The 10 Secrets of My Life

Have I seriously taken up a challenge that requires me to disclose TEN well-kept secrets of mine to the world? Wow. I’m certainly turning too brave for my skin.
Well then, here are the 10 secrets that I’m gonna share with you today.

1. There are many of those times in my life when I get a severe attack of inferiority complex. From anyone – be it a good looking or well dressed girl I see, or an intelligent classmate, or just a fellow musician or guitarist. I can’t help but feel low, thinking how bloody useless a person I am. My friends won’t share my views on this matter though. Precisely why it’s a guarded secret of mine. :P

2. I am a trained Reiki healer. Well yes, I am, thank you.

3. I used to write poetry as a child, in fact even till a few years back. What makes this a secret is that I never show my poetry to anyone, as it is too personal and close to my heart. Most of my friends wouldn’t even know I write anything except a blog.

4. I’ve virtually been best friend-less for most of my growing up years. The one who was there for the longest time was, well, anything but a best friend.

5. I cry. Yes, that might sound like a very normal thing for any common person to do, but according to most people who know me, I am not one who would ever cry. Seriously they believe that! A few days ago I accidentally mentioned to a friend that I was in a bad mood and I cried, and he was like – WTF! Tu roti bhi hai? That hit me like a meteorite. So friends, know it - I do cry, and much more than you would ever think!

6. I listen to depressing songs. The soft, sad Westlife kind. Or the yelling-shouting Metallica and Evanescence kind. But not the usual lovey-dovey, happy songs I should be listening more to.

7. I was an absolute teacher’s pet in school. Not in the least intentionally, trust me on that. Yet I was like the apple of every teacher’s eyes. And from I got to know recently, most of my classmates hated me for that. LOL

8. I am a lazy person. Even moving from my place to fetch stuff from across the room is a task for me. My parents are fed up of my laziness and of telling me to work out and shed a few kilos. Hard luck there, I say.

9. I am prone to depression. Why, how, when etc is not gonna be part of this confession. But I literally struggle to pass days sometimes, without touching rock-bottom. Sure there are bright sunny days too. But scant and far-spaced.

10. I am freaking out right now. Half of the things I’ve just confessed were not supposed to be said. But now that the cat is out of the bag, I feel a hundred tonnes lighter. But I fear the consequences. God save me now. :P

With that, the first installment of the 10 Day YOU Challenge is done. And within this one day, I have managed to convince another friend of mine to take the challenge with me. Waiting for more daredevils to come forward! ;)

The 10 Day YOU Challenge

Exams are gone, and my spirits are soaring high again! And so I return today with a brand new segment on my blog. It's actually an open challenge I found on a blog some time ago, as part of which I have to write a blog post everyday for the next 10 days, each post giving a deeper insight into my life than I've ever given out here before.

So the first day it's gonna be about my ten hidden secrets, followed by nine things/people I love, with eight of my worst fears coming up next, and so it continues, till finally that one picture of mine.


Now, it isn't really cakewalk coming up with a post EVERY DAY for 10 straight days at a stretch! Besides, it's the kind of challenge that requires you to put your guard down completely, letting everyone know the real you. And that's the hardest part. But hey, that's why it is called a challenge, isn't it? And that's exactly what inspired me to take it up. Because it may sound ironic but I, despite being known as a social butterfly in all my circles, always find it hard to share inner facts about myself with people, even close friends sometimes.

And I must own up, now that I've taken up this challenge, I'm beginning to feel liberated already - as if finally ready to spread out my wings and fly. It remains to be seen now whether I'll be able to complete this challenge after all or not. For now, first post coming up tomorrow!

P.S. I would like my fellow bloggers to summon up the courage and time to do this with me. Trust me, it's fun! I look forward to knowing more about you. :)

Exam blues - already!

As I fix my daily dose of caffeine and get comfy into my Beanu (that's how I lovingly address my new bean bag), I take a look around. And by God, does it depress me. Books and books everywhere. Okay, not THAT many, to be honest. But even three engineering course books lying together give out an impression of a whole lot of them. You can't even reckon how fat and how utterly depressing they can get. And to think, I have a couple of engineering years still in front of me. Wonder how I'll tide through them without going insane.

