New Year Resolutions - 2013

2012. A year of many reflections, many realisations and a lot of growng up by introspection.
Coming to terms with the loss of a parent throughout the year was taxing emotionally and physically. This year truly sucked the life out at many phases throughout. But then, I also discovered my actual strengths, my real friends, my couple of anchors - for which I am truly grateful.

As We enter into 2013, I already have some strong willed resolves I am waiting to kick off on.

To begin.. and in commited continuance with the 2012 resolutions:

1] I will learn to let go of pain...Let go of things that hurt, were taken away, snatched away.. or which made me weak and sad. let go. Its a pain nobody can share and sharing it alone is extremely diffcult to bear.

2] Live each day. Consciously and fully. Make a difference where possible.

3] And keep my loved ones near....

The other things which I lapsed out on and wish to get on track in the coming year are;

4] Stop Chocolates/Desserts/Sweets of any kinds for 6 months this year. Kicking Jan till end March. Then a break and then back on resolve again. The sweet tooth does not help me, my wardrobe and my budget :P and this is a no-bargain clause.

5] Start preparing for THE event. That's the only info I can share here at the moment. :D

6] Exercise, Exercise, Exercise. Get back in the mode. Atleast thrice a week. The need to stay fit just gets stronger by each passing year.

7] Spend less. Save more. For the coming months.

8] Read and read more. My reading has reduced by 50% of my normal time spent on it in the last 6 months. And another important reason - Reading heals too.

9] Check my online shopping. Not that I am addicted, but it is pretty convenient and addictive. I don't want to get there, where it becomes addictive. So, No online shopping more than once in 2 months.

10] Build up Cottons and Curious.

Putting them up here each year has helped me in keeping track on the progress of each of the resolves and have a review of them at the end of the year too. Hope the same for this coming year.

May All have a Healthy, Safe and Happy Year!

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Bloody Nonsense!

So the thing I've learnt after being a helpless, frustrated, enraged  spectator to the Oh so many crimes aganst women in the country is - that in order to be respected, I need to become a super goddess - A Kali, A Durga or anything but a normal female! Who has super-powers, kills demons and is unapologetic about it... coz ofcourse she is right!!
If I as a normal female want to be safe - then I better start imbibing those traits! I should have the powers to vanquish evil, vanquish people who enter on my safety zone, who are a threat to me!
Only then I feel I can be safe and live safe!

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National Symbols, Objects and People -2012!

Read this article in an email and wanted to put this up for keeps in the coming years.
These were some national symbols, objects and people for 2012:

National Robot: Manmohan
National Joke: Rajnikant
Nationalsalesman: A Raja
NationalBalm: Sunny Leone
National struggler: Anna Hazare
National guests: Kasab, Afzal, Guru
National Jewellery store: Bappi Lahiri
National Horror: Nitin Gadikari
National concern: Rahul's marraige
National son in law: Robert Vadera
National asylum: Parliament
National bird: Nira Radia
National Palace: Tihar Jail
National Bank: Swiss bank
National Book: Kamasutra

What is the future of the country?

Love Marriage or Arranged?

Perfect Marriage:

..... And they lived happily everafter.

Heard this one before? If you are female [or male too!]  and are into reading, there's every chance that you may have read this line earlier. Most synonymous stories with happy endings! But we are yet to even begin on the path Before the happy ending! That's where the sho-sha is!!

And a debate about Arranged Vs Love marriage! Isin't that a really tough call?
Very simply put, Arranged marriage is where you tie the knots take the Saptapadi vows first and then figure out a way to tie the hearts together and work on your vows; whereas in Love marriage the hearts are already tied together and the vows are explored in advanced anticipation to start living them.

When I was in my teens I remember always wishing to have a love marriage. Blame it on the years or whatever.. the idea of a love marriage much excited me then.
Then with time, as my thinking grew fine, I realised Arranged marriage was also not a bad prospect at all. There are so many things to look forward to there too.
And now when I have been a working professional for a few years now [which most of urban female population is] I reiterate my statement that Love is a very important factor to get married.

