Zing!

To have that energy and enthusiasm (or zing) is extremely important in one's life. It results inadvertently in livening up your mood, along with the others', makes you have a brighter approach towards things and the 'can do' attitude. So many benefits of just one!

So I'm writing this post so as to not to tell you how to better things for yourself, but more for the other people around you. I read a post recently on Facebook telling about how people settle for things, why it is okay but why one should look for more as well! Now I'm sure there must be many people you yourselves know, or are yourself, who maybe settling for something or the other in their lives, as achieving or accomplishing everything at the same time is also not possible. I get it, we all do it, accept it, settle for it. But something I try to do, and if you don't already then you should try as well, is to add that zing in other people's lives. Add that spark, that excitement and fun, whenever you meet them or talk to them. Bring a smile to someone else's face. You never know how much it may mean to them.

Had recently read a news article, mentioning a young a girl who committed suicide, even after clearing the entrance test for IIT. Any suicide news is just sad, and makes me wonder, that what if that person had someone around them to cheer them up? What if they had even a little bit of joy, to which they could hold on to during their trying times? Each of us can suffer from extreme pressure due to various reasons. Expectations, money, career, studies, deadlines, family, relatives, lovers, the rash driver on the road! Any and more, all of these can very easily add to our stress, make a day going bad go even worse. Why to worsen it, or rather, settle for it? If you see a person not so happy, or the fake happy, try to cheer them up! Become so awesome that they want to meet you, spend time with you, have a friend circle around you. Add that friendly zing in their lives in whichever way you can. You never know, you may be gently helping a potentially troubled soul who may not turn out so just thanks to you, without the either of you maybe even realizing it. Don't do it for the thanks, do it for the goodness of it. Be selfless, be awesome, be the one to bring the zing! ;)


So the last post of the month long challenge is done! Hope you all enjoyed reading my write ups. Things got really busy for me towards the end, and ended up missing 2-3 days in between. Happy to have survived after plunging into this world straight away with such a steep challenge! Thank you for all your support and encouraging words.
Keep in touch.

Cheers,
Signing out..

YouTube

Had been thinking for long as to what to write from Y and then even Z! Then got tired of contemplating among the limited options, opened youtube to listen to some songs, and midway it struck me - YouTube! Since we just can't live without it! Wonder how the Chinese do though. Maybe through their alternatives like youku or tudou (yes I had to google them).

Founded in 2005 and acquired by Google in 2006 (yes googled again), YouTube is only 11 years old, but feels as if we've been using it since time eternity! Where did we see songs and videos before that, or was all that not in then? Today it is such a giant though, and actually pays people. There are several self-made celebs thanks to youtube (real ones not wanna be ones, or..) and they have become millionaires! Well they got endorsement deals to help them too (PewDiePie comes to mind?)
Apparently a successful youtuber earns above 100,000$! Wow! No need for a higher degree then? :D
Source: https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-a-YouTuber-with-1-million-subscribers-earn-a-year

There were reports not so long ago of youtube becoming a paid service. I, like majority of you, hope such a thing never happens and remains free for us all! (Else I'm sure something else free would crop up to take its place :D )

Video for the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsKZd8Y5RvI
Stellamara - Prituri Se Planinata (NiT GriT Remix)
Enjoy!

Cheers,
I.C.

Xenophobia

Xenophobia - Dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.

How I wish such a word did not even need to exist in our dictionary! Why did humanity become like this? To develop hate or fear is understandable if the situation is there for it, but why do we just have such prejudice as to how some people would be, without ever having interacted with them. Is it simply because of the stereotypes born out of some other person or people's experiences? Is it because the people we listen to influenced us to actually start believing and sharing the feeling of hatred against people of certain race/religion/origin (all man made facet), without ever even knowing them personally? Forget personally, but even without saying a simple hello, some of us can tend to have a preconceived notion about how that person would be ("since I know" - well not really, you think you know because you heard someone say he knows someone who knows someone who knew) and just continued to believe in that story without ever fact checking.

Well the simple fact is - every human is different, unique in their own way. It is sad to see how cruel or mean we can be to other people at times. Just like you like to think you are special, so is the other religious person, or atheist, or a colored person, or the person of any other nationality. All these barriers, countries and borders, were created by us humans itself. There is nothing natural like that on land, so why pretend or believe just because the person is from the other side of the border, he/she is of a particular type. Experience if you have to before forming your own judgement.

Let us not be judgmental and mean to each other, specially to someone not in his/her region, out of their comfort zone in your area/country maybe. Put a smile on each other's face, and you will for sure be happier, and so would the entire world.
Dreams of having such things becoming a reality.. I wonder if it will ever happen..

Take care & Goodnight, last 2 posts of AtoZChallenge come out tomorrow :)

Ciao 

World of Wine

Oenophile - A connoisseur of wines. Greek for the love (philia) of wines (oinos).
Connoisseur - An expert judge in matters of taste.

I like wine, so why not become a 'connoisseur' of wines. It just sounds so cool and sophisticated. But those charms apart, it is always good to have that extra knowledge, and if of something you love then all the more better. While I do enjoy wines, I have not had those many (thanks to salary and to-not-to-be-a-drunk) constraints. I have the basic knowledge, can tell the types of wines, way to hold, aroma, flavors etc, but not the unique food pairings or origins just by blind tasting.

I found a course to obtain a certification of being a wine connoisseur in India. Would be tough to take out the time for it though with so much on my plate. Having company however always helps, so do buzz me if any of you friends would like to go for one :) I shall share the details then.
The world of wines is indeed truly big, and I do not believe it may be possible to know them all, but the journey to know the majority of them would be fun, and in the end becoming an expert ;)



Cheers,
I.C. 

