It was just another lazy Sunday. I lay in my sponge holder, staring at the ceiling. The house was silentâno clatter of breakfast plates, no hurried footsteps, no mad dash to catch school buses or trains. A rare day off for everyone, including me.
But the sight of the dusty kitchen gnawed at me. Crumbs on the counter, grease on the stove, and dishes piled up in the dishwasherâit was chaos! If only I could move, I thought. Iâd sweep the counters, unload the dishwasher, stack the utensils, and shine the stove. Instead, I sighed and turned toward the window, trying to fall back asleep.
Thatâs when it happened. A single ray of sunlight pierced through the window, landing directly on me. Warmth spread from my scrub to my handle, and suddenly, I was weightless.
Before I could process what was happeningâBAM!âthe light disappeared, but I was still floating. Energy buzzed through me like Iâd been plugged into a power source.
âWell, no time to question miracles,â I muttered. I grabbed a dollop of dish soap and flipped onto the stove, scrubbing vigorously from left to right. Grease stains melted away as I danced across the surface like a gymnast. Then, I swung over to the dishwasher, popped it open, and expertly stacked the clean utensils into their rightful places. Landing on the floor, I began a full-on cleaning spree, spinning and twirling to the beat of the latest pop song stuck in my head.
The kitchen sparkled, but I wasnât done. With the parents snoozing in their room and the kids snuggled in their bunk beds, I thought, Why not aim for the stars? Letâs clean the living room!
But Iâd forgotten one being, Bruno.
As I tiptoed into the living room, I spotted him snoring on the rug. Perfect! I hopped onto the floor, ready to tackle the mess, but just as I turned back, I froze. Brunoâs sleepy eyes opened, one at a time, locking onto me.
âUh-oh,â I whispered.
With a low growl, Bruno sprang to his feet. I darted onto a chair, then swung onto the showcase, narrowly dodging his snapping jaws. He barked furiously, his paws thudding like tiny earthquakes. Just when I thought Iâd be reduced to shreds, Brunoâs fluffy toy rolled into view. Instantly distracted, he pounced on it, giving me the perfect opportunity to retreat.
Breathing heavily, I leapt back into the kitchen and slid into my holder, pretending to nap like nothing had happened.
Moments later, Mama shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. She glanced around, noticing the spotless counters and gleaming stove. âHuh,â she muttered. âGuess I cleaned all this last night⊠after that second glass of wine.â She chuckled and walked away, none the wiser.
As for me, I nestled back into my holder, basking in my secret triumph. After all, even a sponge can be a hero when no oneâs watching.
I recently met a highly effing cute kid at a family function. The kind of cuteness where you just feel like eating up the munchkin. I admired him, giggled at the way he spoke, the way he mischievously laughed - despite his mom scolding and the way he hugged, also not to forget his tininess.
After playing and getting pampered by each relative, it was his bed time. However, the little boy wished to play with his favorite car and resisted sleep. Mothers being mothers gave in to his demand but on one condition - âOnly for 10 minutes!â
Lately, after noticing him & other such kids, Itâs given that when a kid demands something, you get it for him without a thought, without any hesitation - then why don't we love and pamper ourselves as much. Why don't we demand things from ourselves as much and give into them?
Earlier, when in dilemma, I used to think from the perspective of - âIf I were my granny, what would I do?â
 The reason why Iâd think of âGrannyâ is to make myself realize if 50 years from now - would I still make the decision Iâm about to make? How much would it even matter in the long run? Could there be some different perspective Iâm missing out on? Would I still prefer to be in my current angry mood?, etc.
