Why You Should Consider an Instagram (Social Media) Detox

With the TikTok ban in India, many youngsters who were simply binging on TikTok content have all of a sudden been presented with lots of time. If they were watching videos that added no value to them all this while, I hope at least a few realize that they wasted an awful lot of time with absolutely no results to show. This brings us to the important question; which social media ban would leave you with more time? For me, it would be Instagram.

Let me clarify two things. Firstly, entertainment can just be a medium for relaxation. It doesn’t have to add value all the time. But binging on anything frequently takes away valuable time; time that you could use to improve your life physically and mentally. Secondly, you don’t always HAVE to be productive. But you should know your options. The world has so much to offer and you have a lifetime to experience them, to learn and to grow. You should know that you have an option to be better at something than you are today and the joy you get from that kind of self-improvement is immense. Do you want to let go of that joy without even trying? On the other hand, if learning or creating doesn’t give you any joy, but you are happy with the way your life is right now, that’s perfect too.

After I cleared my CA exams in 2017, I stopped updating my blog frequently. But since I wanted to keep my writing alive, I decided to write on my Instagram account, afew.handpickedthings, on a daily basis. I used to post the pictures I captured and write captions on them. Through this, I kept my writing habit alive during the last couple of years while I slacked on my blogging. It worked well until recently. After I changed my job, finding time to write daily was getting difficult. I gradually began to beat myself up for not posting frequently on Instagram. It became a tedious work as opposed to something I should have enjoyed doing.

Why You Should Consider a Social Media Detox Like Me

To add to this, the lockdown had me trying so many new things; baking cakes, trying new dishes, painting more often, exploring new art forms, singing and recording videos. But the underlying purpose of creating had shifted for me. When I prepared a food, I was always thinking of getting the right pictures for the grid. The painting and the song had to be perfect for Instagram. I noticed how I wasn’t deriving enough joy from creating as I used to, because I was focusing on putting up everything on Instagram, from where I wasn’t getting any value!

I obsessed over the order in which I posted on Instagram, the caption I would give and these decisions took away an unnecessary amount of time. One fine morning it dawned on me that I was using too much of my decision making abilities, my time and sacrificing my joys of creating, all for Instagram. So I decided to go on an Instagram detox. Last week, I uninstalled the App. The aim was two-fold; to create for the joy of creating (and not for posting) and to figure out how I could use the App to add value to myself and others without losing myself to it.

Living without Instagram has been difficult. It was my go to App when I wanted an escape and the urge to share my creations on the grid for some instant gratification is strong. During this period, I clicked a beautiful picture of the sky, made a couple of drawings, prepared pancakes and I have been thinking of putting them up on Instagram when I get back. This thought process is what I need to break. I want to put something up on Instagram because I created it and not the other way round. But here is the best part. I have read more, taken some classes on skillshare and created more during the last one week because I am not wasting my time on Instagram consuming information I don’t need.

The truth is, you can do the same thing for different purposes. But you need to understand which purpose gives you the most joy. It is absolutely alright to create for social media as long as you enjoy the whole process. But ask yourself these questions. Are you enjoying the process of creating? Would you create if not for social media? If you wouldn’t, then is the burden of creating, worth the few comments and likes?

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It isn’t about social media alone. If you are spending too much time on an App without getting any value from it, it is high time that you ask if it is really worth your time. If it isn’t, take a ten day detox and evaluate how you could spend your time more productively.

So tell me if a social media ban would give you more time to be productive, which social media ban would do it? Also, do you think you’ll be going on a Instagram/Social Media detox soon?

MENSTRUAL CUPS – OVERCOMING THE BEGINNER’S HASSLES

Menstrual Cups have taken the internet by storm. With multiple companies rolling out different types of menstrual cups and celebrities endorsing them, I am sure you have come across the basics of menstrual cups. I have been using them for a year now and though initially I faced quite a few problems, now I am extremely relieved that I have them.

Menstrual Cup

Assuming that you have a basic idea about Menstrual Cups, in this post I’ll write about the problems I faced while I switched to Cups and how I tackled them. This is aimed at the beginners and the ones a hairline away from taking the big leap into using the cups.

WHY YOU SHOULD SWITCH TO THE CUP

1. No Leakage – Once you really know how to use it (You will know eventually), there is no chance it’ll leak! And that is the dream! No washing stained clothes, panties or bed sheets!
2. No Rashes – Moist pads do a lot of harm to the skin. At least I had a hard time with them!
3. No hassles of disposing Napkins or Tampons – You simply empty the cup, rinse it and insert.
4. Once inserted, you wouldn’t feel a thing there. You could go about doing any activity (subject to cramps) including swimming!

Menstrual Cups really do make life easier. Before cups, my visit to the washroom and the sight of blood in the toilet bowl were all painful reminders of the cycle and the cramps. But now it is mess free mentally and physically.

THE HASSLES I FACED WHILE SWITCHING TO MENSTRUAL CUPS

Will You Face Beginners Hassles? YES! Let me walk you through how hard it was for me in the beginning and how I overcame them. These happen in very rare cases as most people I know have adapted wuickly to cups.

My Fear: The Cup Would Get Lost Inside – Blame it on my lack of knowledge of anatomy, I feared that I’ll never be able to get the cup out and that I’ll need an operation. So I inserted with so much fear and checked every 5 minutes if I could get the cup out! Trust me! That’s painful and pointless. The cup will not get lost inside your vagina. More importantly, any fear will only make it worse for you.

Pain During Insertion – There are articles on various ways in which you could fold the cup to insert it. You need to try them to understand which suits you the best. But for me, inserting was painful every single time partly because of my fears and partly because I was shoving the cup up my vagina! Whenever you insert it, ensure that you are relaxed, take slow, deep breaths and carefully insert the cup. Take your time, contract and expand your muscles gradually so that the cup can maneuver its way through. If inserted slowly, it will not be painful.

It Never Opened – The next worst and the biggest problem I faced was that the menstrual cup almost never popped open causing leakages. It depends upon your body, the cup and the placement of the cervix. But it also depends on the way you fold the cup. When you fold it, don’t make it compact thinking it will enter easily. Instead, fold it loosely trapping some air within. If you’ve enough air inside the cup, once it fully enters the vagina, it will definitely open.

Fold the cup loosely

In those rare cases that it doesn’t, you can try the following:

• Insert the cup and turn it around to see if it opens easily in a better angle.
• Instead of inserting straight up, insert diagonally (just a slight tilt) towards the back of your body.
• Give the bottom of the cup a pinch.
• Insert your finger and move around the sides to help open.

Sterilizing the Cup – I was in a Hostel/PG when I started using the cup. Even if I were at home, I really couldn’t parade the cup into the Kitchen for hygiene reasons and sterilize it in boiling water. Hence I would boil the water separately and pour it in a vessel dedicated for sterilizing the cup and immerse the cup in it for 10-15 minutes.

GO ORDER THAT MENSTRUAL CUP NOW!

Most people get the hang of it in a jiffy and cannot live without the menstrual cup once they do. But you wouldn’t know unless you start using it right? So stop thinking and take the leap. Place the order. Let it come! Try it! The hassles you would face could be sorted out one by one. Besides, you can always switch back to a tampon or a napkin if you don’t like it. It’s that simple!
This is the best thing you can give yourself as a woman. This is the best thing you can do for the women in your life! Make the switch.

