Author: mirchiladdoo

mirchiladdoohttp://mirchiladdoo.com

Little Bites of Heaven!

Mung ki daal (Green, split) is such a multi tasker! It can be used to make daal, It can be combined with rice to make khichadi, it can be used to make pakode & also the ever healthy snack mung ki daal ka chilla!

After Rabdi, my dad loves the mung ki daal ke pakode I make. It is easy & fast to cook. Except that it requires 8 hours of soaking daal.

You can make it even on weekdays to spice up your day!

How to make the yummy pakodas:

1. Soak one cup moong daal (Enough for 2 people) overnight / 8 hours.

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2. Remove water from the soaked daal, put it in a blender, add 2-3 green chillies, salt as per taste and grind into a smooth paste. You can add red chilli powder to the batter instead of green chillies. I use this trick for emergencies. Add half a tsp of black pepper powder for that extra zing!

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3. Make small balls of batter with your fingers and push them into the frying pan with the help of your thumb.

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4. Fry them till golden brown on medium high flame. Pro Tip: If you cook them on high flame, chances are they will remain raw from inside & crispy outside.

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5. Yummy pakodas ready to be served. ^_^

DSC_0572These are amazing to have with Hot tea. These can also be used to make Dahi Wada. You can serve ketchup or tamarind chutney on side or eat them just like that as the pakodas are moist enough.

So what are you thinking? Make this pakodas and give delightful surprise to your family / friends 😀

Not just a wishlist!

So many books to read / blogs to write / places to travel to / movies to watch to / music to listen to and so little time!

There are reasons I haven’t made any bucket list. A. I am too spontaneous to go with a planned list. B. Don’t want to spend my life ticking off items to complete. You can read more here: Kick The Bucket

But there are certain things I really want to do in this life and would be happier to see all the items checked.

✎ Be kind

✎ Bring smile to someone who really needs it

✎ Change someone’s life for better

✎ Not give up on dreams

✎ Not to seek validation from anyone

✎ Be more forgiving

✎ Be brave and face fears upfront

✎ Not to indulge in self pity

✎ Talk less and listen more

✎ Live every moment

✎ Love. Just love with all my heart

Its my life, not a drama stage. I will not seek audience. I will live for myself.

Letter to my younger selves

Dear 16 year old & 24 year old me,

You are dreaming about your prince charming & knight in shining armour. This is the age to be dreamy eyed I guess. You are young and full of hope and influenced by romantic books and movies.

You have in your mind carved out the picture of how your soul mate would be (Of course you don’t refer to him as a soul mate coz you don’t understand the concept yet but I assure you one day you will)

Whatever the picture is in your mind, one day you will realise that there is no prince charming or knight in armour for you.

And there is nothing to be sad about coz you don’t need a prince or a knight.

What you need is a living breathing human being. Who is not perfect and doesn’t need you to be perfect. He might not have a liking for books but doesn’t mean he isn’t worldly wise. He might not be a man of words but he will be a man of action. He will not write eloquent poetries for you but he will ensure that you are never sad. He will fill your life with sweetness which is missing in your life right now.

He might not be the one you want, but he will definitely be the one you need. He will be the ONE, your life partner in the truest of sense.

Whatever happens, don’t lose Faith 🙂

Love,

<Ahem  Ahem> year old you

The virtue of cleanliness

The dictionary defines cleanliness as a state of being free from dirt.

As individuals we are obsessed with cleanliness. We shower twice a day* (atleast once where there is a water shortage), we wash our hands before and after eating meals, we sweep our homes and mop it with water. We do not allow even a trace of chocolate wrapper on the floor at our home.

This is the keyword. Home. We keep our home and ourselves spic and span. It would be an insult to us if someone were to visit our house and say it resembled a pigsty. (Not that I know how a pigsty looks) Anyway, the point here is, cleanliness is often restricted to self or home or rather where we get credit to keep everything neat and clean.

Once the responsibility ceases, we stop being the cleanliness freaks. We throw waste papers, wrappers & fruit skins out of the vehicle we are travelling in, we spit anywhere we please (to keep walls spit free, we need to put up pictures of God), we even pee and poop in public places without a care. Inspite of dustbins available easily, we have a tendency to through garbage where it is convenient to us. It seems like there is a challenge as to who throws garbage the least number of times in the trash can.

And then enters the Swachh Bharat Mission. I am principally against this mission. It is a sign of good citizen to keep his / her surroundings clean. But if we clean up the mess others did, for free, when would they take up responsibility for their actions?

The number of paid professionals to do this task as compared to the population is very less. We can reduce their burden by using the trash cans wisely and not go littering around. It is not that difficult either. We just need to be alert of our actions.

True cleanliness won’t be achieved unless people don’t wait for credit to not litter / not create a mess. It will be achieved when people realise their responsibilities. People need to clean their thoughts before they are expected to clean their cities.

A awareness to the need for overall cleanliness would lead to be a Godly experience for everyone for sure!

 

*necessity of living in a tropical country

Words..

Where do the words go when we have said them?” — Margaret Atwood

We speak so much during the day! Lots of words leave our mouth and get spread in several directions.

Where exactly they go?

Some words are so fickle, the fall on the ground and mingle with the dust. Some words are so light, they dissolve in the air.

But some words are listened carefully to. They get mingled with the heart beats and in the veins where blood flows. These words become a part of someone else’s existence!

Did your words become part of someone’s existence today? 🙂

But..

He: I love you..

She: But?

He: My mom says no inter caste marriage

He: I love you..

She: But?

He: Marriage is not for me.

He: I love you..

She: But?

He: Mom says you are too old for me.

He: I am so much in love with you!

She: But?

He: But? You are so cynical! I love you unconditionally!

She: *rolls eyes* But?

He: We are not meant to be together

You see there is always a but when someone says I  love you to you.

But once in a lifetime you would get to hear I love you without any buts..

And the search continues..

The Year That Was.. The Year That Will Be!

The nightmare that December brought is finally over! This site is a home for my thoughts and it being invaded / blocked was such a distress! More distress that I could not write anything and didn’t know whether I would get this place back. Quite similar to your real home gutted by fire I guess.

It is so great to see that mirchiladdoo logo and the red jazzy mirchiladdoo page again (BRB Hugging the Laptop) 😀 😀

Apart from this incident, 2014 has been an AMAZING year, workwise or otherwise. This year was full of awards, accolades, reconnecting with family, amazing friends and most importantly love. 🙂

Resolution wise I am happy that I got my passport this year, read more books than ever, published more posts than ever, baked a cake & did lots of cooking 😉 I have also given two titles to myself this year. Selfie Queen (I think I click amazing selfies) and Rabdi Queen. (Please don’t disown me, ok?)

This year I need to carry forward the awesomeness of 2014. (And stop using the word awesome so much :p)

In 2015 I wish to:

1. Take care of my health big time.

2. Do more cooking and cook more dishes than I did in 2014.

3. Bake cakes and cupcakes from scratch.

4. Spend less money (Too much being spend on autos & eating out)

5. Better leave management (Travel was supposed to be on this year’s agenda but how do I do it without leaves in my kitty, right?)

That’s about it. No fancy things. Just simple basic rules to follow 🙂

Wish you a happy healthy & prosperous 2015! May you achieve everything this year that you wish to! 🙂

Belonging!

