Colours I'm currently loving!

1) CORAL

In the last month itself I've shopped for quite a few coral items- coral tops and shirts, coral lip colours and nail lacquers but I just can't get enough of it! I love how it gives you a pop, without being loud or in-the-face, and the element of sophistication it adds to your look. I love the colour so much, I would even love to do up my living room in this shade.

2) LIME GREEN

There was a time when green, all shades of which, fell into my list of most hated colours. Gladly that phase has not been long because oh how wrong was I! It's such a bold and bright colour, lime green especially, and spells fresh in caps. I suggest wearing not much of it at a time, maybe neon nails, as a contrast to an all white/black outfit, or a sheer neon blouse. Beware though, it's not a colour for the faint-hearted!

3) FUSCHIA

It's the only colour which can be strong yet demure and feminine at the same time. And fuschia lips! Sigh! I save it for the special occasions ;)

Don't these make black and white seem so boring?!

(All images courtesy pinterest.com)

Life Lessons #1: Keep Calm and Ignore

It amazes me sometimes how much each day brings for us in learning. We've all already learnt so much and there's still such a long way to go, one of my most valuable lessons being the importance of being thick skinned in this world.

I for one am very sensitive and when somebody says something to me, good or bad- I tend to take it very seriously and it permeates all the way inside. Combine this with a short temper and a quick tongue and you have the recipe for disaster. A disaster for your personal wellbeing. I never really believed I could change that about me, but time has a way of doing the impossible. And for this impossibility turned possible, I am truly grateful.

Abhishek Bachchan's character says in Guru, "Agar log tumhare khilaf bolne lage toh samjho tarakki kar rahe ho", and I couldn't agree more. At every nook, turn and corner, are people who are unhappy, with themselves or with your success. They are insecure; and for many of them the best cure is to spread the negativity. They will take aim and try to hook the leash in you. The leash filled with anger, frustration, jealousy or unhappiness. And this can be done in so many ways; they will speak with you badly, try to put you down, treat you unfairly, or hundred other things. Don't give it a holding. Because when you do, when you let these things affect you, you are indeed spreading the pain. The best way to deal with it- think of your thoughts as a beautiful garden, and when you let something unpleasant affect you, think of that as allowing a dirty pig through the gates of your garden and letting it eat away at all your pretty little flowers. So lock the gates tight and very consciously decide who and what you want to let in. If all you do is react to people, then who is the real you? Respond, in a way that suits your personality, not theirs. Besides, I strongly feel that when somebody misbehaves with you it speaks volumes about their character and upbringing and very little about you.

Bottom line: Keep Calm and Ignore! 

GO CLICK: An Introduction

The internet is my happy place. Because here I get an honest answer to every little question on my mind; here I sometimes stumble upon some serious epiphany causing stuff as well! And this section is where I share it all with my readers. You'll find here a collection of the links I love, be it a great article or an interesting DIY guide. So don't forget to go click!

For BEAUTIFUL skin!

Every person has that one thing about how they look that they are obsessed with. For some girls (and a lot of guys too) it's their hair, for some it's their hips. For some guys it's their beer bellies and for yet others, like myself, it's their skin. So yes, I'm insanely, irrationally, psychotically obsessed with my skin. The first thing I notice in a person is their skin. For me it's your crowning glory. You could be average in every other way but if you have healthy, glowing skin, you're beautiful. I, in no way, am talking about complexion here because that's something you're born with and trying to alter your natural bearings does not go down well with me. Make the best of what you have and then make it better. That's my belief. (And fairness creams do not work. Period. They're a mean money making gimmick that plays on the most deep seated of insecurities, so you shouldn't even try)

Because I am neurotic about skin, I am forever looking for ways and means to make mine clearer, smoother and healthier. I've been to hundreds of dermatologists for that skin and religiously used the billion dollar products pushed in my face, but sadly, I do not vouch for them either. Another mean money making gimmick. The ONLY way for great skin is to work inside out. If you eat crap you look like it too. I know some people have the genes that let them eat what they want and still stay slim and gorgeous, but they are a rarity. For the rest of us, with problem skin, the following few things are sure to do the trick.

Green Tea is the one thing that you must start on immediately if you haven't already. It can't be more underrated! It's a powerful source of antioxidants and reverses the damage caused by the sun and pollution, two things you cannot avoid in today's day and age. It's very soothing for sensitive skin and fights redness and inflammation. Four cups a day and you'll be pleasantly surprised with how much smoother and radiant your skin looks. Ever wondered why the Chinese have such great skin?!

