My 21st Birthday Gyaan

It's the time of the year I keep anticipating with every passing minute, when will the days go by; when will I hit the shops and the parlour for a makeover; when will I get all the attention and call it a day, My Day! And so, it's here! It's my Birthday - just the same feeling everyone around the world waits for, as much as you deny. And when the day nears by, you feel old. You start feeling desperate, desperate enough to try pushing it away, to another month or so, just to remain younger, to evade all the responsibilities of the world you may be burdened with. But who can stop the forces of the nature to erupt and bloom the way they should be. And then you are, suddenly, a year older, a year wiser, and a year grateful to have lived so far, a year wishful waiting more fun, more love and more of everything you ever had.

And so to sum it all up, I've come up with the 21 lessons I've learned in my life. Inspire. Influence. Illuminate.

1. Whoever you are, whatever you may be, YOU are the most important entity ever existing, not for others but for yourself. Love yourself more than anyone else, unconditionally, dearly. You are not selfish, but confident!
2. Live today like you'll die tomorrow. Don't wait for things to happen but make things happen. This is neither from any book nor from the Internet, rather from the heart. Because it's your heart that decides what you actually want while your head places other options, confusing you all the while.
3. NO ONE in this world is born ugly. It's the situations they encounter in their lives that mould them to what they are. Go deep within, you'll definitely find a reason to love them. Everyone's compatible to you and vice-versa.
4. LOVE is not a huge word, HATE is! So remember where you pronounce it.
5. "Money may not buy you happiness, but it definitely satisfies your thirst, unquenchable by human emotions". Your parents would never have thought of the monetary benefits you would place before them someday when they conceived you. So forget about the statement above and live for humanity, rather than moneymaking!
6. Go with the flow of nature, but once in a while STOP - TURN AROUND - WALK BACK - REBEL! Not because you are different or unique, but just for fun, damn it!
7. PAIN KILLS PAIN - NO NEVER! Stop over-reacting, like you are the last soul who has to bear all! Start honing the more creative side of you, be it for yourself or others! Just do what you love and JUST DO IT!
8. The more you are tempted to do something, the more you are drawn towards it! Toss a coin! You'll know what you are supposed to do. As Simple As It Should Be!
9. The moments you laugh or the moments you cry should be termed as "MEMORIES" and nothing else. Because these are the memories that'd give you the extra dose of laughter for being stupid, crazy and madly dumb!
10. You are a STRONG person even if you have a longer list of weaknesses; because they are only read by others to term you weak and not by yourself. So learn to metamorphose them into something stunning leaving everyone speechless.
11. Patience! That's the word, my friend! Spell it out, loud and clear!
12. Being pleasant is not a virtue to some idiots on earth sent to find ways to destroy every reason to your existence. Chill, you are not born to please the world! The world was created to please you!
13. Stop regretting. Start appreciating. That's the key to life. Every decision in life teaches you something vital, and that is, to LIVE!
14. You want to cry. You really want to cry. You really, really want to cry? Okay. Cry! It doesn't hurt - neither your eyes nor your health. Just let it go, just let it flow!
15. You can’t, no no just CANNOT change the world. Look at you! Just a little thing and the world is such a big place serving every minute creature like you. Be what you want the world to be. Treat others how you want to be treated. That's how you bring change. That's how the world's going to be a better place to live in.
16. The littlest trait is what surprises you the most, and that's why it brings you the most joy! It's not how you see it, but how you feel it that makes it more worthwhile.
17. Never try your level best to gain the limelight. You are just wasting your energy over unwanted and unnecessary things that's going to do no good to you than those that you gain by staying out and creating your own limelight, away and better!
18. It's NOW or it's NEVER. And if it's none of them, then it's FOREVER.
19. You will be let down, always, every time. You will face a lot of defeats, always, every time. But stay focused, because that's what annoys everyone around. Be yourself, that's what irks everyone.
20. You never HATE anyone, you just DISLIKE people, because you are either jealous of what they possess or selfish to share what you possess. It all arises out of INSECURITY!
21. Lastly, it doesn't matter what you wear and what you don't. Without a SMILE, you are just nothing!

Start knowing yourself, that's the hardest job you could ever take up. Start loving yourself, that's the simplest gift you could give yourself. And most importantly, be aware and alert of what you do, that's how you INSPIRE INFLUENCE ILLUMINATE!

Savaged from my erstwhile blog http://inspireinfluenceilluminate.wordpress.com/ 

Dabboo's Jolly Ride

Just when I started thinking the day was going to be dull and boring as always, my sister reminded me that we were supposed to take our dog for her yearly vaccine. Fine, something pushing me out of the house today. So we got all ready and got out to go, put the dog lash for Dabboo who was all excited to go out for a walk (she hardly knew this was a looooong loooong Jolly Ride instead). 

A few steps from home, we found an auto who insisted for a flat 100 bucks just for a ride which would take not even half of the amount. Well, like I'm going to spare him. I haggled and finally concluded since we are taking a dog I'd pay him 20 bucks more. So there we (me, mom and Dabboo) set out on the auto while my sister had already gone half way by her scooty (she loves it >.<). Dabboo loved the ride on the auto, believe me, though I had to hold her real tight just so scared she might jump off the auto. Now for those of you who know nothing about my dog aka my Dabboo - she is the most untrained but the friendliest Labrador Retriever ever. Anyways, so Dabboo was enjoying every bit of the beautiful weather of Bangalore as well as the "Cars" that passed by. I wish I could understand more of her doggie language and feelings so I could tell you through her words. But all I could comprehend was that she loved the cool breeze, counted the number of cars on the road that passed us and was over-excited. 

