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.

The Sunshine

Human beings are some of the strangest species to have lived off on the face of the earth. As complicated as we are to understand and comprehend, that much easier it is to make us happy and smile (Well, mostly). We meet some people and we fall in love with them and in return we start expecting something from them.

Most often, when these expectations aren't met with, we start feeling low and upset and let it affect us way more than it should. It’s hard for us to understand that if we can give so much into a relationship, why can’t the other person do the same? We lose ourselves so much into this little world of our imagination around ourselves that we forget about everything else. We do not care about anything or anyone else while that person might not be able to give us the same attention or love we need, and soon we realize that we are too deep into it. What I believe we do here is, we actually give away The Key to our happiness to the other person.

I came across this particular phrase some two years back. And unlike most quotes, this one has stuck by me through all this time. It goes something like this, “To be happy you must be your own sunshine.” It’s a very simple, yet profoundly beautiful thought. And I stick by it.

It doesn't matter who you love, who loves you, or what you want or need, as long as you know yourself and are honest about it and most importantly are in charge of your own happiness, nothing can ever go wrong. 

And well, if at all anything does go wrong, you know you are brave and strong enough to face whatever comes your way with that tiny hopeful smile you never forget to wear every day. 

Define yourself

Have you ever been asked “Define yourself in one word”? Yes? And how many times have you successfully without making a scrunched up face, answered the question and have been pleased about the same?

Most often we forget to learn about our own selves and hence when a stranger or a random personality quiz on social media asks us this, we end up hesitating as to how we would like to be defined as.

Now, by define I mean how we describe ourselves to understand our core qualities and attributes better and not how other people define us based on our appearance and mannerism, etc.

It’s very essential that we define ourselves, not to others but to ourselves. Its not for others, but it is only for you to understand yourself better. It’s definitely not easy; and I highly doubt there are many people in the world who know exactly who they are in every single aspect of life, know exactly what they want in every area possible, and also are 100 percent certain of every single thing.

At the end of the day, we are still growing and figuring out who we are and what we want. It’s an everyday process; discovering what your likes/dislikes, our comfort zone, a hidden talent, and how we have grown as individuals.

The point I’m trying to make here is make sure to define who and what you are and at the same time do not limit yourself when it comes to opportunities because for all you know, you were made for that job!

So, well, keep discovering yourself every day. You never know what you might find. 

365

365…that’s the number we normally associate with the number of days in a year. It’s one of the very first things that we are taught in school.

With each passing year rushing so quickly and as we enter another new year, it’s becoming so difficult for us to accept the fact that what we thought was just 2 or 3 years ago is actually a talk of at least 5-6 years back!

Though a whole year’s passed by and we go through four seasons, a birthday, countless holidays, growth, sadness, happiness, etc, it all still happens in those very limited 365 days.

We meet new people, travel to new places, try new food, make new accomplishments, buy new stuff, and try new things while we face our failures, lose ourselves; all in those very 365 days. We even realize that our juniors from school are applying to colleges.  

As we grow older and see things from a better perspective, we can’t help but feel amazed and astonished and also accept the fact that time is one thing that can never be slowed down by anything. It travels at its own speed and if you do not live in the moment or do what you have to do in the limited time allotted, you are going to miss out on a lot and nothing can ever be done about it no matter how much of a billionaire you are!

We are sometimes so insensitive and do silly things to pass or kill time; not realizing that time once gone can never come back. It is so limited and so precious, and I don’t think we should waste any more of this valuable asset.

So, go create new memories, make new friends, learn from your mistakes, learn new things, make someone happy, do what you've always dreamt of doing or simply just take that trip you've been wanting to take since forever, and do just about everything to make your 365 a successful one, the one without any regrets. 

A 90's kid!

We all hear our parents and uncles and aunts talking about how their era used to be. Whether it was the capability of being able to buy sweets and Gol-gapas at 10paise or talks of numerous fashion styles from their generation making a comeback, it sure seems like they are very proud of where they come from. There are decades of difference between their generation and ours, but one thing that no parent or uncle can come anywhere close to is being a cool 90’s kid is!

The best part about our time was the fact that Television had just made its presence felt and hence there were tons of “cool” funny shows and superhero series being made into cartoons and shows. These shows, though were telecasted only on weekends, the happiness one derived from watching Shaktimaan do the super spin was just unimaginable! And oh, what delight did He-man’s sword skills bring!

Whether it was amusing over the Ninja Turtles or learning to be the cool kids from the Swat Kats or simply laughing over Dexter and Dee Dee’s mischief; just talking about these things brings a smile on our faces. And oh, remember the Powerpuff Girls’ theme song? I still do!

Our summers were never complete without us saving the little money we would get and splurging on those ice popsicles; oh, those colorful juicy sticks of pure joy! Or buying the latest sketch pen set and glitter pens to show who the boss in the class is.

There are tons of other things that make us the “cool kid”, but there is nothing better than being from the 90’s!

The end is near

Being in the final year and graduating from college and having to think that the last three years has gone by in the blink of an eye; it’s such an overwhelming thought. Seems like we just entered college, with such enthusiastic and confused minds, yet ready to take over the world with whatever needed to be done. We were simple minded and happy and did not want more than just an approving nod and a little bit of fun.

Three years of college life; of waking up early and rushing to the bus stop to catch the bus, running to class to give the attendance, listening to some boring and some fun seminars, and also making funny faces while our classmates were busy making some presentations, and not to forget the endless backbench fun, screaming and doing everything to make sure that we uselessly whiled away the time.

Right from bunking classes and trying to escape from a seminar to getting caught by the teachers, from stealing others’ food to pitching in 10 bucks to buy an ice cream stick, from wearing creased kurtis to donning such beautiful sarees, from running around the teachers to waiting outside the staff room, from consoling others to having our own hearts broken, from fighting with the closest friend to making a new friend; this little journey which had no expectation or experience has taken shape of such an integral and beautiful part of our lives. It has helped us become mature, independent, understanding and compassionate adults.

Some of us have our whole lives planned out, while the rest of us are still unsure as to what they want to do. Some are going abroad for further studies, while others remained to stay and either study or work. But the most evident part is it’s all going to change now; the routine, the comfort zone that we created around us and everything that we've learnt in the last 3 years is going to be put to use now. 

Some might succeed, some might struggle, some might end up getting married and some might still choose to go with the flow. We do not yet know what or where we are going to be or what the future has in store for us, but we surely know that this is not the end, but the beginning of another beautiful chapter of our lives.