Funny how

I recently met some of my school friend. Although it’s difficult to meet often we sure do make it a point to meet at least once a month. There is so much to catch up on, so many stories to tell and so many updates and gossip to share that hours feel like minutes.

So last Sunday I met some school friends, unable to decide where to go we just decided to park the car on a lonely road and chill there. In between all the talks, laughter and innumerable selfies later it suddenly dawned upon me how much has changed but we are still the same.

Suddenly we found ourselves talking about future and we realized that 5-6 years down the line all of us would be married. We would be responsible being! With family to look after. While we would be chilling like this, I would be planning what to make for dinner in the back of my mind.

It’s so scary at times. How careless we were in school. Obviously we made promises that time to stay in touch forever etc it hardly worked out with anyone except handful few. Obviously back then I would have never imagined my life the way it is now.

Is it just me who is panicking or does every 20 something go through this?

Silence Is Not Always Golden

Strepsils#AbMontuBolega campaign focuses on the importance of speaking up for what is right.  We have trained ourselves to ignore things that don’t matter to us. To avoid getting in trouble by speaking up and that is the reason we are facing so much trouble. This campaign tells us that it is important to speak up when needed.

When a hero in a movie stands up against wrong doings we enjoy that, appreciate it and for some motivating seconds feel like doing something like that. The moment movie is over and we are out of that dark room into the real world we forget everything about it and continue to ignore things and choose not to speak up. When did speaking up become so difficult?

I am glad that #AbMontuBolega campaign is happening. If a campaign is going to help us speak up and make this country a better place then I think more such campaigns should crop up.

Speaking up doesn’t mean only to the officials and bring about a revolution. There are so many everyday things that needs to be changed. That needs a voice and we should be that voice.

How many times have you seen someone litter on the road?

How many times have you seen someone pee on the side of the road?

How many times have you ignored eve teasing?

How many times have you come across domestic violence?

How many times have you come across cases related to dowry?

How many times have you seen people break traffic rules? Or how many times have you broken traffic rules?

How many times have you paid at a government office to get work done?

How many times have you inquired if the chotu who brings you cutting chai goes to school?

There are many other issues which need our attention and voice. I am not saying that we must have faced all the above mentioned issues, but I am sure that you could relate to at least one of it and what have we done about it? Nothing.

We are so busy in our life that we don’t have time to voice our opinion.  We want our filmy heroes to do the right thing, but when we have the chance to be the hero we avoid it.

It really doesn’t take much. It takes 20 seconds of courage and you’ll be happy with what you did. It doesn’t take much to help a girl who is subjected to eve teasing at the railway station. It definitely won’t take much to tell someone to stop littering; it will make our city cleaner. Denying to pay at government offices to get work done would help curb corruption issues. Make it a point to not break traffic rules, if each one of us decides to do that I am sure traffic issues will go down as well.

Let’s bring speaking up back in fashion. Let’s decide to speak up and be a hero everyday! #AbMontuBolega would motivate you to do so!

This post has been written for IndiBlogger you can find more information here -http://www.abmontubolega.com/ You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter #AbMontuBolega

Thursday Challenge - "LEAVES"

Thurday Challenge

Garnier Pure Active Real Neem Face Wash Review

The pack says that it Purifies and washes away germs. It has real Neem and Tea Tree Extracts. It fights germs, pollution and removes oil.

I never had pimple problems, but suddenly I faced a major breakout and couldn’t understand the reason behind it. I realized it maybe because I was travelling a lot and was exposed to a lot of heat and pollution (My new college is far away from my house, the commute is tiring). I read online and found that stress and change in routine can also cause pimples, I am facing both these things as well. I tried couple of home remedies but none helped.

I was actually planning to use Himalaya Neem Face Wash but decided against it because last time that I used a Himalaya product it left my skin very dry.

Garnier Neem Face Wash is absolute brilliance. I started using it on 13^thNovember it’s a little over 10 days now and I have seen a major change. My pimples have reduced a lot!!! It also doesn’t leave my skin dry.

It has a gel like feel and is green in colour. Lathers up quickly making it easy while washing your face. It comes in a tube which is easy to use and you can keep a check on the amount of face wash that you are using.

I haven’t exactly used it twice daily, as it is recommended on the pack. I sometimes use it in the morning. Generally I use it after I remove my makeup and night.

I am cynical about every beauty product; I always feel that they are not going to give the same result as they say they will. This one is an exception really!

I would rate it 4 on 5

 

Thursday Challenge

Doing a Thursday Challenge after a very long time. Its the Haji Ali Durgah in Mumbai. 

A Touch Says A Thousand Words

After being together for so long they both had gotten used to each other. Saying I love you was out of habit rather than because they wanted to. Don’t get me wrong they did love each other but the monotony of life had taken away the spark from the relationship.

