitwit - Used to be one of my two best friends. Nowdays, I like to call him "Drift-Aparter". It explains what happened to us and our relationship. When we talk, we can sense that the old connection is just as strong as ever but then after some time, it seems like we have to work at it to keep it that way. Earlier, I used to call him like a million times a day just to joke around and swap stories, but now... maybe once, and we hang up pretty soon. The seperation process started when I started going out with Stony and Nit, being his brother, gracefully bowed out to give us more space together. I still don't understand why. It hurts, I miss him and I really want things to go back to the way they were.

6. Aakriti, Prachi, Surabhi, Akshita - Classmates and a great group to just joke, bitch and hang around with - no strings attached. They are what makes (or did make; since I'm out of it now. Yay!) school the fun place it is for me. Aakriti is the only girl I know (maybe with the exception of Xandox) who never judges you and never pokes into another person's business. Prachi's funny and she and me get teased a lot about juniors so there's a feeling of camaraderie there. Surabhi's crazy and fun. Period. She laughs at the craziest things and manages to make you laugh at them as well. Akshita's super-intelligent, can be very bitchy and is constantly gossiping, but I enjoy it.

7. Beau, Saajid (eeyuck... what was I thinking?), Yuddhish and Apratim (Tim) - Previous crushes and with the exception of Tim, all a bunch of losers. I can't believe what I saw in them in the first place. Beau was playing the part of my finacee in a play I did and he seemed like a really immature yet nice kind of guy then. Now, he's another one of those losers who try really hard to be in the so called "popular" clique. Saajid and Yuddhish were my seniors by two years. Yuddhish was drop-dead cute and Saajid just had something. Now, he has long hair and a bunch of pimples. For the record, I never spoke to either of these two guys... just admired them from a distance. Tim, one year my senior, I liked cuz' he was different and seemed like a more sensitive and intelligent sort of guy. This type is the hardest to find. Everybody said he was gay just because he was SLIGHTLY feminine... well, everybody was wrong. He was just not a moronic guy's guy. Now, he's studying in the University of Chicago and just to clarify things, I do not want to go there just for him.

8. Shray - I hate the guy. He's managed to do and achieve everything I wanted to and has also got into Yale with a 100% scholarship by applying Early Action when I'm still waiting for my regular decision from the other universities. The thing that really annoys me is that he completely deserves it too. Until I manage to do better than him in this lifetime, his name is going to be synonymous with Jackass 1.

9. (Dustbin) Pig, Jackass 2 - Pig gets his name from being thrown into the dustbin the whole day long. Jackass 2 is a twisted, intensely competitive individual who as sources say, has a crush on me. I can't imagine why, because I'm always putting him down. Anyway, he is this extremely egotistical guy who thinks that I am absolutely crazy about him and I am going to beg him to go out with me one day. Dream on, loser. Pig and Jackass 2 both go to my Math tuition and I've had a lot of fun there, principally because of Pig who can be very funny when he's not being very annoying. And out tutor is a sweetheart.

So, now that you've been introduced to my world, read on...