2012 ---> 2013

The year 2012 was one of the best years of my life. A lot of things happened. There were both ups and downs. Nonetheless, it was an awesome year.

Recap of 2012

Jan - Started off with Coldplay Concert in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi – one of the best experiences of my life shared with my brother.

Feb – situation got a little nasty but managed to survive and stay happy.

March – 9^th grade exams were scary, but the results were good enough.
Went on a Europe trip; visited Paris, Switzerland, Italy and Vatican City with friends, made new friends, had the most memorable time of my life.

April – 10^th grade began and made many lives hell.

May – Got to play the lead role in a musical conducted in our school. And suddenly, I was famous. It was quite an experience. Worked really hard. Bunked a lot of classes in the name of practice.

June – The school’s Annual Prize Day functions went well. Lot of catching up to do in studies. Embarrassed myself in an inter-school competition, Won 2^nd prize for the third time in Talent Contest group western singing category (was slightly disappointed about not getting 1^st place).

July – Went to India on vacation. Made a family trip to Ooty and Coonoor – beautiful places! Watched the much awaited Christopher Nolan movie The Dark Knight Rises as part of post birthday celebration with my bro.

August – Sat at home the whole month, did nothing and became lazy. Watched The Dark Knight Rises again in IMAX, won its merchandise.

Sept – School re-opened, life became hell. Made a few changes.

Oct – School remained open, exams nearly killed us all. Regretted making changes.

Nov – was a slightly depressing month. Spotted my first strand of grey hair. Won AED 1300 worth gift card. Decided to make a life-changing decision. 

Dec – Was a month of few surprises and drama. The world did not end, 21^st December was a disappointment. Watched the much awaited Peter Jackson movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Recorded a song.
Spent the last day of the year with a wonderful friend.

Although it did not end with a bang, 2012 turned out to be a really good year.
(Thank God!)
Hope 2013 turns out to be even better… a Happy New Year to all!

New Year Resolutions: Stick to whatever resolutions made.

...Now let’s watch the movie 2012 and laugh.

Poem: A Shadow that will Always Follow

(Here is the extended version of the poem)

Whatever I do, where ever I go
it follows me like a shadow;
but Guilt is a price you pay for crimes
you do, for causing sorrow

With the dagger of Guilt pierced
 in my heart, I know I am to blame;
yet I wish I really don’t have to
hang my head in shame

Above, the truth shines like the sun,
causing the shadow below;
it is the price for what I've done,
a shadow that will always follow

Whatever I do, where ever I go
it will follow me like a shadow,
this Guilt will always make me feel
as if there’s no tomorrow.

Poem: Break free

______ _ ______

Is truth ugly?

   We all like to believe that the world is a nice place to live in, even if deep down we know that it is not as nice as it appears. We want to believe that life is a great journey through paths strewn with roses of joy and celebration alone, while the truth is that life is a journey through paths meandering between pleasure and pain. We choose to believe whatever that appears logical to us, although there are many things that are beyond the comprehension of our rational mind. We choose to believe things that would make us ever joyful and happy and never sad and remorseful, even though we know that it is all a lie.

   Many times we choose to believe anything but the truth and then one fine morning reality hits us hard on our face. We finally realize the truth and then blame everything on it. We call truth ugly.
But are we right?

   Looking back at what I had said in the beginning, you will notice that I have begun my sentences with 'We like to believe', 'We want to believe' and 'We choose to believe'. This shows that we have a choice whether and what to believe. We are always given a choice on what to believe and what not to. And often we make the mistake of making a choice on the basis of what we like or want and not on our perception of what is right and wrong (which again depends on whether your perception is right).

   If we had chosen to believe the truth, the reality wouldn't have hit us that hard. The truth is and will always remain the same, it will never go wrong. So who is to be blamed - The truth or ourselves? Is truth ugly?
   The truth is not ugly. It is profound, it is timeless and beautiful. It is but our mind, filled with illusions, that perceives truth as ugly. It is because we do not understand it.

