10 Years Later

In movies, and especially Bollywood movies, the story writers' favorite part would probably be to depict a shift in timeline. It is amazing how the shift depicts an overall transition of all things: from the upholstery in the lead actor's house to his personal car, his face suddenly becomes more lean, more handsome; his city of residence- more elegant and the world seems to have moved at the speed of 1/10th a light year in a blinking second.

I love such movies and I particularly love it when the text rolls by with Ranbir Kapoor in the frame. The way he walks: pea-sized tears rolling down his cheeks, his head raised towards heaven, hands in his pockets and his Oh! so manly stride. Just then the scene fades and Tada! there's the start of a new era in his life!

With these images in my head and the lyrics of the song Ilahi Mera Jiyae in my heart, I had left home a couple of months ago. Only, the transition was not as perfect, I was not clothed in a Ralph Lauren jacket and a pair of Gap jeans, I was not in a rosy garden with first, the snow falling behind me and then, the sun shining down brightly! No, none of that happened. It was a very slow, experience-filled (sometimes painful) process of transition, one in which every day, hour and minute taught me a great deal. Patience, tolerance, resilience and stress-control were just a few lessons which had begun. These lessons and more, are still far from completion of the course! I am still learning, still growing, still coping with the lessons of adulthood and taking baby steps for fear of tumbling, tripping and falling flat on my face!

The directors, spot boys, video-graphers and editors cover up Ranbir's mistakes. Whether it is induced in me by these Bollywood movies, or it is one of my many unrealistic streaks; I am not sure: but, I have always feared mistakes. I fear committing mistakes more than I fear the improbability of correcting them.

As I live through the 10 years of my life which I will look back upon in my old age; I am trying to make beautiful memories, take chances, learn, live and enjoy so that everyday of my life is interesting, vivid, cheerful and beautiful. I want to leave no scope for a "10 years later" line when my life-story is narrated.

As much as I know that each day and every moment cannot make it into my special diary of memories; I am tempted to make every day worth its while, worth narrating, worth remembering and most importantly, fulfilling!

Restaurant Decor

In the last 6 weeks I have stepped foot in over a thousand restaurants, and once you get accustomed to the foot aches and cramps you notice the beauty beheld behind every door. I decided to compile an album of photos with the uniqueness of the restaurants' decor and how little trinkets and extravagant antiques add awesome effects to a place and brighten up the ambiance, lighten up your soul and set you in the perfect mood to chill! 

Snippets:

Bar - effect 

Reminds me of Wake Up Sid! 

Cute Sauce pots

Are you game? 

The paper-weight on all bills! 

The romance of candle light dinners and wine clubbed together

Break from the rosy canvases and scenic pictures 

Perfect for a Cafe! 

This one was by the museum

What a collection! 

Stand-Up Comedy

PS: Should have done this in Turkey too!

Turkey Tales

Here's the photo edition of the tale:

Overlooking the river that divides East and West

Cotton Clouds

Their "Gandhi" Note

The Western Sky at 8:04PM

Eastern Horizon at 8:05PM

Night Lights

Bridge on Bosphorous

Foodie Time

Which one's your favorite? 

Around the world in Zomato ways!

A lot of time has passed between my last post and now.  While the Sun continues to rise in the East and set in the West; I am now making my way into two extreme parts of the world. It has all happened so fast that I was not left with enough waking moments to follow my hobbies passionately (where writing tops the list!) On the one hand, I have been sleep deprived in my race to check things off my to-do list. On the other, when I did manage to hit the bed my brain cried out loud from being over-worked. In all honesty, until this moment: when I am sitting on an airplane on my way to Istanbul, I didn’t think of penning down my emotions as life goes by.

