When you start trusting technology more than your senses

I attended an awesome Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan concert yesterday. For the uninitiated, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is a Pakistani singer, primarily of Qawwali genre, a devotional music of the Muslim Sufis. He is the nephew of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In addition to Qawwali, he also performs ghazals and other light music. He is popular as a Bollywood playback singer too. The concert was conducted in Music Hall, Detroit. I was shopping some essential items for my upcoming trip on a gloomy Saturday and a call from my friend informed me that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was performing in the town. Plans were made rather very quickly and we found ourselves in the Music Hall within an hour. In that one hour, I had a small cup of salty caramel yoghurt, drove 30 miles, changed cars at my friend's house, drove 35 more miles, reached the venue, collected out tickets and were in our seats just in time.

Source

The concert started on time and we were enjoying fine music in no time. A few of my favourites that he sang were "O Re Piya", "Afreeen", "Dil toh bacha hain ji" and "Bol Na Halke Halke". We were absolutely dumbstruck by his voice, rendition and his ability to sing continuously without even taking a drop of water. The other members of this group contributed equally with their efforts on drums, guitar, trumpet and tabla. It was an experience which any music lover would have loved to be a part of. There were people in the crowd shouting, whistling or even dancing to many of his songs. The crowd was enjoying very song to its fullest, hmm, or where they?

When you witness a once in a lifetime event like a Rahet Fateh Ali Khan concert, are you enjoying it to its fullest if you are only seeing it through the screen of your smartphone or your camera? Agreed you are recording every moment possible to enjoy it at a later stage or for someone else to enjoy it at a later stage, but what about being in that moment at that very second. How about concentrating and enjoying the music that is being sung by a maestro without any distractions? How about giving your entire sense of perception to the moment and thereby respecting the genius of the person rendering it?

When you sit in a theatre and try to record every possible moment through a camera, then more than anything else, you are distracting the other people with your camera light. You are clogging their line of vision too. If we keep these 'small' things aside, think about those previous moments when you could as well enjoyed the concert rather than 'safe-keeping' your enjoyment for a later date. A similar thing that irate me to no end is someone travelling to a whole new place and spending all the time on earth just clicking photographs. I myself have had the misfortune of travelling with such people. Any place you visit, all they want is click one pic in front of the famous monument and we are done with the place. How about just walking around the place and appreciating its beauty? I should say that FaceBook has added a lot of shenanigans to this breed. The whole concept of "profile" pic? We better don't go there.

Trying to capture every moment in the camera is not a bad thing always. You meet your friend after a long time; you may want to go crazy and click a few (hundreds of) pics. It captures the sense of happiness you feel and something you can treasure for a long time. If you both are having fun in between all the soul searching(and silly) conversations you are having, then we are all for having fun. You may want to drag him/her to the nearby photo booth and give some crazy shots there too ! Or you are a food blogger, then you would want to capture a shot of every possible meal that you ate at a restaurant. Or you are witnessing a breath-taking sunrise, you may want to capture it in a few shots. Understood. But after that few clicks, don't you want to keep the camera away and just capture all the beauty in your mind? We are not talking about professional photographers here. We are talking about common man, like you and me. Common Man who was given five senses of perception to utilise it in the best possible way.
 
Be in the moment. Live it. Please don't see that once in a lifetime concert through a camera screen. Trust your senses. Senses like sight and hearing are given to you for a purpose. There are many unlucky people in this world who don't even have the privilege to use them. When you start trusting technology more than you senses, then it is time to unplug. When you sit in front of me and make me also see the concert through your camera phone, then we have a real problem.

One with Aishwarya Rai, Weight Issues and Me

I feel sorry for Aishwarya Rai, I really do. Though I have never considered her to be a great actress or a wonderful person, I feel sorry for the way media is all hullaballoo about her post pregnancy weight. The woman has just given birth to a baby girl. A feat many dream to achieve someday. Let her enjoy the motherhood and please compliment her on the new addition to the family. Why the whole attention on her weight? Maybe this is whole downside of being a celebrity, especially if you are labelled as one of the most beautiful woman in this world. I am sure Aishwarya would very well be adapted to all this attention considering the fact that her whole life (her previous relationships, temple visits before her marriage, her pregnancy, etc.) had been ripped apart with equal fervour.