   By now, you must be wondering what this ‘truth’ that I’ve been talking about really is. Here it is –
The world is illusion in which change is the only permanent thing. The world will not give us the happiness we seek. True happiness can only be achieved by attaining self-realization or Godhead, which is the ultimate purpose of human life.
       Time and again, this truth has been taught to us through our holy books. Sadly, mankind has forgotten this truth and has remained ignorant towards these teachings. Very few actually realize this truth today.

    ‘The purpose of human life’ is a topic that most people find uninteresting because they are all busy in ‘the more important duties of life’ like focusing on their family, studies, career, ways to make more money, trying to lead a luxurious life, etc. – in other words, they are all busy in the pursuit of happiness.

   Unfortunately, what they do not realize is that true happiness – which is what everybody is indeed seeking for knowingly or unknowingly – lies not in the materialistic world, but within oneself. They do not realize this important truth and try to get away from it.

   Most often we choose to simply not pay much heed to the fact that our real purpose on earth is to attain Godhead. We often speak of liberation, but we rarely give it a serious thought. Even as I speak of it, the goal of attaining self-realization might seem far away. However, that is no excuse for not reaching for the goal. Maybe it is time we give it a serious thought.

The humankind is blinded by illusion. The truth is immortal, profound and beautiful. However, we are unable to perceive it that way; we find it hard to comprehend. This is because of the mind. The mind is the illusionist; however, it is not to be seen as an enemy. The mind acts as a veil in between the soul and The Supreme. If only we are able to remove this veil, if only we drop the mind, we might find what we seek so desperately within.
Maybe we should all just contemplate on this for a while.

The Face-wash incident

   It happened on a certain Thursday evening. I was alone at home enjoying a cup of tea, when I remembered that I had to take an important printout. Since I did not own a printer, I decided to go to the printer shop. As I was walking back from the shop, I stopped and observed my reflection on one of the glass panes of the building. I took one look at the reflection of my pimple-covered face and decided to go to the supermarket nearby right away, since buying my face-wash had now become the most urgent thing in my to-do list. 'Perhaps it must have been the dirty spotted glass pane and not your face' suggested a tiny voice in my head. But c'mon, who are we kidding?

   I headed straight towards the ‘toiletries section’ and began to search for the only particular face-wash that helped remove the pimples from my face. There it was, sitting on one of the shelves – its vivid green colour unmistakable. My face brightened up the moment I set eyes on it. However, when I read the price of the item, my face fell. “Twenty-three dirhams and fifty fils!” I exclaimed. The sales lady beside me threw me a dirty look. I rummaged my purse to see how much money I had brought with me. There were more coins than notes. I had precisely Twenty-two dirhams and seventy-five fils with me. Not a dime (here, fils) more.

   It was appalling. ‘If only I had one more dirham’ I said to myself wistfully. And then an idea struck me. Although it did take some guts and shamelessness to do it, I decided to give it a try. I went to the sales lady standing next to me and asked if she would lend me a dirham. I explained my predicament and she listened to me intently. After I was done, she pointed to one of the other products in the shelf and suggested perhaps I should buy something that was within my budget. But I was stubborn and once again reminded her that only this particular product helped me get rid of my pimples. She then said, “I’m sorry, in that case I can’t help you” and left. I threw her a look of disgust and called her a b**** in my head.

   Now there were only two options left. The first one was to pickpocket someone. However, I dismissed the idea since it didn’t seem like the right thing to do and there was a camera right above my head. Moreover, I was no skilled pickpocket and I lacked the guts and ‘guiltlessness’ to do it. The second option – now my only choice – was to go all the way back to my house, get some more money and go back to the supermarket and buy my face-wash. A tiny voice in my head then suggested, ‘Can’t it wait?’ However, I was now bent on buying it and I could not go on without my face-wash another morning.

   So I resorted to the second option, but instead of going all the way back to my apartment, I borrowed ten bucks from the generous security guard of the building. Then I went all the way back to the supermarket and along with my face-wash, bought some chocolates and an energy drink with the new found money. The chocolates and the energy drink somewhat compensated the happiness and energy that had been wasted in the whole process.

   When I went back to my building, I thanked and promised the guard that I will return his money back tomorrow and made my way upstairs to my apartment. I fumbled in my pant pockets for my house key; and here is where something went wrong - my fingers stumbled across the soft surface of a smooth piece of paper. Suddenly something struck in my mind and it felt as if somebody had punched my face. All this time I have had it in my pocket, and like a fool I had run up and down the place twice searching for what I had needed the most – a solid note of twenty bucks!