I believe itâs time to add one more perspective - âBe your own child.â To be spontaneous. To honor yourself. More importantly, just fulfill your own wishes. I know we can go crazy, but write down all those thoughts, ponder over them if you may and give it a shot. Donât give in to procrastination or whatever is stopping you, thereâs always a workaround. Ask yourself - âWould you do this for your child?â Most of the times, your answer will be Yes, and if itâs a No, well, then just hop on to the next wish. :)
Mondays can be dreaded for many reasons. Weekend ends. Work begins. Deadlines appear. Hustle begins. On one such Monday morning, where I was routinely running late, I got the red light for 180 seconds. After shooing off the beggar, my mind started to wander. Looking outside I noticed a flock of crows. They were speeding right above my head, and all I could do was just envy them. Envy them for surpassing the traffic, without any hassle, without waiting for fucking 180 seconds. In my mind, I wished I had wings, wings which would let me fly so that I needn't crawl.
To my right was a small 3 storeyed vintage building with cracks filled by fungii. It's colour must have been yellow, which now looks like a pale cream after decades. Yet, on the second floor, what I found peculiarly beautiful was a small birdhouse vividly painted with a coat of bright yellow and blue. The walls of the birdhouse had small square windows to it, the front wall had a typical hole and a small stick attached to it's front.
While noticing it, I wondered how long till sparrows become extinct too? Would there be any sparrow residing inside? And at that very moment, a sparrow flies with sticks of hay in her beak. A sparrow so tiny that she'd fit in my hand if she came flying to me. The sparrow keeps the twigs inside and comes out of the house, chirping. Chirping incessantly as if celebrating what all she got. After observing her for a while, I start enjoying her twitter-y chirping, her song. The petite little sparrow seemed so much at ease on this very hustling Monday. Her carefree singing gave a happy-go-lucky and a feel good vibe. Just staring at her, made me forget everything else for that moment. I'm sure, she must be having her own set of problems yet she was there enjoying like she doesn't care who's looking - treating the morning as a blessing.
I swiftly moved ahead as the signal turned green, with a smile on my face and unknowingly started humming. That's when I realized how caught up we get in our day to day chaos. I quickly made a mental note to myself - to observe things around, and to not rush. Afterall these moments are the ones, which make us smile, which make up life.Â
I don't know what to ask. Just want to say this is really a great work. I am just starting to read thnd yours is the first thing i am reading. Thank you Ruchita.
âI wish I would have acted differently⊠â - Everyone I know. A thought, which has struck almost everyone till now at least once.
Talking about a movie I watched tonight, âAbout Timeâ, portrays a beautiful picture of a guy who had the luck to travel back in time.
The movie pops the bubble of how things somehow work as they are destined to, and only sometimes how you actually want it to (after a lot of hassle) despite of your superpower!
And when thereâs a lot of time travelling happening, back and forth and again back to rectify things on the other end and then again forth, Tim (lead) eventually cherishes the present day and offers us this one wise quote,
 âI just try to live everyday as if Iâve deliberately come back to this one, to enjoy it, as if it was the final full day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.â
As much as I do not want to let out any spoilers from this post, I must tell youâll how the movie slowly grasps you, teaches you and eventually, leaves nothing but tears in your eyes.
After being recommended by one of my colleague, and being equally intrigued by the name, I decided to read A Manâs Search for Meaning. And was it worth it? Sau Pratishat. The book is narrated by Viktor E. Frankl, the survivor of Nazi concentration camp who lived to tell the tale. The book is divided in two parts. First part elaborates the suffering he goes through during the concentration camp. Whereas second part, speaks of the his learning & his theory, Logotherapy.
Talking about the writing style, it is as good as someone holding your hand and taking you through. The story of our author begins from being a laborer in a camp despite of his previous identity, a psychiatrist. Because, in a concentration camp, you're just a number. The author being in one of the dangerous camps, narrates the different facets of an individual which he witnessed during his stay. Especially, when one confronts death, or when the realization sinks in of loss of their identity, or the vulnerabilities one goes through when bare necessities like food, piece of a clothing and medicines seem like luxury.
Witnessing all this, lead to a ton of learnings for our psychiatrist which lead him to form his own theory, (Logotherapy). One of my favorite quote in which he uses his suffering as a metaphor is:
"Yet it is possible to practice the art of living even in a concentration camp, although suffering is omnipresent. To draw an analogy: a manâs suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little. Therefore the âsizeâ of human suffering is absolutely relative."