I once read somewhere that every day you wake up and feel you have the same, dreary day ahead and nothing seems to change but when you look back, you can easily spot the differences. I totally agree with it. Except, a few days that specifically stand out clearly in your memory and for as long as you live you will laugh and cry on these memories, reiterate these as evergreen stories and when you feel low these moments will shine bright and fuel your hope. God decided to give me one of these moments recently when, I was offered to work with my company for our Jakarta launch. As expected, I jumped at the opportunity and prepared myself to steer into a new direction. Just three days before my scheduled departure for Jakarta, word came in from my office head-quarters that they needed some help in Turkey now. And thus, opportunity came knocking at my door once again and the bonus offered was that I get to help with the Istanbul launch before the Jakarta chapter! Only an idiot gets life served on a silver platter and grumbles about the shape of the platter! Well, because I am not an idiot; I had no complains and took on the great chance.

So here I am, flying high above in the sky, awaiting the awesomeness to begin and looking forward to the lessons to be learnt, chances to be gained and morals to be imbibed. A quarter of a year ago, you would find me cribbing, complaining, waking, sleeping and following a typical routine. But now is a time when I am sleep deprived and have had no routine whatsoever for the last few weeks and yet, excitement and restlessness brings me to pen down these awesome, real life miracles.

As I make my way into these starkly contrasting countries, I will take time out to pen down my stories.  At the cost of making my blog a mini travelogue, I will write about my experiences in Turkey and Indonesia and years later, when I look back I will be able to spot the difference!  

Title Courtesy: Aditi Chandak! 

Ishita Shah

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Imagery

I am not sure what it is. Whether it is under the effect of Karan Johar and Yash Chopra movies, or I am too influenced by the books I read. It could also be related to my belief system which pings all day at the back of my head, urging me to visualize what I aspire, dream, want and crave. 

Irrespective of what it is, off late my grey cells generate visualizations which are usually telescopic into the future and sometimes even those which could have been alternatives of what has passed. These scenes pass as reels in my head and the projection is so vivid and clear that it sometimes pushes me to tears and sometimes, a smile bursts across my face. On hindsight I feel thankful for such a vivid, clear imagination and I am only compelled to carry on.

Some of the ideas which have clouded my mind, made a mark on my memory and even managed to heal my heart are:

Sitting back, reclining on a couch, reading a book and a coffee mug full of soup in my hand, is how I see myself enjoying my weekly offs.

Stepping out post dinner to bite into a yummilicious scoop of Baskin Robbins ice-cream, laughing over the desserts with friends is my idea of having fun and breaking away from daily routine, for a tad bit before the day ends. 

Sitting in a Deepika Padukone pose on a flight, by the window and staring down on land as if I can pin-point who's who is how I see myself flying off somewhere, alone and by myself- Growing.

Going for a walk, with my iPhone in hand, and its special white headsets blaring into my ears.

Working for really long, on my silver-grey laptop, with a bright coffee mug on my red Zomato coaster, and an even brighter diary with a pink pen - all sitting in place on MY desk, with me towering above it all with a whole lot of work left to finish. But, a smile will lighten my face even then! 

I have some beautiful dreams, some pretty thoughts of where I see myself. I believe in these thoughts and ideas. I trust myself to make my way through these, all in good time! I make my way through them, but I also cherish them as they are: dreams, thoughts and snippets in my mind. I visualize them and I see them everyday, in more and more and more detail. 

I don't miss out the colour my pen or even mistake the soup for coffee. I put my heart into the thought and I know it will all come true. After all, I have the latest iPhone and moreover, its white! And that ain't just a coincidence!

Thank you, God!  

Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai

Growing up in the 1990s had more to do with the TV than with the laptop. If you're a '90s kid, you'd easily relate to B4U Music more than MTV, with Hip Hip Hurray! more than Dil Dost Dance; and most important of all: with talk shows more than talent shows. 

I am a '90s kid and I grew up watching more TV than YouTube. Amongst a hundred favourites, there was a particular talk show called 'Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai'. If you haven't had a chance to see this ever, you should know that it tentatively fell into the same category as Rendezvous with Simi Grewal and Koffee with Karan. This one was hosted by Farooq Sheikh and I can't pin-point what exactly drew me to this chat-show but something about it was truly magnetic. So much so, that I remember it starkly even today. Probably my memory, of these talk shows, goes beyond pure reminiscence.