Vivid Dreams

A lot of us have had vivid dreams in the past, which seem all too real, and we wake up wondering whether this all happened in my dream or in reality, and some even fancy a past life experience! (I used to contemplate on this a lot as a kid.) The idea of having images/memories from a past life seems really exciting. I for one have had dreams which I believe to be telling of how I may die, how I might have probably died in a past life, or of an activity that I should absolutely avoid.

And that activity is cave exploration, during which I get trapped, and die! One heck of a dream to have right?! Seen the creepy semi horror movie ‘The Descent’? 

Imagine getting trapped in a cave, minus the movie’s fictional creepers. That would indeed be one horrible way to die. Thus, I decided pretty early in my life – No spelunking (caving) for me! There could be equally or maybe worse ways to die, have you had any such weird dreams?

Peace,

I.C.

Unreal Tournament

This was the first ever multiplayer game I had played. It was my first love in the gaming world, and I remember buying UT-2000, a 7 CDs pack (yes we did live in a time like that!) I had finished the entire set of course at home, but one fine day my friends took me to a gaming cafe, where I played this game for the first time against humans instead of bots. And I totally 'owned' them. Just seeing those poor other souls surprised faces brought such happiness to me! :)

From there on started my love for online gaming I believe. Next game to conquer were Counter Strike and Command and Conquer. Still love those games to the core, though haven't tried the latest version for CS, the one before it was horrible. Then during undergrad came the game. Defense of the Ancients or DoTA! Picked up this game rather quick, like most other games. We played endless hours on LAN. 1st year personal computers weren't allowed, so it wasn't as much as the subsequent years. They were some really fun moments, all being so intense back then, and in the process also acquiring some of the best of the friends! I believe it helped us all gel and succeed better in a weird way, maybe because we all shared similar interests and passions.

Cheers to gaming, and kudos to Achilles, Real (my first DoTA tutor), Nefarious (the next tutor), Pipu (ever changing gaming alias), Sims, 212, asdfputki, manyu, terabaap, mota kislay and romit (what were your gaming names?) among many others. Sorry if I forgot anyone's name - it might be because I'm just so very sleepy!


Happy Gaming,
Mark Shandong 

To grow

To grow, you've got to try new things! You can't be just doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting to somehow evolve. You should not be afraid of trying out new things, after all, unless you do that, how will you know what suits you the best or what is it that you like the most!

So the next time an opportunity comes knocking, however much different or out of your comfort zone, do give it a try! Even in your same line of work, do try new ways of going about your daily grind. The worst case scenario would be that you just ended up spicing it up :)

Keeping this short and sweet, to put more emphasis on the message - Try out new things, try, try and try until you grow and thus succeed.

Cheers,
GN from the tired me.
#AtoZChallenge

Subjects of Interest

                Continuing partly from the previous write up of Religion, an intriguing idea is that what if we are the subjects of interest to aliens or God. Could we be just mere test subjects, or maybe ‘a ray of hope’ being tested by other universal civilizations as so many movies show? We do always like to think that there is some significance to the things we do. Our lives, and we as a species do matter in some way or the other. In short – we are important.

However, what if that is not true! Dare I say, what if we are just mere mortals, living on the surface of this planet, just like any other species who we consider much less significant than us.  What if we are not all that important as we perceive ourselves to be. If we are just being watched by some superior beings, aliens or whoever, how would that make you feel?

If that would be the case though, would mean firstly we are far inferior to those beings, unimaginably inferior. Second, we are mere test subjects for them in a complex world of our own which could be pretty simplistic for them. Third, we exploring space could might as well be just a mere well fabricated deep illusion for us, to put us out of reach from them.

Now since we are being tested (assuming this to be true), it could be that various different races of aliens descended down upon us when human civilization was far less evolved. They helped us in several ways, maybe at key junctures of time to maintain our survival or influence the course of our future. Something like the building of the pyramids, Machu Pichu and several other ancient sites, which seem quite impossible for man to make at that age, might just have been those superior beings helping us humans for reasons best known to them. The parallels of such structures or stories are aplenty, and these beings, influencing us simple humans, with all their power, might and wisdom, would for sure seem like gods to us at that time, or even now, though now we may only brand them as aliens or robots/humanoids, since our Gods are already defined. No new God can come into existence (proof – the very fact we don’t even think of something like this).

Thus, if this all were to be true, then there would be no heaven or hell, no life after death (probably), and no one to judge us at the end of our lives. We are just a specie being allowed to live our lives in our own way without being affected much from the outside world (the aliens) so as to let us live and evolve over the course of years, as we could be a matter of great interest to them, and also a means for those aliens to maybe understand their own origins better. If you think such an idea seems to far fetched, then please look up the Jarawa tribe of the Andamans in India. We as humans actually do this, so why cannot some other far advanced species? Maybe we interact once in a while with the Jarawas to help them not get extinct, via medical help or resolving some war issues at their level etc. just like the aliens may have done for us in ancient times, and may need to again sometime far in the future.

Who knows.. there are so many questions with so many different ideas. Wonder if we will ever know the answers in our lifetime, or even us humans as a specie, in our quest for knowledge. 

See you guys,

Post T comes out on Sunday to make for the day's loss.

Happy weekend,

I.C.

Religion

First of all sorry for the delay in writing this post; had been travelling so could not write, and did not want to go down on the quality either. Secondly, the below mentioned are solely my beliefs, not meant to influence anyone in whatsoever way or cause any harm/hurt to them.