PS – I am not writing this as a part of promotion for any brand, but because I am a writer who wants to add value to my readers. If you have any more question about the Menstrual cup, please drop them in the comments. If you want me to write anymore posts on any related topic, again please let me know through the comments.

7 Giant Steps to Self Development

 

This is the 7^th and the last post of the series of posts I wrote on Self Development. I have started with simple and easy steps for Self Development in my first post and proceeded with various facets of it in the next few posts. If you intend to start working on it, I request you to begin with the 1^st post.

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When I began the series, I began with 7 Baby Steps to Self Development. Many of the readers told me how simple and time-saving they were. You need to warm up before you begin the actual work out. But if you do warm up alone, it will get you nowhere. It is time to take the plunge.

All the posts thereafter were about preparing ourselves mentally. If you really try following each post, you will find yourself preparing for today’s post and that, my friends, is the leap. These are big steps and you might have to drag yourself into doing it initially. If you get through the beginning stage, it gets easier. It begins with:

1. The Big Announcement

We know that social media is a time killer. Why don’t we put it to good use? For Self Development! Once you know what you want to work on, make an announcement on Facebook or Instagram about it, the date and your reasons to take it up. For instance, announce that you will start working on your fitness from the next day. You will start by going for a walk every morning.The benefits are twofold:

• You put it out to the Universe and with that, you have already started it because there is 99% chance that you will begin it. Once begun, half done!
• People might be willing to join you and nothing makes it more enjoyable than a company, be it to keep track of each other or to compete

2. Take the Plunge

Get into action. Do not wait at the end of the bank and dip your toe in the waters. You might rethink. Just take the plunge. If you were a 10 AM person and you have decided to wake up at 6 AM, do not try the, ‘Let me wake up at 9 AM this week, 8AM next week, 7 AM after that…’ technique. We know how that turns out to be. Keep the alarm for 6 AM.

 

Image Courtesy

 

If you have decided to exercise, start it tomorrow. Not sometime next week. Do it asap before you change your mind.

3. Quit a Bad Habit

Ah… it is getting tougher, isn’t it? I am no one to point out your bad habits. You know them and you want to stop. As long as we are discussing self-development, this is the best time. Google ways to quit your bad habit and if it involves buying something, go buy it now. You googled it last time and put it off since you were lazy to buy it.

Amidst your quitting resolve, if you have an urge to restart it, what will you do? Have that area covered too. Start a beneficial habit that will replace your bad habit if it involves time. If it is an involuntary bad habit like biting your nails, you get bitter solutions to dip your nails in that will definitely help you stop sticking them in your mouth. 😉

4. Enroll For a Class

Dance, Yoga, Gym, Zumba, Learning instruments, Languages, Cooking, Painting, Craftwork, Workshops, Calligraphy, name it and you have it. You might have wanted to excel in something similar. Instead of binge watching youtube tutorials one day and forgetting all about it, act on it and join a class.

The thing about enrolling for classes is that you would have spent money on it and that would give you a push. Once you reach there, your tutor will give a push. When there are many people involved, you will enjoy it too.

5. Reach Out to People who Despise you/You Despise

Think of the last person you want to meet and have a conversation with. Start with someone on the peer level. Imagine sitting with them over a cup of coffee?

Hard is it?

In most of the cases, this is a drill we could avoid. Not being in the good books of a single person isn’t a big deal. But what if you have to deal with them on a frequent basis? You could either try going out for a cup of coffee together. But if that would be weird, you could strike occasional conversation – about his/her home, the weather, ask for recommendations. If that would be weird, then go to point 2 and take the plunge. Tell them how you have noticed the friction and that you want to make things better. Trying doesn’t hurt. Does it?

6. Start a 30-day challenge (Or any such)

A person who failed in 4-5 challenges is telling you this. Yes. I found it immensely difficult. And so, take it up and challenge yourself. Being a writer, mine were all writing challenges. You could take up something that would help you grow. Fitness Challenge, Healthy Diet Challenge, Happiness Challenge, Photography challenge, Journal writing challenge, Self Development challenge and there are more such. Ensure that you keep a note of it somewhere so you keep track of it. Let me tell you how my challenges went:

• My 30 days letter challenge ended in 4 days I think.
• The 100 Happy Days Challenge was not only prolonged for two-three years it is incomplete even now.
• The 10 Days, 4 Things challenge? Barely completed 4 days.
• I did finish the 30 days Book Challenge but I skipped days. I didn’t follow it on the dot.
• And then I took up #BarAThon. And here I am! Writing my last post. I am finally successful and this has given me the confidence to take up more challenges. The feeling is out of this world! 😀 Go for it guys! Go! Go!

  

  Here is one example. Source

7. Start your Life Handbook/Journal

Our life from birth has been a blur. Do you have a record of those little moments in life? Life is made of little things. Those tiny but important details you thought you’ll never forget yet you find them slipping away from your memory. In another 10 years will you remember them? In your old age will your life seem to have been an empty slate?

Don’t just fill it up with lovely moments, keep a record of them. I can’t emphasize enough on its importance which is why I wrote an entire post on it.

You don’t have to start with all these at once. You can work on them one or two at a time but make up your mind to reach to the bottom of it. We don’t have much time. The earlier we master one thing, the earlier we can move on to the next. With this ends my Self Development Series. So did you like them? Do you think you can take up one of these? Is there anything else you would like to add to this list?

Featured Image Courtesy – Here

7 Ways to Lasting Happiness

If you are new here and want to work on Self-Development, you can start with this post. This is a series of 7 posts that deals with various facets of Self Development. Do let me know your suggestions or feel free to ask your queries.

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Life is the quest for happiness, isn’t it? We have heard that happiness can be found within us. Now I am giving you 7 methods of finding this happiness within you and bringing it to the surface. If you notice, these are either to be repeated daily or they make a mark in your life. Either way, they give lasting happiness. This is just a drop in the ocean of ways to be happy. I am restricting to 7 since my theme demands it.  I hope you find them useful.

1. Finding time for your passion

What was that one thing you have always wanted to do/learn/be? An artist, a singer, an author, a sportsperson, an actor, a linguist, a traveler? Whatever your heart yearns for, you still can be that. You say you already have a job? That is okay. If you’re passionate about something, pursue it during your spare time!

Observe where your time goes wasted. Reduce the wastage and invest some time per week to follow your passion. You WILL enjoy those few hours because you love doing it. Because that is the dream! Go ahead. Plan, chase, sweat it out and be what you were meant to be. 😀

2. Reward Yourself at the End of the Day

You sometimes spend way too much time on your break – watching funny videos, movies, sitcoms, reading, social networking – and at the end of the day, get stressed out as no work gets done. Eventually, in spite of doing what you love, you are unhappy. The key is to find the midway. Assign a particular time, preferably towards the end of the day to do what you love. It will be the reward for the day’s work and also a stress buster. You will eagerly look forward to this particular time and have the motivation to finish your work. When you are done, man! won’t you be the happiest and the most relaxed person on Earth? 😀

3. Writing one happy thing about the day

You have heard this before and I’d say follow it. If you have been following my Self Development posts, you already have a journal to jot down your To-Do list. In the same journal, you can jot down what made you happy at the end of each day. It could be a person, a thing, an event, a phenomenon, a feeling, an action. Anything! Even better. Take up the 100 Happy Days challenge. When you voluntarily find reasons to be happy every day, eventually you will see reasons for happiness everywhere, in everything involuntarily.

