An Amazing Fellow Blogger

We all look up to someone for inspiration. As a blogger, I have a fellow blogger whom I really admire. And trust me, once you visit her blog, you'll get addicted to it. She is also one of the boldest women I know, with a unique voice of her own. Her name is Anjee Bhatia ( aka "Pigeonheadophobia"as she likes to call herself) . Coincidentally, she happens to be one of my friends' sister. She has discussed issues like harassment on streets, gender equality like no one else can ! Well not only thought provoking issues, but also a gallore of other fun articles and cool recipes. Check out her blog ( Pigeonheadophobia) in order to see for yourself! Happy Reading !

Schooldays and Nostalgia

         You know how quickly time flies by when:

 

• You empty your bookshelves and stack away the previous session's books and replace them with the new ones you recently bought.

•  You look back on the days of the previous academic year, softly smiling to yourself as you remember a funny incident that had made you laugh many a times hence.
• You suddenly discover an old photo album having pictures of your childhood days. You gently stroke the picture of a one year old you, splashing water in a bath tub. 
• The first time you notice the wrinkles on your mom's cheek, her grey hairs peeking out.
• You find a hand-made birthday card from a friend among junk inside a drawer. It has a typical junior school drawing of a sun with spokes ,and two friends underneath it grabbing each others hands.
• You sit back and realize, you have spent thirteen years of your life in a place which we all so lovingly term as school. It's the very last year of wearing your school uniform, the very last summer break you'll ever have, the very last year you will be called a schoolgirl or a schoolboy. The very last year you'll be spending eight hours a day with those people alike your age who've made your childhood so beautiful, your friends.

It feels like all these years passed by in a jiffy! It's the bitter sweet memories that make life so beautiful- the proud moment when you had beaten your childhood bully in a race from school back home, the first time you earned a star for your drawing,the first time you learnt what it felt to be punished along with your friends for chuckling in class. So here I am, reminiscing, as I prepare myself for my last year at school. Mostly a hopeful me, with a tinge of grief somewhere deep down, as I write my name in block letters on my text- books.

Splitting Up of British Bands

Wow! Yet another band splits up ! What's up with these British bands? Last December brought enough bad news for rock music lovers (precisely Alternative Rock music lovers) after British rock band Colplay's lead singer , Chris Martin announced  "It’s our seventh thing, and the way we look at it, it’s like the last Harry Potter book or something like that,” about their final album, which is tentatively titled A Head Full of Dreams. “I have to think of it as the final thing we’re doing. Otherwise, we wouldn’t put everything into it,”he added. Yeah we all got a little dewy eyed at the possibility of the band breaking up. 

And now,  it's One Direction. Zayn Malik quits One Direction after five years of being together since 2010 after Simon Cowell who discovered the boyband on talent show X Factor. Not that I'm a hardcore Directioner, but I liked the music they created. I remember two years back, songs like "More than this", "What makes you Beautiful" used to play on repeat on my music player. 

I somehow hate the ideas of people leaving bands or bands splitting up. I guess its a spike of nostalgia that makes me awfully sad deep down. Every song has a special memory related with it. And we learn to associate every band as a whole entity creating some wonderful music. One person leaving makes it so incomplete. I remember how I got mushy when one of my all-time favorite bands, Westlife split up in 2011 after fourteen years of delivering fourteen No.1 singles, 44 million album sales, 10 sellout tours and winning the  love and support of fans worldwide! How can one forget songs like Seasons in the sun , I had a dream, Flying without Wings...  

I guess it is really a sad time for music lovers. So where's the silver lining? I bet I'm not wrong if I say we are all eager about Colplay's upcoming album, A Head Full of Dreams. And as for 1D, they will be continuing as a four-member band, and will hopefully give us some happy hits in the following days! 

Small Deeds of Gratitude

"All we have is all we need. All we need is the awareness of how blessed we really are."~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

No matter where we are, or how we're doing in life, each and every one of us have something to be grateful for.

Since my childhood,  I've seen my mother throwing crumbs of bread on the window sill every morning . It's the first thing she does after waking up.Seconds later, a flock of crows  gather to feed on the crumbs. I never understood the underlying reason behind such an act ,until recently. A few days back,I accompanied my mother to the terrace where she would feed the crows (she has started feeding the crows in the terrace of late after a few people in our apartment complained that they apparently had a problem with my mother throwing crumbs on the window sill ). I realized that the crows waited in anticipation every morning. They began cawing with fervor as soon as she stepped into the terrace. 

I then asked her why she's been doing this everyday. "My mother used to tell me, man has a duty to fulfill towards all other beings on this planet. You must begin each day with an act of gratitude by helping your fellow beings . I'm doing my bit." , she smiled.

