Fall in Love! See the Magic!!

Feeling Down? Fall In Love!!! It will lift your spirits 🙂

This is my most favourite, self made quote.

When you are touched by love, everything seems beautiful & magical.

You are at the happiest, humming love songs & day dreaming.

There is a special glow on your face that makes you feel more beautiful & gets you more attention.

Life feels worthy of living every single moment.

But here’s the catch. You don’t have to fall in love with someone else to feel all this.

Once in a while you need to see your true self in the mirror & smile & fall in love with you!!

Feel Lovely Not Lonely!

I feel lonely lone lone lone lonely!

Waking up on a holiday & realise you have plenty of places to go & no one to go with?

On the middle of a busy day you want to just take a break & talk away with someone?

In the night when feeling a bit mushy & find no one special to talk to?

That urge of hugging someone when life overwhelms & no one around?

This is what loneliness is. Sometimes it hits you like a gushing water fall. Sometimes it becomes a part of your living. Solitude is desirable. Loneliness is not. It brings hell lot of negative emotions & doesn’t allow us to live life fully.

It is easy to say & difficult to live but you need to get rid of the nagging feeling before it devours you.

How? you would ask.

I am no expert. But I have lived it & still trying to get out of it. Just sharing some of the things that helped me.

1. Don’t berate yourself: Do not let loneliness fill you with inferiority complex. Realise you are a fabulous person. Born to make a difference. Everyone is created with a purpose. You are not useless.

2. Get Busy: Join a hobby class. Sports club. Gym. You will meet like minded people & also you will have a distraction from negative thoughts. You could even start your own hobby classes. What better way to use your gifts!

3. Don’t fall in the pit of self pity: Whenever you feel you are wallowing in self pity. Stop. Take a deep breath & get involved in some physical activity. Take a walk. Go for some veggie shopping. Clean your wardrobe. This will freshen you up!

4. Date yourself: Take a book & go to your favourite cafe. Read while enjoying a hot cup of coffee. Note down your observations. Have material for your blog / journal / diary / novel.

5. Be Social: Call people you haven’t in a while. Visit relatives who are close to you. Have a gossip session with your friends.

6. Be Good Company: Your loneliness makes you value good company. Be that yourself. Help out people whom you know are lonely & nowhere to go. Visit orphanages / old age homes & gift your time. Help others to help yourself.

Moral: You have to be your own knight. Rescue yourself. Make Efforts. And you won’t feel lonely anymore. Not for long time at least. 🙂

Lil Ms Catalyst!

In the journey of our life, we are not travelling alone. We keep meeting people old & new.

Some nice, some not so nice. Some inspire you and some who break you.

There are also some people who make you realise life wouldn’t be the same without thou.

They are the catalysts of our life.

They are not the silent spectators.

They push us towards our destiny.

They make us grow.

They make a dull sparkle turn into sunshine.

She is one of the catalyst of my life.

So much different yet so much alike.

She is the one I respect a lot.

She is the one I adore a lot.

On some days I feel like pulling her cheeks, on other I feel like hugging her tight.

On this day she was born. Not to be a mediocre being but to show others the light.

I wish for her today & forever that she realises all her dreams & puts up a hell lot of fight.

I love you @islejazz so so much!! Wish you a rocking birthday girl!! 😀

The Last Selfie!

She took her seat in the auto, kept her bag on the side & tied the scarf to her head. After her brother in law had commented that her hair looked like sunflower, she had started taking a little bit care of her hair. Caring reminded she also needed to cover her eyes. Last time she had been on that road, dust & smoke had entered her eyes making them weepy & irritable. She put on the glares & took a look at her self in the auto’s mirror. Satisfied, she put on the ear phones & listened to her favourite numbers to make the ride enjoyable.

Apart from listening to music, she was looking at her niece’s pictures in the phone album, Face booking & tweeting. Still the ride seemed long today. The traffic was too much & her mind impatient. Bored, she resorted to the one thing which she was obsessed with nowadays. Taking a selfie & uploading for ~~everyone~~ some kind people to appreciate.

Couple of compliments & a few likes were worth the effort. She was beaming with happiness when all of a sudden she saw a truck approaching towards the auto & hit it with full force. She closed her eyes expecting the inevitable. The only thing that were in her mind were her niece & a cupcake she longed to eat.

She heard loud screams of a man & she opened her eyes. She hadn’t died. Infact she wasn’t even injured seriously. The auto had been just dented. Probably her weight had counter balanced the force of the truck. There were some advantages of being overweight she thought.

She realised though you never know which is the Last Selfie you take.

She also realised life is too short to wait for someone to eat the cupcake with 😀

Candies Candies Everywhere!

It had been a hot summer afternoon & Hazel thought a walk in the park would help her be comfortable. Her mother was sleeping when she had snuck out of her home. While roaming around the park she came across a cave like structure. It looked unexplored, covered with vines. Fallen leaves surrounded the entrance.

The entire atmosphere looked like they describe it in fantasy novels. She entered the cave carefully. She kept walking, looking around the cave, removing the huge cobwebs that swept across her face. The passage seemed never ending. She could see a hint of light coming from the west side of the cave. She moved towards the light. It was coming from what looked like the exit of the cave. The exit opened up to a forest. It was an amazing sight. There were huge trees lined up on both sides while a lake gleamed in the center.

Hazel suddenly started feeling thirsty. She moved towards the lake, enchanted with the water. As she moved, the lake seemed to move further. It was getting dark. She looked back & could see nothing but darkness. She sensed danger & wanted to go back home. Her mother would have woken up & would be looking for her. She couldn’t locate the direction of the cave. Trusting her instincts she walked back. She was tired, hungry, thirsty & mostly scared. In the confusion she took a wrong turn. Ahead of her was a hole covered with leaves. She fell in the hole & went spiralling down.

As soon as she fell on the ground, she was expecting her bones to be broken into thousand pieces. Instead she bounced back on her feet. She rubbed her eyes & looked around. What she saw amazed her. Her mouth opened & eyes popped out! She pinched herself to check if she was dreaming. The land was covered with soft velvetty grass & strewn with trees full of goodies! Different types of candies hanged out of the trees. There were red candy canes, Heart shaped candies, Ball shaped candies. Just looking at the candies gave her a sugar rush. There were also tiny plants from which pastilles, chocolate bombs & gummy bears were hanging . She started picking up the candies from the bush & trees & ate greedily. As she walked ahead she saw a milky white stream. She ran towards it & had her first sip. It was milk. But not an ordinary one! It was the most delicious milk she ever had!

Hazel forgot her worries completely & kept eating candies & drinking milk alternately to her heart’s content. After some time her eyes started to droop. Tired from all the walking & eating, she was feeling sleepy. She started looking for a place to sleep. On the bank of the milk river, a mile away was a huge tree. It was not filled with candies like other trees, Hazel thought that would be a good spot to rest. She walked along the distance & found her feet were getting heavy! She looked at her feet & screamed. They had turned into giant candy canes. Her hands started feeling sticky. She looked at them & screamed again! Her arms had turned into jellies. Her entire body was transforming into multi flavoured candy. She screamed for help but there was no one around!

She fainted on the ground. As she fainted, she could hear someone calling her name.

“Hazel, Hazel! Wake up!! her mother said. She sprinkled water on her face & tried to wake Hazel gently. Hazel opened her eyes & looked around. She was on her bed, in her home. She looked around her room. There were no candy trees, no milk river. She looked at her hand & feet. They were perfectly normal. She checked her phone. She had one notification.

“You have full lives now. You can continue playing Candy Crush”

Of Promises & Love

She read all the chats with him once again..right from the time they had started knowing each other to the confessions of love to the promises of being together forever. She wished she could have recorded their phone conversations as well. Going through their conversations was visiting their time together. A time when both were happy in each other’s company. A time where nonsense & silly talks brought smiles to their faces.

Finally there was someone in her life who valued her for what she was. Someone who enjoyed her company. Someone who was there to listen to her day’s mundane happenings. Someone who she could rush to when something was bothering her. Someone she could demand to take her from this wretched place to a place where there was only love. In return she found someone to shower with love & attention. Someone to care for & cherish.

