Wind Beneath My Wings. (:

There is no such thing as a self-made person. Behind every successful man, there is not just a woman, but countless others, all doing their bit to make them the person they are today.

Unless of course, you have a face like that. That, my friends, is a self-made man.

Which brings me back to my newest inspiration. Come day-after-tomorrow, I will have been on this Earth for exactly eighteen years, and in that time, I haven’t amounted to very much. But whatever little I HAVE amounted to, I owe entirely to my family and my friends.

Sometimes, I fight with my friends. Then I look up at God (assuming, of course, that He exists), and ask him why he could possibly condemn me to a life with these people. Or I come home from school and curse my teachers, thinking:

Indeed.

But then, not more than ten minutes later, I ask myself, “What would I ever do without them?”

See, family, friends and teachers are meant to be a part of our lives. Like William Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage, and men and women merely players.” Our life is like one big play, and friends, family and everyone else are the background crew in your lead role. They set up the stage, teach you your lines, correct you when you’re going wrong, help you when you begin to forget, and let you make a graceful exit when the time is right.

Gee. I wonder what play that is. Looks wrong. xD

So the next time your parents/teachers yell at you for not doing homework, or you get into a fight with your friends, just take a look around you. Look at the backdrop, and ask yourself whether they’re just trying to give you the right prop at the right time.

This article is dedicated to everyone. I know I haven’t been very active lately, in fact, I've been very near dead. That’s just because I (along with countless other twelfth-graders) have enormous amounts of pressure building. There’s barely enough time to breathe, let alone write.

Anyhow. This article is a little thank-you gesture to everybody who’s ever been there for me when I needed it.

 I can fly higher than an eagle, if you are the wind beneath my wings.

Sorry.

I've been extremely inconsistent these past while, and I'm really really sorry. I've had a lot going on. I'll have a post up soon.

Check back on the 9th of September. Maybe before. :)

Be yourself, no matter what they say.

Have you ever wondered why sometimes, you’re just too scared to do something a little bit radical? Ever wanted to challenge something a teacher tells you, but were afraid they wouldn’t like it? Have a crush on a girl/guy but don’t want to tell them because you’re afraid they’ll think you’re a creep? What about skipping class to go hang out with friends? Don’t expect me to believe you’ve never at least WANTED to do that.

Think for a second. What do you think was stopping you all those times? It was fear. Fear of what other people would think. Fear of the consequences. I feel you. I’ve been there, and I’ve done that. Veni, vidi, but not necessarily vicci.

I’ve been around for almost 18 years now, and in that relatively short time, I’ve learnt a lot of life lessons on my own. This one, however, I couldn’t have done without the weirdest, most amazing best friend ever. This article’s for Gautam. Cause he’s got da swag, yo. B-)

You really can't argue with that. So why even try.

I’ve always thought that you had to think anything you did over half a dozen times before you do it. “Thought before action is better than action before thought.” Or something like that. (I’m really bad at making up quotes. :P ) But you get my point, so yeah.

This summer, at GYLC, I had a very personal dilemma. It was one of those make-it-or-break-it kind of situations, and I really wasn’t sure whether risking my neck to do something was worth the possible embarrassment I would certainly be facing if it didn’t go as planned. And things in my life have this nasty habit of going as far away from the plan as it is humanely possible to get. And then going further.

Anyhow, I was procrastinating like nobody’s business; making up the most wild, wacky of excuses not to do aforementioned thing when I was given a pearl of wisdom I’m never going to forget.

Like that, except a little more useful.

“Dude. Seriously. What are you afraid of? Okay, stop for a second. Now tell me, what’s the worst that could happen? Worst case, you’ll [describe failure] and people will talk about it for a few days. And then what? They’ll forget, and everybody will go back to their lives. Maybe a couple of people will remind you about it later, but big deal! And if you succeed, then what? You’ll [describe success]. Don’t worry about failing. You can’t learn to run unless you know how to walk first. Just grow a pair and do it.”

I did it. That thing I was planning, I mean.

