Being real to the world and showing who you really are is a big deal of a question these days. The question here is not who is real or who is fake. The question is that the people who are real are often misconceived the most and there is nothing that hurts more than that.

1. They Are Thought Of To Be Fake

More than what it already takes to be the real person you are on the upfront as well, the people around you make it worse for survival by truly believing you to be a fake one as well. Like all the others around, you too are thought to be a fake one and that hurts too much because even though you really are who you are, you are still abandoned of trust.

2. They Get Hurt The Most

As is the human nature that we believe everybody else to be just the way we are, we tend to believe that everybody around us is also real, which is surely not true. As a result of which, we end up getting hurt the most for one simple reason that the world around is surely a fake one, which we often misjudge to hurt ourselves the most.

3. They Are Termed As The Attention Seekers

People mistook them a lot for attention seekers, not realizing that someone who isn’t fake will never be able to hide their feelings well. If someone does hide their feelings really well, that is one proof that the person is surely an attention seeker. However, the real one, being who they are and not really asking for any attention are accused of something they don’t even understand.

4. They Get Abandoned For Being Misconceived

What really happens the most of the times is that they are considered to be someone they are not and not acknowledged for who they really are. That puts the ones around them in a state of crime for they end up abandoning the person who was nothing but loving and caring towards the others. However, not many people understand the ones who are generous at heart. At the end of which, they end up getting abandoned and being understood by none.

5. They Are The Ones Who Are Always There For Others

Since they understand what it feels like to be lonely, they make sure that no one else ever feels that way. They know what it feels like to be hurt so they make sure that no one else ends up that way. The problem, though, lies that they are always there for others, they are always there to support and provide a shoulder to the others while the time when they need someone to cry in front of, all they have is a wall and their dear pillow. That’s heartbreaking.

6. They Just Give, Give And Give

We learn it all our lives that we live in a two-way world and it is always give and take however for the people who don’t know how to fake it, they end up giving in way too much but they never get anything back. They are stuck in giving away all of their hearts but all they get back in return is silence and hatred.

7. They Are The Ones Who’d Cry Themselves To Sleep

All day long, you’d find them smiling their ways through but when it’s time to go back to bed, the silent place where a person is supposed to be extremely calm and satisfied with their lives, they cry out there, almost all night to be able to sleep. They are the ones who weep tears down there to be able to forget all the harshness they go through and be able to sleep.

8. Yet, They Don’t Forget To Love

Even after going through all that they do, they don’t start to believe that in this world, being fake is the only way out. In fact, they never stop believing in love and continue to love unconditionally.

Not all people are the same in this world but it’s a shame that we have made it a bad thing to be different. Being judgmental has become a mainstream thing that every single person is following these days but here’s why there is not harm is being different.

1. You Get The Chance To Be Weird.

There’s no fear of being judged when you know that you like being different. There is not fear of being called by names for being a certain sort of a person. There is no harm in being yourself and each one of us shall believe it right away. We must accept ourselves the way we are and love it.

2. You Get To Stand Out Of The Crowd.

Who wants to be one of the sheep in the herd? Do we all not wish to be someone known? We all wish to stand out of the crowd and be recognized. We all wish that we get renowned, that people know us by our faces, remember our names and know who we are but that can never happen while we are still one of the sheep in the herd. To be known, we must stand out and make ourselves be seen. Being different than all others serves a great deal to this.

3. You See The World Differently.

You shape different perspectives, you have different beliefs, you stand out and walk differently, you achieve differently, you succeed differently, you love differently, you make yourself a life differently. The different is better for most of the times. There, that tells us straight that being different is actually a great thing.

4. You Get To Be Who You Are.

You don’t need to pretend to be someone else because you already are so good, only because you are completely different than this world. You get the chance to be who you are without any fears of judgment for we are all looking for better and if you are different than everybody else, you are already better than everybody else.

Yes, we all have a never-ending and constant increasing TO DO LIST which we had once started making with all high spirits and a promise to complete that with utter proficiency… but with our busy schedules and loads of laziness are left behind maybe somewhere under our bed?? Or is gone with the garbage.. . A plan is necessary to get certain direction in the life, and I am not talking about your failed attempts of meditating or joining a gym but there are certain things which you should definitely add to your list for personal growth, happiness and fun.

Read

The more you read the wiser you are:) . This should be a must thing in your routine as reading significantly adds to your efficiency, increase your knowledge, vocabulary and confidence. Read anything in any language without any boundation. If not Dan Brown then switch to Jane Austen or even newspaper will work.

Dance

So I am definitely not talking about the professional dance forms and strict postures, just dance to feel free, to smile, to laugh, to enjoy and to shout and sing in your highest pitch. This is a great stress buster and moral booster.

Cook

Hey, foodie soul!! Just for an adventure or to develop one more art do give a try to cooking. You can master a new art, can make other people happy by showcasing your new talent and feeding them:p but most importantly you can be dependent on yourself­ you can eat what you can cook… ALL BY YOURSELF. Plus this past time will teach you how to make decisions and be responsible.

Write

Writing is the best way to purge out your emotions and the pages will never judge you:)) with this constant habit of writing the brain start developing at a faster pace with a sure increase in improved language, patience, and time to think from the point of view of others as well. Thus writing ends up making you a better person:o

Talk to yourself

This is not a sign of any mental issue but is a necessity. We all are so busy on WhatsApp and messenger with our 1134 or more friends that there is no time left for the most interesting and unique person i.e. you, my friend!! Yes, and it is highly beneficial to talk to oneself, take some time out for yourself, talk in the front of a mirror, think, reflect, know yourself, appreciate yourself. An honest chat with yourself will help to get direction in life with realism.

No matter how packed up your schedule is, for these 5 things you can surely make space in your world to make it more bright and interesting.

Being away from home for a really long time can be too hard at times. Here are a few of those moments when you feel so. Find out if you’ve already felt homesick during these times.

1. Been Away For Too Long For The First Time

If you have been home for most of your life for a long time and you’ve suddenly had a long period of time to be away from home as well as the people you love, you will definitely feel homesick. Sometimes, it might get way too much of a feeling that you’d want to cry yourself out.

