Junkyard

Keep your nerves cool.It helps. But, it is not working for me.

But, at all times, I am all excited. :D

I vividly remember all those events, when I am or was super-excited.

• When I had the first glimpse of the night-view of the illuminated “Petronas Towers” in Malaysia, my jaw dropped.

• When I saw the snow-clad mountains, the valleys and the gushing river all-in-one shot, my ever excited mind’s joy knew no bounds.

• When I watch a horror movie or scene (essentially comprising of ghosts) my face goes white, eyes bulge out and I am about to start nail-biting. :-P

• When my dream of having a tour of the Big Animation Studio came true, I can’t describe how I felt. But, surely I was dumbfound.

• When at the Bhonsala military camp, I desperately wanted to do a physical activity (that was crossing a river valley with a single rope by hanging on it upside down.) When asked, I shot my hand up, almost out of sheer excitement. I did it. And later found that I was the only girl to do it on the camp!

• When I got my only precious gift on my 18^th birthday, I was so excited that my mind went blank on how to express my feelings to the friend.

• When I am really inspired by reading a book or find the suspense or thrill of the character actually inside me, I am lost of words for a long time after keeping the book away.

• When I was able to ride bicycle at full speed without anybody’s support and felt the wind blowing by my ears, my heart was about to explode with happiness.

• When I get a new idea about some plan or project to be an entrepreneur, I am so excited that I choke up my throat while drinking water. :-P

• When I am doing nothing but suddenly my mind flashes memories (happy or sad) to me, I drop objects in my hand, I stumble, I fall or sometimes even hit objects nearby!

Well, she is right most of the times.

But, still is being excited all the time right?

Yesterday I watched NDTV’s famous journalist Barkha Dutt’s all popular,
one hour show WE, THE PEOPLE.
(Ignoring the fact that I had my semester paper a day after :-P)

It was a special episode on the current terror attacks with guests from different spectrums be it television, police force or just another celebrity and of course the common people.

It was named:
“Enough is enough: India's 9/11”

This show has always been providing loads of information and has been a thought provoking one for me. :)

On the show, people not only shared their grievances being the victims (like most other channels) but wanted to find a solution (by hook or by crook)

Many interesting facts were laid down.
People talked openly about their anguish regarding politicians.
They openly stated that India really has had ENOUGH!
People criticized as well as gave an open ear to others views.

I have always found an amazing charm in the way Barkha Dutt conducted this show. :D

This show surely brought about what needs to be done.
Though nobody speaks about “How it needs to be done?”

Within the last few minutes of the show Simi Garewal (a guest) says something like, “Last time America was attacked (i.e. the actual 9/11) they showed with proper tactics that they are ready for a war. They proved that their lives cannot be meddled with.
And see, they never suffered that kind of a terrible situation again.”

She meant that we don’t have to be sufferers all the time.
The image of our country has been like: “Come. Kill us. We are open 24 hours.”

But to my astonishment, a young man sitting on the show got agitated.
He criticized her saying,”War is not the solution. People like her are responsible for such thoughts.”

Well, He later apologized.
But that leaves many unanswered questions. :|

The show is available here:
Enough is Enough

When I started this blog,
I have always followed a rule
to refrain from mentioning anyone's name in any of my post.
(Check if you don't believe!)

But, here's a slight change.
The name is not in the post...it's a title. :D

Words from Dumbledore :
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, than our abilities."

"Nima" is the best choice I ever made 9 years back.

As it's often said...
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, It's a matter of choice."
And I wonder how true it is!

If there is a thing called luck in this whole world,
I say it with pride, I am the luckiest.

It must be happening rarely in ages that there is a person who believes in other person's abilities, more than the original person.
And I will perhaps never know, why do you Nima, believe in me SO MUCH!

What makes a person special?

Ask this to people and you will get hundred different answers.
Ask me.
And I will say that,
Even if you are the dumbest person around,
It's only people like Nima, who can make you "special".

God can shower you with a hundreds of shooting stars.

He can grant tens and hundreds of your wishes.