So, what does one choose if given a choice?  I believe that's a tough choice. But if I had to make it, I'd choose love. Or rather a love and arranged marriage; which is not too difficult in today's times as it was earlier.

Now, "Why Love?" is the question I need to justify.
Simply because I truly believe marriage is a taxing business in today's times. So, If I do have an idea of the partner I am going to spend my life with, it much better helps me in planning it out. In arranged marriages, you need time to build up the relations, break the shackles, the inhibitions and totally be yourself. When that happens, its truly beautiful.. but lets face it, in today's times esp in a country like ours, where the speed of living is getting disproportional... and IF both partners are working outside home - It really gets difficult to get the balance.  You certainly would not be in the mood at many times in the week to be patient and understand why your partner did something that you don't appreciate much.  Less often we would give that time to realise that your partner IS that way, and is not doing any thing to annoy you per se! Likewise, there'll be so many things you'd need to give time to, to attain a happy relation.

Not the case in Love marriage. In love marriages, you know the person- the quirks, the annoying habits et al. & while those habits may still not have become adorable to you.. you atleast are better prepared for handling them. Agreed that Love marriages also have quite a few of the divorce cases registered, but hey!  where was it ever written that just because its a Love match, it WILL succeed? Is it just because someone dared to follow their heart & failed; we like to make them the villain and example for not venturing into making a choice of who to allow into the heart and the home?

I don't think so. Its very important to find the one whom you want to listen to, rather than someone whose conversation you need to decipher...to find that one person whose view points aren't in extreme contrast with your viewpoints. More important is to find the one whose comfort you would look forward to...rather than wonder if you will even find comfort there or no! Whose hold makes you immediately feel secure rather than tentatively keep waiting for it... for heaven knows how long!!


This surely does not imply that arranged set-ups are something akin to paddling your way in Hyderabad rains! [Horrendous thought no?] - let's just say, I prefer finding my comfort zone first to be able to give someone theirs in good measure.

In the end, be it love marriage or arranged; ALL need working - and working really hard!  Cause the paths could be different, but the destination to every marriage is the same. - A compatible union.

I shall rest my case by altering the famous disclaimer that is generally heard in every advertisement of mutual funds.

"Marriage is subject to heart and home risk. Please read the offer document[s] carefully before investing."!


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Secular India

India is the only country I guess where a person from any country..any religion can come down and settle quite comfortably without reservations of having to miss out on celebrating their important days.
Primarily becoz, except for their respective Independence day holidays, all the major religions celebrated around the world are celebrated here too and are given as national holidays.

I believe that is something which is the biggest advantage any foreign national - settled/ posted/ travelling here would have.
Adding a picture which is a personal favorite too, defining the Secular India,  I hope most of us are proud of.

Truly Secular, Truly India.

Happy Independence Day

Some people have a damn problem with everything in India.. yet they claim they love India and the  complaints arise from frustrations and concern for the way the country is going. To all of them, if you are genuinely SO concerned, DO something rather than spitting vent all the time on the issue. This issue, that issue or any other issue making you talk bitter of the country all the time! If you really have the guts, start the change or join the change! Then you will walk your talk and the others will willingly listen.

...Till then and for today atleast, Don't crib! ... Celebrate this day in honour of the thousands of sacrifices by lesser complaining souls who did something about the change they wanted.. even losing their lives while in pursue of it till they finally achieved it. Those go-getters are called freedom fighters.
Unsung, celebrated, revered, however Big or Small; there was none whose sacrifice was less than someone else's. Salute to all the true Heroes.

Happy Independence Day India.

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Pick up lines that may NOT work

Haha! So I had come across this as a foerward in my mail box.. & found it funny enough to save it in my drafts. I wonder why this was in my drafts.. maybe at that time I wanted to add a bit of my own to this.. which obviously today, I don't remember. Thought these were funny enough to publish. BUT these lines will still not work!! :P

• Should I call you in the morning or should I nudge you?


• Honey, I'm new to this town - do u think I could have directions to your house?


• Hi. You'll do.


• I think I could fall madly in bed with you.


• What is your first name? Hmm.., that goes kinda well with my last name.


• Are you going to kiss me or do I have to lie to my diary.