When I face turning points in life, stand at a cross-road of a lifetime or experience any incident, event, miracle or mishappening; sub-consciously I weigh its importance in the grand scheme of things. I ask myself this: If I were to become famous and if I made my way through a chat show, a modern day version of Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, would I talk about this particular moment positively or negatively?

And then, I wander off in my own chain of thoughts judging myself, phrasing lines, expressing joys of acceptance and sorrows from commission of mistakes. 

It is only rarely that I realize that if you are a guest at a chat-show, the episode dedicated to you could land up being utferly boring if you have no mistakes to own up. 

Having no sorrows and lows to share with the world, would make you a boring person because it is about how you balance it all out in one lifetime. 

After all, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai.

Dimness

Sometimes, life throws a situation on your face and you have no choice but, to suck it up and deal with it! In the beginning, you curse everything and everyone including Chance, Fate, Destiny  and Luck. Then, comes a point when you tell yourself good things about your own  existence. You find yourself in a dialogue with your own heart. 

People around may point fingers at you, call you names, accuse you of things and see all your deeds in a strange, black  light. 

However, what matters is how you rise up to it. You call yourself good names, think back on all your goodness and literally count the number of times you've been lucky in this lifetime, alone. That's where your healing process begins. With and within You.

In the last few years, I've faced some troubles of my own but I chose to maintain a lull period in such times, and not blog about it. Whether it was for want of secrecy or otherwise, I know not. But what I do know now, (and do believe) is that everyone's life moves in a wavy pattern. If you're currently on one of those lows, I recommend you follow Rhonda Byrne's advice from her book 'Magic' and count your blessings even during times of distress. Here's my list of happiness:

1. Because times are bad and I am doing the opposite of what I'd like, I am becoming a much stronger person.

2. Because my thought process loves to go hay-wire, I work much better after slight conscious effort put in for the love of my work. Work is practically the only thing I can focus on. 

3. Because I cannot go out with my friends and make merry, I am saving money for better times to come.

4. This one is cliched, but true: Because I have people by my side, I can tell friends from foes. 

5. Because I am going through shit now, I know that in the times to come, I will stand high and tall, if luck fails me again.

You may read a thousand quotes, hear a hundred pieces of advice to cheer you up  when you feel low. But no amount of reading and none of the advice will matter, until, you talk to yourself. Talk yourself out of distress. Talk yourself out of being in a spot. 

Because you live for Yourself.

EOD

In the three and a half months which have spanned my life at Zomato, these three letters have taught me a great deal.

My day ends with this and the early morning sun rises on my world, shining on the significance of these same letters.  

EOD, in Zomaland stands for End Of Day. The crux of importance in my grand scheme of functioning is my EOD report. As a fresher, and semi-new to this world of jobs, tasks, duties and departments; I was fascinated with the EOD Report concept from the very start of my career graph with Zomato.

The EOD Report is a mail which each of us send out at the end of the day. This report essentially enlists the work we have done for the day. The subject differs across departments, but mine read 'How I Contributed Today'. Now if that can't enliven your sub-conscience, nothing can! This mail is marked CC not just to the head of department, but also to the founder himself AND to the whole department across all Zomato offices.

What's so cool about this practice on my Zomaland? 

It accounts for total accountability.

One cannot take away credit for work done by others, cannot exaggerate the work you've done because your entire team is receiving the mail. One tends to take the work a tad bit more seriously only because of this teeny-weeny mail. It connects you to the founder directly, regularly. 

It is because of this EOD that all day, I find myself writing down things I've done. My to-do list merges with these pages in my daily diary and I feel I am touching the epitome of being organized. 

Such an impact this has had on my grey cells that when I meet people engaged with other forms of employment, I think to myself, how boring/ exciting/ funny/ mundane/ mature/ childish their EODs would be! Here's how my thought process works: 

1. In a bank, early on a Saturday morning, I rest my chin on the cash counter as I wait to withdraw cash for my father: I think to myself, that the man behind the counter would have only 1 line to write, 'Processed X number of transactions today'. 

Verdict: Boring

2. At the neighborhood grocery store,to  buy stuff for home, as I run errands for my mother: I see this man chat at length with more than half his customers. He could write at length about his awesome communications! After all, it will help him keep track of each customer's life. Anyway, his son will take on after him and at that time, these reports will help the little lad as he is enlightened by life around him.