Contrary to what you might be conjecturing up right now, my exams are not on. They're still a whole 5 days away. A SAFE 5 days to go. But at the risk of sounding all geeky and muggerish (did I just invent that word?), I have started preparing already. And because of my awesomely slow pace, I just hope to be able to scrape through the course by the time I enter the exam hall (as always). Amen!

Literally, come exams and my mind suddenly fills up with all sorts of fun things to do. My friends know me only too well to know that I get all restless and shifty as soon as the official 'exam-prep' period begins. My hands itch to write that one long-called-for blog post, my eyes want to read and re-read all those novels gathering dust on my bookshelf, my heart desires to watch those half a dozen movies that were otherwise lying isolated somewhere on my laptop. I suddenly find myself surrounded by a hundred options to indulge myself. It's as if these fun things always wait for my exams to approach in order to uncover themselves. And here I lie, flanked by my Automatic Control Systems textbook on the left, and a Database Management Systems book on the right. WTH. Why is life supposed to be so unfair? I wonder.

Anyway, my coffee is long finished and I can almost see my books beckoning me to pick them up and immerse myself in studies now. So I'll get going. But I have some good news to share before I sign off! There are some very interesting posts coming up right after my examinations. A 10-day YOU challenge I've been dying to take up. So till I come up with some awesome ME stuff, keep smiling and keep reading! :)

I love you Mom!

Mother of mine, you gave to me
All of my life to do as I please.
I owe everything I have to you
Mother, sweet mother of mine...

Mother of mine, when I was young
You showed me the right way things have to be done.
Without your love where would I be?
Mother, sweet mother of mine…

Mother you gave me happiness
Much more than words can say.
I pray to the lord that he may bless you
Every night and every day…

Mother of mine, now I am grown
And I can walk straight all on my own.
I want to give you what you gave to me
Mother, sweet mother of mine…

I learnt the above lines when I was a little kid, as part of a group song we performed in school. The only difference being, the word “mother” in the original poem was replaced with “teacher” to make it suitable to be sung on Teachers’ day. What sheer genius, I must say!


But when I learnt that the original lines were in praise of a mother, I looked again closely, only to find a beautiful expression of a child’s gratitude towards her mother. A little child may not have a sound vocabulary or a way with words to be able to express her love for her mother very articulately. But these lines clearly show how much love and respect a child’s heart contains for her mother. Whether they express it or not, and whether they may ever be able to own up to it or not, every child in this world indeed loves his/her mother the most. And today I want to tell my mother – I love you Mom!

It’s a very special day for me today. Why, it’s my mom’s birthday! We – that is my dad, my sister and me – try every year to do something special for her on her birthday. And yet, unfortunately we never manage to pull off anything worthwhile. My mom loves to be surprised and pampered (sometimes). But I admit, we suck big time at this ‘surprise-planning’ thing. So we end up disappointing her most of the times. Yet, today I want to let you know Mom – we try, because we love you, and we want to see you smile, not only on your birthday, but on all other days of the year too. We know we are a pathetic lot, but please try not to mind, and smile, because YOU ARE THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD!

Yeah, that's a happy little five-year-old me with my ever-beautiful mom.

I remember vividly those times when I would come home crying when some kid hit me or someone's mother scolded me for no fault of mine, and my mom, instead of going back to fight with them, would pacify me and tell me that I must fight for myself and not involve my parents like they do. It might have appeared cruel at that time, but this philosophy went a long way in teaching me to be self-sufficient and strong in life. Whenever I would fall down or hurt myself, which I did quite a lot, my mom would turn her face and pretend she didn't notice. All I could do then was to get up, brush off my clothes and be on my way. That made me tough. My parents, in such unique but effective ways, brought me up to be self-reliant, adaptive and generous, shaping my character beautifully.

My mom has been a constant guide and a pillar of support to me throughout my as-yet-short life. She stood by me when I erred and erred again. She has always tried (still tries) to understand me, my moods, my mindset and my thoughts when I don’t wanna explain. She might not say it very often on my face, but I know she loves me a lot (even more than my sister, I like to believe.) I have been the rebellious one, the difficult one, and as she likes to point out often, the expensive one too. And yet, she has borne my moods, my tantrums (few, though) and my growing-up so fantastically. The filmi kids very easily declare in interviews, “All I am today is because of my parents/mother/father”, though it’s not always the same feeling in their hearts. But as far as I am concerned, I can easily say today that whatever I am in life, it’s an embodiment of what I've learnt through my years – from my life’s experiences, the people around me, and most of all, my mother. My temperament, my beliefs, ambitions and worldview are for the most part a reflection of hers. And I am proud of it.