But as fate would have it the good times didn’t last. She never knew when the storm of separation hit them. When she wiped the dust off her eyes she saw her heart was empty again. He was gone. And so were the promises. Unfulfilled promises.

Her friends hated him. And hated her for not hating him. How can you not hate someone who broke your heart? Who broke the promises? They asked. They thought she was a fool for trusting someone so blindly.

She listened quietly to all their accusations. She wanted to say, yes my heart got broken, yes, the promises are unfulfilled. But it doesn’t mean he didn’t love me. It is just that his love was not strong enough to weather the storm.

Life has taught me, if someone doesn’t love you the way you want it, doesn’t mean they don’t love you at all.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

For a normal simple & shy girl like me, the most crazy thing would be waking up on the wrong side of the bed right?

When I started think of the craziest things i have done, by my standards, I have stopped thinking I am a sweet & simple girl 😉

Listing down some of the crazy things i have done:

1. Talking to complete strangers on the internet & befriending them.

2. Pillion riding on a bike, specially water bike

3. Singing in front of a crowd (Did get once more’s for that though 😉 )

4. Giving phone numbers to an almost stranger, without being asked

5. Walked from office to the nearby station (approx 5 kms) at midnight because I couldn’t get any vehicle (except lift offers from couple of bikers)

6. Running in rain without an umbrella just ‘coz I had to meet someone special

But the craziest of them of all was falling in love!! ♥ ♥ ♥

What about you? What’s the craziest thing you have done?

Let’s change the world! Not.

Changing the world is every idealist’s dream. Everyone knows what is wrong with the world & only if they had powers, they would go & make everything right.

Problem is The Right World is a very subjective thing. What is right for one idealist might not be right for another & if everyone got freedom to change the world, there would be utter chaos. Just like if God granted everyone’s wishes.

I am no idealist and neither a crusader. I can only see what is wrong with me & try to change that. As cliched as it may sound, changing myself would make the world a better place, probably only for me. But then everyone who took up that task, would have a better world, isn’t it?

Try to be kind & compassionate towards others. Try to spread love rather than hate. Let people remember you for what a good person you were rather than saying good riddance when you are gone.

I pledge this. Would you like to join me in making this world a beautiful place to live in?

Fat is Fab!

Are you depressed because people are fat shaming you?

Do you go & indulge into an ice cream sundae when you don’t get a dress you like in your size?

Do you think only in dreams you can get that hottie you see everyday to like you?

Do you think Fat is Ugly?

Then this post is for you.

Let me break the myth for you in the first line. Fat is not ugly. Fat is Fabulous. Here’s why:

❤ Fun: Have you noticed how people start smirking, making jokes on you & calling you funny names? If it weren’t for fat people, where would they get their daily dose of humour? Laughter is supposed to be world’s best medicine & hence you are one of the best doctors!

❤ Service to Mankind: Most people in the world love to give advices. And Fat people are the ones who are easy audience. Everyone knows weight loss tips & they know fat people would listen to them in a hope of finding a miracle. You give chance to people to do what they love the most! Isn’t it a great service to humankind?

❤ Reduce Competition: Fat people are obviously not attractive & hence ~~less~~ no chance of getting opposite sex’s attention & hence less competition for thin people to get someone they desire! Also, aunties of the family know no one would marry the fat kid of the family & they would get more time to make matches for the deserving ones!

❤ Friends of Doctors: Fat people are the ones who would get all types of lifestyle diseases. High cholesterol, Diabetes, Heart troubles, Joint pains & what not. Also lazy as they are, they would try lots of shortcuts to lose weight. Guess who gets lots of business? 🙂

❤ Livelihood: Food business & Fuel Industry depends largely on fat people. Since Fat people consume 10 times of food what normal people eat & also since they can’t walk & have to rely on auto & cabs, they fuel livelihood of people in this industry! Who’s the boss now? 😉

❤ Dieting inducers: Since fat people consume so much food, so little is left for others. They might not be great at losing weight, but they surely help other people diet & keep their weight in check. (y)

❤ Clothes: Being XXXL in size, they also fuel the economy of textile manufacturers as they would need huge volume of fabric to cover their massive body!

Are you still reading? Do you still need to know why Fat is Fab? Look into the mirror, think of these points, smile & face the world with confidence! 🙂 🙂 🙂

9 Reasons a man will get my attention!

1. Intelligence: A guy with an above average intelligence. Who can process thoughts with logic & rationale rather than prejudice. Not necessarily highly educated. Coz we all know education doesn’t make people intelligent.

2. Good Personality: A man not necessarily be good looking but he should have a good personality. His intelligence, grooming & confidence will induce a personality which commands respect. When he enters a room, he would own it. He would carry himself very well irrespective of the clothes he is wearing.

3. Sense of Humour: A man should be able to make me laugh. Rolling on the Floor kinda laugh. Coz Humour is the salt of life. It only makes the taste of life a bit better. (and he should be able to laugh at my silly jokes)

4. Sensitive: Perceptive & appreciative of other people’s feelings that’s what makes a man respected the most. He would never hurt anyone knowingly & if he has unknowingly, he would make amends without feeling ashamed.

5. Understanding: No one wants a man to understand a woman completely. They lose out on their mystery side 😉 Some men don’t need to try. Maybe they are born with it. These men know how to treat a woman & also understand when to just be there for her & not go on the I told you so mode. (And I have a perfect example when I think of a sensitive man, you know who you are)

6. Charming: Yes a man should be charming. But charming doesn’t mean a compulsive flirt, mind you. Maybe it’s his smile, maybe it’s the way he talks. (Someone like Castle, maybe 😉 )

7. Kind: A man who is kind & compassionate to the less fortunate, to old people, to beggars, to animals. He is genuinely concerned about others’ welfare & does something about it when he gets a chance. That is one adorable man.

8. Talent: He could be a writer, painter, guitarist or just be tech savvy. Everyone has got a talent & a man who uses it with a right purpose is oh so attractive!

9. Passion: Last but not the least. Infact the most important quality. I love people who are passionate about something in their life. It could be their work, it could be saving environment, saving puppies, anything. Being passionate means putting your heart & soul into something you want. Men who are passionate know their purpose in life. Everything else in a man is born out of this passion.

This is not just a random post. This is a tribute to all the men I know who possess these qualities. Read & Smile you guys 😀

Always & Forever!

He woke up with a startle, looked at the watch & heaved a sigh of relief. He still had some minutes left. He looked at their photo on the nightstand & then at the pretty face lying on his left & smiled. He traced his fingers on her cheeks careful not to wake her up. He kissed her lightly on the lips & whispered goodbye. She smiled & he was scared for a moment. She turned her back at him & he realised it must have been a dream. Wishing he knew what she was smiling about, he dressed up & moved out of the house. This was one ritual which he abhorred. His only consolence was he could return when the day was cold & the sun had retired for the day. He had to return to fulfill his promise, a promise to wake up by her side always & forever!

The alarm buzzed, waking her up from the sweet sleep. She opened her eyes & looked out of the window. The sun was up & smiling at her. She caressed the sheet on her right as if caressing Paul’s back. She hugged his pillow tight & took the photo frame on the nightstand to give him a kiss. Even if Paul was dead, the ritual had to be kept alive. Just like he kept it alive. Ever since they had buried his body, she had dreamt of him waking up in the morning, looking at her lovingly, caressing her cheeks. He never knew she used to pretend to be asleep when his lips grazed hers showering her with love as soft as morning dew on a rose. The thought made her smile sometimes. Just like today. She would always treasure that love in her heart. Always & Forever!

Rape is not a joke

One guy was facing flak for posting this quoted joke on social networking site, “If sex without wife’s consent is rape, then by this logic, isn’t spending husband’s money by the wife without his consent Robbery???”

On the face of it, nothing wrong with this statement. Obviously if a woman is spending husband’s money without his consent, it would amount to stealing (assuming the wife has taken money out of his wallet / taken money given for other purposes spent on own). FYI, neither of the crimes are reported unless there is a separation / divorce involved.

However, mine & other women’s, who couldn’t gulp down this as a joke (yeah poor sense of humour & blah blah blah), concern was are men thinking sex without wife’s consent is not rape? Both are crimes of different degrees. How do you even compare raping a woman with self indulgent wife? Why do men have to be so defensive of rape to resort to such cheap humour?

