Everything Fades !!!

I lie on the sand, music playing in the background, music that one doesn't get to hear anywhere else, music that is melodious, music that touches your heart, melody that I couldn't ignore, the keynotes that somehow I didn't want to shrug off, sounds that pulled me towards itself, the auditory sensation flowing through me, the perfect pleasant sound that my ears longed to hear.

I lie on the sand wanting to hold the moments. I lie there tying myself to the short lived, fleeting moment. I lie there because there is nothing that I wouldn't do to keep this passing moment alive. There is nothing that would make me more alive than this moment. There is nothing that I have but this moment.

Today was special. Today was about me. Today was about him. Today was about us. Today all I cared was to listen to each sound playing close to me, pay heed to the most silent prayers that have been answered, obey and give in to the sound of my own heartbeat. Today was all I cared about and today was what I had. Today was what I would have.

How could I let go of this moment which was special in every possible manner. How could I rest my head when all I wanted to do was be as close to you as possible. How could I close my eyes when all I wanted was to look at you. How could I let you walk away when all I wanted to do was hold you. How could I verbalize when all I wanted to do was listen to your heartbeat. How could I not live this moment, the only true moment that I had.

Its dusk and I know you'll go. I know I'll go. I know this wouldn't last. I know this looked like a dream, a distant dream. But we know it's all we have. Looking together at the setting sun, wishing that time would freeze, hoping against hope to relive this moment over and over again, longing for this day to stay longer than usual, expecting to wake up the next morning smiling at each other, counting on the possibility of sitting next to each other. I know it will pass. You know it will pass. We still dream. We still believe. We still have faith. We still have us.

Its night and as hours pass, I hold you closer. I hold you close to my heart, listening to the sound of water gushing, stars gazing at us, the darkness of the night assuring, stillness in the air, calmness in the hands that hold me. Am I being hypnotized or maybe its that hour of the night where sleep begins to dawn on me. I try and keep my eyes open. I know I can't. I try harder and I succeed this time. We had dreamt of this day for so long. We wanted to see the first light of the sun together. We wanted to live together. We wanted our lives together.

Its dawn and I sleep. It's the morning that we have waited for so long, but I sleep. I sleep smiling. I sleep content. I sleep because I can. I sleep because I have you. I sleep because I knew I would. I sleep because you knew I would. I sleep because we knew I would. I sleep because I have now lived my dream. I sleep because there is nothing that I could do to relive. I sleep because I have lived. I sleep because I couldn't live.

Of Labels & Love !!!

All the females who are conversant with the art of shopping will agree to the fact that shopping does give us all a high. Just what the alcohol does to our brain. Sale, no-sale, online, offline, exhibitions or fairs, all seem to call out our names the minute we try to curb our instinct to indulge ourselves. ZARA, Mango, Aldo, Nine West, Kimaya, Versace, DKNY, Charles & Keith, Lush, La Senza; the names sound like the most melodious song that one can ever listen to.

Apart from the shopping list mentioned above, a female also needs to take care of the products and brands that keep her going on a daily basis. Products like shampoos, conditioners, grocery items, fruits and vegetables. Though most of us like shopping from former list, one can't do without the items in the latter. What is it with shopping and women, men may ask. Why is it that the entire female fraternity never gets tired of shopping? Why is it that the world actually seem like a better place when we shop? Why do shoes make us happy? And why do men crib about women shopping?

Women across the globe want to lay their hands on the best of things. The best of cars, the best of clothes, the best of lingerie, the best of cuisines, the best of grocery items, the best of soaps, the best of shoes and the best of whatever I can't think of right now. Did I forget something? I guess yes. I will come back to that.

Two weeks back, while shopping at a sale at ZARA, one could find women snatching clothes from one another. The minute one kept the piece of clothing, the other one was ready to pounce on that in an attempt to make it hers. See how the ownership cycle works here. Now let's have a look at another scenario. While shopping for apples that very evening at a very fancy store full of fancy looking chicks, I replaced a rotten apple with a better one and the lady standing next to me, also shopping for apples didn't even look at that because I had already kept it back. And now if I tell you that it was the same lady who was moving around snatching clothes at ZARA, already tried by other females and who did not even bother looking at the already replaced apple, you would ask me what's my problem. And to that I would say, Hold On!!