   That day, I realized something after going over the whole incident again in my head. We often search everywhere around us desperately for something we really want, but often we forget that the thing we are searching for might be lying with us all this time. That day, I learnt something: Always check your pockets.

   But what I was really proud of at the end of the whole incident, was that I managed to simply laugh it off.

Poem: Mother

This is a short poem I wrote on Mother's Day for my mom. :)


Mother

She always knows what is best,
She's the one who guards the nest,
She takes good care of all the rest,
She is my beloved mother.

When life becomes so tough and hard,
When the world becomes a bother,
When everything seems to fall apart
I run and hug my mother.

Every morning I see her face,
She kisses me every day,
And every night in her embrace
I pray forever I'll stay.
......................................................

Happy Mother's Day! =)

Poem: I dream of a better world

Wrote this for a writing contest in school based on the theme - World Peace and Harmony.

I dream of a better world

.We live in a world
.where wars are fought
.to bring about peace

.We live in a world where
.criminals are not caught
.but innocents are seized

.We live in a world where
.One man's pleasure
.is another man's pain

.We live in a world where
.One man's lost treasure
.might be another man's gain

.But I dream of a better world

.A world where all
.walk hand in hand,
.saying, "Divided we fall,
.United we stand"

.A world that heeds
.to righteous deeds
.and answers the call
.when its time to lead

.A world where people
.are bound by love
.and respects the laws
.of the One Above

.In the kind of world I dream,
.every child knows how to beam
.and knows not what is agony,
.but lives in peace and harmony.

By Me :)

The Pizza Craze!

Few days back, I had gone to Italy with my friends. It was an amazing experience; loved the architecture, churches, paintings, nude statues and the hot dudes in Italy. However, the highlight of the trip was the Italian Pizza. When I saw the Italian Pizza kept on my table, I was reminded of this post I had written two years ago, which I had never bothered to publish in my blog. So now I am going to share with you one of my ‘Pizza craze’ experience with you guys.

“One of those things that I would really do anything for at the moment is to eat pizza. This intense craving to take a bite into the New Veg. Crown Crust (Pizza) of Pizza Hut has taken third place in ‘The 10 most “I would do anything for it” thing that I suddenly ask for in the middle of the night - 2010’ list of mine.

It all started with a stupid dream I had, two weeks ago. In the dream, I was having a slumber party with my best friend Sugar (Sagarika). She was ordering a pizza for the two of us. Unfortunately, we couldn’t eat the pizza because by the time we were done ordering, it was 12:00 in the morning and the shop was closed.

I know why I had this dream. Firstly, I have been worrying about my friend because I have no clue whether she is alive or is she on earth anymore. She hasn’t been online these days and she is not in town. Secondly, the pizza came from the one I ate a week ago (before the dream) which my sister bought me. It was really delicious and I wanted one more but couldn’t get.

And ever since then, for the next two weeks, I have been thinking about pizzas. I had started making songs on Pizzas, I dream about pizzas and I beg my parents to buy me pizza. Pizza, pizza, PIZZA!

And the best part is that I’m gonna eat pizza at last! Dad promised he would take me to Pizza Hut. =) ”

The next day: PIZZA WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!! 

By the way, the Italian Pizza was nothing like I had tasted before… Cheesy, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, eggplant, capsicum, red pepper, garlic, olives, and more cheese… ah, the taste of it!...

Damn it, I want to eat pizza again!

Solution (Poem)

Feelin’ Low?

How to pump your spirit high?

This really helped me:

Sit on a chair, stretch your leg on the table,

Put your headphones on

and in full volume, play this song –

The Pretender by Foo Fighters,

Then lay your head back, and closed your eyes…

For the next 4:27 minutes,

you’ll feel as if you are on a roller coaster ride…

seriously, that song has something

that really rouses your feelings

and gives you this adrenaline rush…

When u open your eyes once the song ends,

You would feel great about yourself;

high spirit, full of life.

