Sisterly Love

By now, you know that I belong to a huge group of siblings. To be precise, seven sisters and five brothers. Of them, the eldest sister is my own and others are cousins. Growing up in a joint family has its pros and cons. There are grannies, uncles and aunts, cousins and others. The list keeps getting bigger when the children get married and there are sisters-in-laws, brothers-in-laws plus nephews and nieces.

People who have siblings are no stranger to the concept of sibling rivalries. Even I have faced it, but certainly in a good way. Having about three cousins of same age made us triplets of sorts in the eyes of the elders and having other three cousins who are not very young than me, made me feel like a pseudo elder sister types. Like they will address me as elder sister or Didi but we never behaved like elder and young cousins to each other. But when it came to my elder sister, it was more like a mother-daughter relationship than actual sister kind relationship.

Didi, as I address her, is no less a parent for me. Right from childhood, we’ve been taught that any elder in the family should be given equal respect as you would give to your parents. Didi has always been special. And more out of respect and love, I feel like a small kid in front of her. We don’t fight over clothes or wardrobe spaces, or who gets how much share in the food. We share a unique bonding where we don’t need to tell how special we are for each other. Being a younger sister to her, Didi has always been protective about me; be it when it came to saving me from ma’s scolding, holding hands till the time she dropped me to school or advising me which course to take up for studies. I have even been scolded for not being a cleanliness freak, not finishing food on time or feeling depressed about situations that were beyond my control. If you have parents to bring you up, God gifts you elder sister for being the emotional shield that you need to survive.

There are both advantages and disadvantages of having an elder sister. The advantages are that you are showered with the exact gifts you wish for, the clothes that eye for a long time, the books that you want to read and so on. The only disadvantage is that you are never considered a grown up even to her. Take for instance, when I wasn’t keeping well, she assigned my nephew the job of making me finish my food because he is the only person on earth who can be successful in a single attempt or making both of us share chocolates like siblings (my nephew and me!).

The equation between sisters differ depending on the comfort level, and for us, it’s more about love and respect for each other.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 19 for alphabet S.

RED

When you try listing down the list of favourites, we kind of realise our obsession with the same. I realised same while cleaning my closet and arranging my clothes and accessories. I have a big obsession with Red.

Not that I do not like the other colours, but there’s a clear likeness towards shades of blue, purple, black and white and an obsession with red. Red is the colour that defines vitality, strength and health or blood. 

Some say, red is chosen by people who are ambitious by nature but can be abrupt at times, judge people easily and take sides apart from being determined to get what they aim for. Usually optimistic, they can be restless and may not be aware of their own shortcomings. Some are true and some are not in my case. 

However, there’s a tendency to choose anything and everything that is red and bright in nature.

The love for solid colours that I have reflects on my clothes and accessories badly. I have a couple of red bags in various sizes, blue and black bags to complement few good clothes, T-shirts and kurtis is red, blue, white and black mostly and few in purple, the phone is purple (thanks to Sony!) and the phone cover is red again! Oh yes, I got new shoes in velvet blue recently.

When a friend asked about this obsession for red and the other colours, I had nothing to say but just that the heart and mind stay at peace when I have these colours around. Red is the colour of danger and blood, but it is also the colour of sindoor and the traditional Bengali saree (white saree with red border). It is the colour that looks best on me.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 18 for alphabet R.

QuizUp App

Thinking of a word starting with Q that is related to me, wasn’t easy. I googled words starting with Q but couldn’t find any suitable one. I kept the theme reveal list at rest for a while and thought of revisiting it later with the hope that I might just get the word I need. Then a sudden glance towards the last theme caught attention, P for Phones and Me and voila! The word that I needed popped up.

When I lost my Samsung Galaxy Grand phone, I was really upset. I was already into the habit of organising my life through the various apps like diary, notes, etc. and spent time reading e-books and articles on real time without having to switch on the laptop always. Then, the tragedy struck my life and I was without a phone. Mobile applications, I believe, are made keeping in mind just what a user needs. There are food apps, fitness and exercise apps, calorie count app for the fitness and health enthusiasts; e-book apps that has some of the best short stories written by budding authors; and games apps for almost all of us.

I am not too interested in gaming apps that involve racing or like but the puzzle types. So, when I bought my new phone, I ensured that this time, the apps that I download should be worth the phone. During a discussion with a friend, he talked about a new app that is addictive enough to not let you sleep.