I was filled with a new respect for the person my mother is. I also decided at that very moment that I would carry on this tradition after my mother. Yes, we all have something to be grateful for. Each day is a blessing. It's just that some days, we have to look harder!

Depression-How to face it?

Depression

We've all been through a phase of life where one essentially feels low or depressed over a considerable period of time. Globally, more than 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression annually. Also, one out of every four people will suffer from some kind of mental health problem during a year. So you see, you are not the only one. Trust me on this, the key to better mental health is to keep yourself  active. Engage in any activity that interests you, whether its a fitness class,  a dance class, or learning a new language. An idle mind is a devil's workshop, which means an idle mind is more likely to develop negative thoughts. I know, in certain cases depression does take a toll on you, but you have to help yourself come out of it.

I've recently been through such a phase. I mostly experienced a feeling of emptiness or
worthlessness accompanied by a lack of concentration in work.I had stopped interacting with people around me and did not feel happy doing things that previously made me happy . My grades at school began to fall considerably. I began to search for solutions on Google, but they did not seem to help. 

Things started getting better after my aunt suggested that I visit a  psychotherapist. He advised me to involve in some sort of physical activity that will help keep me mentally and physically active. From the next week, I began going to a fitness class in my locality. And over the past two months, my mood has improved drastically .He also prescribed a herbal supplement Himalaya Ashvagandha(Winter Cherry/Withania somnifer) which is available in any Himalaya store, or any online drug store. It helps fight the symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety, etc. The best part about it is, it shows no contradictions whatsoever.

I hope all those of you who are suffering from depression, anxiety, or stress recover real soon. Stay positive, eat healthy. Time is the best healer, give the time some time. 

I would love to know your thoughts about this article. Feel free to share your opinion in the comment section below.

New Year, New Beginnings

Dear Beautiful Readers,

I know it's a bit too late to make a new year resolution, but as they say, better late than never. So 2015, a brand new year and time for new beginnings. Till now,  writing blogs had been one of my hobbies. And if you go through some of my previous articles, you may find them vague and childish. And I'm completely okay with that .I'm proud of all those articles I wrote as a 12 or 13 year old kid, English not being my mother tongue. Now I've decided to take up writing more seriously and will try to be regular on my blog. My biggest thanks goes to my wonderful sister who acquainted me with blogging, and to my beautiful readers who've supported me all the way, and helped me grow, not only as a writer, but as an individual.

Cheers!
Winnie

Happy Reading!

Ellen DeGeneres Book Cover

Look what I found while I was browsing the web today! Being a bibliophile myself, this really made me happy. It reinforced my faith in the goodness of the world. This wonderful lady does miracles. Long live, Ellen DeGeneres!

Live life the real way

Nowadays you find people everywhere busy looking down at their phones. In a generation of selfies and free messengers like Whatsapp, Hyke,etc., we often forget to enjoy the moment as we're busy clicking a picture in order to show the world how much better off we are than them! At the end of the day, whose validation are we seeking ? You don't need to get a thousand likes on your profile picture in order to reassure yourself how beautiful you are. That's not living life the real way. Nothing is as powerful as an eye contact. Interact with the people around you. Look a person in the eye when you say how much you love them or when you apologize. Life is too short to waste its precious moments preoccupied in a virtual world. Love passionately, laugh wholeheartedly, live fully!
One of my friends shared a beautiful video which seemed to say it all ! It put a smile on my face. So I'm glad to share it with my beautiful readers here! Have a great day !

You Are Being Duped

Hello beautiful people! Guess what, there's a new pill in the market called C-108 that completely revitalizes your skin ,fixing all blemishes,age marks, and makes you look up to five to seven years younger. Its better than botox or any chemical treatments, and moreover, its a completely scientific product synthesized in a science lab!And it's coming with a free trial pack. I'm sure you'll be checking it out on Google right now.

But wait, hold on ! What if I tell you I've been deceiving you by a cheap gimmick! That's all what it took to convince you that there really is such a pill. And that's how millions of cosmetic brands have been deceiving the ignorant public over the years. There's a thousand of brands selling fairness creams, fat burning pills, weight gaining pills, most of which are created to dupe the public. Believe it or not, more than 85-90% of the people in the world are unsatisfied with their looks and physique, which makes it such an easy job for these moneymaking bast***s to fool us!

I believe, if each one of us start take pride in whoever we are and whatever physique we've been blessed with, in no time these fraud businesses will come to a standstill. You may be different from others, but, it your differences solely that make us unique and beautiful ! Imagine a world where everybody resembled Calvin Klein models!!