Jumping on the bandwagon

In my too little a life to call an experienced one, I have passed through many such trendsetter phases which were provoking enough to instigate an action out of me. Irrespective of what was responsible for setting the momentum, the consequence always resulted me jumping on the bandwagon.

The earliest one I can recall was taking an engineering entrance exam because it was so much in vogue to overlook and behave you didn’t know. No wonder I did not find even a single fabric in me to tailor myself to the looks of an engineer. God bless that examiner who, also, did not find me good enough to dress like one! Anyway, that was way too back and, of course, I have enjoyed treading on the path lesser opted for.

Following getting educated and starting to earn, there came a phase in life when every social media I was subscribed to was filled with high-definition pictures of pre-wedding photoshoots, wedding capsules, artificially-created, romantic shots, woes-into-vows videos and mushy love messages. Getting married stays so much in fashion while you’re in your 20’s that almost everyone you know is busy finding someone for you who, of course, doesn’t know you (spares off from special convincing). That’s when it struck to my parents, and a little to me, that their daughter now needs to be pushed off this house to find her abode in someone else’s. Funny how things change, the place you have spent all your life growing up stays yours but is no more yours to say. Anyway, the craze stays for some time, until routine sets in and you get used to living with whosoever legal system ties you with.

Time inched a more towards getting older when I was just figuring out the difference between being a part of a family and being a family myself, veering my brain to the sensible path, not the one which looked cooler and trying to act mature while still carrying the same, stupid, unripened inner self. This is the time when things have changed again and something still newer has set its foot in vogue. Everyone I know is once again back in picture to make me meet someone who doesn’t know me (no special convincing here, too). Take a hint!

Well, I shouldn't really blame them, for that is what's happening all around them, and me. I suspect everyone I know is so bloody saving money off using a protection that all that hear from every direction is that I am going to become an ‘aunt’! From people at work to closest of close friends to people I see almost every day to even celebrities, everyone seems to have been bitten by cupid’s stupid cousin who is busy presenting 'maternity time-offs' to girls, especially the ones in my closest social periphery. The happiness, excitement and nervousness these girls feel and what they have conveyed to me is so palpable that I would have immediately jumped on the bandwagon had I been my older self. I look at my pocket, then, and feel buying my dream Thar would be way better a decision for now. It would be hell of a ride, I am sure, but I would still enjoy being a fence sitter for now and revel in being called (with a heavy heart) an ‘aunt’!

This post has been chosen as the Tangy Tuesday Pick by BlogAdda 

The Backstage Life

Casually browsing my television, I came across something which did not let my brain move on to other things. It was about the women who never came to the front and who were totally fine living a common man’s life when they could have easily reveled in celebrityhood, while their husbands actively scored hits over hits on Wikipedia searches. This was a random cookery show I was kind of stuck at till the credits set rolling and I noticed how a show being hosted by Sanjeev Kapoor was produced by his wife, Alyona Kapoor. I was amazed at how despite being equally well-read and talented, she was never really attracted to the ever-pulling limelight. And, then, I was reminded of so many such, who had delighted in their spouse’s success without creating noise about their own presence.

I have, for a very long time, emulated my idol, Sudha Murty. Reading more about her revealed to me how she, despite being from a service-class family, happily gave away her savings to fund her husband’s idea to start his own venture. All her life she believed in the power of her good thoughts and karma and stayed backstage, cheering him, a stalwart who is now an IT sensation in the entire world. She had her own area of expertise and interest, which she never lost hold of. No wonder her simplicity speaks for itself, even today.

Before I get carried away expressing my love for her, I should better come back to what I am trying to put forth. These women of substance seem to me not only an effective propelling force behind the successes of their spouses, but also a strong pillar of support who was always busy cushioning the grounds for their husbands just in case they fall bad. No wonder they meant business all the time they were being sensible while letting their husbands happily build castles in the air of the empire they would build sometime in future. I am sure trusting these weird, creative species requires whole lot of belief, patience and fingers crossed behind backs.