But only once in your life,
you are gifted with the most precious person in your life
which is a 'TRUE FRIEND'.
And in my life, it was, it is and will always be
THE ONE AND ONLY:
NIMA

No matter how I put it.
No matter how I decorate it.
No matter how I express it.

What matters to me, is Nima, you to know that...
You always shine in my heart like a THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

I turn an year older and in the best possible way it could ever happen.

Believe me, it’s the worst thing that can happen to you.
It’s a ghost that can haunt you at almost any moment… and like a dementor (reference…read Harry Potter :-]) it sucks all the “good” in you.

Being a workaholic may be treated or termed as something bad…actually the word “workaholic” alone sounds boring & bad.
But, it’s nothing compared to being out-of-work!

Imagine sitting on a chair, with almost nothing (nothing new*) on your mind, staring in to a distant point and doing absolutely nothing.
When I imagine myself… I get the same dizzy feeling one gets, when someone forces a cough syrup down one’s throat. :D

A friend of mine (I won’t mention her name…coz she knows it’s her) once mentioned to me that she can sit idle for hours.
Being workless for about an hour now… I am in a position to throw an open challenge or declare a competition to all those who love being workless to try it on for a whole day....I assure you will give up…and start looking for work.

If I am to define worklessness, I will say, “It’s a disease of the worst kind.”
This disease is equally harmful for people of all ages.
Young and old alike can suffer a lot after being its victims.
Trust me; sometimes the suffering can be equal to a torture- mental as well as physical.

Empty mind is a devil’s workshop…they say.
And they say it as correctly as possible.

Don’t let it ever happen to you.
Being busy doing something (just anything) is the best prevention.

See…I had nothing to do…so I wrote this post ;)
So, keep yourself engaged and Keep Rocking!

There was a discussion at home on the topic that if ultimately anything that we do/create is bound to get destroyed, why do it?
If we are happy and/or satisfied with our current situation, why move ahead?

Well, the above statements contribute to a debatable topic.

But, according to me, following is the answer to those questions.
Once, my friend gave me this poem to read.

It's name was..

"Anyway..."


People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do “good”, people will accuse of selfish ulterior motives.
Do “good” anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

Honesty & frankness may make you vulnerable.
Be honest anyway.

The great deeds you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Work out them anyway.

The greatest people with biggest ideas can be shot down with the smallest people with smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs and follow top-dogs.
Fight for some under-dogs anyway.

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build High anyway.

Give the world the best you have. Still you may get kicked in the butt.
Give your best shot anyway!

- Readers’ Digest.

Read the new book by Richard Branson:
"Business Striped Bare"

I found this poem after the epilogue.

If you can...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting you.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies.
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating.
And yet don’t look to good, nor talk to wise.

If you can dream and not make dreams your master.
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make trap for fools;
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken;
And stoop and build them up with worn out tools.

If you can make heap of all your winnings,
And risk it on one touch of pitch-and-toss,
And lose and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they’re gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you.
Except the will which says to them, “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is earth and everything that’s in it,
And- which is more- you’ll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

Only a few years ago, I am sure nobody thought that television was synonymous with reality shows. But, today scan all the channels and what you are bound to come across are only reality shows, one for each: dance, song, comedy and stunts on every channel.
We have got so used to them that, we will not be surprised if someday we get to know that some guy or girl in neighborhood is participant in one of them.

Just like all other things we, Indians have readily got “used to” one more thing. And that is undoubtedly “Bomb-Blasts”.

Does that term make you shiver?
Does cold-fear grip you, when you read that “64 killed in serial bomb-blasts in Guwahati”?
I know, the answer clearly is, “No. I am so used to reading this. That I just see those headlines or Newsflash and shuffle to another channel.”

But, I know some will agree with me, when I say that I get that prickly feeling when I see those dead bodies, blood all over, and people running around to save others or their own lives.

This is not the first time that such serial blasts are happening.
Any one (terrorists) who is behind this is sure to think that; “We will stay among you and kill you. Let’s see, who can stop us!”
And the truth is that nobody can/is doing anything.
The terrorists indeed create terror.
In Assam, after 11 blasts, red-alert had been declared, still 2 more blasts occurred. I think that proves their prowess, isn’t it?