The QuizUp app. It’s a quizzing app that has all kinds of categories from Math (easy, medium and high level), television sitcoms (US shows), educational (spelling, grammar, etc.), sports, lifestyle, movies (Hollywood and Bollywood both), music and many more. To begin, you will need to create a profile of yours and choose the category that you want to play. Once selected, you will be placed opposite a random player from any country across the globe playing the same category and will need to answer six questions plus one bonus. You are allotted 20 seconds and will be scored basis the rate of your response if you answer correct. Each question has four options to choose the correct answer. Basis your win or loss in the game, you will be given scores and a total XP. Each level requires certain XP points to clear and proceed to next level. The other fun part is the achievements section. You will be achieving various titles depending on the levels you reach like Spell bound, Bookworm, Masala Movie Master, etc. and several recognitions like Lemon if you lose some games in a row, Ten-Tacular if you win 10 games in a row, Tortoise if you happen to win a game despite losing the initial questions and many more.

The app is a real addiction for it keeps you engrossed in your phone and makes you feel competitive and win and challenge people. You can add friends and challenge them and win against them too. The app is available for free download in iOS and Android platforms.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 17 for alphabet Q.

Phones and me!

What is that one thing that you makes you feel paralysed if you don’t have it? That very thing, in my life, is my phone.

I guess all of us would agree that if you don’t have a phone, you feel incomplete. Like something big is missing in your life. And to top that, if that’s an uber smart phone. The need of having a mobile device struck me badly when my mom and I went to watch a movie and we had to wait for my sister and brother-in-law to join us. Now, we were waiting on the front side of INOX while they were looking for us at the back gate. The confusion easily ate about 15 minutes of ours and I panicked that I will miss the advertisements and the trailers of the upcoming movies. Then I had declared, having a phone is a necessity now, do you realise that Ma? She agreed.

I got my first phone, a Nokia one when I started my Graduation studies. The phone was a killer one because it had white light (the others were green light), polyphonic ringtones, radio (even the color screened phones lacked that) and multi-colored keypad. I used this phone for about 4 years until I realised, having a camera phone is a necessity now. So, the second one that I had was a special one. It was used by one of my favourite TV actors in a serial and I somehow, fell for it. The same features with the additions of color screen and camera. But the phone died a premature death when the battery started conking off within hours. I had a difficult decision to take.

By now, I was earning. So, I deserved to buy a cool swanky phone. I chose Samsung slide phone, silver color, great audio quality, internet facilities and more. The phone became a big hit among peers and family members, for I got appreciated for the choice I made. However, despite being in love with that phone, technology played the brain wash game. I got drawn towards the smart phone group and wanted one. The phone that I had now was a LG phone. It gave me apps, Gmail and Gtalk. Ah! An android smart phone.

When I bought the LG phone, the shop keeper had said, Madam, you will be using this phone only for a year or two, right? I asked why? He replied, Android keeps updating its version. So, many new things that will come may not play in your phone. Give me your email id, I will mail update you with details of new phones. I ignored him for the time being, but sooner realised, he was correct.

Having a smart phone is no big deal these days for we all own one each. The deal is what phone we use, how the OS is and what are the apps? The next phone that I planned to buy was a Samsung Galaxy Grand. I bought it too but unfortunately, the phone got flicked at a bus stop in Bangalore. Almost two months without a smart phone and back to basics, it was tough. It was like I was cut off the society and conversation with friends. And I could not take it anymore.

Now, I own a cool Sony Xperia phone. It’s a nice and swanky one!

So, say over a period of seven years, I have owned about 6 phones, and each a version higher than the last one. So, you can guess now, phones are as integral part of me as is using a computer for work.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 16 for the alphabet P.

Optimism

My last post was on how I learnt a big lesson in life to never say never. I have been through many situations where grabbing an opportunity has gifted me with new things in life, new friends and new beginnings as well. It’s never easy to understand what effect an opportunity will have on your present and future and thus, there’s no point debating over whether to take it up or not. The key here is to stay optimistic and experience the whole event with a positive outlook.

This post is on optimism and what role it played and continued to play in life. After completing my Graduation studies in Kolkata, my sister suggested that I move to Mumbai for higher studies and that the city has a better scope of work opportunities in the field of communication. We weighed the pros and cons for a while, worked on the financial issues and debated over a few other things. And finally, I ended up going to Mumbai to pursue my post-graduation studies there. The education system in Kolkata and Mumbai are different. If one follows the traditional method of black board teaching, the other used PowerPoint presentations for each subject. If one believed in giving in hand-written notes, the other mailed us presentations to refer to.

