Of College, School and Smiles

Hey guys! 

Hope everyone's doing great. My life has been a huge roller coaster lately and even though I get time to post I lack the inspiration at times. Now, when my exams are hardly four days away I feel that I should write (see how weird my brain processes are?) before I get to writing anything let me clear any doubts of any human regarding if college is better than school. No. It is Not. It is so not better. 

Well of course, its more glamorous, and you feel a sense of adulthood when you tell people you're in college, but that's mostly it, no other great perks. It's rather more difficult than school in a way.

 You are just informed about the VAST syllabus, thousand assignments and hundreds of exam. You are responsible for your work.

 Remember those days back in school when the teachers used to correct our "Homework"? Well no one does it in college. Though it is a relief in one sense it is also equally a bane- no one simply cares if you have written anything or not, so when the exams come you're on your own,no one else can be blamed. smart, isn't it? It's fun too.

You have to make your own schedule of study, you HAVE to submit those assignments. No one cares when, how, or where, they just have to magically appear on the teacher's desk on the date of submission. No excuses. This can be done two ways - Either you work on a select portion everyday with a conscious plan of completing it ,or, like me stay up the entire night before the submission day and scribble whatever words related to the topic you can find and pray that your teacher doesn't rusticate you on the grounds of utterly disappointing assignments. Yeah.

Another weird thing about college is that there are no breaks. I mean, hello!? Aren't we humans supposed to eat? College is responsible for half of the malnutrition phases that I mentally imagine myself going through when I'm in the class. What is the use of not assigning breaks? Sure class sessions can be longer and stuff, but wait, if I'm hungry you think I'll be able to focus  in that extended time period ? Let me just eat please! Puh-lease!

A serious thing that troubles me about my college in specific (hope your college doesn't irritate you about this) is the lack of proper sanitation facilities. There are such few open washrooms, the ones that are open are invariably mildly stinky. Though their are more washrooms in the campus they are locked. I did think of going and complaining about it but then I decided that I should inspect all the other washrooms before I do so. So I did. And what I found wasn't pleasing. The washroom was great it had so many facilities, but it wasn't kept that way. It had been littered and dirtied. People had thrown things right on the lid of the dustbin to escape the minute effort of having to lift the lid. So yeah, good hygiene habits and sanitation facilities are very necessary.

But 

Apart from all that college is fun, you have a sense of independence and get to steer your life on your own. So have fun where ever you are whether it's in college or in school, you'll miss it when its over.Smile your way through it all :)

Sunday Morning Strangers

Sunday mornings call for a relax in the daily routine. Sunday also happens to be the day when I have intensive driving session with my instructor. so I wore my running shoes, not because I was going to run but because my instructor prefers to teach me in them.
After a lot of driving, we stopped at a road which was beautifully surrounded by tree and shrubs. After some distance it led to the main road. My instructor stopped the car on my query related to the mechanism by which the brake works. We drew to left and stopped. He drew heavily labelled diagrams  to illustrate the working which were followed by analogies that made it  much more easier for me to grasp the concept. But me, being the kinesthetic personality I am and luckily my instructor was too, we got the car. We opened the bonnet of the car, and were viewing and examining the various parts related to the brake which he had so carefully drawn.
From a distance it must have appeared that two individuals were musing how to fix the car, touching wires and several parts of the engine unable to reach a conclusive decision about how to fix the car and get going.
The road wasn't a busy one, so not many people passed us. some of the passer-bys looked at us with amazement about how could someone possibly get a car broken so early in the day, while few other just gave us sympathetic glances which were supposed to be consoling. Then, just as we finished with the mechanism of the power brake, sir tried to locate it when a motor cycle with two men drew up- probably a father-son duo and muttered some words. The younger one who was driving wore reflectors so I couldn't pinpoint whom he was talking to while the elder looked at me for an answer. I stared at them dumbfounded while sir went on explaining. getting no response, they didn't persist instead left the sight.
After shutting the bonnet, when i began to drive again the words the guy had spoken made a statement in my head which translated to should we fix it for you guys? or call help? I was happy. A random stranger, that too an Indian male (if you know what I mean) had offered to help and that too, without rubbing chauvinism in my face. Getting no answer he didn't shout or do any such thing but rather left the place, that too without swearing abut how stupid people are. pleasant surprise. :)

Dear Stranger,
Thank you for offering to fix my car (and call help if required )while I was studying the engine's parts. I couldn't piece your words together at that moment to comprehend what you exactly meant, but now that I do- here's a big thank you.

