So, it's that time of the year again! It's summer! It's the season of all my favorite fruits, long lazy days and the birthday month of a few of my favorite people.
And this video is for one of those crazy, perfect ones.
My room mate is a huge comic books fan. Actually, she is a comic books, superhero movies and manga fan, to be precise. And so today, sometime during the noon she calls me up from the library asking if I wanted to go for the new Avengers movie. Me being me, just spoiling for a chance to leave the university campus, I agreed immediately and we booked the 4:30 show.
The movie was pretty amazing! I had a fun time.
But, once I left the theater, or maybe while even inside, I kept thinking how I really don't get superhero movies. Don't get me wrong, I have seen quite a few of those. I love a lot of those characters too. But today, while sitting in the hall, and afterwards, I just realized how pointless it all was.
The last movie before today was Fast and Furious 7, and although the ending dedication to Walker was beautiful, the rest of it hardly made sense! Come to think of it, the couple of movies I saw before that- Happy New Year and Bang Bang were just as bad. So, there is a possibility that it is the cumulative effect of all of these bad movies put together.
However, at the end of the day, I realized what really bothered me is that there isn't much of an actual storyline; just a lot of really cool special effects that shows people destroying other people and/or machines. And I just can't seem to muster enough enthusiasm for that anymore. Maybe, I am getting old. Or maybe I still wish for a little more emotions and human drama in general.
That being said, I do not condone fiction or fantasy. I love the world of wizardry and witchcraft created by Rowling. I am hooked to the Game of Thrones currently being played in the Seven Kingdoms. And upon contemplation, I think the reason is because they have strong characters with basic human emotions and flaws, and a strong plot.
But, I couldn't feel the excitement that comes with the cool gadgets of Tony Stark, or the super cool killing abilities of the Black Widow. And it bums me out a little. I had always been a self proclaimed I was a Nerd Queen.
Then again, I can't wait for the new Stars Wars movie releasing this Christmas. So, maybe not all is lost yet.
In a very short span of time, Asus with its many awesome varieties of Zenphone has pretty easily captured the Indian smartphone market. Although, I don't own one of these, I have had the chance to tinker with the Zenphones that my friends have, and am psyched to go to the launch of the new Zenphone 2 next week in Gurgaon. The mobile industry is a fickle one, and it is really hard to stay on top for long, but the new range of Asus smart phones seem to be the thing to make the Zenphone stay on for a long time to come.
Here are five awesome reasons for you to choose Zenphone 2 as your next smart phone. Read on and be amazed!
1. MORE MEMORY
The Zenphone 2 is the world's first smartphone with a 4 GB RAM. Yes, you heard it right! 4GB. I am sure all you tech savvy people are thinking of all the amazing things you can do with your phone with this kind of an incredible specs.
2. SUPER FAST CHARGING
We all hate how power hungry our smartphones are and need to constantly be on the look out for charging points, right? Well, Zenphone 2 is the answer to all your prayers. The Zenphone 2 with its Asus- exclusive technology charges way more faster than its counterparts. Infact, you can charge upto 60% in less than 40 minutes time! How cool is that?
3. CAMERA HAPPY PHONE
We all love to update photos on the go, be it on SnapChat, or Instagram, or just sharing photo updates with our friends. The Zenphone 2 with its 2 PixelMaster camera which captures high resolution photos with zero shutter lag will make your camera experience a delight. Its unique low light mode which employs pixel-merging technologies which can capture 400% brighter photos at night will let you take that photo of the full moon that you have always with ease.
4. BEAUTIFUL CHIC DESIGN
I am a girly girl, and I love my colors and designs. And the Zenphone 2 doesn't disappoint in the style department. I am especially in love with the red body, and the sharp angles of the phone. The phone has a very cosmopolitan look, and looks good in a boardroom as well as a nightclub!
5. ASUS ZEN UI EXPERIENCE
Not only that, the new phone comes with a host of features, which will be revealed very soon to provide you the perfect phone which will have answers for all your smart phone desires.
So, if you are tired of your old handset and wish to switch to a superior handset which keeps in mind all your needs, and makes you feel like the king of the world, have a look at the Zenphone 2 by clicking on the following link. http://www.asus.com/Phones/ZenFone_2_ZE551ML/
What are you waiting for? Go check out the new boss of smart phones and be prepared to be mesmerized!
