Why does a student not LIVE LIFE ??

WHY ARE WE CREATING ROBOTS DEVOID OF EMOTION AND NOT COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEINGS???

Our Country and its Education system is a classic example of how it can wreak havoc in an otherwise Happy - go lucky students life. Yes, I too have been a student and have gone through the same desires, struggles, hopes, crashing of dreams and so on. Only difference being day by day and Year after Year the competition and stress has only got tougher. Coming back to our Original question, why are we as Parents, teachers and society as a whole not instilling values like humanity, honesty, integrity, compassion and Spirituality in our kids. Why do we only care about how much marks, how many degrees, how much information he can repeat and so on.Why do young adults take drastic steps like ending their Lives for a couple of digits which we call as Marks/score.

Marks - The role of these digits in the bigger picture of Life 

1. They do NOT guarantee Success in Life.

2.  They do NOT guarantee Money flowing in your Life.

3. They do NOT guarantee a Happy and compassionate human being.

4. They do NOT guarantee a Soul which found its purpose.

5. They do NOT guarantee a better World.

The above list could go on and on. 

Marks are only a general reflection of how much we understood our Lessons. How much can we apply our learning and understanding of the topics we were taught. Whether our concepts our clear and time management good enough to apply those concepts. Yes, they are important but not the end of the World. Its only a small aspect in the bigger picture of our lives.

 A humble request to all parents and Teachers - 

Say - IT'S OK for everything that goes wrong to your child/student.Tell them - I am sure you can learn from your mistakes and do better in Life. 

The Fear , The rejection , The stress would just vanish from their young innocent minds.

We owe it to them. We owe it to our next generation.

Transition from silly fights over Dairy Milk to boys to marriage…….

Transition from silly fights over Dairy Milk to boys to marriage…….

A dairy milk slab peeked out from the front pocket of the white school shirt and I kept on staring at it like it would just pop out from her pocket and land straight in my mouth!!!! She took it out and neatly tore the wrapping. With a glance in my direction and a sweet smile she peeled away the golden foil too and without wasting a single moment she broke the pieces and put it in her mouth one by one. Alas! she ate it all and I was left gaping at her like a kid lost in the woods.

This was the moment when I decided I had to be friends with her, after all she got dairy milk to school everyday! Soon it was final exams of third standard and she got the seat next to me. I helped her with most of the questions and from there onwards the seed of our life-long friendship was sown.

Sakshi shared her dairy milk everyday with me and we chit chatted whenever we got the opportunity in bus, playground, between classes, restroom, corridors etc. Silly girlie talks, calling names to the teachers and dreaming of becoming the most popular girl in school – all this and more were our hot topics of discussions. We got nail paints to school and applied it on our toe nails when the classes were boring! We giggled and made fun of girls with oiled hair. Ahh the best incident of Junior school I remember was when we both started a rumour that the skeleton in the Science Lab was real and that skeleton got alive at night and roamed around the school!! And this news spread like wild fire in the entire batch and the classes were full of terrified girls holding hands and shrieking and crying! Most of them were scared to visit the rest room alone. Soon our Teachers got the wisp of this rumour and there was an emergency meeting in the Assembly Hall where the Headmistress scolded everyone and said all this was utter nonsensical rumours. The teachers wanted to know who started this rumour but they never found out the true source. We both heaved a sigh of relief!

Senior school journey was equally fun-filled and laced with jaw-dropping and awe inspiring incidents. Our being a girl’s school, we all used to be starved to lay our eyes on Boys. Whenever there was any guy in the school campus for some club meetings, inter school competitions etc., our entire group used to loiter around in their vicinity for some reason or the other. Ahh those snide remarks and incidents of bursting out in helpless fits of giggles without any rhyme or reason are so close to my heart. We both flirted with the same guy named Abhishek and he used to claim being in love with both of us!! What fun we had on his expense without him realising that we knew about his lie. Then after a couple of weeks, we both decided to embarrass him about his hopeless two-timing skills. I added my friend on conference while talking to him and she kept silent. In midst of the long intimate conversation between me and Abhishek, Sakshi exclaimed “Ohh!!Really so you are in love with her”!! He went mum and then quickly hanged up the phone. He could never face us again!

We went to the same college and carried dove soap bars, face wipes, lipsticks, liners, nail paints and what not. The rest room was our favourite place to wash our face with dove on one side and feel the difference just like the models in TV Advertisement! Then came the make-up session where we applied glosses and lip paints and pouted in front of the mirrors! If I bought the new shade of nail paint, Sakshi would buy the lip gloss and we shared it between us. Innumerable times we were caught for sprucing up and preening ourselves in the classrooms and were asked to Get out of the Class.