4. Being in tune with nature

We often underestimate this aspect of life – The gift of nature. But think about it. The feeling you get when you go on a trek, go to a beach, sit on the bank of a lake, walk amidst the woods, ride in the rain. It is a feeling you never get anywhere else. You are in tune with nature, the bare elements that you are made of. You are in tune with yourself. You can contemplate, look for answers or simply admire the creation of the Almighty.

5. Mark your Year

And mark my words. If you follow this, in 5 years, you will thank me. It is very simple. At the beginning of every year, decide 2 (Or any number of) realistic, amazing, practical things you will do that year.
For instance, if you want to go on a trip to Malaysia, do your homework, make a plan, fix a tentative date, determine the budget, and start saving for it in particular. Prepare explicitly for it so that you make it happen.

Remember your years not by numbers but by the amazing things you did.

The year I went to Malaysia.

The year I went Scuba diving.

The year I came across this amazing blog ‘A Few Handpicked Things’ 😛 *Hides face*

 

6. Spending time with a child or a pet

Children are innocent. They live in the moment. There is a lot to learn from their spontaneity and their baby talk gives you a fuzzy feeling. As for pets, love oozes like cheese fro a pizza. Hugging your dog and letting him give you saliva facial is all the therapy you need to be happy. Both these beings are always happy and do not spoil their moods with unnecessary thoughts. They are always happy and busy and if you are with them, you are always happy and busy.

I used to have a dog and whenever I was upset, she used to sense it, come and sit beside me. It took barely half an hour for me to forget my sadness.

Oh! I miss her 😦 Now I need a dog!

7. Gift Happiness

I love giving gifts. It is heart-warming to see the smile on their lips, the surprise in their eyes turning to an excited twinkle as they unwrap the gift. There is more. I tell them what I love about them, I surprise them with letters, I write things that make them feel good or create something.

Encourage, appreciate, tell them they are loved, gift little things, nothing too pricey – chocolates, flowers. In my office, when friends go out for lunch and come back with toffees, we run around in glee for those tiny treats. See? It is that easy! 😀

I sometimes tell strangers that I like there top or dress etc. It makes them smile and I feel good about appreciating someone. I send out happiness to the universe and get some back.

Psst! Appreciate my writing and I’ll be mentally pirouetting for the rest of the day (Okay I’m done promoting myself. Promise!) 😉

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7 Ways to Detox

This is Day 2 of 7 days of Self Development posts I am writing. If you are chasing Self development, please do join in. Begin practising these tips in the order of my posts starting here.

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When a farmer tends to his crops, he prevents the growth of weed and uproots them if any. Else, it hinders the growth of his crops. It is the same with Self Development. We need to detoxify ourselves so that we grow without any hindrances.

When we talk of detox, we need to take an overall approach to it – Detoxing our thoughts, our body and our surroundings – A Physical and Mental Detox. So, from now on, we try to consciously purify our thoughts and surroundings. Here is how:

1. Water Therapy 

Yes! We already discussed this in my earlier post. In addition to drinking 4 glasses of water on empty stomach, drink warm water 40 minutes after each meal. It eases the digestion process. Following this daily will purify your blood, gives you clear skin and detoxifies your body.

2. Pranayama 

Your life is counted by the number of breaths you take, or so it is said. Pranayama is a practice of refining breathing ability.  It helps you focus on your breathing and control the same.

• Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale deeply through your left.
• Now hold your breath and shift your thumb from your right to your left nostril.
• Exhale deeply and fully through your right nostril.
• Inhale through the same nostril (right).
• Hold your breath and shift your thumb from your left to your right nostril.
• Exhale deeply and fully through your left nostril.

This is one round. Do this daily for about 10 minutes. You can start with 2-3 minutes initially and increase the time gradually. Pranayama ensures that there is maximum supply of oxygen to all the parts of your body. It purifies the blood and the respiratory system.

3. Meditation

 

Image Courtesy: Huffington Post

 

 

There is a common misunderstanding that meditation is difficult. All you need for meditation is a bit of patience since you don’t see immediate results. Meditation is the process of cultivating awareness of our thought patterns and there are many methods to do it. Here is a simple one that I practice:

• Find an idle place and sit in a comfortable position – Vajrasana or Sukhasana (cross legged).
• Play a soft instrumental music if you’d like that and close your eyes.
• Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply for some time.
• As you bring your breathing to normal, focus on your body parts one at a time.
• Bring your attention to your toes, relax them, move up to your feet, relax your ankles, move up gradually to your calf muscles, your knees.
• At this point, go back to your toes and swiftly ensure that all the parts until your knees remain relaxed. If not, loosen them.
• Resume from your knees upwards relaxing each body part until you reach your face. Relax each feature on your face and begin a quick revision from your toes.
• Once your entire body is relaxed, stay conscious of your body for about 5 more minutes.

Now bring your attention back to your breath. After about a dozen normal breaths, slowly open your eyes, look around, absorb the sights, the sound and feel the air. Congratulations! You just spent around 10 minutes of your day without letting your mind wander. Even if the mind wanders in between this exercise, don’t fret. Bring it back to focus on your body. It might take a week or so to tame it. 🙂
4. Distancing From Negative People 

Cutting off people from your life is difficult, at least for me! There might be people around you who do not fulfill your emotional needs, or those for whom you are always there but when you need them, they vanish. There could be some who keep telling you how you ‘cannot’ or ‘should not’ do certain things. People who pull you back from everything, who aim to shatter your self-confidence and self-worth. They are toxic to your growth. Cut them off from your life. If that isn’t possible, distance yourself from them. It will be difficult at first, but soon you will have a newfound respect for life.
Let me put it this way. You are a combination of people around you. You really don’t want to become the negativity that surrounds you. Do you?

5. Cleaning Your Room 

I know clean people, messy people, and the ones in between. I belong to the last category and I’d like to move on to the first. Here is why. On the days my room was messy, I was grumpy, gloomy and irritated. It took me a long time to notice this pattern. After every exam, I used to clean my room and there was a certain happiness I found when I walked into an impeccable, sweet smelling bedroom. If a neat place could give us so much joy, there will be prolonged joy when our room is always clean.

I know many friends who boast of their messy room. I used to do the same. I’d say it is because they haven’t observed themselves enough. They will know the difference once they start keeping it clean. There is always a difference. You need to look for it.

6. Declutter

Clutter is useless, space consuming crap that fill your room, table and wardrobe. Take the time to sort through your stuff, one area at a time. Put aside things that you don’t use at all. Even if they are in a good condition, if you don’t use them, they are useless to you. Stop preserving them (unless they have an emotional value). Getting rid of clutter is symbolic of freeing space in your mind, keeping account of things you have and making note of new things you will need.

By cleaning and decluttering, you are detoxing your surroundings. When you walk into a clean room, you will be able to think clearly. A messy room brings your attention to all those tiny objects laying strewn around and it messes up your thoughts too.

7. Digital Detox

Again something I covered in the previous post? Not quite. Here, I am asking you to do something bigger and better. Can you stay away from phones for 2 hours a day? This means no social media, no chats, no calls for 2 hours. Come on! That is easy.