Please see the below photo from the cover of Femina from June 2010. The picture juxtaposes her pics from 2000 and 2010 and tells what a timeless beauty she is.

Going from this to being criticised for the post pregnancy weight can be hard. Considering the fact that responsive journalism is something we are far far away from and any gossip related to celebrities sells like hot cakes, I shouldn't be too aghast with this unwanted attention on her post pregnancy weight. However what makes me irritated is the message that is being send out with this. Are all the new mothers supposed to lose weight and be bikini-ready in a matter of few weeks? Does this mean we aren't supposed to put a little bit of weight whether we go through a pregnancy, disease, medicines, steroids or any treatment? How unfair it is. Come what may, don't you dare put on a few kilos, be still in your weight and inches because you are a woman? Really?

All this hullaballoo reminds me of the my own weight (gain) issues. For the first twenty years of my life, I had been skinny, skinny to the point of being underweight. My mom and aunts used to force feed me. They used to think I am not eating anything because I wanted to be skinny when such a thought had never crossed my mind. I used to eat to my heart's content and still remained slim. My (under)weight had been a topic of many a family discussions and I was pretty much bored/irritated the entire time during these discussions. I failed to understand how my weight can be a topic of grave concern.

I moved out of my house and got my first (sedentary)job when I was 21 and I easily piled on kilos in the next three years. My weight again became a concern for my family and relatives. The same people who used to force feed me made comments about how much over weight I have become and how 'ugly' I have become. I on the other hand was disillusioned. I was staying away from home for the first time; I used to get very unhealthy carb-rich food in my paying guest accomodation; it was my first job and it didn't know how to handle many things. On top of it, I was sad due to various reasons. My (over) weight again became a topic of family discussion. Sigh ! I tried hard and lost all the piled kilos in the next three years. But the point I am trying to make is it is difficult to lose the extra kilos quickly (in a healthy manner) and it is even more difficult when your weight is constantly under scrutiny. Even now, whenever I visit my hometown, the first thing people say is "You have put on/off weight". Is there something called a "weight that satisfies everyone"? Either you are too fat or too skinny. Funniest thing is my in-laws think I am too skinny. Everytime I talk to them they tell me to eat properly and put on weight when I am trying hard to eat healthy and maintain my weight :)

So lets cut some slack. Don't be too judmental about someone's weight. Every person's body is different and a workout/eating habit that works for you may not work for someone else. Throw in some genetic factors and you get the bigger picture. Let the new mommies enjoy their motherhood; let the people recovering from disease/medicines take their own time and enjoy their health; afterall life is not measured in inches or kilos.

Life.

As I sit in this busy Starbucks sipping on my coffee, I feel overwhelmed.

I feel overwhelmed about so many things in life.

I feel overwhelmed by the fact that I don't know in which city of this world I will be 4 months done the line. Such is my job which keeps me on my toes with its uncertainty. Though I find it exciting most of the times, today I am scared of the same fact.

I feel overwhelmed by the fact how dependent we have become of technology. How connected we are all the time with our smart phones, laptops, television and internet. How many passwords I have to maintain for all these accounts (Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yahoo, WunderList, Itunes, TripAdvisor, Amazon.com, Pinterest, etc.).

I feel overwhelmed by the fact that people come together, become friends, make beautiful memories and then move on with the life. You try your best to keep in touch and if you are lucky enough, the friendships survives the weather of time. Otherwise you gradually grow apart and ‘life’ takes over. Such is life. Such is the rule of universe. You can try hard to resist it, but eventually the only person who remains with you throughout is you.

I feel overwhelmed by the fact that I still haven’t found my purpose of life. You go about with your routine job, try to make it as challenging as possible, handle clients, get paid, receive accolades (and brickbats in equal amounts) and repeat the whole drill. All the while, a small doubt lingers in your mind: Is this what you really want to do with your life? Most of the time, you try to beat down that doubt and go on with the daily drill. Other times, you think hard and worry. But are we all destined to find the purpose of our life? I mean is everyone lucky enough to find and follow a passion in their life? I truly believe every one of us deserve to find the passion of our life. But at times I also wonder whether the whole idea of the purpose of life is fabricated. Maybe this is life. You struggle, suffer and drudge through; with a few moments of happiness thrown in. Maybe this is life all about. Nothing more or nothing less.

