May Photo A Day Challenge : Day 25.Us.

The Day 25 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" - 25. Us: Us could mean your workmates, family, friends or otherwise. How will you show everyone your ‘us’?

Have posted too many pics from the past 24 days which represent "me" , "us" and "we" . Yet again I want to show "Us" . Us here doesn't mean me and my husband or me with my parents. 

In the below collage in the first pic its me with my friends who were a part of that folk dance in which we prayed forest Goddess for rains :P . Can you recognize me in it ? We all were in jubilant moods so jubilant that it actually rained the next day :D 

The best "us" is when kids get together. Its a racket and a perfect entertainment show to people like "us". Hence the remaining pics in this collage are of the kids / bachoos - Bacha party as I would like to call. The second pic of collage has Sami, Danish and Ayaan (L-R)

When the third pic was clicked Ayaan was not born. Sami and Danish were tiny and the one in red (Tabish) is the eldest of all cousin bros and sisters who came from the U.S.A. along with his younger brother in white (Suhaan) to meet the cousins in India. He is coming this month end again after 5 years. He was just 6 then and now he would be 11 years old. I am all excited to meet him and see the transformation both physical and mental :) Cannot really favorite any one here but a little partiality is allowed as it is my blog. My heart favorite is Ayaan ! In the last pic I am enjoying the ruckus he usually creates.

Good day to all of "US!" :)

May Photo A Day Challenge : Day 24. Go

The Day 24 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" - 24. Go: A green light means go, but what else symbolises this energetic word?

Nature symbolizes a "GO". What else? Nature gives us resources which make our life easy. It is our duty to protect our water bodies , forests , trees and vegetation and every thing which is natural to stay happy. Nature gives us pleasure and rejuvenates us. Below are the pics from Hogenekkal falls which is called "India's Niagara." I was spell bound by these humongous falls. Its a delight to watch water falls which are always going and flowing non stop :). We are nothing compared to these nature's wonders! Check them out. They are divided between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states.

Breath taking

This was clicked from the view point. "Panorama" view!

Coracle ride is must if you happen to visit. It was
raining when I went which added to the bliss

When nature calls , no not that nature call. When THE GREEN nature actually calls U can only "GO" !

Deviation from nature is deviation from happiness  - Samuel Johnson-

By the way the song Dil hai chota sa from Roja has been shot here . Check out the last two minutes of the video ! My heart jumps in joy when ever I hear or watch it;). In my opinion Roja is A.R.Rehman's bestest music.  Hope you also enjoy!

May Photo A Day Challenge : Day 23.PJs.

The Day 23 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" - 23. PJs: Pyjamas, we all wear them? {Except you nudists!} so share them. Please.

You will laugh if I say I groomed my feet with extra care and applied nail polish to just click for today's prompt. :P I usually wear them before I sleep . Do not wear them regularly though- doesn't mean I am nudist :P. I am not particular about wearing Pyjamas before I sleep. I am in anything which is comfortable enough to sleep. Some times if I am sleep deprived I can even sleep on the floor wearing ^_^ ^_^  anything and everything ahem :p  .Today I am wearing them since morning and yawning as I am continuously feeling its time to sleep :) Anyway below is the pic. I didn't want to put a high resolution pic of my polka dotted retro pyjama and scare you all. Hence modified it a bit on instagram and PicCollage!

"The tender touch of a pyjama makes me feel I landed on a flower.

The way it lulls me makes me feel it is my lover.

The pyjamas do not make me fly or give me any super power.

But they make me write this silliest poem making me a clever!"

Clever or not clever I can't believe I wrote a poem on Pyjamas today. Don't throw rotten tomatoes at me. You can for sure throw a pyjama party though ;). it is the bestest party. I would be glad to join!
Happy day all of You!

May Photo A Day Challenge : Day 22.Change.

The Day 22 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" - 22. Change: This can be a hard one, so put your thinking cap on. How can you show change in a photo?

