Stop saying Why ME!!!??

Yeah!! Once again proved Life is funny and it definitely doesn't work the way we want it too.....in these few months I have definitely turned wiser and more practical...sometimes I feel I can open my own counselling office!! 

Yeah so the most important realisation is that WE work according to how our life wants us to and not the other way around!! We struggle, fight and do all sorts of nonsense just to get our life in order....sometimes we succeed, but other times we end up screwing it up more!! Naaah!! I'm not a philosopher but yeah practical thinker after all the jolts life gives. Someone has very rightly said that instead of cribbing about what you do not have, just stop and look around at what you have and learn to appreciate it!! After fighting with God and my own life to get it on track for months I finally gave up!! Yup! Gave up! Instead of fighting I decided to just go with the flow...I sat down and looked around, I saw my kids and I smiled genuinely in ages! I decided to stop fighting and give myself another chance at starting life afresh, like a new beginning and instead of saying WHY ME? I said TRY ME!! I know it would take time for life to be as it was and trust me I'm okay with everything as long as my kids are happy...they are the strength that keeps me going on and keeps me strong! Like every cloud has a silver lining I'm sure mine does too and I'm just waiting to see it because even if faintly i know I'm going to go grab it with both hands and never let it go!!

Unpredictable LIFE!

Life is very unpredictable who would know it better than me! Perfect family perfect life and POOF!! One fine day everything goes topsy turvy removing the PERFECT from my life and family. 

As the days go by, I have realised that our entire life we are always cribbing over something or someone and end up not enjoying our present! When we are small we yearn to grow up, when we are in college we want to work, when we are working we start planning our life after retirement! What guarantee do we have that life will go as we have planned? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, just as our time is....there no guarantee what life holds for us tomorrow so why spoil our TODAY?? We plan for the future and in turn ruin our present...we forget to enjoy the little things that bring us happiness....let's not regret this tomorrow after we lose our near and dear ones, instead let's create memories big or small with all our friends and family! It's not about the destination, but the journey that matters! I know I can never have the life I had earlier the perfect life but I will try and make this life of mine with my children perfect, like somebody once said even IMPERFECT has the word PERFECT in it!!

I love you

Dear Alok,

Since the time u have gone (now 10days) my mind has been blank, I have lost my best friend, my guide, my only boyfriend, the love of my life....I lost You!

People want me to be strong for our kids, I am strong I talk to them I laugh with them but my mind stays blank! I'm just a mother now, I miss being ur girlfriend I miss being ur wife. When I'm with u everything makes sense, u make me the person I want to be and not the person I am! Life without u is unbearable!

I've got the whole bed to me, but I don't want it, I don't have anybody snoring next to me, I miss those snores! I don't want to think about the future coz without u even that is blank! I remember those lil tiffs we had over rom coms and action movies, holding ur hand after watching horror flicks and troubling u all night over that! I miss being in ur arms...those strong arms that would hold me tight and where I could hide! 

I miss u, come back plz

P.S. I LOVE YOU

Need a weekend getaway…..Mahabaleshwar it is!!!!!

Soaring peaks, breathtaking valleys.  Lush flora.  Cool, crisp mountain air....if this is what is on your mind, Mahabaleshwar is the place you would want to be in!!!

Mahabaleshwar (meaning 'God of Great Power’ in Sanskrit) is the largest hill station in the Sahyadri range and a municipal council in Satara district in state of Maharashtra.  It is situated at an altitude of 1372m above sea level, about 115km southwest of Pune. With one of the few evergreen forests of India, it served as the summer capital of Bombay province during the British Raj.

Indeed, the place is great and bountiful, rewarding the visitor with a mix of old-world charm, natural beauty and modernity. A tour of Mahabaleshwar town and the surrounding countryside would take at least a couple of days as there is a lot to see and experience.  The town bazaar is called Malcolm Peth after the then British Governor of Bombay, Sir John Malcolm.  

Having proper, motorable roads to every point worth visiting, one can tour the place by car, jeep, or even horseback. There are many buildings and sites that take one back to the days of the Raj. There’s Mount Malcolm, the one-time residence of Governor Malcolm; Moraji Castle, where Mahatma Gandhi lived during 1945; and the Mahabaleshwar Club

As short drive from town is the beautiful Venna Lake, where one can go boating, fishing, and pony riding. Or indulge oneself at the entertainment center with its numerous food and game stalls. Near the lake, further down the road on the way to neighbouring Panchgani, are the great luscious strawberry fields. Mahabaleshwar is known for its numerous sightseeing points, each providing a unique perspective of the majestic hill range.  Mapro Garden, Wilson Point, Eliphintstone point, Bombay point, Kate's point, Arthur"s seat, lodwick point are just a few points to name, Or one could visit Old Mahabaleshwar and the famous Panchganga Mandir, which is said to contain the springs of five rivers: Koyna, Venna, Savitri, Gayatri and the sacred Krishna River. There’s also the Mahabaleshwar Mandir, revered for its Swayambhu Lingam. Throughout the year Mahabaleshwar receives a mild and pleasing climate that is ideal for a weekend hideout even during summers. The coniferous forests in its vicinity play a major role in determining its rainfall and climate. The ideal time to visit mahabaleshwar would be october to June. One can reach Mahabaleshwar by road, air or Train from Bombay and Pune Throughout t

Let's go places!!!

Surfing the internet 2 pictures in particular caught my attention...first one was of a woman standing on the beach and looking at the sea; the second one was of a woman standing in the fields with wind blowing in her hair and an expression of satisfaction! 

So I opened the link to these pictures which got me to this site...Self-drive.in, a car rental company based in mumbai and pune!! What luck!! I thought since I live in pune and needed a break myself!!

So I decided it was time to give myself the much needed holiday. I wanted to enjoy the journey to reach my destination, along with the destination as well; and Self-drive seemed the perfect solution to this little experience I wanted to have!!

 So I got busy...set my vacation dates, decided on a place...GOA it was, and logged into their site to fix a date and time to have a car on my doorstep! I was amazed at the simplicity and ease with which I could book a car and that too in 30 mins by the clock!!

       Anyways with the bags packed and the car at my doorstep I was all set to leave for my lil road trip! The people at self-drive helped me with a list of good hotels I could stay at. Being a fan of Safari, I had booked one for myself and I was impressed to see it had free wifi and a GPS in it already...well I was rest assured I wouldn't get lost now for sure!!! 

I guess God was also happy that I was finally doing something I should have done long back, that, the weather was also amazing...cloudy with a little drizzle! I set off for my lil' adventure trip filled with fun excitement and exploring!!!

With the music blaring loud, I started from pune to Goa via new routes thanks to the GPS I got to meet new people and see new places.... An experience I would never want to forget and all thanx to Self-drive

You can win-Shiv Khera

Success doesn’t mean the absence of failure,

It means the attainment of ultimate objectives,

It means winning the war, not every battle.

                        -Edwin C. Bliss

I am not a hardcore reader and mostly read books that catch my attention. Waiting for my movie to begin(since I reached the hall early), my friend and I decided to go to crosswords(on the same floor) to see if any new interesting book had come.

So, browsing through the bookshelves, a black cover book reading “You Can Win- Winners don’t do different things, they do things differently” caught my attention and I bought it. The same day after finishing my chores I sat down to read the book and unwind.

                In one sense, You Can Win is a step by steptool to Success, an easy to read, practical, common sense guide that takes us from ancient wisdom to modern day thinking. One thing I like the most about this book is that the author (Shiv Khera) never falls short of providing ways or methods to apply his theory. While reading this book you actually feel like he is talking to you directly trying to explain his theories with the help of stories. From time to time, the book forces the reader to think, introspect and device his/her own plan of action. 

The author has very rightly said that "It is not the polls or public opinions but the character of the leader that determines the course of history." I agree completely with this statement since success comes and goes and so does money,  but character is something which stays with you forever. You may have a lot of money but it is your character that defines the person you are!

  I tried using the 8 step action plan he has mentioned in the book, I wrote them on an index card also but couldn’t keep it up for 21 days, I could follow it only 20% since to follow it completely I would need a constant reminder or a push for the initial 21 days till it becomes habitual, though I did fill in the action plan questionnaire that is available on Pg. 63. It makes us think about our work and answer honestly questions related to the areas we are lacking in or are not paying attention to. The best way to read it is slowly and one chapter at a time, so that the concepts of that chapter are absorbed completely, in plain simple language, do not read the next chapter till you completely understand the previous one and what it tries to impart. The only part I did not like about this book is that it is too long to read and at times it feels like we are being preached!!

 Unlike the many inspiring books available in the market, You Can Win brings meaning to our lives and making work easier for us by simply following and applying his theories in our routine lives.

           In short, You Can Win is a “how-to” book that will take you from dreaming about success to unlocking your potential for success!

It's my BIRTHDAY!!!!!

I was born on February 29th, which I’ve often been told explains a lot about me, which I can only assume is a compliment. All birthdays have their plusses and minuses, but the Leap Year birthday, not unlike the Christmas birthday, or the 9/11 birthday, has a unique subset of them. These include:

1. Close friends and relatives say I'm an overgrown child or maybe even worse than a child where birthdays are considered!!! I know I'm going to turn 31 but actually I'm still a 7 year old...what else can u expect from a 7year old!!!! Yes I'm born in a leap year....29th feb!!!!

Trust me only people born in a leap year know how it feels like when u have to wait for 4 years for your original birthday to come!! 

2. Everyone gets so confused about the date in non-leap years that they end up wishing us for 3 days and so it's a 3 day celebration for 3 years. Forget people, even Facebook gets confused for 3 years about notifying your birthday!!

3. After you turn 21, who cares? All birthdays are are an annual reminder of your impending death and all the friends you no longer keep in contact with. But if your birthday only comes every four years? Suddenly it’s an event. People feel sorry for you. People think you’re entitled to something extra special.  29th February is a date nobody can forget....it's unique!! So no matter whether you are in touch with your friends or no, 29th feb is the day your friends would surely remember you! Your phone gets extra busy receiving calls from long lost friends and relatives on that day!

4. You actually will be a kid all your life and even if u are 40 years old, you can still say you are 10years old and you wouldn't be lying about it!!!! It is the best excuse if u don't have a driving licence(if u know what I mean!!!)

5. You get to have an extra special grand party on your original birthday and nobody can say NO since it comes once in 4 years!!

6.  All kinds of interesting things happen in February. Valentine’s Day. President’s Day. Black History Month. None of these involve me in the slightest, but February in a leap year has ME written all over it....it's MY month and MY birthday.

Yes yes! I know 2015 is NOT a leap year, but hey!! 2016 is not far enough!!!! ;)