Follow your Heart

Follow your Heart 

The above video is taken as a part of organized #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus“.

"One Matcha Lattea and for you?"
"Hot Choco Latte," Rohan replied.
The waiter took our order and left the place. My face was brighter than usual and he was puzzled.
"Tell me, you said you wanna discuss something important?"
"Yesssssssss Rohan," But he interrupted. "Heyyyy, between that we received the joining date from Intel. They want us to join next month". His eyes scanned the file which was lying on the table.

Rohan - We knew each other since childhood. Both our parents were good friends and so we are. We studied together for XII board exams, prepared together for IIT JEE entrance, and joined B.Tech Computer Science in Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Things went well, because we possessed a similar set of interest.
As soon as I joined B.Tech, I found Engineering is not my cup of tea. Rohan topped in academics, where as I scored pretty decent score. I was the R.J for my college. All staffs, students appreciated that my voice was mesmerizing and it has the capacity to hold the audience spellbound. Soon I realized Anchoring was my passion.

Three months before, we faced the most integral part of every college student’s life- “College Placement”. Intel came to our college for campus recruitment. I had no interest to attend the interview, but on Rohan’s request, I attended. We both got placed in Intel at a whopping annual salary of 14 lakh. In-spite of my academic score, Intel gave me an offer, because of my extra-curricular profile. The very next day Rohan proposed and after a week of show off I accepted his love.

~~

"What the heck," he screamed as soon as he saw the call letter from Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media. He continued, "I thought you are joking about your interest towards Anchoring. I never believed you will apply for post graduate Diploma in Media & Mass Communication"
"Rohan as I said Anchoring is my passion. I love it whenever I do" I replied him returning to the present.
"Following your passion is a bullshit decision. Dropping high-profiled salary job and going behind a profession which pays you roughly 12,000 per month would result in disastrous"
“Money is not everything. If Barkha Dutt, Menaka Doshi and Cyrus Broacha had thought the same then there won’t be any good anchors existing today."
"Okay, leave about money. I don’t like to say my wife is working in television"
"Are you so conservative...?
Our arguments went into heat and luckily it was stopped by the waiter who served us the cold coffee. I took a sip and continued, "Rohan those computers, coding, debugging are not my area of interest. I would just live an ordinary life. Every month end, I would be getting a big digit salary. But, I won’t be living a meaningful life. I love doing research on the social issues, politics and economic concerns and collecting anecdotes. It will keep me lively."
"I agree you have the qualities of Anchor. Observant, Creative, good looking and good sense of timing. But talent alone is not enough to succeed in this field. You need to be thick-skinned, should have good contacts in the industry and…and"
I stopped him before he says something nonsense, "Rohan, Our heart is like a magnetic compass. Once you listen and follow, it will take you to the heights. In an interview, the journalist asked A.R. Rahman how he feels about Oscar Awards. He said, he never works for money or awards. His love for music always motivates him to work harder. And that fetches him award. It’s very important for everyone to not get bored with the work we do”

Image Source - http://www.123rf.com/

Image Source - http://www.123rf.com/

He gave an expression of groan and warned, “What if I say in that case you will end up missing me?”

I was silent. He continued, "Follow your heart, chase your passion can be good to read and watch in movies. But for practical life, its not going to work out. I too have lots of dreams about my Future. Onsite travel, luxurious lifestyle... Anyways… you still have 5 days’ time to accept the Intel offer. If you don’t accept that offer, I think I need to reconsider our relationship"
I heard his footsteps go to the end of the exit and a door open and close sound.
Days passed. . .
I joined Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media to pursue my dreams. And Rohan?. .
Hmm..No contact after that. Heard he went to Australia for a long term assignment.

Image Source - dreamstime.com

Once in our lifetime, we are in a position to make a choice. We need to compromise one thing or the other. When you are confused to choose the path, it’s always better to follow your heart. Because in the future you will not have regrets. And when you fix your eyes on the goal and follow your hearts, no one can stop them from reaching the zenith.

“This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus“.

Theme:
Journey from ‘OR’ to ‘AND’
Your story of how you took charge of life and made a choice, not a compromise. When you refused to choose one thing OR the other, and instead followed your heart.

Valentine's day Special with Baggout

Valentine's day Special with Baggout

Due to our busy Schedule, office deadlines, work pressure we tend to forget to express our love. That's the reason Saint Valentinus has dedicated a special day to express our unconditional love to our loved ones. Valentine’s Day itself is a special day when we are with our loved ones. When Planned properly, that's would be the best day of the year.

Procrastination and Plans at the last minute always results in the messiness and that's the reason, I wanted to plan well in advance before a month, so that everything goes very smooth. I don't believe in those emotionless cards, costly bouquet, cakes and gifts. This gives just a temporary happiness.