I feel overwhelmed by the fact that I am so far away from all the people I love. Everyone whom I have known for the most of my life is on the other side of the globe. My hubby stays in opposite coast of the country. Sigh !

I feel overwhelmed. Maybe it is just today. Maybe it is just me.

Letter to a Younger Me !

Hi girl,

You must be in the middle of another long cramming session. Yes, I know you are preparing very hard for all the engineering entrance exams you are going to give a year later.

I thought I would write a letter to you so that ten years down the line you can't tell me "No one told me so" :)

I know you have several goals etched in your mind and you are one ambitious being. You will achieve some of it and lose some of them, but never cease trying because that is one ability of yourself which you will be so proud of.

You will start earning, will be confused with all the money in the beginning, but will eventually come along.

You will meet a lot of people, travel to a whole lot of places and have awesome experiences.

You will have some bad experiences along the way, but that is how we play this game called 'Life'.

Your heart will be broken, but don't lose faith in love. If you do, how will you ever find your soul mate? And in the end you will find someone who truly loves you. It may take some years, but you know in the end, you are going to find your prince charming in a very shining armour :)

You will read many more books, will have your ideas questioned and your views about several things in life will take a 180 degree turn.

Your sister will remain your best friend. Period.

You will find many more friends. Many come and go and the ones whose remain, are your best friends. You will be amazed if I tell you, the majority of that group you already know.

You know that thing called 'cooking' which you never want to try, believe me, you will start loving it and appreciating it to a degree which you never imagined. On the other hand, Chocolate and Coffee - The two things which you are absolutely addicted to. You will slowly grow out of them.

But you will remain addicted to rain.

You will find a new flair for writing.

You will consider 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' the best book ever.

You will mess up, not once, but several times, over and over, but who doesn't? You will deal with it with so much strength that you will surprise yourself.

Always remember these words by Marilyn Monroe - "Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”

Looking at you now, I can hardly believe the extent to which you will be transformed in the next ten years. But you will do good girl.

With all the love,
An Older you.

P.S. No one told me all of this when I was ten years younger, but it is fine. There is so much more fun in learning it all by yourself ;)

NewYear, Tada :)

Yes, it is a Happy Happy New Year. There is so much of enthusiasm in the air, people are celebrating the commencement of yet another year (for many this means getting drunk and partying away), everyone is busy making NewYear resolutions (only to be broken within a month), everyone is grinning ear-to-ear and wishing each other a Happy New Year :)

Well, I couldn't help notice the fact that all the optimism in rubbing off on me too. I don't usually make NewYear resolutions. The first time I made them was way back in 2007 and didn't' bother much about it. But this year, I really want to make a list of things I want to do in a year's time and see how many did I achieve by end of the year. I am feeling a never before enthusiasm of welcoming a whole new year. So I decided to make the most of my enthusiasm and make a list of the things I want to do this year. So here they are ...

1) Learn French - I am so fascinated by the language that I am jealous of each and every person who is able to converse in that! Maybe the fascination is coming from all those things I am reading about baking with Paris being hailed as a 'mecca of baking' and books which are all authored by chefs coming from 'Le Courdon Bleu'. Well, I find the language quite romantic too, after all French glorified the whole art of kissing/romancing :)

2) Make an elaborate cake - Taking my new found passion in baking to another level, I want to make an elaborate cake, the kind you find in food magazines and food network for a special occasion. I am scouring the websites and cookbooks for the recipe of that first elaborate cake I am going to make. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

3) Read More - I am a person who loves deadlines, hence in order to make this resolution a reality, I am entering a whole lot of Reading Challenges in 2011. Read, Read, Read is the motto.

4) Write More a.k.a Blog More - Don't panic about making every blog post a perfect one, just write whatever comes to your mind.

5) Don't procrastinate - This is the most important resolution of the year for me. Whatever you want to do, just do it. If you want to talk to someone, pick up the phone and talk. Don't keep anything for a later point thinking you will find a better time to do it. There is no better time, just do it NOW.

6) Get my investments in order - Another important thing which I have to take control of.

