So, What’s New in New Year?

Another year gone by and you start to wonder if things have really changed for you, or is it just a new digit at the end of the date showing up on your smart phone and laptop. It is true that not all the passing years will have the same pace of change in your own personal life, but sometimes the pace can be too sluggish, monotonous and exasperating. This can happen especially when you are trying to change certain things in your life like trying to – get a new job, move to a different city, find a decent partner or get into a stable relationship, save enough for life’s big investment, anything that you’re clinging onto with volumes of hope but things don’t really seem to be moving. Sometimes, even if you aren’t planning on changing anything in your life, the sameness of everyday, that daily mundane and humdrum existence can take the ‘New’ out of ‘Happy New Year’.

Life altering big changes might sometimes take time to transpire and the improvements we wish do happen after all, but in a different way. Life has a different and better plan for you, remember? By making small changes in our daily lives we can still kill the routine and embrace happiness, or maybe try to tweak our master plan a bit to pace up things. The small changes we put into our life each day, each hour will finally lead us to bigger achievements we are hoping for. Nevertheless, start the year with a positive attitude and believe in the master plan of the universe.

One great thing about hope is that it never dies. – Yours Truly.. 🙂

Personally for me, 2015 was a mixed bag of emotions with intense moments, sighs of frustration with multiple patience tests, and unforgettable memories of loved ones. Some things really worked out the way I hoped for, while some opportunities were missed no matter how hard I tried.

Things, at any certain point in your life, may not be the way you hoped for in your mind. Correction, actually things will never be the way you hope for in your life, because let’s face it – life is a mess. And an ideal condition exists in theory, much as fairytales happen in story books. The truth is today will never be more perfect for you than it is today, at this moment. Life is a work in progress at each moment and hence, never say never.

I have been addicted to the new song “Half the world away” by Oasis, and it just ends perfectly for me – “I’ve been lost, I’ve been found. But I don’t feel down”.

Watch the video and if you wanna sing along, find the lyrics below. Happy 2016.

“Half The World Away” Lyrics

I would like to leave this city

This old town don’t smell too pretty and

I can feel the warning signs running around my mind

And when I leave this island

I book myself into a soul asylum

I can feel the warning signs running around my mind

 

So here I go

I’m still scratching around in the same old hole

My body feels young but my mind is very old

So what do you say?

You can’t give me the dreams that are mine anyway

You’re half the world away

You’re half the world away

 

And when I leave this planet

You know I’d stay but I just can’t stand it and

I can feel the warning signs running around my mind

And if I can leave this spirit

I’ll find me a hole and I’ll live in it

I can feel the warning signs running around my mind

 

So here I go

I’m still scratching around in the same old hole

My body feels young but my mind is very old

So what do you say?

You can’t give me the dreams that are mine anyway

You’re half the world away

You’re half the world away

I’ve been lost, I’ve been found

But I don’t feel down

You’re half the world away

I’ve been lost, I’ve been found

But I don’t feel down

I don’t feel down

Risked it All – I did it All

We live in a funny world where successful attempts of risks are celebrated and unsuccessful attempts or failures are frowned upon! The cultural pressure of surviving a failed risk psychologically (let alone financially), at times exceeds the efforts that would take to succeed the very first time. Hence, risk takers are so hard to come across.

One of the biggest regrets in my life (Yes, I have regrets! I am not perfect.) is that I did not take enough risks to follow my passion(s) earlier on in my life. The fear of failure and playing it safe can be the biggest cause of failure. (What an irony of life, isn’t it?) The sooner one realizes that, the better. Sadly, we are brought up in an environment that teaches kids from a young age to take the safer route, have regular and conventional hobbies – most of the times not leaving any room for creative mindset building, out-of-the-box thinking. That’s just the way our society is, people appreciate creative art works and unconventional ideas when they are having “intelligent discussions”, but refrain from inculcating a culture of these for the future generation.

I am not against conventional mindset, it is equally important for the society. Being part of the millennial generation who survived the 2008 economic crisis marginally by a few months, I know the value of a well-paying established “conventional” job (to pay-back education loans!). Walking into my job interview a couple of months later, would have meant that there actually would have been no job to be interviewed for in the first place, a plight many of my friends did go through during that period.

At the same time, I do believe many of us let our creative ideas and passions die in the process of having a “conventional” life and regular routine. Also, you see many eyes rolling at those who follow their passion and take a break from the nine-to-five routine.

I remember someone at work telling me, “Why are you doing this? This is absolutely pointless.”, when I was making a crucial career move by following one of my passions costing me much of my life’s savings, which seemed risky (maybe even fatal) to some. I just smiled at him and told myself “You would never understand.” (Yeah, I love sarcasm style of humor! Don’t you? 😉 ) And don’t get me wrong here, I do believe in collective growth. Given a chance, I would love to be an agony aunt and give a lecture on the importance of following one’s passion and taking worthwhile risks. (This blog is intended for the same.) In-fact sometimes I feel sorry for those who don’t realize that by playing it safe, they are actually risking it all. But as the saying goes, ‘Unsolicited advice is seldom appreciated’ and more often than not a risk taking attitude is ridiculed and laughed upon.