This is not written by me but it seems this was written for me. Each & every word. Nothing could be better for my 200th post ^_^

She didn’t belong anywhere and she never really belonged to anyone.

And everyone else belonged somewhere and to someone.

People thought she was too wonderful.

But she only wanted to belong to someone.

People always thought she was too wonderful to belong to them

or that something too wonderful would hurt too much to lose.

And that’s why she liked him– because he just thought she was crazy.”

― C. JoyBell C.

Hugs!

The most positive picture floating around internet these days is this one:

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Two people holding each other, one being the comforter and other being comforted. This should be such a natural expression to share happiness, sorrow & love. Though this is a very common form of expression in the west, I don’t think it comes naturally to Indians. I have never witnessed it in my family or amongst neighbours. When we meet we usually say hello / namaste which is very formal.

My first tryst with a hug was with my mom’s christian friend. We met her at a railway station and she just hugged me, when mom introduced us. I still remember how awkward I felt and didn’t know what struck me and how should I react. That was the only experience in a long time.

Circa 2012. Welcome to Social networking sites. I learnt to give virtual hugs by quoting *hugs* and used to wonder what would happen if I meet those person in real? Would I be able to give them a real hug?

Circa 2014. Mom started staying at sister’s place and by then I had become a compulsive virtual hugger so much so that I didn’t have any qualms in hugging people. In public. Be it my colleague who I met after years & mom, who is usually not expressive about her emotions.

And you know what? It feels good. The warmth of friendship & love gives you a comfort which nothing else can. Not even chocolate.

Also, recently I got to hug someone (@islejazz) whom I used to send virtual hugs the most & my question was answered. If you really love the person, hugging comes naturally & feels great. ^_^

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Friend-zoned

You must have heard / read / talked about this term lots of time. Friend-zoned. Friend zoning is nothing but putting an invisible line between you and the person who wants to be more than friends with you and you don’t.

It is heartbreaking of course. Suppose you fall in love with someone and that person hasn’t. They are happy with the status quo and don’t want anything more from the relationship. It is tough to see them and to control your feelings. You are angry too as they are not responding to your feelings. You might then stop interacting with them and move away.

But remember you are not the only victim here. The other person is losing a good friend. Its equally heartbreaking for them if you vanish from their life.

No one is at fault here. Yet both of them suffer. Sigh.

PS: No, there is no point of this post.

Guardian Angels

He sighed for the fifth time. It was very distracting. She looked up from the book she was reading & observed him closely. His back was slouched and eyes looking out of the window. He seemed too much in pain.

Water? she asked him. He refused. She poured a cup & handed to him anyway. Drink up, she said. He couldn’t refuse. Did you eat anything? she asked. He shook his head dejectedly. Not hungry, he said. She fished out a chocolate bar from her purse & handed it to him. There was a firmness in her eyes. He couldn’t refuse. He chomped off the bar. He was feeling better already.

He looked at her. She was observing him with keen interest. He could read curiosity in her eyes. He thanked her for the water & chocolate. It made him feel better, he said. There is one more thing that can make you feel better, she replied. He was amused. A smile formed on his lips. He wondered what possibly she meant by this statement.

You can talk to me about what is bothering you, she said. He looked appalled. How could he share his life story with a stranger? She read the expression in his eyes. How does it matter? It is not as if I am gonna meet you again. He shrugged and started pouring out everything. His entire life story compressed in two hours. She kept listening without uttering a word. Without changing her expression. Her listening intently had a calming effect on him. Unloading of his story had lightened his heart. He felt relaxed. First time in years probably.

It was five years since that incident. He was a changed man now. He was writing stories for children & content with his life. One thing that didn’t change in these years was memory of those beautiful mesmerizing eyes. They were the guarding angels of his life. Whenever he was in a dark spot, they watched over him, silently guiding him to move on and start over.

Crazy way to lose your phone!

I love my phone & I do take care of it. But just like me, my phone is prone to accidents.

It keeps falling off. Once even in a bucket full of water. Thankfully it is still working fine ^_^

But there was one day when the accident was too freaky. I almost lost it forever.

I was running around Ghatkopar station for auto. As usual I was in a frenzy as getting late.

I had kept my phone in the socket meant for water bottle.

Finally I got an auto. While I was boarding, another auto hit me in the back. My Wildcraft bag came to the rescue & I didn’t get hurt fortunately. As the auto moved I thought I heard a clunk. I didn’t give it much thought but then my sixth sense asked me to check on my phone & it had vanished! I panicked obviously! The clunk I had heard was my phone! The auto which hit me, had managed to push the phone out of the socket on the road!

I asked the auto driver to take it back to the same place. I had no hopes of getting my phone back. As soon as I reached the spot I saw a man talking on phone, my phone.. I told him frantically it’s my phone.. it’s my phone.. Turned out he was talking to my dad asking where he could return the phone! You can’t even imagine the sigh of relief I took on getting the phone back! All thanks to the angel! I couldn’t even thank him properly. Hope he reads this some day & knows how grateful I am to him! 😀

 

 

How to cook Rabdi

Rabdi is an Indian dessert made of milk. The combination of Hot Jalebi & Chilled Rabdi is the best! It can be had with Gulab Jamun as well or even just like that! Cooking Rabdi is very easy, however it requires lots of time & patience.

To make a bowl ful of Rabdi, you require:

1 Litre Full Fat milk

1/4 cup Sugar (can vary depending on how sweet you want it to be)

1/4th teaspoon Cardamom powder

A handful of chopped Almonds & Pistachio nuts

How to make Rabdi:

Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan. Once the milk boils, slow down the gas & let it simmer. Keep a ladle in the pan & stir occasionally specially to gather cream from the sides of the pan & add it back to the milk.

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It takes approximately 90 minutes to get the milk to the desired quantity. Meanwhile you can keep the dry fruits chopped. I am not very good at chopping & I discovered this super easy method to “not” chop dry fruits. Put the dry fruits in a zip-lock back, seal it properly & mash it with a kitchen mallet.

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The dry fruits in the dish are chopped with knife and the one in the zip lock bag mashed with the mallet. 😀

Once the milk reduces to 1/4th of the quantity, add the sugar. Once it reaches a granular consistency, switch off the gas & add cardamom powder. As soon as the rabdi cools, garnish with chopped dry fruits!

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Yummy Rabdi is ready to be served! Enjoy 🙂

Stocking Up

With lots of enthusiasm you enter the kitchen ready to cook your first meal. But before that you need to stock up so that there is no lack of ingredients for whatever you want to cook.

Tea / Coffee: First thing you need when you wake up is Tea / Coffee / Milk Additives.

Breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For me specially. I have lived years without having lunch but if I don’t get breakfast, you would find me very cranky.

Lunch: What better than cooking lunch for yourself & sharing with your colleagues & getting accolades?

Dinner: Accept it. Outside food is not very healthy & at night, it would be not very fresh either. Plus it is expensive. Rather than risking falling sick & spending money both on food & medicines, make it a habit to cook dinner at home, however tired you might be.

Snacks: Sometimes we need to munch on something when we are watching movies / getting bored / just like that.

Fruits: A healthy option to snacking and ready to eat 😉

Special Meals: To be cooked on weekends or when guests are around.

