Weird instance of my sadistic humor!

I can be a real bad ass sometimes. Or a tease, or just really goofy - whatever it is you'd choose to call me after reading this post.

So around this very same time last year, I came across this wonderful blog that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The guy does write well (at least he did back then, since I haven't read his recent blog posts) and the blog was very interesting. But then something happened and my mind took a totally sadistic turn. It was nothing much really, I just happened to stumble upon a page on the blog that said 'Would love to know you:)'. Check it out, you!

Just one look at this page was enough to turn on that goofy button inside my head that turns me into a real troll. And so I set upon writing him some 'feedback'. I don't know how I came about writing all that stuff I did. Let's just say I was in exceptionally high spirits that night. Or maybe I was just high.
;)

Dude, your blog is great. I happened to drop by your blog as a result of a random visit to blogjunta, though God knows why I went there in the first place. The blog layout, the theme and the way you've described yourself and your "vows" were what caught my eye and made me stay and browse, more than your so-called "weird, supposedly humorous" new post. :P
Well...the post was very nicely written and that gives me an idea of how well you must write. I'll surely come back tomorrow to read more, as it's a little late right now and my eyes are drooping. Not that I sleep early or anything, but maybe I saw something that kinda made me sleepy. Which reminds me of the post which I was talking about. It was, as I said, nicely written. And the ending kinda made me think, "was this for what I read through this whole page?" But anyway, I'd like to read more posts to know more and be able to bug you more through this "feedback form". Wow, I love the concept. For now, goodnight and have a great day, maybe until you read this "feedback".

P.S. I took the pain to write so much in order to help realize your inner hopes/dreams/expectations of receiving lots of feedback through this simple form that you've painstakingly installed on your lovely blog. And I included those quirky and unnecessary details because you said above that one could write to you just about anything in or out of this planet. So I just felt like writing something. Not knowing what to write about except for praise for your blog, which I hope I have made very clear by now, I wrote anything and everything that came to my mind. Hope you don't mind. We're bloggers, and by that relation, fellows of the same fraternity on the internet, and so we have a certain responsibility towards each other. You getting me I hope.

Anyway, now I really can't stay awake any longer. Your profile might end up remaining open on my screen and I might fall asleep onto the keyboard. I wouldn't like that at all. Would you? I hope not.

I wish you read this feedback-cum-introductory-cum-friendly-banter letter with some patience and certainly not a hot head. And I hope you haven't reached hell and so, can reply. I'll be waiting. :)

You might as well visit my blog too, only if you wish to, that is. There isn't any elaborate response/feedback form that I provide there, but you may mail me at my email ID. I'd love to reply and get talking. You're kinda handsome too, BTW. ;)
Now again...goodnight!

That's it. that's just it. Every time I read it, I cannot help but wonder at what weird twist of my mind it could've been that made me write all that. That too to some innocent fellow blogger who must've put up that feedback form on his blog with a totally different intention altogether, maybe not even expecting someone to actually write to him through it. But the guy was a sport. He replied back through email, and in fact seemed really happy to have received my feedback! :P He even flirted a little. It was a fun little conversation we had on email. Now that I look back upon it, I find it an amazingly fun experience. Don't know what else to say about it. Cheers to my occasional weirdness that sometimes turns into awesomeness! :D

Choices

There are always two alternatives
To every decision big or small
The choices we make at every step
Will define who we are and what we get.

There are two roads at every fork
Diverging towards different ends
It's the path we choose to take
That will seal the destiny we make.


One choice will be easy
One road smooth and straight
It'll promise you ephemeral pleasure
But not an end that you can treasure.

The other choice will be onerous
The road jittery and uphill
The pinnacle would however afford
You a key to a blessed world.

The weak of will and purpose
Will always find the first choice right
But the one who treads the easy way
Loses sight of the goal and goes astray.

The one with purpose and strength of resolve
Will however choose the road less traveled by
For only he who can overcome hassles great
Will build for himself a serene fate.

For the love of everything that is So Delhi!

I am happy today, for the sole reason that all the hard work of this summer has paid off, and the website I was traveling and writing for has finally seen the light of day. It's up and running (in BETA mode though) and looks fantastic! I reckon I haven't really talked about it in specific terms as yet on my blog. Here it is then.

The website's called So Delhi and is basically a comprehensive, complete and exhaustive web portal on everything that's Delhi. It has everything one would want to know about the real Delhi - the best food, places, art and entertainment, recreation options, the city's history, culture, traveler tips and safety precautions, travel and hotel bookings, basic information about the city's infrastructure, insider tips and what not! But we all know all that information can be found on the Internet, then why is THIS so special and unique?