Brands attract us. Bigger the better. Higher the price, higher is our desirability level. Higher the desirability quotient of the brand/product, higher is our desirability factor for that same brand/product. With limitless possibilities of brands/products, we always look for something that is appealing, attractive, glitzy or glam (whatever works for you), only in my possession and hard to be imitated. Brands like Lee, Spykar, Numero Uno, Levis', Tresmode, Paparika, Tata, Maruti help solve the purpose but all of us love investing in an LBD by Armani or a Louis Vuitton bag or a Tiffany ring or an S-class Mercedes Benz. All in an attempt to look good, feel good, and make others feel good about us (if it works that ways).

All of this was not an attempt to give tips on shopping nor am I an expert in the shopping lists of females. A lot of raised eyebrows and frowns are bound to come my way when I say what I am about to say.

Men like brands make us feel good about ourselves. A little complementing here and there, the small acts of chivalry, dinner dates and romantic Sunday lunches are bound to sweep most females off their feet. Just like shopping induces elation, men do the same. Some are always in stock and some choose to go off the shelf as soon as they are launched in the market. Some like a Louis Vuitton are high valued and priced high, whereas some like an Esbeda bag are not everyone's cuppa tea. We all at some point in time have invested in dresses and shoes thinking we would get to wear them some day. We invest our time and emotions in men thinking it might work some day. But just like the dress never fits and the shoes crack open, men too either crack you down or you find a brand that suits your needs better.

Some men are like the flesh and blood equivalent of a DKNY dress.You know it’s not your style, but it’s right there, so you try it on anyway. While a man well suited to your needs is like a Prada bag. He is an investment which you love to flaunt, love to carry around and love to love. It might not go well with all your dresses but who cares? It's after all a Prada which not everyone can boast of.

(P.S: Year after year all the women are only in search of the two L's - Labels and love !! .)

Business Environment !!

For an organization to grow, the CEO of the company has to necessarily focus on four aspects of a business: Marketing, Finance, Human Resource, Operations & IT. Over-analyzing one aspect and undermining the other aspect usually makes the company go for a toss. With an over estimation of its own success, the company falters at the underlining principle on which all businesses work: "Profit Maximization." Though most companies in such situations follow a turnaround strategy, it might or might not work for all the businesses.
Its like a system crash, you know you need to reboot but sometimes you need to back up and invest in a new system.

Just like any business would have its vision statement, the vision for our own life is to be happy and scatter happiness to close to us. A perfect balancing act, though tough, is not impossible to maintain. Each aspect of the business has to be given due share of importance for it to leverage on the other. When parents, like venture capitalists invest in us, they hope that the business that is us ends up becoming a profit making entity. Their support to us is a source of funding which is low risk and offers maximum returns. When the business is new to the market, it is usually not very cautious about the people it recruits for its operations. It relies on the expertise that it has gained till date and the qualifications of the people who appear for the recruitment, which at this stage is not a very tough process. A few people come with an emotional baggage or a vision which is in tune with ours, a few come up with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal to take the relationship to next level which usually fades away, a few list down false qualifications in order to win our trust and then later let us down, a few of them come through referrals and the other few appear for the interview because they have nowhere else to go.

The recruitment process is a very strong brand building exercise for an organization. For now, it will be known to the world by the choice of its employees. Some willing to put in all the effort required to keep the operations up and going, a few would resign midway because of the pressure of handling the problems of the organization and the job simultaneously does not attract them, a few will always look for better opportunities and there would be a few who would secretly hope for the company to go down. It is now that the organization realizes its potential and after a few & frequent turbulent times, what is it that has helped the company still maintain a foothold in the market. This is when the recruitment process gets tougher. And it is at this stage that a few brands choose to fade away. It is also at this time that the company learns how much to invest in its employees and whether the investment should be in terms of functional benefits or emotional benefits.

