An uncomplicated life

I have to be honest, watching Oprah Winfrey and I mean just watching her on TV, somehow always cleanses my soul. She is in India currently and I watched her give an interview to Barkha Dutt. She has always inspired the good in me and given me so much hope. Some of that hope, I carry with me in my uncomplicated life.

Me and my best friend once concluded that "Life is as simple, as we make it and can get as complicated as we want it". The simple theme of an uncomplicated life is almost always in front of us : Nature. My window overlooks a garden with some trees, bushes and the green grass. The weather in Stuttgart is not always kind. And although, I sit cozily in my heated apartment, the nature outside always makes me smile. On days when I'm happy, I always see the branches of the tree dancing to the tunes of the wind. The grass on the ground withstands the rain and the snow and always seems to stay green. The bushes though bare of leaves today, always seem to stand with pride and dignity. And nature in it's totality seems to be so uncomplicated in spite of facing the four seasons, each year.

I bet the grass, the bushes and the trees never compete with each other over their heights, weights or what beautiful flowers or fruits one of them can bear. They just all seem to be standing in their own sync and rhythm. Why don't we learn from them?

Each of us has our own place in life. Why then do we question our abilities? (I'm guilty of this as well!) Why is it so hard for us to accept normality? Isn't being normal in itself so unique?

As I gazed out of my window today and listened to Oprah talk about belonging to the bigger ocean in life, I have to admit, I believe that I too am a part of the bigger ocean. What I have today, is based on the choices I made in life and that I am proud of. The nature outside inspires me to try to the best of my abilities and be the best that I can be. Then why do I put a timeline or limit to what I can do?

The beauty of it all is, that the answers have always been in front of me, in nature and its magnanimous splendor and that is "The uncomplicated life".

Cheers to a wonderful Sunday!!

The meaning of you and I...

I had the most brilliant day today! Yeah, a couple of friends listening to a few beats...nice music and the awesome ambience that my home offers (only peace and tranquility). It makes me think of the unspoken words and the feeling of gratitude. The feeling of unspoken bliss and immense gratitude of life!

So if I were to live my life never thanking the people in my life of the experience that they give me, will that mean me being selfish or a saint in meditation ?? The thoughts just don't come to me from reading a "Fountainhead" or the "Atlas shrugged" by Ayn Ryand but by simple feelings of life. I have had these euphoric moments before. And trust me, being the believer that I am, I've always thanked God, at the end of each night that's been so mesmerizing!

To all the people out there, who mean the world to me, please don't expect me to come forward to thank you, because my philosophy in life, is to carry you in my heart and not in my words. The day the world expects me to thank them for what they've been to me, the world and the people that live in it, lose their meaning in life to me. Does a mother expect her child to thank her? Does a mentor expect that word of praise from his pupil? Does nature ever expect us to write it a note of gratitude?

I don't expect words from the world, I expect magic, miracles and action. If I see that you need words, I'll take them away from you, if I see that you expect gratitude, I will never give it to you. If you expect nothing, then without saying anything, I will give you much more than you could ever imagine....

My world comprises of feelings, music, art and living. The words...they are just words and will be lost in a world of transition. Embrace the moments that we have had or will have because tomorrow you and I will be in different places. A place without words. The memories and experience is all that will remain between you and I.

No more words!Think about it...

Cheers!!

The color Blue

I have to talk about the poor color blue. To start with...I don't understand why...feeling blue is always associated to being low and out. Blue is one of the most fantastic colors. It is the color of the sky and water!

"Blue blood" means royalty...so how can blue be "so blue"!

You know when they made the song "When I'm feeling blue...", it was actually made when the person was in good spirits that's why he could write an entire song "Groovy kinda love"...

Well my thoughts on the color blue started yesterday. Yes, I had a completely "BLUE" day yesterday, which is to say fantastic! The color of the sky was blue yesterday, the rain was blue and then after a while the snow was blue and then the sky was even more blue....my student was wearing a blue top yesterday and I went for lunch to a restaurant, which served food on blue cutlery. It was all very blue. I love the color blue and I think it is unfair to associate it with sad feelings. I studied in DPS RK Puram and I was rewarded a "Blue coat" and the better academicians even wore a "Blue Tie"...how then can the color blue be "lonely and dull"...

