Hello 2016!

So I'm writing my first post of the year 15 days into the new year. No it's not a reflection of my continued laziness. In fact, I've had the busiest start to the year ever!

The new year saw me frantically clean up my messy closets. Mostly because I couldn't find a single thing despite having last cleaned up during Diwali. Office was super busy too as a mid-week vacation beckoned. So after cleaning up the room, finishing various office assignments (I was emailing minutes of the meeting from the airport!), and packing up for an international trip, we left for a heavenly island called Mauritius, where it was all play and no work for 5 straight days!

The fact that I was nearly all packed up well in advance and did not exceed the baggage restrictions at any airport already tells me that I am a changed person this year :D.

Mauritius was gorgeous, to say the least. It was all mountains on one side and the majestic ocean on the other. Green hills, petite and colorful homes (With mandirs! An indication of the Hindu majority there), blue green waters and white sand beaches. A hotel room that looked out into the sea. Friends that were a pleasure to hang out with. And finally, a husband who was more than ready to explore a brand new country with me. What more could a person possibly ask for?! Every single day in Mauritius was an adventure. The icing on the cake? We walked among lions and actually petted one of them! It was surreal!

That wasn't all. We returned a day before Uttarayan. So yesterday was spent on various roof tops among colourful kites, ringing shouts of "Lappppaeeeet" and at night, amid a sky full of gorgeous lanterns!

Today's the first day back at work, and it was so overwhelming that after going through 120 odd emails, I have ended up writing my first blog post for the year! Sometimes creativity needs optimal conditions.

Here's to several more blog posts, a finished book (Komal dreamt I'd got my book published!), a slimmer and healthier me and a year full of adventures! Yay 2016!

Year End Musings

I had 5 months of absolutely nothing to do this year. The remaining seven weren't overbearingly busy either despite a new job. And now I've discovered that after all those amazing new year resolutions, I have exactly 3 blog posts, 0 new pages in my book, and I'm fatter than I was all of last year.

On the flip side, we celebrated our 1 year anniversary in the gorgeous Gir forests with aplomb! We saw lionesses, adorable cubs, and went to Somnath and saw the place where Sri Krishna had left his human form! I was able to visit Delhi every 1.5-2 months to hug Maxi boy silly. And I actually cooked for 20 people and the food was delicious for a change! And I baked like a person possessed till I realized that I was getting too fat eating all that gooey chocolate goodness, and stopped cold turkey.

It's been a very interesting year indeed!

As much as the voice in my head is telling me that I'm writing this post simply to bring up my post count for the year, I think a part of me (the non-cynical big part) is still super excited about new year resolutions and the fresh start a brand new year offers. Fresh start from what, you ask? From my own laziness. Yes I said it last year. And the year before. And I did succeed at becoming better to an extent. But the relapse after a couple of months is hard to conquer. No more.

Here's to working out religiously, eating healthy (minimal added sugar, I'm already on a zero fried food diet), writing EVERYDAY (I can't afford excuses here - a few days without it and it all goes out of the window), going back to Bharatanatyam (the return has already been charted), meditating EVERYDAY (dillydallying doesn't get you anywhere), and sleeping lesser. Consistency will be my Mantra for 2016. Along with Zero Negative Thinking. The world of course is losing it more and more everyday. 2016 will also be a year of inner peace. After all, you can only spread what you've got :)

Here's to trying new things, being new things and living it up every single moment. Happy 2016 everyone :)

P.S. Looking forward to our vacation time too -  a year that starts with an exotic holiday can only get better from there :).

Introspection

I had always thought that a world of possibilities lay waiting for me if I ever quit my job. Having quit my job more than 5 months ago and with no new job in sight in the city to which I've relocated has suddenly put a glaring spotlight on that assumption of mine. Suddenly I find myself without any motivation whatsoever. What exactly is stopping me from completing my book or reading a 100 books or starting something new or brushing up my language skills?

Suddenly I find myself devoid of all purpose in life. How was going to work at 8 in the morning, coming back at 8 in the night, being stuck in traffic for 3 hours and working some more purposeful? It did get me my big fat pay check at the end of the month which was awesome (and which I miss), but there are a 100 other options in this world. What's stopping from going after them?