IT is the backbone of any organization. For the functions of an organization to run smoothly without disruption, it is important that the organization invests in a good IT system but should also not forget that it is the person who runs the technology and not vice-versa. Sometimes, in an attempt to be technologically advanced, we become so dependent on the systems that it becomes difficult to function without its presence. In our lives also, there are people who would come as viruses that they would do nothing but corrupt the system and lead it to crash. Just like the company invests in a sophisticated anti virus, we all need that one best friend who helps us get back on track, functioning. One cannot repair a system that is destroyed but for a system that crashes, one can always format and reboot. Difficult but not impossible.

For a company to have a strong presence in the market, it is imperative that it does an internal and external environment analysis. One has to be aware of its own strengths and weaknesses to have a head start on the opportunities and threats that the company faces. Investors do not usually invest in companies which have volatile stocks. An emotionally disturbed person is oh-so unattractive and will rarely find takers. Indulgence in CSR and PR activities does get an organization laurels. But none of these should be a hindrance for an organization for the fulfillment of its primary motive of 'Profit Maximization.' Because no business exists for charity and no person lives for social service.

Organizations who do well are a result of a lot of hard work, dedication and sincerity by its owner. There are times when one needs to take tough decisions and sell off a non profit making unit and there would also be times when one would need to overlook another organization operating in the industry and take it over. Investments should be made after a lot of analysis and its always advisable to gather support from investors who would like to invest for a longer duration of time.

A very famous quote by Donald Trump says, "In business, I’ve discovered that my purpose is to do my best to my utmost ability every day. That’s my standard. I learned early in my life that I had high standards."

(P.S: The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.)
(Akhil, Thanks for helping me reboot sooner !! )

A Wishing Well !!

Another year, a new start, a new beginning, a new life (supposedly), handful of changes (good ones, fingers crossed), end of sorrows, a time to rejoice and a time for resolutions. This was just a quick glance at a few things that our heart desires with the passage of an year. I wish, I wish and I wish some more.

People like me, people like you and the ones who I did not include in the two lists wait for an entire year to start all over again, to give a new direction to our so called monotonous lives, to start living a life which they have dreamt of, to get off and get moving. A few like me would always resolve to shed off those extra kilos and restrain from shopping binges and a few like you would resolve to leave your jobs and move to better ones, tell that one person how much he/she means to him/her, the other few would resolve to spend some more quality time with their families, travel more, read more, get married, save more, work hard, give up smoking and drinking and a lot of other things that they failed to accomplish during the last year.

That gets me to thinking and asking the one question that we never want to answer. What has changed overnight? Except for the fact that we all get drunk on the last day of the year and resolve never to drink again. Except for the fact that we come home late in the night with parents sleeping and resolve to spend more quality time with them, but from tomorrow. Except for the fact we all party till the wee hours of morning and get our credit cards go crazy and resolve to save more from the very next day. Except for the fact that we just lied to someone about our where-abouts in an attempt to avoid them and we resolve to tell someone else how much he/she means to us, so that by the time this year ends, we would resolve to never lie again. Except for the fact that nothing except the day, the date and the year on the calendar has changed.

If you would not do it today, you will never do it tomorrow or ever. How can one lie today and resolve not to lie tomorrow? How can one eat a packet full of chips tonight and resolve to give up eating them tomorrow morning (12 in the midnight to be precise). How can one pretend to be incapable of thinking today and start to think the very next morning? How can one not live today or now and plans on living the very next day or for moment?

Weaving a dream world is what we humans are capable of. Fulfillment of those dreams rests either in the hands of God/fate or someone with a magical wand who will make things happen for us. Its only this realization in humans; the presence of a magical wand, the hand of an angel which stops them from doing all they can, from wishing all they want to and making them come true for as many times as possible.

With endless possibilities of reaching the shore, a sailor chooses but one way; to flow with the direction of the wind. Fate, a four letter word, a word very close to our hearts, a word we never cease to give up on, a word we rests our lives on, a word which has more meaning than life itself, a word which is hard for us to term it as 'just a word.'

An advent of new year, the beginning of a new calendar does not change anything but the dates on the sheets of thick paper. But waking up on the first day of the new year does make us realise that we need to make our lives better. I am again not an advocate on how to start your day today. All I know is that waking up each morning should be a motivation enough for us to make each day, each hour, each minute and each moment of our life count.