What I am trying to say is that nothing is safe anymore.
Stay at home or move out, anybody can kill you.
Go to any public place: bus-stands, railway stations, parks, malls, temples…anywhere, you never know that you might just become the victim of just another disastrous bomb-blast.

So, hold your breaths, dear friends, Days aren’t safe anymore.

I have been assured by my college's clerical staff that some mistakes are not to be forgiven. :( A week ago, I have committed a horrible mistake….or that’s what they have made me feel about it.

For the first time in past 2 years, I forgot to return my library book before it’s return date.(I have always returned the books prior to the scheduled date) But, somehow this time I forgot.
When I went to issue some other book, I was notified that I have to return the previous book (about which I was clueless) along with a fine of Rs. 80/-
Some of my friends had told me that such types of fines are to be paid at the end of the session.
So I didn’t bother. Then the next time, when I returned some other book, the librarian started screaming at me, “Go and pay the fine first. Jab tak fine nahi bharoge, book issue nahi hoga.”
Seeing his rudeness, I thought had there been no glass wall between us, he would have practically kicked me out of the library. :P

I was calm that day. I told him that I will go and pay the fine. (Because…I needed the book desperately. I had the paper next day!)
This being the first time for me, I asked him where was I supposed to pay the fine?
After being polite I expected him to be cool. But with more bitterness in his tone, he simply said, “Accounts Section!”

I quickly headed towards the office. In the office, I met another sir, whom I told about my condition. Much not to my surprise now, he replied coldly, “To pay the library fine, you have to bring a written note from the librarian.”
Now, I went back to my so-very-kind librarian. This time, I don’t know what made him so upset…more than before. As I asked him to give me a note, he almost shouted on the top of his voice, “Ye humara kaam nahi hai. Aap pehle fine bharke aao, phir baat karo!”
I was helpless. They neither did let me pay the fine nor issue the book. :(
What to do?

I decided to go to the head librarian. I went to him and told my story.
Thank goodness! He wasn’t rude or impolite at all. Instead he quickly started writing a note for me. Just as he had begun, some other ladies from our library came there talking in the shrillest voices and complaining that they needed a day-off. I was staring at their faces. The dumbest of them all was in the forefront. Now, he left my note and started solving their issue. By now, my head was almost spinning.

I waited and waited. Finally, the “madames-e-sdmp” went away and he just wrote 3 words “Pay 80rs fine” and signed on a scrambled paper. I left his office thinking…what if he would have written that note 15 minutes ago!
Now, I went back to my dearest section in the college – The Accounts. I quickly found the sir. He said, “Oh! You’ve got the note. Go to the sir seating in the that office.” pointing towards a cabin.
For the first time that day, he welcomed me with a bright smile on his weary face.
And said, “Don’t you know I don’t deal such jobs. Go to the queue outside. And pay the fine to the madam sitting inside the Accounts window!”
I left his office without uttering a word over this.

The window was closed. I opened it. It was the same lady who takes our annual fees with a lot of fuss and chaos. I thought, “Yeah!” 
I showed her the note and the money. It was hard for me to repeat my sad-story before her. But I didn’t give up. I repeated with a lot if “enthusiasm” this time.
She looked at me for a while. Then said, “I don’t have the receipt. I have sent a boy to bring it. But he hasn’t returned yet. You will have to wait. Or else come tomorrow.”
See, now you can know why I think that this was the most horrible mistake, I ever committed at the college. :P

My friends were getting late because of me. I gave up this time.
I issued THE book on one of friend’s library card. Thanks a lot for that friend!
And I left college….cursing the staff, imagining myself writing at this blog and with a question: Can’t my college authorities employ some kind and intelligent staff?

And remember, no matter what,
RETURN THE BOOKS ON TIME!

While writing these lines I am unable to control my laughter.
It just happened that I got to know one more thing that people are copying from me.
So I quickly began to write this post.