Coming to the topic, religion if discussed in depth, can be a very volatile topic because of its sensitive nature, and the ability to affect people’s sentiments. Thus it is very important to remember that this is solely my view. Now I do not believe in religion, well not that much fully at least due to various reasons. I do however do believe in God. I simply find it baffling that God came in someone’s dreams and preached the ways (or best practices in corporate world parallel) to a human being, who then in turn preached God’s words. I could be totally wrong in this opinion, and I guess I’ll know the whole truth post death after meeting God, or may be not, if that is all simply an illusion to make our selves better at peace with the world we live in, and our lives as such.

Think of it like this, that in today’s web world a man comes to you and tells you, that he met God in his dreams, who preached certain sermons to him, also detailing on the way of life to be followed, things to do and things not to do. Would you believe him, or you would think he is joking? Need not answer that, however, it does become pretty difficult for majority of us to try and break free from this, to break free from the ideologies being followed since generations, by people you look up to (like family) and the entire society at large. It becomes difficult to not follow the masses in this regard. One wouldn’t want to be labelled as a ‘radical’. It is just easier to fit in, without affecting people’s sentiments and prevalent ideologies. Why go through all that trouble? I for one am not up for that, I’m not in any position of power to be able to pull off anything close to a revolutionary thinking, and neither would suggest any of you to try the same. It is all fine, if just limited to a discussion and nothing more.

There are various religions, which say the exact opposite on several issues. How can such a scenario happen, specially if all are right? Is 1 religion right while rest wrong? Or are all religions correct in their own right? Do they all have their own true distinct Gods? Ancient aliens may be? Several of them preaching their own ideologies, may be testing us humans? *Feels bad to think of ourselves as test subjects!* Or, maybe we are all wrong? No such thing as religion exists? While there are several mythologies (always enjoyed playing those related games), we do not know for sure their origin. Their actual source cannot be defined or rather confirmed, even though a lot of them do mention their sources, just because they are so ancient. It all comes down to one’s belief at the end of the day, and that is extremely important in my opinion. Each individual, and extrapolating to entire world, pretty much revolves around hope. All of us continue with our daily lives, the way we do, because of hope. If there would be no hope, no hope of succeeding, no hope of a better life, no hope of a better pay, we would just quit. Things that we do which are not of leisure or the kind, are done in the hope of something, either for ourselves or our families, and thus it is extremely important to hold on to this hope, to hope to be a better human being at the end of the day, because you hope you would get heaven at the end of your life!

Quality > Quantity

With the severe pressure that most of us face these days, it is extremely tough to simply believe in quality more than the quantity. I feel the fault may lie somewhere with our education system, because of which each and every student, along with the parents, relatives, coaches, etc end up just flushing so much down a student's throat, that we start believing and accepting that quantity is necessary. In fact more like a necessity. Our typical exams also don't force us to think by testing such an aspect, instead the exams test us just how much can we memorize.

Well this all changes in the GMAT. Thus it could come as a shock to many aspiring to score well in the GMAT, as this is a test that actually pressurizes you, testing your ability to think and solve, using logic under extreme time pressure, while getting mentally fatigued. While many are able to ace the exam, there are many more who are not able to, and further many more who just give up on this dream mid way. There are some who are able to ace the exam quickly and on their own, but with a test like the GMAT, with so much of quality being put into each question, it would always be wise to get reliable guidance.

I was fortunate enough to have a dream mentor for me - viz. Rohit Ghosh sir. In my entire life, majority studying, I haven't seen any other teacher who is that dedicated to his work. He is the type of teacher who you would actually call a teacher, or a guru. The man is unbelievably focused, helpful and would add miles to your preparation. He would push and motivate you. If you are slacking, you would end up thinking that my teacher is putting in more effort than me, when it is me who wants to do an MBA while he has a secured job. That is passion, and he teaches that to you first hand. Most of you who know me, would know that I don't just praise anyone that easily, that too this much, so you can think what sort of a guide he must be. He taught us all this great value - that Quality is greater than quantity, something which most of us all very easily forget, specially when in the grind under stress.

By my experience, if you have the determination, and put in the hard work (and some brains too - which all of you have by the way, just got to use it), there is nothing stopping you from succeeding. Having a great mentor is just the necessary icing on the cake ;)

Hope this helps you all who are looking to rock this test by providing that added motivation for success. And the beauty of this mantra - it is applicable almost everywhere. Just be calm, and be the quality you want to be!

Cheers,
AS

Precioussssss

My Precioussssss
Now if that reminds you of:

Yaay Master likeses us

that is Gollum/Smeagol instantly - then you are awesome.

If you took some time to remember that face, well then

Hmmms

But if you don't know this beloved character, then...

Whaaats

Then you really need to watch the Lord of the Rings. Like really, now! Go for it don't think too much about it, while many would have already started going for a re-run having being reminded of LoTR!
Let me tell you, author does not trickses us. It is a genuine advice, and you can come and thank me later (after several hours of watching.)

Are you convinced to go and watch it now? Gollem doesn't wants a no for an answers. Gollem wantss a yes!

We sees it!

Enjoy your time watching it (again for many!)
PS - Take several popcorn buckets, you'll need 'em.

Goodnights

Sweets dreams

         
Ciao
I.C.
#AtoZChallenge

Over-smart

That's a word a lot of us must have been associated with in our childhood. I for sure was regarded as one in more than countable occasions! Some of us even now at times (like me). But why do we tend to get over-smart? Well I have the answer right here for you.