The initial few days were a cultural shock. I have grown up studying in the traditional method where, classes and teachers were all about taking notes, memorising them for the exams and write pages and pages of answers. And here I was, referring to presentations to understand concepts, given a free way to refer to any book I want on the concept and prepare presentations on them. Now, our assignments were mostly presentations and interactions and not written tests. It was difficult to give presentations where you cannot just keep saying what you memorised last night. My initial presentations went wrong on many factors: I passed the allotted time limit, I was not clear in explain what I wrote in the presentation, my body language lacked confidence and when it came to interacting with the audience, I failed. These all affected my grades and after a few assignments, I started all my motivation. There wasn’t any positivity in my mind and lacked confidence every now and then.

The miracle that changed my ‘this’ frame of mind, was when a professor called to check if I required any help. He exactly understood what I was going through and suggested a solution. That I should not take these assignments as only ways of scoring marks but as a process of learning. That I should observe why some of the students are always carrying away the brownie points and how they appeal to the audience to listen to them. It won’t help if I starting losing confidence but it will definitely bring about a change if I start being optimistic about these opportunities of self-improvement and development. Confidence comes when you are optimistic about a situation and I had to realise that. True to his words, it worked. I realised that more than explaining the concept, I needed to interact about the concept; I need not spell out every word but explain the concept with its main points only. This paved the way for a new beginning in my life where interacting became easier, confidence was re-built and optimism never left the inner self.

Good or bad, things will be the way they are. The only thing that we are capable of doing is work hoping that it gives the best results.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 15 for alphabet O.

Never Say Never!

Some time back, a movie starring Shahid Kapoor and Genelia D’Souza had released titled, Chance pe Dance. No, I am not going to talk about the movie but the concept called chance pe dance or grab the opportunity when it walks up to you.

If you happen to ask my parents or any other family members, what is that word that I use the most during the entire day, there are two of them, ‘no’ and ók’. No is probably the first word that I learnt to speak and use in situations and ok is when I have to respond to people while they talk and I listen. No is used by me when I am in my laziest self and have been assigned some work like cleaning the room, have the food that I hate the most, etc. or when I have to act ignorant about a particular situation.

Saying no in uncertain harmless situations is alright but not always. The trick here is to understand when to use the word and not let off any potential good opportunity that might be knocking at your door. It could be a luck also but using your senses is more important in such cases. Let me cite one such situation for you.

I am quite an introvert when it comes to huge social gatherings. The other side of this is that I love listening to random conversations as well but well, may not participate always. So, when I was about to start my Fourth Semester of my post-graduation degree, I saw most of my friends doing internships and working with publication and news agencies. I also wanted to do something but the will power was very low, may be due to inhibitions, fear or sheer laziness. However, a friend who was trying for a suitable job gave me a contact of a new start-up company which was looking out for writers and preferably with a journalism background. I was told, there’s no harm in going and meeting them, it helps in building your professional network. I gave it a thought, had a brief discussion at home and called them back. I was asked to meet them on a certain morning and see, whether I will fit the job or not. I went there, dressed as nicely I could, walked in and spoke to them. Things, luckily, fell into place quite easily and I was hired for the job. My first job where I will be paid for my efforts and work hours! My first job that set the path for my gradual professional growth and economic independence.

Here, the situation could have turned some other way round due to a few other factors:

a.       I was scared and didn’t want to take up a job and face a whole new world

b.      My dissertation paper had to be prepared and needed equal effort and time as I would dedicatedly give to my job; and will ensure I get the best grades

c.       The fact that you’ll have to wake up every morning and rush to office was a mood dampener anyways

But I chose to dance on the chance that I got. I realised, quite some time later, one should not say never at any given point of time. The way these opportunities come, they can turn our lives around with one quick decision. It may not be good at all times, but still, you never know, what’s waiting for you and your future! So, never say never is a lesson that I learnt and try to use it as often as I can.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 14 for alphabet N. 

Mom and my equation!

Initially, I thought I will save this post for Mother’s Day but then thought, let me write about my mom and me here for this challenge and another post can follow on that day itself.