Recently during a crisis situation, someone gave me the best advice in life  – with risk comes failures of all kinds and if you’re addicted to taking and enjoying risks, simply suck it up and endure it. (Yes, I Tweeted about it! I like to keep things dramatic. 😀 )

Got one of the Best Pep Talks 2day..things wd go wrong again&again if u luv takng risks & that's d best part. Down but NOT out! #LifeLessons

— aditi roy ghatak (@aditiroyghatak) July 3, 2014

You gotta enjoy the bad days as much as you enjoy the good ones, and as they say there are more bad days in life than good ones. So may be you need to enjoy the bad ones more! And, I simply cannot describe the inner satisfaction I feel when all that hard work, tense moments, agony and hardships of following your passion pay off. (I cried during one such moment in my life. Happy tears, ofcourse! 😀 )

Absolutely adore the song by One Republic, inspires me to the core every time I listen to it.

Hope when you take that jump
You don’t fear the fall
Hope when the water rises
You build a wall

Hope when the crowd screams out
They’re screaming your name
Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

Hope that you fall in love
And it hurts so bad
The only way you can know
Is give it all you have

And I hope that you don’t suffer
But take the pain
Hope when the moment comes
You’ll say…

I did it All

I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

Image Source: imgquotes.com

It doesn’t get any better..

The truth is, it doesn’t get any better! May be life will get worse still, at some point.

 

But there will be enough moments with your loved ones, or doing what you love all alone, or simply moments when you’re having a good time among people that will make you get through all of it. And may be you’ll even feel it’s all worth it after all.. so suck it up!!

 

Don’t bother about others opinion of you.

Do something new, go places you’ve never gone, talk to strangers and life will seem beautiful all over again. Because hey, it’s not like anyone has any better formula to life!!

 

Life is not just about that one moment, thing, person that matters (mattered) to you! Life is much more than that..life has a better plan for us than we could plan for ourselves. And as long as one believes in that, we can get thro’ no matter what.

 

Love this song by Eels! (The video is hilarious too.)

 

Do you know what it’s like to fall on the floor
And cry your guts out ’til you got no more
Hey man now you’re really living

Have you ever made love to a beautiful girl
Made you feel like it’s not such a bad world
Hey man now you’re really living

Now you’re really giving everything
And you’re really getting all you gave
Now you’re really living what
This life is all about

 

Confident..seriosly?

The word confidence makes me slightly nervous, for I have never really understood its meaning. Yeah alright, I know the dictionary meaning which probably is the state of being certain about one’s actions, decisions, etc.

But when someone wants to know if I am a confident person, or if I am confident about an idea, decision..well, it makes my heart sink a bit. What if, I am wrong at the end! Yeah, now you know.. I get intimidated easily, at least in my mind if not on the exterior. But so do most of the people, don’t they! (At least, my experience with the world so far tells me that.)

Everyday we live fearing the consequences of our own decisions on our future, or others around us. Everyday we have to put on a tough and smiling exterior to show the world that we are confident, when inside we have no idea what’s gonna happen the next second. At workplace or personal space, any decision that you take ain’t gonna come with a guarantee.

Everyday we fear that others might realize that we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing and that we’re gonna be exposed. For me, I constantly live dreading the day when someone with a lot of might will tell me at my face,“Bugger off kiddo, you are a good for nothing, brainless idiot.” And you know what, the amazing part is it may have happened to me already a couple of times, although the words used were different but more or less meant the same thing. (I am not making a very good impression here, am I! :D) The point to be noted here is that I survived and I am proud of it, not so much proud of being brainless though.

The other day I was discussing with a close friend of mine on how important it is to believe in yourself and where does that belief come from. Well, over the years I have realized that self-belief is a divine and special feeling, that moment when you know that you’re gonna be in the safe zone no matter what! For me personally, that self belief comes from my worldly knowledge and experience so far, engaging in general good practices, being sincere and apolitical. After all, there is no unselfish act and you can expect good for yourself when you’re good. That’s where my teeny weeny confidence comes from, if you would ask me. Nevertheless, unfortunate incidents of being exposed may still happen. (Blame it on your Karma 🙂 )

“Be brave, take risks! Nothing can substitute experience.” ~ Paulo Coelho …… That’s another way of looking at it. The thought of learning something new and trying something different should make one more confident in daily lives. But there’s a catch to it, especially when you don’t want things to go wrong, in case the decisions can be life changing ones.

Just remember, everyone is sailing on the same boat and is equally vulnerable and scared to death inside. So when people tell me I am a brainless idiot, I know what’s really going on inside them and smile back.“The best part about realizing everyone is faking it, is that you get to stop faking it yourself.“ Now, that’s something I am really good at.. Being Genuine! 🙂

Paradise..

Ya that’s right.. as expected I feel terrible and guilty about not keeping up with my blog for last couple of months. But what better way to get back than the new Coldplay track and what better time than Diwali!!
Heard this new track and absolutely loved it..