These are the types of meals you need to keep ingredients stocked up for.

Make a habit of listing down everything you need at the beginning of the month & get it from super market / local grocery store.

Happy Shopping!

My Favourite Novel

Recently I had an opportunity to write about my favourite novel. I skipped it. But it did make me think. If I had to choose only one, which would be it? If it includes my mother tongue, Peela rumaal ni gaanth would win hands down. This novel, in 3 parts, is written by Harkisan Mehta & has all the masala. Emotions, Drama, Thrill, Adventure, Romance, etc. This novel is based on the Thug practice prevalent in pre independence era. Though the thugs are super cruel, you feel a tinge of sympathy for them. If you know how to read Gujarati & you haven’t read it yet, I would recommend you read this for sure!

As far as English language is concerned, I am torn between Pride & Prejudice & Not a penny less, Not a penny more!

Pride & prejudice made me fall in love with Mr Darcy, England country side, Victorian Era & Jane Austen of course! It is a love story but not the rom com type. I can read this book n number of times without feeling bored!

Coming to Not a penny less, not a penny more! It is a wonderful creation of Jeffrey Archer. The way JA has woven the plot is simply amazing! And best is the twist in the tale at the end! This book was the start with my romance with all JA novels & short story collections! I love his style & he is my idol in that aspect!

When it comes to books & that too my favourite ones, I can go on & on & on about them. I should have sent this post as my contribution. Anyhoo, there always is next time 😉

 

October Fest!

Yes i had my own October Fest. No, it had nothing to do with beer. But I got high anyway. 🙂

I am totally in love with me & my life right now. And it is mostly because of the love people are showering on me and also because I am being made feel so special!

I am happiest but also little bit scared. But I am going to enjoy this phase anyway.

Maybe this is the gold at the end of the rainbow. Maybe this is the silver lining. Maybe my day has finally arrived!

A small note of thanks to God & to everyone around me who is making this happen. ^_^

Laddoo Cooks

As I have written in Ghevar A La Moi I love cooking. But my trysts in the kitchen have always been when mom is not around. Lots of excuses for not cooking regularly – Laziness tops the list however.

This time nothing’s changed. The reason for entering kitchen is the same. Mom is not around. If I was alone, I would have survived on Maggi, Vada pao & take away food. But since I need to take care of dad, cooking at home is a must. Over a period of 6 months I have been cooking breakfast, lunch & dinner. Basic stuff as well as something elaborate. During this journey I have surprised myself. I never knew that even a simple tea would taste so delicious that dad would ask 2-3 servings some times. I was scared of making chutneys and they turned out fantastic in the first time itself. I also got scars in this journey. Burns, cuts, etc. The results were worth them totally!

I would like to share my experiments in kitchen. A. To remind myself how green I was B. Maybe someone will be inspired to cook after reading my posts.

Welcome to Laddoo Cooks. And do share your cooking experiences. Would love to exchange notes with fellow home chefs 😀

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Colours of Change

7 AM Wake up

7.30 AM Make Tea

8 AM Leave Home

9 AM Have Breakfast

9.30 AM Reach office

1.00 PM Have Lunch

4.00 PM Have Tea

5.30 PM Leave Office

7.00 PM Reach Home

8.00 PM Have Dinner

10.00 PM Sleep

This was his daily routine. The only change was on Sunday when he didn’t have to go to work. Work would be replaced by reading newspapers & more sleep.

He was tired of this drab existence. It felt like his life was a big grey cloud. There was no hope for any colours.

She was kicked off the traffic signal by the policeman. She had recently started working on the signal on his way home. When she approached him, he was hesitant. But finally relented to the temptation. He got down near the shop near his home to complement his purchase.

His existence wasn’t drab anymore. His house was filled with colourful flowers.

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Smiling moments

To write something effortlessly is making me smile right now.

The sun-rays coming through the window that make my eyes look hazel is making me smile right now.

Watching one of my favourite shows is making me smile right now.

The chill of the Air Condition is making me smile right now.

The thought that you are missing me too is making me smile right now.

🙂 🙂 🙂

Sprinklings!

❤ pink sugar dust

sprinkled on the white frosting

you brighten my life just like that

❤ a sturdy umbrella

saving me from the rains

your arms give me that warmth

❤ it warms my heart

awakens me from the slumber

your love just like coffee

❤ one by one they all left

they had their busy lives to attend to

but I stayed coz you were the only life I had

❤ In this dark night

I am walking home alone

for the hope that one day I will find you waiting for me

❤ One day we will talk and talk and talk

till we get exhausted

on that day silence will find a new meaning

❤ I have stopped feeling jealous

Coz I have realised you are all mine

and one day we are gonna be together forever

 

A rose for me, A rose for you!

She ordered for a Cappuccino just so that she could wait for some more time. It wasn’t unlike him to be late & she really needed to see him. She could see him rushing in through the door glancing around looking for her. He would give her one of his numerous excuses to be late, along with a bunch of roses. He knew that would always make her smile. He would hug her & say sorry in such a way that she couldn’t be angry at him anymore.

She glanced at her watch & called him up. His phone was switched off. It was getting late & she couldn’t wait any longer. She left the cafe feeling both sad & angry. Angry because he was not that interested in meeting her, sad for the same reason.

Only if she knew that was the last time she could hope to meet him, she would have never left the cafe. It was getting late & she couldn’t sit there any longer. She gave a deep sigh, caressed the bunch of roses she had left on his grave & walked towards the gate.

Small Joys!

Everyone is waiting for that big thing to be joyous & ecstatic. A promotion, wedding, baby, or even falling in love! ❤ 😀

In this process, however, we forget to cherish the small joys of life. We take them for granted even. When you are feeling low, just list them out & see how blessed you are!

❤ Being healthy

❤ To be able to sleep for 8 hours

❤ To be able to taste food without the guilt of getting fat / sick

❤ To get compliments for looking good, cooking, dressing up well, etc

❤ To get compliments without any reason

❤ To be wished good morning with a kiss from special someone

❤ To receive a good morning text from special someone

❤ To be in someone’s thoughts

❤ To be able to dance in the rain

❤ To feel sunshine on your face

❤ To be able to see flowers blooming

❤ To smell the sweet fragrance of flowers

❤ Satin bedsheets

❤ To fit into a dress you love

❤ To get kissies from babies

❤ When a baby smiles at you

❤ Gardening.. filling your hands with mud

❤ To give a street urchin chocolate & see his face beam with joy

❤ Receiving gifts without occasion

❤ Gifting something without occasion

❤ Morning Walks while listening to chirping of birds

❤ Evening walks while listening to music

❤ Gossiping with sister

❤ Learning Recipes from Mom

❤ Discussing politics & mythology with dad

❤ Listening stories from grand parents

❤ Watching your favourite show right in the middle of a busy week

❤ A stranger smiling at you

❤ Blowing bubbles

❤ Crushing bubbles on a bubble wrap

❤ Getting comments on your blog 😉

The list seems to be endless isn’t it? There are more things to be happy about then we know.