Another thing that works with every person is to start your day with a glass of warm water mixed with the juice of one lemon and 1/2 a teaspoon of honey. It cleanses the system and clean inside is clean outside.

Gorge on fruits! Fruits that must be eaten every day are apples, oranges and watermelons. I don't go a single day without an apple, watermelon juice and another seasonal fruit.

Irrespective of what your diet is make a glass of vegetable juice a part of it. The best ones to include are tomatoes, carrots, spinach, cucumber, amla, beetroot, sweet gourd (lauki) and bitter gourd (karela). It tastes very bad I admit but the glow on your face is inversely proportional to how bad it tastes. And anyway, I believe, after a certain age, you realize that the food you eat is less to do with taste and more with nutrition. That much discipline is required.

And most importantly, Water! Don't be rolling your eyes because it does work like magic and what they say is actually true. 4 liters of water, including juices, is needed.

I don't feel the need to harp about the benefits of any of the things I'm saying here because if you do them sincerely, you'll see the result yourself and the kick you'll get will keep you hooked. These things, if done regularly, not only work on normal skin but are also very very effective against bigger problems like acne and rosacea. If you can't manage to do them sincerely, it's because you don't want it enough and then you probably shouldn't get it because, well, let the ones who work hard get the glory right?!

Lastly three things, which even in small proportions cause a whole lot of damage, and that you should try to avoid are:
1) Refined flour (maida) i.e. biscuits, breads, pizzas, pastas etc of the non- whole wheat/ non- multigrain variety;
2) Sugary foods i.e. chocolates, cakes, mithais etc;
(When I think of any these, this small, really ugly creature with white eyes and horns like a devil comes to my mind and puts me off completely :P)
3) Fried foods.
I can't resist french fries. Once, when I avoided delicious looking french fries at the mall, I actually dreamt about them :D and they didn't leave my mind till I finally ate some! Now the thing about fried food is that it is the reuse of the same oil for frying that adds the saturated fats and cholesterol to the food. So if you're like me and you have occasional cravings, have food made at home and ensure you don't reuse the same oil for frying. This is for the once-in-a-while moods and does not mean home-fried food is okay, because it's not.

As of now, these things, which have become so ingrained in my routine that it doesn't feel like work anymore, do it for me! Hope they do it for you too!

HEALTH IT UP: An Introduction

As you must know by now, I'm a huge foodie. But we do know the wreck the savory indulgences can cause on us lesser mortals! And since I want what I want, over the years, I have learnt some amazing ways to cook the most delicious food using the healthiest of replacements and additions. Watch this space for an archive of all those recipes, all those tips and tricks which make me feel like there is hope after all!  I hope you love them too!

GORGEOUSNESS: An Introduction

A sharp jacket? Or fuchsia lips! Watch this space to know how fast these quick little things take you from girl-next-door to oh-so-chic!

Try

try  (tr)

v. tried (trd), try·ing, tries (trz)

v.tr.

To make an effort to do or accomplish (something); attempt: tried to ski.

v.intr.

To make an effort; strive.

n. pl. tries (trz)

          An attempt; an effort.

Ever so often I hear people ridiculing the word 'try'. Brave-hearts assume that to say that you will try to do something is an excuse to not do it. So much so that this interpretation of the word was quickly finding its way into my psyche too. But as I say God loves me and I learnt better.

When a man in love tells his lady that he will try to be what she wants, he is unsure he is capable of it. But he wants to be, to make her happy. He is scared but is willing to face his fear to make her happy. He is not a super power. he does not know if he has it in him. But he wants to. That's why he says he will try. 

When a student tells her teacher that she will try to do better in the next test, she wants to. She has taken up the challenge. But she does not know what will be asked in the test. She will prepare well and hard. She will try to be prepared with everything.  But learning is tough and she doesn't know the depths of her brain. So she says she will try. It does not mean she will not do better in the next test.

When a person faces the loss of a loved one, she tries to let go. She tries to move on. But she feels the emptiness. She feels the void. She does not know how it's ever going to go away. But she hopes it will and she tries.

To try is to have the courage to stretch yourself, beyond your limitations. It is to be brave. It's easy to say," I can't." It is to know that the end result of all the effort may be negative, but knowing that you tried makes it a soothing balm. Reality is not black and white. It is not can do or can't do. It's anything but that. It's all shades of grey. To try is not a no. It's a yes.

Because all we can do is try.

The video- Try by Nelly Furtado, beautiful song, gives me the goosebumps.

Girl Power!