I changed a lot in a decade. A decade- my God!! I didn't realize when it got over. 2002-2012 just flew and I entered twenties from teens and as the clock is ticking I realize even thirties and forties will hit me :( I feel scared at times thinking of all the things I want to , need to and plan to do ! One of those things is for sure travelling and travelling a lot.

Today I will talk less and share a magnificent pic taken during one such travels. I went to Agra in the summer of 2010 and went again in winter 2012. Below pic shows the stark difference between Taj in summer and Taj in winter.

Wah Taj!

Nope I didn't modify the pic. You can clearly see the fog in the second pic. The magical and mystic Taj was invisible till we approached it where as in the first pic you can see the bright Taj basking in the sun light. Actually Taj remains intact. It is the season which plays with it and shows it differently. I wish I went to Taj on a full moon night. People say its a treat to eyes. The luminescent stones will shine and you can get lost watching it. Unfortunately I couldn't stay to watch it. Even the ticket price shoots up during the full moon it seems. One more speciality of Taj is the VIP seat. Lady Diana, Musharaff , Aishwarya Rai and many others adorned it. 

I am not  a fan of Aish but still feel like sharing the below pic which I like a lot.

and no points to  guess that one more person adorned it. Check it out in the below pic ;)

Taj mahal always surprises me. Even the second time I visited I keenly observed the surroundings and enjoyed the intricate designs ,patterns and symmetry. It surely is a wonder! I wrote a post on Taj few months back with few more pics. If interested  read at-"The beautiful and controversial Tajmahal"

"To the mahal of the Taj- Say oye Say Oye  Say oye
To the minar of Kutub -  ------
To the kumari of Kanya--------
To the panjim of Goa- ----- Say oye Say oye"
we all just wanna say , we all just wanna say "-------- I hope I got the correct lines. Remember the continuation of this song ?? This used to be our engineering anthem and an anthem even now ;) Let me know if you recognize it. 

"Behind the "BLUE" Doors!" - A poem

She and her curiosity always stayed indoors.

Her heart trapped behind the bars inside the wooden doors.

Her soul traveled miles even if she did not move an inch.

The desires pricked her like the thorns of the cactus making her flinch!

She was as lonely as the Cactus plant and the deserted street.

She needed permission to sit or squat or to just stand on her feet.

The Cactus still had the pot and the floor as companions.

She was unwanted and inside the doors buried were her passions!

Picture Credit: http://www.fotolia.com/Info/Images/FreeImages

If she boldly stepped out of the door any time of the day,

She had to face the wrath of the master who would love to fray.

Her child hood, youth and women hood are all seamless.

For she knew only slave-hood which was always loveless!

Slavery to “men” whom she feared to accept or deny.

Slavery to the beasts and their erotic desires which made her cry.

Behind those closed doors painted blue she was beaten black and blue.

There was no one to understand her blues even if she gave a cue.

To sing or dance or to even talk to some other is an offense.

Even to think of thinking of her tiniest wishes she always had to pretense.

The doors and the floor were cleaned and even the Cactus was fed.

She was the most used commodity in that house which is thrashed till it bled.

She eagerly used to watch the road as if to meet a human outside the bars.

She used to dream of the moment when she would finally fly and reach the stars.

A smile used to dance on her lips by the mere thought of an escapade.

She knew it was just her dream which slowly would submerge and fade!

She dreaded the evenings when her master would return and bang the door.

If she looked beautiful he would doubt her and call her a whore.

She got used to the treatment and tears dried up and cries became muffled.

Even if she felt sick, vomited or fainted the master remained unruffled!

Her sullen face and bloodied breasts hide in darkness and in shame.

She lives every passing day with a beastly monster who she cannot tame.

She counts her days only to die and leave the hell to travel to the heaven’s gate.

She wants to question the God and know what she did to meet this fate!!

Today I am very sad. When ever I read news like this - "The Eight year old who didnt make it past her wedding night" I shudder , feel sick to the stomach , feel extremely helpless!

This post is in response to Write Tribe Prompt #2 

May Photo A Day Challenge : Day 21. I care about this!

