Who is the real woman?

Are you this woman?

lately I have been going through some portraits of women from different artists and what I found was that all those paintings were of that woman who had a slender body, sharp features, big eyes, slightly bigger assets and a petite frame but with an attitude of a winner. So definitely the painter or the artist saw a  firm but powerful woman in his mind.

Photo credits- Shailism

Photo Credits -Piyush Das

But then I went through many of the real women profiles like of those who stood against the system, had a stronger voice, were creative geniuses and fearless travelers. Sadly I could not find one similarity in those imaginary women and the real ones.

                         This makes me wonder that what are we looking for in our girl? 

Who is it we are seeking ?

   Why cant someone draw a portrait of a real woman?

Will she not look desirable in her real frame?

I don't know. I am not an artist. What do you think?

Are we really a better generation?

“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

Every generation has a legacy which they leave behind for their younger generations and mind it, I am not talking about Agamemnon who left a legacy of rich Greek Mythologies including the Trojan War or even about the Great Augustus who brought Rome back from the ruins of Civil war. But infact I am talking about us.

What are we like as a generation?

I remember there used to be big talks about the "Great Generation Gap"  until couple of years ago when people were ranting and raving for change and change is what they got. It was the change of system, change of ways of making out, change of cuisines and change of the act of freedom. But have all these changes really changed us from a grounded human to somewhat in middle.

I know that we are not a bad generation and most of us are not barbaric so this means we did take some of the good legacies of our ancestors but then from where did we took selfishness, boredom and the likes and we became so aloof, so self-centered and so cold. Has all the "make a nice human being" campaign left us somewhere uncertain in life? There has to be a reason. Isn't it? I am afraid I don't know either but all I am doing is trying to find some answers.

It feels like a complete shift of scene and that is in a really good sense as now people atleast do walk out of their homes when they feel there is a need to louder their voices instead of sitting in front of their tele and blabbering "is desk ka kuch nai ho sakta". Also, now people feel free to shift careers or so to speak choose alternate careers and we are definitely not that afraid today to make certain alternate choices in  life then why when it comes to feelings we are mortified?

Hasn't it been a very long time that we haven't heard great love stories like those of Heer-ranjh, Romeo-Juliet and Shirin farhad. What could be the reason behind this? Is it the fact that now we tag all these things as clingy and cheesy?

Since when the love had transformed into this, some new kind of emotion where you pursue it like a career and when the time comes to switch the job then it hurts only a little. Since when has it become okay to not pay heed about others feelings? And since when have we learned to let-go so easily?

As I said I don't have answers to these but would love to hear from you. Tell me. Are we as a generation paranoid of showing affection and opening our hearts to someone?

Are we not interested in having a fulfilling, consuming and everlasting relationship anymore?

Are we just lazy and do not want to invest time, blood and money into the matter of hearts as they are very fragile and easy to break?

Are we a new kind of generation altogether and if yes then what is the legacy we will be leaving behind us? you know what I think? I think it would be "let -go". Is that enough people or should we consider some change. I think we should. 

My first meal alone

I am not a foodie to start with. I mean I do have my favorites like bread with aloo bhujia and ketchup, golgupppas, tea, more bread, more tea, Greek salads, oranges and some Italian here-some Mexican there and lets finish it with some more tea but that's about it. I don't literally crave for eating out in general.

You can call me a take-away girl. Yup, that's me. I don't have the liking for standing in crowded places and eating anything from chaat (which i actually like otherwise) to burgers. If I have an option then I would say lets pack it and go home and eat.

The thing is I have lived on my own for a very long time and at that time I developed a liking for eating in peace of my home(if you can call a PG or rented -shared apartment a home- for me it was HOME) and I think partly this is the reason of my behavior with having my food as take away. I know it creeps my sister and mom as they just loooove to eat the "famous chaats" then at there at its counter as it comes with its high of telling vendor to add some more green chutney and less of red chutney and then you get it in your hands with some sprinkling of pomegranate seeds on top which is great as when you take away chaat then you get it either all mixed up or packed with sleek ways in different containers hence they loose their charm of being a "chaat".

