Give it all or don't give at all..

It's been after a long time I decided to pen something down. When I sat down to think what I should be writing, my mind was hit with a tsunami of thoughts. Finally, I zeroed on something which is really close to my heart, which I have believed in the recent years of my life.

The thought of giving it all or not giving in the first place is very relative to every person. The word "all" has difference of perception. The possibility of giving it all for you may not be returned in "all" aspects to you. It's an ideology I believe in which to me is transformational. It's something I have learnt over the years of past experiences in my life and the people who have come and gone in my life. For those I know are genuine, I totally stand by them, support them and giving them without expecting to receive something. By doing so, you don't become an important part in their life, but you definitely will learn to honor your capabilities. You learn to hold yourself in high regards, even if it comes with a lot of pain in the process because that is what shapes you as a person.

When I look back to retrospect the person I was may not be long ago and to what I am today, I have definitely changed for my own good. Growth has been painful because it did not happen overnight. It came with its own grief and aches. When I just thought everything was going to be flatline, there always was this deep down self love which triaged the pains and pulled me back to life. It's always painful when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone. It's like hitting the gym the very first day and experiencing the soreness in the muscles the following day. But it's this transformation that makes you both fulfilling and challenging.

I am a strong believer of Karma. I do know what goes around comes around. Well, if I have been giving selflessly for so many years of my life, some day I hope the giver receives it too. Sometimes one tries very hard to convince people that we are human, that we matter and we are deserving. What I feel is, it's not important to convince people, its important to convince yourself.

And that my friend according to me is by giving it all. 

Definitely..... 30's is the new 20's

As I see myself and most of my friends starting a new chapter in life as we all step into 30, is there a sudden rage to do a lot many things than you anticipated? The bucket list unexpectedly seems to be the highest priority. 

I barely recall things that I wished for happened while I was in 20’s. Of course there always will be a few incidents that happened without much in your control. For now, let’s flush those off. I don’t have anything against all the twenty’s something but I honestly feel your 20’s aren't the best of years. 

30’s definitely yes. This is why….

When you try and find yourself as a person, making mistakes become inevitable. By that I don’t mean, you are all perfect and sorted when in 30’s. It’s  just that you get a lot more knowledgeable about stuff and make an informed decision rather than just assuming and then failing miserably and hoping the reverse assumption had worked. You have more direction towards what you want in life. This may sound cliched, but you definitely grow wiser as you get older. I say this not with the pretext of hair turning grey, but more on the lines of caring less about other people’s opinions of you and more about your own.

Women out there will love me for this and men surely will envy. Hell yeah, women in their thirties are smoking hot and a lot sexier. They exude confidence than ever before and play “I’m hot and I know it, whether or not you like it” on repeat mode in their minds. With the flair for creativity and experiment that they would have tried and tested enough in the past, they now get so close in understanding their bodies; exactly know what color, cut, fit in clothes suite them; how to make their tresses, what make up to be used. Elegance becomes prime importance than being flashy and weird looks. Taking care of the body as a place of worship is what it would be called. This only means there’s a new burst of feeling young and youthful and why not, after all age is just a number.

For having caught up in many situations in the past, by the time you’re in your 30’s one thing for sure come’s to realization is no matter what the situation, there definitely will be some life-changing twists and turns that you as a person will embrace and learn to live by. You’re wise enough to make friends who genuinely nurture and care about your friendship, love and affection and reciprocate it in the same way if not better. You unabashedly perform a cleansing act when you know someone is not important to you minus all the guilt. Yes, guilt free living becomes the mantra of your life.

You truly realize the meaning of Me Time which allows you to unplug from everything around you and just be yourself. Complimenting yourself puts a smile on your face which in the earlier ages fished for “likes” and “double taps” on social media. You no longer wait for a convincing compliment and neither does a criticizing remark brings down your morale.