I feel a candle light dinner, long walks on the beach are out-dated too. I wanted to surprise my loved one in a very special way, which he can remember for life long. I know Paris is the most sexiest and romantic city in the world. But taking my love to Paris in just short span is impossible. Tourist Visa, Passport in just one month of time is difficult. When I was walking with these thoughts,
Suddenly I stepped into Aladdin Lamp. I heard a lot about this in movies and stories and hence wanted to test it. So, I simply rubbed it and the Sorcerer appeared the next moment grating for a magical wish.

Real happiness lies in living for others and hence I requested him to take to take me and my life partner to Paris the most beautiful amalgam of Europe country. The next moment, we are in the City Of Lights - Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower - The Signature of Europe.

I covered his eye and took him to the 5th level and made him to enjoy the panoramic view of the city.
We enjoyed the point knife, pont Alexandre III bridges, glorious Russian Cathedral and the Boulevards urban landscape, Since we traveled  a lot we were feeling damn hungry and we had a lot of cuisine option. After a mouth-watering breakfast, we enjoyed the sidewalk at Paris Cafe.

He loves adventurous hence I took him to the most adventurous Disneyland Paris. We had a fun fulfilled time over there and in the Evening the Sorcerer took us to the  most famous monuments and buildings of Paris. I heard that at night visiting the Montparnasse Tower-the tallest skyscrapers in Paris and witnessing its dazzling beauty was a perfect eye catching one. So, after our day at Disney land, we went to the Montparnasse Tower, which was a 210 meter skyscraper. We went to the 56th floor and enjoyed the outstanding monuments of  Paris.

The car sound disturbed and I was back to the reality. Jan 3rd, still 1 more month to go for valentine. I realized it was a dream. Dreamed a while and then I felt, being with him for a day would be the best gift for our loved ones. After all, spending time with our loved ones is always special.

“Being with him made me want to make my own dreams, discover my own path. I was my best self when I was with him.” 

― Heather Anastasiu, Glitch

This post has been written for Baggouts' Blogging contest on Valentine's day. Baggout provides awesome deals on Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, Amazon, Ebay and 100+ other online stores.

This above post is purely Fictional. 

Makalidurga Trekking with Bangalore Hikers

 Trekking to Makalidurga with Bangalore Hikers/New Year Celebration 2015 

Diwali is known for the Festival of Lights.
Holi is known for the Festival of colors.
Pongal is known for the Festival of Harvest.
And if you say, New-year is for the Festival of Resolutions then I am sorry you are in Retro’s. New Year is the festival of Drinks (not Nandini Milk), DJ and Night Party.
Ahan…Don’t give an atrocious look. That’s what people in metro say. And for people like me who don’t like to go to parties and drinks they suggested an extraordinary option. I.e. Sit at home and sleep.

Sarcastic!!!

Then there came an Email from Bangalore Hikers– “New Year Celebration - Night Trek to Makalidurga." Let’s welcome the rising sun of the New year from the Hill top."It sounded very exhilarating and I registered the next moment!!! 

ROFL. If you think so, then the answer is "No". My Laziness encouraged me to register later. (Filling that Membership ID seemed to be a huge task). My amnesia did an exceptional job and I remembered about the event only when I received the follow up e-mail "Thanks to the overwhelming response. Registration is closed"

Awful!!

After a few days, I checked whether any dropouts are there and my luck, there was and I am in for the Trek!!!
But there came another twist. The train was at 5.45P.M from Majestic. Getting leave or permission to leave early from office was impossible, but somehow I managed to get permission at 4.30 and planned to catch a train from Yelahanka. My team mate booked a cab and it was on time. There was less traffic and I reached Yelahanka Railway station at 4.45 and my train was at 6.20. Even the hikers boarding the 5.45 train from Majestic might have not reached. It was a very dry area with only countable people at the railway station and was damn boring to sit alone.
Then there came a bunch of guys with loads of luggage. They saw their train number in the display. The platform number was not displayed yet. But their eyes glued the symbol “A” which was meant for Arrival/Departure and a guy (seems he was the leader) said, Platform “A” and he guided others. This is the platform “A”, and this is platform “B”. Our Train will halt here and waited over there.

WTH?!

After many such funny incidents, I got a call from Santosh to buy Cool drinks. I was double excited since going out of the railway station and buying it would be a good time pass. I went to the shop and saw a big queue. Everybody was busy in buying the cake and it took so much time to enter the shop and get the shopkeepers attention. It was 6.10 and I was nervous whether I might miss the train.

“Anna, Anna, please fast Anna, Train Train, I miss Anna” after repeated begging, he gave finally and it was 3 bottles altogether 7.5 liters. I felt like lifting a barbell and hard to take it back to Railway station.

The train arrived and Santosh waved his hand to get in. As soon I got in, there were ‘guess-who-I-am' games. I terribly failed. Pulling off each other’s leg started rapidly and in a fraction of second everybody got comfortable. But I got close only with 2 hikers. One is with Sumithra, since she had DSLR camera :P and the other one. . . Who carries the CAKE!!! We wanted to ban Santosh for forgetting his Torch, but somehow we forgave him.