That is because even though all that information, or at least most of it, could very well be found on Google, but it would invariably be very scattered and hard to find, taking up a lot of your precious time. To find good food reviews, you'd have to choose one of the many different food review sites, and probably visit a handful of them before you're actually satisfied. And then to check out the best places to visit in Delhi, you will probably have to spend hours searching for genuine first-hand reviews and tips and might still not get reliable information on how and where to go. And that's precisely where the idea of So Delhi first originated from. The portal collects ALL of the aforementioned information, and much more, and presents it in a coherent, reader-friendly manner in one place where an enthusiast can find anything and everything in a very easy and organized way. I remember when I first held an informal sort of a meeting with its founders - a trio of young, well-educated and successful people - they were so focused about what they wanted from the portal and why they wanted to build it, I just knew this was going to succeed. And here we are, after long months of working together - and we're So Delhi!

The site's still being done up, and lots of empty spaces and minor glitches remain. But the overall impact at first glance is great. Check it out for yourself!

The green, white and black theme and the convenient organization of articles and reviews everywhere is really a winner, as is the content, as you'll find out once you go through the website.

Some of my own articles that have been uploaded include those on Red Fort, Purana Quila, Humayun's Tomb, Sacred Heart Cathedral, 3 Gurudwaras, a few museums and some general themes like pharmacies, Delhi Metro and civic bodies (NDMC, DDA). Several others still remain to be uploaded. And since I was obviously paid to write them all, they would not be credited to me on the website. But a few of my photographs are up there along with my name underneath. (For example, here and here). Proud feeling indeed!

Reviews on the website - its content, layout, convenience, look and feel - would really be appreciated. You could actually visit it and rate the articles there according to how useful and accurate you found them. And as is our custom, I would definitely not mind some feedback on my own work too. Bouquets and brickbats equally welcome. Cheers! :)

I'm a model now!

LOL. The title makes me double up with laughter every time I see it. Well, technically, I did model for a big brand recently, no matter how small (or unpaying) the contract might have been. But it still sounds so funny and impractical, at least to me.

Okay, facts first. Some time ago, right after the Dove Indimeet I'd attended in June and had written about here, I was approached by the Indiblogger guys with an offer to model for Dove's online advertising campaign. They said 5-6 female bloggers from the whole bunch of Indibloggers had been shortlisted for the campaign (compliment taken!) and I was one of them. I was asked for some photos of mine and deliberated with upon the style and text etc of the ad I would be appearing in.

That was however a long time ago. Way back in July.
Last I heard, the advertisements had been run on a few websites and neither Dove nor Indiblogger had cared enough to even inform the models that their ads were up, so that at least we could have had a look at ourselves being flashed somewhere on the web! But anyway, I pestered Renie Revin about it recently, and here's the result - a couple of screenshots of one of the websites where my ad was run for some time. Can't say it's much of a big deal, but it's the first time I have been offered a modeling assignment (LOL again :P), even if only online (not even print!) and short-duration. But I was happy to see my face up there along with the 'Dove' tag. Kind of a nice thing to have happened to me. :)

Take a look!

It isn't that hard to find me on those pages...or is it? I know, with so many beautiful women there...it just gets hard to know which one's me, right? Haha! And that blurry little text alongside my picture says 'Mahima, Author, Lifestyle Blogger'. They chose to make me an author!! That is so cool. I love Dove. No, really, I do NOW.

Now, considering that this is my second post in the last few hours, it must be evident that I am super vella today. Or maybe I'm just running away from some more important and pressing things to do and to think about. But whatever it is, I'm just glad I managed to write two posts within one night. *pumps fist in the air*

Feedback on the above pictures invited! How do I look? Model-like, no? (LOL...again :P)

My First Poem

I'm sure the title gives you a fair idea of what is going to follow, but for the sake of literary congruence - I'm all nostalgic today. And that I am pretty often these days, ain't I? Well, what to say...I just miss those days when I was a little happy kid with no serious issues or hassles, no real responsibilities or heartbreak in life. I would laugh innocently, play all day, study as if it was a storybook I was reading and cry only to get people's attention. But then, don't we all miss those times every now and then? :)

So today, while I was sitting all alone, pondering over where my life has brought me and where I'm headed, what else but the first poem that I ever wrote just decided to make an appearance inside my head. I thought I'd share it with you all, even if for nothing else but the sheer embarrassment at its randomness and my weird little imagination.


(Disclaimer: I don't remember how old I was when I penned it down, but I couldn't have been any older than 7-8 I'd say.)

The Funny Man

There was a man
Who slept in a pan
He ate fruit peels
And rode on seals.

Once he caught an animal
And thought it was a hare
But when he went back home
He saw it was a bear.

Wasn't he a funny man?
The man who slept in a pan!