I assure you, a girl wearing a navy blue or turquoise blue dress always gets only and only the best kind of attention or I always have! A man wearing a blue blazer, shirt or tie will always get admired and complimented....and for heaven's sake the color of denim is blue too...No one ever went wrong with the color blue...then why is the color blue in my palate suppose to be sad?? UNFAIR!!

So my POINT is and no I am not drunk! Give blue respect!From today onwards, in my world, blue stands only and only for Royalty, class, beauty, bundles of cheers and trumpets of joy!

Let's all be BLUE :)

Cheers!!

It's not about how far we've come....

It's not about how far we've come..if you look back it..it also makes you realize how far you still have to go. I would love to take the credit for the lines I just heard but I'll not. They've been lifted but they've stuck to my head all day long.

I will not look back at my whole journey again...not look back at the crazy traffic conditions, the hectic life style or even the news broad cast on NDTV Live today to remind myself of what a great life I lead. It's almost a bubble at times.

If you talk to foreigners in a country, you will always hear our outcry about our daily struggles, finding even that one person to go out with you for a coffee, a walk, a smoke or even a small talk to realize that your bubble is not just yours but others dwell in it too. It's not just the dishes that lie in your dishwasher for cleaning tomorrow. In the near future, it could also be about your application forms to universities, another odd job interview or the complex relationships we build or want to get out of. To be accepted regardless of who you are or have been.

The near future also seems to be miles away today. The patience and anticipation in life take such a toll, don't they?

I think I need a break from the monotony and need to find a nice party place for this weekend...to runaway from the shadows of my past and what seems like a mirage of the future...

Only for Stuttgartners : Suggest nice party places to get away!

Cheers!! 

Latent knowledge

Most of us lead our day to day life believing we know only what we see and what we are currently involved with. How many of you believe that we still carry the education around that we got in school, college or post grad to our work desks or daily lives? Well, I for once believed I had forgotten what I learnt in Engineering and MBA or even in my previous jobs only to be jolted back to reality to realize that a lot of what I learnt is what I am and carry around with me everyday.

I happened to be facing a very tough interviewer today, who didn't seemed very convinced about my Engineering degree in particular. The general notion of "Women engineers: Really????". I have to admit that he tongue tied me with a simple question based on how we design a circuit, which tools we use and on what is it designed on. For a minute there, I was dismayed and then he said, if I just answered the basics...he would go on a limb to get me in....and guess what...my latent knowledge wasn't as dormant as I thought it was....! What's wonderful about our brain is...it's superb timing!

I must say I was delighted by the function of  "The brain"! I read so much junk on days and watch so much rubbish, I'd think that a part of my brain was actually dying and getting killed. But may be our brain has a filter function to it, which just seems to filter out the rubbish and instead store some of what it thinks is important. Which brings me back to another important question: What do you think is the storage capacity of our brain? Do you think there is a memory limit on it like our hard-drives today?I sure hope not...!!Hmmm....

So, whether you use the knowledge that you received in all those institutes you attended or are attending..the point is...it stays with you...to your grave...and that my friends is remarkable!

Cheers!! And keep learning :)

Celebrating Men!

Today's blog is dedicated to all the wonderful men in my life. I have seen how often women are celebrated and there is always this talk about women's empowerment and women's right but nobody asks the men, if they'd like some rights and empowerment too :) !

I have had the bliss of being with some of the most awesome men ever! The best times of my life were in Engineering with three of my best friends being guys. This is not to say I didn't have female friends but the tantrums I could get away with my guy friends were sheer joy. I remember this one time I decided to ride an elephant to college and my guy friends encouraged me on my outrageous behavior and guess what I did..I did just that.My toughest break-ups never seemed hard with my male friends around, we didn't have to talk about them or cry about them. I just rested in knowing the fact that there were better men around, the men who would make me feel safe and respect my space and decisions.

At work I never felt the need to fight for any rights or empowerment. I was always equal. I always had friends and men to treat me as equal. I remember my male friend telling me "Don't ever sell yourself short!" and till date I never have.

Today I continue to have an equal number of male and female friends. There is no distinction in the love, the honest advice and the support that I seem to draw from both the sexes. If at all, some of my male friends can be more critical and more honest than my female friends and I give them that because some of them continue to live with my drama more realistically and closely.

We women can be very moody and to be honest we are like the song by Billy Joel: "She's always a woman to me". Yet another man celebrating a woman. It's time for women to move on in life and to find these right men.