It was one of those days when everything works. I did what I had to do, and (surprise, surprise!) didn’t fail miserably at it!

What did I learn out of that? I learned not to be afraid of consequences. Never be scared of what MIGHT happen if you fail. Instead, think of what’ll happen if you don’t.

Yes, reader. Apply this anywhere and everywhere you can. Go ahead. Challenge your teacher. Tell that girl/guy how you feel. Skip class to chill - but only just this once. :P

“If manners maketh a man as someone says, then he’s the hero of the day. It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile. Be yourself, no matter what they say.”

                                                           - “Englishman in New York” -  Sting and The Police.

Addicted to Life.

So the other day I was in the car with a friend, stuck at a traffic signal, and we saw this group of three weird-looking guys - about 21 or so - wearing these God-awful hoodies (olive green, among other colors) that had random phrases like YOLO and "Sup Bitchezzzzz" written all over them. And that got me thinking. And this was BEFORE we noticed two of them smoking. The scene looked suspiciously similar to the one from the movie American Gangster. Naturally, that got me thinking. Why in the name of the great Heavenly Father would someone willingly do that kind of crap?

I mean, how can this POSSIBLY hurt?

We live our lives as addicts. Whether we're addicted to waffles, or drugs, or sausages, or alcohol, or chips, or cigarettes, we all try to find something that makes us happy. My issue with drugs and smoking aside, the driving question behind this article is HOW exactly we end up addicted. I mean, no one just randomly picks up a bucket of paint-thinner and tries to sniff it.

This article goes out to one of my best friends - Shashank - who I recently had this fascinating conversation with about drug abuse. He's always hated it, which is why I felt only too justified in dedicating this one to him. :)

The fact that both of us look completely stoned here is entirely irrelevant.

So we were talking about this the other day, when suddenly the answer dawned. 

And with it, disillusionment melted away like snow before the summer sun.

IT IS US.

WE cause our own addiction. Us and our desire to be "cool." Its weird really. The minute a movie showing some ridiculous kind of drug abuse releases, we start hearing about similar cases of abuse in the newspapers. Take Down in the Valley, Dream with the Fishes, or even Eyes Wide Shut.

Its human nature, actually. Because we think actors are cool, we tend to emulate whatever they do. Don't believe me? Britney Spears started the whole "pants six inches below the waist" craze. Most stars are have admitted to being addicted to some form of drugs or other - Lindsay Lohan, Daniel Radcliffe, Demi Lovato, Robert Pattinson, Justin Beiber; tell you what. Find me ONE actor/star who ISN'T addicted to either drugs or alcohol, and I'll dedicate my next article to you.*

*Conditions apply.

And its not just drugs. We see forms of celebrity influence everywhere. I mean, the "duck" pout didn't just magically appear out of thin air. Nor did the aforementioned "pants six inches below the waist" phase, or the mirror self-shots. Humans tend to blindly imitate what we see other people doing, without regard for whether its actually beneficial or not.

Truer words have never been spoken.

You know, sometimes I tend to wonder why or how we began to consider ourselves at the top of the evolutionary ladder. I mean, we still copy what we see so called "lower life forms" do. Because - and I'm sure you'll agree - the act of chewing on weird-looking spotted mushrooms can only have been initially observed in a lower primate.

                          

Either that or a Super Mario game.

So anyways. A standard part of any addiction debate is the question part. The part where we ask: "But what can we do about it? How do we make sure we don't get addicted to anything?"

The answer is quite simple, really. Just ask yourself three questions:

1. Do I fully understand what this person is doing? Do I have any doubts that I want to be [sniffing the liquid normal people use to dissolve paint/putting leaves in my mouth, setting them on fire and breathing in the fumes/whatever else]?

2. Is doing this going to harm me in any way?

3. Would this help make me a better person/the world a better place/spread some happiness around?

4. Is doing this going to embarrass me later?

If the answers to any two of these questions is yes, then DON'T DO IT.