I think I'll have to go back to basics, go meet and interact with children, and learn how to do things just for the sake of doing them and getting pleasure out of that solely. No ulterior motive. No end game planning. 

Time to throw myself into the sea called life and see how well I can navigate it.

PS: 3 month-versary and St. Valentine's Day were happily celebrated :)

Time

It's been two days since I watched The Theory of Everything, and among the various amazing, soul-stirring scenes in the movie, the one that got stuck in my head is when young Stephen Hawking hobbles into his professor's room soon after he discovers that he has 2 years to live, and tells him his Ph.D. thesis would be on 'Time'. It forced me to think about the time I have left.

No, I've not been struck by any fatal illness or anything. But life is probably the most unpredictable thing. And I have so much time on my hands right now that the person I was a year back at this time would have been so jealous of the person I am right now. I have OODLES of time since I'm still looking for a job. And what am I doing with it? Diddly Squats.

I think the problem with too much time and a complete lack of focus is that whenever I set out to study one thing, or meditate or pick up a new activity, I feel like I should be doing something else. That leaves me utterly restless and not at all happy. I tried making a sort of curriculum for myself too - but that didn't work out either.

Is it just me, or are there other people who can't figure out what to do with their time out?

I guess what I really need is mental discipline. I've managed to incorporate it when it comes to working out and living healthy - but my mental and spiritual health desperately needs some working on.

High time I started!

2 months!

I have no idea how I've turned into that specimen of mankind who celebrates every single month of her marriage .. but since I have; Happy 2 months to us! And boy did we unwittingly welcome it in style!

So the 2-month-anniversary eve saw my darling better half struggling with crazy business problems that erupted like a hitherto sleeping angry volcano. The events that followed saw us "borrowing" a neighbour's hammer without telling him, breaking open the lock of a makeshift storage space (first time I saw a lock being smashed open!), and then running to find a new space when the one with the broken lock didn't work out. By the time we got to the location after being tipped off by a trusted employee it was 12 in the night. I wish I could say it was all sinister, but no. Vadodara is in the midst of beautiful, not-very-cold winters right now. So it was actually a gorgeous midnight. The place was a tad shady, and the owner had a tiny dog who was incessantly and suspiciously whining. But that's what adventures are made up of I guess! 

Following that trip, we decided to visit one other potential option for the business which was in a deserted industrial area, and just when we thought we were done, our car ran out of petrol and stalled in the middle of nowhere! It was around one in the night by this time, and we flagged down an auto guy who was super suspicious of a boy dressed up for work and a girl in pyjamas and tshirt with her sleep-in sweater asking him to take them to the nearest petrol pump with two empty water bottles in their hands. 

Anyhow, all's well that ends well. We found petrol and got back home and crashed. In the midst of all this, I managed to prepare custard and jelly for the first time ever! It was super awesome, and dare I say the silver lining on a dark dark day. 2 am: we wished each other and tried to sleep which was hard considering one annoying mosquito made us his musical target.

I'd heard marriage is an adventure - finally experiencing and loving every moment of this journey. *Touch wood*

Goodbye 2014! Hello 2015!

2014 was unlike any year I've ever had before. I started dating for the first time, got married, quit my steady well paying job and moved cities .. all for one boy (thankfully it's been worth it :) )! And on Christmas I sang a group song after the longest time thanks to Gobind Sadan. And and and .. I got a doggy - my Maxi boy! It was a year full of drastic changes I could have never imagined in 2013. I think I did live it up to quite an extent.

Having said that, the book I'd promised I'd finish in 2014 remains untouched at the chapter I'd last finished. I am still not exercising regularly (exercised just enough to fit into my gorgeous lehenga at the wedding :D). Eating healthy is a distant dream. I haven't blogged half as much as I'd thought I would. Daily meditation is happening on a weekly, if not monthly basis. Though my cooking skills may just have seen some improvement!

In the coming year, I solemnly swear I shall write at least once a week. I WILL exercise at least 5 times a week. I will find an awesome job in Vadodara that will at least match my previous salary. I WILL stay healthy by exercising my currently not-so-awesome will power when it comes to food that kills my throat or sinuses. I will become awesome in Spanish and pass my CIMA Strategy level. I will find a reason to be utterly happy at any given point. I WILL meditate every single day.