As soon as we got down in the station, one hiker went missing. Later we found that, he went to take selfie with the Makaliduraga station board. Later, we went to Tea shop and had tea in a very big cup and waited for Shree, who missed his train just by 30 seconds. He saw the train taking off slowly and tried to catch the train like the Bollywood hero’s. But the people stopped him, thinking that he is going to kill himself by jumping into a train. After purchasing Maggi, water bottle, we kicked off our journey.

Big Tea Cup

Some adventurous hiker suggested doing railway trekking, but we dropped the plan since it was dark and would be risky. But trust me, that highway road seemed to be risky. Since it was a New Year eve, People were drunk and driving crazy and making noise. Imagine 5 guys came in a single bike to buy a cake. 

We maintained pin-drop silence while crossing the Village thinking the villagers may stop us from doing a night trek, but the dogs barked and revealed us. 8.45 PM we started from the base and reached the top by 10.15. The trail was straight forward and we were able to find the route easily even in that dark. The mountain was full of dried Cymbopogon and it was swaying rhythmically to the tune of wind breeze. I felt it was better than the music played in DJ. It was a pretty difficult trek with huge steps. I was a bit disappointed because when I surfed about Makalidurage it was mentioned it’s a granite hillock. But I could not find a Single Granite stone. I met Bhavisha and heard of lot interesting information from her. She explained about the 30 day Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) offered in Nehru Institute Of​​ Mountaineering and the places she explored till date. 

Sharp at 12.00 we cut the Death By chocolate cake, Death by Vanilla Coke(The Name we gave to Vanilla cake) on top of the temple and welcomed New year with full of positive energy. After Dance and Chitchats Surya suggested to play Mafia, but on hearing the description of the game we all felt our head spinning and dropped the idea. Later it was followed by Antakshari and we slept in the temple.

Camp Fire @ Makalidurga

Open Karnam Style

No Comments :P 

Tea Preparation 

Next day, when I woke up, tea was ready. Everybody was busy clicking themselves and Ram got busy in washing the Tea utensils. We got a shortfall of water and hence used Coke to wash it. Abbbaa, The stain, rust, tarnishes got removed and it shined like a sun. “Let’s welcome the rising sun of the New year from the hill top”. I did not see any sun rising as it was cloudy. May be the organizer must have mentioned this Shining utensil!!!
We started descending down and in 30 minutes; we reached the base and halted to take a group picture.

After the Groupie :P 

We heard the sound of trains whistling off in the distance while trying to take groupie (Let me assume, if picture of yourself is Selfie, then the picture of the Group is Groupie). Still, we all were engrossed in Gropie and Santosh placed his costly camera on the Railway track and set the self-timer with the delay of 10 seconds. By the time, the 2nd Sense Vision detected the arrival of Train, our sixth sense did not click to get off of the track. The Train was getting closer, the countdown of the camera began, 3, 2 ,1 Click we all rushed out of track to save our life. But Santosh rushed to protect his camera. We waited for the bus grinding all the snacks and departed.
This trek was an excellent one to kick off the New year. 

"The best thing in life are the people who love, The places you've seen and the memories you've made along the way" 

Thank you each one of you for making this event a memorable one

Place: MaKalidurga, Karnataka
No. of hikers: 19
Event Organizer: Santosh Kumar
Trip Expense : 200 Per person

To Explore more places in India Join Bangalore Hikers

What is Bangalore Hikers? are a club that travels to mountainous regions of the India for trekking, hiking, photography and nature exploring at all levels of ability. We run day trips, weekends away and longer holiday trips. We are an online social platform, we are the all non-profit, all volunteer-managed and run hiking and outdoors association based in Bangalore, Karnataka.

Touch of Mist book review by Nitesh Jain

Touch of Mist Author: Deepika Muthusamy A story that slowly but surely enters the readers heart and eventually stirs the soul. A must read for people who are juggling between love, desires and commitment. Binding: Paperback ISBN: 9788182534407 Publisher: Cyberwit.net Pub. Date: 2013 Price: INR 225 Visit Publisher's Site Overall rattings: 4.5 |

The plot

Here comes a refreshing story of Gautham and Reena, working in Bangalore, who fall in love and then traverse a journey that is no longer the proverbial bed of roses. After convincing their parents for marriage they unite and begin to savour the marital bliss but what comes their way almost ‘tears’ their life apart. Misunderstanding, ego-clashes, possessiveness, take-for-grant attitude take the driver’s seat and one by one clip the wings of the love birds. While Reena feels that there is no hope left in her life and almost decides to end it, Gautham on the other hand, tries to move on by pursuing a higher degree abroad. Comes Kishore, the couple’s colleague, who not only acts as a peace maker but succeeds to preach the couple the real meaning of Love, Life and Sacrifice.