"Go on. Its completely safe." Said no one, ever.

Remember, we've been given brains. Its about time we used them.

See you in a week!

Every little thing she does is Magic.

"If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse."

                                                                           -Walt Disney

Dreams make us who we are. They push us higher when we're glad, and lift us when we're sad. They make us who we are. They form our soul, our very essence.

I know people who are afraid of dreams. They downplay them, saying wild dreams have no right to be in their otherwise peaceful lives. They thrash about their beds at night, wrestling with their conscience. Or at least I think they do. I really should stop the sentimental talk now.

Shown here: Mankind bogged down by reality. In more ways than one.

This article goes out to a friend of mine who celebrated her birthday a few days ago. And also kinda sorta aced her Boards. And also the person whose blog you see on the right, which inspired ME to start blogging again. Happy Birthday, Anjali. :) O_/

I'm in a pensive, phillosophical-ly mood today. Hence the relative lack of humor and subsequent sentimentality.

I believe that there is magic in dreams. And this magic is the defining element of our lives. You know that feeling of desperation you get when you're in a lot of trouble, and then, somehow, ten minutes later, everything's alright? Like that time you couldn't find your project on the morning you were supposed to submit it, when suddenly your mom spots it under your bed and rushes to school to give it to you? I believe there's magic in that too. And this magic can work miracles. All you have to do is believe.

From a scientific point of view, dreams are a manifestation of ones subconscious desires. They come into our thoughts when our subconscious mind is resting. A lot of people have reported seeing premonitions and visions into their futures via their dreams. You just can't deny the magic. O.o

No dreams too big indeed. B-)

But sometimes we can't dream. There are times when I'm really upset - depressed almost - when I just want to go to sleep, but I can't. Thats when the magic hits. Something will ALWAYS happen to cheer me up. My best friend calls; tuition gets cancelled; I find those earphones I lost 2 weeks ago and was really pissed over, anything.

Studies are indicating it may not be a coincidence. That's when I remember one of my favorite quotes.

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream."

                                                                 -Martin Luther King Jr.

There's magic in our dreams, and magic in our lives, folks. It brightens our days, and makes living so much more worthwhile. Believe in them.

Indeed.

"Think, believe, dream, dare." Remember, follow your dreams, and they'll lead you places.

If at first you don't succeed, I suggest you don't try skydiving.

Beavers are amazingly determined animals. And also ridiculously clumsy. When a beaver wants to build a dam, he painstakingly cuts down dozens of trees and cuts them up, using only his teeth. Then, he carries each individual log (and there are hundreds) into the river and painstakingly arranges each one to for the perfect underwater palace. Often, the river flow pushes incorrectly placed logs out of place and washes them downstream, resulting in the destruction of the entire dam. But what does the beaver do? He just restarts the entire process again, presumably after saying "Damn" in beaver. (Sorry, couldn't help that one. :P )

Because just sleeping under a tree is too main'stream'.

How many times have you tried something new? Say, solving a Rubik's cube or learning for that chemistry test you have tomorrow?

And how many times have you failed, and then given up? Have you ever twisted that cube half a dozen times and then tossed it across the room? Ever stared blankly at organic chemistry for about fifteen minutes and then said "The hell with this", and promptly proceeding to fall asleep? I have. And I'm sure you have too.

The only person I know that can solve this is a genius colorblind.

But then I learned what happens when you don't give up. A friend taught me. And I'm dedicating this post to him. Arvind Iyer, this one's for you.

Life is full of failures. Last week, I tried to make my brother breakfast. He likes eggs. Sunny-side up. Which I suck at making.

So anyways. I made him breakfast. It was terrible. The yolk split and destroyed the entire egg. I was forced to scramble it. Not that Akash (my brother) minded. He just had an excuse to make me work again. :P Okay, back to the topic. My breakfast making/destroying spree continued for the next three days, and invariably ended with me failing hilariously each time.

Miserably.