What I love? Well, it really does not matter to me what it is that I am eating today as on somedays I would just love to spend an afternoon with Mc'd burger or may be on other days I would buy something fancy like burritos and fajitas but I would take them home, change my clothes, wash face-hand and legs, make tea, switch on TV, scroll to a channel I like,  feet up on sofa and here I go -love the bite of whatever it is at that time. Ok so mind it, the basic requirement at this time is that I should be alone and should not be disturbed from my mindful-meditative state of eating.

I know that human being a social animal and yes I too enjoy the company of my close friends and family and hence I do go out occasionally with them but the thing is I HAVE NEVER EVER EVER HAVE GONE OUT AND ATE ALONE. I just get intimidated by this and I have no fucking clue why but yes if I am alone on some particular day and hungry then I will curb my hunger for until I reach the safe-land which is my home. Crazy me right?

A friend once asked me why I hate eating by myself and to that I said I kind of feel alone by doing this. I mean I get a feeling that I have no one to sit by my side and share a meal and laughter so why indulge in eating which is meant for soul feeding more than stomach and feel miserable about it. Picture this- you are sitting in a cafe eating your pizza or burger or whatever and on each table beside you sits a family or group of friends who are talking to each other, seldom laughing at pity inside jokes or just wallowing time together and you are looking at your meal and people beside you. Of-course you can distract yourself by reading a book or talking on phone but that's cheating right. To this he asked is it that you are afraid to be alone or be lonely? And I had to give in and could not argue anymore with him on this and since then I have thought about eating alone with only myself a couple of times only to mutter the same words "I want to have this as a take away..... please" at the counter. How pathetic I am right?

But lately, I have been noticing a change in the way I see life and stuff around me. I kind of became sound with my being with just myself. May be you get that maturity with age. Hell, ya I am ageing.
So now I do go to cafes a lot and write or read but still I only have had coffee or may be some cookies to go with it and that too I was not completely alone as I was with my book or my computer so I did not have to worry about people sitting on the next table and in fact I actually looked kind-of cool to them as I was a hot and single (I hope they assumed this) and a writer and with coffee- its a perfect story right. Ya I know I just pictured myself as Carrie Bradshaw sitting a cafe and writing "I could not help but wonder---".

But yesterday, as I was walking home in evening from dry-cleaners then I had this urge of Golgappas and thought will ask them to pack it for me in a nice take away package and will share it with all but as soon as I reached the place, the aunty who is the humble owner of that shop shoved the golgappa place in my hand and said with a generous smile "Beta, meetha(sweet) ya khatta (salty-spicy)" and it was like time stood still, breeze became softer, noises became calmer around me for a moment which was nothing less than the moment of truth and I muttered "Khatta aunty". She humbly took that Golgappa in her hand , filled it with chole(chickpeas) and aloo (potato), dipped it inside khatta pani and just then I peeped sideways to see who is giving me a glance of " poor she- eating alone" and surprise surprise I just didn't care and here it came My FIRST MEAL ---errr GOLGAPPA with
myself.

So here I was, happy in heart, peace on face and yummy golgapppas in mouth. I severed the moment and I think now I am ready to try complete meal by my self.

Happiness redefined.

checked your depression level?

“When you're lost in those woods, it sometimes takes you a while to realize that you are lost. For the longest time, you can convince yourself that you've just wandered off the path, that you'll find your way back to the trailhead any moment now. Then night falls again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and it's time to admit that you have bewildered yourself so far off the path that you don't even know from which direction the sun rises anymore.” 

― Elizabeth Gilbert

It's been long since you are feeling that something is not right with you and you have been trying to speak to friends about this feeling of yours but sadly in return you only hearing that "its all going to be fine", "Just hang on" and "you are just sad" but you know it inside that you are not "just sad". Or is it a friend of yours who has been trying to share his/her feelings with you lately and you think something is not fine with him/her then yes, its time you pay some attention to that friend of yours.