2. When You Miss The Person You Could Be When You Are At Home

When you are away and you dont feel like yourself anymore, you start to miss the person you really were and the fact that you really could be yourself at home. After all that is what home is all about.

3. Feel Suffocated Even When You Are With Your Family Members

When you are away for a long time and you don’t feel like yourself anymore, it doesn’t matter if you are with your family members or not, you do feel suffocated at times when you are either extremely shy to say something or feel that it wouldn’t matter even if you did so you just don’t bother.

4. The Expectations Of A Certain Thing Go Wrong

You do expect certain things from a particular trip or any get-away before it all even starts. You imagine things and make pictures in your head that you wish would come out that way. At times, though, it doesn’t happen that way. When the things start happening against of your expectations, it feels weird and you start to feel homesick.

5. When You Miss Specific People Way Too Much

You spend all your time with particular people in your normal and routine life. You are habitual to those. You feel incomplete without all of them and you feel that something is missing when they are not around. You start to miss them way too much and time seems to have stopped. The missing that you have for them makes you feel homesick.

6. When You Miss The Place And All Its Comfort

Home is a place full of comfort. You have nothing to worry about at your home. It is a place where everything you have will make you feel comfortable and happy too. When you can not be at that place for a really long time and you start to miss it, it is then that you realize how homesick you are.

We don’t know what the future holds for us, but here are certain things we can tell our future selves and do a favor:

1. Do not get upset over what you are doing right now. It will all be passed.

Whatever you are doing right now is because you feel that it is okay. You will do such things in the future too. It doesn’t matter. Just relax and do whatever you feel like. These days are not going to come back.

2. It’s okay that you haven’t turned out the way you thought you would.

There are a lot of dreams and fantasies that we create for ourselves in our minds that we imagine would happen in our future but it doesn’t always happen as per our choice. You need to understand that whatever will happen will be a result of whatever choices you made so never regret those.

3. It isn’t such a big deal to change your dreams every once in a while.

We grow up and change as a person. As a result of that, the dreams that we have for ourselves change too. It is okay that your dreams are changing, doesn’t really matter. You have the power to change them as many times as you want as long as you are working towards them.

4. You still have a lot of time to make things work.

Time will always be sufficient. Remember that its never too late. You will always have the time to restart and do what you believe in.

5. Don’t cry yourself to sleep. It isn’t worth it.

Crying yourself to sleep at nights is not going to fix the problem. Thinking working and fixing it will.

6. If “the one” isn’t there yet, he/she will be. Don’t worry too much.

Things will soon work out. Be positive.

7. It’s okay to break the rules. Try it once and you’ll know that it was fun.

You don’t always have to be the innocent and obedient kid. Sometimes its amazing to go against the rules.

8. You aren’t yet too old to do the crazy things you wanted to.

It’s never too late to be a child. Let the child inside of you be alive for once.

9. It is really okay to still be a child at heart.

You can make the choice of being a happy child at heart. Don’t be scared of being judged. It doesn’t matter.

10. Age is really just a number.

Age should never be the factor to stop you from doing what you like.

Girl: So, you mean to say that girls are a burden for their parents and parents just want to marry them off?

Boy: No, all I’m saying is that parents have a responsibility towards their children. Be it, daughters or sons, they want to settle them. And the kind of society we live in, we face such issues.

Girl: Oh! Great. So you wanna say that one should get married just because the society wants? Are we here to satisfy this society? And if you want to just look after the society, parents should not give birth to daughters.

And the conversation is not going anywhere!
See…

Source: reology.org

I agree that we are all educated, independent and have the right to put our points forward but we are EGOISTIC too! Is this ego taking us anywhere? Are our conversations going anywhere?

We name it discussion but it is actually ARGUMENT which many times is related to DICTATORSHIP (No, I’m not talking about Hilter here! But this is for the people who are NEVER open to receive opinions from others and just want to prove themselves right).

We start our journey to get to our destination, but we get stuck in the middle of the road by becoming the giant iron nails and the cause of the tyre puncture!

Here, I have fetched the best possible explanation of depicting how discussion and argument looks.

Source: http://www.differencebetween.net/

And the picture below is sufficient to explain what dictatorship is.

Source: www.wsj.com

But do you even know or have you ever thought how your arguments, your fire glued words, your forceful sentences affect not only the other person in conversation but also your mind and your body?

Here are some side effects of your SIDE EFFECTS of an argument:

Short-term memory loss:

Due to the stressful conversation, cortisol, a steroid hormone that helps your body stay alerted in a bad situation increases. And if it increases over a period of time it can result in loss of synapses in the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with short-term memories.

Social impairment:

When your brain is in fighting mode, it just keeps on shooting one bullet at the other. And it decreases our ability to handle and manage complex situations.

Increased heart rate and blood pressure:

When your brain gets a signal that there’s a danger, it sends signals to your adrenal glands telling them to release the hormone adrenaline. Adrenaline increases the amount of sugar in your blood which increases your heart rate and raises your blood pressure.

Loss of creativity and innovation:

A stressful mind can never be home to creativity. You lose your creativity eye to look at the situations while you have you fighting goggles on!

Source: Erik Mace for Yahoo Health

So, now when we know how our brain and body is affected while we are busy throwing and catching fireballs, we should stop and check ourselves and understand “Where the conversation is going?” before we stress our body and mind the next time.

It does no good to anyone!

Source: www.pinterest.com

There are many things we want others to do for us don’t we? But here are 5 “do it yourself’s” that you must try “YOURSELF”.