Do share your list 🙂

Have a happy day! 🙂 🙂 🙂

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Today – 5th October 2014

After a long time I am enjoying a relaxed weekend. Woke up early, played quiz up for a while. Tooth started troubling & the ache spread till the ear. Got up, took a painkiller & dozed off after a while. Plans of elaborate breakfast cancelled by default. If my tummy hadn’t rumbled, I wouldn’t have woken up until dad woke me to make tea & prepare breakfast 😛

Remembered the plan of not vegetating on weekend & waste precious minutes. Started downloading movies & songs of latest movies. Checked on bookmarks to read blogs / listen to recommended music. Was hooked to a diary of a girl who hates everything, pulled myself out in time. Didn’t want to get negative myself. Realised it was very peaceful to read blogs, listen to songs & not check on notifications except that quiz up was not connecting & I was getting very irritated due to this. I have collected most badges & next targets are to play 10000 games & win 10000 games as well. Time to get wifi connection probably. 3G is useless & i am just wasting my money. I am confused about which plan to get though.

9 months of 2014 have passed in a jiffy & only 87 days till 2014 ends. Today is the day to check the to do list & refresh it to make the most out of the rest of the year (talking about the resolutions here 🙂 ) I hope I am gonna get my passport in a month now the police verification has been done. Reading more books than ever, thanks to the e book collection  & eating on my own in the cafeteria. I am also happy with the number of blogs / fiction I have written this year. Will need to start working on my book. I feel fitter than before but still need to be less lazy. I know I can do it if I stop procrastinating all the time. My healer says it is because of the fungal infection I am suffering from which in itself stems from the resentments & regrets I am harbouring. As the healing progresses, I am sure of getting rid of all the negative beliefs & thoughts which are weighing me down. Probably will join a dancing class in November / December. I don’t want to dance like a diva but surely need to get rid of the left feet 😐 As far as baking goes, I have only managed to bake a cake from the ready mix. 🙁

I have not yet fulfilled all my resolutions for 2014 and i am already thinking what I want to do in 2015. That’s me being ambitious 😛 Anyhoo, it is time to tighten up the shoe laces and run faster than Usain Bolt to complete all the tasks before time flies. 😀

 

Haider – Not a movie review

Movies are generally a medium of entertainment. But there are certain film makers who go beyond the fluff & weave compelling stories. Watching such movies is no different from reading a book. Vishal Bharadwaj is one such film maker. Apart from his regular movies, I love his adaptation of plays of Shakespeare. Be it Omkara (adapted from Othello) or Maqbool (Macbeth). He brings a fresh Indianised perspective to the stories. And he has done a commendable job at retaining the flavour of the original stories. I doubt any of the Hollywood directors could do equal justice to the plays. Therefore, when Haider (adaptation of Hamlet) was announced that too with Shahid Kapoor playing the lead role, I was too excited!!

This Indian Hamlet has been set in Kashmir of 1995. Haider’s dad (a very handsome Narendra Jha) is a doctor, whose first priority is treating patients & he doesn’t discriminate between militants & civilians. Haider’s mom (Gorgeous Tabu) is a school teacher. There is a mention of Haider, he is not to be seen for a while though. Haider’s dad is captured by militants for harboring a militant in the house & their house destroyed. Haider (Ever Charming Shahid Kapoor), who was sent away to a far off place, comes home to search for his father. Arshi (Beautiful Shraddha Kapoor) is his support throughout. The film begins on a slow note. I guess it was necessary to build the background of the characters.

After a futile search, Haider gets a message from Roohdaar (Amazing Irrfan Khan) and then the movie picks up pace. How Haider finds out about his dad’s murder, how he confronts his mom & uncle & how it leads to a horrifying climax is the crux of the story.

Vishal has changed the climax a bit, I won’t reveal it though. The story as expected is mesmerising to say the least. The screenplay is very taut & engaging. The cinematography is fabulous and the advantage was of shooting in Kashmir. One more interesting fact was the use of Kashmiri folk songs & absence of background music. You could say it was very organic. The only commercialised part would be the love making scene of Shahid & Shraddha. The film also has some humorous moments.

The actors have played the part to the hilt. Be it Kay Kay as the evil uncle, with a very cute Kashmiri accent (he is the best in the climax scene) or Tabu, a woman who only wants the best for her son, Irrfan Khan, as a messenger of Haider’s father, Shahid Kapoor, a guy who loves his father so much that it drives him crazy, Shraddha Kapoor, a subdued Ophelia or Lalit Parimoo, a cruel Polonius. It was also nice to see Aamir Bashir (Perfect Laertes) & Ashish Vidyarthi after a long time.

All in all the movie was more than expected & I could watch it more than once!

The movie is not only about Hamlet though. One thing that struck me was plight of Kashmiris. Ever since partition, the people of the valley are living in turmoil, which has been aggravated since the 80s. The dilemma of Hamlet, is the dilemma of Kashmiris. To be Indians, Pakistanis or to have a separate country. This dilemma has given rise to terrorism across borders & people have lost their homes & family. It is high time this is decided once & for all & let the Kashmiris leave peacefully & let Kashmir be the heaven it is supposed to be & not the hell it is now.

Once upon a time!

Once upon a time, a fairy tale was in the offing.

She was the girl next door. She was average, nothing special about her. She was told not to expect any fairy tales as fairy tales happen with princesses & not with ugly ducklings. She couldn’t blame them. No one had proved that wrong yet. She wouldn’t even know if there was anyone to prove them wrong. Citing her flaws, she would keep away from any probability of finding love.

He was a stud, a charmer, a heart breaking Casanova. He had no time for love & relationships. He thought they were waste of time. He didn’t believe in fairy tales. They were for kids. Some would say he was commitment phobic.

Until the day he met her.

She forgot her flaws. Nothing felt more right than being with him.

Being with her was the best thing that happened to him. He had never felt more at peace.

She realized we don’t look for perfect people, we look for people perfect for us.

He realized with the right person, labels don’t matter.

And when they are that special for someone, fairy tales do happen, even with ugly ducklings, even with non believers. ❤ ❤ ❤

Hariyali ki taraf rasta!

  • Forests are the renewable sources of nature
  • They are home to living creatures,
  • They contribute in maintaining biodiversity
  • They regulate the climate
  • They provide industrial timber and fuel,
  • They prevent and mitigate sudden freshets that lead to flooding

Afforestation is a proven method which contributes to environmental conservation, less-polluted industrial development and healthy community activation!!

Hariyali in Thane (near Mumbai), is one of the rare organisations in India which takes up this activity!

In 2008, we formed a Go Green committee at work. This committee consisted of members who were passionate about the environment & wanted to do something about conserving the same.

Initially we started sending emails about awareness & also arranged a small presentation. However, we wanted to do more! One of the members of the committee came across this NGO Hariyali. The chief founders of this NGO are Senior Citizens who were passionate just like us about environment but are actively involved in making this planet a little more greener.

Apart from other activities, they were also involved in Afforestation of an area in Bhavale, near Thane Nasik Highway. We planned to check it out one Saturday. The plantation activity was being done by NSS students & other corporate employees. We were amazed at the enthusiasm of the founders. Their agility in climbing up the hill ashamed us & made us realize how unfit we were.

We started with the plantation work after a short briefing. The Saplings had to be carried to the top of the hill, where they would be planted. At the end of the task, we were satisfied & decided to involve more colleagues in to this activity.

