Happy Father's Day to You, Mom!

It's a very special day today ! Firstly, 21st of June marks the year's summer solstice. Also, it's World Music Day. And it's Father's Day too !  Be it Twitter, or FB timeline,all social networking sites  are actually flooding with Father's Day posts .It's quite funny but it seems like there's a sudden deluge of love in everyone's hearts for their father. You might be find it a little surprising, but I've never really had a close bonding with my dad. Mostly because I've been used to growing up in his absence.

Anybody who's father has been serving as a marine engineer will connect. For me, dad has been that cool person who visited once or twice a year with colorful goodies and chocolates. So family for me has always meant my mother and my sister. 

Last night, I just had a  sudden realization. My mother had actually filled up my dad's absence in the best possible way she could! Be it attending parent teacher meetings,  taking me to the doctor's clinic or telling the best possible fables so that I would quickly finish my dinner (feeding me was a real pain, and none other than a gifted raconteur like my mom could really grab my attention in order to make me gulp my food!)

She's definitely not one of those people who will try to make it to your good books, mostly because she's too candid! But there have been certain instances when she has let her softer nature play a peek-a-boo with her harsh exterior. Moments when she happily bore the weight of my head on her shoulder while we were driving home after a long tiresome day. I often find myself checking on her at night, watching her stomach rise and fall with every breath. I'm so so scared of losing her, ever! The one reason behind my soul existence.So I think it'll be just for me to say "Happy Father's Day to you Mom! Because you've sort of played both the roles successfully most of the time ! "

I turned Seventeen !

"I am sixteen going on seventeen
I know that I'm naive
Fellows I meet may tell me I'm sweet
And willingly I believe

" -sixteen going on seventeen 

                                                                    (The Sound of Music)

I just turned seventeen last Sunday! The worst part about turning seventeen is well, firstly, I have to change my blog's description which means I have to think of a new one !Whew! If you're wondering why, well the description currently says" a sixteen year old girl who fell in love with words"...And now put seventeen in place of sixteen! Check! How unpoetic ! I am someone who swoons over Bukowski and feels blissful reading Silvia Plath on a rainy day. So I need a new description. Secondly, the worst part about being seventeen is, you don't get to be sixteen anymore(why am I blabbering shit!). One year of your life has passed you, and you haven't achieved any of the glories that a sixteen year old's supposed to! I remember feeling miserable on the night of my birthday. Not that I had a bad day. My friend came over. She had baked a chocolate egg-less brownie cake( I'm a vegetarian) specially for the occasion because she's a real sweetheart ! And we also got the chance to get wet in a mid-afternoon shower. We watched some classic movies like" The Runaway Bride"and "Sweet Home Alabama".. Later I went for a movie with mum (Jurassic World) and we ordered Chinese at a take-away restaurant. So, not a bad day at all , but there you go- I was filled with a feeling of deep dissatisfaction about everything. In brief, I was thinking about the popular kids at my school and the big fat parties that are held on their birthdays! That's when I looked up birthday goals on Google. And I found this site where the author writes about his dissatisfaction over the year that's gone by and as a consequence he sets a few goals to accomplish over the next year. Its certainly a cool idea.I think I'll follow it. So I guess my next blog will be on birthday goals. Stay tuned! Oh I also got To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in The Rye as presents. (Yay!)

6 Reasons Why We All Need a Best Friend

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh 

A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved ,just as a happiness shared is a happiness doubled. And since we can't share all our problems or our triumphs with everybody, God has blessed each and every one of us with at least one close chum we can fall back on at the end of each day. The most beautiful part of friendship is, it transcends all barriers- age, sex, caste, creed ,religion or race. For me, the best part of each day is the time of the evening I share with my mother, and we pour  our hearts out to each other in a tete-a-tete over a cup of tea. So, I shortlisted six reasons why we all need a close friend, in order to make everyone aware of the blessing they have called a true friend .