Speaking of whatever little experience I have, I am sure these ladies, after years of enduring an entrepreneurial husband, when finally get to see their nights turn into day, have very little left in them to claim their share of fame in the work space which never really belonged to them. I am sure there are enough reasons behind living the backstage life, the strongest one being the fact that they have been wanting, praying, begging for that one stroke, one shot, one right move in the play that would strike the chords for the idea to work right so much that they finally do not want to adulterate the taste of victory by giving it their personal flavor. 

Waiting for the first success, the first right move, first good news is nowhere a small task and having invested so much in wanting to see it real doesn’t command any more of their participation, other than them watching everything from the backstage. It is like you assist in cooking a dish and stand all the while in the kitchen watching it prepare, only to savor it way later after it was ready when the flavors are finally off your head, right?

This post has been chosen as the Spicy Saturday Pick by BlogAdda 

So Much So

What’s the most tragic, disheartening, striking and yet the most satisfying sibling-feeling you’ll ever get? It’s, probably, losing them to a life partner they would eventually spend their lives with. For all the time you might have spent together, you might not have cared a bit and might have also taken their presence tad too casually, but it is at this point in life that you want to shed your outer, worldly self, to bare your naked soul to them, showing that you have always been that ‘first’ next to them. It is this, weirdly-emotional, crazy-yet-sorted phase that I am going through right now!

So, the grand news that it is the time for us, the family members to push my brother into a brand new life of ‘husbandship’ and see him transition through a fun boyhood to an even merrier manhood, all laughing through his learning phase. While we shall remain on the shore bidding him happiness, he shall embark on a fresh new sailing, in a direction unexplored, to a more-fulfilling life. Well, this had to happen one day, so, now.
*tears of happiness*.

Having spent around two and a half decades with my brother, living closely and sharing all the fabrics of life with him, I can say our companionship has really seen a lot. All through the journey, I would have come across zillions of shades of my brother, some funny, other grim, some possessive, while others I-don’t-give-a-damn, some rather secretive and others open-to-all, some very loving and others close to breaking a bone, some really supporting and others contradicting, a few caring publicly and a lot more caring very secretly – I have grown as a sister all this while, seeing him change, grow up to be a better human being.

From the time I remember I know him to the time he cried for me on phone just after a day after my marriage to now, when I miss him even more because of the distance, of course, every day carries equal substance in the pages of my memories. I can say I have spent some of the best and the most memorable moments of my life with this champ. In fact, our journey in life has been a lot familiar. Right from studying in the school together, crossing teenage to experiencing a new phase, called college, to further getting placed and earning money, we have tasted these struggles almost at the same time.

I so feel both of our lives are so interconnected and strongly influenced by each other’s that we both would, now, get married to spouses with a similar initial, “H”! What a great, darn coincidence!

Finally, a note to the protagonist here: I wish you be as good a companion as you’ve been a big brother! Congratulations for entering a new phase of life and thanks for getting us all a nice sister-in-law! I really hope we have zillions of times like these in store ahead!

*Love*

The bottom rung

I once stumbled upon something that has never really left my mind; something which goes like, ‘never feel shy of catching hold of the bottom rung’. I never knew how something I read casually made a permanent home in my subconscious mind. Surprisingly, when I look back on whatever life I have lived till date, I realize I have pretty much followed the formula, knowingly or unknowingly.

I sense what most people escape from doing, after they have lived a certain sort of a lifestyle, is getting back to the basics. It requires true humane in you to first, remember where you have come from, and second, to acknowledge that it was not all that bad.

When everyone dreams of being catapulted to the top, there is still a category of people which is the most talked about and respected all over. These are the ones who did not shy away from taking the first step, the most difficult one, the most daring – the beginning. This lot preferred to be friends with the bottom rung, which could lead them to the top. The mantra all through the journey was to ‘keep upgrading’. From crawling to flying, they closely knew the sorts of obstacles they have fought and the ones they have befriended.

There must be some who would loathe, or rather fear humble beginnings and, then, there is this category which loves taking challenges and starting from scratch, digging the ground to finally unleash the gold. They are the ones who believe, dream, push themselves and make their way along the offbeat paths and they are the ones who compel the universe to conspire for their success.