1. Earring holder

I’m sure all the girls out there agree with me that storing our jewelry can be a total mess, getting to store them in huge boxes and then dealing with all the untangling, I know how it feels. Well, why not go ahead and flaunt it, making it a part of your room decor? Sounds interesting? Keep reading.
All you will need is:
-picture frame
-a sheet of scrapbook/handmade paper of your choice
-a roll of tulle or ribbon
-scissors
-packing tape

Steps:
(a) Take the back out of the frame and remove the glass from it.
(b) Trace the back of the frame onto the paper. Then cut out the traced part of the paper.
(d) Tape one end of the ribbon or tulle to the back of the scrapbook/handmade paper. Then firmly stretch the ribbon or tulle across the front of the paper.
(e) Tape the other end of the ribbon or tulle to the back of the scrapbook/handmade paper. Then cut off excess material. Make sure it is tight enough to support the earrings. Repeat until the paper is covered with material.
(f) Place the covered paper on top of the frame backing. Then secure the back of the frame.
(g) Finally, attach your earrings to the tulle or ribbon and display the frame.
And TADA! Your unique earring holder is ready.

2. POP CAN VASES:

Things you need :
-Pop cans
-acrylic paint of your choice
-paintbrushes

Steps:
(a) Take your pop can and dent them a little by pressing them.
(b) Now all you have to do is paint your pop can with the color you’ve chosen. You can experiment with the colors here. Your time to be creative!
Tip: You can whiten a little bit of white in the paint and that’ll give it a hint of vintage and it’ll look a bit artsier. You can draw on it too if you prefer that.
(c) You can stick artificial flowers into them or even grow real ones in them.
And Woop! It was that simple guys.

3. TUMBLR THEMED PHOTOFRAMES

Things you need
-A pair of scissors
-And old photo frame

Steps:
(a) First, you need to find a picture of your choice that you wish to print out. I suggest you go to Pinterest.com and search for free printables for your wall.
(b) Print out that picture according to the size of your frame, cut the extra sides if it’s left out and fix your printout into the frame.
You can make these as many as you like for your wall.
Super easy right? Plus it looks so “Tumblr-y”, and who doesn’t love that?

4. WORLD MAP ROOM DÉCOR

Things you need
-Thermocol sheet
-A pair of scissors
-A marker
-A cutter
-A wooden/cardboard sheet

Steps:
(a) Go to google search box and type “world map Tumblr” . This gives you tons of beautiful and artsy images. You can choose whichever you like the most and then print it out. Just make sure that it’s scaled to fit the entire paper.
(b) Next, go to an online editor, I would suggest “Picmonkey editor” and type out the letters you want to print. For example W A N D E R L U S T. Print these letters vertically/ horizontally whatever suits you but make sure to turn them laterally, and also to make it easier, print them on the back of the world map that you had taken out.
(c) Now, you just have to cut them out and paste them on a Thermo cool sheet, the letters facing the side of the world map on top. (OBVIOUSLY!)
(d) Using a cutter, cut them out neatly and paste them on a wooden/cardboard sheet according to your own requirements. And it’s ready!

5. OFF SHOULDER SUMMER TOP:

Things you need:
-A pair of scissors
-A t-shirt of your choice
-Needle and a thread

Steps:
(a) Strip off the sleeves and about 4” off the bottom of the shirt.
(b) Resize the width of the shirt if needed.
(c) Hem one edge of the strip you cut off the bottom
(d) Sew this strip upside down onto the top edge of the shirt, to hide the seam, all the way around the t-shirt. Be careful to leave enough space on each end for your arm to fit through.
(e) Wear with the strip falling over your shoulders. Simple and sexy!

As we grow up, we have an endless account of experiences in life. Some experiences happen to us and the others, we make them happen. Make this one a part of that list which you are going to carry to your old age and looking back at which, endless smiles are going to strike you. Try it for once and what is bound to happen is that you’ll learn a lot of things in life.

It’s A Totally New Experience

Surely, you haven’t done that ever before. It’s an entirely new thing for you to experience and change is always good. So bring about a little change in your life and see how it all comes along. One thing that will surely happen is you will have something new in the list of your life events. That is always worth a shot.

The Joy Of Doing Anything You Want Is Amazing

You are the decision maker of the house now. You don’t need to seek permission for anything from anyone. You can do whatever you like and no one is going to question you on that. The freedom that you get is one amazing thing to have. More so because initially it feels great and you feel on top of the world but as you start coming to terms with the reality of life, you become a better a more learned person than what you already are.

No One Is A Better Teacher Than You

Nothing will ever teach you anything better than you yourself. You can try new things out like cooking or play a new sport or a little dancing. You can teach yourself whatever you’d want. There is no limit to learning. You can learn whatever you want until the time you want. No one will judge you when you fail. You can do everything fearlessly.

There Is So Much To Know About Yourself

We try and try and keep trying to understand others but we spend very less time trying to understand ourselves. Living alone gives us a lot of “me-time” which is really very important. You get ample of time to understand who you really are and make yourself an even better person.

There Is No Better Feeling Than Making Your Own Home Up

You get to build the place where you’d be living, as per your own wishes and choices. You are the master of everything. You can put whatever you want wherever you want. You can buy as many books as you want, purchase the painting and finally have it on your wall that you’ve been wanting for quite a time now, put up the posters of the things you love which you weren’t allowed earlier. It feels great to do all these things by yourself.

Twenties Is When You Will Know What You Want To Make Of Your Life And Living Alone Lets You Out Of All Extra Responsibilities

Twenties is the time when you are trying build something of yourselves. You are definitely not ready to have anything to worry about rather than your own self. So would it not be great to do that without all the pressure from other people in the house and in the society. It will give you a sense of responsibility along with a sense of freedom too

In our primary school, coloring books, thought books, in the speech of great scholars, our high school etc. etc. etc… We all have been hearing the phrase “PRACTICE MAKES A MAN PERFECT”.

It has been a week since I joined my new job (actually, my first ever job!) and what I learned in the first week was: “Practice would make me perfect”. And then I realized, be it any job- customer service, business development, teaching, or the sales job; you have to practice in order to become perfect and master your job.

And then suddenly, the Science student inside me woke up and I became hungry enough to find out why and how practice would change the chemicals flowing inside my brain!

And here is how it works:

We all know that neurons are the basic unit of the cellular building of our brain. If you don’t know this then I think you need to repeat your 5^th standard 😛😛. And then there is a white matter that fills nearly 50% of our brains. That white stuff is myelin, a fatty tissue that covers much of the axons which are the ends of neurons. Now the main point is how is all this related to practicing and our brain?