Actually most of us don't really know the difference between being sad and depressed and according to the DSM-5, a manual used to diagnose mental disorders, depression occurs when you have at least five of the following symptoms at the same time: (refer http://www.webmd.com/)

1. A depressed mood during most of the day, particularly in the morning
2. Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day
3. Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day
4. Impaired concentration, indecisiveness
5. Insomnia (an inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day
6. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day
7. Recurring thoughts of death or suicide (not just fearing death)
8. A sense of restlessness or being slowed down
9. Significant weight loss or weight gain

We all go through certain set of pain and grief in life after loosing something or someone we love, delayed success, work stress, a lost purpose and similar things like these and actually feeling sad is just a part of the normal living process but if its been days that you are having that lingering feeling of sadness and you are literally not enjoying taking part in anything, be it work or fun then it might be something more than just the normal blues. 

Not long ago, we heard the shocking news that Robbin Williams who is knows for his comic timings and great acting committed suicide after fighting a long battle of depression. On the outside did he ever looked sad? Well audience will say absolutely NO. And look at Deepika Padukone, daughter of a former Indian Badminton player and a successful actress recently informed media that she was battling depression while she was shooting for "Happy New Year" and said that "I feel that at times, the patient just wants to talk, and isn't seeking advice. But, well-wishers saying things like, ‘Don’t worry, it will all be alright,’ might be detrimental." 

These are not the only two famous personalities we know who suffered through depression as there are many more names in this list like Beyonce, Kurt Cobain, Rajesh Khanna and most beloved of all Amitabh Bachchan.

The news of farmers committing suicide is also not something we forgot and the fact is that Depression does not bias on basis of cast, color and creed and can affect anyone anywhere.

A little while ago India was named the worlds most depressed country and that's something to actually worry about. Now is the time we come out of our shells and take some steps on a topic which is this vulnerable.But what is the most important thing here? Well, it is to recognize that you are suffering from depression.

What you think causes it? 

Many websites claim that a sense of loosing something important to you can be a triggering factor in feeling more than just sadness which can be anything from a sense of identity, money, loved one or social status. Some clinical sicknesses are also the cause of it and one common example of this is Thyroid. But strangely these are not the only reasons behind this as most of the people simply say that they feel a kind of emptiness within. They feel teary for no reason and would breakdown on small provocations. 

Indian a depressed country-

The fact which WHO stated should be an eye opener for our country. Why you think Indians would be called depressed after-all we are the ones who tough Yoga to the world which is the known as the Happiness science but majorly as a society we all suffer from -

• Financial Burden
• Less or no sexual pleasure
• social pressure
• Lost identity

Wont you agree to this? Well aren't we all running behind money to fulfill our children and parents needs and abstain us from fulfilling our desires. Recently enough in an interview of Nirbhaya rape victim, he clearly informed that he had only had sex once before in his life and he was not the only one who lacks this. The society pressure is high for keeping sex sacred and not seeing it as a need is actually a curse. And when only parents will stop making blue prints of themselves? Khalil Gibran clearly stated ages ago that 

"Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you."

For full poem -http://www.katsandogz.com/onchildren.html

Its time our schools start teaching these things in Moral science class. 

Is their a recovery apart from medicines?

Yes, there is but actually it depends on the severity of case. If you feel that you still have control over it then make small changes in your life and it should help.

1) Talk to a friend or a confidant- Its important that you have support at this moment and people who you know can offer you help and support when you need. Please make sure you choose this person carefully as the last thing you would want is listening to sharp critics from this person when you confined in him/her. So, go back in time and think who was that 3 am friend in your life and ask them to support you and if they truly value you then they will come around. But don't loose hope if you don't find that help outside as remember you are a strong person yourself and you can do this on your own.

2) Journal Writing- Its important that you get to the root cause of the issue and maybe at this moment you don't know what that is so start penning down your thoughts. It is technique followed worldwide and has helped many in discovering their true potential in life. Make journal writing your daily habit like drinking water. Look at this time as your "me time" and connect with yourself while writing.

3) Start Exercising- We have been reading this for a long time that exercise helps in releasing feel-good brain chemicals but when you feel depressed then exercise is the last thing you want to do. But if you push yourself and start by including some basic exercises to begin with and then increasing it slowly on a daily basis then this surely will help you. Any kind of exercise which connects mind and body is good for you. Try and include some yoga, tai chi or even normal walk in to your daily routine.

