A to Z Reflection Post

A-to-Z Story:

It was the summer of 29 March 2014 when I thought about checking April A-to-Z Challenge list. Inspired by Shilpa’s blog post and previous year’s challenge updates from her blog, 15 days earlier I went on the site to register for it. But due to power failure I thought I failed in the process. So out of general curiosity I went back there to check if I have my name there! I pressed control and ‘F’ and entered my name, there was nothing. I thought about taking part in it next year with some former preparations. Something came in my mind and I typed ‘ELIXIRED’ in the search box and there it was… I became stoned. I was perplexed. I read and re-read rules instructions on the site. Because of tensed mind I thought I was missing something important. I called up Shine- my friend-bloggermate-rescuer. We had discussed about the challenge earlier. Because of her job and routine she didn’t get time to check into the challenge link. We talked that night, me in panic- thinking what to do; she smiling and telling me-“we will crack it together”. Yes she had made her mind to jump in with me.

I have been a moody blogger. When something inspires me, I write. When nothing hits my head I wait for that perfect mood or idea to give me a push. When I am not updating my blog, either I read or travel or I write Hindi poems in my diary-which I seldom publish here! I scrolled down past year’s archives- posts number for every year on my blog read 27...18...26…35…31.

I was going numb, thinking what will I write for continuous 26 days! Anyhow leaving my fears behind I blew the trumpet by updating A-to-Z Challenge update before entering war- the war with me and my mood-based- writings. I shared the news with fellow bloggers around who like me had inhibitions of completing the task. Feverishly I started making the list about what to write. I re-read the challenge instructions. That was the time when Shilpa came in for my rescue, telling me not to worry and I can ask her for any doubts or where ever I get stuck.

A night before I was ready with my one third list (tentative) of the topics I will write about and the first post’s draft. And then the challenge started the next day. I was all enthusiastic. I wrote a poem about a boy who had lost his dad and was missing him. So the routine started.I thank my Sister and Brother for proof reading many of my last minute works. Daily I cribbed about not having any awesome idea to write about, changing the topics at last minute. I wanted to try my best to survive through this challenge, keeping the quality of posts intact.
After first week, I read a lot; I shared my views on most things ever on blog-o-sphere in such a short span of time. My eyes were dry, but not my enthusiasm! I was tired as I am advised not to be before computer for long, but writing during night and visiting others during day was an amazing experience. I had plans to go to Udaipur with 5 other girls. Fellow friend and blogger Shine was part of the trip. We planned our Udaipur trip from the scratch during this time. Everybody did their work from planning to searching and booking. It was an hour before catching the train when I was scheduling my posts fervently. My sister and her friend were both reminding me to hurry up.

The funny reactions:

A fellow blogger(CRD) pinged me on Facebook: "Whatsup?"
Me: "Nothing, struggling!"
CRD: "Why?"
Me: "I am tensed, don't know what to write for tomorrow?"
He asked in amusement : "Are they going to send their men after you, if you withdraw?"
I laughed: “I want to reach the finishing line with all my might!”

My mother saw me before laptop whole time, reading, writing, commenting and she said, “Are you going to give away your life to this challenge or will they sue you if you do not write?”, I laughed over it again.

Looking Back:

Now when I look at the month beginning, I see the whole challenge task nearly impossible or unattainable for me. But I survived. I survived along with a trip to Udaipur, falling ill and sleeping for a few days on pills and doctor’s visits, shopping for a friend’s wedding, and two days wedding celebrations. The hurdles made journey far more exciting, breaking the monotonous routine. As my family knows when I really want something, I am one ghost after it with all my heart and soul. (ghosts don't have heart/soul but I do have) And it proved I love this blogging thing a way too much.

Your support made it a success, thank you:

Along with my family, participant fellow bloggers, many non-bloggers and non-participant bloggers supported me during this challenge. I thank all of them who used to share their views offline through messages, fb-chats, phone calls and emails and showed their support! ((though I would have loved it more if their views were visible on my blog too). I did not know that so many known people read my blog. With their messages and support they too indirectly became part of this challenge. It was wonderful when after reading my posts my friends used to ask me what will come with the next alphabet (about which I had no clue). Many of my post topics were changed before last minute- I wanted to ensure the quality. Without their support I wouldn't be inspired to write better. Love you with all my heart. Again Shilpa and Corinne thank you so much for making this challenge a success for me and helping me in knowing so many fellow bloggers.