Verdict: Indian, print edition of Gossip Girl

3. In a bus: This one's semi-short for the bus conductor. Just a line of "so-many" tickets sold in the day. If he picks fights, gets engaged in brawls or gets caught breaking traffic rules then, he'd be adding spice to his life! 

Verdict: Moody.

4. I step into the mandir and the pandit is caught up with the morning rush of people: His EOD would be full of his experiences of seeing hypocrites in fellow "devotees" who visit God periodically. Would the persons concerned ask him to keep track of the number of people who stepped in, (footfall in the temple) number of garlands offered to the deity? Would he be writing about the commission he negotiated with the flower vendor outside the temple?

Verdict: Off the beaten track.

My thoughts run wild and my brain cells run a rat race when I think along these lines and try to picture the whole world in the Zomaland way of doing things! 

My dream car trunk

When I drive my OWN car, these are the things which will occupy the trunk:

1. A few bags: from polythene packets to gift bags.

2. A set of casual clothing (basically jeans and tee!)

3. A dressy top (for the spontaneous party plans)

4. A CRATE of Coke cans.

5. A bottle of perfume (summers suck!)

6. A spare charger and a set of earphones (both would be the lower quality ones!)

7. An umbrella or a cool pink polka- dotted raincoat! 

8. A watch (this one's JLT!)

No, my ambition in life isn't to be a vagabond. 

And yes, it will be a car, not a caravan!

PS: If you're my friend and you ever need me to come and receive you at the airport, warn me about the luggage you're carrying😉

The Sporting Spirit

Came back home from work today, to a Saturday evening environment at home. My father, with his head popped against the wall, was watching the IPL cricket match, my mother sat close around, fiddling with her phone and the dining table was messed up with a wide array of things: from keys to fruits, bags to bottles and trays to books. 

I came, and added to the clutter. My tiffin, novel, bag and watch were added to the wide collection! Nibbling on a chocolate to satisfy my hunger, I sat beside my father and saw the last over of the Punjab vs Mumbai match. The last wicket was taken down by Gilchrist and it was a total face palm moment for the Mumbaikars. 

What I felt on seeing Gilchrist's victory moves, was way beyond a single IPL match. It was my first experience of cricket viewing for this season and just this one victory had my blood gushing and I pictured myself in Gilchrist's place, feeling the sudden gush of energy and adrenalin. No matter how lazy you are, no matter how little you love sports, the one thing which is universal is: the high and the kick you feel when you win!

3 months at Zomato!

Yesterday, I completed three months of being employed and can proudly say I have been through as many cycles of learning experiences. As my probation ends, and the calendar takes the liberty to mark a milestone in my career, I sit back and think how life has changed over the last quarter. 

I have found a second home in my extremely cosy office, with the rest of my colleagues. I eat,drink and sometimes, even sleep, there. We find our comfort zones within the many walls of our office, and just settle in. 

While leaving home at a fixed time has become a habit, the lack of such a stipulation for my return does not upset me even a little. 

Before Zomato happened to me, I'd never care much about menus. Even in fine-dining places I'd order typical dishes which one would know by common sense. Dal Makhani at a North-Indian joint and Chili Garlic Noodles at a Chinese place. You still couldn't tag me as a boring person, because I would thoroughly enjoy the delicacies which were innovative platters, and off the beaten track. But you ask me to order something new, and I'd turn to my friends or my mother, and go by their choice entirely! The difference between then and now, is that, I am obsessed with menus now! I collect them. We prize them close to our hearts and we go to such and such extremes to get them.

Most importantly, the most significant change of all has been, to find people from diverse walks of life: meeting everyday at the same place, sharing the same space endlessly day after day and working in unison towards a common goal: May the Zomato flag fly high! #respect

Buzzing Life!

In the 23 days that have passed between my last post and this one, a lot has happened and even more has changed.

Snow White is 3 weeks old, but is still as loved, cared for and looked after.