4) Start eating healthy- Are you kidding me? Healthy eating? Really?

Food is often considered our comfort zone and we either neglect it completely like a punishment for body and soul or indulge too much into it to offer pampering when feeling low but the key is to eat moderate and timely. Start mind full eating and its a good habit to reduce the 3 big meals in to 6 small meals which are spread throughout the day as by doing this you are keeping your gut happy for longer time and a happy gut means happy you.

5) Find your passion- Yes this is very important as mostly people suffer from feeling lonely and being left out when everyone else seems to be moving on with life and at that moment if you have something to keep you busy then that will impact less. Also, who knows you might just find your purpose in life while doing something you love. So what is it which interests you? Is it Dance, Music, Pottery, Photography. Cooking or even Gardening. Take up a small course and indulge yourself  completely in this hobby.

Things are often easier said than done so try and help yourself but if that seems to fail then don't shy away from taking medical help. But remember "If we are all alone than we are all together in that too (PS I love you)"  

Also let me know how you take care of yourself.

How am I doing?

Oprah in an interview said

"The common denominator that I've found in every single interview is that we want to be validated. We want to be understood. I've done over 35,000 interviews in my career. And, as soon as that camera shuts off, everyone always turns to me and, inevitably, in their own way, asks this question: 'Was that okay?' I heard it from President Bush. I heard it from President Obama. I've heard it from heroes and from housewives,"

"I even heard it from Beyonce in all of her Beyonce-ness. She finishes performing, hands me the microphone and says, 'Was that okay?'"

We're always seeking approval — whether from someone you care about…or from strangers.

 Basically it shows that everyone who is alive on this earth needs validation in some form or other. It does not matter how rich or poor the person is and how famous or infamous that person is, all he or she seeks is validation and acknowledgement from others.

Its not surprising that validation is mostly considered an evil personality trait as this basically proves nobody has confidence in themselves and all they are doing or performing in this world is to please others. Everyone wants to be liked and appreciated by others. There is no performance which is entirely focused on make only oneself happy.

5 examples one comes across on almost everyday life showcasing validation at its best:-

1) Your mother who is behaving like Nigella Lawson lately and makes your food with love and affection and what does she seek from you? Appreciation of her food art? The moment you tell her that salt was little more in curry she becomes defensive or at times gives you that long face and you will be like "its not that bad actually. Its nice.. very nice". And what happens next? Your mother will go extremely happy with a broad smile on her face and while stuffing your plate, she will say "Take more sweetheart" and you are like "well, sure mom".

2) After the first kiss the guy secretly wish for a validation from you. While rubbing his hand on his hair he will say, "Umm so, how was it?" And you are like "ummm its was good". And you can see his chest protruding with confidence and that aloof hand coming behind your back to actually hold you like a lover after getting validation that you liked his first act and then well well, Viola.

3) If you are creatively inclined and are working on some sort of art work, be it paining, sculpting, acting, writing, poetry and many more of such things then you also want Validation. All the creative people will agree with me on this to some extent. Yes I know that people create out of happiness and desire to create something and at that moment it does not matter if anyone will care about it or not but the moment it is finished you want to show it to the world and you secretly seek validation, even if it is just a tad bit.

4) A fashionista when dresses in her favorite pair of tights and tank top, carefully picks the right accessory and those tall heels and peep toes towards her office, all she seeks is people to admire her beauty. Yo baby Cleopatra on walk.

5) You buy your new house or new car and what do want from your neighbors and relatives and colleagues? Well simple, you want them to appreciate your purchase and tell you stuff like your decision was better than theirs and you are like "I am so fucking smart".

But, validation is not always the "bad boy" on the block. Imagine you are a kind of weirdo in your family or friends circle and everyone seems to not understand you and then you meet someone who actually appreciate what you are doing and you feel like finally something makes sense.

Your brother always made fun of your song collection and then you meet someone who shows the exact same playlist to you and you are like "wow".