So, when we practice, we trigger a pattern of electrical signals through our neurons. Over time, that triggers some specific cells to myelinate those axons, increasing the speed and strength of the signal. It enhances the ability which further leads to better performance.

It tells us why not only the QUANTITY of practice is important to improve your skill as it causes repetition of the same nerve impulses again and again to activate the myelinated function, but also the QUALITY of the practice. So you have to make corrections every time you practice so that you don’t spend time practicing the wrong thing! If we do not correct our mistakes, we will myelinate those axons, increasing the speed and strength of those signals – which does us no good.

Now we know why and also how “Practice makes us perfect!” 🙂

And remember…

So keep on practicing… and you will surely become perfect one day!

As they say, “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”. It stands true today as well. Waking up early has a lot of benefits. Most of the successful people that history has seen were early risers. Even today, the successful entrepreneurs, business tycoons and actors are early risers. There are a lot of examples and facts that point to the fact to the countless benefits of waking up early. Well, here are a few of them:

More time to exercise:

You get more time to exercise when you wake up early. You can complete the whole circuit without rushing for the day. You have all the time in the world so you can warm up and cool down properly. Exercising in the morning keeps your fatigue levels low. Hence, you feel energetic the whole day.

Drives your day better:

Because you have risen early, you don’t have to rush to start your day. You have a “head start”. Because the first hour of your day goes well, your day would be a good one!

Won’t miss breakfast:

The night owls rise late. They skip the most important meal of the day i.e. the breakfast. Ever wondered why it’s called breakfast? Because you are “breaking the fast”. When you are sleeping, you are fasting for 6 to 8 hours. So, the first meal of the day becomes important. Because you rise early, you don’t miss it.

Enjoy some quiet time:

No matter how much hustle bustle and noisy your day goes, the morning hours are the quietest. Spending some quiet time is really beneficial for your mind and soul.

Sleep well:

Because you have risen with the sun, you tend to feel sleepy early. Once you get waking up early, your sleep routine would be fixed. So, you would feel sleepy at the same time. Waking up early also improves the quality of your sleep.

Better productivity:

Because you chose to be an early bird, you surely have the “head start”. So, you have more time to do the same things. But, you tend to accomplish more when you rise early. This is because you don’t have any disturbance in the morning hours and hence, you can do some important things (like keeping your mailbox up-to-date) with complete concentration.

Good Wi-Fi speed:

L.O.L.! Needless to say, no one uses internet 5’o clock in the morning. So, you can use Netflix or see the series online you always wanted to. Amazing isn’t it?

Well, now that you know some potential benefits of waking up early (like the last point), you can think of waking up early. At first, you will feel sleepy during the day and that’s completely fine. It takes some time for your body to adjust to it and set the sleep clock. But once you get used to it, there is no stopping to it.

OBSERVE

Observe whatever happens around you. Look at everything. Try to understand everything and everyone that surrounds you. Get into the depth of observing the smallest things like a traffic signal to the greater things such as the person sitting right next to you, even if that’s a stranger.

You never know what might change your perspectives and thus your life.

TALK & COMMUNICATE

Do not be hesitant to talk. Each one of us around is a human. It doesn’t matter even if some stranger judges you. They are not going to remember meeting you after a few hours. However, you might get all the right words for your story just by talking to a stranger. Communicate as much as possible. You never know they might remember you a lifetime too. What’s life without a little experiment?

LISTEN

There’s a little saying that ‘god gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason, so we can talk less and listen more.’

Talk to people but more than that, listen carefully. One never can be certain if one finds all the words they’ve been looking for in the story of the stranger they just, maybe, overheard.

INTROSPECT

Don’t think that you are a fool if you talk to yourself. Science proves that such people are geniuses. Talk to yourself and listen to what your inner self as saying. Know and understand yourself but also let something new happen to you every day, so there are a few surprises to look at each day. Spare 5 minutes a day, with your own self and know who you live with.

Finally, the most important of all, READ!

Read as much as you can. Pick up anything, a novel, a poem, a short story, a blog, a magazine, a newspaper. If nothing, pick up a dictionary. The better you read, the better will you write.

After all, a few words a day never harmed anyone.

One of the good parts of being a woman is that you get to choose from a lot of clothing. Occasions can vary from a wedding or dinner party or just a casual outing with friends, women have ample options to choose from. This is not just any other article about dresses but it talks about certain things that every girl should own irrespective of her age group.

So, here I am with my list of things that every girl should have in her wardrobe irrespective of her complexion, weight, and height 😉

One-Piece Dress

So be it a frock, maxi dress, A Line or a short dress, choose something that suits you or something you are comfortable wearing. This one is a must for everyone. You can wear it on some special occasion or any other casual meeting. The whole idea is to wear something different from the daily routine.

Scarf

Now this little scarf can make you look like a fashion diva. You can use it to protect you from the scorching heat or just wrap it around your neck, tie it around your wrist on your bag, tie it in your fair and keep experimenting with it to give it a different look to compliment with your dress.

Shades

There are a variety of shades available, so all you need to do is choose your style and you are set to beat the heat and in addition, it gives you a unique style too. But you need to be really careful while choosing your glasses.

One important tip: never choose cheap sunglasses from places like Janpath, Sarojini etc. , no wonder you can get sunglasses from Rs. 100- 300 from these places but they are not good for eyes and it is also advisable not to wear them for a longer duration. So if you want to wear them just for a selfie or just a click, go for it girls but make sure it is a must for you to have an original sunglass.

Aviator, wayfarers, round, oversized, cat eyes, oval or sports, choose your style and you are ready to rock it.

Suit

Straight fit, floor length, Anarkali, Angarakha, sherwani style, short flared or jacket style, you have multiple options to choose from.

Saree

The ethnic Indian wear that can never go wrong on any occasion. From Georgette, chiffon, crepe to cotton, silk, and endless variety. So for this season, you can select Georgette, chiffon, crepe to cotton, anything hat suits you. A perfect desi look is something that will always make you look all the more beautiful.