7) Cook/Bake More - I love cooking and feeding people. With a foodie hubby, I think this won't be a difficult task. I want to try making macarons - considered quite a temperamental cookie.

So what is your NewYear resolution? Leave them in the comments section and we will take a stock of it at the end of the year, what say?

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Suko is having an exciting giveway this NewYear. Do check it out in her blog. It's all about resolutions :D

The M - word

This is a journey through years, during which I have heard the M-word way too many times for my liking.

15 years old:

Mom: "You know there is this guy, who is our family friend's friend's son. He is going to do his MS in USA and his parents wants to get him engaged to be married before he leaves. It would be something like we are giving them a word, nothing more that. Shall we .... "

Me (with my ears not believing what I was hearing): rolls eyes, hello, has someone heard about child marriage yet? &*^%$#

18 years old:

Mom: "You know there is this guy who works in USA, has a good job and all. We are getting way too many proposals of similar sort. Shall we ..."

Me (again rolls eyes): "I have just started my engineering course mom. Let me finish it atleast.

21 years old:

Mom: "Now that you are done with your engineering course, shall we start looking into the proposal that we were getting. Shall we ..."

Me (again rolls eyes): "I want to study further. I want to do my MBA. I don't want to get married right now"

Mom: "You can do your MBA after getting married also."

Me: "No, I want to do it before getting married. I need time."

24 years old:

Mom: "Oh my god, you have grown so old. You have surpassed the marriageable age too. Now that your MBA is getting over, I think we should seriously start looking for good matches. It takes time to get a good guy you know."

Me (gives up at this point of time): Sigh

So you get the drift right? It had been more than ten years and I have heard the 'M - word' way too many times. There were concerned parents, hyper relatives, nosey neighbours and acquaintances. All of them wanted to know only one thing - "When are you getting married?". Well, its beyond my realm of understanding why should anyone else be concerned about when I am getting married. Marriage for me happens when you meet the right person and you celebrate your togetherness with your wedding. It is a natural progression of my life, rather than something that drastically changes my life. It's not a whole new life, but an extension to your existing life where you grow more as a person. I know it comes with a whole lot of responsibilities and adjustments and thats exactly why I call it natural progression. Anyway, it doesn't matter what I thought about the whole marriage thingy. Because, there were a whole lot of people who were thinking, mapping and planning it all out for me.

For the last two years, the pressure to get married had been so much that it was literally driving me nuts. No one payed any heed to whatever you have achieved so far. No one looked into the facts like you worked hard for your degrees or you excelled in your jobs or you are well- read or you have a broad minded view of world or you are a good friend to people or you are always ready to extend an helping hand to people or you never meddled with other peoples lives. These just remained facts that were conveniently overlooked. Because at the end of the day, you are a girl and you are just supposed to get married. If you are not married yet, that means there is something seriously wrong with you. Period. With all my friends and cousins getting married at a alarming rate made me 'the next in line' for sometime now. Coming from a family were the girls are supposed to get married at 21 years old made time was a huge factor against me. I tried to keep myself away from all these talks and concentrate on so many other things in life. My education, job, books, movies, friends, travel - all these formed an integral part of my life.

So what happens next? Well, something very interesting .... :D

So long, and thanks for all the fish ...

This post was long due, but hey, it's not a goodbye post ...



Pop the champagne bottle, the blog marathon has ended. 31 posts in 31 days, phew, I can't believe I did it. Looking back, I am so happy that I decided to do it at the first place and I stick it to it. There were days when I had been soo tired after my work and all I wanted was to hit the sack once I reached back home. Still, I kept at it. I wrote, wrote and wrote everyday. Then there were days when I worked till 3.30AM in the morning and wrote a post after that. All of this wouldn't have been possible without the continous support from all of you. Thanks for all the support, suggestions, post ideas, feedback and criticisms. Loved them all. I made friends with new bloggers, explored new blogs and read a lot more blogs in the past one month. Blog Marathon was a wonderful experience and I loved every bit if it.

I believe the whole experience was a reinforcement to the fact that unless you push yourself, you never know what you are capable of doing !!!

Until the next post, keep smiling and yeah, I haven't forgotten the part 3 of a pair of eyes :)

The day that was ...