I am well into my 3rd month of service as Content Analyst at Zomato. This part of my life has seen most vivid sunrises and sunsets everyday. I've learnt immensely in my role, taken responsibility of newer tasks and adapted quite a lot with the Zoman culture of work and communications. 

I have officially, and fortunately, appeared for all exams and completed all formalities which form a part of my Graduation course. The results are due, and until then I am not a certified Graduate, but I trust myself to do well. Nonetheless, these exams are over and with this I draw an end to studies and no academic strings will be attached to me for a long time from now, which in all honesty, makes me happy!

I have become a member at a new-found library. I 'discovered' this fantabulous place through a friend. Located in a bylane, not so far from my house, this library will now be the source of all my reading material for the years to come, and that's how I'll keep my reading practice on!

Above all these changes, the one change which was most magnanimous was, my most favourite cousin getting married. Just like any other Indian wedding, even this one didn't pass without controversies and chaos. The end result, however, was a fun-filled experience spread over 4 days. We went out almost everyday: partying, shopping and dining. 

It was as if, life had become a celebration of its own! I even went out for movies with my bhabhi, and slept by the end!

With so much happening around me, and with so many things to do, I had started hoping for more than 24 hours in a day! There always seemed to be a crunch of time, and never enough. There was little time to read books and watch TV and even lesser time to blog! Now, life seems to be coming back on track, routine is probably resuming itself and I find myself leading a far more relaxed, organised life with just the right number of things to do. 

Today being a Sunday, I will sit back and relax, laze around the house and read story books, watch a whole season of Suits and I'll even have the time to change my nail-paints! 

Snow White

Name: Snow White
Date of Birth: 16 April, 2013

Snow White, aka Snowy, is my recently gained possession: my brand new, white, sleek, stirdy, sexy and divine iPhone 5. One that I've earned for myself with great care. One that has brought me luck. One that has smitten me totally!

If I could reach out to Steve Jobs now, I'd touch his feet and bow my head in utter respect. The man: his vision, passion and sheer excellence, all unbound!

I am not a new member to the Apple family. Using an iPhone 3 before this already had me in love with the bitten apple logo and it's amazing features. But this one takes me over by surprise and throughout yesterday, I was jumping with glee at having hit jackpot!

Once again, I say if you pray for something with all your heart and soul it will make its way to you. The answer to the "how" is not your concern, you just figure the "what" for yourself:D

Do you never begin because you fear the end?

My love for The Times Life! Sunday supplement increased a hundred-fold today, reading this article:

Do you never begin because you fear the end?

Every word of it is true, in my opinion! Just as all her other articles, I love this one of Vinita Nangia's works. A perfect reflection of my thoughts and feelings. Its funny how sometimes, you come across someone else's writings and can relate with it so completely.

A wonderfully conceived article. Kudos to Times Life!

Love v/s Arranged

The wedding bells are ringing in my family, with two of my cousins getting set to be married this year. While we are pulling up our socks,(and shopping for our trinkets and anklets) I took time out yesterday and observed the on-goings from a mere 'third-person' point of view.

Yesterday, marked the onset of the preparations of both the weddings and as I attended each, one after another, I found myself smiling at what I observed.

The similarities: I am from the boys' side for both the weddings. There's hullabaloo for both. The brides-to-be are being welcomed warmly, and shown-off even more!

The differences: To start with, the first and the one more meaningful for me, is scheduled for April. The other,  is slated to happen in December.For those who notice: Yes, I am going to need two different sets of clothes to wear for both the weddings owing to the extreme weather differences. However, my observation skills are not so shallow!
While the one in April is an arranged marriage, the other is arranged-via-love!

As both my sisters-in-law were introduced to our family at large yesterday, I noticed the stark differences in questions asked by people, and the reactions sought and received. The bride who's been arranged to be a member of the family was asked: "So when did you last speak to him?", to which she shyly replied saying, "Just this morning." She was assessed , adjudged and (if I may say so) scanned by those who belong to the oldest school of thought. However, the results and conclusions of these were not discussed. The other questions which followed included her likes and dislikes and conversation was kept light so as to keep her calm, especially since her him is currently out of town. A certain fear, caused by  a sense of newness, filled her eyes and as much as we tried, it was tough to make her feel at home.