There are good sides and ugly sides of this one big word. If you are stuck in wrong job then no matter how much validation you will get you will know this is not giving any satisfaction at all. Hence I would say, live life on your terms and do what you feel like doing as that is what will make you happy at end of the day. And if time permits why not ask for validation but make sure whom you ask from as the last thing you would want is someone jealous placing you down. And if that's the case then why not go to that mirror and ask that beautiful person how you are doing? You will get the appropriate answer at all times.

Gone Girl Goes Feminist

“Tampon commercial, detergent commercial, maxi pad commercial, windex commercial - you'd think all women do is clean and bleed.” 

― Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

After reading these lines in the latest thriller novel "Gone Girl" I started observing Indian commercials and guess what? Indian Women are multifaceted as they not only bleed & clean and clean & bleed but have many more passions in life. For details kindly read till the end.

After diligently watching commercials which are basically the main theme of any Indian channel where the actual program runs in between commercials, I found that India commercials for women are split majorly in two categories:

Below 30 VS Above 30

why 30? Well you have to know that 30 is when the early sign of aging starts appearing like fine lines and wrinkles - I bet I cant see either one of them yet BUT as per our AD guru's its the demarcation age between young and was young. Hence the products recommendations are as per the category.

You don't agree with me right? wait till the end and you and I will be on same page.

As per advertisements, if 30 is the last year of being young then you gotta get married before that. You are not? OMG, then all your life you need to suck it up and choose products which are not in your favor.

For women below 30- I mean of Young category as per commercials-

These are ravishing beautiful women and are the dream girls for all men out there so these women got to apply long lasting lip balm, body splash- whattagirl, she is seldom engaged in subways or escalators with her d-man after using one of such ravishing engage deo. Although I want to bring this to your notice here that the guys in women deo commercials are not that roasting hot ones like the women in men deo commercials are. What a low standard for women huh.

This women mostly drinks coffee and that too made by her man. However, if she has a creative spree hidden somewhere inside than she might as well drink TAAZAA and will embark on a new creative career in life. So much for a tea, I tell you. (This actually can fit both the genres)

These women will also have to focus on their skin tone. how can I forget that. Its damn important after-all, all the marriage ads on newspaper read "want educated, homely and FAIR girl" so use the challenge which failed creams of countries like japan and usa etc and reduce to many color shades. Yippeee. Now you can get married darling.

For women above 30- I mean of  "Was Young" category as per commercials-

These women are soon to get fine lines and their husbands might not love them anymore so they better start using products from a wide range and mind it "sooner the better", be it "the one product which makes them sorted for the day" or "can use 7 days challenge of another cream".

Now these women are "The Indian Women" who cooks, cleans, yes bleed also, changes nappies with happy face, take care of toddlers with more happy face, takes care of husband with choosing low cal oil and with a motto of being fittest and not just fit, takes care of daughters hair after debating in her head weather "khule rehne do ya bandhe rehne do" and love her son by offering his friends delicious food in order for him to be selected in gully cricket.

They also wash hair which is mostly in a challenge of 7 weeks or god knows how many fucking weeks. She does not take much bath though as that is left for sweaty husbands and soccer lover son but she sometimes goes all natural with NO SOAP beauty soap. She also cooks diligently as she uses special cookers and ofcourse "jo beevi se kare pyar wo isse se kaise kare inkaar". Please keep in mind that this women also are efficient in selecting her red chili powder as "chun chun ke dekh parakh ke koot koot ke nikhre jo- mirchi hum apnaiye wo- xx ka teekha laal " and for everything else she has XX ke asli masale sach sach with uncleji promoting the brand with passion.

And of course after using all those 7 weeks hair challenge she got to use the Eau-de-natural hair dye which is so perfect that her husband and son won't recognize her so if you have that detective spree hidden rather than the creative one then this is the product for you. Just use the dye and your son will tell you mistakenly all his plans taking you as his sister. viola.