Jeans

You really need to have one perfect fitting jeans and  you are free to choose you color but blue and black are the ones that you can never go wrong with, pair it with a white t-shirt/shirt and you are all set for a cool look.

Neckpiece

Have a decent neckpiece that can go with almost anything you wear. This scorching heat might not permit you to wear heavy neckpieces, so go for some decent ones or beat the rule and buy some funky neckpieces.

Clutch and Tote

Yes, you got it right, a clutch and a tote are what I am talking about. These are 2 most important things that one should carry. You can carry your world in your tote, ranging from creams, lotion, comb, liner, kajal, gloss, may be your tab, power bank, something to eat, water bottle, money etc. etc. etc. anything that you can think of. Your tote acts like your mini world to you. So, when you need something all you need to do is open your tote and take out the stuff.

Cutch is handier, you can carry only limited stuff but goes perfectly with the dress or probably anything you wear. Go for some neutral colors that go well with all your dresses.

Clutch or tote can vary from Rs. 300 – 300000000, add as many zeros as you wish. (Provided your budget allows you to add zeros)

Nail Paints

This might not seem important but trust me this adds to your personality. There are multiple options available in the market and all you need to do is, select the one that suits you best.

Jelly, shimmer, crème, glitter, matte, metallic are just a few options, there is a whole market available.

And most importantly do not forget to wear you beautiful smile because nothing can beat your smile. So pat your back if you have all the above-mentioned items with you and  even if you are missing on something, you shouldn’t be feeling bad about it, all you need to do is go out and grab what you must own.

April is a month packed with college farewells and farewells mean wearing sarees. Coming from a girl’s college, I see a lot of my peers fretting about sarees, safety pins, pleats, pallus, shoes, and whatnot. Needless to say, I am one of them. Having worn sarees a few times before, I can safely say that I know the major struggles we girls face with this specific garment. Here are a few of them.

The Dreaded Petticoat

To someone who has never worn a saree, a petticoat may seem like a harmless thin skirt you wear below your saree. But NO, it is the most painful piece of clothing ever. The string with which you tie the petticoat around your waist is equivalent to death. It has to be super tight, tight enough that you feel like you’ll pass out. This is because the saree has to stay put and god forbid your petticoat is loose, you’ll be entertaining the crowd with your funky bloomers. Note to self: wear decent underwear, precaution is better than cure.

Pleats

Yes, the toughest part of donning a saree. The pleats, my lord the pleats. Do not attempt to pleat your saree on your own if you’re wearing it for the first time. Trust me, no one wants to see the end result. Try and you’ll be left clutching fabric in your hand and sobbing uncontrollably as your family watches. The pleats have to be even, crisp and goddamn perfect! God, the pressure! If you’re wearing it for the first or the tenth time, get someone else to do it. Honey, let’s be honest, you can’t, so just relax, have a glass of water, and let the expert do her job.

Safety Pins

If you’re going to wear a saree, say hello to your new best friends, safety pins! You will need them for every step of the way. You want your saree to stay at your waist and not fall to your knees? Take a safety pin. You want your pleats to look on fleek? Pin them up. You want your pallu to stay on your shoulder and not your elbow? Here’s a safety pin for you! Ladies, these tiny metal friends are life savers. Buy them in all sizes before you begin your saree saga.

Where does the pallu go?

I struggle with this question. If you imagine it, the pallu looks normal on either shoulder, but NO, there’s a rule and a “way” of doing things. Apparently it is supposed to go on the left (I think) shoulder. Who made this rule and how does it matter? Does it have some underlying significance that I’m not aware of? Is yes, please enlighten me! Every time I try to wear a saree, it always bugs me as to which shoulder I need to put the never-ending  fabric. Also, do you leave the pallu loose and flowy and pretend you’re in a Bollywood movie or do you pin it up tight and look like you’re ready to do jhaadu pocha? Where is the perfect balance? I can’t seem to find it.

Heels Heels Heels!

Ostensibly women must wear heels when they wear sarees because a) you won’t be able to manage all that extra fabric and may trip, and b) it looks good. For someone who is 5 feet 6 inches and wears boys’ T-shirts on a daily basis, this is very hard to understand. If I wear heels, the following two things will happen: a) I will look like Qutub Minar’s sister, and b) I will die. The only pair of heels that I own were an accident. I bought them for a school MUN in the 11^th grade and have never worn them since. Seriously, they’re rotting in the cupboard. It baffles me as to how women walk in them and smile at the same time. Kudos to you ladies!

Now that the dreaded board examinations have finally ended, and the three months of having fun as upon you- stop and think about it. Fun? Really?

The truth is. After about two weeks of gallivanting and general boisterousness, you will either

1. Start preparing for the REAL examinations- IITJEE/ CLAT/ AIPMT and variants OR
2. Be plagued by the everlasting worry that you will not end up in a college, and end up serving burgers and fries in a fast food chain.

On principle, we believe in ensuring you guys have fun, so here, we’ve prepared a listicle for you, reminding you why being an English Major is one of the best things you can do.

Studying English means fangirling/ fanboying for a living

We can’t emphasize this enough- studying English means you take a text you love and look at it in all ways possible, to answer the larger questions of life. If you step into research, you get paid to do what you really love- read! It’s like eating a cake and having it too.

English is not just about books

We know you’ll find it hard to believe, but English is not JUST about books. It’s for everyone- no matter what you like because studying English also involves studying films and graphic novels. Some colleges even teach you lyrics of songs!

Makes you more empathetic

English helps you look at life in its whole because the study of Literature goes way beyond a simple book. It involves understanding various periods of human existence, ultimately making you understand humanity better. You truly become a better and more understanding person by studying English.

Builds your analytical skills

So much of the study involves looking at a text and understanding what it means, what you feel about it, and unraveling all its layers. Ultimately, you become better-equipped to unravel all sorts of layers, making you appreciate the world around you better.

 Literature is just so beautiful!