As much as I enjoyed the first part, the second part hit me with quotes which still amaze me when I read.Â
âLive as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!â It seems to me that there is nothing which would stimulate a manâs sense of responsibleness more than this maxim, which invites him to imagine first that the present is past and, second, that the past may yet be changed and amended. Such a precept confronts him with lifeâs finiteness as well as the finality of what he makes out of both his life and himself."
Apart from the struggle of keeping your mind distracted in the camp when giving up on life is just a mere thought away, the author mentions how strongly, 'Love' played a part in his survival, despite being alone throughout.Â
In context of strength which came through imagining conversations with his beloved:- "Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self. Whether or not he is actually present, whether or not he is still alive at all, ceases somehow to be of importance."
I wouldn't say this book changed my life, but it definitely redefined few things for me. And lastly, a quote which reverberates in hills & in my tiny heart, too.
"Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality."
I shall end by saying, if you're going to read only one book a year, make sure it is this one!
Who says money canât buy happiness? There are several moments when it struck me, "This is the best one-time investment". Â And it frequently happens, when I read on my Kindle. I definitely love Paperbacks, the smell of the pages and the beautiful crimson tinge which reveals the age of the book. But, I have to admit I love Kindle. Maybe, more.
To begin with, I read a fair share of paperbacks, but do you sometimes just worry about the thickness of the book and it feels like you have an Everest to climb. Well, let me introduce you to one of the best parts of Kindle, which I realised recently. I completed Life of Pi and I took less than 6 days to devour the 450+ pages book. For me, this is comparatively a good reading speed. How I could complete it swiftly, sums up to 2 reasons:
The thickness isnât visible! Mentally, youâre just looking forward for the next page and you arenât constantly reminded of the 450 pages because you cannot feel it, physically.
You can read it in the night till 1 and obey your parents by turning lights off at 12. If you keep the brightness of your Kindle, to 4â5 it actually feels like a paper! Thanks to the e-ink. Now, if you think of it thatâs a considerable addition to your reading time.
Leaving apart those two beautiful aspects of it, what I also love about Kindle is, tapping a word for its meaning. Itâs helpful, and it also saves all those words you searched for.
Next would be highlighting text. Until Kindle, I use to manually jot down some of the well-written lines or quotes in a book. No, Iâm not lying. I still have that book. But now, its not that frequently updated because Kindle, letâs you highlight your favourite dialogue or quotes.
And along with being an âAvid readerâ if youâre also an âAvid Buyerâ then books for Kindle are always a little cheaper :D
These are the highlights which will make your Kindle worth your penny. After owning it for more than a year, I finally admit, I love Kindle, too.
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
âI've read autobiographies before but they did not intrigue me as much as this one, the best part about this book is that it's not self boasting.
Malala has presented the situation of Pakistan in a most straight forward manner and still have highlighted how the smallest things had gotten affected because of Taliban or the terrorism prevailing in the country. There is a particular excerpt which really gives you a glimpse of it, which goes as below:
"One day I saw my little brother Atal digging furiously in the garden. 'What are you doing?' I asked him. 'Making a grave' he said. Our news bulletins were full of killing and death so it was natural for Atal to think of coffins and graves. Instead of hide and seek & cops and robbers, children were now playing Army vs. Taliban."
After reading this book, I have a different picture of Pakistan which is accompanied with sympathy. It has made me realise that there are so many unnoticed things which we take for granted. Things like freedom to roam in your hometown without worrying about someone shooting you, freedom to dress as per one's will, and lastly getting education regardless of gender.
About the book, it manages to deliver the ambience of SWAT, but it also scares you with the stories of Taliban and their ruling terror. The best part about the book for me would be the thoroughly provided information about the small and big events. I never thought it would make me interested in History but it did. :) Overall, the book is an interesting read, as many a times, I halted while reading just to regain myself from the cruelty mentioned in it. Lastly, I'd recommend this book, not because I'm a fan of hers, but because this book engages you end-to-end.