So you see Indian women are multifaceted. If you are less than 30 then all you need to care about as of now is to use nice makeup, clean and shiny hair but do not sweat about letting it loose in windy times as your conditioner will take care of that and if that also fails then you have your own stylish at home remember, that hair dryer. Relaxed now? Good. lets move forwards. Apart from beauty you only need to have fun as your after 30 life is with lots of work baby so use all that perfumes, go out with friends, and wear summer flower dresses, drink green tea, play stapu with children and just chill.

And if you are above 30 don't loose hope. The world is not that bad for you too. Yes you will do lots of work but sometimes your macho husband will wash clothes for you too and will buy you a house, car and once you grow old than the son will do all these things for you. So you also just chill.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Huh I am sorted now.

Zero visibility

Early morning # Delhi # Thick Fog # Cab ride

If you are one of those lucky people who leave for office early morning at 6 AM like me then you ought to read it.

Just like any other day, I got up at 4.30 to get ready for office, bathed after having 15 minutes long argument with brain,  almost ran while doing chores, as always time was running behind me...literally.

I get in cab almost in shivers of chill and an hour long journey starts to office and what do I see, think ...damn thick fog.

The kind of fog where in some thriller english movie captain says.. we are passing through zero visibility and then boom....goes our story to a new angle. But nothing of that sorts happens here...my bad luck.

In my cab, the suzy miss chat box sleeps the very moment she sits in cab, the gentlemen whose fancy cell phone is out if order also sleeps in pain of his missing sound box, snory guy , well I rather not comment about him.. let his snores rest in peace, our mam in action has, well I guess dozed off into deep deep slumber..

And what am I doing...enjoying my wierd imaginations about wierd things in life and listening to songs collection of radio city which is as always one good song between 4 bad ones.

You guys njoy your morning cab ride.  I so wish people are not dozing in your cab.
Amen

You can hurt me - you can hurt me not!

Have you ever wondered how much of pain and tears we have wasted in our lives due to someone else's jerkiness towards us?

Image from http://www.deviantart.com/

All those teenage years passed in picking rose petals while chanting you love me -you love me not. Isn't it strange that how desperate we become when we develop this strange desire to be liked and loved by someone we barely knew until few days ago. I sometimes wonder if this desire is completely self aggravated or it has some sort of psychics attached to it. How on earth that one person gets so damn important to us in the whole world. All our energies are towards him and him only. All we want at that time is to be approved and paid attention to. I guess nothing much has changed since teenage years. Girls will be girls and as my dear friend Pi would say " women are the sole problem of this universe". I don't really agree with him but don't differ completely also. This emotional market is due to us - the senty types of creatures amongst the two.

No matter how mature we become, we still wear our heart on our sleeves and we love those cushy mushy, lovey dovey things, well most of us does, I guess, err, not sure though.

I had a friend in college whose boyfriend would collect all the movie tickets, restaurant bills, restaurant tissue papers (believe me, its weird but he did) and miscellaneous things like this which would have memories of both of them and then on one of the valentines days he gifted her a book with all those things pasted on each page with their pictures and some stolen love quotes from famous writers and we all went aweeeee after seeing that. I wonder if he had her poop tissue paper also but never asked her, only two of us giggled and kept that as a secret inside joke. And what happens next valentines days? Any guesses? She finds out that he had one more girlfriend in his home town from last 3 years and we went whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat after hearing that but silently felt that anyways it was too good to be true. LOL

Well, doesn't it makes sense? If everything goes like a Bollywood movies and the only important task of a guy is to love her, hold her and protect her from goons then OMG I am suffocated.

Jokes apart, I remember that friend and she was shattered for days and why should I lie when I myself have suffered some major heart breaks and even though I have never experienced heart failure, I can vouch that the pain of heart break is nothing less. You do feel like the end of the world and would cry a thousand rivers. But nothing at all makes sense after a certain period of time and do you know how much the melancholy songs and gifts industry is booming because of us. There were days when we only had some flowers and greeting cards and now we have a whole range of greeting cards, love cards, heart break cards, special chocolates, custom made gifts and key-chains and stuff toys. You name it and its there for you.

So rather than all that jazz and drama of emotional heart failures and rather than increasing the emotional business  of these people who cash on your love, pain and feelings, lets play another game of you hurt me - you hurt me not.