Time flew by and we got married in different cities and now we hardly get time to talk to each other. But once in while that we do, it seems as if we can pick the conversation from where we left weeks ago and start off like there was no time gap in between.

Its soo true that we can’t choose our family and relatives but can choose our friends. But sometimes I feel we both were destined to be friends and did not really choose each other….

This article has been written as an entry to the Indiblogger Contest : Dove Guessing game with my friend.

http://www.dove.in/en/Products/Bar-Body-Wash/Bar/Cream-Beauty-Bathing-Bar.aspx

https://twitter.com/search?q=#DoveFaceTest

5 ways to get back the control over your Life!

Yes it’s true most of us do not have control over our own Lives. There have been innumerable times when we realise that time just whizzed past us and we have not done anything material. It seems as if the “Time Goddess” is laughing at us on the face and chiding us on our incompetence to value our time and as a result our life.

There are times when we are so stuck up in completing mundane tasks and errands that we completely lose focus on our ultimate Life goals. We just keep existing instead of really Living our lives. Don’t you think its high time we took stock of our lives and actually Live our Lives.

Here are 5 ways on how you can get back the control on your life.

MIT’S(Most Important Tasks).

Important Tasks should find a place on your List which you take for granted. For starters include atleast 3 MIT’s(Most Important Tasks) in your early morning routine so that you can start your day in a more focussed style. For eg. my MIT’s include Praying to God by thanking him for everything in my life, a brief chat with your loved ones, a few minutes of quiet time to yourself with your favourite cuppa of tea/coffee/juice. In my quiet time I think on what I really want to achieve in my Life and how I see myself a couple of years down the line. Then I think on whether I am doing anything about how I see myself say 5 years down the line. For eg. if you see yourself as a successful author then are you writing for atleast an hour everyday. Success never comes overnight. Behind every success stories there are hours of hard work, dedication and perseverance which goes unpublished.

Result Oriented Focus

Focus more on the Result you want to achieve rather than the process of achieving it.

For eg. if you want to throw a party where everyone has fun then you should be concentrating more on friends and family feeling comfortable rather than matching the crockery with the napkins! Since most of the time we are stuck up in the process we lose focus of what we actually set out to achieve in the first place. Once you focus solely on the result you will realise that you can achieve your desired outcome with a much shorter and simpler TO-DO List.

 Choose & then Act.

Stop running with the flow. Choose what you truly want to do and ACT on it. If you choose to wake up early in the morning then make an actual effort to sleep early and wake up at your desired time. Most of the time we want to achieve a lot of things but keep complaining and cribbing about the lack of time or we simply are too easy going on actually making an effort to change our habits which have been built up over time.

 Love your Work

Don’t do things which you do not enjoy or simply hate doing it. Each and everything that we do in our everyday life should be done with a lot of enthusiasm. For eg. if you do not like ironing then simply delegate it to someone in your home or get paid help. In some cases where you simply have to do it yourself then think of it as if the task is giving happiness to your loved ones. For eg. you hate taking out the trash each morning, so while doing it you can think of how this important task of yours is keeping your home hygienic and your family members healthy and happy. Then think of whether you will like it if your home stinks of garbage and your family feels unhealthy. This simple shift of focus in your thought pattern will make you love the Task that you are doing.

 You are special!

Please yourself first. If you are not happy then others around you can never be happy.

Happiness is an emotion which should basically flow out of you onto others. If you think of sacrificing and compromising all the time to make others happy it will result in a total fiasco. How can you give something to others which you yourself do not possess?? Do not do things you simply hate just to please others. Live your life the way you want to. If someone does not like you or appreciate you then it’s the problem of that person not your’s.

Facts About Me - For a Contest

Facts About Me - For a Contest

Kareena Kapoor said in Jab we Met “Meri Favourite hoon main”(I am my own favourite). I too reciprocate the same feelings with the same intensity. I have always loved myself more than anything and anyone from my childhood days (without feeling guilty or self-obsessed about it!).

Indian tradition and upbringing ingrains the principle of putting yourself last. Whether be it something as small and mundane as eating your favourite dish or something as big as making others happy by sacrificing your own wishes! I have never believed much in this principle. Yes, it does feel good when we are the reason for the smile on someone’s face but not at the cost of your own smile. According to me, it is possible to give something only when we have it so if we ourselves are in happiness and joy then only it can flow from us to the others around us.

So everyone out there fill yourself with joy and happiness up till the brim. Reach that blissful state where anyone and everyone who meets you gets infected with your joyous nature. Go live that Magical Life which you deserve and help others too in the process of Living their own Magical Lives.

Now fulfilling the award criteria...