And finally, you do get to a point to crack intelligent jokes. Like famously quoted, you learn to CYA

Girl Goes the Fitness Path

Who doesn't need a healthy living which can be easier to achieve and a lot more fun. Everyone's super busy these days, with their time being valuable. So to really squeeze out time to get fit can be a daunting task. It's extremely easy to procrastinate but you really need someone to kick you in your butt and ask you to get into those yoga pants that are getting shredded in your wardrobe.

With working out, one of the most important ground rule is to keep it real. You will not wake up to a six-pack abs overnight. It's important to have someone constantly remind you that to be fit is a no-bullshit approach. A mix of workout can be awesome fun - Cross fit, kick boxing, yoga, boot camping (I am sure there are many more to come as I explore my workout routine). Someone truly said, variety is the spice of life. It's so apt when it comes to workout, because unless you beat monotony, there's no fun.

Fitness not only makes you stronger, it also empowers your thoughts, makes you more self-loving and self-accepting. As a women, it helps you get candid with your body, appreciate feminism.

For the avid food-lover that I am, fitness comes to me as an added advantage because it keeps my metabolism raring to go so that I can binge on anything. Yes, I know you might be thinking that if I don't maintain a diet to go with fitness then it's all gone down the drain. But who cares, as long as I make heads turn, I am good on the fitness-meter. ;)

To be surrounded by friends who vouch on being fit is a value add. They inspire you, challenge you, motivate you and in the end don't feel complex in complimenting you. You just feel refreshed on an otherwise ordinary day. The transformation stories that you narrate with pride is all worth it. It's only when you evolve, is when you deeply fall in love with yourself and being fit does just that. It helps you evolve and re-energize  yourself.

I only wish I had started off a lot earlier, but better late than never. I just love the new me, the fit and fabulous me.  

Lady's Love - London

To be bitten by a travel bug is an amazing feeling. It only increases the urge to visit places endlessly without a break. But as this seems to be an unrealistic ask, I managed to go on a budget vacation to one of my favorite destinations - London. Travelling thousand miles and landing in this beautiful city instantly brings an energetic feeling.

View of the London City as I prepare to land in Heathrow

Landed early morning in Heathrow and deciding to take a tube to my place of stay is a brave move for a first time visitor. But the whole experience right from time go was exciting. I boarded a train from the Heathrow underground station to Gloucester Road station from where my hotel Kensington Rooms was just a 5min walk.

Kensington Street

Taken as a whole, London is pretty noisy and fast paced. People are very active. Every area, every street has a story to tell. From the most ancient first of its kind naked statue in London, to the most expensive London Hilton hotel, to the numerous gates to enter Hyde Park, there is nothing you cannot not love about London. The oh-so-chic people and the expensive city that it is, it's a good blend.

One of the many Hyde Park entrances

There's an influx of immigrants from around the world. It's this mish-mash of diverse culture of people which makes London vibrant and wonderful to explore. Walking the streets in the evening as the cold breeze brushes through your face, is an experience that cannot be described in words.

One of the best brownie's I had

The major attractions in London that you cannot miss are the London Eye. The mesmerizing view that is visible from the Barracuda from the massive London Eye leaves you spell bound. You witness the entire city from that height, the Thames river, the sky high buildings - you just cannot afford to miss.

The London Eye

The Big Ben and the Westminster Abbey are two destinations which showcase the ancient architecture in the best form. There's no doubt why the Westminster Abbey is such a lavish location for all the high profile weddings. The Big Ben - although you cannot go inside but hear the bells toll every 15 minutes and witness the tower to its best advantage.

The Big Ben

The next stop was at The Buckingham Palace. What I liked about the two hour long tour of the entire palace was that the palace is opened for 7 days to the public to see the lavish rooms and experience the royalty and get a peek into the life of her Highness. There is no photography allowed inside the palace but after taking a tour, the entire place and its royalty gets etched in your mind forever and doesn't need to be snapped.

I also visited the Madame Tussauds. Although I had extremely high expectations of this place, it did not live upto my expectations with respect to the Bollywood Celebrities. They seemed unreal unlike the Hollywood Celebrities which were so human in their looks. Taking snap with Gorge Clooney, Tom Cruise, my favorite football player Christiano Ronaldo and not to forget MJ was the best.