Why I Won't #PrayForParis

The devastating attacks on Paris display the mindlessness of terror and its will to just kill. Paris is hurt and heavily bruised, it needs to gather its courage and stand up stronger against terror. The French President, Francois Hollande declared a state of National Emergency in the aftermath of the attacks thus making this the most painful tragedy in the Western World after 9/11. But wait, isn't the world larger than just the Western World?
Shouldn't the Syrian Refugee Crisis be given similar importance? Those refugees are running away from the same terror that France experienced for three hours, only those three hours are 24*7 for them. They are forever uncertain of their life in their own country and have had to leave it in order to just survive. People have left with hardly any material possessions, they gave up their claims on the houses that took them years to build , the play grounds their children grew up in and on all their favorite dinner restaurants and places of worship. They suffer too, I would say more than France, although terror is terror and it is unfair to compare. But no, I will. Terrorized French nationals have a place to go to at night, however the refugees have no proper roof over their heads.
Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East have been burning since several years and yet the leaders of the world refuse to sit down and decide on a foolproof policy to bring about peace.
Beirut suffered heavy bombings two days before the Paris tragedy but not even half of the coverage given to the French attacks by the international media were given to the Beirut bombings. Middle East has been burning, and continues to do so. It is time that we address the issue and not selective victims: terror needs to be minimized if it can not be completely eradicated, countries that are affected by terror need to be shown equal solidarity irrespective of them being third world countries or members of the Big Five.
Also, as Joan Sfar a Charlie Hebdo cartoonist points out, "Pray for Paris" is a misnomer. We don't need more religion. The people who carried out the inhumanly attacks were too driven by religion (on a level of fanaticism). Religion is not the answer, faith, love and support, I feel are the answers, not only for Paris but for the entire world today.
So when you update your status on the numerous social networking sites today, remember to hash-tag them with love and support, not only for Paris but also for the entire world. :)

This Identity?

Give yourself a fictitious identity
And live it for a few days.
See the world through those eyes.

Feel the fears, the cheers, the love and the hate.
Laugh at every moment you wish to, 
And dance when ever the music demands.
Be spontaneous. Make friends, appreciate art, cry about the things that worry you.

Love like you've never loved before, 
Like you have only few days on this planet to exist,
To distribute the limitless amount of love you've been gifted with.

Be a traveler on a path you've always been a tourist on.
Make the mistakes you always wanted to.
Be afraid of nothing and live like there actually is no tomorrow.

Stay up all night. 
Talk about stardust, fairies, molecules and pizza.
Tell your deepest secrets, feel fully your inhibitions.
Realize that both you and the night are only as old as you want it to be.

Talk non-stop but enjoy also the few moments of silence when the world slows down,
And it feels like the time has frozen.
Notice the leaves, the puddles, the grass below your feet.

Meet strangers- confide in them your troubles, your dreams and aspirations.
Listen to them too- to their worries, happiness and musings.
And then go away from them, 
Like a minute of an hour that never returns.

Stay away from people,
Or stay with them,
But don't lose yourself.
Remind yourself of your importance,
Of how you are an entire universe within yourself.

Live the fictitious identity any way you wish,
Be someone you don't know,
Or someone you want to know,
Or be someone you've always known.

#Let'sTalkAbout-- Depression

I'm a Psychology student. One of my family members suffered from Depression. None of us have any feeling of guilt or embarrassment in talking about it. Depression has nothing to do with how strong one is, rather the strongest are those who admit to need of help and not they, who sit around and declare them to me mad. In India, there are social stigmas attached to several things one of which is depression. Why? I ask. When there is no stigma around having any physical disease then why is having a curable mental illness stigmatized?
Friends try to brush away the topic or at declare one to be attention-hungry and thus "Doing drama". But Depression is not drama, nor is it seeking attention, it is not anything an ill-informed prejudiced person tells you; It is-
A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts. It interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her.
A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Depression is a common but serious illness, and most people who experience it need treatment to get better. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression.
Depression can sometimes occur without any apparent cause, other times it may be triggered by a traumatic experience. Studies also blame certain genes for pre-disposing people to depression. 

India has the most number of depressed people in the World, it also has the highest Suicide rate in the world. As early as 2011, 36% of the nation was suffering from Depression, in 2012 over 2,50,000 individuals committed suicide. And yet, talking openly about depression is a taboo in the country. While people have no qualms in visiting a doctor when they have cold n cough, people hesitate largely to visit a psychologist when they feel they have a mental ailment as they consider it to be a fruit of their own minds and thoughts thus holding themselves responsible.
Indians, generally, do not wish to discuss the topic of depression due to the outdated orthodox belief that if someone is suffering from it he/she must be mad. Many people are apprehensive about consulting a doctor for their mind, as they are afraid of being judged not only by the society at large but also by their own family members.
This however needs to be changed. The topic of Depression needs to be de-stigmatized.
Depression is just another disease, and like any other ailment can be cured by medicines if one consults a doctor at the right time. The hush-hush discussions about depression need to be done openly without any shame. The patients needs to be convinced that it is not their fault, and that having depression does not imply that they are mad. We need to broaden our mindsets to accommodate the simple fact that mental ailments are not a cause for ostracizing people or to gossip about them. Mental ailments need to accepted like any physical ailment would be, and be treated.
A nation of 1.2 billion people deserves to talk openly about mental illnesses the way it would about any physical illness.

Back From The Break

Hey guys! Its been so long since I posted something. My last post was in April, after I had my board exams, then I was basically relaxing and relaxing. Break's still on but I can stay away from blogging no more... How have you guys been? let me know in the comments!
I've had several moments when I thought I want to blog about this or that, but I forgot soon enough. I'm telling you, if you don't code your ideas the moment they occur to you, you'll lose them.

There are still a couple of things I'd like to share.

My boards went great. I'm so happy with my results- I beat my old score and that's all that matters to me. Everyone I know has been so appreciative and proud, however I couldn't have done it without them. Sometimes we let success knock out common sense and replace it with useless pride and arrogance, I refuse to do that to myself. Especially because I know that when I was sick, I had people taking care of me, when I got hospitalized people came to visit me, motivate me and put the belief in me that I was gonna give my pending exams and perform amazingly. That was Needed. The day the scores came out I was in a train traveling to my uncle's place to give them a surprise visit, so when my best friend rang I was expecting a declaration of my results in percentage, but the news was different. Apparently I had topped, I don't know why i didn't rejoice, I wasn't sad but then I wasn't jubilant about it too. Indifferent is the word. I just sat there and smiled, that's how happy I was, only a smile. when I now think about it I think it was because my goal was never to beat person X or Y but to beat my own previous score and having done that all other laurels were inconsequential to my personal happiness.

My friends complain I don't contact them- but do they? I'm the kind of person who will climb all the stairs at the railway station despite being strongly advised against it if I have a friend to see off. I did that too. It's just that I'm at a point where I believe that the people who want to be in my life will always find a way to, and those who don't- will always find excuses to blame me for the failed relationship with them . I'm not saying I'm against communication, I'm just saying that it does not always need to be me who has to communicate, you can do it too. I'm not going to call you if you don't pick up my call or call back after seeing my many missed calls. Also I don't like negative people in my life there is absolutely no space for them. I've met people who'll bitch about their supposed best friend and then when you raise a truthful issue about how distant they are from each other will say "We are closer than we appear" . Yeah, right. These people live in Garbs of Pretension and will criticize any thing anyone else does. I've realized now that one doesn't need to be loved widely as much one needs to be loved deeply. I have a very small group of friends whom I absolutely love (and they do too), I am oblivious to the rest of the world- I don't care if someone is partying in Switzerland or calling me kiddish. Firstly they don't know me well enough to be true, Secondly their verdict doesn't makes me something I'm not or take away from me some quality I have. It only proves how important my existence is to them. I give important people importance, only.

Another funny thing that happened to me showed me how inadequate people feel about themselves. I have this childhood acquaintance who gave the board exams this year along with me. When the results came I happily told her about mine, and so did she. Much later I figured out that she was lying about her results- She had gotten much lower than she actually told everybody. I never said a word to anyone, how could I if it maintained her peace? She never congratulated me about my results, it was okay. Then yesterday while I was shaking hands with one of my ex-classmates who referred to me as Topper, she butt in and tried to paint a poorer picture of me and my marks. I didn't retort, i didn't even look at her but at that moment I realized how inadequate, unhappy she was with her life. Running down people and lying about her own reality kept her happy, What a Pity. She had no constructive source of happiness and found pleasure living a fake life so that she could paint a prettier picture of herself to the world. Such people need to be handled well, or even better- ignored. live your life guys, don't bother about barking dogs who seldom bite.

                                                   Have a Great day !

Six Random Things About Me

1. I might be the president of the USA some time 

Going by the fact that four out of the last five US presidents were lefties, I might end up in the Oval Office too but that is after assuming that US will be willing to change its laws about future naturalized citizens being eligible to run for President-ship just for my sake.

2. starts with Q, ends with A
I love love love Quora. it has answers to almost anything you want! Want to know why eating chocolate makes us happy or what are some stupid and illogical ideas we have blindly copied from the west? Ask Quora. Also the whole site is free from rude and anger filled youngsters posting slang or countering your view for just the sake of it.

3. You might not always find me on Facebook
I find Facebook restrictive. I know, I know it makes no sense but then I DO find it restrictive like why do I just have an option to 'like' something? Why cant I love it or hate it? Why do I have to know about what's happening in others lives from a website and not from the person in person? I often deactivate my account and after Quora I deactivate it Very often.

4.I'm not a party person
Just the fact that I spent my new year shut in my house, reading poetry should be enough but that's not all! When my friends were (and are) actively making plans about outings I told them blatantly that if I was sleeping at the time of the action Do Not Wake Me Up. yeah, I'm that weird. But if it were a poetry reading or something like a trip to the library or to ANY sports field I'd be ready in no time.

5.  I like mountains, snow, and cold weather
That's supposed to be self explanatory now!

6. I love sports, any sport
Name it and i already love it... Except maybe rugby and WWE (if that's a sport). I might not be able to predict successfully which team will win the next Football World Cup but I'll never ever be so ignorant that I make Manchester United win the World Cup (you get what i mean?) And well in lawn tennis, I might even tell you the next grand slam winners.

  

Travel, Just Travel.

Travel my dear child, from this end of the world to the other,
and then realize that there is no end- the world is round.

Travel meet new people and hear their stories and realize that everyone though has different embellishments the emotions are same.Travel, climb mountains, ford streams, chase rainbows
and then realize the climb is the same.
Travel, breathe in the air of different places, of cold lands and that of hot ones and then realize that you just breathe it in,
Travel, wear different dresses and accessories, roam around in them, then realize that every cloth is for covering one's body
Travel, learn new languages, speak them, realize that they express the same emotions in every language.

Travel, play new games and indulge in varied sports and then realize that all of them are for the purpose of human fitness and entertainment,
Travel, see new roads and lanes, follow them or let them follow you endlessly, and realize that they take you only where you want to go, all of them.
Travel, look out at the trees, observe their minute differences, then realize how man everywhere has used them to his own benefit,
Travel, look at the different animals, see them walk around, realize all exist for the purpose of existing,
Travel, see different lands, high and low, and realize that ultimately you walk on them or at least desire to.

Travel, go to new countries, live in their environment,  then realize that no country is free from troubles and all of them are trying to tackle them,
Travel, see new pieces of art, appreciate them, and realize that they are all expressions of human intellect and are all inter twined,
Travel, eat different foods, relish them, and then realize that they all exist to satisfy man's hunger.

Travel, see buildings, malls, schools, shops, realize their importance in our everyday life.
Travel, look at the mountains, rivers, falls, clouds, feel them and realize that nature has its own way of expressing its love and intellectual capacities.

Travel my dear child, feel new emotions, make memories, capture them.
Let them become a part of the mosaic that you are.

And then realize they made you a richer and better person.

Let's be Happy!

Hey guys! 
This is just a tiny notification to make you guys aware that the title of the blog has been changed from My Happy Happening Life to Happy Happening Life :) 
Keep dropping by for newer post   and   have a Happy Day! :D

P.S. My pre-boards got over today. *jumping with joy*