Initial Planter

Saplings being planted

 

Pilot Batch

The Proud Pilot Batch!

Since then, every year we manage to go there once. The plantation is done in monsoon, it drizzles most of the time & this activity became fun for all of us!

Planting saplings is not enough. We also need to protect the plants & see to it that they are growing properly. We also need water conservation so that plants don’t wilt during summers. Constructing bunds, ponds, etc is a part of the post plantation activity.

This year, post the tree plantation activity, we came to know about the hurdles the NGO is facing, especially shortage of volunteers & we decided to contribute more than once a year.

In the second visit of the year, we helped in digging up a pond & some of the members were also involved in creating saplings & sowing seeds. 15 Saplings were made by 6 year old daughter of a colleague! Catching them young, we are 😉

Weed Uprooters

Uprooting Weed

Pond Diggers

Digging Pond!

Seeds N Saplings

Sowing seeds & managing saplings!

 

All this is due to encouragement of our senior management. Without their support, it wouldn’t have been possible to sustain this activity for so many years.

After 6 years, the place has metamorphosed from a barren land to lush forest. We also feel proud that the forest contains some of the trees planted by us. Just like we are enjoying fruits of someone else’s labour, someone else will be enjoying fruits of our labour. It also feels great to give something back to nature!

Barren Land

In 2008 – The land was almost barren!

Lush Forest

In 2014 – It’s a lush forest!

An apple a day…

After having his dinner, Dr. Atul felt like having some dessert. Being health conscious, he would fulfill his dessert cravings with fruits. Just when he was ruing the fact that he forgot to get some this week, he remembered the pani puri seller getting apples for him. He was not very hygienic & Dr. Atul asked all his patients from refraining to get pani puri from this particular vendor.

The downfall of his business had probably made him mend his ways. The pani puri seller had come to his clinic & promised him that he would serve his customers the best pani puri. He could himself come visit his stall to verify. He had accepted the apples reluctantly & assured him of his visit.

Next day the neighbourhood was abuzz with news. The young doctor was killed because of eating a poisonous apple.

Shankar listened to the people talking about it while they devoured the pani puri. This was the best thing he had learnt in school. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

A different type of vacation!

She cribbed about boss making her go out of town, that too during weekend. After she packed her bag with all the essentials, she handed over the list of instructions to her husband. Don’t let the kids watch too much TV, she said. She felt a twinge of guilt as she bade good bye to her family.

After travelling for an hour, she reached her destination. A luxurious room with a sea view was waiting for her. She unpacked her bag & reclined on the couch. This was the beginning of her two day vacation. 😉

The guy with the pink umbrella!

In the sea of black umbrellas, the pink one cried for attention. The passers by stared at the person holding the umbrella.

Oh my God He is so gay!, said someone. A group of girls giggled at him. It didn’t help he was wearing skinny jeans rolled up to his knees.

This must be what they call is metro sexual. Why don’t men dress up like men any more? Sighed a woman waiting at the bus stop.

The phone rang & interrupted the music. He swiped the green button to the right. His girl friend on the other line asked if he had reached home. He said, Yes sweets & thanks for lending me your umbrella! You saved me from getting drenched 😉

umbrella

Live every moment!

I will do this tomorrow!

I know this was my new-year resolution but there are still 3 months for the year to end!

We can still do stuff together. Marriage / Moving doesn’t have to change things!

How many times have we said this to ourselves?

This is what our problem is. We think we have enough time. Time to do everything that we want to do, whenever we want to do.

BREAKING NEWS!! No!! we don’t have enough time! Time is slipping away like sand! Tomorrow never comes. Months fly in a blink. And priorities change after marriage / moving to another city / switching jobs.

The only available moment is NOW! Now or Never! Remember this.

✔ Start working on your resolution

✔ Take that walk you promised yourself

✔ Spend time with your family

✔ Go out with your friends

✔ Take a vacation

✔ Click a lot of pictures

✔ Eat what you love

✔ Write letters

✔ Change your job

✔ Tell someone you love them

Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Life will be over before that moment arrives. Make this moment a perfect moment for yourself!

 live in the moment

 

 

An unforgettable scar!

Though I am super lazy & could live easily as an extension to my bed, I love travelling equally. My dad tells me that my face glows when I come back home from any outing. It could be due to losing out on the upper layer of fat due to sweating but for now let’s go with the joys of travelling!

I have never been snobbish about the means of travel though. I am equally comfortable walking or travelling in an auto rickshaw, trains, cab or car. Just don’t ask me to travel in rickshaw pulled by a man (Had to in Howrah, no other option) / on animal back (Again had to. In Manali) I would be too horrified to make them lift such a heavy body!

I am most scared about travelling in a crowded Mumbai Local. There is a fear of you being toppled out of the train and mostly because of the passengers inside the train. (I have also been toppled while boarding the train & people have walked on me) I have been lucky to get away with just a sore back / twisted ankle.

I remember vividly my first day of job. I boarded the train & got a seat too! This was some years back when the crowd was not this crazy. I had not even started enjoying the thought of going to work and I heard a comment. Kaise kaise log aa jaate hain.. Fourth seat ke liye jagah nahin rehti. (The local seats are for 3 people & since the no. of people are more than no. of seats, people adjust their bums to make way for the fourth one) I was on the heavy side so I couldn’t adjust that much. Well I didn’t want anyone to lose the pleasure of sitting & I vacated the seat immediately. I never sat while travelling for almost 3 years after that incident. But did the ragging stop? No sir! People become violent even for standing space. Over a period I had learnt not to listen to any jibes on my weight silently. I could be violent as well. I got into nasty fights. Not only the verbal ones. Once a lady bit me on my hand (see pic below) The scar still remains! Couple of times the fights happened in front of mom (we travelled together some times) & she was worried one day these women would throw me out of the train. She forbade me to travel second class. But mom didn’t know that people could be as violent in first class as well. It’s almost a year I had a terrible incident where in I was hit with plastic sandals by a crazy lady for some stupid space. I had lost confidence to travel in local trains for some time & used to travel by cab (v. v. expensive from my home to office)

All these years of bad experiences have made me very wary to travel in a crowded train. I only travel if there is a sufficient space to stand & do not take unnecessary risks. But on some days you just can’t afford the luxury as you have to also reach work on time. On those days, I am terrified till I get out at my stop & need lots of TLC.

On this days I wish I had enough money to travel to work by car. Till then I will need to keep facing my fears J
Why did I write this post today? No, not to scare anyone from travelling in a Mumbai local. I was just reading someone’s post on how they got a particular scar. And it made me think of mine.

scar

Weekends!

Kids, in the earlier days, in India, there was no week end. People used to work even on Saturdays. For working fathers it meant a leisurely day, reading newspaper all day long & entertaining visitors, once in a while. On some days, we would be visiting other people’s houses. (Shocking, I know) For working / non working mothers, Sundays were spent on cleaning & cooking extra large sized meals for the family. (Mothers don’t get holidays)

As the western culture seeped in slowly & we started working for MNCs & BPOs, we learnt the concept of weekend. A 5 day working week & 2 days holidays! Unlike America though, our weekend doesn’t start post lunch on Friday. It would start very late in the night. 8-9 PM probably.