I collaborated with a team of neuroscientists (just for you all), analyzed the brain of various chimps put under different scenarios. their signals being sent off in a tizzy and their impact. Now there was one strikingly similar characteristic among all of our specimens whenever they seemed to getting over-smart, and that was being kewl (cool)! You get my point, there are so many times that there is a need for us to just do something in an uber cool way; being super smart, and incorrectly so - turning out to be a giant over-smart.

However that was not the only trait we found common among our lab pets. Whenever put under stress, like a male chimp in front of a female chimp (we gave the poor male a 'like the female' serum while also giving the female a 'get attracted to me - I am hot ' pheromone), we noticed that the poor male more often than not, ended up being an over-smart. The results leapfrogged by another 70% when there were 2 or more male chimps put together with the lone female chimp. It was as if all of them started to have an over-smartness competition, with no clear winner that too!

Now I could relate to why we end up becoming over-smarts so many times - Ancestors!! Yes, its our primal ancestors who are to blame! No wonder we end up making a fool out of our own selves whenever we like and want to impress a girl, or showoff to people around us. Such is our plight. In spite of having the knowledge of being calm, in the attempt to being so, we most often end up doing the opposite, going overboard and out smarting our own self (not in the good sense).

said my brain to no avail.

Ah well, I guess there is no riddance from this. Its in our genes!! Thus, best bear with it.
PS: Ladies-


Don't you guys agree with me on this? ;)


Cheers,
I.C.

Negative

Be Positive! Not the blood type, but the attitude any and everyone will ask you to have. Having that blood type though does help in having a positive outlook (Okay I'm just kidding..) So it is a good suggestion, and a necessary thing in most people's cases. Being positive can have tremendous effects, just if you do actually become positive, instead of having a pseudo positive attitude, which generally happens when an individual is more focused on being positive through a turmoil rather than actually focusing on the task at hand. Concentrating on the solution of the problem results in you being labelled positive, instead of concentrating on being positive so as to be 'positive'!

Now for the vast majority of the people, who are unable to remain "positive" through tough scenarios - I have a golden solution for you. What if I told you, negativity is good? Surprised? Well don't be. Negativity can be good if used in the correct way. Let me try and explain that "correct way" with an easy example:

Scenario 1:
Person A has to go out. Gets dressed up, sees herself in the mirror, but doesn't like the outfit. Thus she decides to change into something else, checks herself in the mirror, likes this better, and steps out of the house.

Scenario 2:
Person B has to go out. Gets dressed up, sees herself in the mirror, but doesn't like the outfit. On top of it, she also thinks that there will be no point in changing into something else, as she is having a bad day, and just can't make it. Calls up the people she was going to meet, makes an excuse and cancels her plans.

So if you caught my drift, it is Person B who is being negative, the bad kind. Planning and getting ready, that is the first step, which we all do (Work begun is work half done - I wish that was the case always!) Checking yourself in the mirror, is the review part. Always necessary before being presented to the rest of the world. This self review and checking, this is the point, where you need to be strong. I'm not telling you to be positive, and not worry however you find yourself in the mirror (saying I'm the best in my own way) and step out. Instead, be negative, be critical at that moment of time (which we inherently are and it's not a bad thing). Judge it from a third person's view if necessary. Use that critical negativity, use it to fuel you if that drives you (without getting consumed by it), and change, adapt, rework, try and try until you are happy with the end result. That is success. That was Person A finally stepping out after liking her changed attire.

You cannot be a blind optimist. Like they say, there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity (the blind optimist.) There is no happiness if there is no sadness. There is no fun if there is no boredom. And in the same way, there is no positivity without negativity. It needs to be a mix of both.

A problem is perceived as the negative entity. The next time you have a problem, get happy, because now you can use that negative entity, focus on its solution and thus in the end become happy upon conquering it. If there were no problems, no solutions would exist. Thus, even no work! The word unemployed wouldn't exist as there would not be any employment either (no problem thus no need to delegate work.) The world as we know it, would not be the same, in fact drastically different, if there were no problems, if there was no sadness, if there was no negativity.


Peace
Tata
#atozchallenge

Me!

Well not literally me, but you. When you read this title "Me", don't simply continue to read further without a thought. Let that word echo inside of you.
We are all so worried about what others may think about us, but for a change, ask yourself, what do you think about your own self?

As each day passes along in our forever busy lives, we end up not having much free time left. May that be to do the things we love, follow hobbies, hit that elusive gym, play a sport, go on a date, meet your dear ones, or even self introspect. While a lot of our activities can be auto dictated by the demanding requirements, people or the society at large around us, it is important to take a little break, and think, where am I heading? Is this the path I wanted to be on? Is this a better path if it was not initially desired? How am I as a human being? What are the things missing?

Is it that dream job, or dream education, or the dream of starting up your own venture, or the dream of travelling the world? Notice - a lot of dreams.. It is good to have dreams, in fact it is necessary to have dreams. We all do have them! But the problem is, we end up going with the flow, so worried about others judging you and worrying about others worries, that we end up pushing our dreams to the back bench, where the dreams are hardly noticed, and if ever noticed once in a while, it is no more taken seriously, just like a back-bencher in class.

Thus, the caveat is we should not simply go with flow, we are not a herd, but instead take that 1 hour thought break someday (at least once a year), and ask yourself the questions - Who am I and what do I want?
What defines ME? 


Adios,
I.C.
#atozchallenge

Leap of Faith

At different stages of life one will find themselves in a fix. In a pickle of a situation, wondering whether something should be done or not. If the situation seems tricky, or out of your comfort zone, or may be out of the society's general trend, we would generally tend to not pursue it. Why go through all the trouble right? If I already have a job, paying me decently well enough, why should I try and want to do something different, even if say I don't enjoy my job to the fullest potential. The risk, the uncertainty, the pain and agony would/could be too much. Safer is better!