Sitting on the roadside like a typical Londoner and picking a pancake on the go from one of the food trucks and enjoying it as I see innumerable people walk, walk and walk some more makes you wonder about the immense strength they all posses.

Spotting the Red Telephone Booth, walking across the very famous Trafalgar Square is the real London for me.

The famous Trafalgar Square

For people who love dressing up and looking great no matter what time of the day, it's a delight to shop at London. Camden Market, Oxford Street are the main shopping destinations in London. Those who can afford splurging on some of the high end brands, Harrods is the place to be.

A great way for everyone to tour London is by walk or the tubes or the Hop-on-Hop-off buses. Buy an Oyster Pass and you're all set to explore London at your convenient best.

The only thing I missed in London is the snow. But as they say, whatever happens, happens for the best. Maybe not witnessing London snowfall this time is a hint for me to visit London yet again. Until then, I will enjoy the moment by singing the very famous rhyme standing on the London Bridge.

Free Spirited in Bulgaria

After a lot of Yes and No on the visit to Bulgaria, time flew and the day finally arrived when I would set my feet on the Bulgarian Ground in its capital city Sofia. The winter preparation had already kicked in. The city has a unique atmosphere with the feel of many different cultures in one place. It is vibrant and beautiful.

As I was picked from the Airport to check-in my beautiful Hotel room, the greenery of the place left me spell bound. If this is how the main city looked, I could only let my imagination run free spirited to see how the Bulgarian country side looked. The staff at the Hotel Vega Sofia were extremely warm and welcoming. Set at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain, the view from the hotel opening to this backdrop and seeing the sun rise every morning was a treat to the eyes.

Sunrise from my hotel room

The food of Bulgaria is extremely subtle on the Indian palate and pretty cheap on your wallet. You are served with a whole Bulgarian meal for just about 20 Bulgarian Lev. For a person like me who lives to eat, every cuisine is embraced with the same level of hunger. I tried a lot of chicken dishes in combination with potatoes, cheese, quinoa rice, basil. It was a feast. To all those who enjoy some beverages, the old in-house Bulgarian drink - Arakia (a man's drink) as it is famously called, is a must try. Don't forget to say Nazdravez as you clink your glasses.

Chicken and potatoes served with a lot of cheese

The Vitosha Street is the most vibrant street of Bulgaria. To have this street dedicate to a close friend of mine was the least I could do to make the memory of this place immortal. Young and old, pet's and street performers, open restaurants and local shopping stores - this place has it all. Almost 4 hours of my time was spent at the Vitosha street and I could still stay here all night.

Open Restaurant's on Vitosha Street

One of the world's most beautiful and famous cathedral the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia adds to the beauty of the city. The Gold and Green tombs of the Cathedral over the off-white body of the building surrounded by white roads was blending so well with the quiet surrounding atmosphere.

The famous Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Walking down a little, you witness the Life of Fire where there is always a fire light up in the memory of all the people who sacrificed their life for Bulgaria.

Life of Fire in the memory of Bulgarian

One of the most fascinating part in Bulgaria is the Yellow City Center. No it's not a mall. It's a way to identify that you are in the center of the city. I felt that was a very intelligent concept. For all those who are globe trotting, this surely helps you from being lost.

Yellow Lane street indicating the center of the city

Many asked me if Bulgaria is safe. Yes, for a single woman or a man, Bulgaria is safe. If you are afraid of visiting Bulgaria due to the reputation it once had for corruption and organised crime, then you surely need to know that it is now a thing of past. Bulgarians are extremely warm and friendly. I can vouch on this because every Bulgarian I met very politely agreed to make a picture for me. *blush*

Le Panga - Pro Kabaddi

When this season of Pro Kabaddi kicked off, little was I aware that one day I would be sitting in a live stadium and cheering the teams. All that LIVE. Well as they say Never say never, that day did come into my life and how.