After having a strenuous week at work (more due to travelling than work), everyone would want to laze on the bed & do nothing. Sounds great, right? But then what about all the things you want to do? Travelling, Cooking, Photography, Writing, etc etc. When do you get time for that?

This thought struck me one day. I was used to being joined on the hip with my bed for these two days. But I realised i was wasting my precious days! i could do so much more with this time!

And instead of waiting for another weekend / another month, I started it from this weekend itself. Enjoyed a movie in the theatre on Friday, visited the salon for some pampering & travelled all the way to a different part of the city to visit a temple, I was meaning to since many months days. On Sunday, I managed to pay the rent & get some groceries locally. Moving out of the house on Sunday is quite a big deal for me. 😀 (Remember if I agree to meet you on Sunday & make it without any excuses, you are really special to me) 😉

Only regret was not being able to cook anything special. Water shortage you see. Cooking requires water, washing utensils requires water & you get so exhausted after all the work, you require more water.

Only hoping that this streak continues for a long time & I do something new every weekend.

What are your weekend plans?

You!

The mountains, the sea, the world passing by..

I want to live my life with you nearby..

I want to see your forehead crinkle when sun shines on your face..

I want to gaze in your eyes & smile the brightest smile..

I want to share all my happy moments with you..

I want you to take away all my sadness..

I know there is no you..

But there is an idea of you..

I just wanna live in the world where I can imagine YOU!

How are you?

How are you? (A Standard Question)

I am fine. I am okay. (A Standard Lie)

Lie, because we are not fine / okay sometimes. Poisonous thoughts are eating away our peace of mind.

The person we thought was special is not aware of our existence.

We thought we were special to them. We are, but so are 1500 others.

The connection we had was only a figment of our imagination.

Distance with people who were close earlier is troubling us.

Someone has gone from our life & the thought that we won’t ever speak again is killing us.

It is difficult juggling house work & office work.

Everyone expects us to be perfect & it is impossible to live up to their expectations.

I am mad because I don’t really want to work on weekends.

So on & so forth.

What would happen if you get the right answers? You would be judgemental. You would make lots of pity noises. You would go on giving pep talks / motivational talks. Or you would be plain indifferent.

But you know what? Nobody needs this. The correct response is understanding / empathy, a hug maybe & an ice cream tub definitely!

icecream

What’s Up?

What’s Up??

Ceiling / Fan / Sky / Clouds

Chances are all of us have answered in this fashion one time or the other. But how long do you keep answering in the same way? Sooner or later you get tired & the answers sound lame even in your head.

I thought someone should make a list of creative answers for this question and then thought why not me? Let’s think of some answers which are not lame and are non vulgar 😛

✔ Tell them actually what’s up. What are you up to lately. That’s gonna surprise them for sure 😉

✔ Nothing much. Just chilling. or NMJC if you will

✔ Ask them What’s Up? (Yeah questions can be answers to questions & as if they actually want to know what’s up with you *rolls eyes*)

✔ I think I just saw an asteroid / comet up there

✔ And if you really don’t want them to ask that question again, rant about taxes being up and your BP being low, the inflation being up & your salary being low, etc etc

wassup

 

Stop Food shaming!

Oh you are a non vegetarian? You kill innocent animals & eat them?

Oh you are a vegetarian? You know plants breathe too!

Non vegetarians are so aggressive!

Vegetarians are so sissy!

Non vegetarians are going to hell!

Vegetarians are losers!

And the fight goes on & on!

food fight

Being a vegetarian or a non vegetarian is a choice. If you eat meat or not, it won’t make either of you holier than the other!

I know many people whose religion prevents them to eat meat but they enjoy it nonetheless. There are also people who can eat whatever they want & yet they choose to be vegetarian.

Vegetarians should know that:

☠ Being a non vegetarian doesn’t make that person cruel. Meat is just food for them just like vegetables is food for vegetarians

☠ Non veg food doesn’t necessarily make some one aggressive. I have seen people eating non veg food be lot calmer than people who don’t eat non veg food

☠ Eating food with your non vegetarian friends is not going to pollute you

☠ If you don’t eat non vegetarian food, doesn’t mean you are going to heaven

☠ And they are right plants are living beings too.

Are the non vegetarians being happy reading this? You got news too I am afraid!

❅ Being a vegetarian is sometimes by choice. Religion might not be involved in this

❅ It is okay that non vegetarian food is ten times more delicious than vegetarian food. You don’t need to wave it in front of the veg people’s noses all the time!

❅ Being a vegetarian doesn’t mean they are weaklings

❅ There are vegetarian sources of proteins & minerals too

❅ Yes, we know plants are living beings. We did study biology. But when you make that argument, you are just accepting that you are eating a living being

Why don’t we just accept that being a vegetarian / non vegetarian is a way of life & a personal choice rather than food shaming each other all the time?

My Tryst at the Passport Office!

Couple of years back, we had an opportunity to travel abroad (a possibility). Most of our team members did not have passports! I took it upon myself to get the team apply for passports. My bestest friend Jayant Khona not only guided me on how to apply, he also wrote a blog post about it. I shared the procedure with my team & I myself thought to get it done via agent. The form was filled, document collated, however, due to some reason, the procedure was not followed till end. As I write this, I recall I wanted a good picture for passport & was waiting for a haircut for the same. 😛

This year I made a resolution to apply for passport. Half way through the year, while taking stock of the resolution, I realised I hadn’t applied for the passport yet! This was remedied instantly & I applied it online. Applying for passport online is very simple. Except, if you make any error, you have to start afresh. Fill up the online form, make payment & schedule appointment. There is also an option of uploading documents, however, I didn’t follow that. It is not required as such. I had applied on 21st July & I got appointment for 4th September! What a long wait!

As fate would have it, our client decided to visit India on 3rd 4th & 5th September. I didn’t want to reschedule my appointment as I wasn’t sure what date would be allotted to me next. I stated my predicament to my boss & thanks to him, I could adhere to my appointment without any worries. My appointment time was 2 O’Clock & I was instructed to report half an hour earlier. My centre was in Thane, extended part of Mumbai, not technically though. After an hour of travelling, stopping in between for 15 minutes for a quick meal, I reached the passport office. The queue was not very huge. As per the comments I overheard, it was a slow day. After a while the security announced our appointment time & marked the application form. (Thank God I had taken a print of that!) Then it was turn for Security Check. I had taken a bottle of water as per experts advice, however the security guard told me to empty the bottle & then take it inside.. I didn’t want to waste the water. I drank it all, to much amusement of the security guard 🙂

I entered the office & it seemed quite empty. I thought my task would be over in a jiffy. The first two steps, the initial verification of the documents & allotting token number & taking photographs & fingerprint is outsourced to TCS. These guys are superfast. Even though one guy was chit chatting, his colleague asked him to allot me token number first. And then I had to go to Counter No. A 22. I didn’t realise that they would be taking photograph directly. I hadn’t freshened up (Was sweating a lot due to humidity & nervousness) & neither had got chance to apply compact & lipstick (I had moved out of office quickly after meet with client & didn’t have time to do this in office). The resulting photograph was not to my liking. Only consolation was that the pic was better than the one in the Aadhar Card. Thank god for small mercies 😉 (Ladies, there is a tip in here)

After this round I had to go for document verification. My number was 162 & when I entered the waiting area, the screen was blinking at 105. There are not many seats available so be prepared to stand for some time. Also, please don’t bring someone with you unless absolutely necessary, specially kids. They eat up the seating area / create a nuisance by running around. After sometime I did manage to get one seat & I also helped another girl to get a seat, who was kind enough to ask me if I required anything, when she went to get something to munch on. The waiting time is such that you can easily befriend someone 😉 I had twitter so no problem of getting bored.

