2014 - The year that was!

Wait wait wait!

As far as I can remember this is what I've been saying all through the year. I'm not sure if it's just with me but with every passing year, I feel the days keep flying quicker and quicker. 

Like every other year, 2014 has been a good year and special in many ways. I wouldn't want to insult it by comparing it with its predecessors. I know I'm going to value the lessons I learnt from the good and not-so-good experiences, from the good and not-so-good people. And that's what matters to me!

So here’s what 2014 was all about, for me.

This year, I did take up a resolution to do something new (In other words, to make my life interesting).I also took up the GoodReads Reading Challenge (24 books). So for the first part of the resolution, I started baking. Initially it was an experiment and then I sort of got addicted to it. I baked almost every week during the second half of the year. Next, I ran 2 marathons. I was never the kind of person who would run. It was a fraction of a second decision, after a friend inspired me to take it up. Now coming to the Reading Challenge, I read about 14 books (of the set target of 24). During the second half of the year I had too many things on my plate and too little time. I wish I'd completed the challenge, but I'm happy I got to read so much (In my defense, almost all the books I read were 300+ pages). So to make it up, I'm taking another awesome Reading challenge for the next year :-)

Being a Rebel!

I am a true Aquarian. I am very rebellious in nature.  I know that sometimes I make life difficult for those around me but sometimes I cannot help it. I think this another trait of us Aquarians - ‘Being Independent’ is the reason behind this one too.

Let me explain.

Let’s assume that there are apples and oranges in the table. On a particular day I’m in the mood to eat apples. So when my mom asks me if I want apples or oranges, I tell her my choice and go for the apples. Sometimes she says ‘You know, these oranges, taste much better than they normally do. If you want, you can try that. Your wish’. When mom tells me this way, I know she is just offering an opinion and I also know that she is not forcing me. So I reconsider my decision and opt for the oranges. Simple right? No, it actually isn’t.

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Now when I’m in the mood to eat apples and someone else in the family (Not my mother, because she knows how to deal with me) tells me to eat apples because of many reasons and start listing them down, I get slightly irritated. Normally I don’t give it too much of a thought. But when they keep stressing on the importance of something, to the point where they force me to do something which they want to, I DO NOT oblige. There have been many instances, where in such scenarios I had opted for the oranges (though it was not my choice) instead of the apples, because I did not want to do what someone was telling me to (for something as simple as choosing between fruits).

Running a Marathon, Again!

Oh yes! You read it right. It seems just yesterday when I wrote about running my first marathon and here I am already writing about the second one.

On December 7th, Chennai woke up to a beautiful Sunday to witness the second biggest marathon in India. An event organised at such a huge scale and how could I miss it. I successfully completed my second 10km run at the Wipro Chennai Marathon 2014 :-). To be honest, I was eyeing this marathon from last year and took up the first marathon as a practice for running this marathon. So it's extra special to me that I reached the finish line, something that I wanted to do for a long time! I feel so proud :-)

I'm a happy person today because 3 months back I was almost on the verge of giving it up because of a few issues (which I now realise were very trivial). And I thought about how much I've wanted to participate in the marathon and how much it actually meant to me. I then decided that I would run this marathon despite any obstacles that come my way. 

Learning to Move On.

I had a horrible day.

I was down with a bad cold. Three days later, just as I was getting better, I had to spend 3 hours in a meeting room and the air conditioner aggravated my cold. Since the meeting was scheduled at a location within the city, I decided to drive on my own and took my two-wheeler. Just as I was preparing to leave for the day, it started raining heavily. Yes, it was time for our monsoons, but having witnessed an almost May-like-summer for the past week, I wasn’t prepared for it. Thankfully I had an overcoat in my two-wheeler. Just when it stopped raining, I rushed to the parking spot to leave when my vehicle wouldn’t start.

