Life is a Roller Coaster

Oct 11, 2020 | 13 comments

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Life is like a roller coaster. You must have heard it. People say that life is a roller coaster because it has it’s ups and downs and spins and its own twists.

Well I’m saying pretty much the same thing. Except that there’s an extension to this.

Imagine this –

You are in an adventure park. You are just finishing up on your snacks and deciding upon which roller coaster to ride next. Your eyes move from your left to your right and to your left scanning the area. And you land up on a not-too-big-not-too-small sized red roller coaster behind a themed restaurant with a fair amount of twists and turns, nothing too extreme.

You head towards it because there’s no reason to delay it.

Since you are not visiting the park during the peak season, you don’t have to wait in any lines and can even do some rides multiple times (that’s super lucky).

So you jump in the roller coaster seat and sit with your roller coaster buddy. The ride technician puts down the over-the-shoulder restraint and you hear it click, which means you’re ready to go. Woohoo!

The technician counts down from three to one and your seat starts moving.

The cart begins moving slowly towards your left.

You shut your eyes and expect it to pick up speed.

But for some reason it doesn’t. You wait for a few more seconds with your eyes closed thinking that maybe you expected it to pick up speed too fast.

But it still doesn’t.

Within a fraction of seconds, you think about opening your eyes to see what’s wrong, not wanting to witness a technical difficulty.

When you do open your eyes there is one good news and one bad news awaiting you.

The good news – there’s no technical difficulty.

The bad news – there’s a 21 meter absolutely vertical hill waiting for you. That is as nearly long as a fricking cricket pitch. And it is ABSOLUTELY UPRIGHT. You just didn’t see it because of the damned restaurant in front of it.

What do you do now?! There’s absolutely no way that you can stop this roller coaster at this moment. You can’t just jump off it either, because if you do and not die somehow, your mom will kill you for doing this. So either way, you’re dead.

The only you can do is sit there quietly making noise and enjoying the heck out of it. You can see the entire amusement park from the top of the vertical hill and it feels absolutely uh-mazing.

You actually do that and enjoy the roller coaster so much that you are up for redos reredos of the ride.

What you just imagined was an actual roller coaster experience from my perspective from when I was in a theme park in Dubai. I was there almost the same day as today last year. (Don’t mind me, I’m just a little nostalgic here from my trip)

As much fun it was, I also realised another reason for calling life a roller coaster while sitting in it and going towards the vertical cricket pitch.

Sometimes when you come on the ride of life, you get things you didn’t agree to or didn’t even know about (I definitely did not know there was going to be a 21 meter high vertical slope). Instead you get something different altogether. Sometimes you get thrown in situations without even wanting to. In such cases, all you can do is hold tight and enjoy the roller coaster (of course, unless you can get it stopped. Jumping is not really safe). You might even wanna ride it again.

Huh! Never thought I’d learn such deep things while sitting in a roller coaster.

Also here’s a visualisation of the experience I just narrated. Give it a read again and watch this video to know yourself how steep and high the slope was.

A Request

Tomorrow it will be exactly 6 months since I published my first blog post, “The Reason Why Chocobar is Underrated”. I’d like to know how much I’ve grown from there and I need your help to know that. If you’ve read this post or any other one or liked anything about my blog, drop an “I” in the comments below to let me know. That way I’ll know where and how far this blog is reaching. It would mean the world to me. Thank you for your love and support 😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️

Being a Kid For the Weekend

Oct 4, 2020 | 4 comments

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Yes. It happens. The world just doesn’t seem so colorful. Things don’t seem as magical as they used to.

It is really easy to lose your sense of wonder in this daily grind. The world is just so big and powerful and overwhelming and there are so many better people than you out there. It is really easy not to be curious about things, even if there is so much to know.

Has everyone lost their child-like enthusiasm or it is just me?

The answer — pretty much everyone has lost that level of enthusiasm for things.

Honestly, it’s been so long since we’ve felt like a child that we’ve forgotten what it is to be one.

Let’s revisit being a child, shall we?

What it’s like being a kid?

The first part of feeling like a kid is that you do not need to act or be very serious all the time just because you are in a bigger body than you were in earlier or have gone from distributing toffees to giving treats, does not mean you need to be serious all the time. Who are you, Severus Snape?