Highs and Lows

The author wins brownie points for introducing a ‘sweet intervention’ of Adam and Eve in between the narrative. The insights provided by the duo bring smiles on the reader’s face each time they enter the scene. The social initiative taken by Reena to combat suicide is another high point of the story. The reader might as well wish for such an initiative to materialize in real world. It is rather quite difficult to point out any lows in the story, however certain situations in the plot seem unintentionally funny which eventually succeeds in adding the required flavor to the entire proceedings.

Plot: 4.6 | 

Creativity: 4.5 |

Overall Rating: 4.5 | 

Language and Style: 4.4 |  

Verdict
A deliciously baked story of love, marriage and reunion told from the heart. Touch of Mist, debut novel by Depika Muthusamy manages not only to touch the readers heart but pledges to enter and stay there forever.

New year Resolution with Micromax Canvas Tab P666

New year Resolution with Micromax Canvas Tab P666

New year is know for Resolutions.
I am an avid Trekker and my Year resolution for the year 2015 is to do more trekking and explore more places. But I do face lot of challenges when I go for a 3-4 day trekking in dense rain forest or in any mountains.
The First and foremost problem that every trekker face would be the battery problem. It drains out so easily. We struggle to contact our co-trekkers in case they get lost and also call our family at least once in a day to inform that we are safe.

Second, its impossible to find the correct Trail and reach the top of the mountain. But I was so excited to know about the launch of Micromax Canvas Tab P666 recently. No doubt its going to be the best buddy for all the avid trekkers. Below are the top 6 reasons for me to choose Micromax Canvas Tab P666 and its gonna help me in fulfilling my new year resolution 2015.  

1. Take More photos and upload in Face book and Share in Whatsapp.
2. Easily track GPS location 
3. Read more books during my travel
4. Blog More and Participate in Indiblogger Contest. 
5. Battery Backup 
6. Capture More Videos

Take More photos and upload in Face book and Share in Whatsapp.

When I go for a trekking, I tend to meet many new people and the eclectic hills and bewitching beauty of the nature tempts me to take more photos and Selfies. Micromax Canvas Tab P666 comes with 1 GB RAM and it will be helpful in capturing lots and lots of photos and upload it in facebook then and there. Another interesting feature it comes with 800x1280 pixels resolution. Do photo freaks like me need any other reason to grab the Micromax Canvas Tab P666 launch? It also comes with 2MP Front Camera, so I am going to get the selfie with excellent clarity and can share in whats app immediately to all my friends.. 

Battery Backup /Easily track GPS location 

I use GPS to locate the location exactly and for that a good battery back up tab is needed. I was so excited on hearing the Micromax Canvas Tab P666 is with 4400mAh battery. Unbelievable!!! Which means 325 hours of stand by time and 6 hours of browsing time. In those 6 hours I can easily trek 2 mountains with the help of GPS :) It has Prioritized contact list and hence I can call my fellow co-trekker as soon as I get lost. Imagine yourself, getting lost in the middle of forest and you open up the phone to call your friend for help then you realize you need to scroll 100 contacts before you find your friend. Thanks Micromax for the Prioritized contact list option.

Read more books during my travel

One thing, I miss during trekking is books and blogging. Since it has 8 GB ROM and its also Expandable up to 32GB, I can preserve all the Ebook in Micromax Canvas Tab P666 and read it whenever I want to. Hooray, I can read while hiking, Eating, halting and when the whole world sleeps. I can read connecting to nature by sitting on top the mountain and accompanying the sun rise. 

I can even watch 127 hours movie while hiking to Blue John Canyon :P 

Blog More and Participate in Indiblogger Contest.
When ever I go for long trekking say a duration of 10 days, I miss the deadlines of all the Indiblogger contest. If Micromax Canvas Tab P666 was with me, I can blog my experience then and there. Before I go to bed I can post about the day experience and infact participate in all the Indiblogger Contest.

Capture More Videos:

Though Photos bring back the memories, nothing can replace a Video memory. In trekking, we do l lot of dance, chit-chats and much more. All the nature can be best captured in Videos. At the end of the Trekking, we make a beautiful video with all the photo and vidoes. Since Micromax Canvas Tab P666 comes with 1080p HD video recording and playback I love to opt for it.

Every year I make new year resolutions and break it in few days due to lack of motivation or encouragement. But Thanks to Micromax Canvas Tab P666 for its excellent features, its is sure going to motivate me to achieve my new year goals of Trekking as well as writing more books.

Want to Know more about Micromax Canvas Tab P666. Please click here to watch the Embedded Video. 

This post is written as a part of Micromax Canvas Tab P666 with Intel Inside™ contest organized by Indiblogger

Follow Micro Max @ Twitter.               Follow @ Intel India

#IndiHappyHours @IndiBlogger @Micromax_Mobile 

Top 10 Reasons to Shave

Here are Top 10 reasons for you to shave.

1. A guy with Beard is considered as uncivilized or a loutish guy.
2. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you may be confused whether you are Human being or an animal. 
3. People won’t let you inside the home. 
4. It shows you Older
5. The Bride will reject you
6. Birds would Lie Egg
7. Directors will select you as a villain instead of Hero
8. Parents will tell their kids that you are a Ghost.
9. Children won’t come near you.