• A good friend is a good listener- No matter what we've gone through the entire day, we can actually share all that with our close buddy. And that close buddy won't mind listening to our crap and endless rantings until our heart is satisfied. What are close chums for, after all?
• Comfort- As I mentioned earlier, we are not comfortable sharing our problems with everyone. So we need that one person wont judge us by our actions but will instead understand our problems and try to fix them.
• Connectedness- There are certain things you share in common with your close friend. It might be a common interest in sports,  a fetish for books, or a penchant for cooking, or it can just the way you both look at things, i.e. the basic philosophies of life. This is what makes two persons the closest of friends and helps to create an everlasting bonding.
• Fun - One of the various connotations for the word friendship is fun. And that's the kind of fun that takes place when two close friends are together- whether its going ROFL over a joke only you both understand, quarreling over whose crush is better looking, or rubbing cake cream all over each others faces!
•  A true friend gives honest opinions- It is important to have that one person who is candid enough to tell us what we're doing is right or wrong. Whether it comes down to a dress we're wearing,  our behavior in public, or an unscrupulous act of having cheated on someone. True friends back us, but at the same time help us see things in a better light.
• A good friend is essentially a 3am friend-  Yes, one of the biggest reasons why we all need a best friend. If you're feeling depressed in the middle of the night and you're on the verge of tears, all you want is the company of a close bud. And sometimes, it might not be possible for your close pal to be physically present, but all it takes is to dial his/her number on your phone. Sometimes you don't even need to speak, but the feeling of having your friend on the other side of the phone provides a whole lot of comfort.

That's the kind of friendship we all look forward to in our lives. And if you look hard, I'm sure you'll find that one person in life who deserves to be called a best friend. The person who has been silently helping you in many ways, but their endeavors to make you happy went unnoticed ! And all though it is not friendship day, I decided to write this post because we don't need to celebrate a beautiful bond such as friendship on a special day of the year! Good luck to whoever is on a quest of finding a true friend !

Being Happy

 It's funny how being happy can sometimes be the hardest and the easiest task at the same time. All it takes is a change in perspective. I somehow believe happiness is a choice. I've been going through a really tough time lately, with a skin disorder that has been taking a toll on me. And today, I broke down. I couldn't take it any more. I cried. And I don't think I was being stupid. I'm a sixteen year old girl who is supposed to hang out with friends and enjoy life at its very best rather than rubbing a hundred ointments on her skin daily and sitting in the sun to cure her skin problems! Plus, I had a really bad day. And I realized that I was simply focusing on the negative side of things. Which was of course the easier thing to do at the moment. But once I unloaded my  heart, I realized that life can't be perfect. But that doesn't mean one can't be happy. You can be happy if you choose to be happy. As the saying goes, "The optimist and the pessimist both die in the end. But both would have lived lives in a completely different way." I conclude with one of my favourite quotes by Parker J. Palmer ~ " Wholeness does not mean perfection. It means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life. ". So today I choose to be happy.

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 !

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!

Killing The Monster Called Monotony

                                   

I'm posting after a long time (actually,a very long time)! It's strange how time is flying by and things are changing. Life's getting mundane everyday! I'm sure you can relate. I've joined Hellopoetry just to try out something new. What can be done to relieve the monotony of everyday life? Well,I've been experimenting since a few days and here's what I have to share...

Just try out something new.  Now don't go into trying something wayward and wacky like I did out of sheer desperation(I actually chewed a raw chilli at one go, and then scurried around the house like a mad dog!) Go for a morning walk maybe, or just get wet in the rain. Never mind the mud and dirt. Enjoy and dance like it's the first time. Do the same things in a different way. Brush your teeth with the hand which you generally don't. (It's a good exercise for the brain). Or just slip your left leg first and then your right leg into your pyjama.(It's fun) Challenge yourself to do tasks that you find difficult. And don't give up till you've accomplished it. The feeling of having achieved something is great.

Having said all this,I feel like a counsellor.(Lol!) That's all for now. I just got reminded of a saying "Life is too short to live with regrets". So forgive,be kind and spread love and happiness. Have a nice day !

Top Five Tips To A Better Life

Road to happiness

Life teaches us new lessons everyday. It is full of small moments of happiness and sorrow. The moments don’t stay. What stay’s on are the memories of each moment. So let’s take a vow to make every moment special. Here are some great tips to see life in a new way.

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. Don’t expect anything in return of your favor. It might happen that you have helped a friend out to complete his assignment. Remember that you have helped him / her simply because you loved to do so and not because you are expecting a favor in return. Let’s make life pleasant with simple actions.

“Sorry” is one of such words which you must use often. Never step back to accept your own fault or apologize. Look into the person’s eyes and say sorry and ensure that you mean it.

Life is a long journey and failures might come on your way. But when you lose, never lose the lesson.

Some like to dream real big. But that doesn’t make the person a laughing stock in front of others. Never laugh at anybody’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

Smile when you pick up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice. It infuses warmth while your talking and makes the other person comfortable during the conversation.

What are you waiting for? Start the journey of your life afresh. Create happiness wherever you go!