Physical Intimacy is a necessary ingredient of a happy married life and differences regarding those should be sorted out through communication and not violence. Would men laugh this off as a joke, if it was told by their fathers in context of their mothers?

From the interactions on the joke, one thing I observed was, since women are crying hoarse for attention to rapes, men feel crimes against them are going unnoticed. We get your point. But is this the way to gather attention? Instead of branding women fighting for their rights as feminist bitches, why don’t men utilise their energy to do something against crime against men?

It is not women’s fault if they are doing something about their plight & you are not getting your share of attention. Everyone is fighting their own battles. You need not demean others to glorify yours.

Rape is a serious issue. It is faced by men, women & children equally, globally. Do not let anyone think raping is ok by indulging in such humour, specially if you are an influential person. That’s what all we women ask. Not for women’s sake. But for the sake of humanity.

Live Roller Coaster!

Some days life is like walking on a plain road, some days you encounter steep hills on the way as well. But on some days you would also find your day is nothing short of a ride in the most exciting roller coaster. Sharing here one of the most thrilling days of my life!

Up: Boss calls me to meet him. We discuss work to be done for a new client. The meeting goes on & on. I am excited as it is one of the huge media company at the moment.

Down: Me & H leave together from work. The walk till the station is our time to talk about our life & life’s plans & part of our daily routine. He is not keeping well that day & needs to leave at 6. He is hovering outside boss’s cabin to tell me that. I am stuck in meeting & not able to leave with him.

Up: Boss knows about our routine, realises what H is upto & tells him not to worry & he would drop me to station personally. H leaves. I was grinning inside, not sure how H felt about that.

Up High: Boss rides a bullet & I get to ride a bike for the first time in my life. I was fatter back then & not sure if I would fit on the bike. Thankfully, boss had a slender figure & I managed. The first time on the bike was THRILL MAX. Of course I was scared a lot but thrilling nevertheless. I was also carrying a bag of files to be carried for work to the new client next day.

Up Higher: it was monsoon & raining. The feeling that I had just been on a bike for the first time made me euphoric along with getting the assignment of the media company. The rains helped in surging the excitement. I had kept my umbrella & the bag of files on the shelf in the train.

Down Low: When my station arrived, I got down without my umbrella & the bag. I reached the auto stand & realised something was missing! My bag of files! I panicked & started crying & didn’t know what to do!

Up: There was a girl next to me in queue for auto rickshaw. She saw me crying & asked me the reason. I told her about my bag. She told me that she had a friend travelling in the same train & would ask her to get the bag. There was hope!

Down: This happened years ago & mobile phones were not so easily available with everyone. Neither of us had a mobile phone.

Up Higher: That girl’s friend had one. We rushed to the nearest PCO, called her up & asked her to wait at her station with my bag. I called up my home, told mom about the situation, thanked that girl profusely, rushed back to station, took the next train available, found that girl’s friend, grabbed my bag, took the train to home & cried happy tears!!!

This is one experience in my life that I will never ever forget!!! I still think of that girl & wonder what would have happened if I wouldn’t have met her. Miracles happen in a strange way & for strange things!

The Love for Selfies!

By now everyone knows what a selfie is, I guess. It is a photograph taken by self of self but not necessarily for self 😉 Mostly like self portraits that were prevalent amongst painters some decades / centuries ago.

Taking selfies are supposed to be a narcissistic activity. And I have to ~~sheepishly~~ confess that I have been indulging in that a lot lately. It all started when I wanted to have more new pics for DPs on various social networking sites & no one around to click any.

Few experiments showed that I looked better in my selfies than in the photographs people clicked of me. Since then there is no stopping me & there I go click click click!!

Visit my Instagram profile to check my selfies out 😉

Notes to Self!

Life is a teacher. Everyday it teaches us a new lesson. Some we retain & most we forget. Next time when a similar situation occurs, we have forgotten to apply our learning. Compiling some of the lessons here. Will come back time to time to know what I need to remember.

✎ Darr ke aage jeet hai (No pain no gain)

✎ If you think you have done the right thing, don’t let anyone make you feel guilty

✎ Live life to the fullest!

✎ Never be trapped in other people’s opinion of you. Even if it is a good opinion.

✎ Never wear heels while shopping!

✎ Take your bucket list as seriously as your To Do List at work!

✎ It is better to do the work yourself than relying on others

✎ No Twitter at work

I might have written countless notes to self. Sadly I remember only these many. Hence last but not the least!

✎ Jot down your notes on a more safer place (*rolls eyes at self*)

The House On The Hill

She looked outside her window with longing eyes. The moon was playing hide & seek with her since few days. The house was situated on a hill, isolated from the world. Moon was her only companion during sleepless night. Being tied to her bed for months was tiring & watching the various shapes & shades of moon was her favourite pastime.

Whenever the moon was bright & shiny, it reminded her of the one she truly loved & the moon’s beauty reflected on her face. Whenever the sky was bereft of the moon, it reminded her of the love she had lost. The night’s darkness reflected on her face & seeped down to her soul. This time the moon had vanished for days & her soul was sinking fast. Her paralysis affected body ensured she couldn’t even ask anyone about it. She wished then there would be someone who could make the moon appear by magic & then she could die peacefully.

Next morning, the nurse woke her up from the troubled sleep. After washing up the nurse placed the day’s newspaper on her table. She startled after reading the front page news. It said “Heavy torrential rain causes flood & wipes out the entire village. The only house that remains safe is the one situated on the hill. However, the house has slid down at an angle of 25%”

Cherishing the gift of you!

There is something between us. Is it friendship or love? Maybe it is friendship, mixed with a little bit of love. I never cared for labels, I don’t care now.

I should not give it much thought coz this is just a passing phase of our lives. Tomorrow you will turn to a new road & I will keep walking on mine.

But I just want to stop right now & tell you something. Tell you how much everything of this means to me. How much happier I am. How much blessed I feel. It feels like I am living my dream one day at a time!

And even though I know this is not going to last forever, I am grateful for these little moments of joy. I am cherishing those & cherishing the gift of you in my life. Cherishing being nobody in your life.

I know what you want to do this summer!

Summer is here! To trouble us with heat, sweat, irritation & boredom. But just like everything has it’s pros & cons both, so does summer!! Let’s enjoy summer to the fullest!!

1. Indoor Games: Since it is hot & sultry outside & no one wants to sweat like a pig, people prefer to stay indoors and what is best than playing some nice board games & bond with family?? Scrabble, Monopoly, Dumb charades so many choices to pick from!

2. Vacations: Children have vacations in summer & it is perfect time to move to a cool hill station for some days! Plan in advance to get some good offers. 🙂

I had one of my best vacations in Kulu Manali, Himachal Pradesh!

3. Water Parks: If you don’t have time to go to a hill station, no worries! You have the best option right in your city! Yes, water parks! Go with your friends & family & have a splashing time in the rides!

My favourite is the Aqua Splash ride in Esselworld! Pure Heaven!

4. Coolers: Spend hot afternoons making yummy coolers! You can try the traditional Aam ka Panha, Rooh Afza or make something new! Wear your creative hat!

My favourite all time cooler would be Ice Gola!! MMMMMMM!!!

5. Mangoes: The best thing about summer!!! Hog on mangoes, mango juice & umpteen mango delicacies. This is once in a year offer for us!!

6. Watermelons: This is the best time to go on a diet, lose weight by just eating water melons for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Filling, Cooling & so delicious!

7. Cool Accessories: Bring out the breezy sun dresses / tops, pastels, whites. Summer is the reason to be more stylish with hats, sunglasses & cool cottons!

Happy Summer everyone!!!

Checking up on me!

It’s 4 month since we set our foot in 2014. This year is flying faster than my imagination!

It is time to check on myself. Check on my resolutions for 2014. Check if I have been following them diligently or being a lazy bum 😉

1. Getting a passport: Fail. Not even initiated the process. You just need to apply online sweetheart! Stop giving excuses!