A guy with Beard is considered as uncivilized or a loutish guy.
If you closely observe all the movies, the Rowdies and the Villains are shown with Beard. If the hero wants to be projected as uncivilized or a loutish guy, then he is supposed to grow beard for the movie.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, you may be confused whether you are Human being or an animal. 

Choose the best and True answer

Who am I?

• Chimpanzee 
• Ape
• Monkey
• Polar Bear

Selfies won’t look good.  

Even if you try millions of selfies, it won’t look good If you are with a beard.

People won’t let you inside the home. 

If you are Pizza delivery boy, the person may not open the door for you thinking you are a thief. He may inform the police as well. 

It shows you older.

Ever wondered why those sweet teen girls are calling you uncle? Because Beard shows you older and thats why they think you are 40+ even though you are in late 20's.

The Bride will reject:

All your relatives will pass the following comment on seeing a guy with a beard. 

“Ah. I think he never baths. Always with beard.” 

“Guess, Love Failure” 

"Shabby Guy"

Parents will tell their kids that you are a Ghost. 

Mom, “If you don’t eat the food, I will sell you to that Beard Uncle."

“No Mommy. Please I will eat the food. He looks terrible than a Ghost”

Birds would Lie Egg

Birds will think it’s a bird’s nest and would lay an Egg on your Beard. Warning. If you still continue to keep growing the Beard, Birds will then incubate and will raise its young ones as well.

Directors will select you as a villain instead of Hero

Ever wonder why your photos are not selected by the Directors? Send a snapshot with a clean shave. Then you will get lots of movie offers. 

Children won’t come near you.

Kids wont come near to you, even if you load them with a bundle of chocolates and teddies, since the beard pricks them badly 

Click here to view the previous entry for Gillette contest   - Day my Role Model  and Actor Sivakarthikeyan Inspiration

Importance of Truth

Importance of Truth

At least once in our lifespan, everyone could have lied. It could be for someone’s happiness or with an intention of not hurting others.

When a person enquiries about the look of a new dress, we tend to say it’s awesome though it looks average on them with an intention of not hurting. 

We purchase an expensive phone and notify only half of its price to our parents just to escape from scolding’s. 

But being honest gives us Honorable respect and friends. When I told my friend that for her complexion dark colour suits better and suggested the new models, she followed it with little hesitant. But on receiving positive response, she was very happy and thanked me. From that time, whenever she goes for shopping she always takes me. Because I was honest and candid with her selection.
There was one incident in my life where telling the truth have saved a Job, saved a person. It taught me a very valuable lesson.

“Of Course, Truth hurts!!! But remember that’s the ONLY seed which bears tasty fruits in future”

I and my close friend Rithika were working in the same company from past 5 years. This year March, she lost both her mom and dad in an accident. She was the only daughter and it shook her to the core. She went to depression and we tried our level best to bring her back. But she did not take any step to come out of that incident. She didn't turn up to office as well. 3 Months passed, no progress. After our kind request, she joined the office to divert her mind. But every day she used to come very late. As a friend I knew the reason. She weeps whole night and sleep only by morning 4 or so and wakes up very late, missing the cab. Her mind was always clouded with her parent’s thoughts and hence she lost focus on work. She started making minor mistakes and missed the deliverables at work. Her performance impacted the client and they started sending negative feedbacks to her manager.
Emphasising her condition, the managers and senior managers ignored her first mistake, second mistake as well, of course third mistake too. But as days passed, she started making major mistakes and the escalations from clients roared high. But Rithika was not even in a position to realise the impact of those escalations and negative feedbacks.

Her Manager failed to explain the impact, since he thought it would push her to depression further. But I could clearly sense the vision.
December Month was about to approach and for corporate, its bonus and review time. Most of the corporate companies give bonus to their employees based on their performance. In my organization, an employee will be ranked as below based on his/her performance during the entire year.

1. Extra Ordinary performance
2. Successful Performance 
3. Inconsistent performance

If a person gets Inconsistent performance, he/she needs to leave the organisation immediately. It’s a kind of termination. As per my organization policy one employee in a team has to get Inconsistent performance. Not only me, everybody had understood that this year Rithika is going to get Inconsistent performance in my team. But none of my team mates had the courage to give hints to her. Because we all felt comfortable on avoiding the truth. We all thought hiding the truth would make her happy for at least for the next few months. We were trying to be human (!?) sympathetic towards her.