Words have so much power! You can feel so much just by letters strung with punctuation wash over you in waves. Poetry, drama, novels, and essays: everything has the ability to affect you emotionally and intellectually. It’s like living various lives and learning to find the beauty in each one.

Helps you discover other languages

One of the best parts of studying English is that so many texts are available in translation, that you end up reading literature in languages other than just English. Quite often, English Majors end up learning more than one language- Sanskrit, Spanish, German, Korean- you name it!

Has a lot of job potential

One of the things you’ll hear is that English doesn’t leave you with too many job opportunities. Au contraire, being an English Major leaves you well equipped for a lot of job options- from working in the corporate sector to civil services.

English is just fun!

Wouldn’t you want to spend the next three or four years discovering life in the most fun way possible? When you sit with a book and begin thinking about it, and feeling all the emotions a book is capable of making you feel, you realize something a lot of people forget in the pursuit of a degree: language is the way to truly living.

Life is all about connecting the dots and procreating an image. It is for us to fix upon whether to crave a circle and end up where we began or to draw a star and make a difference. Life is what you make it! So, let’s make it rock! You never know what’s up next! So, let’s live it to its fullest. Here are five things you to ought to do before you die to lead a life like there is no tomorrow.

Visit your dream destination

Exploring is the best way to learn and grow. It’s high time that you let your wanderlust conquer your desires. Visit the destination of your dream at least once in your life. Dive into the beauty and tranquility of the divine nature and let the delicious cuisine treat your taste buds. Meet new people and have a fun of a lifetime. Life is beautiful!

Whenever we have to buy something for a girl, we buy pink and whenever we have to buy something for a boy, we prefer blue because we all know that girls enjoy pink bliss while boys enjoy blue euphoria. But is this actually the case?

Last weekend I went for shopping and I noticed that the tops I picked up for trial were mainly blue! And also, when I opened up my cupboard that day, blue was the king of the colors in my cupboard!
And then I decided to find out whether actually the accepted fact that color pink is for girls and blue is for guys holds true? Or there is no such thing?

This is what I found out…

The generally accepted rule is – Pink is for boys and blue is for girls!

Surprised?

Well, it changed in early 20^th century that color started defining genders. Since pink is a stronger color, it was more suitable for a boy while blue being a delicate and dainty color, it made girls look prettier.

But as people evolved, pink was associated with girls because they used to find ripe fruits which were mainly in the shades of red. It was the culture that made women like more of pinks than blue. Although the shades of pink – coral pinks, fuschia, salmon; women naturally like them now, but it has never been their preference since birth!

SOURCE: www.tumblr.com

Blue is the universal favorite color

Oh Yes! There have been many studies which prove is blue is always on the top of the mind of both men and women. Blue is the color of the empyrean which appeals to all! Also, if you want to relax, you should go with blue. Blue relaxes your mind.

SOURCE: theodysseyonline.com

The myth that revolves around that color discrimination, for pinks and blues is actually only a myth! No color actually defines the genders. It is the individual preferences after all!
KEEP CALM AND LOVE PINK AS WELL AS BLUE!

Dogs are surely one of the best creatures. Owning a dog is surely one of the best things you can do with your life. Here are some awesome reasons to get a dog for you:

Because they make you happy:

Seeing your dog or spending time with a dog makes you happy. That is one time you are away from technology. You tend to appreciate small things in life. A dog becomes happy by making you happy. Isn’t that delightful to know!

You will be best greeted when you are home:

The moment you are back, your dog will be the one who would greet you with high spirits. The joy and happiness of getting such a welcome are ecstatic.

You walk because they need to:

Your dog would motivate to have fitness goals. They would help you be fit as you would be walking twice or thrice every day because your dog needs to.

They would protect you:

No one would dare to come near you. Your dog would protect you from everyone (even your bae, just in case!).  Your dog is your personal security guard.

You change as a person:

When you have a dog, the love and affection you get from him change you as a person. You also tend to take care of your dog and this becomes your nature. This betters your relationships with other humans as well.

Best stress busters:

When you are too stressed out, just play with your dog for a few minutes and you will forget the world. They could sense if you are stressed out (or sad) and they would be proactive in pleasing you! What better treatment when your life seems so messy!

They force you to be social:

When you take your dog out, other people tend to notice it and they might approach you. These small interactions would increase your social circle. Also, talking about your dog would make you more social.

You can get love matches:

Well, we all have seen this in movies. It holds true for real life as well. Research suggests that having a dog makes you more approachable and attractive. Hence, you could get your matches easily.

They would be loyal, for life:

Well, the reason people don’t prefer to have girlfriends (just kidding). Dogs would be loyal to you for life.

They are cute:

Well, you know it. They are! The picture explains the rest.

Having a dog is surely one of the best things. So, if you are planning to get a dog for yourself, do you need more reasons? Go and get one!

In life, sometimes it happens that circumstances or people make us angry. Everyone in their lives might have got angry at least once. We tend to say or do something which we shouldn’t. Because when you are angry, you lose control over your senses. But it’s always better to stop than to regret. So, here are a few pointers you should try not to do when you get angry:

Talk about that matter:

Talking about the matter which made you angry will make you angrier. So, stop ranting about it and keep calm!

“It’s not my job to make you a better man and I don’t care if I’ve made you a better man. It’s not a woman’s job to be consumed and invaded and spat out so that some man can evolve.”

• Jenny Schecter, The L Word

She is a ray of the sunshine in the dull life of the hero. She walks in with a sprinkle of glitter, smiles all the time, is full of quirks and invests her vintage-clad self completely in changing the hero, and bringing colour into his life. Her name is irrelevant because the story is never about her. Sometimes she can be named after a season, and sometimes a woman in the hero’s past he never got over. This is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, one of the simultaneously most tiresome and most enduring tropes in cinema.