I'm at the Lower Parel railway station. The clock reads 8.34 pm. The train to my destination is slowly pulling in on the platform. I do not have a first class pass this time. I'm tired and fervently hoping for the ladies coach to have, if nothing else, one tiny empty space against some seat for me to stand in peacefully without being shoved around. Looking at the men hanging out of the compartments though I begin to lose all hope. But then slowly and surely, it begins to resurface. The ladies coach is not half as much crowded and wait a sec, did I just see an empty seat?! Whoa! God does love me very much! Because next door I can hear the choicest abuses being hurled by men trying to get into the train themselves. And that's how my train of thoughts begins...

As much as we crib about guys having it easier than girls, I beg to differ. I love being a girl and can't thank God and my parents enough! For one, my life would be so colorless if I were a guy, literally. A guys brain can't distinguish between magenta and fuchsia.  For them both are pink and a color to be stayed away from by all means. The same goes for shades of yellow, purple, orange and every other color. Well I love all colors (most of them) and am glad that biased perceptions of a flawed society do not dictate what colors are normal for me to wear and what aren't. So sad for the boys!

Then there's the concept of change. If I want a 'change', I'll go for a new haircut, maybe cut my hair really short, or get bangs, or get layers, or get my hair streaked, or get a perm. What can a guy do? Lol! (And frankly I don't really look up to the guys who are obsessed with their looks. So when I write this, I'm not considering that breed, well actually, I'm never considering that breed.) Or if a girl doesn't want to mess with her hair, she'll try a change in style of clothes- wear a floral dress maybe if she's a jeans and tee kind of a girl. So sad for the boys!

Then comes the career. For a girl coming from a middle class family living in Mumbai, a career is not a mandate. She does not have to support a family or run a house with the salary. She works for self- satisfaction. And that's when your job becomes something you love to do. If it's not something she loves to do, she can take time off and find something that she wants. The family lifestyle or the family name will not suffer if she is jobless for a while. So sad for the boys!

What's also really sad for the boys is that-

It's so much more easier for a girl to skip a queue- be it at the bank, the bus stop, or anywhere. Basically, Ladies First it is. ;)

A girl can get moody, bitchy or plain vicious and quarrelsome one day; and blame it on 'that time of the month' the next day.

A girl gets treated to dinners and lunches ever so often.

She has doors held open and chairs pulled out for her. A girl commands refined behavior.

A single tear down the cheek is all a girl needs to have her way with the most hardened and brawny of all men! Well even a smile does it.

The world would be one giant boxing ring if it weren't for us girls. There would be no aesthetics and no beauty. I'm sure God is a woman.

THE INCURABLE FOODIE: Pizza Hut

Location: Phoenix Market City, Kurla West

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of pizzas is Dominos. What can beat their goeey, cheesy, full of flavour, and CHEAP pizzas right? But one fine day, when it came to quenching our pizza thirst, my foodie buddies and I decided to be a little magnanimous and give Pizza Hut a fair shot.

So at first sight you quite like the ambiance  with cheery red couches and some large semi-circular tables. The menu is well designed and made me feel like maybe Pizza Hut would be able to compare with Dominos after all. They have a good variety of beverages and appetizers, a fine assortment of pastas and sauces and impressive offerings in the pizza space- a host of crusts and toppings to choose from and the best thing being a Gourmet Thin Crust Pizza section for the indulgent types. But wait a minute, why couldn't any of this taste as good as it looked on the menu?!

So we started with a Cheese and Jalapeno Poppers served with a sweet chilly dip and Onion Rings. The poppers were satisfactory and the dips were particularly zesty, I'll give it to them. The onion rings weren't, they were too oily, bland and needed some flavour. No problem, just the first dish we thought. But keeping up this composure was becoming difficult because the service there was pathetic. At first I thought maybe they were understaffed but clearly it wasn't so because I could see 2-3 of them wandering aimlessly here- there. The young girl serving us seemed joyful and likeable at first but when she repeatedly forgot to show up to take our order or clear the table it was getting a bit tedious to sit there and wait for her.

For the main course we ordered a Pasta and Bread. The pasta completely lacked flavour, was unusually dry and required generous amounts of tomato ketchup, tobasco, oregano, and salt to go down. The next disaster was a stuffed crust veggie pizza, you can't go wrong with a stuffed crust pizza right? If nothing else, you'll enjoy it for the cheese. How wrong was I?! It was stuffed only at the edges, the part of the pizza I usually never eat, and I wouldn't have minded had it been melting gooey cheese, but theirs was lumpy, thick and could only be seen, not tasted. The toppings weren't that great either! I could only take this much, especially after we were joined by a group of 10-12 children on the next table celebrating a birthday, you know what I mean?