Today, I went shopping with my girlfriends. Five of us shopped until we literally dropped. We shopped for 12 hours straight and I tried on clothes after clothes but still I didn't buy a single piece of clothing today. And thanks to technology, I tried on several clothes, took pics in my camera, send those pictures to my sister in Kerala(through MMS) where she downloaded them to the computer, analysed them with my mom, cousins and aunties and gave me suggestions real time :) Such an innovative use of technolgy, isn't it? I should say today, I am proud of myself to have used technology to my utmost advantage(Hehe, dodges the rotten tomatoes and eggs coming my way). But hey, I wanted them to be a part of the decision making process and this was the only way I could make it happen considering the distance separating us. But it was so much fun. Shopping with girls is always so therapeutic.

Another incident worth mentioning happened today when I was alone, away from my friends for about two hours. I was in a crowded street and I had come there looking for a shop. I couldn't find the shop, I was in that part of the city for the first time, the street was so crowded, I was feeling so inaapropriate to be in that place and I was not getting an autorickshaw to go back to my place. I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable standing in that street and none of the autorickshaws were stopping by. Suddenly an auto came from nowhere and there was a lady inside it. I took a chance and asked her whether she is going to my part of the city. She indeed was going to the same place and readily agreed to my place. I got inside the autorickshaw. We started chatting and talked a lot about each other. She asked me why I came to this part of the city and where am I working, etcetcera. We exchanged a lot of details about each other and I felt so comfortable with her. Upon nearing our destination, I offered to pay half of the autorickshaw charges and she politely refused telling me that she decided to help me out because it was so clear that I was not feeling comfortable in that street. Anyway, the charges were so minimal, but I was touched by the humanity showed by a random stranger. All these happened at a time when everyone thinks twice before helping out some stranger we randomly meet. It was very nice of her to drop to my destination sensing my predicament. And the funniest part is I don't know her name. We talked a lot about each other, but never mentioned each others names. When we reached our destination and got down from the vehicle, I got a phone call and I started talking over the phone. When I finished my call and just turned back she had gone. I felt sad that I couldn't even thank her properly. Random stranger, you may never read this, but please know that I am touched by the small help you extended towards me. It gave me a sense of happiness that I carried in my heart for the rest of the day. Thanks a lot.

When I felt alive ...

When was the last time you felt alive? Alive as in you feel the fury of the nature on you; the moment which makes you believe in the perfect harmony of the universe. The last time that happened to me was when I visited Niagara falls. What a beauty it was. I was marvelled by the whole picturesque view, truly one of the wonders of nature. In Niagara falls, one of the main attractions is Maid of the Mist, which takes you much closer to the falls in a boat, That in itself is a surreal experience. At the point closest to the falls, three sides of you are surrounded by falls and you are blinded by Mist from the falls. There is nothing else in your mind but the admiration for the falls at that point of time.

But, one of the truly amazing experiences for me was 'Cave of the winds' in which you can climb up a stair of steps and get very closer to the falls. You feel the falls directly hitting you and mind you, the water hits you with such an amazing force that you can't be there directly under it for a long time. Yes, that was the moment I felt alive. I felt the force of nature at its fullest and realized how mortal we are. I was so mesmerized by the whole experience that I didn't want to go away from it. Each time the water hit me, I was getting connected to the universe more and understanding the value of my precious life. I was truly one of the best experiences of my life, an experience of a lifetime.


Pic Courtesy: Sujith Mahapatra

Now tell me, when was the last time you felt alive?

Social networking

Dunbar's number is a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person. Proponents assert that numbers larger than this generally require more restrictive rules, laws, and enforced norms to maintain a stable, cohesive group. No precise value has been proposed for Dunbar's number, but a commonly cited approximation is 150.

How many friends do we have in our social networking accounts? I think well above this number. I have an orkut account in which I used to be very active until two years back. Then I moved to FaceBook and I gradually became totally inactive in orkut. The simple reason is FB is lot more fun. I have had friends much above the number 150 always in my accounts. But come to think of it, I have hardly known some of them and have hardly spoken to many for years now. Still why are they in my friends list? Because it felt so rude to reject the request from a known person, even though you hardly keep in touch with them. Still, I must say social networking sites have helped me find friends whom I lost touch with after my schooldays; it also keeps me updated on the important events of their lives and re-kindle many of the old friendships. But, one of my favourite pet peeves is 'people trying to make frandship after finding my profile interesting'. Its funny. I don't know when these people will learn to act more maturely and stop 'making frandships' over a website. The crimes that you seeing happening over a social networking site is also alarming.