View all my reviews
I recently gave my final exams of Spanish (Level 1). The written exams were on Saturday and the orals along with presentations were on Sunday. Me and my friends had done group studies in the library and yes, we did sincerely study. The written exams, did not go as good as expected considering the tests weâd given online and the preparations weâd done. While I was wondering that how despite of the preparations the paper did not go in accordance with what Iâd thought, a sudden philosophical thought struck me:-
âWhat if in the exam of life, you feel youâve underperformed when you die?â
I recently stumbled upon an article titled 100 Pieces of Advices by 100 Year Olds and after reading all the tips, some of them particularly stayed with me. One of them being: âDo one thing each day that is just for you.â
After contemplating, I could not really think of any answer which wasn't involved in my work. But it later struck me that I read, daily. I love to read. Isn't that a thing which I love to do for myself.
What is your one thing that you do daily for yourself?
Recently, there was a farewell for one of my colleague named Maria. She was moving to another city, hence the switch. On her farewell, before we could start with the cake smashing was the programme of shedding tears (Not literally). Colleagues appreciated her work throughout the tenure and the kind of mannerisms she had. Instances were shared which spoke about her charm and the way she stirred laughter in any conversation. Everyone gave heartfelt wishes for her new beginning. She too shared a poem which she had written making us all emotional. Thatâs when a thought which had struck me few days back, got clarity.Â
In the tenure of life, you donât know if youâll be able to give a person his farewell. You donât know if you will leave them with sweet memories.
This reminds me of a post with a beautiful saying by HONY. Unfortunately, I cannot find it. But, hereâs a quote which will fill itâs place:Â
âBeginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do so with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.â - O. G. Mandino
 I would like to give you a thought to ponder as I conclude, have you noticed one thing when you talk to others? It is nothing but the reflection of yourself in their eyes. :)Â
I really don't believe in the concept of Multitasking. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying it eventually consumes more time and helps less to easily complete tasks. That maybe because the time to adjust from one task to another and then back to the previous one is something which isunnoticed yet is of a considerable amount.
I specially realized this when I was asked to shift from PC to Laptop at my workplace. The laptop which was handed over to me had just 2GB of RAM! Let me tell you, if you give me a article to read now, there are high chances that I will pin it and read it later. So, at any given point of time my chrome had at least 5 pinned tabs excluding the regular ones like GMail, Facebook, Tweetdeck, etc. I did not realize these pinned tabs could be such a big concern on the laptop!
My laptop used to freeze when tried opening a new tab because of them. I thought I should close all the unused tabs, tabs which I am not working on and only keep the required tabs. Although, the laptop was slowly now adapting to my pace from its turtle like speed. It made me realize of this learning:
We have a lot of tabs in our mind, too! It is best to concentrate on one work i.e ignore all the other tabs and complete that one work. Do not move away from the task (here: tab) until and unless its really something important. Well, it sounds so easy but in reality it's the exact opposite because the mind keeps you reminding about the other tabs i.e unfinished tasks and seek attention. Someone said it correct, humans have monkey minds! We just jump from one thing to another to another.
One way to tame your monkey mind would be writing down the tasks which you are supposed to do. Writing really helps! I wouldn't say a 'To-Do' list but a 'Should-Do' list inspired from the book, One Thing! ;) Just the change in the title makes me more accountable I feel :)
And secondly, I also like to time myself for a task. Nothing stringent, but completing a task in an allotted time gives a happy feeling and you know what's keeping you busy the most, too.
Too much gyaan? If a watermelon can teach me life's philosophy then why not a laptop? :P Well, a laptop which acts like its about to die every few minutes and freezes can sometimes really give you time to ponder on life and your work. Anyways, like there are happy endings, I too have one - My laptop's RAM got upgraded and now I can go back to opening multiple tabs. Haha. Just Kidding. Close the tabs and Focus!
I recently came across a picture on my Facebook timeline, which said, if you love a particular book - Commit one sentence of it to a memory. That way, one won't forget the language of the story. I celebrated my 22nd birthday on 15th Jan, and had completed Siddhartha by Herman Hesse just a day before it. I came across many, many astonishing quotes in it which I found were so relevant even in today's world.