Now, when we reached the hospital, Dabboo remembered the place she visited a year ago, faintly. All the pain came back like a flash of agony through her eyes. She whined and yelped to go back but when she understood that she had to undergo the same she got really restless, walking around not knowing what to do. She didn't let the doctor check the weight nor her temperature. She just sat up on the pedestal type of steel platform salivating vigorously, sniffing to find way to jump off the place she sat upon. Then the doctor filled two syringes full with vaccine and my eyes popped out seeing two painful injections into my baby. I, myself, do so much drama when I have to bear those needles going through my skin, how would a mute creature bear it all? And, two? I turned to my sister and gave her an "OMG" expression, she had the same too. Next what happened was the worst ever. We had to hold an overly-aggressive dog, so what did the doctor think of? Yes, tie her mouth so tight that it wouldn't open. We agreed as it would not allow her to bite us. But that idiot tied it with her tongue stuck between her teeth in the front and he said "Yenu agalla" ("Nothing's going to happen") so sternly and ruthlessly. But still when the doctor injected the first vaccine, Dabboo agitated and tried pushing away the needle. Then the needle went through. We held her real hard so that she doesn't move. And when the needle went in completely, Dabboo gave me that one look of "Why did you do this to me when all I gave you was my love, love and all love? Why did you let some idiot hurt me so bad?" - that broke my heart into a million pieces for letting her take up all that bitter pain. She started palpitating with foams coming off her mouth. And she quietly took in the second injection. She didn't agitate nor push the needle away. But just kept looking at me the same way and that's when I wanted to cry a million tears. 

The injections were done leaving Dabboo palpitating and salivating out of pain and fear. I took her out right then and we found another auto to go home. But this time, even before I ask the auto guy if he'd come Dabboo was already into the auto. The auto guy had to agree then. This time, on the way back, Dabboo was much sober than she was earlier. She lied down flat and watched the slight drizzle fall on her and the awesomely cool breeze blow on her face. She enjoyed it utterly. We knew. She loved the jolly ride on the auto as well as when people saw her and kids tried gaining her attention. Most of all, I felt proud when people around said "Such a pretty dog she is", just like my own baby girl (Yes the first thing I did was to put a black spot on her when I got back home keeping away bad sights).

When we got back home, all tired, we found Dabboo under the sofa, completely quiet and sleepy. Yes, she was tired, but most of all, the horrifying pain she underwent made her stay calm, probably. Well, it was a day to remember and Goodness me, it's going to come back every year. I just hope we learn how to train ever-willing-to-learn Dabboo how to stay calm and imagine that the needle going through is just like an ant-sting, just what mom says whenever I have to take one. I know it's really hard, but we've got 365 days more for all that. 

5 things I hate about Bangalore

3 years ago, I stepped into the land of the great ruler Kempegowda, sniffing the moist air above me, my mind filled with dreams like I've finally reached the Promised Land, where I'd find new adventures, new friends, new life, especially new MYSELF. Those 3 years passed like never before and here I stand with my list of the top 5 things I dislike about the once-upon-a-time Chosen Land.

1. The first and the foremost disgrace to the beautiful land I live in is the huge traffic load. Though a lot of people come up with a lot of affirmative statements and articles of "how to find the muse in Bangalore Traffic" I still find it, in one word, ANNOYING. I don't find the honks tuning themselves, I don't find anyone smiling at each other when they find themselves being stuck up at junctions, I don't find the smoke emitted making creative clouds around, I don't enjoy the plight of being around the same place for hours n hours together. In short, I hate the Bangalore Traffic !!!!

2. I was never an environment-friendly individual, not until I spent the first half year here, when I started missing all those beautiful trees which were cut down for God-Knows-What-Development! The glory of the city, the pride of the land, all washed away bit by bit transforming it from being the Garden city to a Concrete jungle. After a lot of protests, which still continue now and then, the officials promised to plant trees, but then, once lost glory takes a lot to regain, right???

3. Trees lost = Beauty lost = Climate change. Well, it's true we can not blame it all on the trees cut but didn't we all learn once upon a time that no trees = no oxygen = more carbon compounds = increased heat?? The cool climate, the one everyone loved about the city, the reason for the increased immigration into the place, I wish it comes back someday, though I know it's going to remain as a wish never coming true.

4. The worst ever, is the road widening and the Metro constructions. The deviations you got to take while travelling, the pitfalls here and there, the road blocks, the dead-ends and the worst part, this remains for months and months over and begins right over a so-called well planned out road. And then you blame the Bangalore Traffic again and curse the traffic cops and it continues like that all over :D

5. The last but never the least, perhaps a reminder for all those who are new to Bangalore and travelling for the first time ever, DO NOT TRUST EVERYONE ON THE ROAD TO KNOW ALL THE ROADS IN BANGALORE, because all they are going to tell you is "full straight hogi, munde ondu left siggutthe, dead end right, matthe left, matthe full straight" (go full straight, take the left, dead-end right, again left, full straight). My advice GET A FULLY LOADED GPS and just because he is an auto rickshaw driver doesn't mean HE KNOWS THE WHOLE OF BANGALORE!!! 

Well, my problems are all traffic related, probably that's the worst thing ever in Bangalore. So you want to sweat it out in this city, you are welcome to tour the entire place in at least a month, however you wish to travel :)