As children, we never had any of these gadgets. Then why is it so hard for us to stay away from them now? Coming from a college where we didn’t even have access to Television or phones, I can say with conviction that it is possible. Simply find something else to do during that time – Meet a friend, read a book, exercise, go for a walk, talk with people at home, learn something, create art, go for a drive and so on. See? I just gave you a plethora of options and they aren’t exhaustive. So let us work on that digital detox, shall we? 🙂

I know I know! Today has been a bit harder than yesterday. But hey! You don’t have to start them all at once. Focus on one point at a time, get used to it and add the next. Let us own our life, make things happen and spread this positivity! So will you be joining me in this endeavor? What are your thoughts on Day 2 of the Self Development Programme? Did you like it?

This post is a part of the BarAThon hosted by Blog-A-rhythm.

A Complete Guide to Online Shopping

Lately, most of my shopping needs are fulfilled by online stores. During the last couple of years, I got lots of gift vouchers for online stores that, I shopped to my heart’s content, not without some lessons. There are boons and banes of shopping online and so, it is always better to read up and do your researches before you leap into the mess that is online shopping.

I have plenty of friends and relatives who are still skeptical about online shopping. They haven’t tried it yet since they have lots of doubts and rightly so. Every customer has the right to ensure that the product they buy is worth the money. So, I decided to compile a list of Do’s and Don’ts based on my experiences with online shopping.

1. Shop from an Authentic Site – This had to be mentioned for the sake of newbie shoppers. Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, Snapdeal, Jabong, Limeroad etc have been the most prominent shopping sites. Others such as Ajio, Koovs and many more have joined the bandwagon. If you shop from lesser known or completely unknown sites, there is no guarantee of receiving your product, let alone getting them in good condition.

Image courtesy: Here

2. Look out for Ratings and Reviews – Before shopping anything expensive, see what the other buyers have to say. Sites like Flipkart and Amazon have ratings and reviews for almost all the prominent products. The key point here is, if a customer is too happy/unhappy with his product, he will definitely come back and write an honest review. That being said, a couple of bad reviews in a hundred do not matter. Go by the majority reviews for inexpensive products.

Also, in some cases, you will know minute details about the product from the reviews. For instance, I decided to buy a dress and the reviews said that the size M of that product was equal to the standard size S. So I ordered size S instead of M (being my size) and got the right fit.

3. Read the Description – This is something people don’t notice. In most of the sites, you will notice that certain descriptions cannot be found unless we look carefully for them and expand them. Reading description is very important because the image of the product could be misleading. They might show a picture of a set of four plates but they might be selling only two for the price.

4. Look for Quality Assurance – Multiple sellers sell the same products. Some sites have their own Quality Assurance checks. They do multiple rounds of checks for some of their products which is an additional guarantee that the seller and the products are genuine. You could identify these products by the seal affixed next to the product in their page. Amazon and Flipkart have this facility and so, look for sellers whose products have this assurance seal and pick amongst them based on the ratings.

5. Keep the Shade Difference in mind – when you are purchasing something whose color you are particular about, keep in mind that the shade could be slightly different due to glare and lighting when the image was taken. That being said, you are not obliged to keep products that are entirely different or unsatisfactory for you. There is a thin line between unintentional shade differences and tricking you to buying slow moving products by displaying different stuff.

6. Read the Return Policy – I cannot stress how important this is. Most of the above-mentioned sites have transparent return policies. The things you need to look for are:

•  The period within which the products should be returned – 7 days/10 days/15 days/30 days. This would help you take action within the specified time.
• Whether they have a pickup facility or whether you will have to courier it yourself.
• In the latter case, whether they will reimburse the courier cost and the amount up to which they will reimburse.
• Whether the refund will be in store credits or in cash.

 

The site will have a link to their return policies. Read up before you decide to purchase. Check the return period for every product since it changes with the type of product, brand and seller.

7. DO NOT Fall For Discounts – Whether it is a flat 90% off or Buy 1 Get 1 Free, use your common sense. I used to stalk shopping apps for a long time since I had vouchers close to 30k. I learnt that they keep changing the type of offer to attract customers but eventually, the prices varied only slightly. While this isn’t the case always, it happens most of the times.

They price a Kurta at Rs. 1500 and sell at 40%  off (Rs. 900) normally. When the festive season comes, they sell it at 60% off while increasing the MRP to Rs. 2000. Frequent shoppers will not note the initial MRPs which have been struck off. We only notice the red colored 40% off/60% off since they are more catchy. Eventually, you are purchasing the same Kurta with only a difference of Rs. 100.

What you should do? The description will have the type of material used. Estimate the market price of the material and the quantity you would need for the kurta. Add the average stitching charges. Compare the cost to the price of the Kurta. Slight price fluctuations are acceptable considering the seller’s profit, packing charges, the convenience of buying from home etc.

8. Look for the asterisk – If you find a mail with unbelievably good offers, do not fall for it and make purchases. Look for the asterisk (*) and the related terms and conditions. For instance, every shopper wouldn’t get a 100% cashback. They aren’t running charitable organizations. Nor are they Santa Claus’s grandchildren. So, always approach every mail and every offer skeptically.

9. Know the difference between return and exchange – This knowledge is important both online and offline. In common parlance, when you return a product, you get a refund. When you exchange a product, you get the same product of different size or color. This option is available in most of the prominent sites. So, if you love the product but need a different size, you don’t have to be disheartened. You can always exchange them.

10. Know your Voucher Expiry – If you have gift vouchers with you, remember that most of them expire in a year’s time. When you purchase a product towards the last week of the expiry date, ensure that you won’t have to return it (exchange is alright). Once you return the product after the voucher expiry, the refund to your wallet will be useless since the voucher has expired.

For instance, buy a dress from a brand you are familiar with or purchase branded makeup or body care products.

11. Search for Discounts online – There are umpteen discount sites such as CouponDunia, Nearbuy etc. Be on the lookout for discount coupons or offers through these sites so that you make maximum out of your purchases. But keep two points in mind; Point 5 and point 10  😛 which is…

12. Know the Difference between Want and Need – We all love to save some extra bucks. Sometimes we get too carried away in saving that we will spend more on unnecessary garbage than we intended too. So, just because you save 200 bucks in every purchase, do not end up burning a hole in your wallet.

The mantra here is, look for discounts when you need to buy something. Do not buy because you have discounts. When you see an eye catchy discount ask yourself, ‘Do I really need it?’

Image courtesy: Here

13. For any issues, contact the Site – The competition is very high today. The sellers would do anything to keep up their reputation. So do not hesitate when something goes wrong. Make the best use of social media. Firstly, mail them the issue. If you get no response within a reasonable time, tweet the issue tagging their handle, post on their facebook page or message them. The response is quick and the issue is resolved in no time.

14. Leave a review – This is a bonus point I added which, if followed by you, will help the other buyers. The way ratings and reviews would help you, you could help someone with your reviews too. A two liner about our experience in their site would help other buyers make a decision. It will also help the seller improve his products. When it comes to electronics and expensive products, the importance of a review increases manifold.

The reason why I like showroom shopping is that we know exactly what we are buying. If they are clothes, we can try them on, compare and take home the best. But the plus point about online shopping is that I have a wide variety to choose from and I get customer reviews too which isn’t available in showrooms. It is definitely more convenient and so I believe everyone should get comfortable with it in a healthy manner. So shop online, shop safe and shop skeptically.

So do you shop online often? If you don’t will you do it after reading this post? Do let me know in the comments if there are any more points to be added to this list. 🙂

PS – This is not a promotional post in any manner. Being someone who has shopped online frequently, I decided to help others who are still alien to the concept. The pictures and examples given are from personal experiences and for clarification purposes.

