Day 4: My Favorites

Hey again! Merry Christmas (belated)!! Comment what you did for Christmas and/or what presents you got. It's 4 days to 2015... am I the only person counting down? I hope not.

Now... onto the main topic of this week. My most favorite thing to do is reading. Writing comes right after (get it?), followed by listening to music, talking to my friends and learning new things. Dancing and singing are next up on my list, followed by meeting new people and making new friends. Last of all, but definitely not the least, is badminton. Anything else I do is involuntary. ( I really hope I haven't forgotten anything. That would be awkward.)

Starting with reading. I love the way books transport you into a whole new world, a world that is so different from your own, a world in which anything could happen. I'm a potterhead, and I've read the whole series (and watched the movies) at least one hundred times, no kidding. Whenever I read a book and actually get past the first page without making up reasons to put off reading, I just cannot stop reading till I finish the book. I read while walking eating, even while studying sometimes. I think it's safe to say I have no idea what goes on around me. I am utterly and totally absorbed. I get attracted to books just as easily as two really strong magnets. This gives me the constant urge to never stop reading, and I've read so many books that it's getting harder and harder to find new books to read each day.

So yeah. Writing is an obvious passion of mine. Not in like a journal or diary. I can't write to myself, I need a reader and a deadline to write. Hence, this blog. I like writing because it helps me express my thoughts to people easily and in a way that's really comfortable. It also makes me look smart. Just kidding! So writing is just awesome.

Listening to music. I'm a teenager, it's what we do. Wake up in the morning, listen to music. Listen to music while eating, in cars, shops, other people's houses, your own house, everywhere. everything I do is automatically so many times more fun with music. And it puts my whole life into a music video, which is just like, if you cannot see how amazing this is, you're either not a teenager, or crazy.

Talking to my friends. Again, I'm a teenager so it's implied that I would be on my phone a lot. By that I mean A LOT. And just like every other teen I love being on my phone. Especially now, since I've moved, talking to my friends back from my old school and apartment is really important. I love keeping in touch with my old friends, and talking to a friend I haven't spoken to yet makes me happy. So many people I never expected to wished me for my birthday and/or Christmas and I loved it. All this technology rocks to the core!

I finding learning interesting, so unlike many people, I think school is pretty cool (no pun intended). I like learning different perspectives about things. So school is pretty amazing and I love the way teachers think of interesting ways to get information to stick in your head. Hats off to learning!

I'm going to talking about dancing and singing together. They're both Indian Classical, and both really fun. Except for one thing. Tell me if this is just me, or is practicing music or dance something that you naturally want to put off? I  always plan to practice, but never get around to it. But in themselves, both music and dance are super relaxing and exciting to do.

I love meeting new people. It gives me more perspective and that's what I like. Usually new people I meet become pretty good friends of mine, but occasionally when we really get along I win something irreplaceable- a new amazing understanding friend. The people I'm talking about know who they are...

And badminton, being badminton is fun and cool. It's easy to play for fun but challenging enough to not be boring at the same time. 

So yeah. Those are my favorites. If you have any thing that are similar or different, comment. Have a Very Happy New Year!
PS: I need would you rather questions for my next topic... I'd appreciate some... Thanks!

Day 3: 5 people I want to meet for lunch

It's only the third week and I already forgot to post this on Saturday :/ I'm so mad at myself, though, in my defense, yesterday was really tiring. 

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

 Lunch with J K Rowling. That would be the mind blowing! Talking to her would be fantastic. My hugely over thinking brain would really really love to get all my doubts about the tiny little details of Harry Potter clarified. I would be so excited, though, that I probably wouldn't eat. And then I would snack for the rest of the day. Okayy.... back to topic.

"Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world."

The next person I would meet is Malala. I've already shown how much I admire her, and meeting her and hearing her story would be heavenly. Just close your eyes for a minute and imagine meeting the girl who actually went through the Taliban's tyrannical rule; the same Taliban that administered the recent attack on the school in Pakistan. Meeting that girl would be seriously cool.

"People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant."

Helen Keller.  Her achievements are legendary. Her stories inspire and motivate people everywhere. I read her biography when I was in fourth grade, and ever since I've always looked up to her for motivation. If she can grow with such disabilities, I feel like I can over come anything. She's practically the most influencing person in the whole world.