2014 - thank you for being so amazing. A lot has been learnt. A lot of areas have been identified for further learning. 2015 - Can't wait to get started on the new me :)

Happy New Year guys :)

One month!

The wedding bells have worn themselves out, the chaos and commotion has died down, it's finally beginning to sink in that this isn't a temporary arrangement. We're roommates for life from now on.

As I look back on this day one month ago, I am overwhelmed with happy memories. I was a happy bride. Loved being the centre of attention for 4 straight days. Loved getting dolled up after a lifetime of not touching makeup. Loved the fact that I was marrying someone I was so much in love with. Loved that everyone I loved was equally happy too :). Hell, I must have been the only bride who danced out of the venue during her vidai with her equally upbeat brother!

One month later, I'm happier than ever. My new home feels like home. In fact it felt like home right from the start - which was such a relief! I like Vadodara - the quiet quaint city that I've moved to from the hustle-bustle of Delhi. I feel much loved and much at peace. The huge life change that I'd been sweating about for nearly a year has happened gently enough for me to get happily accustomed to it. What it's like for the family I've moved into only they could reveal :P .. but things are peaceful enough at the moment :). 

My husband (the term still seems strange - we've sworn we'll remain boy friend - girl friend for life) is an adorable man who finds the time and energy to cater to my whims even after a crazy day at work. We're learning the art of dancing together in the party called life. It's easy when you share similar interests - we enjoy similar movies (with the exception of the romance genre), we have the same travel style and sleep is a precious commodity for both of us. If we find ourselves tripping mid-dance or stepping over each other's feet accidentally, we find a way to smoothen out that step too. Being more or less in sync is a nice feeling :)

Though I miss home all the time too. My mum, dad, even fighting with my brother, and my darling Labrador Maxi boy. Conflicting emotions that come from having two awesome homes I guess!

The first tiny milestone in the journey of a lifetime seems to have been accomplished. My fears of "feeling stuck" in a marriage seem rather foolish now (Thank God!). Looking forward to many many more happy moments together. Happy one-montheversary to us!

Love: Through the eyes of a die-hard romantic bride-to-be

Sometimes, I want to sue all those romantic film-makers, authors, and all those TV series writers who made us believe that love was solely candyfloss drama. After 29 years of believing in that wholeheartedly, it is extremely hard to accept a loving reality that's so different from Pride and Prejudice and KJo movies. It's different - but it's actually very nice.

As a girl who'd idolised Mr. Darcy all her life, I'd always believed that a blue eyed boy (even though his were brown) with deep brown hair and a lovely British accent will probably just materialise at my doorstep someday. A gorgeous boy did materialise - but without the eye colour, hair colour or the accent. And though my long-since programmed brain kept telling me that the subject of my affection and attraction was oh-so-wrong, my heart told me otherwise.

Thus began my love affair with a man so earthy and devoid of all frills and fancies that one usually associates with love that every few days I had to just sit back and wonder what on earth I was doing in a relationship with him. It was so hard reconciling the love life that I'd dreamt of for myself in that crazy brain of mine with the love life I had willingly chosen and yet did not know what to do about.

After nearly a year of playing tug of war, laying my soul bare, then withdrawing completely, loving with all my heart, and then not wanting to deal with it at all, we're finally getting married. Because what I discovered at the cost of a lot of unnecessary mental stress was that love isn't flowers, it isn't poetry or even a whispered dialogue said at the right time. Love just is. It doesn't always materialise in filmy ways. But as long as it does materialise as genuine warmth, caring and trust - everything else just falls away. Love is. It isn't because of. It just is. Inexplicable, impossible to understand and never to be trifled with.

Also, there's something very liberating about being able to finally let go of a very narrow view point of love and accept it as it comes - completely, whole heartedly, with all its elements. Yes, I think I'm finally ready to take the plunge :)

Boy, O Boy! Exploring masculinity in today's world

A chance discussion with someone set me thinking of what makes a man, well, a man. I would like to believe that the staid and annoying perceptions of what men should and shouldn't do are dying the natural death they deserve. All those theories about how real men never clean after themselves, they can have a beer gut and still be sexy beasts, they don't need to have personal hygiene because that's too effeminate, they NEVER cry because the mere presence of feelings is considered to be women's forte, and of course, in order to prove that they are men, they need to get into a physical altercation at the first chance with someone random are extremely annoying. I still remember those horrible "first-blood" fights that boys in our school used to get into. Alas, the world seems to be evolving too slowly for me. 

