Darkness

It was yet another similar night
To the one before that, and one before that
She lay awake in her bed
Hoping for her eyes to catch
A glimpse of a few dreams.
For the mind to dance
To the tunes of subconsciousness.
For the empty feelings to stay rested 
And find solace in the garden of utopia
And not fret over the next day's surprises.
But all she could do was lay
Lay still, and awake, in the dark
Waiting for it to consume her.
But the shadows never came
Nor did the fantasy of bliss, 
She had been reading about.
As usual, as always
Even the pills couldn't stop 
Her thoughts from the synchronization
Or fill the void within.
Only the swelling under her eyes increased
While she hoped, she could just get
One proper night's sleep.

Sleep

As she lay there in the dark,

Fast and still

She waited for it to come crashing

Down on her.

The heaviness of the long day dug deep into her skin

And she thought of the word 'Hope'

The dark twists that word brought to her life.

The countless hours she spent fixing her fragile broken self,

Of the kiss that still sent chills down her spine.
Her thoughts raced to the pain she felt near her heart,
She could swear she felt blood seeping
Through the thick layers of clothes.
But she knew she had to let it pass.
The inevitable would shut her eyes,
As she prayed for it come quick,

The scene played out in her head.
How pretty it could have been,
If it hadn't had to go so ugly.

And then it happened. 
She felt a sudden tingling, yet relaxed sensation,
taking over her body
Her head started feeling light, as her heart beat slowly reduced,
Nonchalantly drifting into an oblivion of dreams,
Till she couldn't feel the pain anymore,
For it ceased to exist.
Just like her own self.

In the moment

How often have you spent some quality time with yourself? Have you ever seriously considered taking that long pending vacation that you have been dreaming of since forever? Have you ever done something really crazy and felt completely refreshed just out of the sheer excitement and thrill? Have you ever done something just because you wanted to and simply because it makes you happy? Have you ever tried living in the moment?

There are so many breeds of people; some are by their very nature very bubbly and are always chirping and happy while others remain simple and quiet, and there are some who I like to call as the silent killers.

Amongst all these kinds of people, how often does someone choose to do something merely out of curiosity? Out of doing something out of the ordinary?

There are so many who just come into this world, take up whatever profession they get, live because they have to, earn some money, get married and grow old and eventually perish from the face of the earth. These people may hardly be recognized for anything remarkably different. They come, they go; nobody knows.

The point I’m trying to make is, in these fast busy lives and technology-crammed world, we human beings are forgetting the importance of simple joys and more importantly creating memories for ourselves and just for the sake of putting up statuses and pictures on various social networking sites.

You don’t really have to “live in the moment” for others around you, or to simply try and copy the actors from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara, or even because I’m writing about this and suggesting that you do, rather do it because you want to; you will either like it or simply won’t. Atleast you’ll know, then? Even atleast understand yourself better? 

The best part about living in the moment is you’ll look like a fool at the moment! But that's okay, trust me, for when you look back months and years later, you’ll have nothing but a smile on our face and happy tears in your eyes. No matter whether you are the hyper crazy person or the quiet simpleton, I’m sure you’ll reminisce over the fond memories made, because these memories made for a huge aspect of your lives and no one can ever take away that from you.

Of hopes and dreams

I don’t know what that dream you have is. I don’t know what it is about, nor do I know what it means to you. I don’t know how passionate you are to get to achieve that dream. I don’t know how many hardships and mental and emotional turmoil you would have undergone in the process of attaining this dream. It may be possible that you may have put it up on the top-shelf and will pick it up again sometime later, or you simply are really brave enough and determined to go on and accomplish the goals in hand immediately.

It is also possible that some of you might have given up by now, due to too many disappointments and failures and lack of motivation to try harder again. It is naturally easier to give up, than to keep trying again and getting kicked again and again. You might start losing faith, start questioning your belief and even self-doubt as to whether all this hard work and perseverance; “Is it all worth it? Is it ever going to repay me?”

All I can tell you is maybe not now, but some day, that one day it surely will. All your hard work, your sweat/blood/tears, your emotional/mental/psychological tension will be rewarded.

There are a lot of people who prefer complaining than making a change in a situation. There are also some who give up even before trying. Anyway, there are thousands of reasons not to try and chase your dreams. And many would say there are millions of reasons as to why you should actually try and work on your dream. But I say, do it for yourself. Do it because no one else is going to do it for you. Do it because no one else can ever tell you your strengths and weaknesses, for they are yours to discover. Do it because when you are done capturing that dream of yours, you’ll have that sense of accomplishment like no other! I like calling it “Pure happiness”.

So next time, you think about a task and wonder if either you are capable of doing it or ponder over the possibility of a failure, just remember the words of Sirius Black (One of my all-time favorite characters), “What is life without a little risk?” 