Poem: A Shadow that will Always Follow

Whatever I do, where ever I go
it follows me like a shadow;
but Guilt’s a price you pay for crimes
you do, for causing sorrow.

With the dagger of guilt pierced
in my heart I know I am to blame,
yet I wish I really don’t have to
hang my head in shame.

Above, the truth shines like the sun,
causing the shadow below;
It is the prize for what I’ve done,
a shadow that will always follow.

A Perfect Start!

COLDPLAY! COLDPLAY! COLPDAY!




The 31st of Dec, 2011 was a day I had been waiting for so long, and then it came! I was so excited and spirited beyond words. Apart from the fact that soon it was the New Year's eve, the reason for all the excitement was because it was going to be my best new year ever. Because,...

I WAS GOING TO A COLDPLAY CONCERT!!!

Okay, now please don't ask who is Coldplay. It is a shame if you haven't heard this wonderful band's songs. FYI, they are one of my most favorite band and it has always been my dream to attend their concert.

And my dream came true... isn't that so freaking cool?

Sorry, I was just so darn excited and it all comes back to me as I write it... I guess you can understand that. :P

Here are the details of the concert -
Event: Coldplay Live!
Venue: Corniche Breakwater, Abu Dhabi
Date: Dec 31, 2011
Time: 8pm doors open

I remember the first time I saw on the net that Coldplay was going to perform in Abu Dhabi, I immediately told my brother about it and we both started jumping up and down because we knew that we were so not gonna miss this one because they had come earlier to Abu Dhabi in 2009 and we couldn't go for that one.

The next thing, we booked tickets.

Ticket details -
1)Fan Pit (Early Access - Standing) - AED 995
2)Fan Pit (Standing) - AED 695
3)Grandstand (reserved seating) - AED495
4)General Admission - AED325

Transport
Bus services available from the Umm Suqeim (West), bus parking are
1 bus seat - AED 85

We booked 2 Fan Pit tickets along with 2 bus seats. So each ticket - including transport and service charges - cost AED800! I owe my dad for this amazing night.


So on the day of the event, I left home with my brother at 5:00pm. Our dad dropped us at the Umm Suqeim bud parking. We boarded the bus and the buses left the place at 6:00pm.
On the way to Abu Dhabi, we kept filling our stomach with all the sandwiches and croissants and juice our mother had packed for us. We had to eat as much as to keep us alive for the next 12 hrs.

We reached the venue at around half past eight. The concert was to start only at ten. So till then we simply waited and waited for the concert to start. Now those were one of the longest hours of my life. And finally they came!

It started with a bang!!! Fireworks shot up in the sky when they got to stage... COLDPLAY!

I screamed, I cried, I jumped, I sang along and then closed my eyes and listened to Chris play piano.... wow, it was so amazing. The next two hours were spent in a state of bliss...

I saw Coldplay... I saw them for once, not in a screen... I saw them with my own eyes... I heard their music live... I saw them perform live... and I saw them perform at a distance less than 10 meters away from us because we were standing right next to the stage... OMG!

They played Yellow, Fix You, The Scientist, Viva La Vida, Lost!, Violet Hill, Clocks, God put a smile upon you face, Up in Flames, In My Place, Paradise, Every teardrop is a waterfall.
We had a new year countdown with Chris Martin and the last song played was Every Teardrop, followed by a lot of amazing fireworks.

If you want to see the photos and videos that were taken, go here - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2554572468224.2118687.1371320304&type=1&l=1b07123f3f

The concert ended at 12:15 and we left soon after at around 12:30. We boarded the bus back to Dubai. Slept for an hour in the bus before we reached back at around 3:30 am in the morning. We found it hard to catch a cab to the nearest metro station, fortunately we got to share a taxi with two other ladies who were kind enough to pay our fare.
We took the metro from the MoE station and got picked up from the World Trade Centre staion by my bro's friend Sachin.

We reached back home at 5:00am and to bed at six (and out of bed the next day at twelve noon).

This was THE awesomest New Year!!! What an ending to my 'not-so-good' 2011...
A perfect way to start 2012.... with Every Teardrop is a Waterfall :)

I wish everyone a happy 2012 (let's see if the world ends or not)!!!