Life is an adventure. Some plan to take on it today and some of us wait for an entire year for the adventure to begin.
I would like to quote Samuel Johnson here. Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes and seeing them gratified.

(P.S: You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know!!)

Perfectly Essential !!!

Lying in our bed, making near perfect scenarios in life is something that all of us love to do. Thinking through the past, embracing our present and priming ourselves to clinch our 'magical and perfect' future. In an era, where we all are living an exhaustive life, working not so passionately in jobs most of us love to hate (however perfect that may be), waiting in vain for the weekend to arrive, drowing ourselves in alcohol and musical nights and waking up the next morning with a gloomy face all over again.

What is it with us that we love to strive for the perfect boss, perfect outfit, perfect meal, perfect weekend, perfect friend, perfect spouse, perfect relationships, perfectly made up faces, perfect work life, perfect personal life: In short 'A Perfectly Perfect Life.'

We all today work like machines, with alarm clocks waking us up early morning, followed by a hasty shower, festinating through our breakfast, driving our way through a maddening traffic in an attempt to reach the most imperfect place where we work to accomplish the most perfectly imagined life. If all this wasn't enough, we all have that awesome habit of nit-picking and cribbing about almost everything that begins the very minute we wake up and goes on till the time our brain does not order us to sleep.

High cholestrol, high blood pressure, strokes, anxiety disorders have become commoners amongst all of us. The word that for me sums this up, is STRESS!! Un-objective, undefined and often personal, it is that single factor that wraps around human nature like a frightening charm. Are we genetically inclined towards being so stressed? In an attempt to make everything look perfect, aren't we all giving up on the small and important things in life which bring to us more happiness amongst others.

I am sure almost all of us have people around us who constantly talk about the negative aspects of life. Life could be this and life could be that, her life is perfect, mine is not even close to it, if only I had a job like hers, if only I was married by this age, if only I was dating this guy, if only I could be 5 kgs lighter, if only I had that outfit, if only I had that much money, if only I owned that car, if only I knew my purpose of existence, if only my friends and family would understand me, if only I could go to this place.....phewww!! Looks like the purpose of the existence of this person is endless nagging. Or wait, don't we all do this at one point in time or the other!!

Rather than working towards and attempting to make our imperfect life perfect, we make our perfect life imperfect by such complaining. Each magazine or newspaper you pick up, has atleast one article which teaches us in numerous possible manner the means and ways to deal with stress. I wish I knew how to deal with it myself.

Commit to yourself, take interest in things you enjoy, steer clear of people who send out negative vibes, trust your instinct and not people's, take out that guy/girl you have been in awe of, exercise daily no matter what (a 30 minute walk can do wonders), stop comparing your life to others, love your job (after all it pays all your EMI's), go get a chocolate/seaweed spa done at your local salon, go shopping (do not come back empty handed to avoid being stressed out), talk to random people (you never know who you end up meeting), donate (trust me this works), go on a vacation with your loved ones, read a book, watch a movie, cook, get a dog.....and the list goes on. Choose what you believe in and that will anyways keep you happy.

My dad once told me that one should not look back on life and think 'I wish I had given this a chance.' Go give it a shot because if you don't, you will never know how it feels. A lot of people may say its easier said than done but what I know is that most of the times we create our own reasons for happiness. Stay ahead and keep smiling, you never know who falls in love with it.

People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it. The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.

Someone once said, "Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it !!"

(P.S: Dear B, if you hadn't done what you'd done, I would never have become wise enough to take the right decision. A big hug to you!!)

Memoirs Of Adoration !!!

Ever wondered what relationships are all about and how much of an effect do they have on us?? We all want to live in that close knit, bonded circle of friends and family where we feel safe, where we can be ourselves, where we are loved, where we feel connected, where we laugh, where we hurt each other but never let go.

In a pretentious world where at one point in time we all get tired of faking superficial relationships, we definitely miss the ones who cared about us. It's on a daily basis that I hear people talking about letting go, moving on and it's over. But do we really get over the ones who had once been, if not the reason for our existence but the reason for happiness in our lives while we existed. Easier said than done !!