Firstly, A big Thank You to Madhavi for nominating me in this contest. I am truly grateful to you for this opportunity.

11 Facts About Me

1. Loves to debate & argue can also effortlessly change sides while at it!!

2. Blissfully unaware of the dirty Politics of our Country, work-place, between relatives etc

.

3. Loves company of people whose conversations have “actual substance”.

4. Just cannot stand people who are always grumbling & complaining.

5.Simply hates people who are continuously blowing their own trumpets & then keep    comparing you with others! 

6.A die-hard romantic at heart who secretly loves all the mushy books, movies etc.

7. A big follower of the book “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne.

8. A crazy reader who reads everything from books, magazines, newspapers, labels of ketchup bottles to advertisement pamphlets which do not even concern me!!

9. Passionate Writer too & now a Blogger!

10. Loves her Family and best friends and can actually do anything and everything for them.

11.Knows her mind & Wants to Live her Life Queen Size in her own style.(Preachers, dominating people, intruders of my privacy – Please STAY AWAY)

Here is the reply answers for her nominated questions:

  1.  Your favourite person in life(can be friend, cousin, teacher, etc) not personality..

             My hubby, my better-half , my life-partner – the love of my Life!

        2.  Ever frightened because of a dream?

             Many Times. I used to see that I am going to give exams but I do not know which paper it is.

  

3      3. Describe you in one word?

         Extremely Positive-emotional-lives life too fullest type of a person.(Not Possible in One word!)

    

   4.  Reason that why you like the person most(that you mentioned in the first question).

       He is an amazing human-being, very true to self, does not feel let down even in the most 

       trying circumstances and moreover he keeps me happy all the time! 

   5.Your realistic target in your life to achieve

     Best-Selling Author to a couple of books which is read not only in India but in other countries    also.Live a happily ever-after married life, Globe-trotting while experiencing all the wonderful things on offer, Help the lesser-privileged people in my own small way & so many more!

   6.Ever helped an unknown person?

    Many times but in very small ways like dropping them off to their destinations, explaining the address to a place, giving my contacts and links if they require etc.

   7.Fun or most memorable moment in your school life?

     When I was punished outside the class but still managed to sneak out a Love Story Book with the help of my class-mates and was reading it while standing outside & ended up getting caught by some other teacher. There are so many more but this was the first one  I remembered.

   8.Are you frequent dreamer? If so, what kind of dreams you get?

    Oh yes! I am a very big dreamer. I dream in my sleep as well as I dream in my wakeful state! Mostly I dream about regular, everyday stuff.

  9. What is life according to you?

    According to me, Life is to be lived to the fullest without any feelings of regrets despite the hitches & glitches it will present in our journey. We are in this world for a reason, recognize your passions and your call of Life and strive to excel in that. Fill yourself with happiness and give the same to each and every person you meet in your journey. Do not keep grudges, Let Go, Wake up to a new & fresh day every morning. Live each day of your Magical Life like it is the most special day for you.

  10. If are a super-human, what will you contribute to this world?

     I would love make sure that every human-being on this planet lives a beautiful life where their basic needs are fulfilled and they can fulfill their own dreams. A healthier, happier place where people go to sleep every night thinking ”Wow!day well spent & Life is so good, so beautiful.

  11.Last question and which is aspect of my blog you like it most? Look&feel or Writing.

     I absolutely love the look & feel of your blog. It is very attractive & makes you want to just keep staring at the screen! Keep up the Good work!

  

• .                  

Now its time to show my gratitude by nominating 11 bloggers, who have less than 100 followers, maintaining their BLOG space without any messy things and writing as their heart say!

Here are my questions followed for the nominee bloggers...

1.       One thing you would love to change about yourself.

2.       Your favourite book/movie which you can read/watch again and again.

3.       Sweets or Spicy stuff.

4.       Early-riser or Late-night person?

5.       Which aspect of blogging do you love the most?

6.       If you meet God one day, what would you ask him?

7.       Do you believe in Luck?

8.       Is it possible that a person can fall in love at first sight?

9.       Do you think that happiness comes with money?

10.    One person in your life you miss desperately..

11.    Your views on my blog.

**Here are the details on receiving this award**

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves. 

2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've nominated to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post
4. Go to their page and inform them.

Nominees ARE:

1.       http://divyavirmani.blogspot.in

2.       http://nehagverma.blogspot.in/

3.       http://snehal-tripathi.blogspot.in

4.       http://www.sandyspeak.com

5.       http://shimmeringsunshine.blogspot.in

6.       http://vanduchoudhary.blogspot.in

7.       http://shreshar.blogspot.in

8.       http://kaapizone.blogspot.in/

9.       http://gayathri-writerdiary.blogspot.in/

10.    http://manjulikapramod.wordpress.com/

11.    http://sayantini-bhattacharya.blogspot.in/

Post this image for the award

Congratulations to my dear nominees!!! Though I have not commented or interacted with some of the above mentioned nominees, I have a visited their blog and liked their layout/appearance or most importantly their writing. I wish Blogspot also had a “Like button” like facebook!