• If I could re-arranged he alphabets, I'd put U & I together.


• So tell me about yourself. Your dreams, your ambitions, your phone number.


• Excuse me, but I think I dropped something! My Jaw!!

Faith - Part II

Faith is something that gets cemented by little little timely grants of miracles.
Once cememted, then even a couple of biggets hurdles don't crash it out.

That Faith is what is needs to be established before building any expectations from anybody-anything.


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Life can Change

Never take life for granted.

Today morning you are alive.. making plans for many tomorrows.

If death comes knocking during this day.. by tomorrow morning, same time, you may be in ashes.

Within 24 hours, Life can change... to a non-expected Death;  Or  to a better lived day.

Choose Wise.


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And I So love travelling..

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." - St. Augustine.

Being a solo traveller from the past three years, I've gotten to meet some very interesting people on my trips. And while there are many beautiful people I've been fortunate to meet; one stands out very clearly in my mind as the best till date.

May-2011 - Vaishno Devi.

I started my trek at 8:00 in the morning, very sure I would make the climb all the way up the 14 kms; even though I did not have company. Afterall, it was my first visit to the shrine!

It's an upward climb & it can be a good long one if trekking solo.
Nevertheless, I started, hoping to be back down by evening. But not one hour into the trek and I had sprained my ankle!
Thanks to the  couple of medical stores along the way, I brought some painkillers and a pain reliever spray to carry on. But understandably, it was very difficult to walk without me taking long breaks at short distances! :(

People who know about VaishnoDevi know that there are semi-bred horses all along the way ferrying devotees up and down the hill. Disappointed with my state, I decided to take a horse for the shortest distance so I could cover up for some lost time and also give my foot some relief. It happened to be a 1.5 kms. ride ending nearby a checkpoint.

After dismounting the horse and applying a good dose of the pain reliever and a tablet down, I started walking again feeling slightly better but not as fine yet.
As I walked out of the security check I see this dude-guy alongside me who looked at me and rightaway asked, "Weren't you on a horse just now?" Now, its such a stupid feeling to be asked that question from a random stranger! Gives you a feeling of being so unfit... for the need to take a horse, especially if you're someone who prides in trekking the length & breadth of most travel destinations!
 
Nodding in the affirmative, I tried to be polite. When he noticed my careful walk.. rather my slow walk; he asked me if I was OK, so I stated the reason to him. Turned out he was a Doctor!
n turned out he was a solo pilgrim too!!

Maybe because he had an almost patient in his hand, he was kind enough to keep at my pace through out the climb; even after me suggesting him to carry on.
The walk obviously became slightly easier because of the company and also because I was mentally relieved to know I was in the company of a Doctor; incase I needed one. :P

We exchanges interesting anecdotes from each others lives.. and I also learnt a lot about VaishnoDevi, since he had been there quite a few number of times.

We reached VaishnoDevi shrine by noon and were fortunate enough to have superb Darshan pretty soon. Then after a slight meal, we started towards Bhairo Nath, which is a higher trek.. and a tasking one at that!
Again, thanks to the company, I managed to reach the top inspite of all the pain, fatigue and a scare from the ever-present wild monkeys there!!
By evening my sprain was intolerable and that's when he was such a help.. in the form of encouragement he kept giving me to walk down the hill, prodding me all along.

Finally when we did reach down at 8:15 PM,  he gave me a few medications, dropped me at my hotel and got going on his way to Delhi.....

I personally feel he really was a God sent for my trip there. Had I not taken that short ride on the horsey, I would have missed meeting him and immense help he provided. I would never have gotten back down on time too.

It's been 10 months now and not to say, we stay in touch - became good friends. [How cliched! .. but since this is not the movies - it's true! :P]

Sometimes, unexpectedly we bump into people, never knowing they'll become a cherished part of our lives...of our memories.
For these very experiences of life, with life... I So love travelling.

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The Top Pilgrimage Places... & Their Memories.