2. Read / Write More: Good Job. Started reading again. Though there are books you need to complete before you start reading new ones. They are waiting for you! Good job in writing regularly too but Fail in April. Discipline discipline discipline! Have you heard the word? :-/

3. Be Fit not Fat: Pat on the back for that. Countless compliments, including mom show that you are on the right path. But you need to speed up the momentum. Check point 3 regarding discipline!

4. Dancing: Well, this was anyway planned for monsoon. So will wait till September to check on this.

5. Baking. Sigh. Not even cooker cake you tried to make. But at least you have started cooking again! Buck up girl!!!

6. Spend Less Save More: We both know that you are broke. Thanks to eating out a lot. STOP that. Save save save. Save for the coffee you want to have on the roadside cafe of Paris ^_^

7. Take it easy: Ok so mom is not home & you miss her. But you need to be strong! And also go easy on the compliments as well. Need not get high unnecessarily. We don’t need you to come crashing down!!

Over all, I would give myself 50% for following through my resolutions! Hopefully, by the end of the year I will make it to 100% 😀

Falling in love, one book at a time..

I fell in love with books when I was a little kid. I don’t know which was the first book I read. But I do know which ones I love more than others. Yes, I have favourites. They are not my kids after all but friends 😉 Friends who give me company in happiness & sadness, in sickness & health.

Some of my favorite books:

1. Pride & Prejudice: I am a fan of the Victorian Era & love books written in that period. This one is my most favourite. I have been in love with Elizabeth Bennet & Mr Darcy ever since I read this book. This is equivalent to a cup of coffee to me. 🙂 Another favorite from Jane Austen is Emma.

2. Autobiography of a Yogi: Usually am not a fan of autobiographies / biographies / Non Fiction. But this one captivated me. Such simplicity & such humility in one person which was so inspiring!

3. The Fountainhead: This has to be the cliched universal favourite. I love this book for the ideology it presents & also the character of Howard Roark. Also in my to read list is Atlas Shrugged. The start is awesome & gripping & I don’t want to read in bits & pieces. I need a mini vacation to read it from start to end.

4. Empress of Blandings: I am a huge huge fan of P G Wodehouse. I love his sarcasm on the ridiculous English customs of those time. However, this is his best work, according to me. Closely followed by the Mulliners.

5. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less: This is the book which made me fall in love with Jeffrey Archer’s style. All his short storeis collection are second in the list.

6. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: This one was the toughest to select. Agatha Christie is another most favourite & I have loved almost all her books, specially Poirot ones. This however took the cake.

7. Shyamchi Aai: This is my most favourite book in Marathi. It has innocence, nostalgia & whole gamut of emotions. My most favorite thing is the beauty of Konkan area described in the book.

8. Peela Rumal Ni Gaath: A three book series by Harkisan Mehta is the most thrilling fiction in Gujrati. It depicts the era when Thugs were prevalent in India.

9. Shrikant: Out of all the books written by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, this one is my most favourite. I think this & Devdas, Charitraheen, etc had a similar base, where the hero was weak, needy & totally dependent on love from the women in his life. However, Shrikant has left more of a impact on me. Maybe because of Farooq Sheikh’s portrayal of the lead character.

10. Godaan: The best from the pen of Premchand, my most favourite author in Hindi language. Although it’s a tragic one, it is the most realistic representation of the pre independence era. This would make even the hardest of hearts to melt.

Hope you all enjoy these gems as much as I do 🙂

A Gift of Love!

A familiar fragrance lingered in the elevator. The fragrance of fresh Jasmine flowers. Her face instantly popped in his head. He couldn’t believe it was 3 months since he had seen her. He shouldn’t have taken that decision in a hurry. The decision of getting transferred in another department just to avoid meeting her in the elevator. He had lost the few moments he had got to be around her, revel in her presence. Sighing, he got down in the lobby moving across the parking lot.

She was waiting for her boss to get his car. A compensation for working late hours was a free ride to home. Her eyes were gazing at the elevator longing for those happy moments where she could be with him even for a few moments. She had heard he had got transferred and never got to see him since. She never got the courage to cook up excuses & visit his department which was just couple of floors away.

Both were thinking of each other without knowing the other is thinking of them too. Their eyes met & were locked for few seconds. Their hearts did a happy jig & faces lit up with the brightest smile.

This time they will not lose their precious gift. A gift of love they will cherish. Let’s bless them & wait for their wedding cards 🙂

This is the sequel to http://www.mirchiladdoo.com/2014/01/25/lost-in-silence/

Let us be Happy!

We all are so different from each other but one thing is common. We all seek happiness. We all want to be happy. More often than not we seek happiness from someone else. We think X or Y should do something to make us happy. But that is inviting blame games. That is escaping from our responsibilities. If we need to be happy, it is our responsibility that we do things that make us happy.

Let us not wait for others to make us happy.

Let us admire the beauties of nature & soak in its wonder.

Let us listen to our favourite music & hum the tunes.

Let us pet a kitten or puppy or a baby 😉

Let us indulge in luxurious showers 😀

Let us learn something new.

Let us try something different.

Let us savour all the various flavours life has to offer!

Let us change what we can & let go of the rest!

Let us strive to be the best we can be!

Let us make ourselves HAPPY!

Dance with the Butterflies!

We are living in an era of marketing. Marketing ourselves. We need to sell ourselves in order to get ahead in life, be it professional, personal or social.

One of the requisite of selling ourselves is to speak in public. And sadly, this is the one thing which many of us fear from. The fear of speaking in public makes us tongue tied & nervous wreck.

In my school days I used to be very enthusiastic. I did not have any qualms in speaking in public. I always used to take part in Elocution competition, Debates & even singing competition in spite of me not being a very good singer 😉

But then life changed its course. I was not myself & inferiority complex had set in. Let alone speaking in public, I used to shy away speaking to anyone. I was almost living a life of a recluse.

Life keeps taking turns & I once again found myself in public eye. There was no escaping public speaking now. I remember there were some changes in our Project structure & we had to introduce ourselves to the team in a team bonding session. When it was my turn, I gave my introduction but I was shaking a lot & had rested my hands on the glass table. At one point, I thought the table would break out of sheer pressure. I was that nervous. This happened couple of times & it made me really worried.

Working in a BPO ensures that there are several training programs conducted to improve your skills. Fortunately I was part of a Personality Development Program (No, my awesomeness is not related to any training program 😉 ) I asked the trainer about my fear of public speaking & the remedy to correct that.

He gave me the best advice. He said practicing in front of mirror is futile as you know you are speaking to yourself. If you want to overcome that fear you have to face that fear head on. Take as many opportunities you get to speak in public & you will gain confidence automatically.

I followed his advice to the T. I never shied from the opportunities that came in my way & I sometimes created opportunities as well. (No, I am not using this advice to overcome my fear of dogs, ok? 🙁 )

One more thing I learnt is if you know the subject well, you have won half the battle.

I am still not an excellent public speaker, however, I can rate myself as above average. I have become pretty good in giving presentations, at times without notice & at times without any preparation. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get nervous. I still get butterflies in my stomach. But these butterflies don’t stop me from taking the bulls by the horn 😉 Instead, I dance with the butterflies 🙂 🙂 🙂

Hold On!

There have been several turning points in my life where I thought I had lost everything & didn’t have the will to live.

I have attempted to take my life several times hoping death will be an end to all the struggles in life.

Thankfully, those attempts were not successful due to several reasons. Suicide is never an easy task. Maybe I wasn’t brave enough or Maybe my sub-concious wanted me to live.

Today I look back & realise that life is wonderful. with all its flaws, all it’s struggles. A bad day or a bad relationship do not mean a bad life. I am glad those attempts failed. Now I am living life to the fullest hoping that when it all ends naturally, I would be content that my life was not a total waste.

And I would like to tell that younger foolish me several things. Things which will make her come out of the abyss of despair. Write her little notes of encouragement. While doing this, I will also hope to get encouraged today 🙂

♥ Yes, you are changing homes, you are changing schools. You will never see your old friends again. But it doesn’t mean you can’t make new friends.

♥ Keep writing. You will be a writer one day. Don’t tear off your ramblings! You will want to read them some day.

♥ Don’t be foolish to lose focus of what you want to be.

♥ People will make fun of you, if you allow them to. Don’t let it deter you from living your life.