"It's hard - some people get inspired by a feeling, but I'm mostly inspired by melodies."

Next in line is Avicii. His music has brightened my day more than I can count. Meeting him is one one my wildest dreams. To actually be able to talk to Avicii..... I have no words even to imagine how delighted I'd be. It would be completely and totally awesome. 

"Success is not a good teacher, failure makes you humble."

Of course, being me, I'd die to meet Shah Rukh Khan. He's one of the few actors I actually recognize (I'm really bad at things like that, mainly actors and actresses)  and I love his acting. My favorite movie stars him. Hmmm..... in fact my top three favorite Hindi movies feature Sha Rukh Khan, so why I'd pick him to meet over lunch is obvious. 

After writing this really do want to meet these people. I've always thought that if I did well and became famous, someday, other famous people would want to meet me, and that was my motivation when I was small. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and I'll be back on Saturday! 

Day 2: 5 Ways To Win My Heart

Second week already!! It's going to be Christmas break in a week, and I can't wait!!

Okayyy... now for the actual post. W
ays to win my heart? I really have no idea.
First there would be  the fact that you should probably not be nice (or polite) to me all the time. That's one thing that drives me crazy. So be honest and tell me what you really think when I ask for a critique of my work.I really don't mind people making jokes about me. So if people are being serious all the time, or being extremely nice to me, it really annoys me.
Secondly, have a conversation about music or books with me. Talking about music or books is like my favorite pastime, after reading or listening to music.
The third thing is that you should be fluent in sarcasm. And by that I mean extremely good at it. I really hate it when people take my sarcasm seriously. And, I really love it when someone responds to my sarcasm with sarcasm and the whole conversation becomes a joke. :P 
Fourthly, I really like it when people notice small details about me, like the fact that I washed my hair, or that I got a new bag. Or something. 
And of course, I love it when people ask me how I am, or how my day was. <3 Simply drives me crazy. And related to that, I love it when people text me first. 

This is a really short post, but I don't really have that much to say. Read all my other posts, subscribe, and I'll see you next Saturday! 

Day 1: Greatest Lessons I've Learnt

Today is the first day of the 30 day week challenge.

The main thing I've learnt in the last year is that no matter what, your true friends will always stick with you. Last December, I wasn't even sure if I was going to shift. I didn't know anything, and I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. In January, I told a couple of my really good friends, and they began to tell ME it would be okay, and that we would manage to chat everyday and do video calls once in a while. The only thing is that I thought we would shift the next December, not in June. By March, a lot of people knew I was shifting. But I still hadn't told everyone. In March, I decided to tell my whole group of 11 friends. A lot of them got mad at me, but everyone promised to keep in touch.

Let's jump to the beginning of June. 18 days before I left, everyone began to count down. I didn't go to school, though it had already started. So I sat at home, with no TV, and read about 3 books a day. I went to school once to donate some books to our library, and the surprise my friends got when they saw me was hilarious. Everyone was really happy and they all wanted to talk to me at once. Naturally, with 11 people talking to me at the same I could barely understand anything. They even whipped up a last minute card for me! What amazing friends! when the bell rang for the end of lunch, I had to leave, amidst loads of hugs and I think one of my friends cried. That was the last time I saw them.

The rest of the days till I left went by with a whirl of normality and excitement. Then came the day I left. I stayed out late with my friends, hanging around and talking. Then I went home for a while, to eat my dinner. As soon as I was done, I ran off to my friends house, and stayed there for an hour. As soon as I left her house, I went home just long enough to tell my mom I was going to another friends house and rushed off. I sat in my friends house on her bed as she did her homework and talked about everything we had done together. I went directly from her house to another friends house, at like 10:45pm. We stood outside talking till I had to leave.

As I left there was a large group of people who came to the gate to see us off, with everyone helping us carry our luggage and the large number of boxes we had. That was the best and worst day of my life at the same time.

Now you may be wondering why I wrote out this whole thing. The reason is that this last year proved to me that my friends would always stick by me no matter what. We're now in December, and since June, whenever I get the time, I've tried to talk to a friend I haven't spoken to yet. And evrytime I do that, my friends always talk to me like I had never left.

On that note, see you next Saturday!

30 Day Blog Challenge

Recently I came across a  post about a "30 Day Blog Challenge". It looked interesting, so I've decided to take it up. I will do one topic per week, every Saturday, for 30 weeks. The 30 topics are down below. I'm so excited! PS: I hope I actually manage to complete it..