We walked out quite disappointed and thinking how Pizza Hut could manage to serve food this quality when its competitors were upping their act so finely at every stage! Gross lack of ambition I must say! While it's a very moderately priced place, with a meal for two costing about Rs.600- Rs.1000, hey don't make me feel robbed of even that much! It's time the place realizes that their typical target group is more than willing to shell out good bucks to get a good meal. I'd any day prefer having overpaid for food that I loved than paying anything for stuff like theirs!

THE INCURABLE FOODIE: An Introduction

"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all your problems for the time being."

          -Franz Kafka


As the title says, I'm an incurable foodie. I live to eat. Comments about my small appetite do not deter my love and I look forward to every weekend to try something new and exciting. Thankfully I live in a city like Mumbai, where every street offers a few dozens of restaurants and searching for good food joints is a treasure hunt. You will find the most delectable bites in the most unexpected places. And while I am on my journey, why not share it with you?

In this series I review some of my favourite and some not so favourite eateries and make my experiences more meaningful!

Revelations of the year 2012

The year 2012 has not been one of my favourites. But they say, tough times make tough people and so I am thankful for everything that happened because I'm a wiser person today.

This year proved to me how constant change is. You may be on top of the world now but it takes a mere second to change that. It's taught me to appreciate every single thing that I have been blessed with and not take anything for granted. It is very important never to pass up an opportunity to help others. Because we live in a karmic universe and karma is fast. There'll be plenty of times when you will need somebody to help you out, however safe and secure things may seem right now. You should feel deserving of that help when it is extended to you. 

Our professional lives and personal lives are very very different. It is crucial to realize this fact and keep them separate. I'm friendly, cheerful and a very straightforward person. I do not like to put on a face. But to succeed professionally you need to play a whole different game. The key to creating the perfect workplace environment for you lies in the following few things I learnt, very early on in my career thankfully. 

1) Never participate in office gossip. Smile and nod along but don't join in. Never take sides. You cannot take back your words and they are sure to come bite you at the worst possible time.

2) Build a wall around yourself. Do not allow anyone to walk into your personal space. Chatter about your family, marriage, friends etc are best left outside office doors. I do not imply here that you walk around as a stuck up snob who will not talk to anyone. The trick is in making people feel comfortable around you but never getting too comfortable yourself! Go figure ;)

3) If you sense bad feelings in your relationship with a colleague who matters, talk about it, communicate. Very politely, ask him/her, "Is there a problem? I would definitely want to get it out of our way if that's possible."

4) Never ever get drunk at office parties! You do not want your boss seeing you swaying uncontrollably or dropping things right? :D
(P.S. All the above rules become invalid if you're among the lucky ones who have found a best friend for life at work. Be very sure about that though :P)

And the most  important thing. Your life is your own, you belong to only you and are not answerable to anyone but you. So be brave and take decisions to change that which makes you unhappy. Even if it means that some people are going to be displeased. Whatever you do, there will be one set of people who will make you doubt, fret and worry and another that will quietly support you and help you in every way they can. Ignore the former, hold on to the latter and go for it! After darkness comes the morning, it's the law of life. 

BOOK EXCERPT: Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert

Then he went on to explain in a mixture of English, Italian and hand gestures, that every city has a single word that defines it, that identifies most people who live there. If you could read people’s thoughts as they were passing you on the streets of any given place you would discover that most of them are thinking that same thought. Whatever that majority thought might be- that is the word of the city. And if your personal word does not match the word of the city then you don’t really belong there.

Giulio asked, ‘What’s the word in New York City?”

I thought about this for a moment, then decided. “It’s a verb, of course. I think it’s ACHIEVE.”

(Which is subtly but significantly different from the word in Los Angeles, I believe which is also a verb: SUCCEED. Later, I will share this whole theory with my Swedish friend Sofie, and she will offer her opinion that the word on the streets of Stockholm is CONFORM, which depresses both of us.)

I asked Guilio, “What’s the word in Naples?” He knows the south of Italy well.

“FIGHT”, he decides. “What was the word in your family when you were growing up?”

That one was difficult. I was trying to think of a single word that somehow combines both FRUGAL and IRREVERENT. But Guilio was already on the next and most obvious question: “What’s your word?”