*phew* That was liberating. Cute, wasn't it? :P But for someone who dreams of being a Booker prize-winning writer someday, 7-8 years is a tad too late to start writing, don't you think? Not really for me. Because I was always more of a story person than a poem one. I started writing stories of my own almost as soon as I learnt to make sentences. Before that, I used to make up stories in my head using common objects I could see around me (eg. A scooter, a lizard or a chapati) and narrate them in whatever little language I knew, to anyone who was willing to be entertained. And boy did I not have a huge audience! I do hear I was very cute back then. Just wish I could revisit those days and see myself as a puny little kid with curly black hair and mischievous eyes. :)

PSST...now that we're at it, why not take a look at the little 'me' that I've been talking on and on about?

Well...all thoughtful and pensive at an early age - that would be me.

And THAT would be the usually happy, super excited and mischievous me. :D

If Only

"I wish someone had told me it would be so bad...If only I had known I wouldn't live to see my children grow."

This is a common statement echoing through the corridors of the hospital wards that admit patients for alcoholism, chain smoking and their various harmful effects. Not that they have never been told so by people - it's just that addicts never fully realize the gravity of the situation they're slowly dragging themselves into, every time they light up another cigarette or drink another bottle of beer. It's always 'just one drink/smoke' until it isn't anymore. It just goes on and on, day after day, year after year, and finally, on their death beds does it dawn upon many how they wasted an entire life drowning the slightest of stress and worry in alcohol and smoke, trading many blissful years of their life for the temporary high that such substances induce.


I came across an article in today's edition of The Hindu (Do read here) that left me feeling sort of helpless and empty inside. The article describes the true story of a well-to-do young man who was inducted into a drinking habit by his friends and thereafter could not quit. He lost his job and all his money, and spent 3 years visiting the hospital every few weeks or months with severe abdominal illnesses. He lost weight, his body wasted and his abdomen got filled up with fluid till he could hardly breathe. He was at such a stage where all that could be done was to admit him for a day or two, remove some fluid from his abdomen and discharge him ever so often. And it was then, near his impending end, that he repented for what he had done all his life, and wished to set an example for future patients like him to learn from at early stages, unlike him. So he asked for a picture of his distorted ugly form from his last days, to be hung above the bed where alcoholics were admitted into that ward, so others like him could picture their future and get inspiration to quit.

Another article in the same paper (Read here) recounted a wife's distress at her husband's extreme smoking habit that led to a heart attack, an angioplasty, followed by a lifetime of medication, frequent disorientation and many other side-effects that she had a lot of trouble adapting to but did anyway. Moving stories, aren't they? Alas, if only they could move the ones who need them the most.

Why am I so deeply affected by such stories? Well, no one in my own extended family smokes, as far as I know, but I am surrounded by many people, friends and acquaintances who do. Ever wondered why a person standing across from you in a public place is coughing incessantly and appears to be cool about it? He's probably a chain smoker. He knows his immune system is compromised and he coughs and falls ill much more often than normal people. But he won't get rid of the root cause of all this evil, because he likes it. And also because he's weak-willed. Whenever I picture the sad end these people are so care-freely sauntering towards, it just makes my insides churn. What can I do to change their minds? To make them quit, or at least try to? How can I make them understand they are killing themselves, and probably taking many more lives that are closely associated with them too? Is sharing links and writing about the issue the only thing I can do? Questions galore, and they leave me thoroughly disturbed and wanting to scream.

You see, it is always a misconception amongst the youth that 'I am not an addict, I just drink and smoke occasionally, and within limits'. As I said, that's but a misconception at best. Drinking even one or two pegs of mild to strong alcohol five days a week - what people today consider limited drinking - harms the liver and decreases the body's immunity to illnesses gradually but extensively, paving the way for cancer, liver disease and Pancreatitis further on in life. Slightly higher consumption and the process just escalates, making one vulnerable to a host of grave diseases. Smoking has ill effects even more severe and fatal than alcohol. It is in fact a leading cause of preventable deaths the world over. Cancer, Heart disease, Bronchitis, other lung diseases - smoking only kills, no matter what. In addition, passive smoking leads to adverse effects on others' health as well, including a serious harm to pregnant women who are exposed to smoking, actively or passively. The last thing you would want in life is for your baby to be born deformed or with congenital heart disease, won't you?