Well, here I ask you to take a leap of faith. If you have some dreams, which you are really passionate about, and have your own fair share of idea of how to go about it, then I suggest - take that leap of faith. Go for it. If you are in your 20s like me, or maybe even of a different age bracket, but more importantly have that financial security (no dependence or you can depend on someone like family), then you have no excuse for not trying! You have one life, go for it, live it to the fullest and realize your dreams! Realize your true potential, fulfill your passion and start that business. Become an entrepreneur.

Though, doing a business is risky you would argue. Fair enough, point taken. However, we live in a world, where every year there are countless number of new able graduates entering the market, all trying for a job you once had, at a lower price than your current salary. If recession hits again (it will one day, its a pattern), then you at the higher level would stand a greater risk of getting fired as well (depending on your field.) Also, think of this, if everyone simply took the safe route, then you my dear would not be having that job of yours right now, as there would be no business to employ you! Fighting against million other potential employees, or fighting against much fewer employers, which seems less risky now?

All said and done, of course you need to have:
1. That passion for business
2. A great idea for it to actually work
3. Patience till it actually starts returning profit for you
4. That grit and determination to face the world against all odds. Good things never come easy ;)
5. Never say die and keep trying attitude

If you have those, and maybe more, then please, get starting. It is never too late, and always a pleasant feeling to be one's own boss! Has a nice ring to it right? I have had the pleasure to have a certain few friends who are entrepreneurs, a lot of them self made. Kudos to them. I have tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for you guys. Keep it up.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish


Signing out,
Goodbye
#atozchallenge

Karma

Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म) means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect).

That is the dictionary meaning. The song by Justin Bieber Timberlake - What goes around comes around, also explains it simply exquisitely. 

Even though I like the concept of Karma, I find the topic to be quite debatable. On one hand, your actions of today result in the consequences tomorrow. Good thought, well said. However, on the other hand, what about the student, who is pursuing his/her higher studies (after a lot of hard work to get till there), ending up getting shot by a maniac? What about the terrorist who takes several innocent lives, and later dies like any other normal law abiding citizen may? Now if you believe in the concept of rebirth, then maybe there can be some sense of judgement, except saying that the innocent person who died at the hands of a terrorist, died because of his actions in his previous life (and tell that to the grieving family to get shot at yourself!) Assuming that theology to be true, then as per the continuation of the same logic, the criminal who kills these people, is actually carrying out God's work (by punishing those who committed bad deeds in previous life.) Thus, this criminal in question would then not truly be the criminal! Inception?

Well, the above concept seems quite harsh (I'm sure to majority), and frankly incomprehensible. Thus, if the above is not true, then we are back to the same old question - what about the innocents and what about the terrorists? Saying that the terrorists died is no justice I believe, since everything living dies!! Hence, I believe karma is a noble concept, though having limited scope if you end up thinking about it rather deeply like me! If you enjoy such topics, debating on them can go on for hours in loops, without a clear conclusion, yet feeling enriched at the end. 

A recent post I read online which went like this - A man goes up to mother nature, and tells her that we all humans are extremely sorry for destroying her, and beg for her forgiveness. Further, we are sorry for being selfish, and never meant to kill nature. To this, mother nature replies that nature is adaptable, it has survived much worse catastrophes and will simple change to take new forms. It is you however who are changing the nature so much, that you (humans) would not be able to live in it. You are not killing nature, you are killing yourself. Do not assume that just because you won't be able to live in it, others won't too, and stop being so self centered. 

The post, much mellowed down here, shines light on such an important topic plaguing us today. It is our deeds today, for which we will face the consequences later on. Much worse, our kids will too for no fault of theirs! Brutal Karma? Let's do our bit, let us all, as an individual, be a better person everyday and make the world a better place to live in. We can, if we all try..

[The Song:]
What Goes Around...Comes Around


Regards,
Fellow Earthling
#AtoZChallenge

Just Creepy

So I was talking over the phone late last night, standing in the balcony enjoying the pleasant breeze. Mid conversation, I noticed this house to my right, with an extremely creepy orange light on. Its the kind or orange bulb light which looks really depressing, and quite disturbing to be honest as to why someone would have that on. Its the type where you would I guess expect serial killers to live! Or maybe go about their twisted activities in there.

Now the thing is, I've never seen anyone living in that particular flat before. It could be maybe someone new just moved in, with an extremely weird depressed life, or...
The bad thing is that this flat is on my floor, the good thing is - I don't socialize with the neighbors here that much. Even if I did, I surely wouldn't go to meet that occupant! Would you?

There was a similar incident years back in college. I was telling a friend a ghost story over the phone, a freaky experience actually, and as soon as I took the ghost's name, the light bulb went off. Pretty much at the exact same instant. I shut up and decided it to be as "The one who shall not be named." I've had other similar experiences with the super
natural, and it has been a riveting experience more than being scary. However, spirits are one thing, humans living in homes lighted like that - that is just plain creepy.

Do you know people like that (I hope not), or have had experiences with the supernatural? I am a horror story addict so do share if you have! I forgot to take a snap of the place last night, and nobody seems home even now (or maybe the murder for the month has been done already). Nonetheless I'll keep an eye out so as to click a pic of the place for you guys (and hope he doesn't read this blog).