Why on earth we ever gave that much rights to someone we hardly knew to hurt us at first place. Listen to yourself when you say I can't live without him. Why cant you? Your life was perfectly fine before he arrived on that non available imaginative horse and when it could have been fine before him then it will surely be fine after him.

I know there was love and there were desires and may be dreams and now all that is gone. SO ? So, its a good news. How many times do you get a clean slate? You have the power to write a new story on that clean slate. Let go of all the resentment and make a plan and just go with the flow. Who knows, you might end up meeting with a lost part of yourself somewhere in the meadow.

Most important, make a decision to not let anyone hurt you. Its on you. The power is vested in YOU.

Winning end of 2014

Year 2014 came to closure and what a year it was, completed with some out of box experiences, unexpected fun with unavoidable delays in few projects but all in all what a year!

Today as I look back and see how the last two years in Delhi have shaped and changed me I feel quiet pleased with the results. In 2013 where I was completely lost and infact I assume I was suffering from some sort of dimetia where I didn't know what to expect next and came 2014 and came some plans and I was my best self who loves to plan and execute, who is always upbeat for a New Project. And I happen to complete 3 out of 5 of my goals and thats not that bad. Actually its more like 3 and half of my goals.

1) Trekking Trip -

The year 2014 started with a bang where in February I got a chance to break free and go for a mountain trek, Naag Tibba. I always loved the idea of trekking, hiking and I guess in wildest imaginations I have trekked K2 also. But to my surprise the trek was smooth, difficult at certain areas but all in all a life changing experience. I still can not forget the time when I opened the zipper of my tent on an early morning and the zipper won't function and to my surprise I realized that it was jammed due to snow. The view from top, the adrenaline rush, few mad boys posing top less pictures at the peak, bonfire, chicken curry, cup of tea in frozen hands and many stories and laughter shared around the fire. To read more---

http://pawarnewwriter.blogspot.in/2014/02/naag-tibba-trek-introduction.html

and

http://pawarnewwriter.blogspot.in/2014/02/naag-tibba-part2.html

Some Unreleased videos -

2) Art Of Living-

Well I always wanted to do this course and its from the time I heard my friends aunt doing it and it was way back in college. I expected to go there and learn some meditation and come back with something new in life but little did I know that I would end up learning more than I signed up for. Little did I know that I would meet people who will become my close friends with time. Little did I know that my mentors will be my mentors for even after the course. This experience was just out of  the box for me. From nervous I went to serene. From scared I went to exhilarated.  To read more --

http://pawarnewwriter.blogspot.in/2014/05/art-of-living.html

3) At work achievement -

Well until yesterday I was thinking that I only got two of my Big 5's but just clicked that I did get promoted. Ok relax, I know its less and mostly not a big big promotion but guess what its worth mentioning as a big 5 as I was close to not getting it. So here I am Master Analyst. Chuckles.

4 and 5 are somewhere close but I am working on the two and will surely get it done in 2015.

Apart from the "Big 5", I got to visit Bangalore twice and both the times it was just more fun than the last time. I made friends for life and I am too glad for that. Had some fun family time. In short, when everything seems to be hazy and you can't figure out life then just let it be. Go out and have as much as fun as you can.

cant stop laughing

posers

i kicked some popo

Yes ofcourse, I learned many things and had some weird experiences. Like learned the importance of fitness and developed a love for it too. Got my hands on writing and enjoying the process. Understood how brain of people work in Delhi and stopped taking things too seriously. Met some wonderful people and have decided to let go of some. Had tremendous fun with friends and loved ones. Somethings I felt was a sure shot win which I lost and some I still wonder how on earth was so easy. As I introspect the days went by, I can easily frame the whole story. Well it really was something unexpected. All most everything turned exact opposite of what I would have imagined and I am glad it did.

A friend recently asked what do you want to do in your life and the only response I could give was that I want to smile, laugh and be happy. 

looking forward to the new year and still have to make BIG 5 list of 2015.

For now I would like to extend my warm wishes to all of you out there and hope that you all were also able to achieve what you had planned for last year. Let me know what was that.