A new trend in social media is that of creating memes on different things and I happened to visit this page where the person has collected all the wonderful letters written by children to their mommies. Their emotions and innocence that reflected on the letters did make me laugh quite a bit but also took me through the memory lane. I am not going to write about my mom or how good she is, but how over time our equation changed.

During childhood, you cannot do anything but listen to the mother and her instructions to do any task. You are physically and emotionally dependent on her and your existence is due to her. Even if you have a father and siblings, you cannot imagine taking a step without her. The same happened with me also. I have always been a very obedient child and followed instructions given to me, with occasional no’s here and there. The no would come when I was asked to study or practise math and that sounded more like a punishment or play the keyboard instead of watching TV or even wake up in the morning when the time just felt like apt for another round of sleep. These were the times when Ma appeared to be a strict woman and who only knew how to control her daughter and scold for no valid reasons.

Then came a phase when the realisation set that I have grown up to study on my own (graduation and post-graduation) and she only required to ask me about the books and studies occasionally to check if I am not ignoring completely. This was the time when I first felt that she’s not that strict after all and allows me to hang out with friends, shop clothes, go out for movies or return home late after a city wide pandal hopping during Durga Puja. I was only asked to keep her informed about my whereabouts. She was now more of a friend with whom I could joke around and play pranks on (earlier I never dared due to fear!).

Now came a phase when I completed my studies and started working. For a fresher, it is always difficult to cope with the corporate and office habitat because they are an inch same as the places you’ve been to earlier. So I was facing all the problems and needed a punching bag to bounce off my anger, fear and depression when I got scolded or the editor rejected a story. Ma turned out to be one because she was the only one who knew how to be diplomatic and yet, tell me what to do and how to get back with a positive outlook towards the situations. And as time pass by, our equation has now become that of a friend than of a mother-daughter. I can gossip about affairs, television and movie couples, joke on her, play pranks over the phone and irritate her by provoking to take up arguments on things such as why she chose yellow for my room and a bright nice purple for her room and why she supports TMC and stuff like that.

It’s true that you don’t realise the worth of a relationship until you experience it fully. Our relationship is god-gifted and hence, we are a couple for a lifetime. Good phases and bad, we experience it all together and bring about a transition in each other’s characters.

I am linking my post to A to Z Challenge #Day 13 for alphabet M.

  

Lipsticks

A few days back, I attended a session on Creating First Impressions at workplace and elsewhere conducted by the Organisational Development Team at my workplace. The agenda of the session was to make people realise and understand the value of creating good impressions on people you meet for the first time, what are the factors that people notice instantly in you and bringing about what type of changes can help you turn around your personality.

We were divided into groups and were asked to create posters that talked about factors contributing to creating a tremendous first impression. The points that were common to all the groups were physical appearance, facial expressions, verbal communication skills and attitude towards others. The first point that is physical appearance is the most striking and common one. We were given a crash course of grooming, looking good and presentation of self.

So, for the ladies, the session was obviously an entertaining one. We got excited about the make-up session, tips about choosing the right kind of office attire and shoes and looking the best throughout the day. Now, when we were told about the use of make-up items that can easily give your face a change and highlight your features, the one that everyone can use and doesn’t take much effort are lipsticks and lip gloss.

Lipsticks are available in different shades and from the best brands such as Lakme, Maybelline, M.A.C, Loreal and the likes. The shades should be chosen carefully that suits your face complexion, doesn’t look too bright and an absolute match with your outfit. Lipsticks and Kajal or eye liner can give your face the glamour quotient that it requires even if you are not in the mood to look perfect. I have a fairly fair complexion and usually shades in red, pink and mauve. Brown depends on the clothes and I rarely use that shade.

The lesson that I learnt was none of us can ignore the significance of creating our first impressions on people we work with or people we meet during our work. It not only helps in receiving positive feedback but also helps in people remembering us better. A good charming face with a smile can do wonders for you!

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 12 for the alphabet L.

Kochuri & Aloo r Torkari

In one of my earlier posts, I have mentioned about my weakness towards ice creams and other junk foods. Well, high time for a confession, I guess. I am a foodie, a junk foodie!

I have a deep unconditional love for certain food items, some traditional and some just like that ones. Out of the traditional ones, I swear by kochuri and aloo r torkari or aloo r dam. These are two typical Bengali delicacies that are popular breakfast items for the many morning walkers in the city (Kolkata), as well as stop over and get energised snacks on the go type food. For me, it works both ways.

Kochuris are the stuffed version of luchi. Luchis are deep fried Indian flatbreads prepared with maida/refined flour/all-purpose flour that is typical to Bengali cuisine along with Assamese, Oriya and Maithili. The dough is kneaded with oil or ghee and water to ensure its fluffy when fried. Luchis make me go weak on knees at any given point of time and I am known in the family for eating only luchi and cholar dal (split Bengal gram or chana dal) and aloo r dum or Dum Aloo at any occasion and brutally ignoring the others in the row. Yeah, that happens even now also when I am not in sane self! J

So, these stuffed luchis or Kochuris come in varieties such as Koraishutir Kochuri (green peas stuffed luchis), Hing r Kochuri (asafoetida flavoured luchis), Radha ballavi (lentils stuffed luchis) and Chhatu r Kochuri (fried sattoo stuffed luchis). These are all eaten with the typical Bengali style cooked aloo r torkari (spicy potato sabzi) or Dum aloo (spicy and dry potato sabzi). All of these varieties are occasionally prepared at my home or I get to eat them when I get invited (they know what I love to eat, I guess perks of being vocal about fondness for certain foods). But the real attraction lies somewhere else!

Image credit: mellownspicy.com

Image credit: bhalokhabo.blogspot.com

Kolkata or West Bengal or rather Bengalis are known all across the globe for the sweets and snacks. They are a part of our core identity. We are by default the sweet people! So, the city is ruled by sweetshops at every nook and corner and some big brands like KC Das, Banchharam have ventured outside Kolkata to bring these delicacies to other cities and countries. I have a few favourite places whose kochuris are must haves whenever I am at Kolkata They are radhaballavi from Balaram Mallick, Hing r kochuri from the stalls in Deshapriya Park opposite to Monalisa Guest House and Sharma’s, Koraishutir Kochuri from KC Das and other shops (since this is a winter delicacy, almost all the shops make them during this time), and the chhatur kochuri that my mom makes. It’s fun to stand and eat at the shops whenever you are passing by or missed your lunch or in mood to have a nice snack.

Well, there it is. My confession. J

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 11 for alphabet K.

Junk and Me

There is a good and a bad side of everyone. They may not necessarily lead you to become a split personality character but they do define you and make you who you are. While the good side makes you earn appreciation and feel good and happy, the bad side may at times turn things around.

I do not have any bad sides as such except for the immense love for junk items. Junk food, junk jewellery, junk and funky looking items and junk clothes (as referred by the mother). I am being absolutely modest here. I have other ill habits as well but let’s not talk about them here.

So, junk food. Yes. Burger, chips, ice creams, chocolates, fried food from the road side stalls like rolls, chowmein, phuchka or pani puri, bhel and jhal muri, etc and etc. I have no hesitations in having packaged noodles like Maggi and pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I know these are not really good for the health and I should eat more of home cooked green and other vegetables and fruits, these simply draw me towards them and make me commit a sin and pray for mercy. Well, I do take care that I do not end up surviving on junk food too much and these are times, when I try preparing a healthy version of the junk just to satisfy my hunger and inner desire. You know, your soul should be at peace for you to be peaceful in front of the world. ;)

Then comes junk jewellery. This is one department I am completely clueless about yet, I simply love having them. If you’ve read my earlier posts, I belong to a huge gang of sisters and aunts in my family, the female brigade. So, right from childhood, make up and dressing up and jewelleries were no strangers for me. I was gifted a box of funky looking hair clips at the age of four that had days written on them, corns, flowers and chocolates, all in different colours and shapes. I used to wear after matching them with my dress, self-made bead neckpieces and cute little bags to go along with. Quite a fashion diva I was! J The traits and the habits remained and I end up collecting junk jewelleries even now. The only change that has happened, I do not get to wear them very often because the corporate world doesn’t allow long earrings and big bead necklaces.  

My mom only has one complaint against that refuses to die. That I fill my room, every corner of it, with junk that I don’t need or will never need. Like branded tags from the new clothes, pepsi bottle with a autograph of Sachin Tendulkar or the merchandise I bought during the release of Lagaan and had Aamir Khan’s autograph on each of them, and many such things. Yes, I don’t need them now or in the future, but I love having them. Some of them get thrown out every six or eight months, but the best ones get to stay. Like I stacked newspapers with interesting news to be made into a scrap book, but never happened. The reason being, the paper turned red and my mom gave me an ultimatum of throwing them away.