Then I thought about my grandfather, who is no more, but whom I still consider the epitome of what men should be like. He was an un-assuming man, 5 feet 5 inches in height and of a slight build. He had his own restaurants and a gorgeous hotel where I spent much of my childhood. He was a busy man, but his sense of responsibility towards his family never dithered. For the two years that I lived with  my grandparents, he was there for me, checking my homework, even if he came back at 1 in the morning from work. If I wanted something (usually a request for a "surprise" in the evening - I'm a sucker for surprises), he would never disappoint. It was like he was completely tuned into me. I hear similar stories from mum from her childhood days. He was extremely disciplined in his lifestyle and you could actually set your clock right when you saw him leave for his daily restaurant round in the morning. He was emotional too - usually blinking back tears that threatened to spill over as we all left Nainital after our summer vacations each year. He was a 'karma yogi' who was forever there for his family and his work. His sense of humour was so subtle and so British that lesser mortals sometimes did not know what had hit them when they were at the receiving end. He used to listen to people patiently, even when they were talking nonsense/ having a screaming fit. Then out used to come a one liner that quietly put that person in place without affecting anyone's sensibilities. That was just the way he rolled! Way ahead of his times even in the 1950s, he inspired many a woman to stand up for what was right and not take any nonsense from their "better halves" and their families in an era where life was absolutely hell for women in this country. His principles were the stuff legends are made out of. Once he gave someone his word, he was ten steps ahead of Salman Khan in keeping it and upholding all his promises. When he came away from Pakistan during partition, he built everything for himself and his family from scratch, even supporting my grandma's family to quite an extent when they too were left with nothing post the partition. It's an understatement of the highest order, but he was a gem of a man.

Now, THAT is what I call a man. Not what passes off for men these days. I don't care if you earn more than x,y,z or that you live in Golf Links. I don't care if your family owns a ranch in Chhatarpur - that's probably what your dad built anyway. I don't care if you can drink more than the next guy or party harder than them during weekends. And I don't care if your annual holiday looks like something out of a Karan Johar movie and that the rock you bought your wife is bigger than her finger.

What I do care about is this:

• A man who can balance his family life with his professional ambitions and social obligations. 
• A man who can be there to read stories to his children at night and tuck them to sleep or play football with them over weekends instead of buying them tabs and letting them amuse themselves.
• A man who can be honest with himself and with people who love him, at all times. 
• A man who can be sensitive to others' needs and empathetic towards people.
• A man who can emote. 
• A man who he can be respectful and loving towards the elderly.
• A man who he cleans after himself! 
• A man who upholds his promises, no matter how small they may be.
• A man who is self-made.
• A man who is loyal to those he loves, leaving no room for lies and deceit.
• A man who stands up for what's right, no matter what the consequences.
• A man who keeps his head when all around him people are losing theirs.
• Most importantly, a man who has a healthy sense of humour, not just about the world in general, but about himself as well.

THAT is what an awesome man looks like. THAT is what an awesome human being looks like actually. It's high time our society stopped judging a man by the size of his biceps (to put it politely). Half of world's problems would be over, if people stopped trying to be "men" and started focusing solely on being good human beings instead.

Keeping promises to yourself ..

In the midst of recovering from the latest viral attack, and plum in the heart of some stomach infection that I attracted from god knows where, I got some time to reflect on my life and do my "first quarter review" of promises I had made to myself earlier this year.

I was appalled to see that I hadn't blogged 10% of the amount that I had set out to do. I had eaten more junk food than I had ever thought possible (going back to 'chaat-papdi' after a year long hiatus was amazing for my taste buds but terrible for my system in general). I had excercised for a pitifully small time - partly because it's difficult working out when you are falling ill ever so often. And my book - I haven't even glanced at where I left off last year.

My mind went back to all those times when I chided x, y, z people to keep their word. When I got really annoyed when people said 1 thing and did something else altogether. And I was hit by the realisation that although I always keep my word to others, I am an absolute disaster when it comes to keeping my own word to myself! What kind of a human being does that? Why is keeping appointments with others so easy when keeping appointments with myself every morning is nearly impossible as things stand right now? Why do I deliver what I say to my bosses but not to myself? Why do I prefer to laze around and pinterest without stopping, instead of getting ahead on my preparation for an upcoming exam?