I think its all a matter of drawing the line and understanding whom you want to 'friend' and whom you should 'defriend' to retain the sanctity of your online identity. After these sites have its own advantages too. Let the number of friends be above 150, after all this is one place where all of your friends can co-exist :)

Interesting Fact: According to a latest study, pictures from FaceBook are increasingly used as evidence while fighting divorce cases in United States.

Blank ...

Today, it had been a roller coaster of emotions. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. But at the end of the day I am happy. Maybe that's how life is, you go through so many good moments; then there are bad moments to bring you back to reality and to wake you up. It's like a thunder striking you and telling you "Hello, get your lazy feet back to ground and start toiling again". At the end of the day, everything is evened out. The sum total is always zero, with a tint of happiness remaining (hopefully always) !!!

When I am feeling low ..

What do you do when you feel horribly low on a given day(whatever reason it may be)? These are some tried and tested things that I do and these work for me like magic.

1) Eat large amount of chocolates :) Works all the time, everytime. The serotonin does it part and your mood is elevated instantly.
2) Call your closest friends and rant about it.
3) Watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S or any other sitcom which you absolutely love. FRIENDS worked like a marvel for me each and everytime I was feeling low after an horrible exam during my bskul days. I used to watch four-five episodes back to back and it worked like a narcotic drug for me everytime.
4) Listen to music. One song which works like magic in my case is 'Aashayein' from the movie Iqbal. I just love the song and it always feel so appropriate when I am feeling low. All you music lovers out there, plug in your headphones and listen to your favourite tracks. Better still, switch on your loud speakers, play music at a very high volume and dance away :)
5) Clean your room. It's very therapeutic. Throw away things you no longer need and make space for new things and thoughts.
6) Go for a run/jog.Exercising is scientifically proven to lift your moods.
7) Shut yourself up for sometime(only for a few hours, mind you), don't talk to outside world and you will feel better yourself in sometime.
8) Analyse the situation, see where you went wrong and check whether you can rectify it somehow - Believe me, you can't do this in the first few hours when you were feeling bad, give it sometime and then go to this step.
9) Finally, whatever happens, remember that there is a solution for everything and nothing is permenant in this world. Even this too shall pass. It is just another phase in life.

Always remember "In the end, everything will be fine. If it's not, it is not the end"

I read some alarming statistics about depression, mental health and suicide rates in India. Why are we so unhappy with our lives when chocolates are just a hand away? Cheer up !!!

Now thats news!!!

Your Luck Quotient: 85%

You have an extremely high luck quotient. Not only do you consider yourself lucky, probably everyone you know does too. But you're smart enough to know that you've mostly made your own luck. By being positive, open, and flexible, a lot of luck has come your way!

How Lucky Are You?

Now this is news for me because i never considered myself a person high on luck quotient. Things that i wanted, always eluded me by marginal levels. Hence, most of time, I achieved (what i consider)the second best and never the best. Maybe, that makes this Thomas Jeffreson quote my favourite:

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it

Another one which is close to my heart, by Harry Golden:

The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.

But i don't know whether it is the sheer inexistence of 'luck' portrayed by these quotes or the fact that i still haven't utilised my full potential, which one of these makes me more happy.

Me, the chocoholic!!!

I don't know how many years passed since I had been a chocoholic. I think I had always been one. I don't know how many people i have troubled in my childhood for a bar of chocolate. I continue to coax my friends and everyone around me, into buying me one.

I like the way those brown yummy squares(I don't mind even if they are round in shape, or for that matter any shape) melt in my mouth and give me that 'kick'. They say its the increased serotonin levels in my brain which gives me this feeling, whatever it is, I just love the feeling.