Now for a confession. I somehow, and I still don’t understand how, managed to hurt my mom a few days back. I didn’t like it then, and I don’t like it even now. But I could not bring myself to tell her that. And I want to apologize to her. So Mom, I’m sorry! Trust me, I didn’t mean to hurt you, though I ultimately did. Forgive me (I know you must have, already).

Mothers are so important. I wish every kid who thinks his/her mom is irritating, meddling, strict or plain bothersome, realized this sooner in life. Mothers are who give you life, shape you into someone the world would like to acknowledge. You are no one in this world if you don’t respect and love your mother. And if you have your mother’s support, there is nothing in life you cannot accomplish, take my word on that. So go up to your mother today, each one of you reading this, and tell her, in your very own way, that you love her. See the smile on her face, feel the love, and come back and tell me how it felt. :)

And last but not at all the least, WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Apostrophe it is!

It is not very common knowledge that it's International Apostrophe Day today. Google may not have celebrated it, but I would surely like to dedicate this post to it. And while I’m at it, why not as well share some good sources of info on the subject with my readers!

I admit to having been using the apostrophe (sometimes) in some inappropriate places in the past. Oh come on, everyone does it! But then a very kind reader showed so much grace as to forward me a very useful link on the correct usage of the apostrophe. I take this opportunity to thank the aforementioned reader again here for the gesture. It was nothing short of an eye-opener for me, given how great a stickler I am for spellings and the correct usage of grammar. Now I keep a strict tab on my apostrophes. I wish I hadn’t skipped the chapter on apostrophes in primary school. I was pretty lazy back then. Thank God for the internet!

I found this perfect example of an Apostrophe Catastrophe on a blog dedicated to just them. In this particular instance, the apostrophe should not have been there. Check out more instances HERE. You’re definitely in for some laughs!

To prevent such catastrophes from happening to you, I suggest you spare a look HERE for a nice and complete tutorial on the usage of apostrophes. I’m sure there are many out there who need a lesson on this subject. :P

A Beginner's Guide to Escapism

Escapism, n.
Merriam-Webster define it succinctly as "habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine."
Wikipedia defines it more vividly as "mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an escape from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general sadness."

We've got the picture quite clearly by now, haven't we? Escapism, as defined above, is an art in its own right. And an awesome art it is, I tell you! There are a thousand and one ways to practice it, and yet you can never be sure you've done it all. Habitual escapists follow a very simple rule – escape what you can’t change. No matter what the problem, there are always multiple ways to escape it.
I’m referring here to those lords of escapism who have a perfect escapist solution to every problem under the sun. Be it an irksome beau or a hard break-up, bad scores or heavy debt, they can escape it all.

I believe I've never had such an apt idea to write about - something that is so ingrained into most people's existence, and yet hardly ever goes noticed or spoken about. So here’s a beginner’s guide to the most basic of all escapist techniques, compiled and issued in public interest by yours truly - the biggest escapist of all time.

1. Music – the antidote to every ailment of the mind.

Plug yours ears and pretend the world does not exist. That’s what earphones and headphones were made for, weren’t they? To keep out undesired frequencies? Put that to use. Block out all noise, all thoughts. (And all unwanted texts and phone calls too)


2. The Pan Indian Movie Marathon
Drown yourself into an ocean of movies. English, Hindi, Tamil, Korean, Bhojpuri – leave not a single one unwatched. Watch movies as if your life depended upon them. Feast on a movie each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And before you even realize, you’d be a house of such gross ailments as would literally make you forget what you were trying to escape. Voila! Mission accomplished!

3. Shop, shop, till you drop!
Well, this one’s certainly not for those who are trying to figure out how to settle their infinite debts. Quite the contrary actually. This technique says, shop your way through all troubles. Spend all you have. Spend more than you earn, and more than you’ve saved. Man, will you reap multiple benefits! Your house will be filled with all those items you have always wanted but never needed, and soon you’ll find yourself neck-deep in such shitty debt that all your sorrows would just slink in a corner, feeling dwarfed.