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is essentially a free-spirited, positive character with a unique outlook on life, but has no interests or agency of her own, except to improve the hero’s life. The term was coined by film critic Nathan Rabin to describe Kirsten Dunst’s character in Elizabethtown. According to Rabin, “The Manic Pixie Dream Girl exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” This is the fundamental problem with this trope: she is never a real, fleshed-out person in the context of the film. She is always seen through the filtered perception of the hero, and the only parts of her personality that are highlighted are the ones that serve the hero’s purposes.

Though seemingly harmless, the MPDG is in some ways, a more harmful a stereo-typification than the damsel in distress of action movies, because it recognizes that women are intelligent, inspiring, have defined personality traits and ways of looking at life, but implies that all these qualities are best deployed in the service of “saving a man.” It places the woman’s life and interests at a position secondary to the man’s. It is also extremely reductive, because the only things the audience gets to know about these women apart from their affinity for hair dye, their penchant for painting birds on the hero’s gray walls, and their tendency to break into spontaneous dance routines. We don’t know about their hopes, fears, and issues, we don’t know what motivates them, and haunts them, in a nutshell, we don’t know what makes them human. And they aren’t meant to be human, with human failings and imperfections. They’re simply temporary stops on the hero’s journey to a better self, as is seen in 500 Days Of Summer: after Summer, comes Autumn. And the qualities the hero projects on to her are what eventually breaks him. “Yes, Summer has elements of the manic pixie dream girl – she is an immature view of a woman,” says director Webb. “She’s Tom’s view of a woman. He doesn’t see her complexity and the consequence for him is heartbreak.”

The trope has harmful real-world consequences too. The MPDG is an ideal distillation of every unique positive quality a woman must have. It creates, like all tropes do, unrealistic expectations that can be exhausting to live up to. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is not just an onscreen fantasy–she’s a template for young women’s lives.Fiction creates real life, and women try to behave in ways that they find sanctioned in stories written by men. The constant pressure on women to be cheerful, bubbly and quirky, and to use these attributes to turn a man’s life around is damaging. The ideal urban woman is expected to smile all the time, and not have any issues of her own. While, both in art and in real life, the hero’s shortcomings and less-than-ideal state of life are almost glorified as a canvas on which to paint his tortured self, any signs of the messy puddles of human existence in the woman’s life is met with instant distaste. The MPDG doesn’t allow women to have problems with body image, mental health issues, or troubled pasts. Seeing the idealization of this trope makes it seem as though women must go through life as a caricature of their happiest selves.

The end of the MPDG would be beneficial, not just for women, but for men too. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl has only one purpose: as a catalyst for male transformation. Both in her real and fictional manifestations,  she sends out the message, that the soulful and sensitive young man can only learn to appreciate life by falling in love with a woman who sees the bright colors and we need women who are lead characters and us as an audience deserve to see men who love these women for the complicated and decidedly non-ethereal people they are. Clementine in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind puts it best, “I’m not a concept. Too many guys think I’m a concept or I complete them or I’m going to ‘make them alive’…but I’m just a girl who’s looking for my own peace of mind. Don’t assign me yours.”

All of us struggle with periods of uncertainty, unhappiness, remorse, guilt, and anger. Having been a victim of those emotions for quite a while now, I thought it only apt to try and make an effort to step out of it and move towards positive thoughts and positivity in general. Mind you it takes time and effort to cultivate happiness, there is no “quick fix” for this. But once you do work for it, it will not disappoint you. Here are 5 ways to stay happy and positive!

Enhance your relationships

I watch a lot of TED talks, and many of them talk about how our social relationships are very important to our happiness. If we maintain them well and keep them alive and active, we are surely going to be much happier and have a more positive view than those who don’t. It is also important to identify when you are in a toxic relationship and take measures to exit it. Talking to people is very important to us humans. Believe it or not, sharing things does increase our happiness level as we feel there is someone out there who knows what we’re going through and cares about us. Tip for the introverts out there: If you don’t enjoy sharing (like me), you can start by writing your feelings on paper, then move on to actually telling other people.

Do you know what our biggest achievement of this era is?
We are still, on our own, taking in air to breathe! Otherwise the kind of busy lives we all are living, we would soon be using a machine that would breathe in oxygen for us because we won’t be having enough time to even breathe!

Am I right? Or … Am I right?

Come on guys! What is wrong with us?
We earn so that we can live the lives of our dream! You go back to your home every evening so that you can relax, but No! We carry laptops back to our home so that we can complete our leftover work.

You need to relax too! And the best way to do that is……
“Celebrate a Lazy Day!”

Source: www.pinterest.com

Have you ever thought of something that can help you restore the peace of your mind? Help you change your mood? Re-nourish your body?

Have you ever thought of spending a lazy day once every week?

If not, then think about it now! Celebrate your lazy day!

Celebrations are here!

Wake up late

Your alarm clock would not feel dejected if you don’t use it for a day. Let your alarm clock doze off one day and get up late.

Source: www.sodahead.com

Have your lazy bed morning tea

Prepare a strong tea for yourself and have it on your bed in a free mind mode. Think of nothing at all! Just relax.

Wear your favorite pajamas

Put on your favorite pair of pajamas. Loosen up yourself and feel the air penetrating into your pajamas.

Source: www.picturequotes.com

Choose a comfortable place to sit

Select a place for yourself where you can sit with lots of pillows and a blanket surrounding you.
Source: www.harvestmoon.co.uk

Make all the arrangements

Set everything around you so that nothing comes between you and your lazy day.

• Get your popcorns and other eatables.
• Keep the remote by your side.
• Throw your phone aside.
• Make yourself comfortable

Have a movie marathon

Watch movies, movie and movies! Try and watch more of funny movies because of the cardiovascular benefits of laughter! It will make your day. Trust me!

Re-read a book

Smell the book you read a month ago. Re-read it. It not only helps you exercise your brain but re-reading also helps you emotionally connect to the characters.

Source: dhund-bhari-sham.tumblr.com

“Life is all about balancing —
If life is about working hard, life is also about being lazy!”

Source: www.quotesfrenzy.com

There should be no guilt, no regrets that you wasted 24 hours of your life doing absolutely nothing! In fact, I would say you regained the 24 hours of your life!

There is nothing wrong with BEING LAZY!