So, as per the picture - I would like to attach only one sentence of it to my ever lasting memory gifted to me by friends on my birthday. This isn't a glorious one but it stayed with me and I could so strongly relate to it.
These words were spoken by Siddhartha to his friend Govinda, "Words do not express thoughts very well. They become a little distorted, a little foolish." This is the exact line which struck me when it came to thanking my friends, when I was showered by wishes & gifts! I felt like birthdays are a small reminder to see how many awesome people you've earned in your life. :)
Here's a collage of all the awesome people of my life:
Today, I'm writing something which is a little different from the genre of my blog. I write this more in terms of Social Awareness. Trying to make people aware of eating healthy and being concerned about what you eat.Â
Recently, when I was returning from office. I saw school kids loitering around, eating unhealthy samosas and other snacks from the street vendors. I noticed and went to the juice seller who was besides them. After gorging the snacks, they stood besides me and ordered for Sodas. When I sipped my carrot-beet juice, I enjoyed these guys doing some serious discussion on what soda flavour to order. Did you guys know they also have a beer flavor in it! I couldn't help overhearing, but when one of their friend wanted a apple milkshake, he was made fun of as he is a kid who still drinks milk. This whole scenario disturbed me, worried me about the future of these kids.Â
I wondered if these kids are misguided on healthy foods? Or is it the way the society portrays this junk food makes them want to deny Indian healthy food. Let's say, McDonald would be something they would prefer rather than eating a dosa or uthapa. That's because of the added MSG and the sugar in the Coke gave them a rush which a Dosa or Uthapa would fail to do. Mom's ranting about their kids not completing their Tiffin is almost an age old problem now. Is there no solution to this. Perhaps there is, Why cannot mom's make frankies with healthy stuffings? Use oats in burger patties? Or like they always do make your dish visually appealing and you are sorted!
We can perhaps even ask this question to the vendors! But they might purse their lips as using good quality would make them to cutback their profits which they do not want to. So even though they know it's unhealthy, they will sell you. Because you are the reason they are earning. A quick example of this would be to inquire in every restaurant, street side stall or any chat vendor - What oil they use? Most of them will use refined oil instead of filtered oil. Refined oil is cheaper but bad for your health. But the point the vendor is concerned about is 'Money' and refined oil being cheaper he will use that.
I have two cute nieces and recently when I visited their place, my younger nice wasn't feeling well. Doctors said, She had stomach infection. It felt as if the whole house had fallen ill. My granny suggested having nice warm water with garlic crushed in it and other herbal ingredients. I wondered, if only she had been cautious while she was eating the junk. That's when I thought how kids actually add life to our house and the lives of almost everyone. Imagine a school which has pin drop silence, which our teachers ask. It would be a nightmare! That's when I've realized it's important for these kids to stay healthy. It's important we as adults make the necessary changes in their diet!
Although, I wrote this post for "A Healthy Child Makes A Happy Home" prompt for the contest by Dabur Chyawanprash in association with IndiBlogger. I strongly believe that it is necessary for children and parents to make better eating decisions, Choose what's healthy and perhaps, do a little research on the actual ingredients. I would end on a statement which I came across few days back.
"Do not eat what your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food"
Has it ever struck to you - the friend with whom you were holding hands while wandering, or the couple who was sitting together in a garden corner, kissing and cuddling without a care in the world, or the people whom we just ignore while crossing roads.
Have you noticed them deeply enough? Enough to look into their eyes, to notice them, and think that, "Here is a beautiful soul." And to this, you need not think about the deeds or actions the person did in the past or the expectations you hold for the future. Just, look into their eyes and see, because they, My friend are a symbol of commitment,understanding, just like you are - a symbol of your parents love. A symbol of the union of two souls.
Notice this, and remember, each one of us is a symbol of Love. :)
Ramblings by Wordswali @ruchitam - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