Online Shopping – A Step Ahead With Shimply

Online shopping has become the Mantra of the Era. Those who have had a taste of it know how addicting & convenient it is. Apart from that, people love shopping online because of the variety it offers. There are umpteen sites and shops online that offer a wide, unique and quality range of products. If you know what you want, you have it there. Simply apply the filters and choose what you like. With ‘no questions asked’ return policies offered by most of the e-commerce sites, nothing could really go wrong shopping online.

Yet, when it is about apparels, you definitely wish for one more boon – the option to try the clothes on and see how they look on you. Choosing the favorite color isn’t difficult. But many people face that dilemma of choosing between the sky blue and turquoise blue, Violets and Purples and so on. The colors look wonderful and pleasing to the eyes. But what would suit you the best? Many have similar dilemma when it comes to choosing the patterns too.

Will Anarkali look better than the umbrella cut on me?

Women are the ones almost always facing it. The color, fit, the compatibility with your skin tone, comparison with other available colors of the same product etc are few of the many factors that trouble women while buying clothes. You buy one, try it on, don’t like it much, order the next and wonder whether the earlier one looked better. If you are a frequent online shopper, these hassles get on your nerves after a while.

Behold! You can now try on the apparels you buy online!

You read that right. Shimply, India’s multi-category online Bazaar, launched its mobile app recently. There are a huge variety of unique products on Shimply, curated from across the country at affordable prices. The highlight of the mobile app happens to be the ‘Virtual Trial Room’ facility which is such a relief for many shopaholics.

I know what you are wondering.

How could a virtual trial room work?

The app has a trial room section where you have the option to either choose an image from the gallery or click a picture. Once the image is chosen, a wide range of products appear below the image from which you can choose the ones you like, for trial. The apparel can be placed anywhere on the image, zoomed in & out and tilted to fit the size of your image. You can easily alternate between products trials to determine the one that suits you the best.

I was skeptical about the color aspect. I wondered how I’ll know if the color actually suits me. Astonishingly, the apparels not only fit well with the image used, but I also got a precise idea of how the colors would look on me.

The icing on the cake? You can have trials with Home Decors too. That totally enthralled me. Simply click a picture of your living room and see how the decors look in their respective places. Choose the ones that suit the paint color and go well with the other furniture in your home.

Is it safe?

Virtual Trial Room claims to work on the Patent Pending Technology where, once the image is clicked, it is saved nowhere in the phone. This makes it much safer, keeping at bay, the peeping Tom problem.

As mentioned earlier, while women are the ones most benefited by the feature, men will definitely be relieved thinking about the time saved. Now you have more reasons to shop online and stay at home, rather than walk into store after store with your better half.

Shimply has around 1.7 crore products ranging from casual wears, formals, bridals, Bollywood designs and specialties, beauty & personal care products, furniture, home decors, books, jewellery of all kinds and just about everything. There are some unique products that define the diversity and culture of India. With the added advantage of virtual trial for all these products, it has taken online shopping a step further.

Tips for Your Leather Shoes

“There’s an awful lot you can tell about a person by their shoes”

You must be familiar with this quote from Forrest Gump. You must also be too familiar with how our teachers insisted on jet black, polished, shiny leather shoes. Though we never bothered during those times, we are well aware of how shoes speak a lot about our personality.

Good quality Leather shoes do have a charm and they could be maintained to last long if the required care is given. Choosing the right polish, a brush with the right material and tending to the shoes at the right intervals; they all matter. Here are some tips for long lasting shoes:

1. Brush The Shoes: Whenever we are in a hurry, we tend to squirt the polish onto the shoes and spread them in just the visible area and run off. This is bad for two reasons; excess polish could damage the material and applying polish on the dust could lock the dust permanently onto the shoes.
   Hence, before applying the polish, the thumb rule is to brush the shoe with a not-so-hard shoe brush
2. Wipe With Cotton Cloth: This is an extra protection tip which is recommended but not mandatory. Any minute dust particles remaining in the leather could be wiped away using cotton cloth. Specially if your shoes are a bit old, the remnants will always be there.
3. Use Quality Polish/ Creams: Ensure that you use good quality polish/ cream with soft applicator. Also, while applying, be gentle and considerate. You just need to apply a little quantity of some of the polishes. Applying too much could damage your shoes.
4. Carry a Cloth: If your shoes are of high quality, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. During bad weather or while walking through mushy or dusty roads, cleaning the shoes instantly with a piece of cloth could spare you a lot of trouble in future.

I recently came across the product launch of Helios Liquid Shoe Polish for Shining & Conditioning and Helios Premium Shoe Cream. When I read about them, I was impressed due to the following aspects:

LIQUID SHOE POLISH

1. Performance: The product is made out of quality wax that gives a glowing, long-lasting shine to the leather with just a few strokes.

2. Range of Colors: While most of the brands give barely 2-3 color varieties, Helios comes in four colors – Black, Brown, Tan & Natural

 PREMIUM SHOE CREAM

1. Performance: The product comes with an applicator foam on the cap which helps in applying the shoe cream to the surface of the leather and gives best results after buffing it with a cloth or a brush. It ensures long lasting life for the shoes.

2. Range of Colors: The cream is available in five colors – Black, Brown, Natural, Tan and E.Tan.

Economical & Handy: Priced competitively, Helios polish and cream start at Rs. 60 and Rs. 99 respectively. They have a premium look, an easy grip and is extremely handy. For business meetings, conferences and presentations out of town, you could easily carry them due to their portability.

You could try their products and let us know about your experience. Their products are available in many e-commerce portals such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal etc.

 

Whats & Whys of Ezebee.com

 

Almost all of us are variants of tech-savvy entrepreneurs these days. Most of us either sell products or provide services and many of us have considered about starting a business of our own at some point of time or the other. The next thought that comes to our mind is the source of investment and we drop the entire idea. Starting an online shop involves a lot of effort and entail expenses – or so it was until now. Until Ezebee.

Ezebee is a free online marketplace  where entrepreneurs can sell their products (including second hand items) or services or even provide them on rental basis. They can sell anything & everything without any additional payments as long as they are legal!

Ezebee in a Nutshell

Why Ezebee?

While selling online through various platforms could be expensive and entail payment of commissions to the platform owners, ezebee.com brings the marketplace home for  entrepreneurs sans any commission payment. This enables the sellers to make money online without unnecessary revenue losses.

Benefits

The benefits from creating an online marketplace on Ezebee is multifold:

• The word free wasn’t used in the previous paragraph for naught. There is absolutely zero cost involved to sell online through ezebee.
• The upcoming brands, start ups, small businesses, budding entrepreneurs etc need not compete with the bigger brands for a marketplace. Simply list the products  on ezebee with the right description and the same will be available for millions across the globe to see.
• This means international exposure.
• If you open a Facebook page on your own, you will take ages to find the right audience. Get your own free Facebook shop through Ezebee. They help you with the exposure & customers can buy directly from your Facebook page.
• Psst! Sell those unused stuff lying at home.

Do you know a wonderful artist looking for space to sell their creation? Do you know people looking for space to advertise their services, sell their products be it of any industry? Or are you one of them? Create your free online shop.

 

7 Fantastico Makeover Tips for Your Room

Whenever I see the bedrooms in ads and movies, I am inspired to redo my room. But then, I find my books, laptop and put off the work to another day. Over time, I researched a lot about redoing rooms and came across some really wonderful ideas.

I haven’t done any of them due to my exams. The walls are covered with Accounting Standards, various sections in Corporate Law, Standards on Auditing & Strategic Financial Management formulae. To add to the misery, I have white patches where I pulled of the Sellotapes and the room looks like it needs some itch guard! I decided to compile a list of tips to redo your room.

Thermocol and cloth covering – This is quite simple to do. All you need is two or more cloths with different designs and compatible colors. Cut out the thermocol as per your requirement and cut enough cloth to cover each piece of thermocol. Arrange them as you wish and you have a fantastico wall art! You can have 3 huge pieces of thermocol coverings or nine small pieces. It all depends on your imagination and color sense.

Click here for the source of images above and for tips to prepare the coverings.

Tissue work – If given the right shade, preferably a metallic one, in the right side of the room and if supported with the right wall pieces, this artwork would look majestic! My neighbour has given a hot pink metallic shade on their tissue work and placed a  milky-white clock on it. Nothing else! Just the hot pink quirky background and the contrasting white. It gives a peppy look to the room.

Click here, for source of this image and tissue work tutorials.

Spray Painting – Another variant of Thermocol covering. You don’t have to be super talented or sturdy handed. The image below might look complicated. The work is actually easy-peasy! It simply involves use of leaves and flowers or any such designs with perforations to be used as stencils. Once you are done with the painting, frame them and hang them in the living room to give a chic & peppy look!

Click here for image source and tutorial on how to make spray paint wall art.

Bottle Painting – Isn’t painting on bottles though painted bottles can be used to decorate your room. This is painting with bottles. A child’s play, you could involve the entire family in this work, specially the children. It not only beautifies the room, but it lets you interact with your family and make a memorable day out of it sans cell phones, laptops and any sort of gadgets. The room will be a memoir of your lovely times together.

Click here for image source and tutorial on how to paint with bottle.

Bottle & Lights – You must have come across this already and let me guess. You are already dying to have one of these in your homes. I have the bottles and the lights ready. I just need to get rid of my books that are everywhere. It is simple, elegant and beautiful. You can also paint the bottles and then fill the lights. What more can I say? Let the pictures do the talking.

Click here for image source and tips on how to go about this.

Wall Decals – Here is a very simple method to beautify your room. I don’t have to write it down, yet I’m doing it in case someone has not thought of it. Paint your room or one side of your wall with your favorite color. Purchase these wall decals, you get online in almost every site and stick them. You get them at prices as low as INR 199. Before sticking them, you can find umpteen tutorials on youtube as to how to go about the work. You may refer them just to be sure.

Courtesy: ebay

 

Stencil Work – It was around a couple of years back that I realised that we get to buy wall stencils. Asian paints sent me some of them for a contest and I must say, they are adorable. You can easily place them on the walls and paint or even use a spray paint for the blurred effect.

Here is an image of a stencil. You can find them on Indian sites too. In the picture, you can see that a wall decal has been put up and the stencil work has been done around the same.

Courtesy: etsy.com

The list isn’t exhaustive. You can make light shades of your own, do acrylic paintings, easy ones directly on the wall and what not!? The possibilities are endless. There certain things to keep in mind:

• Ensure that the room doesn’t look dull after the makeover.
• Ensure that the colors used are compatible with each other; whether it is between the background and the artwork or amongst adjacent walls.
• The room shouldn’t give you a negative or crowded feeling in the end. The purpose is to make it pleasurable livable.

If you love these tips and plan to try them out, do leave a picture after the makeover. Also your suggestions, comments, feedback, opinions and criticism are welcome. 🙂

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

16 Tips to Make Your Year Productive II

Fed up of making resolutions and dropping midway? Then chuck resolutions and prepare a set of achievable and interesting goals. By goals I mean, all those one time things you have always wanted to do.

The list is not exhaustive. You can read the first part of the post here and after reading the rest, decide on how you wish to make a difference in your life this year.

8. Own a Pet – I know lots of pet lovers who have always wanted pets, but never really got to owning them. I love dogs. But due to certain personal reasons, I can’t have one right now. So I have decided on owning a fish once I get a job. It took me a while to realise that this was an option. And here I am telling you, if you can’t own a cat or dog, you have other options – birds, fishes, a beautiful flower bearing plant. I know that the last one isn’t a pet. But keeping one in your room, watering it and watching it bloom isn’t a bad idea after all. A friend of mine did it last year with a marigold. 🙂 You know what? You should so name the plant!
Guys name her Cameron Diaz and say, guess who is waiting for me 😉
Girls name him Dwayne Johnson and say, Oh! The Rock needs me. Gotta go.
I bet you, the Harry Potter fans will name the plant Mathhew Lewis (Neville) or Tom Felton (Draco) 😉
Or they could name him Dobby and whisper threateningly, “Dobby! Get out of my room, now!”

Er… I got carried away. Moving on…

9. Take up a Charitable Activity – There are many kind-hearted people who wish to do something charitable and make a difference. Some do not have the time, some forget, some fear that their hard earned money may be misused. I’d say that we cannot understand the joy of doing something that makes someone happy until we do it personally.Go to an orphanage and mingle with the children. Go to an old-age home and give those aged people your time. Instead of giving in cash, give gifts and most importantly love to the aged and they will see their son/daughter in you. If you feel up to it, add this to your goals list so that you feel a bit more happy at the end of the year.

10. Go Somewhere Alone – I barely do this and I want to do it. And so, I have reason to believe that there are others like me. If you really wish to try this out, start with a place nearby. Go and spend some alone time there and then try a new place the next time. If you still feel like experimenting, do it as many times as you want until you are convinced about yourself. You will learn that you either despise the alone time or that the alone time is growing on you. 🙂 This is how you know yourself.

Walk with Yourself

11. Write Letters –  Have you experienced that surge of happiness when you find a hand written letter delivered to you? There are no intimations that say ‘typing…’, there are no blue ticks involved, no pressures to reply asap. You never know what or when or from whom you’d receive a letter. It is a piece of paper touched, held, and sealed by the writer personally. It carries his smell, the fingerprints, the imprint of pen & ink due to the pressure applied by him, and it is written earnestly since there is no hurry to reply asap. No blue ticks that urges him to write because the recipient knows that he has read the latter’s letter already. Write letters without forcing the recipient to reply fast. :)Sometimes, it will become a habit and this will be the year you began writing letters

12. For Creators – Whether you are a painter, writer, musician or a creator in general, you will have plans to create more this year. But it is possible that after a while the urge wares off and then you leave it. Make it a point to create something every month. At the end of the year, you have twelve of your masterpieces.

Hang a planner in your room and decide on what you will create. Carry a notepad around and jot down the ideas as and when they appear in your head. When you have free time and lack ideas, refer the planner & the notepad and create something beautiful. Don’t let the moss drown your talents.

13. Invest in Something You have Always Dreamt of Owning – If you aren’t interested in traveling, reading or shopping, point 1 could be used here. Is there something really expensive you have always wanted? Expensive things take time to reach you. You might be waiting for ‘some day’ when you will have all the money to own it. Instead, start now. Be it your dream house, car, instrument or an expensive course, start saving for it now! Let the dream turn into reality starting 2016.

14. Experiment! Body Art, Piercing, Hair Highlighting, weird hair styles – We have our body to experiment on. As long as it isn’t anything harmful, experimenting is fun. I’d like some ink, purple hair highlights & a couple more of ear piercings. What about you?

I know many friends who want to get tattoos & hair colors but refrain from them due to pressure from home. The most common reason I get is, ‘What if the guy I’m to get married to doesn’t like it?’

Here is what I have to say. If you want a tattoo, get one. If you don’t want, don’t get one. If someone else wants, it’s their right, let them have it their way.

15. Waiting for Someone Else’s Happiness – All the while, I was talking about our own happiness. There are those wonderful moments when something lovely happens to someone else and we are as happy as they are; A friend finally getting married or committed, a sibling or friend becoming a parent, someone getting a new job or their first salary, sibling graduating and much more. If this is the year that brings happiness to someone special, make note of it. Look forward to it. By the end of the year, you will definitely have some wonderful things to look back to.

16. Finally, For Those Who Cannot Find Enough Time – This is for really busy folks. I suppose you can find some time twelve times a year. Make a minimal & practicable list of things you’d like to achieve. Preferably twelve of them. If you have reading a book, traveling, meeting a friend in your list, according to your schedule, allocate a month for each activity and make it a point to stick to them. Even if you change the order of the plan, ensure that you keep doing something different every month. You will have a memorable year in the end. 🙂 For those who cannot afford twelve things, you can settle for six goals to be achieved over two months each.

You can have goals for anything below the sun, above the Earth and beyond. There is no end. I have prepared a very tiny list that pretty much accommodates the most common goals. It is just to give you an idea. Hope 2016 brings with it a lot of experiences and memories. Hope you keep yourselves busy, peppy & productive throughout the year; And when you look back in the end, I hope you have most of the items ticked from your ‘To-do’ list.

So what are you waiting for? It is already 15th of Jan. Convert your resolutions to goals. If you have more vibrant items to be added to this list, please let me know in the comments. We have many more years to come and I could do with more ideas and goals. 🙂

16 Tips to Make Your Year Productive – I

Fed up of making resolutions and dropping them midway? Then chuck resolutions and prepare a set of achievable and interesting goals. By goals I mean, all those one-time-things you have always wanted to do. You can even do them side by side. Here is how.

The year glides by and before you know, it is December. In the end, you ask yourself, ‘What have I achieved this year?’ and you can’t think of anything much. Deep inside, you know that the year was just okay and you are in the same position you were, when the previous year ended. 365 days whooshed past and you have no clue what you did. To change that, I prepared a list of things I wanted to achieve this year. When I wrote My Bucketlist for 2016, it was well received by the few who read it. That inspired me to write this post.

Resolutions are mostly recurring, boring and general in nature. That is partly a reason for us to stop them midway. Most of us keep resolutions to make a difference in our lives and at the end of the year, we are back to square one. Isn’t it time to change the pattern? Yes! Prepare a list of achievable goals. Things you have wanted to do but never got to doing or fears you wish to overcome! Anything that would be a propulsive factor to you, something that does not require a forever routine.

Why Replace Resolutions with Goals?

Know the difference in this context 🙂

Let’s drop the resolutions and pick up the goals

 

• The reputation – Most of us do not take up resolutions anymore because we know it is not going to happen!
• The Recurring Routine Nature – Most of the resolutions have a routine nature and picking up routines isn’t easy. People get bored when they hit the gym on the tenth day or eat boring dietary food everyday. There is nothing interesting to pep it up.
• No Defined Plans – To hit the gym regularly, to read more, to meditate, to diet, stop procrastinating are the regular items on the list until the list goes missing. No one defines what regularly means and how to achieve that, what more means in ‘read more’, how to meditate and what dieting means according to you. With no plans, they all vanish into thin air.

Here is an extensive, but not an exhaustive list of goals you could prepare:

1. A Bank Account to Enjoy Life – If you are earning, open a Recurring Deposit account, give a standing instruction so that a portion of your salary automatically goes into the RD account. This will be your account for enjoying life. I have seen many of my friends work a lot, spend carelessly and then struggle for money when they want something they have been dreaming for long.

Now, what is your passion? Is it traveling, reading, shopping or partying? If you transfer enough per month, you will have enough in the end, to go on that trip, buy all the books, go shopping or partying. Did I hear you say that you already have good investment plans? Even then, you need an account for splurging. It is an assurance that you can have fun at anytime! I saved a bit when I earned earlier and used it for a recent trip. Trust me! You won’t regret it. 🙂

2. For Book Lovers – Many of the book lovers do not manage to read as much as they used to. I, for instance, read barely 3-4 books last year. The books I intended to read in 2014 are still pending.
The best thing to do is, to prepare a list of books you intend to read. Keep going through the list and soon, you will find yourself remembering about your goals more often. Movie lovers can do the same with movies.In a year, there are so many moments we waste unknowingly. Always carry a book around so that you can read whenever you get a free time. In this manner, you won’t get bored and you will achieve your goals.

Prepare a list of books you want to read

3. For Globetrotters and Bikers – Whether you are a Globetrotter or a crazy biker, prepare a list of places you wish to visit. I know that most of the guys prefer impulsive rides. You can have that. Preparing a list makes it easier to decide. But most importantly, like I mentioned earlier, looking at the list urges you to travel more.
When you get tied up with work or studies, you don’t realize that the year is coming to an end. It is in the end that you look back and regret that you didn’t do much that year. The list will be a reminder. When you look at the list, you’ll look at the calendar. The fact that you haven’t covered much of the items will make you go for an impulsive ride or trip.

4. Learn Something New – I decided to learn a new language. You can decide on anything you have an aptitude for. Here are some tips:

• Martial arts
• Music or musical instruments – Indian or western.
• Dance
• Knitting or stitching
• Painting of any kind – Pots, Mural, Fabric, there are a hundred options.
• Craft and DIY tricks
• A degree in a subject that you are interested in – Fashion, Vedas and Sanskrit have been in my mind for quite some time. But not this year.
• Sports – I am not listing anything here. You know it better.

  

  Pic courtesy: via Canva.com

5. Cook – Ladies and Gentlemen! Cook something new. Not Indian or Chinese! Something very very different whose name you can’t even pronounce! Be it Mtuzi Wa Samaki from Africa or Char Kway Teow from Singapore or Fiori di Zucca from Rome. I have no idea what these are, but you get the point. Later, if you feel up to it, you can prepare a four course dinner for a family or friend. Who else can you experiment on? 😉

Along with this, you may also take up learning actual cooking. It is a goal that will help you throughout your life. Eating is something we cannot stop. It is only natural to know how to cook. A bit of burnt curry a day is better than hotel food for an entire year. It is no rocket science; you’ll pick up with practice.

6. Meet a Friend You Haven’t Met for Many Years – Outside the city! I said that because, you can also check out a place from your travel list. Write down the name of that friend you haven’t met for years. Maybe more than one. Call them up, discuss your plan. Keep in touch with them and discuss your visit more often. By doing this, you have already done half the job. They will remind you, your goals list will remind you and the universe will conspire to make you both meet.

7. Face Your Fears – I am not the right one to say this. I have lots of fears and I am too skeptical to face them. This is for those people who are more daring and who will have the guts to put this down in their goals list. Pick up one of those fears; whether it is facing the public, heights, clients or anything else, decide to go for it and get it over with. Er… I shouldn’t dwell much on this. 😛

Read on to find the remaining 9 tips…

 

Internet Slang Vs Emotions

This post has been picked among the Spicy Saturday picks by BlogaddaYou are with a bunch of your craziest friends. Each of you are cracking jokes after jokes and you all are roaring with laughter. Some of them are clutching their stomach, someone is hitting his neighbor hard while laughing and another is on the floor. He is rolling on the floor, laughing.