Image Courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos

Yes. I tried every little thing my dad used to do whenever the vehicle wouldn’t start. Friends and colleagues and those who passed by tried to help me, but in vain. The security told me there was a mechanic shop down the road and he asked me to take a chance. Having just one more option left (to leave the vehicle at office and pick it up later), I decided to give this a try. Hardly I’d stepped out of the gate, when it started pouring again. After waiting for another half an hour, I stepped out and was looking for the mechanic which the security told me about. I did not realize I’d been walking for half an hour on the same road, and I did not realize I was walking through a flooded avenue, I just kept walking. When my legs and head couldn’t bear it any longer, I decided to give up and turned to walk to the office, pick up my bag and take an auto when it started pouring again.

When You Don't Know how You Feel!

Sometimes everything feels right

Sometimes everything feels wrong.

Sometimes you have no clue at all!

There are times when we are happy (and we know it). The world seems a wonderful place. We smile all day long and given a chance we would start singing and dancing and feel like flying in the air. We are at peace with ourselves and the heart feels light.

And there are times when we are sad (and we know it). Suddenly it might look like the whole world is conspiring against us. We start reading a lot into everyday occurrences and relate totally unrelated scenarios and complicate things and keep worrying. Phew. 

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

Now comes the best(or worst) part.

There are times when we have absolutely no clue as to why we feel some particular way.

When You Can Talk for Hours...

Being able to talk (a lot) has more advantages than you might know.

I am a talkative person. I take it as a compliment when people say so. 

I love conducting sessions. These sessions do not require as much preparation as technical sessions, since they are mostly interactive. Being a talkative person, I find it easy engaging in conversations or making the participants feel comfortable and pushing them to volunteer for the activities planned.

Normally I conduct sessions for 2 to 3 hours, and sometimes workshop based sessions stretch beyond that. I was telling a friend proudly that I can manage 3 hours sessions when he joked, (I think) 

‘Knowing you, I am sure that you can talk even for 4 hours, but I pity the participants who would have to tolerate your lecture for 3 hours’.  :-)

Initially :-D

And now ;-)

Last week, after one of my sessions, about 2 to 3 associates came up and thanked me for the session. One of them asked me how I was able to speak for 2 to 3 hours, continuously without any break. I said I was used to conducting sessions on a regular basis, and hence I was used to it. I thanked them with a smile and left the venue. But I couldn’t get those words from my mind. 

Someone finally appreciated me for being able to talk for long and spoke about my energy levels. It’s heartening to find people noticing these subtle aspects, and taking time to appreciate. :-)

Every Day is a Struggle!

Every single day, there is a constant struggle going on in our lives.

It’s 6.30 am. I very well know that I have to wake up and get ready for work. I know that I have to hurry up and leave the house at the stroke of 7.30 if I hoped to travel 40km comfortably. Yet, my mind doesn’t want to leave the comfort and the warmth of the blanket. Knowing very well that the wrong decision of switching off the alarm and going back to bed would trouble me, I force myself to get up and start my day. That is a struggle, every single day.

We meet so many people, every single day. Some people make us feel better. Some people make things tougher. Come what may, they can never be satisfied with what we do. They always have some acidic remark for everything. One such remark is enough to blow up all the appreciations that we receive. And in the process of analysing if the mistake is on our part or the other person, we put ourselves through an emotional battle (I cannot say if this is necessary or unnecessary). And that happens every single day.

The Annoying Instant Messages!

In a Utopian world, my life would have been very simple (how I wish!)

I leave home

Reach office

Log into my System

Open my ToDo notepad file

Check the list of tasks for the day and add a few more depending on the requirements

Organize the tasks based on the importance and priority

Start working on the tasks

Complete the tasks on time

Go home

In reality, this is possible to an extent; but just that I’ve left out one very important parameter. Instant Messaging.

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

You know how some innovations in technology start out as a boon and end up being a nuisance at times? Well, this is one such innovation which people misuse, to the extent that I feel sometimes I would be better off without the IM. Most organisations use Internal Communicators for communicating easily with anyone within the organization. So in reality, this is what happens.

My Experiments with Cakes!