♥ Today you are alone, you don’t have anyone to talk to. But there is a revolution in offing. Things will change.

♥ Never give up on your dreams. Your dreams are given to you to be cherished, nurtured & turn into reality.

♥ You will love, you will get hurt. But your wounds will heal. Don’t let the hurt scare you from falling in love.

♥ You are beautiful. Don’t let comments of stupid people make you believe otherwise.

♥ You are a survivor. You will survive & you are gonna amaze yourself one day.

So, Hold on. Hold on for an amazing life. Hold on & throw away the dangerous things. Hold on & continue your journey with your head held high!

Virginity – An Issue over a tissue?

Dictionary defines Virginity as, “state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse”

A man’s virginity is of no importance. However, a woman’s virginity is supposed to be her prized possession.

Virginity of a woman is a necessity for her marriage. A guy does not need to know if a woman would be compatible life partner or not. All he needs to know is if the woman can cook & if she is “pure”

And when girls are auctioned like cattles, virgin girls get the highest bids.

This is the reason hymenoplasty is a rage in some part of the world.

A woman who has lost her virginity before marriage is deemed to be of a loose character. A person who has no morals & would be unfaithful to her partner.

People behave as if women are not supposed to have sexual desires. It is all right for men to have sex before marriage or countless partners but God forbid if women do the same.

A broken tissue, which can very well be due to various non sex related factors, creates an issue which forces women to feel guilty, humiliated & even shunned from society.

One question for men here, you want virgin wives for yourself. And you have sex before marriage, probably with unmarried girls. Don’t you want those girls to get married?

It is high time we stop making an issue out of a tissue. Stop judging a person’s sex life. Stop labeling women as sluts just because they gave in to their desires.

And women, it is high time you stopped being guilty just because you actually enjoyed something. It’s your life & you have every right to enjoy life’s pleasures 🙂

The Red Devil – More than Mood Swings

Whenever internet / any site is down, how many times have you heard, why is XYZ PMSing? They are obviously referring to the mood swings which accompany the start of periods.

But do the jokers know PMS is more than mood swings?

Menstruation also known as periods or chums or red devils is the monthly discharge of blood from the vagina for three to six days. It starts when a girl hits puberty & it continues till almost 3 decades of her life.

The Menstrual Cycle is not only about the blood discharge. It brings along various physical & mental changes due to fluctuations in hormone levels. Three days before the start of periods, the face & stomach bloat, breasts feel tender & painful, legs ache a lot. The symptoms differ from woman to woman. During periods, you get cramps in your stomach & back & fatigue & various other physical discomforts. Apart from these women also have to deal with the stress of staining clothes & some women have to deal with religious rubbish associated with the periods.

Even without the hormone fluctuation, can you imagine how irritating all these symptoms are? How cranky it would make you if you have to face this? Add the hormone fluctuation & the irritation goes up 10 times. And this is the time we need lots of rest & lots of TLC. But do we ever give women what they want? We only know how to joke about their pain, don’t we?

Girls & Women juggle studies, work, home efficiently even in those days & still you expect them to be all cheerful? Have you ever seen your mom not putting a hot meal in front of you just because she is on her periods? Have you seen a woman colleague take leave every month for 3 days?

This is her power. This is her strength. To endure all difficulties in life & still go on with her duties & responsibilities.

This Women’s day, if you really care about women, take a pledge to respect her periods. Take a pledge not to joke about it in a lame way. If you can do more, give her lots of rest & love & care & support. She will feel better, be less irritable & you will be spared of her wrath too. WIN-WIN 😀

Smile & make this world beautiful!

It’s so good to see your smiling face!

Your smile is an inspiration to us!

When I see your smile, I forget my troubles for sometime!

These are some of the compliments I have received (Not bragging, ok? 😛 )

When I smile, I smile from my heart. A smile that reaches my lips & eyes & glows on my face. I may not be pretty or hot but I know my smile makes me beautiful. (Again not bragging 😉 )

It is not that I have everything I want in life & that is making me happy. I love being happy. I love making others happy. I had a moment of epiphany & chose this to be the purpose of my life.

Over the years I have realised life is not going to be a bed of roses always. There would be thorns who would prick you, hurt you & make you bleed & cry. But that shouldn’t deter you from loving life. The imperfections of life make the journey more interesting. The lows in life make you look forward to the next high.

Also, when you are in the darkest phase of your life & get no light from anywhere, you realise the importance of people who cheer you up. People who make you laugh even when you don’t want to smile. I want to be that person. I want to be a shoulder you can lean on. I want to be the person you want to hug when there are only walls around. I want to be the person who will make you smile & laugh. I want to be the person who wants you to believe life is wonderful!

If I can achieve this, my life will not be an empty shell. My life will have some meaning.

Let’s make this world a beautiful place to live in. With a simple smile 🙂

Heartbreak – How to pick up the pieces.

People will say heart is just a blood pumping machine.

But is that really true? Heart is not just a blood pumping machine for us. It is a place where our feelings stay.

And everything they say about heart is not metaphorical. Once I was hurt very very badly by someone I love (not disclosing the incident as the person doesn’t know about it) & I cried very badly. After some time I could feel pain in my heart. The hurt was that bad.

So as I was saying feelings stay in the heart..positive, negative, friendship, love, hatred, envy, all sorts of feelings. And sometimes the negative feelings overpower all the positive ones & the heart can’t take it anymore & it breaks.

What you do when this happens? First you are in a denial mode, then self pity & finally you start accepting the fact.

You can never get over a heart break. Time lets you forget the pain but your heart will never be the same again.

What do you do to make the healing process faster?

1. Don’t hate yourself: It was not you nor that person. You can’t fight destiny sometimes. Don’t hate yourself. This is the time when you need your love the most.

2. Distract yourself: Go for a trip with / without friends. Have a comedy movie / comedy sitcom marathon. I recommend Modern Family & Raising Hope 😉

3. Focus on Positive Things: Focus on positive things in your life. Take steps to improve yourself. Learn a new skill. Workout. Spend all the energy you would on useless thoughts in exercise.

4. Write it down: When you write down your feelings, you reduce their intensity.

5. Cry: It’s ok to cry. Cry as much as you want but not for long. Just remove all the waste that has accumulated in your heart.

6. Forgive them: Remember whatever that person did, they might have had a reason. Understand their perspective. Forgive them. Forgiveness reduces your anger & helps heal your heart faster.

7. Be Cheerful: Remember, your happiness matters to people around you. Smile & spread happiness instead of remaining sad. Cheer Up by Cheering other.

Love Notes For You!

The most mushy day of the year was here. How could I, the eternal hopelessly romantic be untouched by it?

Writing Love Notes to the One I am yet to meet!

♥ I am crazy about you!

♥ My heart smiles when I think of you!

♥ My eyes want to see only you!

♥ Your good morning wish works like coffee for me!

♥ Your good night wish gives me sweet dreams!

♥ You are tattooed in my heart forever.

♥ I waited for you for so long..but every second was worth waiting for you!

♥ Your lips write poetry on my skin. I have no use of words!

♥ I was trapped in the desert of life.. your love has been an oasis to me!

♥ I will fight the world to be with you!

♥ In the song of my life you are the rhythm!

♥ My life glows with your presence!

♥ When it comes to you I am very selfish. I don’t want to share you with anyone!

♥ Stay with me forever. Grow old with me. Help me make my world a beautiful place to live in!

Say Whaaat??

I returned home tired & hungry. While having dinner, mom said eat your food, I need to talk to you later. Her tone was serious.

I was worried. Maybe she is having some health issue. Maybe she needs some money. In 10 minutes I thought of all the possible reason mom would want to talk to me!

I finished my dinner in a jiffy & asked her to tell me what’s bothering her.

In a heart broken tone, She said I have added my friend in whatsapp but I am not able to send her forwards. Also I am not able to complete this level of Candy Crush.

I was like!!!

Exactly that!! Mom! You don’t use such serious tones for silly things like Whatsapp & Candy Crush! Pliss to Note!!

Kucchh aur baat hoti..

A conversation in the form of couplets with @romeomustdiee ^_^

Kucchh Aur Baat Hoti..