For the last couple of weeks, I was on abstinence. I was trying to be far away from those dark tempting yummy squares, rectangles and even spheres(All the different shapes that it comes in). Still, yesterday the carving overcame me and i succumbed to the temptation. I devoured one huge bar of chocolate even though i was feeling guilty deep inside for not conforming to the strict diet regime that i am following. This made me sit up, and i did a bit of research on Chocoholics and Chocolate, in general.

centralcoastcandies.com gives an interesting survey to check whether u are actually a chocoholic or not. The survey goes like this:

chocoholic (def): a person who has or claims to have an addiction to chocolate

* If you have more than 2 secret stashes of chocolate candy, you might be a chocoholic. (Be honest.)

Ummm... yes, I do keep secret stashes of chocolate, So that makes me a chocoholic? Oh!!!

* If your top 3 favorite candies all have chocolate in them, you might be a chocoholic.

Yes, all my top 3 favorite candies – Twix, Snickers and BarOne have chocolate in them.

* If you have more than 4 books at home on chocolate, you might be a chocoholic.

Nah!!! I don't have any books on chocolate.

* If your favorite dessert is chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice-cream on the side, then you might be a chocoholic.

My fav dessert must contain atleast one of the above mentioned things.

* If you name chocolate as one of the seven wonders of the world, you might be a chocoholic.

Yep, I do. I name chocolate the biggest wonder of the world!!! All other wonders comes after that.

* If you bookmark more than 2 websites on the health benefits of chocolate, then you might be a chocoholic.

Though i haven't done it yet, I think i should do it now on.

* If your favorite movie is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you might be a chocoholic.

I love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

* If you own more than one chocolate-related T-Shirt, you might be a chocoholic. (If you actually wear that chocolate T-Shirt in public, just admit it. You are a chocoholic.)

No, i don't have a chocolate-related T-shirt.

* If you name your first-born child after your favorite chocolate candy - then you are a definite, full fledged chocoholic.

No children yet. But yes, I am planning to have one named ferrero and another rocher :-)

Jokes apart, I think from the survey, its more or less clear that i am chocoholic!!!

Having found this, I tried to find out a number of facts about chocolate. I indeed found many interesting ones. Will post them in the next post.

Here goes 2006

As the end of 2006 approaches, i can sense the joy of welcoming a whole new year. All of us had our own share of happy and sad moments during last year. We wanted things to happen in a particular way and some things did happen that way, while some others didn't. Last year we did make new year resolutions and tried to keep them. At times we broke them,modified them and tried to keep modified versions :-)

I was never in the habit of keeping new year resolutions. Because of the simple reason that i never felt January 1st is a special day (yeah, u heard me right). I always believed that if u can make a resolution on January 1st, u can make it on any other day. Whats so special about January 1st? If it not had been for Julius Caeser and Roman Calender, I wonder whether we would have been celebrating new year at January 1st. Forget about a new year, I wonder whether there would have been 12 months, with each of them christened accordingly. It would have been an endless string of days and months, which passes by, without making any special impact on our lives.

But on second thoughts, I feel the whole concept of new year has been there so that we can make fresh beginnings. Starting it all in a fresh new page, forgetting all the bad experiences, forgiving those who made us sad, striving to achieve our goals and hoping for a better tomorrow. As the new year approaches, i can feel the enthusiasm in air. Everybody is optimistic about the coming days. Everybody is hoping for a better tomorrow, though the definition of 'better' differs from person to person. Even i had my own share of wonderful and 'not so wonderful' experiences this year. Life has changed a lot in the last year, perspectives have changed, people moved in and out, yet i am here, struggling gracefully.

The things that went on the bright side are

1)I have started approaching life in a much more practical way.

2)I am trying not to be so hard on myself.

3)I am doing better in my job.

4)I have developed a number of hobbies, like reading, writing and sketching(A few of them were a part of me earlier and later went to oblivion).

5)I have increased my friends' circle.

The things went on the 'not so bright' side are

1)I have put on weight :-(

2)I still can't resist my temptation for chocolates and ice creams.

3)My job is consuming a fair share of my time, leaving me with lesser time for myself.

And here I make, those (dreadful??)resolutions for the first time.

1)Join a fitness club.

2)Manage my time well (read find more time for myself).

3)Learn pencil sketching (a long cherished one).

So we are all ready to welcome 2007. I wish you all a happy new year. Have a blast!!!