The idea was to cut the coat according to the cloth, not fearing how one would appear to others, and then to keep on upgrading. This way, the present needs were sufficed and the ones ahead were kept in perspective. I have seen friends fighting really hard with the EMIs which they had to pay for the things they bought just to keep up with the general standards. 

On the other hand, we see big entrepreneurs who do not mind staying in small houses, eating whatever comes their way and concentrating all their energies on their goals. They knew that this bottom rung of ‘beginning’ is what would change their lives for better and it did! This rung proved to be mighty powerful, indeed.

Catching hold of the bottom rung, I find myself, too, moving up the ladder at my own pace. Having recently upgraded from a studio to a way bigger house, I feel befriending the bottom rung was a good decision I made. These days, I prefer going for a small version of anything first, gradually moving my way to the above. This mantra has, in a way, become an epitome of positivity for me, a beam of hope saying there are better days waiting just around the corner!

This post has been chosen as the Spicy Saturday Pick by Blogadda

You know it like a local, now!

Handy tips for you if you are visiting Goa for the first time

1. Hire a vehicle: Not only it is going to save you a lot of money, but also it’s going to give you a lot of peace of mind and liberty to stop at and start from wherever. Besides, you will see Goa exactly like a local :) Ask for rented vehicles from the hotel where you are staying. Better if you could get some local agent from the hotel arrange it for you; you could haggle if you want. A Thunderbird 350 CC in good condition should not cost you more than 2000 for 3 days. 

2. Safety: If you are planning to move from your hotel at 10 in the night to check out the lifestyle of the place, please do not carry any excess baggage in your mind regarding your safety; leave that for metropolitans. Goa is extremely safe even if you are riding a bullet at 12 AM. There might be certain places, which would be completely devoid of any light. For all such places, I would advise you to carry either a fully charged smartphone (with a torch) or a torch itself. It’s better to be your own torchbearer! Further, try to arrange your late-night travels in groups in order to be extra secure and lastly, do not carry any valuable along if you are out to groove in a night club.

3. Toiletries: A hand sanitizer and a sunscreen. Never get these two to lose you ever! 

4. Clothing: Extra set of clothing no matter where you are going, be it Dudhsagar falls or the beaches, will always prove utile. 

5. A hat and shades: Available in abundance in Goa, these two will compel you to buy them seeing you give in to the heat and the sunny days. They are especially seen sold outside all popular forts and churches. 

6. Decorum: A lot of people forget where they are as soon as they are two pints down. Decide if you are staying where you are boozing or you are driving back sane. I saw a lot of girls go so wild being drunk that they started throwing cuss words at the bouncers. Obviously, they had to be thrown out from the club, but that’s not why you have come all the way this far – to get booed by a lot who you don’t even know. Better to be sane and enjoy knowing what you are doing than to guess what you might have done the next morning. 

7. Trust the locals: You can safely do this; though, a lot of them might not know English, Hindi comes handy to a lot. You can safely trust them for directions and ways. 

8. Hotels: They might be in hundreds, but you have to decide sanely where you would stay if you are travelling with a family. Since Goa tourists comprises a lot of crowd which comes there just to spend some days off partying, it is safer to go with either the brands or the hotels which have secured good user ratings on trusted websites, like Booking.com. 

9. Food: Goa will serve you the best of the seafood, tasty enough for you to savor it days after you had it; the bests are prawns, shrimps (the smaller, the better), crabs, beef and, of course, a variety of fishes. Do not hold high expectations of chicken dishes in Goa – they do not know how to cook this the best. We had very bad experiences with chicken dishes at a couple of top restaurants and we had to draw this conclusion. 

10. Potable Water: Carry this all along your travel, especially if you are going to the beaches or for water sports. The salt water really takes a toll on your head if it enters your body either through your mouth or your nostrils. Better to have an easy option to wash out ready. Drink lots of it, even if it means frantically looking for washrooms; you’ll find some easily. 

Having noted all said above, you're all set to boogie in a land with so much of positive vibes that you would definitely want to come back! Cheers!