Everyone dreams of a world like Paradise but the ideal is far from the real…. As a little girl, even I viewed the world like Paradise but learned the hard way while growing up. Nevertheless, I also learned that life isn’t that bad either, like the famous Billy Joel song, “The good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.” 🙂 🙂 🙂

The End..

Last week came the tragic and shocking news of British singer Amy Winehouse’s death. Severe drug addiction is said to be the cause behind her death, and she might have died of drug overdose. A very sad case of how substance abuse controls the life, as she was being unable to come out of it even after she went through numerous rehabs.

Too much of any thing becomes a poison, as rightly pointed out once by Swami Vivekananda, and Amy Winehouse had got addicted to the poison itself. That’s an immense and terrible waste of talent as she died in her prime years, joining the doomed 27 Club of pop stars.

She leaves behind an impressive legacy of music and that’s what she would be remembered for. Hope her death would set an example to all those engaging themselves and others in substance abuse. Life is beautiful and we should learn to respect and value it. Everyone is alive for a purpose and that purpose is definitely not served if we don’t value our lives.

“Whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it’s very important that you do it, because nobody else will.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Here’s one of her best songs called Rehab, what an irony, only if she had taken her rehab seriously. 😦

Wonders..

Ever wondered how some songs have been lying there on your playlist for, god knows, how many years!! Well, there are a couple of them in mine, as well.

Love the song “That Thing You Do” from the soundtrack of the Tom Hanks movie by the same name. The movie plot is about a One Hit Wonder band called “The Wonders” who could never make it to their second album after having a gala time celebrating the success of their first one. Apparently, Tom Hanks also had a small role in the movie.

The film dramatically describes the rise and fall of the band and portrays the common One Hit Wonder phenomena quite effectively, where the members break up after the initial high of the success to carry on with their life.

Originally the song was performed by Mike Viola on vocals with Schlesinger on backup vocals. In the movie the song makes it among Top Ten hits in the US, however it could not reach that success in real life. Nevertheless, the song is a “must listen to”!!

The way they pronounce “”Do”” is particularly notable and catchy. 😉

How about some melody….?

OK people!! Enough of the serious stuff. Time for some Classy music? 😉

Just thought of sharing this fab song which is topping my play list at the moment. To give you a bit of a background about this song which is titled, “I see the light” from the Tangled soundtrack. It was nominated in all the major award functions this year for the best original song. It just lost the Oscar to “We Belong Together” from the movie Toy Story 3, a couple of weeks back. Another exceptional and fun song.

Nevertheless, this is a marvel track with some exemplary music and amazingly serene voice of Mandy Moore after a long time.

Enjoy the music.. 🙂

 

 

A Beautiful Lie..

Can you tell when people are lying to you?

I can’t always, but some times I know. Its simple! I myself, am not a perfect and glib liar and hence, avoid lying as far as possible. I feel less confident, start fumbling and avoid any kind of eye contact with the person, whom I am lying to. And these same signs, help me identify a liar. Of course, there are some who perfect the art and become an expert to an extent that anyone would believe them.

Apparently, there are psychological experts who use applied psychology, interpret micro-expressions, through the Facial Action Coding System, and body language to identify when criminals are lying. Microexpressions are brief, involuntary facial expressions that reflect on the face as per the emotions experienced. Unlike regular expressions, it is difficult to fake micro-expressions, as they occur as fast as 1/15 to 1/25 of a second. “Lie to me” , an American TV series features complex instances where criminals are caught by analyzing these micro-expressions, explains this kind of lie detection mechanism.

Gita – the sacred text for Hindus – says that any lie told in good will does not amount to a sin. Sometimes the truth can be far more turbulent and disturbing than the lie.

Well, as much as I hate liars, I have to confess that often there is no other way out. There is no better option than to deliberately resort to hiding the truth. Howsoever small the lie may be, the less frequent such situations come up, the better.

And most importantly, as Shakespeare said “To thine own self be true”.

Love the song which was in the top of the charts last year, featuring my favorite Rihanna 🙂 !!

Watch your words..

One bad thing about having decided not to blog about my work is that I miss out writing on so much stuff and venting about numerous incidents happening throughout the day. But a good part is that I get to focus on the other things I would actually love to write about; else my blog would become just a gossip ground. ;)

A bad day at work can really shoot up the mercury of your stress meter. And that's when my blog is my relief, my hideout. Most importantly, it makes me realize that my work is not the only prominent thing in my life. It helps me forget about the outside world (non-digital). Till the time I work on my blog,  my world is the Internet and my country is WordPress.

This reminds me about various organizations coming up with their Social Media Policies, restricting associates to discuss work online and elaborate on work related issues on different social media platforms. (This might explain another important reason why I do not blog about my work!! I don't wanna lose my job ;) )

Anyways, it is quite amusing and ironical at the same time, to witness how the power of social media has threatened mighty corporates and business giants. Any kind of publicity on social media (coming from employees, particularly), may not always be a GOOD PUBLICITY!! ;)

As rightly said by  the rock band Alter Bridge, Watch Your Words!! Enjoy the song..I absolutely adore the guitar intro.