Being the Foodie that I am, I love cupcakes and cakes (who doesn't?). I used to search for the best cupcakes in and around the city to taste them. I was pretty surprised by how they were expensive than the normal cream cakes, but when it comes to food one shouldn't ask too many questions. This continued for a while and I found out that these treats weren't easy on my wallet. That was then I took a decision, that was to change my life!

Yes, I decided to give it up.

Wait, wait. I'll make it clear. I decided to give up on the habit of buying cupcakes and decided to bake them on my own :-) So I got an OTG and started experimenting with cupcakes and cakes, and boy I was surprised (shocked) at how well they turned out.

Since a lot of recipes online kept confusing me, I stuck to the one that my friend had shared long back, and which had come well in the microwave oven when I tried baking.

So here you go :-)

I always prefer writing down recipes in a language that I understand better, and with measurements I'm capable of understanding. (And when there is a nice colour pen around, why not write every little detail!)

So this was chocolate cupcake on Day 1, the vanilla cupcakes were pretty decent too.

And the week after, I tried the Vanilla Sponge cake. My mom loved it so you know how it must have been ;-)

13 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 13!

So I stumbled upon posts from Srikar and Chutney Case on the 13 things you wish your 13 year old self had known. It got me thinking of the many instances when I really wish I'd known something earlier, only to learn it, at what I felt was, a bit late. So here goes my list.

1. Reading

Thankfully, I started reading from when I was young. I started with Enid Blyton and graduated to reading fiction, until recently my uncle told me that I should start reading non-fiction. In my growing years, I guess I focused on exploring new worlds and characters that I probably did not focus on reading about the existing world with its amazing characters. I wish I’d started reading a wide genre from then.

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

2. Hobby

In the mad rush between school and assignments, I wish I had more time to spend on extra-curricular activities or be passionately involved with some hobby (apart from reading books, of course!). I did not know that I would get time to do something apart from studies (college) and work. I know it’s never too late to start learning, but if I had developed an interest in some hobby, I wouldn't be wasting time on Social Media and writing horrible blog posts in the name of rants.

3.Explored options before diving into Engineering

It was entirely my decision to pursue engineering (those days, it was just about doing something with the computers for me) and I wasn’t forced to take it up, but I wish I got to know and explore more options (apart from Doctors and Charted Accountants) before narrowing down my career options. It takes so much more than just efforts to change your career path when you find life gets a bit too boring (P.S With a bit of luck I did change paths, but I wish I had more options!)

The Land Rover Experience!

(P.S this post is written by a very simple person, so kindly do not expect advanced technical information here.)

When I got a call from Blogadda, asking if I was interested in test-driving Jaguar's Land Rover, I said yes without a second thought.But I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea how exciting the Land Rover Experience would be and I'm just glad I said Yes.

So, on a beautiful Sunday (of course it would be beautiful when you've got an exciting day ahead with the Land Rover!)a few of us bloggers, who were to test-drive, reached The Farm at OMR and waited for a view of the Freelander. Our briefing session was scheduled post lunch,but we went around and took a look at the terrain on which we would be driving and then we got to see the vehicle. Oh my! I was just in awe when I saw the vehicle effortlessly being driven on a 4-feet deep water and come out without a hassle. This did get all of us more excited and I couldn’t wait to be able to drive the vehicle on my own.

The True Friend Forever

If there is something in this world which can induce the same amount of happiness and excitement every time we come in contact with it, undoubtedly it is a book.

Known as a Man’s best friend, books have always been valued as treasures from time immemorial. As clichéd as it might sound, the phrase has stood the test of time and even generations after Shakespeare and Wordsworth, the bond between humans and their books has been growing stronger.

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A New World

Books help us dive into a new world, with a new environment and characters which we might not normally come across. Books are capable of taking us through the most surreal places on the world, through the various wars across centuries and through fantasy worlds, within the comforts of our armchair. The words of Shelly and Keats have the power to stir up the souls of even the most desolate beings and help them experience the emotions recollected in tranquility. It takes us into a new world altogether, which cannot be let go easily.