The answer, I figured out, was my innate tendency to take the easier route in life. So much for living consciously. I crave that sense of discipline I had all through school and college. I crave that sense of sincerity towards my own self that I had all my life. I crave that sense of "life" I had - the strong burning desire to do something extra ordinary. I know it's a temporary phase, I have had these before. But I am finding it more and more difficult to snap out of it this time. My work life at present is not helping matters. And traveling back and forth from office for nearly 3.5 hours everyday to do something that's not challenging anymore may be adding to my woes.

I don't know how blogging about all this will help me either, but it does infuse a sense of responsibility to myself (sometimes). For instance, after my last blog post about waking up every morning, I did go on that route for atleast 3 weeks before I fell sick.

The only area where I seem to have gotten consistent is my daily meditation (touch wood!). Possibly because I don't like what I become when I'm not doing it!

Here's hoping for a brighter future!

Looking at life with a different set of glasses

This year has filled me with a brand new obsession. And it’s getting stronger as the days go by. There is a driving, all-consuming need in me to break away from the world as I have always known it and discover a different way of looking at it. I think I need to move away from stereotypes, from age old perceptions and from the very concept of right and wrong. It’s way too subjective and driven by belief systems that we had no contribution in.

It’s almost as if we’ve forgotten to think for ourselves. Our idea of what is beautiful is defined by the beauty and healthcare industry. Our idea of what is good for us is defined by our family and friends. Our idea of relationships is defined by candy floss romance on television. Our idea of weddings is defined by Karan Johar’s movies. Our idea of success is defined by tales of glorification that sometimes completely skip the struggle that must have gone into reaching the pinnacle described. The following words by Alain De Botton describe it spot on:

“One of the interesting things about success is that we think we know what it means. A lot of the time our ideas about what it would mean to live successfully are not our own. They’re sucked in from other people. And we also suck in messages from everything from the television to advertising to marketing, etcetera. These are hugely powerful forces that define what we want and how we view ourselves. What I want to argue for is not that we should give up on our ideas of success, but that we should make sure that they are our own. We should focus in on our ideas and make sure that we own them, that we’re truly the authors of our own ambitions. Because it’s bad enough not getting what you want, but it’s even worse to have an idea of what it is you want and find out at the end of the journey that it isn’t, in fact, what you wanted all along.”

It’s time to break norms. And not in the traditional sense - with tattoos and piercings and looking fierce – unfortunately even misfits are predictable now. Break norms not to “be different” or “standout” but to align ourselves with the universe and train our thoughts to break out of their age old, boring pattern.

Delhi and people who claim to be men

After a whole year, I stepped into the Delhi Metro yesterday to meet a friend of mine in Gurgaon. Owing to paucity of time, I ended up boarding the "general" compartment since I couldn't make it to the "Ladies only" compartment as the train pulled in. I regretted it instantaneously. Despite all the awareness programmes that have been running in this city after the heinous rape that brought protestors onto the streets in 2012, little has changed in terms of men staring at you like you are something to eat. I agree things are slightly better than they were a decade ago when they didn't stop at starting itself and decided to feel you up too. But again, I may have gotten lucky.

Here's an amazing video created by Whistling Woods International that tries to drive home the point. How can a city/country/region ever progress if men continue to treat women as mere meat?

Praying for change.

To Do or Not to Do

There is only one reason why resolutions break down year after year - the inability of human beings to form new habits. Sometimes, when you dispassionately look at your life, you wonder, why is it that you run away from something that will benefit you in more ways than one? What kind of a stupid person does that? The answer is : The lazy kind. Years of "giving in" to demands of the mind is showing signs now. And pertinent ones at that. The squidginess around the edges, the platinum highlights that I'd rather not have, a poor disposition that leads to viral attacks ever so often.

I had often heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit. I can attest to the fact that it's incorrect because many an excercise regime has been defeated post 25-30 days of rigorous practice. Similar inconsistencies have been experienced when it comes to staying off junk food. A recent article in "Brain Pickings" has beautifully put such false notions to rest. Read it here: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/01/02/how-long-it-takes-to-form-a-new-habit/ 

Key takeaway:

"Although the study only covered 84 days, by extrapolating the curves, it turned out that some of the habits could have taken around 254 days to form — the better part of a year!