How can one let go of the laughs you shared, the tears you wiped off from each others' eyes, the yelling you did to show that you care, the time you spent together to show that you belonged together, the hours spent talking, the long walks taken, the miles covered, the chocolates shared together, the nights spent thinking about each other, the mornings spent waking each other up, holding hands to jus' be there, caring and sharing each living moment!! How can one forget or erase the memories you made together??

Every day I come across at least one prson who posts a status that talks about moving on, I talk to atleast one person who thinks letting go is the essence of future, I argue with atleast one person daily that getting over is a phrase that sounds good but how do you get over your own reason for happiness? Doesn't that mean that you are giving up on your own happiness just in a quest of getting over???

I have always been perplexed by this whole idea of past and future. People say you can erase the memories of your past from the life you have lived for the life you want to live. I say how can you forget your childhood and those growing up years which taught you how to walk? Would we ever be able to forget what we have learned in our lives? I am often told that when your past has been cruel and rough, it becomes easy to forget it. I say when it has been bitter, it is more difficult to repress it. Take out a moment and think of that one instance when you were scolded by your parent (s). I am very sure we all can recall atleast 3-4 of them. People also say that those bitter moments are the defining moments of a person's life. I then say if those were the defining moments of your life, doesn't it become the cradle of your life???

We all come across people who leave imprints on our minds, in our hearts and on us. They would make you cry, would make you laugh even more, care for you more than they would care about themselves, love you like no one would have ever loved you before, hurt you but will still hold you close, lie to you but only if that would be for your sake, cry for you and would suffocate you with their love. These are the people who should never let go off in your life. Because once you let go of them, they aren't coming back and what you are left with are memories that wouldn't make you laugh.

I, here, will share a quote very close to my heart:
Memory can glean, but can never renew. It brings us joys faint as is the perfume of the flowers, faded and dried, of the summer that is gone.

(P.S: I am a miser of my memories of you and will not spend them!!)



 

To Say Or Not To Say !!!

Most people who are into relationships would swear on being all truthful to their partners. Never hiding a fact, sharing their fantasies, giving a low down on their splendid lives, basically sharing absolutely everything and anything or making them believe that they share everything. That gets me to thinking how much is too much in relationships? Do you 'tell-all' in a relationship?

Most men would often tell their girlfriend/wife to share their most intimate secrets with them, which in turn would give them a sneak peek into their world. True or untrue, reality or fantasy: they seem to want to know it all. Going nude for yourself is one thing but baring it all even to your partner, another. How many men are willing to share the wild dreams/fantasies of their better halves? How much are we willing to let our guard down to a person we are so madly in love with? Is it better to hide our emotions and lead a make belief life? Is it advisable to keep revitalizing the relationship with pretentious and oh-so non existent attitude of ours?

Most men live in a make belief world. A make belief world that they themselves and we create for them. A world where everything seems to run smooth. A world where we run over our true selves to make them happy. A world where lies and deception win over sincerity. A world which is stranger than fiction itself!!

Physical intimacy forms a major part of any relationship, any normal relationship. Most of us would have at one point in time or the other fantasized about other men and a lot of men about other women. But does that mean that we do not love our partners? Is it the social dogma that stops us from sharing our most exclusive secrets with our partners? Or is it the fear of being judged and labelled?

A man of discernment would know the difference between right and wrong, reality and fantasy. But not always. Though we all want to be ourselves with people we love, what happens when it comes to sharing our darkest secrets and desires? Though we want them to laugh over our silly notions, what happens when the bouts of laughter turn into your worst nightmares? Though we want them to have a sneak peek into our lives, what happens when we are rejected and ejected from their lives after that?

Most men would want us to tell-all in a relationship. Most women would differ on that. There are things that are better left unsaid than unleash the devilish side of yours which never seem to go down with men well enough. We all want to revel in the closeness of our relationships and hiding that trifling side of our diabolic/wicked life does not seem like a lot to offer up for the one we love. Because no one really said we have to give up on that. For that we all have our 2 A.M girlfriends!!

Someone once rightly said,"Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living and if they are of interest to others, they would no longer be fantasies."

(P.S: Fantasies are substitutes for unpleasant reality and not the present pleasant life!!)