I am not a great fan of the game Kabaddi, but I dint want to loose out on the opportunity that was knocking at my doors to sense the vibe of the entire Live stadium and get a feel of the whole match played Live.

The match venue in Bangalore was at Kanteerva Indoor Stadium. After a long Friday work, getting to the venue was not difficult. Getting to the actual gate and the seating however, was like a treasure hunt game. I had a free seating ticket on the Yellow Upper stand and made it to the uppermost row.

As I got seated, the stadium or shall I say the Pro Kabaddi show had it all - disco lights, enthusiastic presenters, awesome Live TV coverage by the Star Sports Channel. At the corner of the play-field, I spotted my favorite RJ Danish Sait at his wittiest best. He looked dapper in his Brown Blazer and Beige Chinos. That man is really smart. After the initial small talks with the presenters and the sponsors, it was now time to call the two teams on the play-field.

My favorite RJ - Danish Sait

The two teams pitted against one another were the Bengal Warriors and the Patna Pirates. I was definitely rooting for the Bengal Warriors. They were supremely tall and very handsome. *wink* .

As the hooters blew and the match started, the crowd went crazy. The chanting of the tag line Le Panga followed by the Bangaloreans Full Charge Madi scream was so high in energy. It was a great start to the game.

Men in Blue - Bengal Warriors and Men in Yellow - Patna Pirates

I must confess that I had no idea on the scoring and the game rules. But thanks to my friend for helping me understand. If not all, but I for sure now can relate to the game much better.

The players are so agile. Their swiftness, tackling intelligence and physical power is commendable. Another interesting thing about Kabaddi is - absolutely no equipment is required to play this game. All you need is a small piece of ground, lines drawn and you are all set.

A game of Kabaddi is so native and represents the soul of India. A country where Cricket is religiously worshiped as a sport, Kabaddi definitely needs the support from the government to raise the bar of the sport if not better but at least get its due credibility.

And finally.. 10-Kabaddi, 9-Kabaddi, 8-Kabaddi, 7-Kabaddi, 6-Kabaddi, 5-Kabaddi, 4-Kabaddi, 3-Kabaddi, 2-Kabaddi, 1-Kabaddi ------- Le Panga!!    

Corporate Dress Code

If this sounds like an extremely serious topic, well I completely beg to differ. Not because I don't respect the policies of a corporate organization that has a well defined dress code in place for all its employee's but because, the more I try to think of it, the hilarious it gets.

I was given this responsibility by my boss to put up a dress-code presentation together with an intention that everyone at work looks presentable. I am not saying people in my office come in their pyjama's, but some of them quite seriously need a reality check. Because I am not a person who heavily policed for a dress-code due to the organization I worked for previously,  I took over a week's time understanding what should be the bare minimum clothing attire that fits "my organization" and finally had a draft version. What I wasn't aware of was the laugh riot that it would bring along while I got it reviewed by my boss.

People who type-cast dress-code for women, think again. dress-code just doesn't end with dressing well, it also brings along the grooming part which most of us tend to forget and is not gender specific. If the intent is to foster an environment conducive to working, then being appropriately dressed to let everyone focus on WORK than anything else when in business is of prime importance.

It's important to understand and respect the foray of colors that you wear to work. If you don't like someone at workplace, deal with it at a personal level, do not blind everyone else with a fearful reign of colors.

Dressing to work is not mood-dressing. You just cannot come to work with baby-you-look-gorgeous-when-you-wake-up look. That's a moment to save for your partner or spouse in the bedroom. You don't have to think too much to wear to work, a simple thumb rule, just don't look dumb.

The next thing to keep in mind is your body odour. Deo/perfume is not an option for heaven's sake. Now when I say it's an absolute necessity to have a good pleasant body odour, some people take this advice too seriously and bathe in perfumes. You don't want causalities at workplace. Just give a whiff of the perfume in a laid back manner.

Most of the corporate companies these day's are quite lenient when it comes to dress code. They have moved from the 100% formal dressing to business casuals which is pretty easy going and at the same time gives the employees a benefit of  doubt which will enable and help them to dress and behave like adults.