 After being together for 7 years they had finally decided to tie the knot. It was her dream to plan and manage her own wedding without a wedding planner. The wedding pressure was nerve wrecking. He was under a lot of work pressure and she was going crazy looking after every single detail of the wedding and without realizing it they were snapping at each other.

“Have a look at these flower arrangements, which one do you like?”

“I don’t have time for that now. Pick anything”

“It’s our wedding, it can’t be anything!”

“Baby I have to give this report tonight. Just pick what you like no”

“Alright. And remember we have to go shopping this Saturday”

“I can’t I have a meeting”

“You always do that! There is something related to your work always. Why don’t you understand that this is our wedding and it’s equally important.”

“Why don’t you understand that this is work and I am under a lot of work pressure!”

“Maybe because you never tell me about it”

“Because I don’t want to bother you with things that you don’t need to worry about.”

She went up to him and hugged him. All the anger melted away in a minute.

“You know this hug just takes me away from all the stress. It’s like my instant stress reliever” he said hugging her back.

“I love you”

“I love you too”

And just like that a touch, a hug just solved all the problems. He went back to his work, she went back to dealing with all the wedding stuffs. Sometimes we are doing so many things at the same time that we forget that we have to take some time out to tell our partner how much they matter to us. It’s not that difficult you know, a simple touch can do the trick!

This post has been written for IndiBlogger you can find more information here - http://www.pblskin.com/ #BringBackTheTouch

You can also check #BringBackTheTouch video below.

Each One Needs One

“I have to Pee”, I told my friend sitting next to me.

We were on a road trip, it was past midnight and the last dhaba we went to had horrible toilets. There was no proper water supply, it was stinking and there were about thousand mosquitoes ready to bite. We came out in a second, deciding that we would wait until we find a better place. Which unfortunately we didn’t find.

So there we were past midnight on a highway with nowhere to pee. We talked about how lucky guys were to be able to get to business where ever they liked. Of course girls had to abide by some rules. We waited an hour more but when it was just difficult to wait it out we decided it was time to go the guy way and get it done in the bushes along the highway. That wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Those crazy bushes, rats and I half imagined a snake biting me.

All this just makes me wonder why we need to go through such a struggle for something which is so natural and normal and a basic need!

Just because it causes no real problem to a guy does that mean that we start ignoring the basic needs needed by the other gender? And even if we do find a bathroom, they are not at all sanitized.

This doesn’t mean that it’s just the dhabas and the highway that has problems. Even the city’s Sulabh Sauchalay is in horrible state. Ladies often prefer going to a nearby mall or a restaurant than use the public toilets.

Recently there was a case of a few girls getting abducted and raped when they had gone to a lonely place to relieve themselves. If this is the kind of fear we live in then it really is scary. A proper toilet could have saved those girls the horrors of getting raped.

It’s over 60 years since our independence and the major issue that our PM candidates talk about is building toilets! I appreciate that finally someone has addressed the issues and I hope that he works on it. But 60 years into independence, we have advanced so much but we still have toilet as a major issues? This really sounds sad.

Even during the Maharashtra State elections, one of the party leader raised the same issue. It really sounds logical. Women need washrooms, that time of the month and otherwise as well.

I am glad that Domex has taken up this initiative. Such awareness campaigns help people realize the importance of such issues which generally are ignored or are overlooked. 

This post has been written for IndiBloggeryou can find more information here - http://www.domex.in/

You can bring about the change in the lives of millions of kids, thereby showing your support for the Domex Initiative. All you need to do is “click” on the “Contribute Tab” on www.domex.in and Domex will contribute Rs.5 on your behalf to eradicate open defecation, thereby helping kids like Babli live a dignified life.

You Can Be Popular Too

“How many of you read books?” the professor asked.

25% of the students raised their hands.

“So which books have you read?” he enquired.

Everyone started shouting out names, from classics to contemporary.

“How many of you read Chetan Bhagat?” was his next question.

Most of the class raised their hand and I thought twice before raising mine. I quickly justified my action with “I have read almost all his books but I am not a fan”

I don’t know what made me want to justify it. I don’t consider myself very well read butaccepting that I have religiously read his books is always followed with a justification.

What I think struck a chord between the Indian reads and Chetan Bhagat is how relatable all his books are.

The language is colloquial which makes it easier to connect. Although what angers me is when people start comparing it with other better books or worse, call it literature! It’s a light, fun read and that’s about it. What other authors need to do is write in a language which readers understand. To hell with trying to improve the standard, right?

Sex. There has to be frequent and unnecessary mention of sex throughout the book. It is very important to know that the status of the writer / main character’s sex life.