MAGAZINE EXCERPT: THINGS GIRLS DON'T KNOW ABOUT GUYS from FEMINA, DECEMBER, 2006, by VARDHAN KONDVIKAR

OK. This list is a bit self-defeating because girls know much more about guys than we ourselves do. Frankly we’re not that complex. We’re like dogs – give us food, a cozy place to sleep, walkies every day and a few belly–scratches and we’ll chug along fine. But, like dogs, we have a few secrets, some as smelly as the dead rat under the bed and some not. And finally, let me stress that this list (I have picked the ones that I enjoyed most) was compiled through a fairly limited poll, and there aren’t strict rules for male behavior, but then there are always some weird guys who won’t agree with me…

We don’t lust after every second girl. We lust after every third girl.

We really really love our cars. More than you’ll ever know. And saying “You love that heap more than you love me” isn’t a good course of action, trust me.

We do get pissed off when women are mistreated. We aren’t often vocal about it, but rape, wife-beating, dowry deaths and female infanticide infuriate us. You don’t need to dominate women to be a man.

We don’t drive our cars that fast to show you how macho we are. In fact, most of the times, when there are girls in the car, we actually drive more carefully and gently than when we’re alone.

We don’t like cockroaches either. We may not scream and flap our hands at them, but that doesn’t mean we don’t find them dirty and annoying. Please regard any squashed cockroach as a favour worth repaying at some point, not a constitutional right.

We actually do find swearing funny. Really! We swear when we’re totally upset and then have a big belly laugh over particularly imaginative curses afterwards.

We don’t all love Keira Knightley. She’s pretty, yes, but she’s also dreadfully skinny and simpers too much. If you’re tempted to lose so much weight that you look like her, you’re an idiot.

We will not run screaming if you have pimples or frizzy hair or have put on one half of a gram overnight, so don’t believe the ads. And most of the times, we won’t even notice.

We do gossip. We love it, in fact. Bitching about our colleagues is immensely entertaining and we do it every chance we get.

We don’t care that much if our boss is a woman. If she’s hot, by all means let her stay!

We don’t think all pretty girls are stupid. Frankly, we know the female of the species is deadlier than the male, and we just need to feel we have some sort of chance of survival.

We will never grow out of playing computer games. They’re part of life. Accept it. And trying to wean your man off them is a very bad idea – you’ll just end up with a depressed, moping bore who weeps for his Playstation in the middle of the night. Now you don’t want that, do you?

We like babies too. We also think they’re cute and cuddly and generally smell nice. We just don’t get the point of getting all gooey over anything that’s bald and wets its pants.

We don’t really like going up against big muscular guys that you pick fights with. We can feel our teeth being loosened and our heads kicked in, and however much we love, just pipe down, okay?

Our messes are not messes. The way clothes are carefully piled in seemingly random order, the books lying around in unsteady piles, all make sense to us, and our delicate sense of orientation can be disturbed horrible if you try and tidy up for us.

We really aren’t listening when you talk about curtains. Even the ones who appear to, and can actually give coherent answers, are operating completely on autopilot. Any such coherent responses stem from the same survival instinct that causes us to freeze when we see a lion and avoid the dark.

Guys do cry. It takes a lot to do it, but it happens. And oh, if it does, never ever remind a guy of that. No, not even when you’re telling him how cute he is.

We love it when you dress up. Sure, it takes a long time, but the results are generally worth it. More than anything, that’s because we like it when you’re proud of yourself.

We’re really, seriously, terminally terrified of asking a girl out. At least, if she matters and this isn’t just for a date. So give us a break, huh?

We don’t know jack about girls. Girls are, on the whole, complex, thinking creatures, with more coloured wires than the average bomb. If we don’t get it right, don’t explode, okay?

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/mar/070309-Pramod-Mutalik-Shri-Ram-Sene-Oscar-awards-A-R-Rahman-pubs-dating-Gandhiji-western-nations.htm

Check out this interview of Pramod Mutalik, Shri Ram Sene, by Anil Thackraney, Mid-Day, dated Saturday, 7th March (Pg.6).

I can’t decide if I was more saddened or amused when I read it but I was definitely not surprised. Read it and you’ll realize that now is the time, more than ever, for us to shake off our stupor, sit up and really take notice.

WEIRD IS NORMAL

I was waiting for a bus at the bus stop the other day and there was this girl there, who would cross her fingers every time a bus came along. I was at the bus stop for 20 – 25 minutes and she did this for every bus that stopped there. Initially I thought it was the anticipation but she did it more like a habit. Her face remained expressionless. Only the fingers would cross and uncross. It’s my favourite pastime observing people like this and getting to know the quirks of their personalities.