Innumerable damages, and all of this for what gain, eh? A temporary high that helps you cope with the stress that could be managed in other, harmless ways too? I don't claim to even understand why. I agree, for a lot of people smoking and social drinking occasionally may be an inevitable part of corporate life today; but for the young, it is just a source of a kick in life - it is cool and fun to indulge in, and so they decide to do it for fun at younger ages, promising to themselves that they shall quit it later on in life for a stable and healthier lifestyle. Trust me when I say, THAT DAY WILL NEVER COME. The adverse effects that smoking and drinking have on your body in just a few years take a lifetime of care and staying clean to fade. So if you understand the unhealthy implications, you should also know it is never too early to try to quit. Start today! Reduce the amount and frequency of your alcohol intake. Refuse that one extra peg a friend offers you out of camaraderie. Reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke a day, cutting back on a few at a time. Keep going strong, put your foot down every time you're coaxed by friends to have "just one" and feel your confidence soaring with every passing day. And the day you finally kick the butt would probably be the happiest day of your life - the day you feel free from any sort of dependence or addiction, the day when you finally feel good about yourself. That day will make you feel proud of yourself - the one feeling that most addicts lack in life. Just make sure not to fall back into the abyss again - stay in control once you're clean.

If only people today had that willpower to really admit the risk they're putting themselves and others at and its implications, and were determined enough to overcome such petty addictions for their greater good. If only they thought not just of themselves and their so-called needs, but of their family, friends and dependents as well. If only they could see through the smoke and understand how non-profitable a deal it is between addiction and a real, happy, addiction-free life, the world as I see it would be a much better place. Give it a thought. Take initiative. Life's precious - live it, don't let it go to waste.


This post was a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda, and it got featured among one of the best entries.

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Coffeeliciously Yours..!

I make no bones about the fact that I'm an insane coffee lover. Expertly brewed coffee, cold or hot, just lights me up and makes my day like nothing else can. And now that we're at it, let me also admit that I don't really like the coffee I make for myself at home. But alas I don't own a coffee maker :( and I can't brew my own coffee, so I have to rely on the meager Nescafe for that occasional shot of pure coffeelicious pleasure. But the homemade coffee doesn't always satisfy my coffee-hungry soul. And that's precisely where coffee shops make an appearance in my life.


It is almost flabbergasting to see the practically infinite number of coffee shops that have sprung up over the last decade, cramming every single nook and cranny of the city. Metro stations, neighborhood markets, malls - look to your right or look to your left, you'll surely spot one or the other cafe within your range of sight. Not even kidding, it happens with me! Not that I'm complaining - coffee shops always save the day.

Or wait...maybe I am. I am complaining alright. Because even though I am not very finicky about the taste of my coffee, as long as it's averagely nice and loaded with caffeine, but the quality of service and ambiance at most of the coffee shops in the city today is so terrible, it pisses me off. But again, not ALL are that bad. Most Costa Coffee outlets are good when it comes to service and ambiance. Their coffee's pretty good, though I would rather stay away from their cakes and sandwiches - not a big fan of that stuff here. But all of that comes at a slightly higher expense than a poor little student like me can afford every now and then. So Costa is reserved for special occasions. :P

Barista Lavazza I have a pretty good though less informed opinion on. Not been to it a lot, but speaking from whatever experience I've had of it, the coffee is perfect, the snack bites are yummy and as for the desserts - their chocolate excess cake is to die for. Thumbs up to Barista! (Mental note: I should visit it more often)

Now for the real reason behind my frustration with cafes - Cafe Coffee Day! Agreed that CCDs were the pioneers in propagating the let's-get-together-over-coffee fashion among the Indian youth (as far as I've seen). And to be frank I used to love their ambiance and old look too. But with all those newly introduced irritating concepts like self service, the new menu and highly illiterate and non-courteous staff, CCDs are now a serious blot on the face of this earth. There's nothing on the menu really worth boasting of; even the best of their beverages have now been reduced to poor clones of each other with nothing much to help differentiate one from another. Add to that their incessant hunger for more money (that makes them charge extra for every tiny little thing - even those toppings that are mentioned as parts of the beverage on the freaking menu!) and the uselessness of the staff (which by the way doesn't serve as much more than a brigade of stone statues, since it's all self service now!) and what do you get? Bad experiences.

That said, I would surely like to point out that a few CCD outlets around town do offer good experiences to those who can ignore the minor shortcomings. Foremost out of them would be The Lounge chain of outlets by CCD, located in places like CP, Khan Market, Hauz Khas, Saket, Lajpat Nagar and Greater Kailash Part 1. The prices are much elevated, but the ambiance and presentation of food and drink is way above the standards CCD has set for itself. Take a look:

Another one of my favorite coffee shops would be the open-air Cafe Coffee Day right opposite to the Taj Palace Hotel in Chanakya Puri. The very fact that it is open air and spread over a large area, in addition to a majestic view of the Taj and nice sitting arrangements with greenery all around, this one place is totally worth enjoying a cup of steaming hot coffee with nice company on a rainy evening. Like I did a few months ago (see below).

True indeed. In the end, All I want is coffee.

P.S. A friend tweeted this amazing Oatmeal strip that gives great insights into the history of Coffee and a lot of interesting Coffee-related trivia. Must check out!!