It shouldn’t deal with anything important. It should be a story of a man leading his life and documenting it. You can do it too! Just write down your daily diary and publish it at the end of the year.

But also keep in mind that it should have the potential to turn into a major Bollywood film. So much so that people trust you so much to sign a movie even before the book is released.

And it shouldn’t exceed 200 pages. People don’t have time for anything more than that, so respect their time!



This post is written for IndiSpire

MotoG 2nd Generation Unboxing

I ordered the phone yesterday from Flipkart and it was delivered within a day, no I didn’t take the one day delivery option. So yay!

To be honest all these weird posts about Snapdeal and Flipkart sending bricks instead of phones did get onto me. I was quite paranoid about ordering it, but the delivery was so quick that well it didn’t matter.

So MotoG 2nd Generation is for ₹ 12,999/- which according to what I read on other websites and based on YouTube videos is pretty reasonable and worth its cost.

The phone came in this sturdy box

I got a ₹50/- recharge from freecharge.

 

It had a bubble wrap around so that it is not damaged during the delivery process. The box was in the best condition possible.

 

The phone is sleek and easy to handle. However I didn’t really like its look, you know it doesn’t look that great. Those speakers in the front are weird. Although they work awesome.

It came with a charger, earphones and a couple of manual both in English and Hindi. Another disappointing thing is that there was no USB cable. I like to charge my phone via USB and how am I supposed to transfer stuff from PC to Phone? I guess I’ll have to buy a new USB.

Thought Trail

“You should be strong; you should never give up nor be afraid of doing something that your heart tells you to do. Your father is no more, you don’t have any brothers. You should learn to take care of yourself.” her mother told her. She was still a kid and those words didn’t really penetrate deep enough to her.

“Mamma, the guy who sits next to me in school is mean to me. I don’t want to sit with him”she complained one day to her mother.

“Do you want me to come talk to your class teacher?”

“No, it’s okay. Ill handle it”

Her mother smiled a little. She knew she had done her job right. She had brought up her daughter to deal with her problems on her own and not depend on anyone else. The mother however traditional in a way was also very practical and modern. She had seen both poverty and riches and knew a right combination of traditional values and practicality and modern culture is the best way to bring up daughter.

She was the kind of mother who allowed her daughter late night parties but also taught her the importance of getting up early in the morning. She made it very clear that she disapproved of her first boyfriend but didn’t force her daughter to break up. She let her make her own decisions.

Years later

“You are dating him for how long exactly?”Her mother enquired. All these years the daughter had learnt to be responsible, independent and free to take her own decisions.

“6 years”

“And this is his younger brother’s engagement? Are you planning to get married to him?”

“Yup, but that is still going to take time. I am still studying. He has to set up his career; I have to start my career. Plus we are not insecure about each other in that way.  We know career should be our priority now and we can get married later.”

“Okay! Just let me know when you want to get married. You sound so much like me when I was younger.”

“And see you turned out just fine! You found pappa; you are financially sound, what else do one need?”

6 months later

“We should get married. At least get the marriage talks started. I can’t handle the my family pressure anymore” he told her

“What about our career? What about my career? I just graduated. I want to do Masters.” She tried to make him understand.

“Yes butwhat harm is it going to do? We will get married and then you pursue your career”

“I will turn 23 this September; I am still young to handle marriage. I can’t do this. Moreover you have your career to follow. You are just giving in to the pressure. Make your parents understand that we aren’t in 1960s anymore. We have ambitions and we want to follow them. We have all our lives to get married and have babies” she hoped he would understand that it is just way too early for her.

“I can’t. You choose me or your career”

“Career. But I stood by you when you were struggling to get a job or when you failed a year in college. Can’t you do the same for me?”

“I can’t. Sorry”

One lonely evening, her thoughts started wandering…

Is it wrong that I am practical girl? I do intend to get married but there are certain things that I need to achieve before that. I need to have an identity, some financial security and some goal. Is it a good thing that this happened now? I don’t know. He should have been here supporting me, telling me that all is going to be fine. He should have made his parents understand that people these days are very career oriented, is that a good thing though? Should I be career oriented? I am not exactly being selfish here right? I am just asking for the bare minimum, let me just get started with a job. How difficult is that to understand?

23 and married sounds ridiculous anyway. I have two friends from school who are married and one even has a kid. I can see that they have achieved nothing in life and don’t even have any intentions. They are happy being housewives, nothing wrong with that but that’s just not what I had planned for myself. Am I stupid to let it all go when I had it all?

No! If the guy has the right to think of his career and his life and his finance and I supported him through all this thick and thins, I expect him to do the same. Maybe I am wrong but that’s only fair. Talk about equality dude!

Okay, I need to get a grip.

She drifted off to sleep