Cut, to the house where cupid struck: Not so long ago, the bride in question was sitting in my house in an Angry Birds t-shirt with my cousin brother, who introduced her as a 'friend'. Even then, I had pointed out to my mother that she was BBMing to her 'friend' across the room! However, not much was looked into it. Soon thereafter, my cousin decided to make it official and now they are ready to the knot now. From a red cartoon t-shirt, she switched to a red saree and although she looked pretty in her entire ensemble, a similar fear filled her eyes! However, the questions were different. It usually started with "So how did you'll meet?" and went as far as "What did you see in him, to like him?" Here, fortunately or unfortunately, there was less effort to make her feel warm and welcome. Everyone seemed to be teasing her, and pulling their leg. Hushed conversations included comparisons of their looks and each one voiced their opinion on whether or not she would fit in. On the other hand, the arranged bahu was apparently, going to mingle perfectly well and would 'look after' the family responsibly too!

Answers there, became questions here. Reassurances there, became teasers here. Discussion there, became jokes here. Certainty there, became apprehensions here!

Joys at Work

I am well into my third week of being a Zoman, and the happiness is boundless. The sense of contentment and the joy of a full-time occupation that it brings to me in unfathomable and it won't be an exaggeration to say that eventually I am beginning to get emotionally attached at work.
Even though, some of my closest friends would advice me against it, I bring work back home. I take work everywhere I go because this city of joy has no dearth of eateries! In plain and simple words, my work is fun.

Therefore, my pensive self surfaced as I was walking down a busy street in this city, where a flyover decided to kiss its lower counter-part yesterday. Just by the way, the world stops for none: A day after a busy flyover caved-in, cars still raced their way down. At some point, I was below a flyover and remembered the Almighty to bless me with a long life, and then in just the next second, another thought overtook this one: How brave were those who took the flyover which was towering above my head, just then! Bravo for their bravery!

Anyway, thoughts were racing, as if in a Formula 1 race, which had scheduled itself on my mind, without prior notice or permission. It has been a little over a fortnight since I joined work, and I can easily list five instances, at work, which make me smile almost everyday:

1. When we all walk in, and either the previous day is discussed in a new light, or the day ahead planned in a fleeting manner.
2. When my 'boss'(who by the way, hates to be called so) reiterates lines which I call, her signature sayings. These usually pertain to various work situations and giving out all of those with their context would be letting out 'internal information'! *wink**wink* Here's the best one: "If you snooze, you lose."
3. When 'randomness' prevails in the room, and has us rolling over in peals of laughter.
4. When the Hunger Lord makes our office, his home and abides in each one's heart, er, stomach. The first person to voice his/ her need for food is usually the one to make the mini-meal for all.
5. When one person asks for directions to a certain place and minutes later, he/she regrets being vocal about it because everyone present in the room has a different suggestion, a different route and a different opinion about the estimated time of travelling. No, we do not claim to be the creators of Google Maps, its just the 'Happy to Help' instinct!

My love for my work brings me to smile everyday. When you have joys aplenty, you share them like this: 

What an Idea, Sirjee!

After long, I sat before the television observing and analyzing the television commercials. It was not even a tad bit difficult to choose my favorite and not before long, I zeroed in on the new Idea advertisement.

Right from its inception, Idea has released intriguing ads and appealed to the viewers' interest in general. Whether these ads actually converted into sales is another story and one I would not want to get into. Not for now, at least! This new one is no let down, either.

It begins with a couple bickering while in the midst of their early morning rush around the house. They're getting their things in order and each one claims that the other doesn't understand them or is insensitive and has no clue how hectic their own days are.
Focus shifts to their young adolescent boy, with a look on his face which says oh-God-save-me-from-their-lame-fights. An 'idea' springs to his head and he switches  their phones. Through out the day,  the husband gets calls which are addressed to his wife: calls from his mother for her daughter-in-law, from the house-maid and even calls reminding her that her article deadline was approaching. The wife experiences the other half of  a day in the life of her better-half. They both head back home with calmness in their heart and a smile on their  lips and a better sense of understanding on their mind!