What this research suggests is that 21 days to form a habit is probably right, as long as all you want to do is drink a glass of water after breakfast. Anything harder is likely to take longer to become a really strong habit, and, in the case of some activities, much longer."

It seems, the harder the undertaking, the longer you need to do it for it to become a habit. 2 days down in this new year, I haven't moved so much as a muscle and waking up early is still an ordeal (though it IS 4 degrees celsius in the mornings .. sigh.. excuses).

So at the fag end of a 3 week break from work, I intend to start getting my life on track. My brain needs to listen to me rather than enslaving me the way it as for all these years. I think having something to look forward to at 6:00 am might just help my case. Since a doughnut would entirely defeat the purpose, I am thinking about early morning blogs instead (post a large cup of tea of course).

Here's to willpower and the interesting times ahead!

2014 Resolutions: Live, Laugh, Love

So I was busy going through my resolutions from 2013 and sizing up the year against the benchmarks that I had set for myself. Though I didn't fail completely in my own eyes at the game of life last year, there's a lot left to be desired. Laziness, physical-mental-spiritual, seems to have been the troublemaker for things not done. Unconscious living seems to be another. When you look back at an entire year and have only 10 odd occurrances that took your breath away, you need to seriously re-examine your life. Of course, all excuses need to be thrown out of the window.

Living consciously is of course the top of the resolutions list this year. This is followed by writing the book I had started 2 years ago, reading more (especially the works of Vivekananda), dancing more (planning to get back to Bharatnatyam), and perfecting myself in the art of living. I think it's high time I stopped letting life's little twists and turns get on my nerves and be ready to face everything with grace and courage. The only thing I fear is fear itself (much like Potter), and I have a burning desire to live each moment like it's my last and not worry about the consequences at all.

Finally, this year is going to be special in more ways than one owing to the most fortuitous turn of events in my life. I intend to enjoy every moment of that blessing and focus on giving rather than harbouring silly expectations.

May you all have a magical 2014 :)

Shamanic Wisdom

'In many shamanic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions. When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?' ~ Gabrielle Roth


This sums it up, doesn't it? Sometimes in planning for life and all that we think will come to pass  - we forget to live.

Eat - Breathe - Live Positivity

One look at the morning papers, and you know the world's lost it. I actually quit reading the papers first thing in the morning for a very long time, because news of graft by stupid politicians, more rapes, more war, more unclaimed dead bodies is NOT the way one should start one's morning. Today, I happened to glance at it and regretted it instantaneously. Our PM - who has long been a puppet in the hands of the Gandhi family who, along with an entire troupe of corrupt politicians - are literally stripping bare the country and its population - claimed that Rahul Gandhi - the most ridiculous of all Gandhis - who has never done a day's worth of work in his life - will make a great PM. And that our current PM - who has a doctorate in Economics and brought the country out of the BOP crisis in 1991 - would happily work under Rahul. Needless to say, I saw all hope going out of me. (If I go to jail for this "blasphemy", you know who to blame." :P )

But then better sense prevailed. When sheer insanity can tip the balance of the world, why can't spiritual awakening reverse those effects? This is the story that holds the key to the ultimate change:

"The Japanese monkey, Macaca Fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.

In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkey liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant. An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too. This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.THEN IT HAPPENED!

By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!But notice: A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea...Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes. Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind. Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!" - By Ken Keyes Jr.


This is it! Violence can't kill violence. And intelligence is bowing down to stupidity everywhere. But there is something that all the hopeless leaders of the world and even more hopeless rebels cannot go against. That's the power of positivity. We need spiritual awakening in just enough people in the population to tilt the balance of the world towards awesomeness. We cannot be swayed by the sorrows of the world or of our own lives. There's a much much bigger aspect at play right now. Negativity has pervaded all aspects of our life. Look at yourself and the people around you. If it's raining, they want sunshine. If the sun comes out, they want winter. If they have long days at office, they want to be free from it all. If they don't have work, they have so many insecurities that you want to give them your work and hope that it plays the role a pacifier plays for an irritable baby. In short, people are never happy. And they have a big, fat problem if you refuse to be drawn into their self created dramas. We need to rise above this. If you can't live with your immediate colleague in peace, or worse, if you aren't at peace with yourself, there is little chance of attaining peace in the world in general.

So wage a war - against your low impulses and just once, try to live to your highest capacity. Each moment. Each day. Meditate. Be at peace - only then will you listen to the voices that stopped talking to you so long ago - the only voices that want the best for you and the world that you live in.

Wage a war against negativity of all sorts - including that which is rooted deep within you. If you can't win a battle against your worst nature - how can you expect the world to do that on such a large scale? Try it - it will be a long term win-win situation for all.

Dreams and their interpretations

So I fell sick owing to a total lack of excercise in my life, crazy, hazy weather here, and probably the extreme air conditioning that our office loves to indulge in. Result: No surprises there - I slept as though there were no tomorrow. 18 hours. 15 hours. It tapered down as I got better. The result of all that sleeping was some very interesting dreams that I can't remember because they were interspersed with reality.

However, there was one last night that was distinct. In my dream - I just sat there and washed dozens of clothes. They were mostly mine - not my family's - including my favourite dresses that are only dry-cleaned. So I sat there, and washed away, and then weirdly, didn't hang them out to dry. Instead, I dragged the hindolium in, and hung all my washing in the bathroom itself.

I got up with my fever gone, and after a long time, the desire to do something productive with my life. So of course, google was called upon and was commanded to reveal the meaning of this dream. It went something like this:

"Washing may represent inner cleansing. You are getting rid of old attitudes, habits and emotional reactions. If you wash clothes, this may symbolise an improvement in the way you present yourself to the world."

Sounds positive enough. And my feelings are totally in sync with the optimism that I woke up with. Now I just have to figure out how not to be drawn into the negativity of all and sundry at work tomorrow, and it'll all be perfect :) 

Reminiscing the good old days

Sometimes when you go after a spell to a place that you've grown up in, you get a bit of a jolt. Even if you've changed completely, you somehow expected that place to remain the same - stuck in time and space - your own little haven.

That is what happened during my long overdue visit to Nainital last week. The places were essentially the same - but the people! They had changed so much! And a place essentially gets its feel from the people in it.

The crowds on the streets have become more uncouth. The people I used to know and talk to during my multiple trips up and down hills in that 1 mile area, in every shop/ every other restaurant, have either crossed over to the other side, or become so old and feeble that it made my heart lurch.

There are some things in life that you don't want to change. But change is inevitable. And death, even more so. May the old souls who make Nainital "home" live long and healthy. The lake is the only thing that seems to maintain its age-old charm :)

The land of the sea and the home of the waves

Lame title for an oh-so-amazing experience. I know I know. But I was in Bermuda and beyond caring about titles really. One word : Gorgeous. Alright another - Dreamy. Last one - Friendly. A little too much at times though.

So after a 15 hour flight and a 9 hour stop over in New York I finally took my final flight to Bermuda. I deprived a really nice old couple of the window seat (well, they offered half heartedly and I jumped at the opportunity) and then slept through the trip. I heard them whisper to each other sometime between dreaming of a pizza and waves -  "Why did she take the window seat if she wanted to sleep right through". Well, I didn't want to sleep right through - but when you've stayed up for so very long, you fall asleep whether you like it or not.

But I wasn't asleep all through - I opened my eyes to see thick layers of cloud symmetrically dissected over the blue expanse. The next time I opened them - the clouds had transformed into gorgeous tufts of cotton candy - teasing the waves below. And the third and final time - and this made me actually wake up - the sky was aflame as the sun was going down, burning like coal embers in the distance. And then out of nowhere, sparkling pieces of land began to appear. My first view of Bermuda will stay with me forever. It was overwhelming to the point that I wanted to hug every bit of the island.

Having had my 10 hours of sleep, Sunday dawned a beautiful spring morning. The sun was just right in its intensity, the sky was blue enough and the clouds were gorgeous as ever entertaining me all through the trip by taking on different shapes in the blink of an eye. There was a dragon breathing fire during the sunset, a boy peacefully asleep with his stuffed toys, a mermaid and places that I couldn't have imagined. The sky in the distant horizon actually felt like a whole other world that could be travelled to. It was surreal to say the least.