I Am Malala

First of all I'm sorry I haven't written in a while, and I'll try to be more regular from now on.

I recently read I Am Malala, the story of Malala, the Pakistani girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban. I was literally glued to the book as I got closer to the end; I refused to put the book down for anything! It was a very understandable and moving book. Malala only cared about making sure everyone could learn, and knew how to value her own education. She did everything she could to continue her education, no matter what impediments were put in her path. She snuck into boys schools when girls were stopped from going to school. She got a teacher to teach her in her own house when it became too dangerous to go to schools anymore. She spoke out whenever she could and did all she could to help the victims of bombings. In short, she had a really good perspective on what was right and wrong, and a firm belief for what she would have to do to achieve her goals.

I think we should learn from her. People can gain so many good qualities from her. Mind you, I'm not saying she's perfect, or the best. I'm just saying that she has some really important things that can be learnt from, like having those clearly thought out goals to work towards. They can even be simpler things like not giving up when there are obstacles in your path or encouraging others to do better. These are only some of the things that can be learnt from her. She's courageous, straightforward and strong-minded; she likes helping others. SO keep that in mind.

Another thing I saw in this book- she knew how to value her education. This is specially for all you people who hate school out there. You're really lucky. Stop for one second to think about all those people who are too poor to study or aren't allowed to. It's only when you stop going to school, stop studying, or stop learning will you ever learn how important it was. And you should probably hope it doesn't come to that. All you need to do is one simple thing- value your education.

Maybe you can find some great things to learn from in the next book you read, fictional or not. And that's all I have to say. Have a great day. 

The science of birthdays

Something got me thinking recently. What makes people happy on their birthdays? What gives that feeling of euphoria and a new perspective of the world?

A birthday is the one special day when everyone pampers you. Gives you what you want, and makes you feel generally happy. There's also the feeling of joy for the people around you, as your happiness spreads to everyone you interact with.

Now back to the original question. What makes you happy in the first place? Is it the feeling of being older? Or is it anticipation of what is in store on that day? The pampering, gifts and sweets play a pretty important role in the cheerful feeling of a birthday. The fact that you're now 'older', though technically it's not that different from the day before, makes you feel more adult like too. 

Many of us celebrate our birthdays with sweets and/or a cake. And presents, of course. But there are other greats things about birthdays. For instance, we talk to old friends and make new acquaintances. 

Birthdays create great memories that are treasured all our lives. Just today I saw some pictures of my good friend on one of her birthdays, maybe a few years ago. The pictures left me laughing and wondering how we all grew up so soon.

So I guess birthdays are just one of those days when we can take a break from our dull routine and spice up our lives.....with a little extra happiness.

A very happy birthday to to my special friend, whose birthday was what got me thinking in the first place.

One tiny step

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

One man set up a little experiment. He drew a painting of a beautiful lady and put it up in the middle of the city. He placed a notice below it inviting the people to write comments. By the end of the day, the paper was filled with things like "her nose is too big" or "her cheeks look too fat." The next day, he wrote "Please correct whatever you feel looks bad" on a notice and hung it near the same painting, in the same place. Not one person acknowledged the painting and no one did anything to it. This clearly shows how the human nature works. We find fault in every little thing, but when it is really up to us to correct it, no one volunteers.
If every person made one small change from their side for the good of the world, the world would be a better place. Unfortunately, everyone thinks they are the 'greatest' and believes that such trivial things are beneath them. This is the worst attitude a person could have. Some people, on the other hand, do good just for credit; in other words, to show off. There are very few people on this earth who help do good to the society just for the happiness of it, who want nothing more than to make the world a better place. Doing good does not just mean donating large amounts to charity, or giving away free food. Every act of helping, however small, will bring happiness as long as you do it with a clear mind and a pure heart. Such an attitude is very rare in society. Hats off to those people, without whom, our society would have crumbled a very long time ago.
Happiness can always be found in the smallest things, like the smile on the face of someone you helped, the snore of someone you put to sleep after a long time or the voice of someone you helped train. Money and fame are the things that destroy such pure happiness, the happiness that gives you the satisfaction and peace of mind.So next time if you think of something that could make the world a better place, act on it and don't sit there like a statue. Every idea helps, and ever extra helping hand counts.