तेरी रहगुज़र से जाते, तो कुछ और बात होती

तेरे ख्वाबों में आते तो कुछ और बात होती

वो नक़ाब खुद उठाते, तो कुछ और बात होती

वो हंसके हमें मनाते तो कुछ और बात होती

वो निगाह से पिलाते, तो कुछ और बात होती

वोह साथ चलते चलते हाथ थाम लेते तो कुछ और बात होती||

Dil Ki Dastaan..

कुछ तो मज़बूरियाँ रही होंगी, यूँ ही कोई बेवफा नहीं होता

ये कहकर वो चले गए पर दिल का दर्द है जो दफा नहीं होता..

दिल-ए नादां तुझे हुआ क्या है / अख़िर इस दर्द की दवा क्या है

दिल का है ये शौक पुराना.. मर्ज़ खुद ही है और पूछता है दवा क्या है||

Cynophobia Part II

Some time back I had written about my Cynophobia.

Well fate gave me a chance to be around dogs for some time. I am staying at my sister’s place for quite a while. This place is a heaven for dog lovers it seems. Every morning on my way to work, I encounter people walking their dogs, well behaved dogs. There are couple of strays with a litter of puppies around the garbage bin. No one bothers me & I can enjoy my morning walk. These dogs are also familiar to my sight it seems. Reason? I actually saw a poodle leap when he saw me & I swear I saw him smile! Also, a bitch ran towards me & I felt that urge to mother her 🙂

This made me realize, my equation with dogs is not that bad. Some dogs can love me too. I was dreaming of adopting a puppy who would love me to bits & I would raise it to be a good dog.

But Fate had other plans as usual.

One fine day, I was enjoying music, walking down the beautiful lane & admiring the new poodle that was jumping around. The lazy boy didn’t want to climb up the hill & he made his owner walk down again. It was a chubby little punk & I wanted to hold him & give him kisses coz he was sooooo adorable!!

And then I noticed a stray dog eyeing me. I was a bit scared & he must have realized it. He started chasing me. I was petrified & trying every ounce of control in my body not to run! I noticed a bus stop & hid behind the man that was standing there. Looking at my size not a good job obviously. The dog was waiting for me to come out of my hiding. Whenever I tried to move away he would follow suit. There was no one around to help me. After few minutes of this scary hell, there was a ray of sunshine. A dog walker came around & shooed away the dog & I could carry on my journey peacefully. That experience made me cry though (If you didn’t know already crying is the way I remove all the negative emotions from my heart) I also realized how much I missed my dad!! My dad is my hero. A. He never laughs at me because of my fright of dogs. B. He always chases them away for me. I so wished that my dad was around me that day to save me.

Anyhow, I am back to admiring dogs from afar. I don’t want them anywhere near me 🙁

Keep Calm & Don’t Be Angry!

Everyone wants peace & tranquility in their life.

But there comes a time in everyone’s life, for some often, for some daily & for some rarely, that you tend to lose your cool. Crowd, Noise, Hormones, Stupidity, Stress anything can trigger your temper.

When we are angry, we lose control of ourselves. We also lose control of our tongue. We say something which we would invariably regret later (Of course there are exceptions).

I too have been victim of this anger. Saying things which I didn’t mean, hurting myself, hurting others with words. Though I have not achieved sainthood yet, but have found ways to keep calm & not be (or at least seem) angry.

The ways to curb the anger is not rocket science. Google & you find them anywhere. I will still share points which I implemented & they have helped me a lot!

1. Drink Water: Water is the best calming agent. Take slow sips till you feel less flustered. It gives you time to think your reaction.

2. Don’t react immediately: Whenever you are angry, don’t make a mistake in reacting immediately. Think over what the person is trying to say. Think from all the angles. Think whether it is really hurtful. Think before you speak works best during this time.

3. Get Advice: Anger muddles your thinking power. Get advice from someone you trust. This is the time you need a friend. Friend who will show you the correct path. It can be your parents / siblings / best friends. Sometimes even co workers can give you good advice. Some corporates also have consultants now a days to help you vent out. Taking advice is not a bad thing, remember that 🙂

4. Divert yourself: Listen to music. Walk off your anger. Have some good food, sweets preferably. Read some forwards. Smile in the mirror. Whatever it takes to take your mind off the thing which made you angry.

5. Write down your feelings: This is the best thing that worked for me. If I am extremely upset, I write it down. I tweet my feelings or just write it down on paper if it is not tweet worthy. I have realised writing down my feelings reduces their intensity.

6. Say sorry: Last but not the least. Even after you know what to do when you are angry, you might not follow all these steps sometimes. It is ok. We are humans. We are allowed to fail. Don’t be harsh on yourself. If you have been rude to anyone due to anger. Say sorry.

Lost in Silence

She looked at herself in the mirror for the last time before leaving home. She hoped that taking efforts in dressing up would yield result at least today. It had been a week since she last saw him. She missed standing next to him in the elevator. She missed the smell of his cologne. She missed his voice. She remembered how he had stopped the elevator once just so she could get in. She smiled. Maybe it was love.

He tightened the knot of his tie & smiled at the mirror. It was a week since he saw her pretty face. He missed her. Maybe it was love. He wondered if she missed him too. He would get to know today. He would see if her face lits up on seeing him.

She was waiting for the elevator to reach the lobby. The elevator door reflected the image of the one standing behind. A huge grin spread across her face, her heart beats grew a little faster. Confused at her own reaction, she hung her neck & tried to wipe the grin off her face.

They boarded the elevator. He was disappointed. She didn’t even notice him. Heart broken, he alighted on his floor, resolving to never think about her again.

Secret Love

They said I can’t love you. They told me to forget it.

They don’t know Love is a free bird, you just can not cage it.

I will keep my love for you in the deep abyss of my heart.

Here we will be together. No one would dare to keep us apart.

Your love will make me smile. I will blame it on the children.

Your love will make me glow. I will blame it on the sunshine.

Your love will make me happy. I will blame it on the music.

Your love will be my secret. A secret no one will find.

The Sunshine Girl

The sun was shining on her face. Smiling at the sun through her window she opened her eyes slowly. There was music in her voice as she hummed, a spring in her step as she waltzed through the routine tasks for the day.

After finishing her chores she washed her mom & dressed her up. She transferred her carefully from the bed to the wheel chair & out she went for a stroll in the garden. Her cheerful morning greetings echoed & the grump on people’s faces turned into smiles.

The old florist observed her as she drove her mom away. She was not traditionally beautiful nor had the accomplishments like other girls but she did have something which not many people did. She was a giver & a cheerful giver at that. He prayed to the Lord to send more cheerful girls than pianists & harpists in the world.

Shall we say Amen?

PS: I had written this specially for @islejazz Thank you for inspiring me always.

10 Men who warm the cockles of my heart!

When there are so many awesome people around, how is it possible not to fall in love??

And when you have a heart like mine, you can fall in love everyday!

I will not talk about real people around me (Being discreet & all, you know? 😉 ) But I can surely share my love for these Screen Gods!

Disclaimer: I love all of them equally. The numbering is not a ranking 🙂

1. Robert Downey Jr: I saw him first on Chances Are. Trashy movie made bearable only because of his presence. Mesmerised by him in Ally McBeal. By the time I watched Avengers, I was completely in love. Can’t say which is the bigger turn on. His Charm, Arrogance or Good Looks.

2. Johnny Depp: Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, Jack Sparrow. With each role emerges a different personality. His quirkiness is so adorable!

3. Hugh Grant: Was watching Notting Hill & realized I had forgotten Hugh Grant!! How could I?? The charming face, the floppy hair, the blue eyes & the oh so awesome British Accent have all been more than enough for me to go gooey eyed!! Sorry James Marsden you are off the list. Hugh Grant deserves place in this list much more than you ^_^

4. Bradley Cooper: Did I get lost in his deep blue eyes or was it his wide warm smile? He is just like the brand of ice cream he promotes.

5. Hugh Jackman: He is the perfect gentleman. A Leopold who makes me want to be his Kate. He is nothing like anything.

Before you think I have a firang fixation, let me tell you, I love Indian men equally. Read on 😀

6. Abhishek Bachchan: I love Junior Bachchan & I can not lie. I saw him first when he was AD for Major Saab. He wore a ponytail back then. What attracted me was his big puppy dog eyes. I have drowned in them & there has been no looking back.