And then I remembered something Iyer had told me a long time ago. Three weeks ago, actually.We'd just got our report cards back, and my report card, for perhaps the fifth time in a row, could not exactly have been described as "Up to the mark". he said, "Listen, man. Our life is like a long walk. Every so often you're going to fall on a rock or a branch, or just downright slip. But you can't let that put you off. You've gotta get up, dust yourself off, and keep right on walking."

Okay, he didn't actually SAY it, but his meaning was clear. I mean, who says that kind of stuff out loud  these days anyways?

This one had Iyer written all over it. xD

Anyways. Back to the point, people. Fact is, you're going to fail. And then you'll fail again. And again. And again.

But don't let that get you down. You've just got to get back up like the beaver, dust yourself off, and keep walking. Or building. Or studying. Or whatever it is you were doing. Remember, the only hindrance in your life is you, and what you think you can or cannot achieve.

Iyer said it.

And one does not simply ignore what Iyer said, 'damn' you.

Keep trying, and you'll get there. I hope. :)

Of Parents and Pressure Cookers.

Its interesting how pressure cookers work. What basically happens when you put the food and water inside is that it heats up so much that that the water evaporates. This continuous build-up of steam causes a ten-fold increase in pressure inside. Because of this, the food gets cooked faster.

This would be a fair analogy of our academic lives.

This post is dedicated to a special friend of mine whose writing her boards even as I type. Keep calm, and you'll be fine. :)

Through the first twenty years of our lives, we are expected to overachieve. Between guitar lessons, French classes, MUNs, debate clubs, never-ending tests and enough portions to put the fear of God into Adolf Hitler, our lives are all just pressure cookers. Teachers and parents are the water, and we're the food. But be careful. Too much pressure, and you just might get cooked.

Already I hear people protesting, "But I can handle pressure!" Or "Its okay, its just for a few years, right?"
But the truth is, its not for a few years. Its for the rest of your lives.

See, the first fifteen years of your life are when you form the habits that'll stick with you throughout. If you get used to stressing yourself out over every little thing all the time, then that habit is going to stick with you forever.

Take a break. Read a book, eat junk food, watch TV, play with your pets, whatever. Just take a break once in a while. It won't kill you. Go ahead. Let off some steam. :)

FRIENDS.

When I was younger, I once saw a limousine drive past. I turned to my dad and said, "Daddy, when I grow up, I'm going to be rich and own a limousine one day too!" My dad just looked at me and smiled.

And he said, "Kiddo, if you want to see how rich a man is, don't judge him by the car he drives or the watch he wears. Judge him by his friends. The ones that stick with him all the way through."

Everyday, I show my dad just how rich I am.

Most nights, before I go to bed, I have this conversation with God. A typical conversation goes like this:

Me: Hi God.

God: Hello. How're things going on down there?

Me: Life sucks, but otherwise things are fine. What about you?

God: Busy, busy, busy. Listen, I have to go soon. Napoleon and Hitler are fighting again. Ahh, never mind. Can I talk to you later?

Me: Sure. Bye!

God: Bye!

Me: Wait!

God: What? 

Me: I forgot to tell you something.

God: Yes?

Me: Thanks.

God: For what?

Me: For everything I have. My family, my friends, my life.

God: You're welcome. Just look after yourself, okay?

Me: Yeah. :)

My friends and family are my pillars of support. Without them, I wouldn't be here. And to show my gratitude (albeit in a rudimentary, immature way), I am going to dedicate one post a week to someone I care about.

Because that's my way of saying, "Thank you. Thank you for being there. Thank you for everything." (:

Living Under the Influence.

I'm back. After very, very long, I know, and before I continue, I'd like to apologize to everyone who kept telling me to update. Its been a terribly hectic two months for me, and its going to be a terribly hectic next ten months for me, but I'll still do my best to make a post per week. :)

So anyways. Why am I back so suddenly, you ask? To answer that question, I'm going to divert your attention back to a couple of months ago. You may or may not remember the post about writers block I wrote. For those of you who don't, I have this chronic case of writers block. Every couple of days or so, I simply run out of ideas. The gears in my head just suddenly stop running. Plus, various responsibilities catch up with me, and I say that writing can wait. Then I stop.