Image Source - IndiesUnlimited

But every night, before I hit bed a guilty feel would kill me. I realized that I am not going to protect her for long, by hiding the truth. On recognising the consequence and her situation after 3 months, I felt hiding the truth is a crime.
The next day I took her to my home and told straight to her face.
“Listen Ritu, Your parents had fought so much ONLY for your welfare. Their happiness was to give you an excellent education and an understanding life partner. They did their part in offering you an outstanding qualification. Now, it’s in your hands to protect it and fulfil your parent’s second wish.  I don’t think so, you are heading towards it. In 3 months, if you don’t prove yourself at work, they will be terminating you. And your parents’ soul will see you losing a Job. Their gift of education to you will be gone waste”
She asked,“What’s the use in fulfilling their wish when they are not with me”
I explained her briefly about how important is her Job now and in future. I explained her the necessary of being happy so as to make her parents soul rest in peace.
She started sobbing with the anxiety of losing the Job. I hugged her tight and said, “See Ritu, if you keep on crying every day, your life will be surrounded only with negative force. You are killing yourself. Your brain won’t be active enough to concentrate in work. You had already become so fragile. Nothing is over my dear. Anyone can start a new beginning at any time. I know it’s impossible to forget the past. If you feel like crying, just cry. But immediately try to come out of it and start working. Remember one thing, if you don’t do hard work, you will lose the job in another 3 months and when you sit at home, again the past will haunt you. Your parents will be happy only if they see you happy my dear.”
I spoke all the truth and reality for another one hour. It did hurt her and she cried to the core. But the next day…
She came to office wearing a new dress. Her bright face projected her confidence. For the next 3 months, she worked day and night. In the initial days, she struggled a lot to focus. But as days passed she got diverted to work completely and started getting good name in office.

Decemeber – Review Month. 
Rithika came out of the meeting room. She ran towards me, hugged tightly and started weeping ignoring the CCTV camera. I got nervous without knowing how to console her.

She wiped her eyes and said, “Deepu, If you had not told about the real situation three months before, I must have had lost the Job today. On seeing my past performance, the mangers had decided to give me Inconsistent performance. But on seeing the hard work and my performance for the past three months they gave me successful performance. They also encouraged me to get extraordinary performance next year. I feel everything is coming to place now. Thanks dear.” She went back to her desk, opened her purse and looked at her parent’s photo. She closed her eyes and prayed.

At that point I realized telling lies for someone happiness is just a temporary solution. Though Truth seems like a Medicine which at first seems to be aversion, it is a kind of Vaccination which would be treating so many dreadful disease (incidents) which is lying a head.

This post is written as a part of "Kitna chain hota hai na sachchai mein" (Purity in Every drop) Happy hours contest organized by Indiblogger.in in association with Kinley. 

Click here to Watch the Embedded Video.

"Purity in Every drop" That's what every body expects in drinking water. Like wise, if everyone decides to be speak the Truth then there is No need of Court. 
Actor/Politicians/Businessman will declare their real salary and will pay taxes and people will be free from poverty and inflation and much more...

Clean Shave - Will you Shave?

Clean Shave

No matter Darwin's theory is right or wrong, our human thoughts and actions are more or less similar to monkeys. To be a proof for the civilization, men started to shave the unwanted hair that grows in his face just to make sure that he looks clean. Then after sometimes this changed into clean shave which makes a man look majestic. Among all other living beings, Men look good when he shaves unlike lion or peacock. The majestic look of a shaved man can me compared to that of the lion.

Let us see how a clean shave paves a clean way for men to achieve his goals. Every man would like to look and live like a James bond in terms of style. Bond always looks clean shaved. Even when a man goes to interview, the recruiters can find if he is fit to the job by seeing his face reaction. If he has a thick beard or no matter a light one, the recruiter cannot see his face reacting to the questions which results in a failure. The same failure occurs once again when a photo shoot is taken for the men when he subscribes for matrimonial sites because no women would like to see a man who hides most of his face with hair. Women feels good if a man discloses his smile with a clean shave which actually looks like a glitter in his face.

Confidence in a person would lit up only when he feels he is clean enough to face the world. Being a father a having his face rubbed with his little kid can be possible only if a man has done a clean shave. No man would like to see his kidding crying just because of his beard hurting them. A clean shaved person is just like a clean slate which everyone would prefer to write rather than writing on a unclean slate. Verdict is that face is the index of mind, how clean a man is determined on how clean he shaved his face.

Click here to view the previous entry for Gillette contest   - Day my Role Model  and Actor Sivakarthikeyan Inspiration

A vacation with Teddy Travelogues

A vacation with Teddy Travelogues(Club Mahindra) | A vacation with Kid

During Summer vacation which is a duration of 8 weeks, my sister Apoorva engage her son Sanjith in Foreign language class, Handwriting class, Yoga & Aerobics class, Dance class, Skating class, Drawing class, swimming class (oh my god.. let me take a breath) and what not, in all the classes. So, I never get time to spend with the kid during summer vacations. 

But Half-yearly holidays that include Christmas holidays and New Year holidays is always a treasure for me. Since it’s just a duration of 12 days, my sister Apoorva will not have a chance to enroll Sanjith in any of those classes. More over Apoorva works in bank and hence she does not get 12 days leave and she badly needs someone to take care of Sanjith. She has only one choice. To leave Sanjith at Grandparents home ie. My home. Hurray!!!