Thanks & Bye

#atozchallenge

Impress

We live in a world where we constantly need to impress. May it be to impress your boss, teacher, interviewer, prospective client, your own self or even acquaintances! Its not just about impressing your +1 who you may be courting, though that is no easy task either ;)

But what if we lived in a simpler world, a world where we don't have the need to be impressing anyone! It would be so very different then. Gone would be the witty comments, the constant need to share on social media of all your 'cool' things, of showing only your best side to the world. One could be absolutely free, their own simple selves without being judged. Though, would that be nice? I mean I wouldn't want people being rude to me! Also who doesn't like being impressed? I for one look forward to it and enjoy people trying to get on my good side. While many don't do so, some of them do, and they are evidently fake sadly. I would prefer if friends/acquaintances were the real self, not the pseudo profiles in front of me, while leaving the impressing part to advertisers and other professionals in need of me or others as a market.

Thus, in my opinions, a middle path if chosen, would make the world a much simpler and happier place. Facebook, Instagram and the likes' popularity would surely go down a couple of notches. LinkedIn and Glassdoor would continue to remain the same. There would be lesser broken relationships, as a person would know who it is that they are really getting into the relationship with. The feeling of emptiness that we get at times would disappear, as we would have more and more like minded people as good friends around us. We would know who a person really is, without leaving it to an ambiguous judgement. Decisions can be then made more easily in life. As I'm writing this, the idea of not having to impress is growing on me all the more! Is it happening to you too?

However, all said and done, such a thing would simply never happen. A reality like that could only be existent in some alternate parallel universe, if you believe in such things. There are so many ideas by which we feel the world could be a better place. Well, if we all did our own little bit in our own small ways, may be it would be :)


Peace
#atozchallenge

Habit

Humans are creatures of habit. We are habitual of doing only certain things, and would tend to give new things a thought before trying. Also, there is a way we go about doing things, which we like to do only in a certain way. If not done in our usual way, we tend to become rather upset about it being done differently. Maybe it is the controlling nature in all of us?

Habits maketh the man.. And thus, it is quite necessary for us to develop good habits, as they would go a long way in making who we are. The process can be quite subtle, without realizing about things happening specifically because of a certain habit. May that be getting up early in the morning, or exercising, to something like smoking or drinking. Whatever new change we try to do, our body has a mechanism of trying to repel it, of fighting against it. That is why it takes so much of determination to hit the gym daily or for a chain smoker to quit smoking.

Developing a positive attitude, a habit of focusing on our habits, and looking to grow are certain small things which can help us grow. It would be tough initially I;m sure, and would take a lot of painstaking effort, with not many results to show in the beginning, but hey that is what will be with you for the rest of your life. That experience, with which you can play around, and find the best fit for you so as to succeed.

Hope this helps you all in any way, by trying to put the focus back on our habits in leading a healthier and fulfilled life :)


Signing out,
See you.
#AtoZChallenge

God

"Does God exist?" - is one of my favorite debating topics with friends :) Some of them even get hyped up through the conversation! Also, if God exists, then in what type or form? What is God? Which specie? A super human being, ancient alien, human from the future (unlikely)?

Then there are religions, so many of them, with no concrete proof, and very contradictory to each other, yet each having its devout followers. I do not mean to hurt anyone's sentiments and don't mean to force my ideologies on anyone, but just simply do not believe in religion. There are various reasons on how I came about to not believing in religion, but that would get extremely lengthy, so let me save it for the "R" post :)

So, does God exist, and what does he/she want from us? Are we expected to do anything, or God just simply observes? What if there is no God, and that God is basically just an idea, an idea put forth by our ancestors, for us to follow!

Assume a scenario, you are in a world, a populous world, without any wide means of communication (pre-tech world). You and a group of like minded wise individuals, meet up and are discussing the current affairs (you are in ancient times by the way). You are a group of people with power, and see around you a lot of individuals who are helpless, a lot who are just plain bullies, rampant murder and deceit going on for the pettiest of things, with no one or not possible enough police to control almost anything presumably wrong. What would you do? How would you control the people around you without much real power? How would you help mankind?
Solution: Create an imaginary figure, a powerful figure, with infinite reach and power, who checks us and decides our fate after we die (thus idea of after life, heaven and hell.) Make this a movement, with a good believable story behind it, and suddenly there will be this almighty figure, who people will fear, and thus not commit crimes anymore - Welcome God.
You also have a fair idea of best practices, on how people should ideally lead their lives for total betterment, and how to continue to maintain this faith across generations - Welcome religion.

The above mentioned, however, is just an idea that had come into my wandering head years back. I for one, do believe in God. I believe there is some higher power, some super being up there, gently controlling our lives in ways we cannot understand right now.

Once again, my intention has not been to hurt anyone's feelings or sentiments. My sincerest apologies if I have done so.
Do let me know what you think of this, do you agree or you don't.

Have a good weekend,
Goodnight
May the force be with you!
#atozchallenge

Friends

Don't we all have those friends who are just not all that close to us anymore as they used to be at one point of time? For some relations may have soured, while I believe for the majority of the rest, for no apparent single reason, some friends just grew apart. Maybe because either one or both of them did not have time, got busy, lives drifted apart, new friends became closer and not much common things to share anymore with the older ones.

I was thinking before writing this, that wouldn't it be nice if we could share the same level of rapport as we used to enjoy during the peak days with different close friends! Life would certainly seem fuller and more joyous for sure. But how to go about achieving that?

First an idea came to head - Why not call one old close friend a day! That sounds fun, but would my friends have that much time? More importantly, would I have that much time?!
Thus, better sense prevailed, and thought why not call up 1 friend 1 week at a time. Surely we can take out 1 day out of 7 days. It seems possible, but don't know how much of that would really happen. I know I must be sounding like a pessimist, I feel like one while typing it itself, but I'm just trying to be realistic. I know I am going to have a very busy schedule ahead for me very soon. I hope though I can keep up, and if not, I hope you all would pitch in!