I have a friend who hates it if you fold your arms across your chest while talking to her. Before you even realize you have done it, her forehead starts forming creases. This other friend is so terribly petrified of lizards, she freezes if she sees one and the discomfort is beyond normalcy. You can see the disgust forming within her and pouring itself onto her face. My 10th std. Math tuition teacher can wake up at just about any time without ever needing to use the alarm. Yet another friend is always fidgeting with something or the other, always. I don’t think he can stay still even if it were to save his own life.

I am nobody to talk about other people though. I am full of quirks myself. The weirdest of them all is my unreasonable attachment to my old stuff. Old jeans, tees I’ve brought years back, hair clips, watches, books, bags, accessories, anything. I can’t bring myself to get rid of these things, however useless their existence seems. I lost my stationary pouch last month (I was using it since the 8th std.). It was mourning day for me. I have this pair of pajamas that I really really love. They are cool pink and white Winnie-The-Pooh pajamas. I have worn them every day of my life since I- don’t- remember- when. They have gone threadbare and colour drained but I still love them. My mom gets particularly disgusted with this. When she can’t get me to lose my old clothes, she discreetly hands them over to our housemaid. Usually, if I fume and fret or go on a hunger strike, I get my things back, but sometimes even that does not work. I’m sure my pajamas are going to meet the same fate one of these days. :(

I am very superstitious about my amethyst- replaced- by- sapphire ring. I will not be caught dead without it.

I eat very slowly. I am famous for this, ask anybody who knows me. For this reason I avoid socializing over lunches and dinners. Doing so would make me hugely unpopular and I’d understand :). For this reason also I am extremely grateful to all my lunch buddies, right from school time. They have never complained (not on my face at least). Thanks you guys! I am trying to kick this habit; have not succeeded much so far. I’d rather skip my meals than rush through them.

Almost all the nightmares I have ever had have something to do with tigers. I am fascinated by lions. I love watching them on TV and have even seen quite a few real ones but the very thought of tigers freaks me out completely.

I cannot stand people biting their nails. Try it in front of me sometime and you’ll know. By the way have you heard the village version of the Rocking and Reeling track from Billu? (Imagine the plight of SRK over the name his movie was finally reduced to! Billu! Ha!) In the song, there’s this part where he romances the action of his lady-love biting her nails and skin and what-not!! EWWWWW!! EWWWWWW!!!

I never have playlists when Iistening to music on my PC. I choose one track and then play it in the repeat mode. The track keeps looping, sometimes for hours and sometimes for days together. My latest obsession is a track by Rihanna (‘I hate that...’). Its queued up on my WMP since last Tuesday I think.

I’m terrified of the rockets they burst during Diwali. Every time I hear the noise of a rocket taking off, I fear it’s going to land in my house and the curtains are going to catch fire or something. And when that does not happen, the relief is nothing short of what you would experience if you near-missed a gunshot, I’m not exaggerating. Diwali is a high- stress time for me.

I can go on and on but I’d also like to know about you. What are your quirks? Tell us a little about them (in the form of a comment, since that’s the only interactive tool I have as of now). It will make for some great reading material.

THE SOUL STORY 1

I can’t recollect which event or person or idea has sparked my interest in the subject of Higher Energy or The One, though I've always been interested in the bigger picture of things. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I studied in a convent school. Convent schools lay a lot of importance on prayer, ethics and morality, which is ultimately what your curiosity stems from. What is morally sound and what is not? Who decides? Maybe it has to do with the kind of family you come from. My grandfather was a very knowledgeable person of this subject. Even as a small girl, I used to relish our conversations. He introduced me to the larger-than-life dimension of our existence. Over time it gets uncomfortable not knowing the whole thing and you can’t expect knowledge to just come to you, especially given our way of life today, with barely enough time to sleep a decent seven hours a day and all the other time spent amidst a generation of self-proclaimed forward youth. Gone are the Value-Education classes and gone is my grandfather. I decided to help myself.

Understanding Spirituality and Religion in totality is the work of a lifetime or the work of many lifetimes. It helps to have a clear idea of the possibilities at the very least. No one can say with conviction what really happens. Too many conflicting theories exist. The way I look at it, all you have to do is choose a belief that agrees with your mindset and then live by it. The rest will take care of itself.

If you’re not inclined this way, skip this post instead of reading it in the rejection mode. What comes next is what I believe of spirituality based on how much I know of the same, my teachers being my own life experiences, dad, granddad, friends, cousins, TV shows, books (special mention to ‘One Soul Many Bodies’, Dr. Brian Weiss). Here goes.