Last week, I made a friend. This friend happens to have a fully-functioning, pretty awesome blog. So I saw this blog and said to myself, "Hey. If she can do it, why can't I?" And that gave those burned out gears in my head all the oil they needed to start functioning again, and voila. Writer's block overcome. :) I guess you can say I was influenced by aforementioned friend.

Which brings me to my next topic.

Close your eyes and think back, right from your very earliest memories till the present day. Think about all the turns your life has taken, all the choices you've made, and all the major moments of your life. (Yes, that includes discovering this blog. ;) ) Now ask yourself this: How many of those decisions have I freely made, and how many of those decisions were because someone else was doing it?

Whether its about going to a movie again simply because an irritating friend of yours wants and she won't let you go for anything else, or going to a steakhouse (when you really just want to have a salad) because your brother wants to.Or even something major. Most teenagers start smoking and drinking because of peer pressure. I know a handful of people who smoke/drink when they're with friends. Most of them admit they only started it because friends forced them to. That, or because they think its "cool". Or as a "stress-reliever." (More on this one later.)

DISCLAIMER: I very strongly disapprove of smoking, drugs, or any form of narcotics whatsoever. What you do in private is your business alone, but when you're in public, please keep the rest of us out of it.

My point is, people today are making LIFE-CHANGING DECISIONS based on what a friend is doing. I have seen people take commerce only because their friends have taken it. People reject good colleges to be with their friends. The list is endless.

Remember, there will always be influences: both external as well as internal. Your birthright, as a human being is to make your choices ALONE. Sure, suggestions are welcome, but the next time someone tries to influence you ("Come on, don't be a wimp. Try one. Just one."), do yourself a favor and ignore them. I've said this so many times its not even funny: its important to be yourself. The world will love you for it.

Anywho. While its important not to get over-influenced by others, its just as important not to ignore them. Remember, more often than not, they're just trying to help you. :)

After all, its our company that makes us who we are, and who we are makes up the decisions we take.
You should try to stick around me more. xD

Hey everyone! I know its been reallllyyy long since I've posted, and I'm sorry. A lot of you have been asking me to update, but I just don't have the time right now. I've been having 18-hour days everyday for the last twenty days, and I am simply exhausted. Give me a few more days, and hopefully I can get back on track.

Until next week. :)

Take a chill pill.

You know how sometimes life gets a little too stressful? Those nail-biting days when you have school prefect elections on Monday, an oratorical competition on Wednesday, SAT on Saturday, twenty hours tuition weeks and enough homework to scare a lawyer? Because I can tell you: I'm feeling the heat. So I've come up with different ways to just calm the hell down.

First things first, try to keep your phone and laptops away. You need some time alone, and constantly texting or Facebook-ing isn't going to help any. Try it. I swear, it won't kill you. :P

I find reading helps me relax. You know, prop yourself up on your bed, air-conditioning on full blast, covered with a blanket and an amazing book - paperback; none of those ebooks or other horseshit for me - in hand. There's something magical about a good book in that it takes you to another place. A place where there are no elections, orations, standardized tests and whatnot. :)

Have I mentioned exactly to what extent music can save your life? Because, I tell you, I owe my sanity to the world of rock - classic, grunge, hard, alternative, or anything else. How you listen depends on the weather - you can lie on your sofa, sleep in a hammock, lounge by the fire, or watch the rain with a mug of extra-strong coffee.

I love animals. When I'm stressed, worried, tense, or just plain bored, playing with my birds helps me relax. Even if i'm just watching the brainless little twits. It helps if you have a pet you can actually interact with, say a hamster, cockatoo, or a dog.