Have you even felt an instant connection with someone? Ever heard of someone's explanation of some mundane topic and been able to completely relate to it? Ever spoken about heartbreaks and realized you both are confused in the exact same way? Better still, have you ever felt this level of camaraderie with someone you have never even met? Sounds ludicrous? Well, I have. I have been friends with Sunaina for almost three years now. Our interests are so aligned, that we both applied for the same internships. Twice. And since we think alike, neither of us liked the first one, and both of us enjoyed the second one enough to collaborate together, and get to know each other. Work stuff soon gave way to swapping book lists, talking about good food and coffee, and other important and trivial things of life. As we got to know each other better we shared stories of failed relations and budding crushes, and soon she became quite an integral part of my life. The universe, with its tendency to show off had to introduce me to one of her common friends just to prove how small the world is! And so, during the last few months, Sunaina and I just kept thinking how amazing it would be to meet up, and talk, and travel, and drink coffee together. And last week, I listened to my heart and traveled to Hyderbad to meet Sunaina for the first time, and visit a very dear school friend after more than a year. And the meeting was magical. There was no awkwardness, no lack of topics to talk about. She took me to an incredibly amazing breakfast place called Chutneys in Secundrabad and treated me to fantastic South Indian breakfast. We had planned to go shopping at Shilparamam, but the heat had other plans for us. We ended up spending hours at the nearby mall. We explored this amazing place called "Dialogue in the Dark" which is exactly what it says it is. We were taken to a dark enclosed area, and tried to understand what it feels like to be bereft of sight and depend on the other four senses. It was an incredible experience. And we both thoroughly enjoyed it. We spent about five hours together. And generally I am bored out of my mind being with most people for five hours. I really am not the outgoing type. But, I could so relate to this person, whom I was meeting for the first time. And I am so glad I decided to ditch classes and common sense, and visit Hyderabad for just a day, so that I could meet up with people who really matter, who are a part of my everyday life, and who have a special place in my heart.
I am not exactly a social bee. I hardly ever call my friends. I prefer texts and emails over talking. And although people say that the friendship forged in school lasts forever, except for a few tough nuts who were hard to shake off, I have almost lost touch with most of my school friends.
But this post isn't about how I am a solitude seeker and don't need people. Much.
This post is about one of those tenacious friends who stayed with me, through thick and thin, and having completed the customary 7 years of being friends, I am almost confident we are friends for life.
You know who are, and in case it still isn't clear, read on and you will figure it out!
I decided to go on a solo trip a few months ago. I have wanted to visit friends in South India for quite some time, and once I realized one of my hostel mates was heading that way, I decided to tag along and have a girls' trip. The plan was to visit Bangalore, have a gala time with friends, and then come back.Turns out, a few weeks before the trip, she got an internship elsewhere and my girls' trip unexpectedly turned into a solo one!
Now, I can go on and on about the trip in general, but I want to specifically talk about my friend and why I changed plans to meet up.
Travelling solo gives you the choice to amend your plans. And once I realized that I decided to visit Hyderabad too. Since I am a full time student, and had to be back to Delhi within a week, I could also spare a day for Hyderabad. And everyone who heard of my plans told me I was silly to travel all the way just for a day, that I won't be able to cover even Golconda Fort. And my reply to them was that I am not really going to see Golconda, though I am sure it would have been a great experience.
I am going to Hyderabad to meet my friend, and even if I could have spared only 5 hours, I still would have gone to Hyderabad. And the reason for that, if you could muster your notes and sing along is "I'll be there for you, coz you are there for me too."
It's not just a song for us. He has actually delayed his travel plans so that he could spend just a few extra hours with me. I am talking about our undergrad years when he was in Guwahati and I was studying in Calcutta, and he would book his bus tickets to Calcutta and flight tickets from Calcutta to Guwahati is a way that gave him a few hours of time here. And then he would lug his suitcase all over town, be it to Park Street, or South City Mall or once, due to serious time crunch, even stay at the Howrah station, so that we could just catch up.
So, this time around, when I had the chance to meet him, since I was as close as Bangalore, I decided to fudge the logistics and catch a night bus to Hyderabad anyway, so that we could spend some time together. And is always happens, we kept pushing the time frame. I was supposed to meet another friend at 7pm, but I ended up meeting her at 10, so that we could just talk and talk and talk some more.
Abhinav and Me, Hyderabad, 5 April, 2015
And I am glad I followed my heart, without caring about the time constrains. I didn't even have the time to eat biryani at Hyderbad, and for a foodie like me, that's practically a criminal offense. But I am so happy that I could meet my friend after almost a year, and spend some quality time together that will hopefully be enough till we meet again, in another new city.
The first thing that comes to my mind when anyone talks of Happiness is the famous 1959 Sound of Music soundtrack "My Favorite Things", the second thing that I remember is a mental collage of my memorable trips and the third thing is food, most of the times.
But then again, I have never really been able to define happiness. And I do not mean it in a universal way. I have never been able to figure out what happiness means to me either.
On most days, even the silliest of things make me happy. For example, I am currently very happy that Tom returned to save Lizzie from being indited for murder. If you don't get what I am talking about, you need to watch The Blacklist. So, you see, actions of fictitious characters of a television show can make me extremely happy. How silly is that?
Petty things can make me happy too! I generally do not derive pleasure from other people's miseries, but some people just deserve all the pain they get. And though I have never directly caused other people's miseries, I do tend to be happy occasionally while praising karma.
So, the new Coca-Cola India ad ( http://CokeURL.com/96jnc ) inspired me to list a few things that make me very happy!
It might seem a little silly, and even childish, listing things that make me happy. But there are days when I am not feeling so great. And I am hoping that looking at a list of things that make me happy will help me remember the good times.