Questions and Answers.

Hello!

I've been featured in Artily - An Online Informative Magazine. :-)

I was asked about my blogging journey and a few questions (some interesting ones).

Do read and let me know what you think!

You can read the article here.

A few excerpts: 

What do you find most challenging about blogging about your topic?

Sometimes, after drafting, writing, re-writing and proof-reading, just a few seconds away from hitting the publish button, I've deleted posts because I would have felt that something was missing. When my instincts tell me not to post it, I don’t. I've worked on posts for more than 3 hours and deleted them. I've also worked on posts for just 30 minutes and been immensely happy with the way it had turned out. The most challenging part is to draft it the way I visualize it in my mind. Sometimes it gets executed wonderfully well, sometimes it goes horribly wrong.

What really scares you?

When I allow others to influence my thoughts to a far greater extent than necessary.

What was the most challenging moment in your blog content development process and why?

I normally write what I feel like. For a competition once, I had to come up with content for 1500 words. Initially I found it difficult and I was scared if I would let my team down. I stuck to the age old way of writing by Outlining, planning, brain-storming and then writing. And then came the real challenge. I had written about 2500 words and I found it really difficult to cut it down to 1500 words. Giving a word limit is the most cruel punishment you can give a writer/blogger.

Book Review : The Turning Point

The Turning Point, is a compilation of short stories from Indian Writers. This includes the work of Nikita Singh, Parinda Joshi, Atulya Mahajan, Shoma Narayanan, Harsh Snehanshu, Judy Balan, Meenakshi Reddy Mahadevan and Durjoy Dutta.  Every story here has a different flavor, but they are bound together by a common theme – as the title indicates—a Turning Point.

When I was initially asked if I was interested to review this book, I was more than eager to do so, because I found myself reading more and more of short-stories these days and I was interested to see what this book had to offer. I probably had way too high expectations from the book; naturally, since the book is a collective work of well-known authors in India. When I started reading, initially I was disappointed, but with each story it kept getting better and better and by the time I was done reading the last story, I started asking Google for the other works of the authors whose story I liked the best.

I'm not Perfect, and I Know it!

It is one of those days that I plan to do something and things just don’t go my way.

After a good rest (a bit too long, my mind says!) from the previous Marathon (I’m not sure how many more Marathons I would take up, so that’s the reason for the emphasis here) I had taken part in, I started training for the next big Marathon that is to take place in the city. With the help of three successive alarms at 5.15 am, 5.30 am and 5.45am, I was up and running in my brand new Adidas shoes. As expected, I was exhausted from the run since I was running after almost a month. I got back home earlier than I intended to, fixed up a cup of coffee and relaxed in the couch and continued with the book I was reading.

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Normally I go for swimming during the weekends but on this particular day I was exhausted and decided against swimming. The moment I decided not to head to the pool, I started feeling guilty. I was slightly worried, if this excuse would go on and on for some time, to the point where I would end up staying away from the pool forever. More than the pool, I was guilty because of the decision I had taken. I was wondering if it was alright to not follow the plan that I had charted for the day.

Ok Monday, Let's do this!

Come weekend, and all you hear and see are people's plan for the two days and a visibly excited crowd.

When I mention "plans" for the weekend it also includes staying at home, sitting on your couch and doing absolutely nothing.

Fast forward to Monday morning, after what seems like 8 to 9 hours, you realize that the weekend is over. “Do you know what is worse than realizing that the weekend just flew by and all the things on your To-Do list still remain to be done? It's the thought of having to endure a Moanday, sorry Monday”, a friend told me.

Human beings are a funny breed I tell you. God made men and women. God made the week with 7 days. People thank God for no reason on Friday and for no concrete reason whatsoever, they blame and curse and torture Monday. Thank God Monday is not a living being. Just imagine what it would have had to tolerate, just because a few people feel lazy to get up, get dressed and get to work or are just hung-over the thoughts of their weekend or put themselves in a bad mood just like that.