7. Shahid Kapoor: I saw him first in a music video.. Such a cutie pie he was back then. His smile & his dancing skills both make my heart beat faster than usual.

8. Ranveer Singh: I have a huge crush on him ever since I saw him in Lootera. Ram Leela was a cherry on the cake. Whenever I watch his abs in the song Tattad Tattad, I stop everything I am doing & just drool over him.

9. Dharmendra: No one in the Deol family is as good looking as Dharmendra. His shyness is more attractive than his looks. He was the original crush I think 🙂

10. Manoj kumar: Last but not the least. People may make fun of him now. But there was a time he was a good looking romantic hero. Watching him romance his heroines was a treat to the eyes. Specially Hariyali aur Rasta. I must have watched that movie hundred times only for him.

That’s my multi filtered teeny tiny list. Who’s on your list? 🙂

4 Things that will tell me HE IS THE ONE!

We met, we fell in love, we dated & been together ever since.

How will I know if He is the prince in disguise of the frog or should I let him back in the water??

Here’s how:

1. The Big Mac Test: You have been out on dates, eating romantic dinners, where you have taken small morsels, eating elegantly. But when you are comfortable to eat a Big Mac (or Vada Pav in Mumbai) without him finding you any less sexy, He is the One.

2. The Jealousy Test: Girls tend to get jealous when their guys are talking to other girls. Both things perfectly normal. However, Guy will think the girl is crazy to get jealous. But when the guy knows I am getting jealous, smiles & kisses me for being so, He is the One.

3. The Fun Test: Usually girls don’t want guys to make fun of them. I would want to. Hell I am gonna give him lotsa opportunities to make fun of me. But!! When he is done laughing at my expense, he should come & hug me. If he does, He is the One.

4. The Hair Test: This is the ultimate one. Men have a tendency to leave their tiny hairs all around in the bathroom, once they are done showering. I find it extremely disgusting. If his hair doesn’t disgust me & I am cool to clean it up, He is the One.

And then I will hope I am the One for Him too <3

An Open Letter to you

Hello dear,

How are you doing today? Hope your day has been normal so far & nothing untoward has happened.

I have been watching you since some time & know that you are incredibly talented & an amazing person. You are beautiful & have brains. Not everyone is blessed with such a combo. Some don’t have either. Yes, time has been cruel to you. You have been hurt. Your world has turned upside down. You don’t have everything you have wished for.

It hurts me to see you hurt. I just want you to know that world is not as bad as you think. Don’t be so cynical yet. Smile & be happy in the knowledge that there are people who love you, who care for you, the way you are. You are special now & you will be special always. All I can do is pray for you, pray for your better tomorrow.

This letter is sealed with lots of love, hugs & kisses.

Forever yours to love,

Mirchi Laddoo

Is Raat Ki Subah Na Ho..

There are 2 types of people in this world:

1. Suryavanshis – They believe early to bed & early to rise will make them healthy, wealthy & wise. Morning inspires them.

2. Chandravanshis – They abhor waking up early in the morning. Their day grows beautiful when the sun sets. Night inspires them.

I am one of them, I am Chandravanshi. 🙂

Nights are romantic, Nights are a mystery. Nights are when we are more honest with ourselves than when we are during the day.

Night is the time when we remove our mask & be our true self.

Staying awake at night, dreaming with open eyes, is the thing I love to do best.

Nights are also an integral part of my dreams & wishes.

To roam around on the beach, with or without someone, gazing at the sea or laying on the beach & gazing at the stars.

To roam on the empty streets of Mumbai (sans the stray dogs) & listen to soulful music.

To travel in empty local trains enjoying the breeze & look at the city lights through the tiny windows.

Basically, enjoying life & hoping “Is Raat Ki Subah Na Ho”

Hey, I may not get the worm (Uggh who wants them anyway), but I am happier being an Owl 😀

Unveiling the Mask

When you are around, my heart is in flutters, yet I pretend I haven’t noticed you.

When you are afar, I pretend I don’t miss you.

When you talk to someone else, I wish it was me you were talking to.

When you shower attention to them, I wish I was the one basking in the warmth.

When you talk about them, I pretend you are talking about me.

When you sing, I want your song to be about me.

When you smile, I want to be the reason.

When you write, I want to be your words.

When you love, I want me to be in your heart.

I don’t want to pretend anymore.

I don’t want to hope anymore.

I don’t want to wish anymore.

I want you to look in my eyes & see it brimmed with love for you.

I want to unveil the mask & be yours forever.

2013 – An amazing year!

I was trying to recollect how the recent years have been & I could not remember what I did in 2010 at all! Hence decided, have to sum up what the year has been like so that I can recollect easily. Age has been catching up finally it seems 🙁

The start of the year was great. Was off the bench & started working enthusiastically again. This has been the year to prove myself again professionally. Work wise the year has been great. Have achieved small milestones for the team. However, no time to take a proper holiday not to mention funds 😉 I did manage to squander all the leaves again & left with zero balance at the beginning of the year. Have to save leaves along with money next year. SIGH.

Great news for Family as two cousins got married, sister got her own home & also some good news in the offing which is not yet to be made public (No I haven’t got engaged / married secretly :P) Though this year I had thought IT would happen as girls who were facing difficulty in getting hitched were all getting married as if it was an epidemic 😐

Anyhow, coming back to achievements, my social networking Klout is a bit up. Got 1K + Followers on twitter, which I could never imagine, only wish for! Also, getting more likes on my profile pics on Facebook than ever before. Either I am ageing beautifully or people have started loving me more. Love is blind, you see 😉 And most importantly, crossed 4K+ views here. Of course it’s peanuts but I am not a very hi-fi writer either.

Friendship wise, gained more, lost less but hey, the loss was a huge lesson so not bad 🙂

All in all has been an amazing journey & thankful for everyone who has been part of it. And I promise myself 2014 would be much better than 2013.

Happy New Year!!!

The Beginning of it..

I have a very good memory when I have to remember details about others but when it comes to me, I don’t remember so much.

But sometimes I do get flashes about long forgotten incidents. I was thinking about what to write today & looking for inspiration and I got this flash of memory. Memory of how it all started. Writing I mean 🙂

I was barely 12. I had started reading since I was quite young & by age of 10 I had started reading adult fiction (not porn, duh!, but books which adults normally read). We had shifted to this new place & I didn’t have any friends nor TV. Reading was the only entertainment. And it fueled my imagination. I used to think about story ideas all the time. The seeds of wanting to be writer were being sown. I didn’t have a proper diary / notebook for writing down my ideas. I used to write in my school books while doing home work & hide the bits of papers in my textbooks. In one such bit of paper, I had written, “Dear George, Meet me at XYZ Garden at 5 PM”

My mom had a habit of snooping on our things, which I got to know later >_< While checking my book, she found this bit of paper & thought I was having an affair! She questioned me like a police man questions a criminal about the boy & I told the truth but she didn’t believe. She outsourced the task to find out about the guy to my uncle who lived next to us. After a while, when he didn’t succeed, he just let me go with a reprimand never to indulge in such activities 🙁

And since then I used to write stories / journals & tear them up after writing before anyone got a chance to read.

Today, I don’t remember what all I had written. I really wish to go back in time & un-tear those pages & see what kind of a writer I was. What was the beginning of mirchi laddoo. Unfortunately, it is only going to be a haunting dream.

Surprise!!

Surprise!!! I think everyone of us at some point of time must have expected to hear this word, in the pleasant context, of course. Unless some one is too much of a planner & hates surprises even of the pleasanter kind.

There is no written rule that you have to surprise someone only on their birthdays / when you gonna propose. The fun part is you can surprise anyone anytime. And you want nothing more than to see their happy face. This is Love. Selfless 😉

I love to give gifts & love to surprise. The happiness of getting something unexpectedly reflects in the person’s eyes & that makes me so happy!

Usually I don’t speak about all this as in what I have done for anyone. But I saw some contest on Twitter asking to say something about it & this is the one instance that came to my mind instantly.