I connected with many awesome fellow- bloggers:

During this challenge I got to know some of the wonderful bloggers notably Vidya Suri, Beloo Mehra, Rajlakshmi, Kathy Combs, Vishal Bheeroo, Jayanta, Nabanita, Ananya, Sunday Visitor, Srilakshmi, Shailja, Swathi, Aditi, Pheno-menon among others.
I thank CRD (fellow-blogger) for his comment support. I love you Shine for your support and for boosting up my confidence.

Closing speech:

This A to Z taught me that if I really want to write something I can write daily (about which I had no clue initially). Also when it is about my self- respect I can challenge my limits to prove myself! (Laughing out loud) Thanks to all the A-to-Z team and mates :)
P.S. It was my first participation in any such challenge like many others.

Zealots- War over Peace, Hatred over Love!

I have known zealots. Not many, but good enough for the experience! Surviving with their extreme nature seems next to impossible. Some have desperate zest for religion while others have for politics! Everybody is fighting ardently for their own agendas! Going against their thoughts makes a person earn negative points. Opponents deserve no mercy; they are worthy of wrath- the wrath of fanatic zealots! 
Talk in favor of or against any political party, talk about existence or non-existence of God, talk about peace or war, the hidden ones come out of their den to fight for their cause, to run after your lives and prove you wrong!

I belong to a family where we five, with sometimes different views, have a pleasant discussion on random things. That delivers us with balanced mindset. We have learned to respect others' views. While I have never pushed anyone to contest for what I believe in and have respected alternate choices, I feel shockingly amused on the comments or the reactions from these extremists for the people having a different choice.

Image Courtesy: Google

Some of the immature discussions and accusations in the past provided me with a perspective. I realized why humans fight with each other on religions, castes and communities. The same goes for political fanatics. One person, who thinks he is right, wants everybody else to follow his footsteps or ideologies. Nobody wants to be entitled as conservative but some fail to demonstrate a liberal attitude. They do not respect a different view because they fail to appreciate or understand the things from others' perspective. Or probably they live with a belief that they belong to the higher class of mortals. Weaklings surrender before such fanatics, while robust opponents collide. When zealots push others to fight for their survival, peace ends and war begins. It is not the story of religions alone but behind regional disturbances, political riots etc. It is about ideologies- being a human we are entitled to our own views. Some views are neither right nor wrong, they are just views. No religion promotes these fights. No religion teaches to degrade other religion. These fights are related to personal egos, a hunger for supremacy, a non-liberal attitude and a suspicion on others wisdom!

Z is for Zealots on April 30,
A to Z Challenge!

P.S. This was my last post for A to Z challenge. I am thankful to fellow bloggers and non-bloggers, who made it possible for me to complete this challenge with their full support and unmatched zeal!
Read all posts for A-Z Challenge

Yawn!

The word yawn is a haunting word to me. I yawned 6 times after keying first ten words of this post! Why this word ‘yawn’ is contagious? We see somebody yawning, or read the word somewhere or even hear it and we start yawning. When my friends while talking to me yawn, I just rebuke them not to yawn before me. Soon after that, I end up yawning too. The effect is not any milder even on phone calls. (Haven't you yawned yet?) On our encounter with this word we start breathing slow, our jaws open like a den of the lion- wide and huge and we start inhaling air! I have read when there is scarcity of oxygen in us, our mouth spreads and we yawn to influx oxygen in us. Some theories claim people yawn out of boredom or tiredness. (But there may be a different reason behind your yawning while reading this post!)

Why does it happen when we are neither bored nor tired but yawn as a counter reaction to somebody's yawning action? According to one of the evolutionary theories (as a friend told me), when animals feel drowsy or sleepy, they yawn to fight off their sleep. Psychological theories suggests yawning helps brain to stay alert. Hence the act of yawning helps animals to stay attentive from their predators. In addition, the contagious yawning has developed to keep the whole group watchful. Reason is the same in humans too. We have evolved but with some of our primitive traits in us! According to researchers, there is a connection between yawn and true love. Yawn passes from senders to receivers when relationships are close. Next time when you go on a date, you can check the chemistry with yawn-test! ;)
You may find these links interesting:
-You Yawn. She Doesn't Yawn Back...