I count my days for spring vacation and those 12 days are always rejuvenating experience. This vacation is the only thing I look forward in the entire year. Not because I am getting a break. But Sanjith the 5 Year old kid will be spending the vacation with me. He takes me back to childhood, and make me forget all my worries when I am with him. 

My neighbor house does not have any kids and hence Sanjith has only one option - To play with me, to stick with me for his time pass. I must say when the kid is around me; I go crazy and completely transform into a kid, enjoy playing with him. 

The Kid scatters all his toys, books and neatly arranged things from shelf, yet we loved enjoying the clumsy atmosphere.!

Walls will be scribbled with his drawings, yet that’s the most picturesque art. !!

All the talcum powder, Rangoli Powder will be sprinkled on the floor. Yet we love falling in that slippery floor to make him laugh.!!!

He will sit inside the bathroom tub and spoil the water and waste soap, Still we loved him for his naughty things!!!!

My day starts with waking him up with kisses and ends with narrating a story every time.

My brain becomes so creative to make him innovative dosa (heart shape ♥ , rectangle shape and so on). I become a teacher by teaching him cycle... 

Whenever, I go to shop for any purchase, before I take my scooty key Sanjith runs and sits in Scooty as to get one chocolate from the shop. 

Evening Sharp 6.00, I have to take him to Park. I have to help him and the other kids in spinning the merry-go-round. The kids playing on it are so energetic and their happy and positive mood spreads to me. I play teeter-totter with him, when he doesn't get a company. The toughest part comes when I need to vacate the park. He goes to the slide and says, "I will come home only after 15 slides."

I patiently wait counting and watch him playing. I willingly count wrong as to watch him enjoying his slide for more time. 

Who said beach trekking, massage would rejuvenate and relief stress and depression. Go to a park, and get around with kids, you will never get that mesmerizing experience anywhere. Trust me; playing wholeheartedly with a kids is better than going to a psychologist for treating depression. 

Kids add charm to our world. In turn, it’s our duty to ensure that kids have the best time during their vacation. We can take them to Zoo since Kids go crazy when they see cartoons and animals. So whenever Sanjith comes, I take him to Bannerghatta National Park. He compares duck with Donald Duck, talks like Scooby-Doo, acts like Pink Panthe and enjoys the most. After reaching home, he tries to say all the animal names that he saw in zoo to my parents’. He mimicry how it walks, eats and shouts. Their curiosity to learn new things and questions, make us learn things as well.  

Here are the suggestions to make Kids enjoy the vacation:

1. Take them to Water parks and amusement park. Kids simply love it. 
2. Take them to resort. 
3. Take them to Elephant ride.
4. Take them to a Boat ride. 

Yippeeeee!!!! Just one more day for the vacation to start :)

This post is written as a part of Teddy Travelogues Happy Hours contest organized by Indiblogger. 

Become a Member with Club Mahinder  and offer the child the best gift for ever. 

A Page from Teddy Travelogues E-Magazine. 

A Club Mahindra membership creates the perfect setting for you and your family to explore, bond, laugh, feast and make memories that will last forever. It is a club membership with togetherness at its core.

What is Teddy Travelogues? 

Teddy Travelogues is India’s first crowd sourced e Magazine for kids. Children/Parents can register themselves by Signing up on the website, 

Follow @clubmahindra
Tweet #TravelWithKids

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Melboure

“Which is the most wonderful city to work?” Amitabh Bachchan triggered a question in the "Kaun Banega Crorepati" game show.
"Melbourne”, without second thought I gave him the answer for the prize money of Rs.10,000
“Computer-ji, lock kiya” Amitabh Ji said and gave me a puzzled look.

Sitting in the hot seat made me nervous but not this time. I am sure Melbourne is the answer and waited for him to applaud.
“Melbourne... It’s the right answer” Amitabh Ji said with a big smile.

Before going to the next question I interrupted him.
“Sir, Most of your movies are shot in Australia. Could you please share me your experience? Why people say it’s an amazing place to live and work?”
 “I sign a movie even before hearing the story, if it is about to shot in Australia” Amitabh Ji said and laughed. The audience too laughed.
Amitabh Ji continued, “I have been to almost all the places in the world. But I always feel my heart and soul enlightened when I visit Melboure. Most of my movie scenes are shot in the charming beaches of Melbourne. The movie crew wait for the eye-catching sunrise and sunset and capture it with extravaganza views of the harbor and gorgeous pothole. We never miss water sports and bird watching.
My songs are shot in The Butchart Gardens and Butterfly Gardens. The Butchart Gardens is around 55 acres surrounded by immeasurable tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. It’s a breathtaking experience to both eyes and nose to sense different fragrances and colors. The soul gets rejuvenated with flamingos, rare tropical birds. A millions of butterflies will be flying around you. Keep dreaming about butterflies flying around you, we will go for a shot commercial break in Kaun Banega Crorepati sponsored by Tourism Victoria."