The Day 21 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" - 21. I care about this…: What do you truly care about?

I banged my head on this prompt. There are plenty of things which I truly care about. I care about my husband , mom  , dad , close friends , cousins etcetera etcetera but I have done many posts on pics of people I love the most. I thought about issues in society which I really care about - atrocities on women, rape , having no civic sense etc etc! I really cannot and do not want to show it all in pics. The very thought of all these happenings boils my blood and a pictorial representation is some thing which I am staying away for now!

I finally came to a conclusion that if you really want to care about so many things you must and should care about yourself! Yes - Self love is the best. Being  narcissistic is advised some times. The love you have for you should bring a good change in you. It should inspire others to be like you. It should make you feel awesome about your self. You should feel that you can compete with only you and no body else. I know I know its very tough to follow but it is definitely not tough to implement. This post might sound simple and silly but it is actually not so silly. I am trying to keep it short and simple. 

I really care about my body. I am no zero size and I am not aspiring to get the shape of so and so. I am addicted to gym and I don't want to stop going there (*touchwood*). When I used to go to office gym many aunties (sorry for the terminology) who stick to their seats as if its fevicol ka jod  used to mock or discourage me. I used to pay deaf ear and bask in the glory of their jealousy :P

If some one pointed out the change openly I used to be so happy. It motivated me to run more on treadmill, to increase the rpm on my cycle or to bend more to touch my toes. I am not flexible like madhuri dixit or Hrithik Roshan but work out definitely increased my flexibility , strength and capacity to sweat out more!

Taken just today in gym ;)

• Daily regime of exercise makes you feel good. The feel good endorphins are released when you exercise. Of course sex and even hot peppers release endorphins but that is just not enough :)

•  Endorphins areneurotransmitters, chemicals that pass along signals from one neuron to the next. Neurotransmitters play a key role in the function of the central nervous system and can either prompt or suppress the further signaling of nearby neurons. (source : google). Endorphins give you the kick which a drug like opium or morphine also cannot give. Isn't it a good kick ? ;)

• Exercise keeps you fit and fine and healthy. You all know that for a person who works out there is a low risk of heart diseases, brain diseases and in short you can develop immunity and fight any disease !

• Exercise even helps in preventing cancer. CANCER is the biggest enemy of India now - a - days!

• Arthritis and Osteoporosis - two more enemies of India can also be shooed away with a proper pattern of exercise!

• It improves your sexual life and helps you stay stress free! It is the best stress buster. It can be a 30 min walk , gym , aerobics , pilates , yoga what ever suits you. Important thing is you should enjoy what you do and do it in combinations otherwise your body will not respond to a routine pattern after few months!

• Exercise also clears your skin and keeps pimples and blemishes away. The sweat glands and sebaceous glands (oil glands) do their work. The glow is better than any facial :)

• Last but not the least before you realize your weight will drop. It will not happen over night for sure. You need to be realllllllly patient for this! 

Stay away from people who pressurize you to undergo their treatments which have sky rocketing prices. Stay away from gyms and trainers who take butt load of money and guide irresponsibly. Enquire properly before you join some where. If you cannot join a gym walk or buy any equipment which you can use at home. Buy and use it . Do not dust it every weekend :)

I don't want to list all other GOOD REASONS to exercise daily. You can google and know them. We all google them but we never really implement. Even I was dormant for an year and got lazy after wedding. Now I woke up and realized what I was missing in my life. Once I realized there was no looking back. I joined the gym near by and I am almost regular other than a day or two in a month or I take a holiday if and only if I am really sick! I am hoping and praying I continue this :) 

Yesterday I saw something shared on facebook . It was an ad outside a gym which said - "You want to be a whale or mermaid this summer ?:)" - Think ! Some ads just hit where it hurts ! People are going gaga over maintaining a perfect figure but going overboard is dangerous. The gym personnel always feel what you do is insufficient or you have flab here or there. Do what all you can and don't over do it and go to extremes till you fall sick. Let people blabber. 