Confident people are generalized as being happy but it is visible most of the times. Being happy doesn’t mean all day, every day. We too need love and a hug at the end of the day.

1. We love to talk but sometimes. We also want silence.

2. We love socialising but also hiding in our blanket and reading a book.

3. Being confident is not a 24*7 job.

4. Love is not a myth. It feels great to hug someone special at the end of the day.

5. Money doesn’t mean everything.

6. We work because we like to, not for anyone to praise us.

7. We are not attention seekers. We like to work with people.

8. Presentations were once a big deal for us too.

9. There are qualities we don’t possess. We are not perfect and we like it.

10. We want to spend time with people, not with objects.

11. We are humans too. We need the same things you do.

12. We don’t have magical powers, we just try to manage our time.

13. It’s experience that speaks, we did not learn this at some class.

14. Anyone can be the same. It is not given to certain people.

15. Sometimes we want to sleep in late too.

16. When we come back home, we are also tired. We are just busy humans, not superman.

17. We hate it when people think we wish to bring others down to rise.

18. We have the same choices. We are no different.

19. Most of us are avid readers. Reading is not for book worms or geeks. Readers are not boring.

20. Most of us are, but not all of us are self obsessed. We don’t think that we rule the world and hate the ones who do so.

21. Life is not eccentric to saying ‘me, me, me, me…..’ all the time. We value others too. Sometimes, more than ourselves.

22. We also feel broken. It’s not that we are all together all the time. We feel like having a tight hug or someone to love, at a lot of times.

23. At times, we are the loneliest. We are not understood well and misconnected.

24. Being confident is not same as being bold. We can be both but one might not be bold even if they are confident and vice versa.

25. The most important, WE CRY VERY FREQUENTLY. WE FEEL SHATTERED TOO OFTEN. WE ARE HUMANS TOO.

All of us might have crushes, or had at some point in our lives. Some turn out to be girlfriends/boyfriends, some husbands/wives and some simply crushes until they become just a memory. And some even become really good friends after the ‘crush’ feeling is gone. Some people claim that having a crush is better than having a boyfriend or a girlfriend, since “you don’t have to face any problem, you just look at them and smile like an idiot”. Some people think otherwise. But regardless, having a crush gives a different feeling, the inception of a romantic seed sprouting from the depths of your heart. And it also brings some amazing experiences, a source of a good laugh during the future. Here are some of these experiences, which you’ll probably experience only when you’re with your crush.

An escape from the awkward silence:

Sitting in silence, on a romantic spot cuddling with your ‘in a relationship’ companion is a different matter, but when it comes to crushes, silences are usually awkward. So most people usually devise a plan to escape this awkward silence- by planning the conversation beforehand. That is the time when probably our creative juices flow at their maximum speed, and the conversations imagined would be consummate, some so good that it could win a Nobel Prize for “The Best Imagined Conversation”, if there was something like that.
But, the reality is never as good as the fantasy. And so, our crush does not follow up with our plan, and in the end, the outcome becomes what we had despised- an awkward silence.
Example (assuming that the person ‘crushed’ is a guy), I’ll say “You look pretty today.” Then she’ll say, “Thank you” and blush. And to cover up the awkward moment, I’ll say, “You know so-and-so song (knowing that it is her favorite)?” “Yes.” “The lyrics, how they describe the guy’s lover, you are looking like that.” But in reality, “You look pretty today.” She frowns, “You’re lying. My mom forced me to wear this. And this hair, it’s not even straightened properly. I feel so ugly.” An awkward silence.

Flirting and gawky sentences:

Flirting is an essential part of being with a crush, and that’s what makes it the most interesting. If the flirt element is lost, then both of us soon begin to lose interest. Flirting also makes us more witty and glib at speech, and makes the other person significantly more attentive. But sometimes, we lose our dexterity and end up making gawky, or sometimes, gauche remarks.
Example, you are talking with your crush and suddenly you say, “Does your armpit smell?” Then you realize, “Oh my God! What the hell did I say?”
Unless you make a really quick, adroit comeback, you’re, well… probably done.

Daydreaming and Staring:

Sometimes, we are so much engrossed in our fantasies that we soon become oblivious to where we are, what’s going around and even to what our crush is saying. We simply stare at them, as if he/she is the last thing we’ll see before leaving this life. And while we are fantasizing on a wonderful love story or a romantic date with the person who is actually right in front of us, the person is feeling uncomfortable, and might want to leave the conversation. This usually happens when you’re talking with the person for a long time, so that you are seemingly comfortable to just listen and smile. But imagine, a person simply looking at you and smiling for a long time with no apparent reason. Creepy, isn’t it?

Nervousness:

The element of nervousness is almost always present when you’re with your crush, or what people figuratively describe as “Butterflies in your stomach.” The increased heartbeat with the sudden flow of adrenaline is what makes us excited. Yes, nervousness not only happens while speaking with a crush. But, every kind of adrenaline-rushing situation presents with itself a different kind of nervousness. And the nervousness you get with a crush is very different from a different situation, say, public speaking. It’s like the places Shimla and Darjeeling. Both are hill stations, with similar structures, but both places have their own uniqueness, their own ‘feel’.
But this nervousness mostly makes us over excited. Example, “What do you want to eat?” And you say, “Chocolate cake. No, vanilla. But that dark forest also looks good. What should I eat? Even those patties look yummy.” (While smiling awkwardly at everyone).

A day made wonderful:

Despite all the awkwardness and occasional embarrassments, we still admire members of the opposite sex, and take them as our crushes. Why? Because there is fun in the chase. A smile or a “Hi” from your crush can make your day wonderful. And a good conversation with your crush will make you exuberant and active for the whole day. Granted, the same can happen when your ‘in a relationship’ partner or spouse does the same, but then wonders are different. As George R R Martin says, “There is a difference between winning a kingdom and ruling one.” Both are fun (probably) but they are different. Chasing a crush can be more attributed to “winning a kingdom”. The wonder and joy you get in talking with your crush is simply invaluable for us to let go making new crushes every now and then.