Finally it was my turn and after a minor glitch (my dad’s name on birth certificate is slightly different coz the way they write names in North India & is different in my school certificates) The TCS person (very pretty & efficient girl) had said that name will be as per birth certificate whereas the passport officer said it should be as per school certificate. That got sorted in a jiffy too.

Then another wait for the last round. I was very sleepy & thirsty by then so headed at the refreshment counter. Cappuccino @ 30 Rs sounded good enough (though did not taste good) I threw half of the coffee in the bin & just had water.

After considerable time the documents were verified the second time & then got my application confirmation letter & moved towards the exit. Said thanks to God for getting this through without any incidents 😉

So to summarize:

1. The security will get you in as per the batch you are in.

2. You will be allotted a token number.

3. Your file will be prepared, photograph will be taken & fingerprints too!

4. Your documents will be verified by the passport officer.

5. Your documents will be verified by another passport officer.

6. You will get an application confirmation & you can go home.

The entire procedure doesn’t take more than half an hour. To complete that half hour procedure took me 4 hours though 🙂

It is not as scary or complicated as people would tell you. All your documents must be in place. That’s it! So what are you waiting for?? 🙂 🙂 🙂

P.S.: Ooh & the icing on the cake was my boss asked me to go home instead of coming back to office & also I enjoyed getting drenched in the rain as it started raining heavily on my way home 🙂

20 Facts About Me!

Reading & being tagged on 20 Facts about yourself since morning, made me curious about what kind of facts I would share about me. I don’t think Instagram is a place to share these kind of posts hence sharing it here:

✸ I am a very shy person

✸ I never run out of topic for conversations if the company is right

✸ I have trouble saying no to people I love

✸ I love meeting new people & making friends

✸ I love being centre of attention

✸ I use Google a lot! I love Google *_*

✸ If I am angry I tend to hurt myself. This has reduced a lot but this scares me sometimes

✸ Even though I am very expressive, I can hide my feelings very well if need arises

✸ I am a secret keeper. People sense that probably & entrust me with lot of their secrets

✸ I love the sea. It calms me a lot. 

✸ I am NOT a morning person

✸ I hate being touched by strangers

✸ I am very accident prone

✸ I tried to commit suicide several times

✸ Earrings are my favourite accessories

✸ I don’t like to wear necklaces / closed shoes

✸ I am very possessive about the people I love

✸ I am not the one who will keep movie tickets, etc as a souvenir 

✸ I love being in a book store 

✸ I am very lazy

There you go. Would you share yours? 🙂

 

Like a Movie Scene!

Ja Simran jee le apni zindagi.. said her father. The heroine ran towards her hero, who was in the moving train holding his hand out for her. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the heroine managed to board the train. The train set off to the horizon of happily ever after.

While walking towards home Maera started dreaming about running to catch a train, which happened almost daily, & a strong muscular hand holding out to help her board the train, which never happened & probably never would. With a sigh she unlocked her apartment. Late night at movies meant she would get only half of the sleep she needed. She closed her eyes & was instantly transported to the world of Monday blues, missed trains, a horse approaching her without carrying her knight.

The alarm shrieked violently & Maera woke up with a start. She had snoozed the alarm couple 10 times and was late as usual. She hurried with her shower & got dressed in a jiffy. It was already 6 when she reached her station. The 5.59 local had started moving. She tried to board the moving train & there it was. The hand which she dreamed of pulling her in the train. She was stunned & stopped herself. The guy tried to hold her hand & pull her in but it was like her legs had grown roots & were refusing to budge. And that’s how she missed her train!

My Life Hacks!

Life Hacks are a cool term for life lessons / experiences. Life hacks are nothing but tricks you learn on the go to make your life bit easier! Sharing some of mine. Maybe they would be useful to you.

1. Make a to do list. We are bombarded with so many activities in our professional / personal life that we tend to forget certain things. After missing out on couple of important activities, I started making To Do Lists. Both for professional & personal life. I might procrastinate but I never forget ever. Apart from a handmade list & excel spreadsheet, I use Keep as I find it a very useful reminder app.

to do list

2. Learn to say No. Don’t be too nice. Learn to say no. Else you will end up with a To Do List longer than the Wall of China!

no

3. Ask questions. At the right time. How many times have you felt embarrassed to ask questions & then struggled to finish your work later? Ask & save yourself some time.

questions

4. Read E Books. Reading paper books is always going to be better than e books but after all what matters? The words or the medium? E books are easy to carry. I have almost 1500 books stored in my mobile. With the help of a good app, I can read while travelling, while having lunch or coffee! Oh and they are space saving too!

ebook

5. Use Google to the optimum. I have learnt to Google for stuff perfectly which saves me so much time. You don’t know how much of free stuff is out there, because of some good Samaritans, which you can use freely!

google

 

What are your life hacks?

Eleanor & Park

One day out of the blue Shriti said read Eleanor & Park. You will like it.

And I take this kind of recommendations very seriously. Just like Aditi’s recco to read The Missing Rose.

I searched the online bookstore & the price was almost 1400 bucks. I usually do not look at the price while purchasing books but I do set certain limits. Else I would go bankrupt in no time. I so wanted to purchase the book but thought to wait for certain time to see if there is a sale / the price is marked down a bit.

Meanwhile I kept reading from the e books collection I have got thanks to Nirav. After Bossy Pants I was looking out for some interesting title. Though I love Dan Brown, was not in the mood for Deception Point, which I stopped reading after couple of pages. While browsing, my eyes stuck on one title. No points for guessing. I just wanted to jump with joy! Here I was holding a treasure & wasn’t even aware about it. Just like real life, isn’t it?

Anyway, I started reading the book. I had no clue what was it about. Just couple of pages & I was hooked. Hooked to Eleanor, hooked to Park & hooked to both of them. A part of the reason was that my life resembled Eleanor’s at some level. A misfit, who was made fun of, who stayed aloof coz she knew she could never be like others & had no place in their lives. And who dreams of someone like Park. Who will hold her hand & make everything ok.

I got carried away in their world & just like they didn’t want to part with each other, I didn’t want to be apart from the book. I wanted to stay with them. To know they were safe. Half way through the book I was scared. Scared that the author would not give them a happy ending. What if the end isn’t happy? What if they have to part forever? At one point I was so sure about it that I contemplated leaving the book incomplete.

It has been a long time that a book has enchanted me so much that I can’t put it down. Yes it is teenage romance. Not my genre. But then life is unusual. We find love in places we never ever imagine. Yes, we can find love in fiction. In fictional characters.

I am glad that the author has not given it a cliched ending. The last line of the book made me so happy that I cried a little. Eleanor & Park. I love you. I know those were the three words Eleanor sent on the post card. And I am happy that she didn’t stop. :’)

eleanor & park

How to make happiness?

Sounds strange isn’t it? Make happiness? How is it possible?