-Contagious yawn test might determine if your partner still loves you

Y is for Yawn on April 29,
A to Z Challenge

Did this post make you yawn? I am sorry if it did :)
P.S. I have yawned infinite times, during writing this post, reading and re-reading the word "yawn", searching images on google and putting them here! Feeling tired!

Image courtesy: Google

XOXO- Brothers do not mind hugs but hate kisses!

Do you have a younger brother or do you have an elder sister? If yes, do all brother hate being hugged or kissed by their elder sisters? I have seen elder brothers don’t mind a peck or two at them by their younger siblings. But usually a brother who is younger, hates being kissed! Many of my friends said this is true in their homes. Random hugs and kisses annoy the little brothers! For us girls, well mostly, expression of love through Xs and Os i.e. hugs and kisses are important. I was wondering why younger bunch from mars hate it!
My younger brother hates being kissed. He doesnt mind long hugs, but dare we kiss him- he repels! His reflexes to our pecks have become strong. It might be because men hate being treated like a child, they want to be looked upon as a stronger shoulder, an independent identity. While we women love to express our love physically, men express theirs by caring for us. So while an elder brother doesn’t mind being kissed, younger ones do mind it.

Photo Courtesy: http://yongfarah.blogspot.in

I have known instances where girls dating a younger guy faced a strong retaliation and mis-judged their care with interferance. They wanted to be looked upon as stronger and reliable. On the other hand elder male partners didn’t mind depending too much emtionally on their female counterparts. Most of them appreciated being taken care of. May be they knew at the end of the day they own the throne!

X is for XOXO- Brothers hate kisses on April 28
A to Z Challenge

P.S. I am not generalizing and this post is purely based on the experiences around me. If there is an exception to this post, please do share it! 

P.P.S. Time for celebrations- finally I have reached my 200th post! Wuhoooooooo!!!! :D I dedicate this one to my brother- love him a lot-xoxo! **DevilGrin!!!**

Wastage- Habits, Lessons and Introspections!

We Indians especially middle class families know how to use, recycle and re-use. Our old torn out clothes become dusting clothes, or old glass tumblers become vases for money plants. We lick last drop of honey from the jar or squeeze toothpaste’s last remains before throwing them. I went for a stay at my friend’s place and tube of some medicinal cream that I had to apply got finished. Her cousin came in the room with a scale in her hand and she squeezed the tube with it. I was impressed as I got enough cream for the night. She said, “I use my cream tubes this way, I hate wasting!” I learned another way of managing during crises.

My parents have always been against wastage be it in any form. They always taught us never to leave food in our plate, rather take less and fill your plate again. There are many people in this world who don’t get stomach full of two meals a day. We have learned to count our blessings since childhood and try not to waste things.
My mother has been against throwing food in dustbin. So whenever we have extra breads, or that last thick loaf of bread or extra rice, we keep them outside our house for birds and squirrels which they readily munch.

Also I collect the wheat flour spread on kitchen slab while making Chapatis, and keep it outside for ants. For us it is nothing but for ants it is a treat.

 

I remember my first visit to one of my father’s friends Mr. Anupam Mishra who is an environmentalist and water conservationist [Read his full bio here:Anupam Mishra or find him on wikipedia]. He talked about water scarcity in various areas and how difficult it is for inhabitants of some of the parts of rural Rajasthan to gather water. They walk many miles, carrying huge utensils to meet their daily needs. While they struggle for their daily water needs, we use it here carelessly. He gave us a small example of his household on how water can be used judiciously. After washing vegetables, instead of throwing water in drainage pipes, we can give it to plants. We concurred with him.
I have seen many people leave their water taps running while brushing their teeth- water there can also be saved. There are times when we have to call our neighbors to remind them to switch off their motors to stop their overflowing water tanks. Sometimes it gets embarrassing to call them repeatedly but we should be raising plants, or putting that water out for birds rather than letting it go in drainage pipes. Not everybody even in metros get enough water for their need. We need to respect our blessings and stop wastage.
 
P.S. See Mr. Anupam Mishra's TED talk here:

Are you against wastage too? Do you have any story to share? If you haven't thought about this before, has this post inspired you? 

W is for Wastage, on April 26
A to Z Challenge

P.P.S. I have shared very small things that we can do without making much efforts. Saving and wasting both are easy- we can pick one and make a difference!