Beauty tips for the summer

Summer is almost here, and it’s that time of the year where we make all kinds of precautions to stay fresh and beautiful. Though it’s the time where you would want to get into your shorts and head out to beach, there are some beauty rules that have to be followed to prevent looking tanned and flushed out. Here are a few tips you can use to stay fresh this summer...

- Wear a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. This way you will not tan yourself much nor will you affect your skin.

- Bath at least twice a day with cold water. This will help cool off your body heat and prevent you from getting acne.

- Washing your face 3-4 times a day will soothe you. Splashing water on your face as often as possible will help your skin to stay fresh and prevent dirt and germs from resting on your face.

- Drink a lot of water. Consume at least 8-10 glasses of water to remain hydrated. Also consume loads of fresh juices to get the glowing skin.

- Applying the cubes on the face will keep your skin fresh and shinny.

- Do not use scrubs daily. It will remove all your natural oils. Use it once a week to exfoliate your skin and to remove black heads.

- Your feet need to look good in summer! Make sure to massage your feet at night before sleeping to prevent them from looking like a disaster. A regular pedicure is a must.

- Prevent your lips from looking chapped and dry, by investing in a good lip balm.

- Try to avoid wearing make up as much as possible. Even if you do have to wear it, make sure you invest in water proof makeup. 

Walking down the memory lane

It was just another day and I logged onto Facebook to simply browse through the recent updates. One of the first things that I had noticed was an Invite from my School admin asking all the past pupils to come join the Alumni meet, 2014.

That’s when I’d realized that I hadn't visited my Alma Mater in over a year! I was so busy, caught up in my own little world of TV shows and college friends and assignments that I hadn't visited my school or contacted any of my teachers for so long. And that’s when I realized how much I had actually missed my school, how much I had missed walking through those gates, singing Hymns during the mass and secretly taking the Teacher’s Stairs just for the sake of the thrill.

As I walked through the familiar gates of my school, I smiled at the bahadur who still remembered me. I looked around and saw all familiar faces, students from batches before me and some after me. A warm sense of belonging washed over me, as I gleefully decided to take the Teacher’s way, which is prohibited to be used by students. But since I was no longer a student, I took it anyway. Some nuns passed by, unfamiliar faces. So much has changed over the years.

School days are indeed the best part of one’s life. It lays the foundation for the virtues and values you believe in later in your life. It determines the kind of person you would become. The kind of friendships you make, the things you learn, and not to mention, the interest you develop then makes you the person you are now.

As I went and took my seats next to my friends, I noticed some of my teachers sitting on the side. Memories washed over me, as I remembered the classes I had taken with them and all the times they punished us for either not having done the homework or causing some sort of mischief in class, or simply for not plaiting your hair neatly with a center partition.

I remember saying a thousand times that I would never go back to my school, that I’d hated it, and that I never really learnt anything useful or productive there. But when I look back from the time I left school, I've realized that I have changed a lot as a person, but what remains intact are the values and virtues my Alma Mater had instilled in me.

Whether you are from a convent school or a Hindu-based school or even the school of Islam, schools, undeniably lay the groundwork of your character and attitude and no matter where you go and what you achieve, you will always have your school memories to look back to.

Walk a mile

As human beings, we are such funny creatures. Coming from the same Homo Sapiens family, we do not see the few minute detailing and specifications each person comes with. We look at a person and judge them instantly. Whether we judge them and assume that they may either be good with the possibility of a helping tendency or maybe he/she is a cruel person or probably they are good for nothing; in the end we still do judge them.

It all comes down to perceptions. Attitude. Experience too, in some cases. But what we fail to do is to try and put ourselves in their shoes and let ourselves ponder over why do they do what they do? Why does the small boy near the Gandhi Statue beg to the passersby? Why does a mom act so protective of her daughter? Why does the guy in the first bench hardly ever talk to anyone? 

I wouldn't say I don't judge people, but the recent events have made me contemplate my beliefs and thoughts in a very peculiar way. 

One simply does not know the importance of what he/she has. But if the same thing happens to someone around them, they would do anything to get that thing back! One simply cannot understand the things that they are not meant to, and they would probably do so only when the time is right.

We do not know to what extent we might go to protect and safeguard someone we love. But if we are ever put in a sticky situation like that, we might just end up finding out.

We, as human beings always want to please others around us. Whether it is a friend or a colleague or just a random group of people, we try so hard to impress them and fit in. We also always end up loving someone who would hardly care about us but we still give them more than we can.

If you ever go lose a good friend, are experiencing a heartbreak, or just confused about people in general, know the bitter truth that nothing lasts forever. Think of it this way, you were better off without them. Or you were meant to have more special people in your life, and hence you had to make room for them.

No matter what you do, where you go, who you meet, what you eat, know that there is a Supreme Power above us all who is going to make things okay and help us figure out our lives. And always remember to walk a mile in their shoes once; you don’t know their story yet.