Have your blog award that motivates you and KEEP blogging...

Making that BIG 1st Impression - What to Gift??

Making that BIG 1st Impression - What to Gift??

Today I am going to share one gift shopping experience that really drove me crazy...

This post is a part of contest at BlogaAdda.com in association with Badhai.in

“Can I help you?” said the sales girl in a polite but stern voice. I looked up a tad embarrassed and managed to utter “Umm..Actually I am looking for this perfect gift for my fiancé and his parents too.” She replied “Ahh..that’s what is taking you so long”. I checked my watch and felt the hot rush of blood colouring my cheeks with embarrassment, I had been roaming around in this 500sq ft Archie’s Gallery from the past 2 hours!!! Well it was not exactly my fault that I had got engaged a week back and my would-be and his family were settled in Coimbatore while I was in Kolkata. I had to send a nice-personal-appropriate gift for my fiancé and in-laws which would make that perfect first impression on them. So while I was searching around for that particular item which would bowl them over completely!! I made a quiet exit from the shop holding my head high in a fashion which clearly indicated that this-shop-stocks-nothing-worth-buying.

My friends told me nerve-wracking, heart-shattering stories (ahh okiee I am exaggerating!!) of how the courier services could lose your parcels or deliver only part of the parcel. I was clear on the fact that I did not want it to happen to me. Moreover, I hate packing parcels. Somehow I can’t bring myself to wrap strips-after-strips of cello-tapes on the gifts enveloped in bubble-papers or foam to safeguard them and then go through that nail-biting session while waiting for the gift to reach. I decided to make my best friend to tag along with me in my pursuit of finding that “perfect gift”. After a mini-research of around 5 minutes with the other shopaholics’ friends of mine, I had zeroed in on a gift shop in this fancy and glitzy shopping mall. After a hunt of 3 hours, I had just managed to pick out an office-desk accessory for my father-in-law. I was in two-minds about everything I saw, the fact that I knew my in-laws and fiancé from just past one week did not help either. I mean how to know if my mom-in-law would like a book or a show-piece, whether my fiancé would prefer a mushy romantic gift or a practical gift-of-use. Moreover, I had no clue about their colour preferences too.

Every item my friend picked out from the rack was rejected for various odd reasons like “I think this can break-in-transit”, ”Gawwd! not this. It ll look silly.”, “Umm..are you sure he ‘ll like it?”.So back went to the rack the cute double-heart photo-frame, a soft toy, a nice perfume as well as a leather belt watch. After a till-my-legs-would-break search of the mall, I also managed to pick out this really Smart informal Shirt by Tommy Hilfiger for my fiancé along with a cute personalized crystal with a picture of both of us. I was having a high-level category of serious bout of doubts on whether my fiancé would like the checked shirt I had just purchased.

Mom-in-law is supposed to be the most important person after your marriage with whom you have to compulsorily get along. Hunting for the perfect gift for my uber cool and modern Sasu-maa was an uphill task. She was really finicky and choosy was also a setback in the procedure of our hunt for that perfect gift. Finally, after a lot of persuasion and some real hard looks by the shop-owners I managed to settle for a smart and exclusive Guess Bag.

We were lucky enough not to get thrown out of the shops where I did my best to extract all possible information on what can be the ideal gift for your mother-in-law! Pleased with myself, I returned home and started packing the gifts excitedly. But as I told you, courier packing was not my cup of tea, so finally after repeated failed attempts it was delegated to my household help. The courier was sent and I waited with butterflies in my stomach for the review on my gifts. Now I realized how authors, directors etc feel when their creation is launched to be dissected in the full glare of the public eye.

The courier reached, gifts were received, a polite thank you call came and lo behold! It was all over. I was quite pleased with myself till I got married and started living with my in-laws. Then I discovered to my utter dismay that my fiancé already had that Tommy shirt in a different colour I had sent for him, my MIL was not into carrying shoulder bags but she preferred hand clutched ones and my FIL also did most of his work from home and that office-desk-accessory stayed in the cardboard box container probably to be taken out for gifting purpose in the future. Ahh!! How I wish Badhai coupons existed that time to save my face from this tiresome and embarrassing episode. They could have used those coupons for online shopping or maybe I could have gifted a spa experience coupon. It would have made my first gifts to my in-laws so memorable and special.

This post is a part of the contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Badhai.in