The 'idea' of their bright son had brought them close again and the happily-after ending is sure to leave you smiling.

The only con: The boy is sitting on the dining table while the sun rises and sets for his parents' day.

Besides that one little flaw, it is overall a brilliantly conceptualized idea for Idea!

Self Criticism

Sometimes some days just give you an insight into yourself. When that insight becomes too deep, you tend to get confused. My confusion for the day revolved around self-criticism. Whether it is good, bad or ugly. Smart people would say it is good in moderate measures. Well, my question to you is: How moderate is moderate? How exactly one measures such things I have no idea, but what  I do realize is that these ideas leave me terribly confused and sometimes even, leave me with a feeling of self- loss.

Before I get something, I am scared if I'll achieve it, if I'm capable of it, if I deserve it and so on.
After I get it, I rewind, review and recall and still criticize myself about things not done, undone or partly done.

So here's a note to myself:

Do not beat yourself about things wrongly done. Mistakes are human and everyone's allowed their share. Learn from your errors and move on. Do not beat yourself blue over it. The more you criticize yourself, the worse you get. Keep room for improvement but do not take everyone's each word to heart and allow self-doubt to creep in!


The reason why I made this note public is because such thoughts were abound in my head even at the end of today: Today, I secured my first job. Today, I became a content-writer at Zomato. Today, I got my first offer letter even before I graduated. Today, I became a Zoman. Today, I nailed it!

Yet, today, I allowed this negativity to dwell in me.

Be proud of yourself and what you do. Allow mistakes to happen, because along with mistakes happy things also happen!

Love what you do

Busy days have dawned again and this time it is an internship which takes all my time, making me wish for over 24 hours in the day!
I recently got recruited as an Intern at Zomato, and thereafter I've found out what is truly meant by loving one's work. A popular barometer used by most people to measure the pleasure of working is, the feeling they get when they wake up to a weekday morning. If you go by that scale, my happiness and joy is at its peak if I know it's a Zomato-day! This I realized today, when I woke up and figured that it was a holiday.

The place is cheerful and the Kolkata office which offers livelihood to about a dozen people is always lively. We help ourselves to Maggie and Chocos, when our mouth waters after having screened home delivery calls for restaurants, and listening to the repeated utterance of delicacies from various cuisines. At Zomato, there is an hierarchy but it does not super-impose itself on people's individual personalities. People remain people, and their names are more commonly used without the suffixes of 'Sir' and 'Madam'. All Zomans take their work seriously, but when that serious work is interspersed with a little leg-pulling, witty remarks and silly jokes, achieving targets doesn't seem so much of an uphill task.

So much joy, without being a permanent employee!
Proud to be a Zoman!  :D

Wishes are horses

For me, 2012 ended in an exciting way, partying with lots of friends I rang in the New Year bells and welcomed 2013. After all the mishappenings of the previous year: those that caused harm to me, and those that affected the human race in general, after all that grimness; I paused a minute and said to myself these lines:

This is it. It is my life and I live it the way I wish to. No one at all has the ability to run over my emotions and take me for a ride. That doesn't happen because I won't allow it. It is my life and I am the center of my Universe. I will wish it, and the blessings will come my way.

Whether or not you believe in The Secret theory, this worked for me.If I delve into the details of what I wished for I would have to share thoughts which are extremely personal. If I list out all the the Universe has blessed me with in the very first week of the year, I'd be giving out information that I'm not sure will be approved by those involved. Hence, I think it suffices to say that I am gradually getting what I want: from a new phone to an internship, new set of clothes to lots of time to read story books.
I sleep a happier person, I wake up with hope and I wish all day with all my heart.

If you're in the middle of a situation where the only colours you can see are shades of black and grey, it is my earnest advice to you to take a deep breath and say the above lines to yourself with complete belief and undying faith. It doesn't matter whether or not you believe in God or even which God you worship. You've just got to believe in yourself!

I am not sure what quote it is that links horses and wishes and I'm not even Googling it at this point.
Wishes can come true. Period.

Happy New Year 2013

Found these on Pinterest: