Captured Moments

These are moments captured on the camera. Fond memories.

Selfie moment

Stationary moment

Poised moment

Beautiful moment

Nostalgic moment

Happy moment

Photo credits: Nanda, Narendra, and Chayanika.

The Little Things in Life

Last night after ages, our family sat together for dinner at the table. It felt really good to eat together as a family and laugh over some silly things. Strangely enough, for the past couple of days I have come to appreciate the little things in life. It’s these little things that make our life so meaningful and interesting. Here’s a list of things that makes my life beautiful.

                               

•  Sipping morning tea with my sister in the balcony
•  Listening to the birds chirping all day long
•  Reading the bible in my room
•  Walking to church on a Sunday morning
•  Chatting with my folks
•   Listening to music while commuting to work
•   Watching my favorite series on the laptop
•    Reading my unfinished novels

Now that my list is out, what are some of the little things that make your life meaningful?

Virtual Detox

I never thought I would need one. The amount of time spent on social media literally drained me of precious time.

C’mon what was I getting in reading people’s status updates on how bored they are or their evaluation about a movie that they just saw. Do I really need to know about the recent photo update or their likes?

Finally, for the first time I am off that social networking site for good and I pray and hope forever. I am thankful for the friends I connected with and for the wonderful quotes that encouraged my soul in times of discouragement. But I don’t need to spend endless hours browsing and scrolling on the news feed to feel happy.

It’s been almost a week that I am off it and I feel liberated. More time at hand, no more frustration. No pressure about removing friends and all that jazz!

Sanity is back and life goes on without a trace. I hope.

This is photography!! :)

 

Music!

Writing a post from home can feel weird as I am so used to writing from my office desk!! I guess, with music playing in the background will stimulate the creative juices to flow. Hahaha. But listening to music as you carry out your daily chores or go with your mundane activity can be good. Ok!! I have a topic to talk about. Music and its rich influence on your life...well this is my post so I will try to talk about its influence on my life!!

So, where do I begin. I have been listening to music from my mother's womb. For starters, this is no joke! Trust me, my father is a musician and he listens to music 24/7. And I have been listening to music even when I was not aware of it! Wow! I love to listen to music. Some of my difficult tasks are accomplished while I listen to my favourite band or a fav.song! I call that "Power of Music"

There are times when I am thinking over certain things and the sound of soft music playing in the background does help calm my nerves. I am thankful to God for music and for all those who create music!!

Seasons change!

Sometimes you just have to study nature to understand the fundamental principles of life. Look at the different seasons we have - summer, monsoons and winter. What's unique about them? There are present for a season!! They do not last for more than a couple of months and they are ready to be overtaken by its successor! Unless of course your area has been adversely affected by global warming!! (My city is still waiting for the monsoons, btw)

No matter how hot the summer, there is a sense of hope that it's just a matter of time, the rains will pour from the heavens and cool the parched land. It's this hope that pushes us to bear the unbearable heat of our hottest summer!! Let's apply this analogy to our lives!! We all go through different seasons, for some it is the season of unemployment, for another - arrival of a child into their family or just wanting a change!!

Hold on!! There is hope coz as the seasons change so will your situation change too!! I love this verse from Ecclesiastes 3 :1 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” For everything, dear readers there is a season......and seasons change!!

Milestones-2

Continuing with the theme of completing a milestone in my life, when the clock struck 12, my sister wished me and presented with goodies that I was dying to open!! :)..Finally!! As they say, “Patience is a virtue”:P......

Honestly, I did not know where to begin! So, I started reading the cards first. It was encouraging to read what dear friends had to say on this special occasion........Then I read my sister's card. I was in for a surprise!! She had a taken a pic of us two and printed it on a card!! That was so cute!! I absolutely loved it!!! What did she give?? She bought me“The Lord of The Rings” as she knew I love books.....Wow! That was a neat start. Then came cosmetics and a classy clutch purse :) and of course a scented candle!! But the card with our picture printed on it was a stealer!!

As I continued with the gift opening ritual, out came cross-stitch manual, more books to read, cosmetics, earrings, a gift coupon, branded t-shirt and cash from my parents. I was truly enriched!! hahaha.....

My surprise, ecstasy, joy and excitement were all captured on the camera, courtesy my sister!! And I got flowers too...red roses!!!

As anticipated, I got a call from a dear ex-colleague and friend in the morning!! Thank you S.K!! oops!!! S.P.....:P Had to go to work, but it was kinda fun with all the attention and cake cutting(3rd cake). Got calls throughout the day from friends and my sister checking on me to see whether I was enjoying my birthday and not to forget emails and messages! Then I got a surprise flower delivery in the evening...ooohhhh!!!! That was a dear friend of mine....It stands today adorning my cubicle! In the evening I had a quiet moment with my sis in a coffee shop eating Chocolate Bliss pie...courtesy the coffee shop.....Well!! Everybody were so kind to me!