I had couple of special friends in the office I was working back then. It was one of them’s birthday. She stayed in Mahim & I in Dombivli. Before she could leave for office, I showed up at her home, carrying a yellow rose, Temptation & the best seller at that time, The Da Vinci Code as she loved to read. Surprise was an understatement for what she felt. She was so happy that she couldn’t stop grinning for a long time 🙂

This was not a big deal but it definitely created a special memory for both of us. 🙂

It’s that time of the year!

Come 1st January & the air is full with new year wishes, party spirit & wait for it – New Year Resolutions!!!

Though cynics try to mar the spirit by saying that why wait for new year? If you want to better your life, any day is good. These are the ones who say why celebrate special days they are as good as any other day. But I believe that beginning of new year symbolises turning a new leaf & is a great day to start something new in your life.

And whether you start improving your life today or on Monday or Birthday or on the 1^st day of new year, sticking to your resolution is directly proportional to how committed you are & you need to be like Salman Khan (Ek baar maine commitment kardi to main khud ki bhi nahin sunta) 😉

I too have resolved to improve my life year after year. Sometime I succeed in keeping the resolutions & sometimes I just be lazy. This year I have decided to be more committed towards me. Instead of crying / whining / ranting, I will actually do something worthwhile with my life!

1. Get the damn passport: Since the new procedure is applying directly & I am sure to get a passport photo which looks like my Aadhar card photo, I will no longer delay it waiting to get a nice picture of myself.

2. Read / Write more: Being busy at work & with twitter I have ignored my reading & also my commitment to write regularly. This year it will be different! I will read atleast one book a week & write one post weekly. Weekends won’t be spent sleeping but trying to achieve the dream of getting atleast one book published ^_^

3. Be Fit & not Fat: Since 2011 I have been more conscious towards eating healthy & walking regularly (That’s the only exercise I can do happily. Gym is not my cup of coffee 😛 ) But post break-up there had been a slide in the good habits & moving to this new location for work ain’t helping it. But enough of the excuses. Have to be fit & non flabby. And I CAN DO IT!!

4. Dancing: I love to see people dance. And I love to dance too but when you haven’t even shaken a leg even at a wedding (or in my case played Garba) you only end up bobbing your head. I would love to have formal lessons to shake off my inhibition & also see that I don’t have any left feet. Fulfilling Resolution Number 3 will ensure I am not crashing any dance floors in the process 😉

5. Baking: Enough of drooling over the baked stuff in stores & on tv. Time to make people drool for a change. What better than cup cakes? (I would love to say me but then it’s not possible atleast in this life time so..)

6. Spend Less Save More: Lately I have been spending too much money on auto & food. Since I will be walking more & eating healthy, this will take care of itself Win Win 😀

7. Take it easy: Lately I have been feeling lonely & unappreciated by the people I love. But this has been only adding to my stress & affecting my heart. And I don’t want to be grumpy. Grumpy people can’t spread happiness, can they? So last but not the least – Stop thinking too much, take short trips in & around the city, inhale fresh air & BE HAPPY

What about you guys? Joining in? 🙂 🙂 🙂

Let yourself out of the closet…

Coming out of the closet. We think this implies only to someone’s sexuality, isn’t it? A heterosexual need not say anything but a homosexual has to state that he is interested only in same sex person. Once he accepts publicly, we applaud him for “Coming out of the CLOSET”

But being in the closet is not only about sexuality. Have you wondered how many secrets about yourself you have to hide for the fear of parents & society in general?

If you don’t know how to cook, what will your in laws say?

Why are you crying like a woman? Be a man!

If you can’t stand up for someone, wear bangles & sit at home.

You are not a man to wear trousers. Wear salwar suit like a good Indian girl.

You like to get manicures? how gay!

Do all these statements ring a bell? This is just a drop in the ocean.

Society has made different boxes for man & women & set a specific rules on how each should behave. And if one shows even glimpse of what is supposed to be the character of opposite sex, he / she will be called names, would be lectured & in some cases out casted or even murdered. Sounds extreme but is 100% truth.

And then there are reverse kind of society. The Rebel society. They will oppose anyone who fits into the rules of society (through personal choice only)

To girls they will say: Oh how girly that you carry purses, wear make up, like shopping, etc..

To guys they will say: Stop being a MCP & let girls pay for their share, don’t be chivalrous, etc..

Why? Who made these rules? Why we need to adhere to them?

Let me be. Let me live my life as I want to. Don’t try to mould me in your box. I am not blue, I am not pink. Let me be whatever colour I want. White, Black, Grey, Purple, a mix of Blue & Pink, or just Pink even.

Only then we will have an equal society. A society where people do not hide their personality in their closets.

Closet Full of Happy!

If only my closet pulled a trick I couldn’t see

I had give anything to know how happy I would be

Everything would be bright & bold & jhatang

Nothing would be boring or floozy!

I am the girl with closet full.. it’s a closet full of happy!

In a world where I want something I got a closet full of happy!

PS: Sing this song when you have everything and still nothing to be happy about… 🙂

Original Lyrics: Flipkart Ad.

Time to Let Go

Hope is the best & worst thing to happen to human beings.

Hope is the thing which gives us motivation to live, to work towards our dream.

Hope is also the thing which we hold on to when logic is saying otherwise.

Suppose when you have a crush on someone, hope that he / she will like you back will let you approach them, befriend them & let you express your feelings to them.

But you have to know till what time you need to latch on that hope.

If that person is not bothered to respond to your gestures, they are not showing any signs of liking you back,

Don’t assume that they are being shy but know that they are not into you.

4 Reasons why Mumbai doesn’t need Awesome Winter!

We all have heard about the awesome winters North Indians enjoy year on year. Stories of snow, Hot Alu parathas, matching sweaters & shawls, Bonfires are spread by Northies to make rest of India jealous. This is particularly the case for Delhi Vs Mumbai where Delhiites brag about their winters & Mumbaikars have to hide their sweaty faces in a corner.

But there is something which Mumbaikars don’t know. They actually don’t need the Winter season. Here’s why:

1. Bulky Sweaters / Cumbersome Shawls: Everyone knows Mumbai Locals / Best buses are life lines of Mumbaikars. And the only work out they get is running to catch their regular trains / buses. Imagine wearing two three layers of sweaters / shawls / mufflers & trying to catch the train / bus. Hurdles, right? You would not able to catch them anyhow or you might have to leave home earlier than usual. Also if you bulk up, you will take more space in the already much crowded train / bus 😉

2. Cold Water: Somehow you manage to catch the train / bus. But since you were running, you might be sweating as well & if you don’t take bath due to cold water (Heating water for entire family would be a time consuming / money consuming activity) you would be stinking as well.

3. Magnetic Bed: If you have to rush to catch your train / bus, you anyway have sacrificed some sleep in the process & if the weather is cold, you would not want to get out of the bed itself. And you can’t afford to be late for work now, can you?

4. Hot Weather In, Hot Pants Out: This one specially for men. If the weather is cold, the ladies would be fully covered & you wouldn’t know which one is a hot chick & which one is old aunty. So Rejoice the weather is HOT! 😉

See, Mumbaikars? You don’t need winters! 😉

Post Inspired by Shruti Vajpayee’s post on Campus Ghanta. http://www.campusghanta.com/2013/11/17/6-reasons-why-winters-are-awesome/

Cynophobia..

Cynophobia is nothing but fear of dogs. Yes, that’s what I learnt today.

Though I admire dogs, puppies rather, but it has always been a long distance relationship.

I distinctly remember when this fear started. We had recently shifted to this apartment & co-incidentally our old neighbours were also living in the adjacent area.

As per tradition, mom had cooked something nice for the first day in kitchen & I was given the responsibility of taking some for the old neighbours. No need to tell my mom is an awesome cook & the smell of the food attracted stray dogs in the area. They started following me & started barking. I was just 10 & the barks were ferocious. I ran to the neighbours house, with the dogs tagging me along.

There was one more incident after that day, when I had gone out to throw the trash & three dogs started following me & barked like lunatics. Thankfully for one passerby who drove them away. But since then there has never been a day where I spot a stray dog & my heart doesn’t start thumping loudly.

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