Some one replied that mermaids don't exist and even if they do they are always confused and live in pain thinking whether they are humans or fishes. On the other hand whales are smart and happy! So true but my honest opinion is even if whale is smarter and happier than mermaid one need not be in the size of a whale.:) You need not become a set of bones but you should know what will make you feel good and what will improve your health:) ! No need of doing it for others. Do for yourself and see the difference!

So what are you waiting for. Get up and get going. Care about yourself. Don't be a couch potato!

Last but not the least hygiene is important too.Listerine helps me to maintain good breathe and I feel using dettol as a disinfectant on your sweaty clothes and once in a while during your bath does help!

Have a healthy day today and everyday all of you ;)

May Photo A Day Challenge : Day 20:Light!

The Day 20 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" - 20. Light: Light makes a photo beautiful, so how can you play with it in your photo. Could you find a little sunflare, play with light inside or something else. Lets make magic!

As and when I read this prompt a 100s of pics came to my mind where I played with sun or experimented with Diwali crackers and simply clicked the reflections , candles so on so forth but for now I am choosing the below pics. The below one is taken on my reception day in Vizag. Don't you think that the lights adorning the trees look like stars adorning the sky. This was a brilliant shot. It is not taken by me :)

This is the dining area of the function hall. I absolutely loved this shot :)

When I read magic in today's prompt I remembered few clicks which were clicked long back. I stayed in Bangalore for a month as I was temporarily sent to a client office from Hyderabad in 2010. Me and my friend who are Harry Potter maniacs wanted to literally create magic on a boring Sunday evening after watching Harry potter and the Goblet of Fire for the nth time. We planned to play with camera flash and create certain spells :) and watch our futures in the crystal ball. We succeeded to certain extent. We were so happy that  as we might finally qualify to enter Hogwarts ;)!!

Only getting letter from an owl is needed now:)

In the first pic my wand from the Ollivander's. No. Don't run away. Its not Avada Kedavara. I am just practising my patronus. Can you see it's shape?? I always wanted it to be a dove some how;)! Me and my friend Manaswini checking our future using the art of divination. Not sure what was so funny in my future :P In the last pic I am engrossed. Looks like I am very keen to know what I will be doing in the forthcoming days. One thing I didn't see that day for sure was the fact that I will be using this pic this way today :D

Have a magical day!

PS: Sorry to all muggles / non- Harry potter folks if you felt out of place :)

May Photo A Day Challenge : Day 19: My favourite view!

The Day 19 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" 19. My favourite view: What’s your favourite view? Your kids sleeping? Your loved one? Do share.

Most of the pics shared till now in the challenge are my favorite views :) Anyhow sharing few for now. My favorite view is always from my kitchen window. I have taken  too many pics standing there. There are sunny pics, full moon pics , rain pics and also early morning clicks. For now an early morning pic taken from my window. I may miss the mundane things and also the routine stuff inside the home but I never miss to stop by the window and enjoy the view for a while!

View from my kitchen window

Nature's wonders always amuse me! Below are few more favorite views.

When ever I fly I make it sure to click if I see interesting patterns in clouds. People surrounding me may look at me as if I am a newbie to flights but if they don't want to enjoy the view they are at loss :)

Don't you feel you are on cloud 9. Not sure where heaven is but it for
sure feels near :) Not a clear  view as taken with a mobile

Moon rises , beaches, waves and palm trees which add a magical aura are always my favorite views. I can endlessly stare at them . Below are few more clicks. You are lucky if you have a beautiful view while working in office. If you don't have go to a corner which has a soothing view and relax for a while.

Moonrise- Sea side. Palm trees and waves.
Who needs a different view ?

Who doesn't like colors and greenery around ?? I love the below fields which you abundantly find in hilly areas. They are mostly found in states like U.P. and Punjab in India. I found these sarson ke khet on my way to Jim Corbett.

Totlakonda complex of vizag. Beach view from the rocks and hills
always makes me dreamy!