If I start writing the list of things that I find people copying, I am sure of myself getting bored, because I think it’s really horrible that people simply and blindly try to copy someone or pretend something else, which is far from their original self.
Initially, I used to get irritated when I noticed that, if I do something one day, the same thing is done by someone else, the another day.
But, now I feel different. I am actually amused at the fact that people actually want to actually copy 'MY' stuff. :)
Many might have encountered such people around them. Because after experiencing this many times, I have started to think that these copy-cats are on a "search" or a "quest" where they keep looking for something they could possibly copy. :D

"Copying is so un-cool and just anything....but original is so cool."
Why can’t people stop being Xerox machines?
Why don’t they behave as they are – the true self?
Can’t anybody tell them that when they copy, they make a fool of themselves and appear more stupid than what they actually are?

To put in my GenX lingo: I’ll say: Come on people, get some life for you and even for me.
At least try to be a little original!

What happens when you see that a person you really admire behaves abnormally?
What happens when you realize that "All that you want is, the person you really like should be alright"?
What happens when you begin to understand that you are ready to do anything for that person if it helps?

That's what I felt in an incident, two days back.
That incident taught me a lesson about time.
(So less we have and So much we have to do)
We read so many things about importance of time.
But, now I know because of an experience that this is serious business.
People don't write blah blah blah. They experience. They think. They know. So they write.

Every moment really is very very precious.
We all know, that we really don't know what's going to happen next.
But still we seem to ignore this fact and take things for granted.
Somewhere inside, we always believe that no matter what, the next moment is bound to be secure
and that nothing bad can really happen.

I have a friend whom I have admired for a long time. She is a gem of a person.
But now I know that she is in the true sense a genuine person (true at heart, true at words, true in mind and true in soul).
On a trip from college, she became seriously sick. Though now she is very well.
Only I know how much I have prayed (only because I felt so) to God to make her a normal and healthy person again.
We both know that we are good friends.
But now I know that a person like her is very rare and special.
Anything for her.... a thousand times over.
Get well soon friend.
After all, we have to do a lot of maahol together. :)

Dilemma is a situation that requires a choice between options that seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive.
We had a group discussion session in our college a few days ago. My GD went well.
But, after listening to every person's GD, I was left in a dilemma.

Some of the common topics of discussion were:

Corruption in Democracy.
Professionalism v/s Family.
Love Marriage v/s Arrange Marriage.
Bringing Religion into Politics etc.

Now, my issue over dilemma is that: In any sort of GD (i.e. either job-related, competitive, or general), what are we supposed to speak?
Should we choose the topic that has more sub-topics to shoot, the ones on which the others can't possibly argue or contradict? Or should we choose the topic that we strongly believe in?
Is the discussion only for winning over others or to impress the interviewer or for superiority among friends?
I just don't get the whole point behind it then.
According to me, the interviewer or the judge would like to watch and listen the clarity of one's thoughts, the language, the moral values etc. in a job applicant or a GD participant.
What's the use if one starts discussing about things that he/she personally opposes, but is supporting that idea in a GD just for the sake of getting more points or because he thinks that doing this will put them on forefront?
This is rubbish. This is cheat.
For e.g: In one GD, I heard students of my class supporting Corruption because they thought that they had more points to speak about. The worst part was that, the teacher concluded it saying, "Listening to the GD, I draw a conclusion that corruption is good at individual level i.e. It gives a short-cut to do some jobs and after-all everyone has certain selfish motives.".........and I was left spellbound.
Some of the students were told in a Workshop on Aptitude Development(WAD), that if you see that the other group members have chosen a certain topic, try to choose the other or one more contradictory.
Because that way, one gets more examples and more input of to speak.
(May be, this is not what they told at WAD, but, that's what the students extracted out of the workshop.)

My dilemma still continues because I am confused about what to speak, where and when? :D
But, I know a thing for sure: When I build my organization, I would never give a job to a person who has:
"Dakhwayche daat vegale aani Khanyache daat vegale!" :)
I think, in any kind of GD, we should speak out the truth at heart.
That way, we cheat no one and make sure that the conclusion of any GD ends on a good note!