Of Travels and More!

God is very smart. Not only did he have the patience to create a whole bunch of men and women, he was smart enough to ensure that each one was unique. This is perhaps why it is always interesting to be around other human beings. You never know what you are up against, so you end up in a very complicated situation or a very funny situation. If you have a good sense of humor (and sarcasm) you would enjoy it. Given the monotonous lives of most of us, it does provide some entertainment. Like travelling in a bus, for instance.

If you are in Chennai, you would know that IT is almost synonymous with the OMR. A considerable number of the IT professionals who work in this stretch would have to travel — a lot, considering that the OMR is far away from the city. Luckily, most companies here are kind enough to provide bus facilities for travelling to and from work. Being a regular traveler, I get many chances to observe and learn about the different types of people you would normally encounter if you board an office bus.

To read the entire article please click here.

This article was originally written for Medium by me . Do come back to leave your comments! :-)

Running a Marathon!

Top Post @ Indiblogger

Picked by Blogadda

I'm not exactly sure when I had this urge to run a marathon. Most likely that it must have been around a year back when there was a lot of talk about the Wipro Chennai Marathon and how I got to know of a 10km run intended for beginners who were interested.

I was really never into sports. I used to play volley ball at school. I play shuttle (sometimes) out of a personal interest, given that everyone in the family plays the sport and it used to be a good way to spend time. When it comes to running, the only instances when I really had to run were 1. When I single-handedly destroyed Grandma's cupboard by swinging on the door, and I had to run before the glass bottles fell on me, and then I had to run away from the scene of crime till tempers ( Ma's and Grandma's) relaxed. 2. When I was playing with a few friends and out of nowhere a dog came and started chasing me. (I never knew I could run so fast :-D). Other than that, luckily I did not have the need to run for anything.

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

So back to the Wipro Marathon, I decided to train and participate, but it did not materialize. I left it without another thought as I wasn’t very serious about it. Then it so happened that I met a friend/colleague who was a pro-marathon runner. He made it sound fun and interesting. A split-second decision later, I decided to take part in a marathon, which would give me sufficient time to train. The same friend told me about the Dream Runners Marathon scheduled for June 22. Since we were in February at that time, I thought it would be the best option. Things just fell in place :-)

Challenge Accepted!

There is something about the way Barney Stinson says ‘Challenge Accepted’.

I was never a lets-take-up-a-challenge-just-for-fun person. I used to be content with what I do, and unless I see the need to take up something and unless it is essential I never venture into anything new for the sake of it. It so happened that even without my realizing it, I was stuck in a routine. Weekdays – work. Weekends – Shopping, Movies, Eating out, Hanging out with friends or I occupy myself with something to do at home. I can never remain idle, so I ensure I am occupied some way or the other. And one day, all of a sudden, I wanted to do something new.

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SpaceBarNotWorking

Wait. This post isn't about rectifying this problem. Honestly I've tried everything what Google said, except for physically removing the space bar and attaching it back. So after two weeks, I've finally decided I wouldn't play with it anymore and I'll be sending it to those who have the expertise to deal with such hopeless cases. 

Image Courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos

Coming back to the main intention behind this post, I've wanted to update something on my blog for a long time. My drafts and Notes were overflowing with ideas and I was not able to put them in the form of a post because the space bar developed problems and I was unable to type properly. I did try typing from my mobile and gave up almost immediately. I was thinking of those days when I would be stuck with the famous writer's block and how I'd stare on the Microsoft Word screen for hours, miraculously hoping that Word would provide the spark - an idea, which I could work on. Now I'm at the other end of the scale and the grass is not greener here either. 

Woes of a Foodie!

And that, ladies and gentlemen is why I'm never successful in my attempts to lose weight.

Because mom knows when I'm full and when I'm really full and when I can still manage to eat Poori and Kesari. :-)

The IT Way of Life.

Stressed. Depressed. But always well dressed.

This is what the world says about IT professionals.