The next trait reminds me of all the times I took restaurants and mall for granted 😭😭😭

Remember eating at your table chatting away with your family and then a small kid comes to you offering you one of the french fries. You would be lying if you say this doesn’t melt your heart. This is one of a kid’s amazing traits. They aren’t afraid to go and talk to strangers. It’s like talking to strangers, and people in general is what they live for.

As angelic as they are, they are also very persistent in what they want. And they won’t stop until they get it. Plus, they don’t have any inhibitions for things that haven’t happened yet. They won’t just decide that they’re not gonna get the remote from the shelf before they even try getting it. And even if they do have a problem getting it, they’ll put all the effort from their head to their tiny toes.

Feeling fresh and showered with memories and joy? Feeling like going back to your childhood. Well it’s not very tough.

Why be like a child?

Because you feel nice. And free from stress of the future. Duh.

How to be a kid?

This is the easiest part. And the fun-est. Obviously.

Run in an open area and maybe even fall down

Falling down is so fun, I can’t even tell you. Sometime back, I fell down and my first reaction was to laugh, that too like a maniac. It sounds crazy, but try it. It’ll hurt less, and give you more joy.

Jump

Just jump. Up and down. Left and right. And even go to a trampoline park. Going to one is the possibly the most refreshing experience one could have. I went to one in Dubai (where my younger cousins made sure I do not sit with the elders and be a kid) and I was renewed, one could say. I felt free to do so many things. To do the epic jump on the bed that we’ve all wanted to do forever. Yeah, I really did that there. I walked on a beam and intentionally jumped down just to land in the sea of foam cubes. When was the last time you did something like that?

(you won’t believe it but it really took me whole 6 minutes to get out of the sea of foam)

Plus, jumping on a trampoline is good for your health too. So it’s a win-win 😉

Blow bubbles in your milkshake

It is literally what is written. Do it. It’s fun.

Enjoy the pleasure of a swing

Feel the wind on your face, look at the trees and imagine yourself to be in a movie. I know all of us do that.

Be with a kid

This will give the most accurate portrayal of what it is to be a kid. You’ll see that kids think in a completely different way than we do. Maybe, you’ll learn from kids along the way, as they learn from us.

And remember to –

“Grow up. Not old.”

So go out there and be kid for the weekend. Cause you got work on Monday then.

Let me know what makes you feel the most child-like.

Also, here’s a bonus for you. Since you stuck around till now, here’s a short clip of me struggling to get out of the foam cube pit while getting irritated by my sister (the story of my life). Because why not? It’s not that I have not embarrassed myself enough.

All that You Can Do Just by Thinking

Sep 27, 2020 | 12 comments

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Has someone ever told you “Sochne se kya hota hai? (What does one achieve by thinking?)”? Well I’d like to tell you that sochne se sab ho jaata hai (everything can be achieved by thinking). Of course there needs to be implementation too, but thinking of something or coming up with an idea is the earliest step. Here are two stories to give you an idea of how much your mere intentions matter.

Some of my close friends know this story. This one is quite unrealistic honestly. Two years back in 9th grade, my school trust was arranging an exchange programme to Australia. Students from two of our school branches would be going. I was all up for it and gave my name. I was pretty sure that I would go since I even had the visa with me already because I had gone to Australia earlier the same year. However, because of seats being filled up early, I couldn’t go. My teacher consoled me, “Don’t worry Jiski kismat mein jahan khana khana likha hota hai, woh wahi khaata hai. (One eats where he is destined to eat.)”

Let me tell you, I was devastated to say the least. Somehow, I got completely over it in about three or so days. I was like it’s fine. I’ll try next year maybe.

On 28th July, my mum and dad ask me, “Do you want to go to Australia?” I’m like “Yeah. But what’s the point of asking now? It’s not like I could go.”

“Actually, your mam called. She said there has been a cancellation of a student from the other branch and they’d prefer if you since you have the visa and the students leave for the trip in a week.”

And that’s the story of the most spontaneous non-road trip I’ve ever had.

Now, the other one might not be as extreme as this one. But this was just to show the potential of your intentions for something.

I had asked a question to my English teacher during the online class. She had simply said she’d look it up and answer it later during the day. Fair enough. I moved on with my normal day. Eat lunch, study, find online quizzes, do online quizzes, find online quizzes for your sister, send her the online quizzes. You know, just the usual. But what do you do when you give your sister work to do but she is still stuck to her laptop? You ask her, cause you can’t do something else or mom will confiscate your laptop. So I ask her and she says that she didn’t get the quiz I mailed her. Guess who I sent it to?

