Utopia

Who said fairy tale beginnings are a rarity? Catching up with friends, looking at yourself in the mirror, with their sets of eyes, paints a whole different picture. The constant race to beat yourself and the hustle-bustle of your everyday life breeds an over cynical perspective that you choose to dwell on. My new motto in life is to "IMAGINE". It brings about this smile on my face because I have started to beleive in a paradigm universe. Its not Utopia where "everything" is perfect, it is utopia where I am :)

It is lovely to wake up and imagine what your day will look like, what people around you would say and how accomplished you would feel by the time the sun gives way. Imagining, almost helps you steer your day into the right direction because you have established in your mind - your final destination.

I love living with this hint of optimism in my life. Trotting in my heels, a laptop bag slid on my carry-on, I bring in every Monday with a pledge to always "travel" to a new destination.

Ironically, it is the imagination that makes my crazy life more believable! :)

You are not alone!

Getting extremely comfortable is a luxury not many of us can afford. Unknowns and variables, the heart of every mathematical equation dictate most of our calculated lives. How do we get a grip on variables changing at the speed of light? Ok I exaggerate, maybe at the speed of sound. I say speed of sound simply because it is a small, meek voice in my head that drives me to change direction.  I call that voice –“Belief”.
Belief is no stranger to me. She has been trotting next to me ever since I was a child. Always looking out for me, being a part of my attire, my personality and even my fears, she is crazier in my worst moments. Invisible to most, a few of my closest can feel her presence. They know she is around just by the tone of my voice and the look in my eyes. And what makes her special is that she brightens up the atmosphere just by hanging around.Strolling into the kitchen when I dawn the Masterchef hat, constantly pushing me to deliver while I work my way into this ambigous consulting career and even trying to foster some optimism into our lives while my love tirelessly works to create a magical life for us. She has secured my life so far and now she secures ours!
My belief now lives with us in our humble home and she strives effortlessly to see us shine. She sits on the mantelpiece within my soul and always promises for a better day right when we think life couldn’t get better or worse.
So every time you feel like you are being followed, look around! It may be “your” belief trying to catch up with you. ! Make way for more to come, let your fears step aside.

City W(T)alk

Good friends, over a cup of coffee having a discussion close to most of our hearts - Is Mumbai "my" place to be ?
It is interesting to see how everyone has their own little perception of this city. For some it is where they found education, for a few it is where they found love, for the others it is where they found a living. But how many of us owe our stability to Mumbai ? Many have known to disappear into the crowds while aspiring to look for their calling, others have just geographically realigned their dreams and aspirations to newer, brighter worlds where individuality is actually lauded.
While Mumbai hums to the spirit of giving, it definitely takes away a lot in return. Man's basic needs - food, clothing and shelter come with an exorbidant price tag and entertainment, with a hefty tax. Mumbai does breed and incubate talent, but for it to get noticed is like lucking out in a raffle.
This city gives you the freedom to baptise into any religion you fancy,speak the language of your choice, deal with dietary restrictions you fancy, dress the way you please and finally live on your own terms, if any. It prompts you to believe that social causes supersede any personal or religious charade and above all it accentuates the importance of freedom.
While I love every bit this city has given me, I have lost count of little things it took away.

Lonely no more!

"For better or for worse", "In sickness and in health", "Till death do us apart" are all a heavy build up to the reality of a simple social concept - a marriage. When two people with similar emotional, intelligence and physical quotient decide to dodge the insecurites society has to offer and can dare to pledge their allegiance towards each other, they exchange wedding vows and ofcoarse rocky wedding rings in the happy belief that they will spend the rest of their lives together. The bride and the groom groove to the soothing tune of the wedding band, fancy flower arrangements adorn the venue,the bride's glamorous embellishments make many hearts skip a beat, the grooms extravagant demeanor gives him the attention he deserves, the extended family dances the night way, the rich and varied cuisine soothes everyone's pallette,a convoy of professional photographers crowd the celebrity couple with pose requests no less than a paparazzi attack - a scene right off the silver screen!But what you take home with you is a belief that you will wake up to your love every morning,a fuzzy warmth that agrees with the future that you have just secured, a shiver of tremendous responsibility to a new found family and finally a happy dream that you no longer see alone :) While I am indeed married to the love of my life, it is not the complete elimination of lonliness that makes me smile, it is that secret journey that got us to where we are today that makes me giggle!
From new beginnings and happy endings, I am lonely no more and will never be.

I do... I do not!

A full day at work always brings a smile to your face. No matter how tedious or crazy your schedule is, there no bigger pleasure than the rush of feeling important. If there is no bigger and greater dream than making a living of what you love, then why is it so difficult to follow through ? In my opinion, no one has a profession they have really been dreaming of; and if they have been aching to do exactly this, they have never known better.
The problem with the human mind is that it closes right after a peep. The human mind finds way to assuage the ego and make peace with the best available option. Great minds, who dare to navigate away from safe coordinates are those who have never found love in what they do. These are the ones who then develop the art of doing everything, with great tact and art, and these diligent few survive.
There are ways to tread into unknown waters, but the moment the current is driving you to the shore, you know you are settling.
A settlement works for me,It gives me room to breathe, time to sharpen my skills and get better at what I do. But sometimes the constant struggle with my mind where I bounce ideas off the empty ceiling, is actually what keeps me going!

Relativity

It is always when you desire something the most, you think of all the times you have taken it for granted.Negativity starts creeping in and you start fearing the worst.
You then promise that if you could go back in time, you would value it like you value it now. And with bated breath and a heavy heart, you wait for miracles to happen. Pragmatic but extremely vulnerable, you let your feelings steer your life forward, just about avoiding a crash! How is this any different from driving under the influence, where you let your inhibitions come alive and take control of your body and mind? The art of living does not lie in meditation, self-control or in finding your soul, it lies in self belief and a belief in life that is in store for you!

Life is time bound, and the beauty of time is that it can be fast paced and excruciatingly slow at the same time. Ironically,the best and the worst thing about life is that it happens one day at a time. Now I am waiting this home stretch and running out of patience when only yesterday I was praying for my day to never end!

Relativity - game, set, match!

Note to Self

As i resume my writing after a short, busy and evidently lazy spell, I have a bundle of new transitions to boast about. For instance, I moved back to India, got my self a new job- a one that I actually like and care about, made new friends, disappeared on a few of them, and of coarse exchanged wedding wows in a societal, lavish, over indulgent, cross cultural wedding that left most well wishers and skeptics spellbound.
What tickles my senses is the fact these all these transitions are stories by themselves that capture every element of fiction story telling but I cant seem to find a starting point. It is like a heap of clothes you want to sort out but are dreading to make the first shuffle, in the fear that you might find that one old outfit that might distract you!
I wish to write about a ideas, emotions, events and perspectives that I am privy to on an everyday basis. I wish to be vocal about the happiness that surrounds me, the sadness that weighs me down, the pressures that I classify as surmountable and the antics and charades that I plant to make my life more amusing than it already is!
A healthy mind is always in touch with one's perspectives and aspirations. Writing will make "me" happen.