I recently came across an article where it has been remarked that IT professionals did not have the concept of evening time. The more I thought to myself about it, the more sense it made. We get up in the morning, a few of us are lucky enough to find time for workout and then we hurriedly freshen up to leave for work. What happens during the rest of the day is slightly blurred. When people from Non-IT field prepare to leave at 5 that is when we head over to the cafeteria for a break. If we are lucky enough, we would be home just before our family decides to call it a day and retire for the night. We come back famished, hog whatever is edible and whatever we set our eyes on, wait for a while and then hit the bed.

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

Book Review: The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

You read some books and enjoy them. You read some books and relate to them. 

Some books make you feel happy. Some books make you feel sad. 

Some books reach out to your heart and leave a mark which you can never forget. 

This is one such book.

The Almond Tree is the debut novel of Michelle Cohen Corasanti and it takes us through the life of Ahmed Hamid and his family. It is set in the backdrop of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This is not the usual rags to the riches story, but it gives a very practical insight to the struggles faced by the families during the troubled times. What’s more interesting is that the book is written by a Jewish-American author who narrates the story from a Palestinian’s perspective.

When Ahmed Hamid was young, his family was forced to leave their palatial home. Just when they settle into their new life and their hardships, his father is imprisoned. Ahmed is left with no choice but to drop out of school and take care of his family comprising of his Mother, his sister Nadia, his immediate younger brother Abbas and two other younger brothers Hani and Fadi. Having witnessed the death of his two younger sisters Amal and Saira, he is determined to provide a living for his family and takes up menial jobs. Fast forward a few years, his tutor Mohammad coaxes him into taking a scholarship examination which would get him to the Hebrew University.

Shopping Escapades and More!

I've always wondered how people come up with memes and jokes when it comes to women and shopping. I've come across a handful and I've never been able to relate to them.  So I assume that, as is the case in many instances, people exaggerate simple things and come up with these jokes. Now, I'm a person with a good sense of humor and if I find it funny, I enjoy them rather than wondering how people could make fun of such simple things.

I think the main reason for not being able to relate to this is that, when I'm in the mood for some serious shopping, I go either with my sister or my mom. If both of them aren't available, I'd go alone. No one else is allowed when I'm on that serious mode. Something tells me, that when you're reading this you tend to go 'Aww' with a sense of pity and that you are painting a picture of someone lonely, longing for company, wishing that someone was there to accompany me. Sorry to break your bubble but my shopping alone experience is so much fun. Now that is for another day.

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

Winners Are Not Always The Best!

The other day on my way to work, I felt happy all of a sudden because I realized something very important. Winners aren't always the best. Sometimes, they are; but not necessarily always. That's mainly because winners are chosen based on the opinions of a few, who would not necessarily bring out the common opinion

You might wonder how this realization dawned on me. I was reading this book written by an Indian Author, which won a Booker Prize a few years back as a part of my reading challenge for 2014. I picked the book only because I liked the title 'The God of Small Things'. That's where the liking for the book started and I can pretty well say that's where it stopped. I told a friend that it felt like an 'Attention-deficit 10 year old narrating it' and she said that was the whole point. After I was told that it was intentional, I tried to read it the way I read other books, but I somehow couldn’t connect with it. (Now it's another thing that I ensure I complete reading a book irrespective of how bad I find it.)

This is just my opinion. A few friends said they loved the book and they were able to justify it. Just that, it was the same reason that I did not seem to like that book. Opinions differ of course and that's when I realized (after painfully reading a lot of review on the said book) that a lot of people did not like it either. Anyway that's not the point. The point is to not get weighed down when you're not the winner.

Conditions Apply!

One morning, at work.

Comic Strip Created Using Pixton

This happens to most of us.

Even before we're allowed to think (perhaps creatively) we are forced into a box and not encouraged as much to explore new avenues. There are a few people who succeed in pushing all barriers and coming up with ingenious thoughts. Unfortunately most of them who do succeed in this, are forced to encounter a more complicated breed of species who are highly impossible to deal with - Human beings.