The ad resumed, “Cosmopolitan, elegant and chic, Melbourne has a passionate soul and a welcoming heart. From thrilling world class events and renowned architecture, to café-lined streetscapes and verdant parklands, there’s always something new and exciting to discover in Melbourne.” 

The ad got over and the program resumed.
“What is the one thing you admire about Melbourne?” I asked
Amitabh Ji said, “Craigdarroch Castle Historic House Museum. By climbing 87 steps up the grand oak staircase, you can reach the Tower to get the arresting views of Victoria. It is a stunning example of Victorian architecture including exquisite stained-glass windows, woodwork and period antiques. I love to roam around the narrow passageway between buildings and shop in the art galleries watch movies in indie theatre”
"Sir, I had a lot about Hot Air Ballooning in Melbourne. Have you tired it sir?"
“I never miss it when I go on a family trip. My wife Jaya and my children Abhishek and Shweta adore it a lot. Balloon flights depart very early in the morning so that you get the calm morning air and the beauty of the city. As the sun rise, one can enjoy a bird’s eye view of regional attractions like Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Rod Laver Arena, Flemington Raceway, Albert Park Race track. Have you been to Melbourne?”
“No Sir. If I win this show, definitely I will take my parents to Melbourne” I blushed.

“Good, Good, Don’t miss Whale Watching. It’s a thrill of a lifetime. Try safe marine adventure. It’s electrifying, very safe, and comfortable. Don’t forget to watch at-least one match in Melbourne cricket stadium. I heard about Victoria Hippo Tours from my son recently. Its Victoria’s new attraction which hits the road as well as the water. It is the Bus That Floats, offering you a land-and-sea tour in one destination. It travels around Victoria before splashing into the waters of the Pacific Ocean and heads into the Inner Harbour! You’ll experience the city like never before on these fully narrated 90 minute city tours. Don’t miss the Hippos tour it’s a City Tour with a Splash!
“Sure sir. I will make a note of it. Any place you desire to visit again in Melbourne?
“Yes. It’s a kind of Desire. I have seen movies in IMAX Victoria. The high resolution and its image clarity are spectacular. Powerful sound, gigantic screen are the magic of IMAX. It’s the most technically advanced theatre with visually stunning facts. My movie or at-least my son’s or daughter in law Aishwarya’s movie has to be screened once.  It’s the most immersive movie experience one can get in the world”
Dringgggggggg!!! The bell rang.
Amitabh Ji saw the time, It was 10. PM and the show has come to an end for the day. “We forgot the time discussing about Melbourne. Stay Tuned to discuss whether Ms.Deepika wins the show and take their family to Melbourne. Until then it’s Amitabh Signing off. Take care. Good Night”

Next day!!
9. P.M
“Hello Viewers, Welcome back to “Kaun Banega Crorepati" sponsored by Tourism Victoria” Amitabh cheered with warm welcome and asked me, “Deepika, All set to steal the show?”
“Yes sir, after the discussion about Melbourne yesterday I searched lot of information in google about Melbourne. I had fallen in love with Melbourne. I wish to watch thousands of Little Penguins make their way to shore every night in the Phillip Island. I also learned that Grey Nurse, Whale Sharks can be seen in Aquarium and 320 species like meerkats and orang-utans are in Zoo. Shark Dive Xtreme experience which is 30 minute underwater encounter at Melbourne Aquarium is a must that one should try. Now my aspiration to win the show has increased.”

Amitabh laughed and said, “All the best Deepika Ji. I wish you to win a crore and take your family for Melbourne trip” and started asking the question.

My mind was around Eureka Skydeck watching the awe inspiring view of Melboure.

The above post is purely fictional and is written as a part of Melboure contest(What's your reason for falling in love with Melbourne, the most livable city in the world) organized by Indiblogger.


Contest Details!

For all my readers there is a contest, winners will get some exciting goodies from Tourism Victoria. All you need to do is tell me, if you were to  Which of these places would you want to visit in Melbourne and why.

Leave your answer in the comment section below. The contest closes on 5th January 2015 and winners will be given Rs.500 gift Voucher. :)

Contest Winner

Thanks a lot for participating in the contest and taking your time to post your valuable comments. If given a chance, I would declare everyone who took effort to post the comment.
However, I am supposed to choose only one!!! Please note, I had eliminated the comments that were copy paste.

And the winner is,


3


2


2


Ramya Thangaprakash.  You will be receiving Rs.500 gift Voucher from Indiblogger soon.

May their soul rest in Peace

God, please I just pray you for only one thing. 

Let cruelty and violence go away from this world 

Don’t give power to invent guns and dangerous bombs

Even after these disaster,  

we don’t have anything option other than trusting you,

May this incident not happen in future.. 

May their soul rest in Peace!

May their soul rest in Peace!!

May their soul rest in Peace!!!

#PeshawarAttack