When all else fails, remember: we've been born with two good legs for a reason. USE THEM. Walking really helps me think straight. Scenery helps too. But there's nothing like standing on the terrace with your eyes closed, feeling the breeze run through your hair (all Shawshank Redemption style)

Life can get really stressful at times. But sometimes, you've just got to learn to kick back and enjoy the finer things. :)

Love yourself. Also, love me. XD

When I was little, I used to look up to my neighbor. He was 16, a tall, gangly kind of guy; one of those badass types who would skateboard around the neighborhood all day with his weirdo friends. One of them would have a crazy mohawk, the next this wicked golden streaked afro (he used to wear this silver tee-shirt to match it LOL) and I would think to myself, "Being a grown-up is so much fun, I can't wait till I'm old enough to go out on my own!  It'll be so cool when I don't have to listen to mom and dad anymore and I can just have fun all day!" (Because yes, my immature little 7 year old mind still used words like grown-up. :P )

And now, when I'm finally old enough, I can't help but remember those good old days when I was 7 years old and think to myself, "Damn. Being a kid was so much fun! I wish I was a kid again." Well, its either that, or "Damn. Being an adult must be so cool! I can't wait to get older!"

Moral of the anecdote: You'll never, ever, be completely happy with what you have, or who you are. No matter how smart you are, no matter how good-looking, or how good at writing (*wink*), you will ALWAYS be wishing you had more. Its human nature.

It is this constant desire for self-improvement which is both a boon and a bane. While its good that it makes you want to continuously improve, its also bad in that it makes you lose sight of the things that are really important to you.

For example, one of my New Years Resolutions this year was to try and become a more interesting person. You know, the kind of person who can hold a lucid conversation with just about anyone. Then I thought to myself, whats the use of that if you can't speak like Morgan Freeman? So then I resolved to improve my PR skills and build-up a little more on my public-speaking. Then one thing led to another, and a quick game of personality-dominoes later, I found myself with twelve different resolutions, half of them rather far-fetched.

So yeah, if there's one thing I've learnt during my 5 years so far as a teenager, its that the single most important thing in life is to JUST BE YOURSELF. Don't try unnecessarily to be something you're not and screw up what you really are in the process.

Be happy with WHO YOU ARE, and the rest of the world will love you all the more for it.

Until day after tomorrow. :)

Keep Calm and Ramble On. (:

A great human being once said: "There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like me, and those who can go screw themselves." (That great human being, btw, is me. :P )

One of the first steps to leading a stress-free life is to not care what other people think of you. Believe me, as a teenager, trying to impress everyone is going to land up pretty high on your to-do list. Its human nature. But don't let it get the better of you. You just can't please everyone. Remember that story about the man, his wife and their horse? (Feel free to comment if you don't; I'll inbox it to you.)

And don't even try to deny it. Remember the other day when you saw that cute girl/guy at the mall and tried to show off (just a teensy bit)? Or when you helped that old lady cross the street just to impress your friends? Or even the time when you picked up that puppy from the road and brought him/her home, if only to show your parents what a caring human being you are?

Now, I hear perplexed teenagers all over the world asking me, what should I do to not care? After all, trying to impress everyone is IN MY BLOOD! Well, first things first: don't misunderstand me. Over the next few years, its crucial that you use your spare time kissing the asses of anyone and everyone who might be of help to you later on. For example, teachers, parents, your rich neighbor, et. al.

Before you go out of your way trying to show off how wonderful you are to someone else, ask yourself if this person is really worth impressing. For example, that PYT you saw at the mall isn't someone you're likely to see again. But your teachers however are. Help them out whenever you get a chance, if only because you're just that nice. :)

Don't get me wrong: you SHOULD help people in need. Whenever you get a chance, help old Mrs. Burton cross the road. Help people as often as you can, because hey, it never hurts to impress yourself. (:

The Teenage Survivalist. B-)

Teenage years are a stressful time in anyone's life. Scared you'll fail that math test you have tomorrow? Have a crush on that cute girl two desks away but can't find the cojones talk to her? Teacher pressure? Grounded for violating curfew? Fear not, paranoid/moody/cranky/high/downright bored teenager, for the Teenage Survivalist is here. B-)