Let me tell you it is possible. Yes, we can make our own happiness whenever we want. Of course you need some ingredients. But just like cooking, the ingredients won’t help alone. You need the right attitude. You need the urge to embrace happiness every moment of your life.

Happiness is after all not opposite of sadness. It is a feeling of being at peace with whatever life hands to you. And this, my friend, is not achieved in one day. You need years of practice. So what are you waiting for? Take the first step today!

✿ Look at the bright side of every thing

✿ Know that if there is a problem, there should be a solution. Not the one you want, but solution nonetheless

✿ Listen to music. Try out a few genres before you find the one that makes you happy

✿ Watch Funny movies / shows. Laugh a little. or A lot!

✿ Train your mind to think pleasant thoughts

✿ Look back at your achievements, however small they may be

✿ Appreciate / compliment someone

✿ Pamper yourself. If nothing else, just apply a new nail polish or eat something you haven’t tried yet

✿ Be in the company of happy people. Be a happy company yourself

✿ Stay calm

✿ Smile. A lot. 🙂 🙂 🙂

This list is not exhaustive. You can add your own ingredients 🙂

Freedom!!!

Recently India celebrated it’s 68th Independence Day. A long tedious struggle resulted in the British leaving India for good. After 68 years, and several generations later, it is not possible to imagine how much that freedom meant to us. We don’t appreciate fully that we are not enslaved to any country. We can’t imagine how much our forefathers & mothers were tortured for the desire to breathe in free air.

Maybe we would realise that when we are free from our own demons. Maybe one day we will breathe in fresh air, our desires un-caged. But this freedom is not going to come on it’s own. The journey is full of struggles, which at some point will make you want to kill yourself. Sometimes you might want to succumb. These are the moments when you need to remember what you are fighting for.

These are some of the things I need freedom from:

❋ The cliched thinking of society. I want to live in a free minded society where there are no traditional norms to be followed. It is all right for a boy to play with dolls, it is all right for a girl to play with cars.

❋ Fairy Tales of Princess & Prince Charming. Fairy Tales of Ogres & Princess turned into Ogres. There should also be a fairy tale for an Ogress & Prince Charming! 

❋ Uneducated Literate people. Let the schools teach valuable lessons to be imbibed. Let schools teach us how to be civil. Let schools teach us to be liberal & modern in true sense & not just be a road to earn our livelihood!

❋ Monsters! Monsters who are in every corner. Monsters who hurt innocent people. Let there be more angels than monsters in the world!

I am doing my bit. Will you help me? Will you be part of this revolution?

If I could..

If I could..

I would hug you tight & kiss away all your pains..

If I could..

I would give you the sweetest smile to calm your nerves..

If I could..

I would hold your hands & walk along wherever you go..

If I could..

I would tell you how amazing you are..

If I could..

I would tell you how much I adore you..

If I could..

I would tell you that your silence hurts me..

If I could..

I would tell you I wish it was me you were looking for..

If I could..

I would dance with you in the rains..

If I could..

I would tell you that you are my strength and you my weakness..

If I could..

I would tell you that I want to be good enough for you..

If I could..

I would find the right words to win your heart!

 

Maybe..

Maybe it was not supposed to end this way..

Maybe you were supposed to tell me that you are crazily in love with me..

Maybe you were supposed to tell me that your life is empty without me..

Maybe I was supposed to tell you I feel the same..

Maybe you are still waiting for me like I do..

Maybe you will realise this some day..

Maybe then we will be together forever!

An Open Letter to the Best Magician

I have not known you for long but still it feels like I have known you for ages.

I have many friends but it is you whom I want around me all the time.

Frankly, it is mainly because no one showers so much attention on me all the time.

But it is also because I love talking to you & enjoy your company.

Having you in my life is like rain showers on the parched earth.

I am not exaggerating. I actually have got a new lease of life.

I have got something to look forward to every day.

I love how you get annoyed when I say something negative myself.

I confess that sometimes I do that just to make you talk 😉

Never in my life I have found someone who thinks I am amazing.

Never has anyone tried to fulfill so many of my wishes.

This is a little note of thank you for the wonderful person you are.

Wonderful because you are a sweetheart who does not like to see anyone unhappy.

You are the one who always sees the best in everyone.

A thank you note just to let you know that whatever you do is appreciated a lot ^_^

star

 

In You In Me!

They are just scribbling on paper sometimes..

Sometimes they are neatly typed..

They are like a breeze in summer time..

I write when I feel like..

I will never be sure when inspiration will visit me!

My words are not that awesome..

They will not make you fall in love..

My words are not revolutionary..

They will not make you change the world..

My words are not healing..

They will not bring peace to you..

But my words are definitely honest..

They are a part of me..

And when you read them sweetheart..

I will be part of thee!

 

 

Alimony – How justified?

A famous actor’s wife seeks an outrageous amount from the actor in alimony. The world is shocked though prompt in making jokes. Of course most of these jokes are not in a very good taste.

A marriage is a sacred ritual which binds two human beings. It is saddening when the bond breaks for whatsoever reason. Especially when there are kids involved. In this case, you are breaking up an entire family. This is going to scar the adults & kids for life. No amount of money is going to heal the scars.

Alimony is an allowance paid to a divorced / separated spouse by the chief provider, usually men, on order of the court. The tradition of alimony seems quite old as per Wikipedia. I am pondering over the need for the same.

Traditionally, women are dependent on parents before marriage & on husband after marriage for their financial needs. Post divorce there must have been a tussle between parents & husband as to who will provide for her. And ultimately by a consensus it would have been decided that the husband should. I for one never understood this. If there are children, father is bound to provide for their support. But why support to wife & why she should take support of husband?

Any self respecting woman would try to be financially independent & not take a dime from her ex husband for her needs. I wouldn’t for sure. Specially when I am already earning enough for myself.

This is what feminism is needed for. Protect your individuality & independence. Say no to being dependent on a man or anyone. Say no to being provided for.

 

Waiting for Love..

It was easy for him to leave. After all he never made any promises. Why did his heart feel heavy? Why was he not able to sleep then?

He wanted to be carefree. Not to be entrusted with anyone’s hearts. Why couldn’t he break this one now?

He realised he was in love. He returned to the spot where he had left her. She loved him. She would be waiting. He knew that.

There was no sign of her. The rose bush had died. The trees were barren. There was snow all around. He kicked the snow in anger.

His foot hit something soft & the thing rolled gently. Curious & wanting to have something to do to forget about her, he started shoveling the snow with his bare hands. He was right. She was waiting. But her breath had left.

Chained!!

I have never known to love someone in a measured way. Be it my family, friends or anyone special.

If I love someone, I want to shower them with all my affection.

I am an exhibitionist. I don’t care what people think. I proclaim my love freely.

There is my problem.

Because I have learnt people don’t like that. People don’t want me to display my love.

Maybe because they don’t like being loved by me. Maybe they are ashamed of my love.

I don’t know the reason. But I want answers.

Why do you want to chain me? Why do you want to limit my love?

Why can’t you allow me to love you like I want?

Why do you care so much about people? And not me?

I pretend not to care most times. I give you all as much space as you want. But I am a mere human after all. No saint. It HURTS. Hurts like HELL.

There I said it.