I think some of our fathers could have been more than very hard on us. We cannot change that, but the one thing we can do in life is to choose to be with men who respect us, can care about us, sometimes cry with us, support us and love us through our flaws. They may be tough on their exteriors but actually they are just like us.

These men exist! I want every woman who reads this today to know that. I've had the good fortune of meeting some really nice guys out there. And might I add, they have treated me nothing less than a princess. So to all the women out there, smarten up, find these men, take my help and make them your Prince!

Cheers to all you wonderful men out there!!

What are we really afraid of?

Most of us live our lives in fear.  The fear could vary from a simple rejection from a college/job/loved ones, un-accepatance from a society, the fear of public speaking, the fear of speaking a foreign language, the fear of interviews, the fear of losing a job, the fear of not getting that job,the fear of heights, the fear of the dark, the fear of water, the fear of the unknown, the fear of a screw-up....and so on.

I face a fear too. I'm afraid to lose control, control of situations, afraid to lose control of my emotions and to lose control of MYSELF. But then I ask myself, if every situation was planned and every bend in the road known, then how would I be able to justify my existence?

The other thing I thought about between yesterday and today were the circumstances that some people have had to deal with. I saw "Black Friday" and "Munich" yesterday. I saw the manipulation, the human play of emotions, the agendas, the propagandas and how lives could be played with. It makes life seem so little and precious.

Another stark reality for me is my country: India. A place where poverty, hunger, rape, unemployment, the worthlessness of life exists. In my country fear cannot be evaded, it has to be fought.Being competitive  in my country is not someones ability, it is a necessity. Hard work is not a choice but a compulsion.

I realize that part of our fear comes from our circumstances.The one with the circumstances, unfortunately cannot be dealt with, it's what life gave us.The other part comes from within, having to justify your existence to yourself. I think what is most important is to kill our own fears one by one. To try something different each day.To get up in the morning and resolve to try harder. To live life and celebrate whatever comes your way everyday.

We will always live with the unknown whether we like it or not..so the only option we have is to : KILL THAT FEAR!

10 Most boring questions of the century!

Ok so am full-on talli right now...but this was based on a real survey carried out through a bunch of friends and my personal experience...so here goes...people pls. point out the mistakes in the morning if any and I'll mend it in the morning...

Q1. "How are you doing?"/"Are you alright?"
A1. Definitely what I generally think and I know a bunch of you..."Yes F***er, I am fine"...if I'm in a group..don't you see..I got a bunch of people with me right here, right now..."No, I'm not"..if I'm having that last ciggi or the last drink in my hand all alone....
General advice: If you really care, give me a hug now, everything will be fine! If I'm with the bunch of people, someone will get punched real hard tonight...oooops!!

Q2. "So...you from India...you have the caste system..."/ "So..you from Russia...you drink a lot of Vodka..."/" So..you from Brazil..you speak Spanish/visit the carnival every year...?"
A2. "So....you probably ARE uneducated and have never ever worked in a cooperate environment..because if you DID...you would be talking about our economy and looking beyond the stereotype"
General advice: Stay off the stereotype..get balls or whatever....talk about something else, you have lost our interest already..really..so "Buzz off"

Q3. "Do you think I look fat?"
A3. If I say "Yes"...you'd hate me...if I say "No"...you think I am liar!
General advice: Don't ask me/us..look in to the mirror...if possible give me a manual to tell you the truth...!!

Q4." Do you love me?"
A4. Tricky question...if I did love you...I would say it without you asking me...if I haven't said it..."Dude, I'm really not that in to you, so take a hike!"
General advice: A good question to irritate the shit out of someone...do ask them if you want to annoy them and want them to take a hike...otherwise..don't ask them...please do us a favor like "World peace!"

Q5." Why haven't you added me on Facebook?"
A5. Well...."Mostly because I don't want you stalking me and getting too personal"....could be " I don't like you enough for you to see how awesome I really am!"
General advice: Take the hint or again take a hike!

Q6. "So...where is you husband?"
A6. Hmm...."We weren't born twins and I'm not good with ESP..so I don't know...but most importantly...why do you want to know...you like him too?"
General advice: Marriage can also be a freedom of expression...some people choose it regardless!

Q7. "Has being married changed your life?"
A7." SURE it has...don't you see the horns on my head and the tail that follows me...you must try it too..FUN!"
General advice: Keep away from stupid questions..makes you look weird and DUMB!