Our mind functions on different levels. There is a conscious mind and an unconscious mind/ subconscious mind/ super conscious mind or simply, the soul. The subconscious mind is where our past experiences are stored and it is because of the subconscious mind that we feel, think and act the way we do. There are processes going on in the subconscious mind that the conscious mind is not aware of. The thoughts, creative ideas, intuition that you get are a result of the transfer of some of these processes to the conscious mind.

The subconscious mind or the soul is nothing but energy existing on a higher plane. The purpose of the soul is to heal or attain the state of love. The soul always advances spiritually and never regresses. Each life that the soul takes is to learn some more and evolve spiritually towards the state of healing. When the soul has healed completely, it reaches the highest level of energy, some call it Love, some call it God. This state of the soul of merging with The One is what we call Nirvana or Heaven.

When you die physically, the soul moves out and reviews the life it has just lived - the classic out-of body experience. The soul reviews the actions and deeds of its life and reincarnates to correct the wrong or rather make the right choices. This is Karma. When you choose good over bad, peace over violence, love over hatred, your soul spiritually evolves and heals without postponing for a future life. Unhealed souls or bad people have made and may continue making the wrong choices. Their souls will be reborn to suffer the consequences of their choices, to be faced with the same choices again till they resist the temptation of wrongdoing and make the right choices. I think that’s why in every life we interact with essentially the same set of souls, maybe related differently each time. They are called our Soul Family. Sometimes we just don’t get certain people. Maybe it’s because they are on a much lower/higher evolutionary level than us. Maybe it’s for the same reason that we instantly hit it off with certain others. Inspite of all the bickering and arguing, somehow we connect.

You never die. Your body dies and you are not what your body is. You are what your soul is and your soul is immortal. You can learn about your past lives ( hypnotism) because it’s the same soul. The problem areas of your present could have been influenced by a particular event of a past life. This understanding leads to faster healing of the soul. The earth exists to facilitate this process of learning. It’s one huge classroom.

The big question is: Where does religion and its associated practices fit in this scheme of things? Does the theory of spirituality render our culture of over 1000 years invalid?

To be continued.

THINK AGAIN.

I cleared my Oracle exam; scored an 81% neat. Yay!! The Structured Query Language has left my brain completely unstructured though. I need to return to some language that I understand (and enjoy) more. Speaking of languages, my perception of the English language has changed drastically in the last 2 months, since T.I.M.E happened (T.I.M.E is a popular coaching class that helps you prepare for the MBA entrance exams). I used to be a complete English grammar freak, a thorough perfectionist. There was no rule in grammar that I didn’t know about blah blah! All the while I was blissfully unaware of the most important rule: There are no rules in the English language. Can’t blame me though, they never said this in school.

A language is governed by the rules of its grammar say our English teachers. What is grammar if I may ask?

Wikipedia describes grammar as the ‘field of linguistics that covers the conventions governing the use of any given natural language. It includes morphology and syntax, often complemented by phonetics, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics. English grammar is a body of rules (grammar) specifying how phrases and sentences are constructed in the English language.’

Going by these definitions, a sentence does not qualify as correct if it does not abide by the rules of grammar. But then again, what is a language? Isn’t it a mere means of communication? Any means of communication succeeds if it can convey correctly. So then is grammar as important as we have been taught to think it is? Let's find out.

We’ve been told since the day we learnt to break a twig that a proper noun (name given to a person, place or thing) cannot be preceeded by an article. But you do agree that the Ganga is considered sacred in India. I read in the papers today that Indian artwork is scoring really well in the United States of America. (Apparently a stainless steel mirror sculpture by Indian artist Anish Kapoor sold for a sum of Rs. 6.8 crore at Sotheby’s sale of contemporary art in London.) I would myself love to own a Jiaur Rahman. (He is a brilliant young Indian artist. What you see in this post is a watercolour by him titled ‘Rainwashed’. You can check out more of his works at http://www.jiaurrahman.com/). The joys brought by fine art are something else; and they say abstract nouns (names given to physical entities that we cannot see, hear, touch, taste or smell) cannot be used in plural. Yeah right!