4. Sleep your way through life.
This one’s my personal favorite. Sleep your way through classes; sleep your way through work. Put your phone on silent, keep the landlines away. Once you learn to sleep all day, evidently, you’ll start staying awake at night. And that’s when you can implement #2. Talk about burning the midnight oil. You can even be a daredevil and take a step forward. Sleep through your exams/board meetings/interviews and screw up big time. What better form of destructive escapism!

5. Play the Junkie.

Now this one’s what you’ve dreamed of doing ever since you heard that song Dum Maro Dum. Grab the chance now (not literally though)! Play it up on the impression, while playing it down on the reality factor (that’s what everyone anyway does with the reality these days). Wear hippie attire; don’t comb your hair for what’s like an eon and use those sleepless nights practiced in #4 above, in perfecting that “doped” expression. And then go about telling everyone you’re on dope. Trust me, it’s gonna give you the ultimate kick in life (albeit in the ass, if you’re not careful enough to exclude your parents and the 'Interpol sibling' from that “everyone”)

I think I'm gonna go on and write a book on The 1001 Techniques of Escapism someday. Till then, just keep practicing these simple yet powerful techniques with dedication and you’ll have a guaranteed bright future in the delusional world of escapism.

(Images courtesy - Google)

Sick and Chirpy!

Hey folks!

Okay, I have to admit I've been MIA from my blog for a tad too long. And as much as I hate to own up to it, the thing that compelled me to return to writing today is, well, illness. Yeah. Like most people around me, I am ill right now. Been so for the past few days, intermittently though. Be it common cold, fever, sore throat, sprained ankle, body-aches, over-exertion or bingeing (yes, I consider it a disease in my case), I've been there, done that in the past few days.

So, from great experience do I say, ILLNESS IS NOT GOOD. Neither for the mind nor for the body. It just takes away the joy from life. You may get food served to you in bed, or you may have people fawning over you, asking if you need anything, or you may get to sleep a lot (i absolutely love that part). But you might recall from the very last time that you fell ill - no matter how well you're being treated, you do not seem to enjoy any of it! What's more, you pile up the kilos lying around, and poor brain suffers severe damage working overtime, as you have got nothing to do all day but to think. All you can wish for in such situations is to get well soon. You crave for the sunlight, the chirping of birds, the sounds of wheels rattling on the road and the children playing in the streets. Or not. Maybe then for the hustle-bustle of the metro, a visit to the mall, a shopping spree, a class bunk or a hangout with friends (given that we live in a modern world, not the quintessential one I would rather have wished for). Bottomline - you wanna go out there, but all you get is bedrest and pills.

Come on, it happens with everybody. Working your butt off 24*7 for weeks at end, you end up wishing you'd just fall ill and get some days off to relax. Trust me when I say, that shall never happen. It's almost as if God's off on a vacation or he's outright forgotten he created you. But that's the whole idea behind an illness! It makes a grand appearance right at the time when you most wish it didn't. And that, my friends, is the beauty of His world. Illness brings along with it a deeper message from God. It serves to teach you not to take things for granted in life. Do your work diligently when you're supposed to. And do not wish for things to go as per your whims. Because if you do, you'll end up wishing they hadn't. God knows how to teach his children some great lessons. You'll screw up in no time, wishing you'd never so much as even wished. (well, yes, I've been spending my free time watching movies back to back. This prophetic sermon comes from my watching of a certain movie that might have really been dumb, but it gave rise to the prophet in an otherwise self-proclaimed sadist. Bruce Almighty all the way. :p)

Now for some real-world talk. Some of the things I really hate about being sick:
1. I have a low tolerance to the cold. So I take a blanket to bed when ill, and hence become the butt of everyone's taunts. "We're sweating like hell and rooting for the A.C. while she's cowering in a blanket. " Yeah, right.
2. As I said, illness come at the worst time possible. Holidays are on, and with a jam-packed schedule for the coming week, I hate having to miss anything. A school reunion tomorrow, movie the day after, followed by meeting with a friend who's coming to the city only for a day, and training visit the fourth day, I wonder what'll I be missing. None, God, please! :(
3. The very fact that I'm stranded alone, sick, at home on weekdays with nothing better to indulge in than watching movies and net surfing. Don't even feel like writing most of the time.

Signing off here with an earnest hope to recover ASAP! :)
Take care friends!