Had dinner with family in a Chinese restaurant and I must say, the food was delicious! After we reached home, another chocolate was waiting to be cut...Wow!! That was the 4th cake ...Loved the cake!! Thank you dear sis!!!

In the end, as I retired to bed, I could just thank God for His immense blessings upon me and for my family and friends who made my birthday a wonderful milestone to pass!

Milestones-1

This year as I celebrated my special birthday, I knew I crossed another milestone. It kept me thinking of the ways in which I had grown as a person, as a daughter, as a sister, as a friend, as a colleague and more so as a child of God! And I am just hoping that I have grown in stature(metaphorically speaking :)) and in a positive way which only time will tell!

This was the first birthday where everyone was excited about, right from my family and friends. My sister was busy contemplating ways in which to surprise me and the kind of gifts to give. You have no clue how I pestered her to tell me what she was gonna give me. Was she annoyed or what?? Haahaa...

I was so touched with the fact that friends asked what kind of a birthday party I desired. That was awfully kind of them. This was for those who could not see me on my birthday, so we had a pre-birthday celebrations!! Yippee!! I enjoyed it so much.

I had my pre-birthday celebration on Sunday. I put on brand new clothes and clicked many pics with my family and friends. My sister who developed a great taste in photography become my own official photographer!! She loves clicking pics anyway!! After church, my friends sang to me and another church member who was also celebrating her birthday. Then!! We cut a cake (chocolate cake soaked in wine!!) and posed for more pics!! It was fun!!!

Then off we went to a coffee shop and celebrated again with another cake cutting!! I was showered with gifts and cards....It was so special!! Met my old friends too...then more pics :). Then my sister and I went to watch a movie!! Reached home in the evening, tired but extremely happy!! My sister had already purchased a lot of gifts which I was dying to open. And boy!! she wouldn't let me go near that special bag which contained all the goodies!!!

All the gifts given by my friends and the ones which my sister had got were neatly arranged on our table, along with the cards....They looked so beautiful...for the simple reason that so many cared enough to write a note to encourage me and celebrate in my joy!!!

What makes birthday special is not the cutting of cake or the gifts but the fact that you have a family who loves you and friends who care about you and desire to encourage you.....

More to come in the next post :)

Trip to a resort

Last weekend, our company had their official trip to a resort. How was it? Really good!!! I liked the place as it was surrounded by greens. Personally, I enjoyed capturing these moments on the camera. It was a neat place to unwind and relax...By the time we came to the city, we were all exhausted......In the end it was a trip to remember!!

Wake up and smell the coffee!

After all the talking about being sleepy and exhaustion creeping in......I knew what I needed......Yes!!! A cuppa coffee..Mmm..Refreshed in my soul!!!!

A weary week...

This week was very hectic and all I have been doing is wait for the weekends to arrive. I am so tired these days that I find it so hard to do just anything. These days my energy levels are so low that it takes all of me to push myself out of bed. This week has been strange and I am still wondering why.....

Been thinking over and over again about the probable causes of fatigue that has inflicted me. What could it be??

1. Lack of sleep. Maybe, since M only able to squeeze in a max of 6 hours only.
2. Have stopped drinking coffee-Withdrawal symptoms I am assuming....
3. Have a hectic schedule. I leave home at 8.15am and reach home by 9.30pm
4. My transportation sucks big time..
5. Maybe age is catching up.....

Well, I feel it could be a combination of all the above, who knows.....Hope to catch up with my sleep and some rest this weekend...

Cat caught cat-napping!

It's those one of those days where you wish you could get away with a few winks. This kitty is so fortunate. Look at that serene face!!! Hey kitty kitty.....Wake up and smell the coffee...

Well I have a problem-I can't watch people sleep, coz I have this urge to wake them up! I know what you are thinking "How wicked"

Kya kare,aadat se majboor? (Habits die hard) Hee hee :P

What the rains taught me

This week moved pretty fast and not to forget the rains that lashed on Tuesday creating chaos amidst people. On that fateful day, when I left home it did not occur to me that I would be spending the night at my friend's place. Becoz of the rains, all the roads that led to my home were heavily congested in the evening, so had to take a diversion.

There were many things that I learnt on Tuesday and would like to list them down:

• We are so helpless in the face of nature
• It brought in a sense of great fear thinking how powerful God is and what He is actually capable of
• Kinda experienced the callous nature of people
• Was able to understand the famous line, 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'
• We are so susceptible to stress and weariness
• Grateful to technology-was able to keep in touch with my family
  
• Life is so unpredictable and very short
• Ultimately God is the Creator and Sustainer of life!!