Have you been in such a situation? Do share your thoughts.

Miracles do happen!

Have you ever witnessed a miracle? 

Sometimes, certain things may tend to fall in place only to fall apart eventually. 

Sometimes certain things seem to be going haywire, only to miraculously or mysteriously set in.

Most of the time, when we're in the process of doing something and it doesn't turn out the way we planned, we get annoyed. We also say 'God, I wish this turned out better', but in a hurried and half-hearted manner because we're more concerned about the final output than about praying to God, at that point of time. It's almost like you know it wouldn't happen, but you're just saying it because you've run out of things to say. It is basically just a formality.

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

Being let down by ourselves!

Naina's mom had no idea why her daughter was in a grumpy mood. Then..

Comic Strip created using Pixton

Some people might fight this funny or would conclude that Naina is a drama queen.

I've been in the same situation as Naina, at many times and I totally relate to her reaction. 

Being Ms. Always Right!

So one fine day,

Strip created using Strip Generator

Few facts which people ought to know:

Just because people don't argue with you, doesn't mean you're always right.

Just because people don't react/respond to what you say, doesn't mean you're always right.

Just because people don't argue with you, doesn't mean they're cowards. You have no idea how much they're controlling their temper/irritation.

So stop assuming things, if you have the guts to handle an honest opinion.

Everyone has an opinion. We might not agree with it, but we should respect their thoughts. That is why it is always good to rightfully disagree instead of justifying it and attempting to impose it on others. 

Agree to disagree.


(Hello :-) Just trying out my hand at these comic strips. Do let me know how it is. Suggestions are welcome!)

The Journey So Far.

I wanted to write this post two weeks back. But who am I to decide the fate of this post. It probably was meant to be written only now. The year is still new and people still keep writing the year as 2013 by mistake, so I here you go.

I don’t mean to sound clichéd, but as far as I can recollect I think the events and memories of 2013 would remain etched in my mind for a long time. Be it brewing my own cup of coffee for a few months or waking up purely with the help of an alarm, an activity which I wouldn’t have even attempted earlier. Since mom was away trying to welcome a new member in the family, I single-handedly tried and managed to run a household. Since I was home alone for a considerable time, that was then time when a few definitions were redefined.

Image Courtesy : FreeDigitalPhotos

I learnt that shopping also includes buying milk, veggies and stocking the fridge with not just ready-to-eat food items, but with the raw materials as well. I learnt that cooking was not just about preparing Carrot Halwa or baking a cake when I wished to, but an activity that would require me to prepare rice, Chappthi, Subji and other normal, routine food. I learnt it is easy to prepare the perfect cup of coffee/tea once in a while, and that preparing it the perfect way on a daily basis was quite a task. I learnt that cleaning did not mean dusting things once a quarter, but something that has to be done daily or at least on a weekly basis and not when I had to mood to clean up.

New Year Resolutions, Yet Again.

So, have you made a list of unrealistic solutions yet again only to throw them in the trash by the end of the first week? 

Or wait, have you made fun of all those who have the guts to take up a challenge and come up with the 'No resolutions for this year is my resolution' phrase yet again?

I recently read about how most, not all, resolutions fail to materialize because they tend to be way too unrealistic. By setting too high a standard for ourselves we give up even before we start. Some people might argue that New Year resolutions are no big deal. Of course. There is nothing special or great about a new year. If people believe that they have to start something, they can start anytime. Anytime is good, for a good start. Since people associate the beginning of a calendar year to a good start, they are tempted to take up a resolution. Now, that's not bad.

Keep your resolutions simple

Resolutions are over-rated and exaggerated. Sometimes people unnecessarily complicate even the simplest of things. Always remember the K.I.S.S policy. Keep It Simple, Silly. Resolutions are mostly associated with life goals and reforms. It need not be that way for all. The main idea is to instill a sense of discipline and judge how well one can survive with a few strict measures. Since we are the best judge of ourselves, we would know what excuses are genuine and what are not. We know what we are capable of and what we are not capable of.