Stay in touch, stay connected :)
1 call a week

Adios amigos
#atozchallenge

Escape, Evolve

Have you ever had the feeling of escaping this planet? Going to outer space, getting to explore other planets, they are all such a dream for so many of us. I for one wanted to become an astronaut as kid to be able to do those things! :)

But ever wondered why is it that we have this feeling? Is it because we want to explore the unknown, while there are so many unknown places on our very own beautiful planet. I wish I could travel the globe, if not entirely then at least quite a bit. But do I have the money for it? NO. Do I have the time for it? No. Why? Well, in the 20s, a person is still trying to find his feet and settle into a job, earn, learn, earn big and save so as to be able to travel and explore the world, escape the hustle bustle of the daily life. However, by the time I do all of that, I'd end up getting married, probably have kids by then, and be able to chug in just few trips before added pressure to maintain the family. And it would then continue to be a cycle, the tuition fees of your children will just keep on increasing with time and you would have to make sacrifices and earn for your loved ones. It makes me think why is it so?

The rules and trends we follow, is made by our own ancestors, by mankind for mankind. Did they not want to enjoy life in the age they could? The age at which we can actually do things with the body permitting, we end up sitting in some cabin doing a desk job. By the time we can have enough money, maybe the body would not want to travel as much. Maybe the body will require you to use that money for its maintenance at the hospital, thanks to the sedentary life you led all the while working! It is like a vicious cycle. What if I say every young adult was to be given mandatory two years to travel and roam around the world. What if that was made to be a global law? But oh - we are not global! We say we are, we are indeed connected, but with borders. Humanity is such that there are unnecessary tensions, feuds and wars happening somewhere all the time on varied scales. Then there is discrimination of various kinds, all of which tend to put fear into the hearts and minds of potential travelers.

What if, mankind could evolve? What if there were no borders? What if we all could just live as one unique specie occupying this planet, live work and love in peace and harmony.. Wouldn't that be amazing?! The 2 years of mandatory global travel could also become a reality then. Everyone would trust each other, and people could have home stays, majority done mutually between scores of people. Also, by this, there would be just so many places to freely explore on this planet, that we may not have the time to think about escaping to outer space, trying to escape from the hassles on this planet. Just what if, humans could evolve to such a level..


Peace,
Goodbye
#AtoZChallenge

Dreams, Desires, Discovery, Destiny.. Determination

Dreams.. All of us see them, do not remember a lot of them once awake, remember some of them sometimes, have some dreams which wake us up in the middle of the night, and then, some dreams which just do not let us sleep in peace! If you have a dream or dreams which just do not let you sleep easily, then your dream is your desire. I'm happy for you if you have that, even though you may be upset as you are not able to achieve your dreams, unable to make them a reality yet, but I am still happy if you have dreams like that which are your desires, as not having a dream which you deeply desire is a problem a lot of us face.

What am I really passionate about? What is my true inner calling? What am I meant to be? These are the type of questions which bog so many of us. How to really know what we desire really deep down inside? What is it that we truly want for ourselves? What is it that I as an individual want to accomplish?! Well, I say that is where one needs to take a little break, self explore, and discover what he/she wants to do. As Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had once said, "Dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep."

The widely respected man had also said "You have to dream before your dreams come true." - And that is I believe the primary step to discovering your desire. It WILL be a long process. I'm not saying 'could be', as it most certainly, will be a long process. So do not get disheartened by that, it will come to you eventually as you keep trying. For sure, do not leave it on something known as 'Destiny'.

I know a lot of people stating that this was his destiny, or it was destined to happen for her, etc. Now I do not agree with such comments in general, as I strongly believe that our destiny is in our very own hands. We make our destiny. I choose the path I want to walk on. It can be easy to blame the society or other forces, that I did so because of them. But, you CHOSE to follow someone or some other entity.
I fully understand that it is easier said than done, however, it is, in the end your decision to follow a certain path, eventually leading to your 'destiny'.

Think of it like this, you have one life, it is YOUR one life, live it the way you want to (without harming others goes without saying), and thus be determined, take decisive action and choose your own destiny. If you believe God decides your destiny, then play God for your own self - Decide your own destiny and have an awesome legendary life.

After all, that is how heroes are born ;)


Thank you,
Signing Out.
#AtoZChallenge

Cosmic Beauty

I love stargazing, and living in a city polluted and bright enough to disrupt your view of the stars can be annoying at times. Although I do not know which constellation is where and which star is which, I simply enjoy staring up at them, whenever I get to see them, which is mostly in remote vacation spots!
Why I enjoy it so much is because of its sheer magnitude and beauty. There could be someone who just likes the plain view of it, or someone who could be the least interested in it, however no one can deny its beauty for its power to deflate someone's ego. I wish people had this realization, of the amazing vastness of our cosmos, and thus, just how insignificant we may be in it. In the larger scheme of things, our decisions, our life and maybe our entire human race may not hold any much of significance! Who knows what is all out there and where do we fit in it? We sure do know we are in a far corner of our very own galaxy, and not the center of attention!

So, these thoughts get me to two points:

1. Why have such a massive ego?
            There will be many instances in life, when we realize, in the heat of the moment, that whatever I am doing now, or about to do, is solely and purely because of my ego. I wish it did not have to come to that, but I just cannot take it beyond this point, and to hell with things!