As I always say, live one day at a time!!

Stay connected!

Yeah, I have begun to realise the importance of being connected to people for once. My sister did not have an Internet connection at her workplace for a month and boy! was it trouble? It was difficult in a way to communicate as I was so used to dropping one-liners on her chat or quickly send an email.

It seemed like life had come to a standstill. Sounds a bit far-fetched, huh? But honestly this is how I felt as i had become so used to the Internet. But now things are back to normal and I can communicate to my sis with ease!!

So welcome back sis from your long hiatus!!!

Leave the outcome...

There is so much we can learn everyday and we should never underestimate how much our brains can accumulate over a given period of time. I think of my situation-One year back I was a dodo when it came to computers but I see myself today in a different light! Yes! I have learnt so much about computers that I surprise myself. Hahaa.

Most of the times we are reluctant to learn something new simply because we have already made up our minds about the outcome. And most of the times these outcomes imagined are discouraging. To be honest I've been so guilty of this kind of attitude and I ended up losing many opportunities. How can you predict the outcome if you have not entered the experience?? It's a very dangerous activity of the mind that can put an end to seeking new enterprises and I say this to myself first!

Go, take up a challenge and do not fear. There is much to learn in the journey than worrying about the outcome. As always the journey is sweeter than the destination!!

Being happy

Things that make me 'happy'
1. When I have a long chat with my sis on things I love the most.
2. When I get to eat potatoes. Yeah!
3. When I finish my deadlines on time.
4. When I watch action movies.
5. When I get to read an interesting book.
6. When I get to hang out with certain friends.
7. When I have a good workout!
8. When I cook a new dish and is well appreciated by family.
9. When I enter a bookstore....
10. When I get to dig into any chicken dish. Yumm!!

Kill monotony...

Monotony kills!! How much do we cry when faced to do the same things over and over again. Wake up every morning, have the same kind of breakfast, do the same kind of work and live a viscous life. Grumbling slowly ensues and we start to resent the daily mundanes of life. Statements like, "Oh! How I wish I could run away."...or sing songs like, "I want to break free" :) .What am I getting at??

I hate when monotony sets in, but I am beginning to cherish the simple mundanes of life. We always crave for some adventure hoping it will brighten our dull lives.. But when it does happen then how do we react : like unexpected guests crash in or your vehicle breaks down in the middle of a busy road? Then how do we respond? I ask this question myself....I would love to have an adventure packed, action filled life....but on second thoughts I prefer to be content with what I have....Just learning to be grateful for every aspect of my life will help kill the creeping monotony rising within me......
P.S. If I had such a breakfast table set for me every morning, what pleasure...ah!!

I call it a day!

I remember writing an essay in high school titled, 'The day when everything went wrong'. Well, I kinda experienced it today. I woke up with a splitting migraine and somehow managed to make it through the morning trying to ignore the pain. Unfortunately there were no tablets to pop in and of course the chemist's store does not open till the sun's way up in the sky. I couldn't take an off since I had few deadlines to meet.

At work I realised, the web designer wasn't ready with her website and lo behold! I discovered some loopholes in my content too. All the while my headache was getting worse and add to it nausea. Wow!! I popped the pills by noon which gave me intense acidity. And had lunch all alone since everybody were tied up with work. I couldn't wait because of my migraines. Trying to finish my deadlines turned quite disastrous....Will not bother to mention the details...hah! Trust me I would call this a day......

Realised one thing-Plans can be broken and one needs to be flexible. And yet to be thankful for every single event and not complain was kinda difficult to accomplish....Even though it seemed like everything went 'wrong' in my sight, it was all planned by God and I need to trust Him in these seemingly trivial things.......

Solitude

There are times when my heart is heavy with grief and my head is reeling with pain. Days where talking does not suffice and explaining does not gratify. Moments where you wished you were alone, far away from the crazy world. Away from the maddening crowd to a place of quiet rest.

Just to sit atop a hill and gaze into oblivion. To watch the clear blue sky above and feel the gentle breeze....This I hope will brighten my dull spirit and clear my head......

Much to learn....

Much was supposed to be written but exhaustion and lack of energy is preventing this endeavor. I guess it will be another time, another day for a better occasion. But overall had a relaxed weekend and got to spend time with a dear friend of mine. It was special as I got to see a deeper shade of character that made me respect her more.....

I like people who are honest, who are not afraid to show their vulnerability and say, "I need your help or please hear me out". I'm not for those who love to have a pity party but the ones who are not afraid to cry and display their weakness. We are human and we need one another. Realized that evening......