Just walking by the dockyard, staring at the endless expanse of blue water was the most satisfying experience in ways I couldn't have dreamt of before. Of course, a girl standing alone staring at water like she can't believe her luck does attract a fair share of weird people (and really old ones at that), wanting to have a drink. But managed to keep them at a distance. So it was all good.

The weekend saw me travel far and wide in Bermuda; explore the various quaint little nooks and corners

that give the island its charm. Whether it was the breathtaking beauty of the Crystal and Fantasy caves with their intriguing stalactites and stalacmites, or the quiet little town of St. George's with its aura of ancient history and seafaring stories. The beaches were wondrous feasts of pink sand and blue-green waters that seemed to slant at the oddest of angles while being approached from the mini-hills in a bus. The sand felt like velvet under my feet! I saw people do magic with glass at the glassworks spot in the Dockyard and literally witnessed the "high" life that I'd always wondered about while watching programs about the Hamptons. And .. and .. I climbed a lighthouse for the very first time in my life and the experience can't be described in mere words!

I love Bermuda (understatement of the year!). To think I'd heard such terrible reviews about the place from my colleagues at work is a shame. "There's nothing to do," they said. When the sky's changing colours every minute and the waves are hypnotising you like never before - what else is left to be done?

Destiny's Child (P.S: I'm so not talking about the band)

So I have finally figured out the whole "free will" concept. At least, in my head. It may be utter nonsense - but I think I can live in peace now. I used to think that free will is about getting everything in life to go your way as long as you worked hard enough for it. Now I have accepted one thing - if something has to come to pass - it will. However, if it's not meant to be, then you can hang yourself upside down for days at end willing it to happen - but it won't. The only choice that you have is the way you react to the good and bad that you may have to deal with from time to time. And experience has it - there's always something good, or at least something funny in every occurance in your life.

Attitude is everything. I have seen people cry about random "first world" problems and go into absolute depression because one small thing in life wasn't going their way (embarrassed to admit I was like that most of last year). I have been to lunch with people to expensive places just to be hear them whine all through about how terrible it all was - while observing poor workers having a ball with their meagre food rations on the way back.

You can have everything and be poor as hell - and have nothing and yet be rich -  as long as you are content. Again, being content does not mean sitting on your butt and not wanting anything ever again. It means enjoying where you are at the moment - while you may be working towards a distant dream - but you are happy where you are.

Doesn't it scare you that while you are cursing a gem of a life right now - which is perfect in itself (and I don't mean the crap we are sold on TV in the name of perfection) - in the hope of finding happiness somewhere somehow in the future - that these times are never to return and will be some of your best memories when you look back 10 years from now?

So why ruin the present? Live it up and make the moments count! You are free to be happy in all circumstances - you are free to create amazing memories right now - THAT is your free will. Stop trying to control the world - as long as you can control that mischievous mind of yours, you are set for life!

Explorations of the Runic kind

It all began in a small picturesque town called Solvang, lost in time and space - somewhere between LA and Salinas on the west coast of America. Even while I was visiting it, I was overcome by the strong feeling that it would disappear the moment I left it - as if it were something straight out of a fairy tale - like Alice's Wonderland - or maybe even Hogwarts!

It was a sleepy little town, with Windmills inspired by Netherlands and a museum dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen. Mesmerising to say the least.

My tryst with runes happened first in the basement of that museum that had a bunch of books to choose from. It was a small emerald green book on Runes that immediately caught my fancy. And like all things that immediately catch one's fancy, it lay among my collection of "precious" things in a corner of my cupboard.

I got re-interested in it sometime during a spring cleaning session in 2011 when it emerged out of the depths of my paraphernalia and I was hooked. For about a year, on and off, I meditated on those runes and made notes in my diary of any weird dreams that I had. I really didn't know to what extent my always fabulous and entertaining dreams were influenced by the runic meditations, and how much was a figment of my imagination. So eventually, I dropped the practice.

This year, on my birthday, I went back to my diary entry from my birthday last year. It was the last one connected to the runes and I had noted how puzzled I was about some of my dreams. A year from then, I realise that those things had happened even though I had totally forgotten about those particular dreams! And it wasn't a comfortable phase at all - but turned out for my good. And it tied back to the type of runes I had been meditating on - it was the EXACT effect that they are supposed to have in a person's life.

So it goes without saying I am back to Runic meditations. Excited about the adventures I am about to embark on :)