Recently a travel website stated the top 9 pilgrimage destinations of India. The list compiled of:

1. Haridwar.
2. Varanasi
3. Bodh Gaya
4. Rishikesh
5. Amritsar
6. Vaishno Devi
7. Tirupati
8. Mathura
9. Shirdi.

 I was pleasantly surprised to know that I have been to all but one places mentioned. Memories of the different places came buzzing alive in my head & I thought why not blog them.

Bodh Gaya is the place I have not been to. I will visit this place for sure. For reasons more personal than just sight seeing…….

I’ll jot a note across each place, so that I too may have some memories to look back on after a few years..; on the said places.

1. Haridwar: All that comes to mind for Haridwar is the Ganga Ghat, Ganga mata Aarti [Beautiful!] & it was my b’day then..so it was more memorable.
2. Varanasi: All I remember is the old Kashi Vishwanath temple & the Huge Ghats.
3. Bodh Gaya: It'll be happening next year or the following...
4. Rishikesh: Laxman Jhula! The walk on it & watching the awesome wide flow of Gangaji…pristine white; its just marvelous.  Had I known about the rafting at the time I had visited [more than 10 years back..] I would have done it then!
5. Amritsar: Lots of memories!! Golden temple, shopping at the small bangle shop outside it, the girl in the tourist help booth, the verve at Wagah Border, the pain at JallianWala Bagh..  From a pilgrimage point of view, the temple was SO neat! & the best part - The view of the golden tops of the temple I woke up to, from my hotel room... it was Memorable.
6. Vaishno Devi: The walk...when you are alone, any climb looks double the distance. I remember the lonnggg walk, till I got a very fine company & the darshan in front of the deities for almost a good whole minute. That are the most impressionable memories of Vaishno devi.
7. Tirupati: Quite a few memories of different times, as I've been here 3-4 times. The most memorable was when I walked the climb up. One of my earliest treks if one can call it that,  Gosh I remember, that one was tiring!
8. Mathura: I remember Brindavan more precisely & the birth place of Lord Krisha more better than any other memory of the Mathura particularly...[The whole place was covered. Brindavan-Mathura & the nearby places]
9. Shirdi: I remember on the last visit, I'd noticed the temple had become really huge than what it was since my first visit. The sanctum of the main shrine is Big.. & so it makes it easier for everyone to have a good darshan of the revered Saint.

That completes the list. The thing with religious places is, even if one are a non-believer; one cannot miss the peaceful feel, a calm vibe the place offers. All of these places give ample proof of that.

And I'm very grateful to God & my parents to have made it happen for me.

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Thought of the Month

There's a huge difference between being Helpful & being Forceful.

Cabeeto Soup

New years was brought in with high fever & a couple of other vexatious ailments. Guess all the pent-ups were burning out towards the end of the year. By the Doctor's presumption,  thankfully I hadn't embarrassed myself by passing out somewhere......

Unfortunately that got Mumma super alarmed & it became her mission to get me restored by the end of the new year weekend.
The four days I was on a diet of a soup & another healthy liquid, the recipe of that I'll share later.
I'm sharing the recipe of the soup that I took daily twice a day, which I believe was very effective.
It can be called the Cabeeto soup. [Carrot-Beetroot-Tomato]
Ingredients:

3 big red tomatoes
3/4 of a big beetroot
1 red carrot
2 pinches salt
1/4 tsp sugar.
Put the tomatoes, carrots & beetroot to pressure cook.
[Shred the beetroot in a slicer or cut them into small pieces. Bigger pieces do not get cooked well. ]

After the three are cooked, use a strainer &; strain the juice out. Put the juice on boil. Add 1/4- 1/2 tsp of sugar depending on preferences &  1/4 tsp salt to taste. [For regular consumption, 1/4 tsp of red chilli powder should be added for better taste.]

The healthy Cabeeto soup is ready. Easy to prepare & can be had as a tasty filler. Not restricted to fever times only. :)

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Resolutions 2012

For this year I have no resolution list.
I just resolve for three things.

1. Learn to let go of pain .. 
2. Live. Live each day. You never know when it's your last.
and
3. Keep my loved ones near. In this too self absorbing - hectic - too busy life; its important to express.. to let your loved ones know how important they are to you.

There's never a tomorrow for that..
Its only today. Its only now.