What about Mc. Donald’s very famous tagline, “I’m Loving It!” It’s grammatically incorrect. Do we question it? No. Do we use it? Yes, because it speaks to us. It’s become a trend! There’s another rule stating that words indicating indefinite quantity (some, few, many, much, more) have to be followed by plural forms but we never say ‘some breads’, do we? They also say that collective nouns are always followed by verbs in the singular form but the committee was never seated around the Round Table. The committee were seated around the Round Table. The simple present tense, as a rule, is used to indicate facts, habits, opinions and routine activities. But we use it more frequently to predict future events!

There are a hundred other such exceptions that you will come across if you pay a little attention and this is only about spoken English. Written English is another story altogether! So how can rules be called rules if there are more exceptions to them than normal occurences?

Grammar, in practical terms, is just a set of guidelines agreed upon by the world to standardize the language. Without grammar, what an Indian perceives of a verbal communication may be completely different from what the American intended to say. The Wren & Martin is not the Bible. Of course, there are a few basics we can’t argue about, but that’s about it. After all, the language came first, not the Wren & Martin.

A RANDOM THOUGHT

The clock reads 1:17am. I’m on the couch in my living room with books sprawled all around me, studying for my Oracle exam, due (very) shortly. My mind keeps wandering. The syllabus is so boring and monotonous I just can’t concentrate. On a reflex I turn on the radio and the music enlivens my senses, like a splash of cold water. I feel all energized once again and go back to studying. The music is still playing. Its steady rhythm helps me concentrate and I’m back on track. Now many of you, especially those in the older age group won’t understand this. This post is especially dedicated to all those who don’t understand.

I did a little research on whether music does really improve learning or is it just an escape mechanism and this is what I found:

In simple terms, the human brain has a left and a right area. When both the areas are activated simultaneously, information is processed much faster. When you study, the left brain is active. Music stimulates the right brain. Thus if you’re studying while listening to music, both the brain areas are activated leading to better learning and retention of information. As simple as that!

So, the next time you see somebody trying to study and listening to music at the same time, don’t give them a hard time! Luckily my folks understand!

The clock reads 11.00 pm. I should be getting back to my books now if I wish to do well in this exam.

BOOK EXCERPT: The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga

…And that was how, Your Excellency, my employer’s marriage came to an end.

Other drivers have techniques to prolong the marriages of their masters. One of them told me that whenever the fighting got worse he drove fast, so they would get home quickly; whenever they got romantic he let the car slow down. If they were shouting at each other he asked them for directions; if they were kissing he turned the music up. I feel some part of the responsibility falls on me, that their marriage broke up while I was the driver.
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(This little rectangular mirror inside that car, Mr. Jiabao – has no one ever noticed before how embarrassing it is? How, every now and then, when master and driver find each other’s eyes in this mirror, it swings open like a door into a changing room, and the two of them have suddenly caught each other naked?)

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Keep you ears open in Bangalore – in any city or town in India – and you will hear stirrings, rumours, threats of insurrection. Men sit under lampposts at night and read. Men huddle together and discuss and point fingers to the heavens. One night, will they all join together – will they destroy the Rooster Coop?

Ha!

Maybe once in a hundred years there is a revolution that frees the poor. I read this in one of those old textbook pages people in tea stalls used to wrap greasy samosas with. See, only four men in history have led successful revolutions to free the slaves and kill their masters, this page said:

Alexander the Great.
Abraham Lincoln of America.
Mao of your country.
And a fourth man. It may have been Hitler, I can’t remember. But I don’t think a fifth name is getting added to the list anytime soon.
An Indian revolution?

No, sir. It won’t happen. People in this country are still waiting for the war of their freedom to come from somewhere else – from the jungles, from the mountains, from China, from Pakistan. That will never happen. Every man must make his own Beneras.
The book of your revolution sits in the pit of your belly, young Indian. Crap it out and read.
Instead of which, they’re all sitting in front of colour TVs and watching cricket and shampoo advertisements.

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SMALL THINGS

A phone call from your long-lost-one-time-best-friend; a piece of cadbury’s dairy milk; a bear hug from a loved one in times of distress; running into your school teacher on the road and knowing that she still remembers you and still loves you and cares for you just as much even after all these years; spending an entire day lazing around at home in your favorite pyjamas and Dad’s oversized t-shirt, doing absolutely nothing; a long, hot water bath; coming across your favorite movie on HBO while randomly flipping channels; making it to class on time when you expected to be thrown out; watching the sunset hand-in hand with that special person; trying on a pair of jeans which are a size smaller than usual and finding that they fit; an afternoon nap; hours of leisurely reading; isn’t it these freebies that bring you a glimpse of heaven and fill you up with so much more happiness than the ‘expensive’ things can ever buy? If you think so too, then we are some lucky people.