So, here it goes-
1. FOOD
I am a foodie. I think I have been one even before I knew there was a special word designated for people like me. I would always suggest the menu of almost all the meals at home, even since I was a little girl, and on days when my mom would make something that specially impressed me, she would tell I was super happy, because I would shower her with hugs and kisses. That was then, and now, after more than two decades, the love is still as strong. In fact, my love for eating has evolved into my love for eating and cooking! And even though I live in a hostel, and do not have a full blown kitchen, I make do with what I have here, and try to cook. If you want to see for yourselves how much I love it, check my food dedicated blog and find out how happy food makes me.
Mug of Chocolate Cake
2. TRAVEL
I have been travelling all my life, even since I was an eighteen months old baby. And I have been to at least two trips every year. I am the happiest when I am travelling. It gives me a serene kind of happiness to go to places where no one knows you, and meet people who are so different from you, and yet create long lasting memories with them. It doesn't matter how far you travel, or for how many days you travel, as long as I am away to a new place, I am happy.
Ladakh- Mom&Me
3. FOREVER PEOPLE
This is a phrase I created in my mind a few years ago. The people who you just instinctively know will stay with you forever. It doesn't matter if you have coffee with them every evening, or see them once every couple of years, there are the people who you would want in a bar fight, and who you know will always have your back. I am privileged to have quite a few of them, and although there are times, when you know some people who you considered where a part of your forever people, actually aren't, you still are happy to know such amazing people. I am talking about people who make you happy when you see their names on your phone screens, or when you get unexpected handwritten letters in your mailbox.
20 Years of Happiness
3. BOOKS
I am a bookworm. Books make me happy. And although sometimes my reading choices are objectionable, I feel suffocated if I haven't read at least a couple of new books in a week. I am happy when I read new books, or go through the old ones. I am happy when I see other people enjoying books that I do. I am happy discussing books with random strangers too. I am happy when I am in a bookstore most of all.
Book Heaven
4. ANIMALS
I love animals. All kinds. I have had the privilege to see dolphins perform and hold a tiger cub in my arms. I have seen the ferocious man-eaters of Sundarbans, and the pretty birds of Bharatpur. I have seen Marmots and Bactrian camels in Ladakh, and sharks in South East Asia. And I have been happy.
So, this is not an exhaustive list by far, but as the song goes, whenever I am feeling sad, "I simply remember my favorite things" which generally fall in the above four categories and I find myself smiling again.
I had gone to Sundarbans a couple of months ago to look at the shrimp farming practices and mangrove conservation efforts in the world's largest mangrove delta, which is inhabited by hundreds of species of flora and fauna, starting with the ferocious Royal Bengal tiger, to the many species of crustaceans and other water inhabitants.
This was my first true stay at a backward village. I
stayed in an island village called Satjelia in coastal Sundarbans. There were no
roadways to reach this Island. The only way out is through hand rowed boats,
which takes about an hour to reach Gosaba or though steamers which takes about
15-20 minutes.
The village didn't have any hospital, or post office, or electricity lines. The Island also
didn't have any primary school or college. It just has one secondary school,
with generally absentee teachers. The rural people still used kerosene lanterns,
and a few affluent families of the villages had adopted solar cells.
The standard of living was extremely poor, and the value of money very high. A public ferry took just Re 1 to cross three tributaries to travel from one island to the other.
Public Ferry
Not just that, despite the hardships, I found that the local people there were extremely friendly and welcoming. They live a hard life, waking up at the call of dawn and working literally the whole day, either tilling their land and sowing crops, or mending nets or boats, or rowing to the river to catch fish or collect honey. Every other day, someone is either dragged by the tigers into the jungles, or grabbed by the crocodiles into the rivers, and yet these people have the will power to wake up and fight for their lives and livelihoods, with minimum support from the outside world, including the government.
During my stay in the village, where I interacted with quite a few people, of various age and occupation, I found that they all have the courage to make the best out of a bad situation, and are optimistic about life.
I met one of the village lady, who cooks for all the travelers there. Talking to her, I came to know that her husband had been a victim of tiger attack 17 years ago. He used to go into the mangrove forest to collect honey and catch fish. She had been working as a cook for the last 5 years, coming to work from a village, which was about 40 minutes away in a boat. She also gave us honey collected from the mangrove as a souvenir.
I was truly inspired by these people, who despite minimal formal education, and with hardly any access of modern technology, continue to rise above everyday hardships, and remain optimistic about life. I was astounded by their dedication to live a good life, and find better ways to survive the harsh conditions provided by them. A stay in rural India is a truly eye opening experience, because despite the primitive infrastructure and lack of many basic amenities, the villagers are enriched with wisdom gained from real life experiences. It instills in you a better sense of our country when you see that the millions of the "underprivileged" in our nation have enough optimism and faith in live to bring about a radical change.
The new concept of housing, brought by https://housing.com/lookup also instills a similar kind of optimism in urban India, with its vision to revolutionize the real estate market in our country.
