For the unhappy soul...

I took up the 100 Happy days challenge on facebook. I am on Day 57 and honestly, it feels fantastic.

This challenge showed me that no matter how irritating and frustrating life is sometimes, there are surely a few things in a day that can make you smile. Life isn't as tough and as complicated as we want to make it. Often, we are so overwhelmed by the problems that we cannot find strength to look for and implement the solutions. Sometimes, we fail to communicate, ask for help. There are times when we are just exhausted by the drama and the endless cycle of bullshit. It is definitely not the easiest time in the world.

That old phrase.. 'The grass is always greener on the other side'.. got me thinking once. If the other side feels that the grass on my side is green, then what in the world is stopping me from enjoying that! 

The philosophy kinda stuck. I decided to see what was green on my end. turns out.. quite a bit. 

Living in a beautiful city (Los Angeles - So much to see and explore).
Saving money for some excellent vacations. (East coast, Vegas, SF!)
Making new friends and learning so much about random things (Did you know that a chinese surname with 2 consonants implies that someone in their forefathers was like a celebrated genius!)
Learning that food is one of the best ways to know about a culture or a person.
Doing stuff alone, may be looked at weirdly sometimes.. but is oddly satisfying.
Realizing the importance of family and well, they understand your importance too
Understanding that boys, all over the world, are the same. Oblivious, Emotionally challenged.

So now, everyday is a choice for me. To brood on what I cannot control OR To accept it, not let it screw my head and show the damn world that I can handle my own shit very well.

2 months ago, I was sad, lonely, in a foreign country, struggling with personal and professional stuff.
I needed something to keep me going everyday. The challenge was just the beginning. I will recommend it to anyone who feels that they simply need something to look forward to everyday. 
It made me realize that I need to be brave and selfish for my own happiness. I am capable of that. And that, it is not a bad thing.

Friends Worth A Lifetime (4) : Pooja

Some of the most memorable times with Pooja :)

Me and Pooja have been friends for the past several years... I dont even remember exactly when did we actually become friends.. but we became close friends in std 10th.. Mahesh Tutorials.. Part of the gang of girls who hated Prasanna sir!! Niyati and Sana completed the scenario... Life moved on.. college came along. But our friendship stayed.. It helped that her parents loved me and my parents adored her. It was like both sets of parents have 2 daughters. Yess.. She was more than just a friend.. a sister.. a guide.. a companion.. a friend.. a mirror.. a pillar of strength.. a shoulder to rely upon.. always there.. smiling..

There is no particular thing that I love the most.. The whole package is simply awesome!!
She's patient and always lends a ear to anything I have to say anytime. She can anytime manage to make me smile. We share the same values and thoughts in so many different things that its difficult to keep track of. We have cried with each other, we have cried for each other, we have laughed like crazy, we have done crazy things and always been glad that the other one was in it too.

Some relationships in life cant be expressed with just words.. Given any day, I know that I'll definitely have one person to fall back on whether i need a hug or convince my parents about my choices in life. Luv you Pooja for being that one person. Have a great bday!! (yeah.. its her bday today!)

The Constant in Change

1988- I come in this world.
1991- Kinder Garden
1995- School
2004- Junior College
2006- Under Graduate
2009- Post Graduate
2010- MBA
2011- Summer Internship.....

These are some major changes that happened in my life till date. And with each one of this change the people in my life kept changing. Some friends stayed, some others moved on. Some became even more close. I met new people and worked with them.

But 10 months staying away from home, I realized that, whatever changes, there is one place that will always love you as much and always welcome you with open arms and will always treat you the same whether a prince or a pauper... Home. The constant factor in the change that our life is.

When I taught regression to my classmates, we used to easily ignore the constant in the equation and focus on the co-efficient. The change is what people normally focus on. I have to be ready for this change. Is my preparation enough? Am I capable of handling this change? Blah blah blah... But they take the constant for granted. And worse, they never appreciate it.

Home is that constant in anyone's life. How attached and how deeply embedded family values are, defines your core. People who follow the 'I am Ok. You are Ok.' line of thought usually come from a Happy Family. I always strongly disagree with people who say that XYZ is more important than family. Then that means You, my friend are messed up (or your home is).

We try to please the world and take for granted those who make us who we are. Take time off for them. Buy them gifts. Take them out to dinner. Laugh. Smile. Make them smile. Those jokes will become family jokes that only you and your siblings get. Play Dumb Charades of weird relatives. Play Antakshari. Appreciate the constant part of your life. The part that keeps you stable. The part of your life that you were born into and makes you unique.

Cheers to Happy Homes and Happy Families!