Q8."What's new?"
A8." If there was something new, would I be sitting here with you?"
General advice: If you can, tell me what's new with you otherwise take a seat next to the bartender!

Q9."How is the weather?"
A9."Really now....we have nothing in common do we...????So why are you still in my face!!!!"
General advice: Try this with some really really dumb and boring people, you want to get rid off!!

Q10. "What are the most boring questions you ever came across in your little life?"
A10." Exactly the one that you asked me!"
General advice: Unless you are as cute as me..don't even try to ask them!

SO....thanks guys for the eventful TGIF....I am proud to present to the world...what exactly they shouldn't be asking people and boring them with....

For the rest of you who read this...please don't ask me the above questions and bore the s**t out of me and the rest of the world!

Question: Can Students and teachers be friends?

So...as life would have it..I had to get in to teaching, which is the best profession by the way, it's honest+adds value to your life+adds value to other people's life. Now about the latter part: How far can we (teachers) take it?

I am not talking about a general "Good will hunting" kind of theme. I am talking about bringing out personalities outside the classroom. Is it overstepping the boundaries, to take out your student for a coffee and talk about their problems and also being able to help them out in life, in the little ways you can?Hmm...

Help me here someone...pour in your opinions and ideas. Is it too wrong to be able to help a struggling student in getting used to a place or getting used to people? I have some great ideas on how I could change the way people see their circumstances. I personally deal with very non-normal (not abnormal!!!!) situations in my day to day life and I am as far as I know "the most nonjudgmental" person alive....So could I not just help beyond the barriers of a classroom....????

Hmm....whoever reads this...collect your thoughts and pour in your suggestions...

Cheers!!

Restlessness=Sleeplessness

I always end up not sleeping on the days I feel I haven't worked hard enough. I wonder am I an exception to this restlessness. At times I feel like I am caught in a time zone of stillness. A time, where it is too late to go back and too early to move forward. It's not even a cross-roads, because there are no decisions to be made, just an unexplained stillness.

As I look out the window at this unearthly hour, I see the tree outside my window, the one that has to bear with my smoke rings and my still thoughts. It has to bear with all the unspoken questions in my head, where do I go from here tomorrow?Why do I feel this utter restlessness and why can't I pick up the phone and annoy a grumbling friend?Unfortunately, the tree nor I have the answers today. Too bad.

I wonder what it takes to quench the restlessness of an uneasy soul. Could a gratifying job, loads of money, an enormous friend circle, a revolutionary cause be the answer? Who knows? I definitely don't.

I only know that on days I've burnt myself out physically and mentally can I get a charming sleep. Hmm...time to work harder I guess....

God can you give me a million pounds...I need to open a disc/bar/cafe/gym that is open for the sleepless and restless :)

Cheers

The eeriness of Stuttgart

I have lived in Stuttgart for almost 2 years now..so technically I'm no longer a Delhite and more likely a Stuttgartner. Although there are still a few things that disturb me about the city, I call home. Today as I walked out of the train station, I saw a female with her head ducked inside her hands, it was so evident that she was sobbing that even the deaf or the blind would melt in pity. As I came out of the train, with more than 50 people, stepping out on the platform at the same time,I noticed, not one person stopped to ask her what was bothering her or why she felt the need to sob in public. Initially neither did I. Then I thought and re-collected all the experiences I've heard from all foreigners and residents here, how sometime or the other they have broken down, not to be heard or seen by anyone.

May be it was just the day or it was the empathy I carried back from London or the Indian in me, to stop and ask. There wasn't anything I could do for her but ask if she needed to talk. The episode struck such a stinging reality about Stuttgart. No one cares here. It's tough to find out why but people don't like to see or hear things here. Why is everyone so quiet or sad...days on the train could be like people are going for a funeral. Some people even carry blood-shot eyes and no it's not because they are doped but because they are depressed.

If everyone here is as lonely as they say they are or feel that there is no one to celebrate with...then why is there no empathy or humanness? Why is a developed nation, the city which has the third lowest crime rate, no cut-throat competition and no starvation..be so cold and dark?Why do people here "NOT CARE"....? Why does it lack human emotion or character...

May be I am too new here to understand and may be I will never understand or belong here...but I never want to belong to a place so inhuman or cold...