*****

You are texting a friend of yours. He tells you something barely funny. You reply, “Lol” and then continue the conversation. He tells something very funny. You just smile and type “ROFL”. This could be later substituted with “LMAO” and so on.

****

The difference between both the conversations is that, the laughter in the first one comes from the heart. While, in the second, the laughter element is just the involuntary use of internet slang/texting language that has barely anything to do with the situation. I said involuntary. Because, initially people put an effort to use ‘lol’ maybe because it is cool or just to blend into the crowd, or because it could be used when you they have nothing to say in response. But with time, they use these acronyms without thinking. It goes something like this:

“Hey! Is that a new shirt?”

“lol yeah”

“It’s beautiful. Where did you get it?”

“Thanks. Friend gifted. How you been?”

“Busy with studies.”

“Lol! Always studying huh?”

“Er… Until exams.”

“Lol”

I look at all the ‘lol’s and wonder if they really know what it means. Sometimes, when I say something that is ought to be really funny, I weigh the importance of the ‘lol’ they type.

Courtesy: Quickmeme.com

I’m not referring to those acronyms that have certain emotions attached to them. In my opinion, LOL, ROFL, LMAO, TGIF, TY etc kill the emotions behind them. We don’t really roll on the floor and laugh. That happens in very very rare circumstances. By using ROFL for every situation, we are making those rare moments – while we actually roll on the floor and laugh – worthless.

Even LMAO is supposed to be used the way ROFL is used- when we laugh really really hard. But, observe yourself while using them. When you are having a particularly amusing conversation, you only sit and smile, most of the times without your knowledge. It takes a while for you to realise that you are in a public place and that you look like an idiot smiling to yourself. You would have just typed an ‘ROFL’ or ‘LMAO’.

Our tone or voice modulations cannot be understood through text messages. Using acronyms make them worse. Texting the way we speak have always kept the conversation real, at least to an extent. When ‘hehe’, ‘haha’ or ‘hahahha’ was used, I found it more authentic. I can imagine people actually using the first two for remotely funny situations and the next one for really funny jokes. I know they aren’t laughing loudly while typing ‘hahahhaha’. But, it is always better than the redundant and mechanical use of ‘lol’s. Inappropriate use of ‘lol’s is a clear sign that one isn’t paying attention to the text messages.

Apart from the laughter related abbreviations, TY and TGIF are the next two that kills emotions. ‘Thank you’ is meant to show gratitude. If one really means it, why not take the time to thank a person from the heart instead of throwing two letters and running off? It is a different matter if one is in a hurry.

And when it is Friday, I say that with a lot of relief. I really Thank God when Friday approaches.

I’m not entirely anti-internet slang. Some of them do serve their purpose if used correctly. Like, GTG, BRB or TTYL, specially if they are in a hurry. If one says BRB and returns within a reasonable time, it serves the purpose. There isn’t any emotion attached to these.

As I rant about the inappropriate use of internet slang, I am fully aware that I have no right to question your freedom of using them. But, I strongly feel that conversations are meant to connect with people. whenever I receive messages, I really think about the intent. If someone texts me, I take a moment and wonder if they meant it. So, many a times, I have noticed that people use acronyms only out of habit. It becomes mechanical with time. I don’t want people typing hundreds of ‘lol’ with straight faces. I want them to converse with their heart and use ‘lol’ or ‘rofl’ when they really really mean it.

Whenever I come across new acronyms, I fear that with time, people might just forget to use real words and forget their actual meanings.

Day 11 – Flying Chokers

100 Happy Days – Day 11

Happiness is, finding and owning something you have always wanted.

I love unique accessories and fashionable clothing. If something beautiful catches my eyes, whether it is in a movie or with a friend or a stranger, I’ll make a mental note about it and hunt it down. If it is affordable, that is, below 100 bucks, I buy it then and there. Else, I buy my time, wait until I have made some money, and then own it.

Whatever, the case, I am a very very good accessories and clothes hunter. I have made a list of luxuries I would love to own when I make money. Some of them aren’t too expensive. Yet, I know I don’t need them right now. So, I have kept them waiting. 🙂

One day, as I was watching the famous sitcom ‘Friends’, I happened to see a choker on Phoebe’s neck. I have wanted those when I was a child (Oh! I was born with immense fashion sense :P). But I wasn’t a hunter back then, blame the delay in advent of internet in our household!

So, when I saw the famed choker again, I began the hunt. It wasn’t too difficult to find it. But, it was difficult to find an inexpensive one. I was either led to sites with necklaces that cost approx 400 bucks or to sites that weren’t trustworthy.

It took me a long long while and finally through a friend, I was able to order the same for a low price. This happened almost a month ago. Occasionally, I thought of it and waited since I was told earlier that it would take a while to arrive.

Well well well! The arrival happened to be yesterday and ever since I have been flaunting these black beauties everywhere. They seem a bit fragile and if I’m to wear them all the time, I fear they’ll stretch and wear off. But what the heck! I can’t stay away from them.

The flaunting session began with myself trying them on and prancing all around the house. This was followed by myself showing the choker to each family member, seperately, again and again. Now, it is your turn to see them! 😛

It isn’t perfectly made. But that doesn’t make a difference. No one would look too close to see if the gaps are perfect. This one could go with almost every type of clothing, except ethnic ones. Sometimes, I feel none of my necklaces go with some of my dresses. Now, that problem is solved. If there is no matching necklace, I have the choker. This is not all.

I’m holding the choker necklace. It can be stretched easily. However, with time, it would loosen up considering the fact that I have paid comparatively less. On my wrist you can see the ‘choker-bracelet’. Not sure what it is called. That is the name I gave. Well, I got the 2 together and hence, voila! Double Happiness! 😀

These are available in multiple colors too. I’ll buy 2 more pair of black – one for me when these stretch and one for my sister. I may also buy a few other colors. I haven’t made up my mind on that. So, they will go into my lists. Too many of them are a luxury. But one is always precious. Myyy precioussssss! 😉

PS – You can contact me if you are unable to find it. Plus, I’m planning to learn how to make it. If that works well, nothing is a luxury. 😛

Day 6 – Pampering Yourself

100 Happy Days – Day 6

Happiness is pampering yourself 

I have never gone for a hairspa before. But now, my hair has become so damaged that I did some research and then decided to get a home hairspa done.

I used some Avacado, honey & olive oil for the entire process.

It was strenuous and time consuming. But once I washed and dried my hair, it was worth it.

I would suggest that we all take some time off our schedule and find time for ourselves. To pamper and give good care to our body, maybe once or twice a month.
I know many people who work forgetting about their body. They barely eat, they do not exercise and they do not give the body the essentials that it needs.

We all have a responsibility towards our body. It is like a machine. It requires extra repairs & maintenance when we do not give timely care to it. Similarly in many cases it is when we ignore our duties towards our body that our health deteriorates.
Some say that hair spa, clean ups etc are waste of time & money. No, it is not. In fact, if unnecessary chemicals aren’t involved, it ensures that the hair is strong & that the face is clean. Using excess of cosmetics and chemicals is luxury. But not methods of maintenance.