Junk clothes. They are only referred like that but they are not. All my clothes are good. Mom calls them junk because of the funky images and messages that they carry or the prints.

These are my prized possessions and I love them. Some face the end and some get to stay back. J

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 10 for alphabet J. 

Ice creams: God’s gift to control my mood swings!

Mood swings are rapid changes in the mood. They are unpredictable and can be triggered by many factors such as bad food in the cafeteria, extra work allotted on a Thursday and to be submitted on a Friday, waiting for more than 20 mins and not one bus that goes to my place comes or listen to constant yapping on the same old things again and again. Well, I mentioned only the few that make my mood go mad and take time to be normal. However, the one reason that has been dampening my spirit and making my swing high and low all the time lately is the summer in Bangalore.

Bangalore is known to have a cool and pleasant weather throughout the year and people do get jealous when I say, it’s pleasant here today. But not anymore! The mornings are hot and travelling in a bus to reach workplace sounds like the worst task ever. And the brunt of my mood swings are faced by my mom when she calls me in the morning or others who call to check on the works, etc. I mean, it’s simply impossible for me to control this particular mood swing thing every day. And to deal with it, I had to find out a solution and realised that only one thing can keep me calm and get back to normalcy. Its ice creams.

No matter what happens, ice creams have always been that comfort food that melts my soul, cools me down and gives me a fresh lease of life the very second I start having it. Be it a cup, a cone, a double scoop bowl or simply tasting before choosing the flavour, I am ever ready in this case. The Sundaes, the Hot Chocolate Fudge, the fruit and jelly mix in ice creams or the chocolate chip loaded vanilla ice cream, all are all time favourites and I keep juggling between them. I also like the natural fruit flavoured ice creams occasionally like the Mango and the anjeer and the apple flavors.

Three Layered Ice cream with Fruits

at Berry'd Alive

Black Forest cake with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce

My regular stops for having mouth-watering delicious ice creams in Bangalore include Corner House, Baskin Robbins and Naturals. I also like Beery’d Alive for their presentation skills. And on the normal days when I just need to pick up a cone and a scoop to calm down myself, McDonalds and Cornetto cones from Kwality Walls are my stopover places.

All of us have some or the other comfort foods that we can’t do without. Although you may be thinking that I survive on ice creams and they are my medicines to calm me down, it’s not the case. Ice creams are like saviours who knows how to calm my soul and give me a moment of peace. I do keep a check on my mood swings and look for options that can calm me down but unfortunately, nothing works as good as ice creams.

So, that’s me and my relationship with ice creams.

I am linking my post to A to Z Challenge #Day 9 for alphabet I.

Healthcare Communications

In some of my earlier posts, you must’ve noticed that I have mentioned my career details. I have a Master’s Degree in Communication and Journalism from one of India’s most reputed universities and have been working in the same field till date. I started my career was a writer for an online portal that specialized in healthcare, followed by authoring editorials for a reputed business magazine on retail industry for a leading business magazine group. The third stop of my career was at a reputed healthcare provider company to manage their external and internal communications and now, my role is that of a communications manager for a leading MNC’s healthcare vertical.

Yes. By far, I have mostly worked in the sphere of healthcare and occasionally dabbling in other zones with additional assignments. Although as a child I wanted to become a doctor mainly for the respect that they get for treating people, the same never materialized professionally. But somehow, the urge to work for the healthcare remained within and the secret desire got its approval from God, I guess. Starting from the first job till the one that I am doing now, my involvement with healthcare has been through knowledge sharing.

Initially, reading and writing about healthcare seemed tough and definitely scary. Diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol, calorie management, everything took a toll on my mind and I suddenly started linking everything with healthcare. Of course, my clients were my mom and the entire elderly generation at home and their only response used to be, you are going crazy! For heaven’s sake, don’t take your work so seriously that you end up being crazy. After a stint of one and half years, I took a detour and wrote on retail industry and business. It was then that I realized, whatever I read and learnt in my first job had increased my knowledge on healthcare, made me sane and helped me take informed decisions.

Healthcare communications is a niche genre. It is not only about what or when to eat, how much to exercise or how to avoid getting sick. It is about sharing the core and basic information and logic behind each and every action regarding your health. It is an absolute necessity that we understand our body type and what works on it the best. It is a fact that our health is the most ignored thing and it certainly deserves to be taken care of properly.