GOA: Go Out, Amigo!

Yes, you are not here to sit in the balcony of a posh hotel and catch the view; you are supposed to head out in the sun, kiss the sand, hug the sea and dance and swing all your limbs while grooving on trance in a larger-than-life club. This city has got everything to satiate all your senses right, be it eyes, tongue, ears or skin. I am sure if you have reserved travelling to Goa for that special occasion, Goa will make sure you take back home a lot of great memories and pockets full of sand.

This one was for our first anniversary and shortlisting Goa as a venue for our celebrations came quite easy. Goa, anyway, is a state associated quite often with ‘party’ and, thus, we decided to experience its aura first-hand. The week prior to the travel, obviously, revolved around shopping and, thus, I can say the celebrations started well ahead of when they were actually going to start. This four-day trip made us see the bests of Goa – food, architecture (churches and forts), water sports and beaches and I must say four days are more than enough to have fun and sustain the enthusiasm at its peak.

Our four-day itinerary goes as follows:

Day 1: Reached Goa, checked in at Keys Ronil Resort and straightaway headed to have our much-awaited lunch. Oh BTW, I have to tell you the amazing plus affordable Health Buzzz food we had during our heck-boring flight from Delhi to Goa. This was not only yummy to the core, but also very easy on pocket, way better than the flight food they serve you. So now, having checked in and changed, we set out to the famous Baga beach which was only two minutes walking far from our hotel. We had food at Brittos here. If this was the start of our culinary adventure in Goa, I must say it was a really good one! Coming back after a stroll, we had a mandatory nap of three hours, following which we went to check out the night life of Goa. Having heard from everyone about Club Cabana, we did not think twice about going there. They say it is the best and the most disciplined club in Goa and they do not allow stag entry. Nice move, I must say! Back at 3 in the morning, we had no option but sleeping like a kid.

Day 2: Dudhsagar falls! Please carry extra set of clothes and do NOT miss getting into the waterfall; you might just miss the best experience of your life. Plus, the drive from Baga to Dudhsagar will take around two hours, but the path, the fresh air and the scenery along would not let you feel tired; it would be better if you would arrange your travel in groups. Having spent a memorable time at Dudhsagar falls, we went to have our dinner (yes, we did not have any lunch because there are no great restaurants around Dudhsagar). For dinner, Goa surprised with its finest – Souza Lobo at Calangute beach; you must never miss having a meal here. And with the great food ended our Day 2.

Day 3: It was our ‘first’ anniversary this day, so this had to be really really special. After having a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel, we went to explore Fort Aguada and there on, headed to Vivanta by Taj to raise a toast. Taj is right next to the fort and welcomes you with a lot of class, poshness and a great view of the Sinquerim beach. Also, Fort Aguada will give some of the nicest spots for coolest pictures. Here on, we headed to Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral. Both of these are in Old Goa and would be 40 minutes (if you’re driving a bullet) far from the Baga beach. We had local Goa food and drinks at this restaurant right opposite to the churches – Ratna Sagar and the food, especially the fish was totally up to the mark. From here, we headed to our hotel and had a tea, following which we, once again, went to Souza Lobo for our dinner. Needless to say, it had really impressed us quite a lot. With the food and a long walk along the beach at night came to an end our Day 3.

Day 4: This was the day when we were supposed to catch our flight back to Delhi and, thus, we really wanted to make the most of it. We could really think of nothing better than trying out all the water sports our friends had been discussing with us – bumper rinding, parasailing and speedboating! Having experienced the adrenaline rush, I am sure there could have been no better way to end our trip right but this!

With this, a short, sweet and memorable trip to Goa came to an end, but we were in no mood to let the party spirit leave us that soon, so we rushed to a liquor shop at Delhi airport, picked our favorite brands and a cake to mark our anniversary and, of course, a lot of food. Day 4 was, in no way, any less than any of the other days of the vacation. Over all, this has been one of the finest holidays together. Here, I am leaving you with a lot of picture collages to feel what I've been blabbering about. 

What we did

What we ate

What we wore