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin- William Shakespeare. 

So true it is! :)Good morning and good day :)

The Secret Wish List - Book review

Book: The Secret Wish List
Author : Preeti Shenoy
Pages : 260
Published by : Westland Publishers

I finished the book in 4 days. I took so long as frankly it didn't keep me glued to it. Unlike other books by Preeti Shenoy I have to say this one is boring , monotonous and repetitive . Opening of the book is good where school days are described. Story oscillates between present and past. The narration takes you back to school grounds and the teenage infatuations but after that I was just waiting for the end. I knew the end but had to finish it as I wanted to see if there is a twist!I would love to see a damsel not in distress the next time she writes a book. Its always a troubled woman who ultimately becomes strong and faces the world.

The protagonist Diksha is trapped in her married life and is seeking peace and real happiness. You feel connected to her but the way the events turn out its much more like a movie to me. The moment the book becomes a movie I lose interest. Every thing happens like she wants all of a sudden and her romance blooms which in real life is actually tough. The circumstances and the chances are co operative and she again finds her old love. Frankly too many lines were repetitive. After meeting her teenage love Ankit she keeps on saying the same things all over again. I know it happens in love but to read it in book was a bit boring !Few characters got dissolved in the mid. I thought there is some thing more to the character Vibha who is Diksha's cousin. Compared to the previous books this definitely was not up to the mark. It is like reading a similar story again. I loved Life is what you make it and felt Tea for two and a piece of cake was OK! This book is a time pass read and as it is the fourth book may be I expected a lot. I was expecting a story where lead roles would be doing all adventurous things in the wish list and not a woman oriented book where there are relationship or marital problems again.

Few bits I liked are the Salsa and the details, the mother in law who seemed extremely understanding and sweet. Such characters again are rare species in real life. I mean there are mothers who support even rapist sons so I don't think a mother in-law will support a daughter in-law immediately if she wants to walk out of a marriage. I liked the way places and localities are described. I liked the concept of writing down a secret wish list and ya I loved the cover page which lead to my great expectations.

My rating : 2/5

Lastly if you are travelling you may take this book with you. It will make a good companion for a short journey :)

Happy weekend

May Photo A Day Challenge : Day 18: Want(s)!

The Day 18 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" is 18. Want: What do you want in your life??

The needs and wants are again going to intersect in this post of mine. There is a thin line between them but wants are some thing which can wait in my case but some times wait gets too longer :-/. Anyway in the below collage I am showing few things which I badly want. I want them real bad.

I want to write . Write a lot. Write even when I am exhausted, when I am lazy or even drowsy. I want to write more than I think I can. That pic on the left most corner of the collage is of me typing out a story which frequently gets halted. I hope my grey matter remain mobile and pumps creative juices. I badly want to get a job . The one with me sitting at a fountain was clicked in Infosys and the one below it is the beautiful Infy swimming pool. I have done temporary jobs in the last one year. More than money want some thing to stay occupied and have an active social life like before. Trying to shift gears to a permanent writing job and hoping it works when I get a good opportunity. I want to read more and more books. My meager reading disappoints me sometimes! I want to travel to all the breathtaking places and feel like I conquered the world. The waterfalls in the collage are Hogenekkal falls - 3hrs from Bangalore. I want to cook better than my husband ;) This is the veg bagaara  rice (Hyderabadi cuisine) which lead to many compliments !

If you want to know more about my endless wants or wishes you can refer to my wishlist which I scribbled during the A-Z challenge.

Last but not the least I want to meet SRK. If I get an opportunity to do so one day I will just not let it go!

 

The above one is the picture of SRK's photo frame in Ambiance mall - Gurgaon at Bluo where we played bowling. Taken from my phone and effects added by photomania app in Facebook. There were many more pics of SRK in the room. Needless to say I got bowled and got absorbed in clicking and forgot bowling :)

I always love the below quotes !

The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized - never knowing.
Jim Rohn 

There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.
Oscar Wilde