Source: Tenor

Of course, I sent it to my English teacher. What the heck was she going to do with class 7 history quiz?

But the reply that came back on that mail was quite interesting. I’m going to quote her here because it was too interesting-in-a-slightly-freaky-way to me. She said “What a coincidence! I was looking for a way to approach you to send you the explanation for today’s query and I saw your email.”

These two instances were enough to make me realise that your mind holds more power than anything you can see. Anything that you can think of or dream of or intend to will surely happen, provided you want it with all your heart. And if you think ‘sirf sochne se kya hoga? (what will happen just by thinking?)’, remember that sirf sochne shayad cheeze ho na ho, par bina soche toh bilkul nahi hongi. (you may or may not achieve something by simply thinking, but you will definitely achieve anything without thinking).

Let me know any such thing that happened to you merely by your intention for it to happen.

P.S. Now that I was writing this, I realised how ‘filmy’ my Australia trip story sounds. But that is what it was. My wish came true merely because I thought about it and wanted it.

YES. I AM BORING. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Sep 20, 2020 | 9 comments

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Yes. I am boring.

(You probably already read it in the heading but I put it in for emphasis)

Yeah. So back to me being boring.

I’ve been told on innumerable instances that I’m super boring, that I do nothing interesting, that I should learn to enjoy my life. Not to mention that as much as I can recall, I’ve been told this mostly by guys, and many a times even by my own friends. There may be some sexist reason at work here, but I’m not going to talk about it now.

This is about something different. This is about individuality.

Just because I don’t like playing video games or watching movies to unwind, doesn’t mean that I don’t unwind at all. I am not even particularly an introvert or shy, if people consider introverts or shy people to be boring. I like talking to people. The only difference is that my forms of loosening are a bit – what can I say – more tranquil, calm and laid-back.

I don’t act on impulse. I wouldn’t prefer roaming around late at night. But some people do prefer that. And it’s okay that way too. Because exciting simply means causing great enthusiasm, and different things could cause enthusiasm to different people.

But just because my idea of relaxation and enjoyment doesn’t match yours, does not mean that I am boring. It does not mean that I am not enjoying my life. It does not mean that I’m always working. And even if I am working, I don’t particularly hate it, even if I may not enjoy it. So it isn’t a form of torture to me, unlike you. So, Yes. I am boring. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Because I’m boring you, not to myself. Thank you for reading this public rant.

This goes out to all the fellow people who’ve been told that they’re boring. It does not affect if said once or twice. But if repeated over and over again, it gets really annoying. So this was just a disclosure to those who call us ‘boring’ from me on your behalf.

The Purpose of a Gift

Sep 13, 2020 | 4 comments

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Once a wise – maybe even old – man said, “The material gifts do not matter. It is the gift of someone’s time, love and affection, that is the most important.”

Many people would agree here – tangible gifts are not what they value, but the memories made with their loved ones. Don’t get me wrong, but I don’t see it the same way. I mean I love the memories made and the moments enjoyed, with all my heart. It’s just that I don’t hold the same opinion for tangible gifts.

Let me tell you an example. This is the instance that changed my viewpoint about physical gifts.

Since lockdown, school bags have done nothing but gather dust. A few days back, my younger sister gave me a small square green piece of a plastic from her bag. Something you’d see on decorations. It was like an ornamental button. I asked her what this way and why was she giving it to me.

Turns out it was a small mosaic tile that had fallen from one of the many mosaics in our school. Some would call this overreacting but I got a tiny bit emotional. I felt that while even not being in school, I had a part of school with me. Even if it was the tiniest part possible.

This is what led me to an evolved perspective of tangible gifts.

Gifts allow you to be with someone even when you’re not there. When you give a gift to someone, they’ll have a part of you (hopefully forever, though can’t say for sure). The mere thought of it seems so beautiful and pure to me. I believe that would be the original purpose of presents but it got tossed around just like a lot of our modern day concepts.

This coupled with being in the present (pun intended) when with people would give you amazing moments spent to talk about in the future when you’re together, and something to remember each other when you’re not.

The bottom line?

Make memories that you will cherish. Give someone a gift, not only will they love it but also have a part of you with them, always. Besides, who doesn’t like getting gifts? And don’t fret over what to give. Even a plastic piece was enough to make me emotional.