Well, if you are someone like me, whose rational side of the brain makes you realize during the thick of things that maybe your ego is taking over you, I suggest you take the same rational part of the brain to the cosmos. Admire the universe's beauty, its veritable vastness, mankind's place in it, your place in it, and finally, this moment's place in it!
I'm sure, in those two minutes, with such thoughts, things will ease up. Not only that, if practiced over time, it will also help reduce your overall ego (I used to have a massive ego at a younger age, which has now subsided) :)

2. Take a step back, chill and relax.
            I know that almost all of us have a lot of tensions in life. May that be due to work, your partner, financials, friends or family, health, studies etc. I remember that way back in 2nd standard, I had not finished my homework due the next day, and I was under immense stress then wondering what to do. I think of it now and chuckle. Similarly there have been other instances in life, which at that very moment, put us under a lot of pressure, and it starts to become very difficult to cope with with time.
Thus, for your health and happiness, take a step back, chill and relax. Think, what would be the impact of the task at hand in 1 year's time. Think, what would be the impact of this 5 years down the line, then 10 years down? And finally, on my entire life.
If your answer in something not so scary for those questions, then simply relax, plan and get on with your stressful item, and finish it to the best limits that you can, without now having to worry too much about it. However, if your answer was that it will have a big impact on your life, then hey whats there to worry, stop wasting time worrying and get on with it! Finish the task and realize, one day you will look back at this moment, remember your feelings, and smile :)

Hope you all enjoyed this and it helps you in some way.
As always, do share your stories and opinions.

Adios,
Smile Away :)
#AtoZChallenge

Best, Buddha & Bhutan

Most of us, always try to be the best in something or the other, if not everything! A lot of us, at the same time, DO accept that being the best in things in simply not possible, and that it is absolutely alright to NOT be the best at whatever I do. However, who wouldn't like to be the best? The numero uno at something. That is an another feeling altogether, and would be great to experience. And thus sets out our innate nature, of us trying to become one of the best at something at some point of time in life, or maybe push some loved one to achieve that!

However, what I find intriguing is the meaning of this being the "best". What does being the best really mean? Does it mean being the topper in my class, or being the most awarded employee at my job, having the best of friends since I am such an excellent friend to have, being the best lover, being the ideal daughter or son, being the best parent, or simply being the best human being? While being the best in class may be the top wish of any student's parents, being the best human on the face of this planet seems quite a daunting task! When everyone around you is part of such a rat race, it is not easy to not be a part of it yourself in some way.

Then, at times, I think of Lord Buddha, who renounced all his worldly possessions to attain enlightenment, and eventually moksha or eternal liberation. What if a kid follows this path, and lets go of his/her studies? He would be a failure in class and to his friends, yet maybe the best at having a shot at attaining enlightenment at such a young age! It becomes kind of a paradoxical scenario, where being the best turns out to be just a matter of one's perspective.

It makes me thus realize that there is no need to take so much of stress, being a part of any rat race, constantly competing with others throughout life, as each and every individual can be the best in their own way. After all, it is just a matter of perspective! Such a realization does help in providing calm and inner peace, and I hope it can help you achieve the same.

I was reading an article the other day, which had content written on Bhutan. In that, their king mentioned that to him and his people, Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product (GDP). That is such an excellent ideology, and a good food for thought.

Cheers,
Be Happy!
#AtoZChallenge

A for Anshul

Hello All,

So this if my first blog post ever, and thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself via this. A big thanks to my friend Tanvi Karnik for sharing and getting me on this, and the creators of this concept of blogging challenge for a month.

I like to believe that I am mostly a regular guy, working in IT, going through the regular drills like everyone, a designed pattern set for majority of us by our society or family. Trying to fulfill the expectations required of a mid 20s guy, partially doing his duty all throughout. I say partially since I do not believe I have done any of it to my fullest potential, something which my family and friends say I have in abundance.

Due to this, I have thus decided to go on a journey, on a path of self exploration, to test my limits, to fulfill new goals, and see for my own self, how much is this potential that I have?

I have had a long dream of pursuing an MBA one day, and thus set about my preparation for GMAT late last year. I managed to score 700, which is good, but somewhere, I'm itching to do more. I know I can score more. After toiling for the major part of last year for this, I know can give it more, and in turn get a better score! My family, friends, counselors are happy with this score, and so am I, but I feel I have more in me, and I want to push myself further now.

Last year had been good for me personally, as I had taken a break from work, and pursued various things which interested me. One could call it personality development, however I did those things because I felt I would enjoy them. Learnt golf and swimming, that is coming from an aqua phobic! (My friends always enjoyed drowning me on the pretext of teaching me swimming on top of that:D)
I plan on learning tennis as well in this year, as another goal I have set for myself, while continuing to perfect golf and swimming.
The regular charity works have been going on, and I even ended up tutoring two friends for GMAT!

I always wanted to write blogs, since I have such a plethora of thoughts, from topics that could be the most random. I enjoy having deep thoughtful conversations with certain few friends, and that remains few since its tough finding such like minded people who enjoy certain things in today's world. I have thus decided to take up this challenge. The timing is not that great since I'm going to be starting a new job soon, along with the other above mentioned things continuing. I also went for a marathon and intend on continuing to improve on my lost fitness. With so many goals set to accomplish, it probably seems tough to write a blog daily, but hey, it wouldn't be a challenge otherwise right?

Lets pray I accomplish all my targets and get new challenges too (else life would be too dull). Hope you all are doing well. Do get in touch with me if you wish to empower the needy in our society, want any general life advice or specific GMAT related, or just random conversations.

Thanks
Signing Out
#AtoZChallenge