Keeping in mind the evolution in the mind-set of the people today, messages regarding healthcare are not communicated in a difficult and scary way. The content today is more reader friendly with information shared in customized manner. There are dedicated web portals for pregnant ladies, new mothers and toddlers, heart or diabetes. You can look for information that you need and stay aware.

If you haven’t started bothering about your health and do not realize the importance of taking care of it, it is high time now. For health is truly the most precious wealth that one can possess.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 8 for alphabet H.

Google, Thank you!

There were so many things that were there in my mind when I was deciding what to write on with the alphabet G. Then, it occurred to me, why not write a Thank you note to my life saver and BFF, Google. So here it goes:

Dear Google,

I never thought I will ever think of writing a Thank you note to you on one of your platforms. It was not because I never wanted but it was because, I was taking you for granted. That you are an integral part of my life and I that whatever I am today, you’ve contributed majorly never occurred to me. With this letter, I want to convey my gratitude and thanks for all you’ve done, doing and continue to do.

My first brush with you was probably in school when we were introduced to the Internet services after having learnt LOGO, BASIC, LOTUS and other stuff in school curriculum. We were told, Google will help you find information that you are seeking and will help you increase your knowledge. I thought, you can’t overdo books, newspapers and other sources of information alone. But, oh boy! You proved me wrong. You have answers to all my questions, have capabilities of solving all my problems that I ask solutions for and never say No! You definitely had your first impression on me as the one who will never ditch me, betray or cheat me.

That I have successfully cleared all my exams and went on to become a communications professional, I owe it to you big time. You helped me with all the information that I need, suggest me thousand things if I ask for one and help me sound intelligent in front of others. The fact that I love the most about you, you are always there whenever I need and provide me information, keep me updated with details and entertain me all the time. And you haven’t for once demanded a thank you for all the effort that you put in to keep me happy.

You make me happy. Truly. I do not think that there can be any other better opportunity for me to thank you ever. So, a big heartfelt thank you! May you stay with me for the rest of my life.

Love and regards,

Me

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day7 for alphabet G.

F for Fitness

I chose to write on Fashion for the alphabet F first but thought of writing on something that is something I am more associated with, Fitness.

I have always been this cute and chubby. Like real chubby, the cheeks overflowing in the childhood and even now, if not bulging but they are in their round shapes. So, I always look fat no matter what I do. Now this is partly genetic and partly self-made. When people used to call me chubby and cute in my younger days, I always took it as a compliment and thought, let it be that way. So the genuine interest towards exercising and staying fit never crossed a single corner in my mind. And to top it, I love eating. So the whole thing contributed towards making me this cute girl even now.

Well, as time passed by and the woman inside me urged to come out, there was a high desire to get out of the chubby mode and become the lean and pretty one. And that required, dieting and exercising. Now, dieting always meant less eating, skipping meals until I knew they were wrong and exercising meant walking and running every morning and evening. So, at one point, I did lose weight, became lean but not pretty. I looked sick and tired. Like I have been punished and made to starve. This was not what I hope for.

Rounds of research and discussions led to me understand the importance of looking beautiful and pretty by staying fit. Fitness is about eating in moderation, not skipping meals but eating something at regular interval to boost metabolism, walk, run and jump at least 30 minutes a day and stay happy. While it took me some time to adopt these changes, once I started feeling its benefits, it got me motivated. The benefits being getting to wear the clothes that are not meant for plus size, keep the extra fat out from the tummy zone and feel flat, and look healthy and nice overall.

Yes, for us office goers, managing so many things require effective management. So, I devised a simple plan for myself: not to skip breakfast, keep munching food in smaller amounts, drink water to wash out toxins, go to the gym and work out at least 45 mins a day, end with a light dinner and sleep peacefully. The only thing that I haven’t been able to manage is stress and letting the chubby cheeks go. That’s a work in progress! It did look unachievable at some point but sticking on to the plan and having patience to see the results worked. Now, I have more options of shopping and cooking different foods that suit the body.

It is never late to start living a healthy life and that’s what I realised when I turned into a thin sick girl. A fit body guarantees pretty face plus healthy self. Trust me, it works!

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 6 for the alphabet F.

The Egg Factory

For the fifth blog in the challenge, I will be writing about a restaurant called The Egg Factory in Bangalore.

I am a vegetarian. A Bong vegetarian (for those who are not well-versed with the fact, Bengalis are hard core fish and meat eaters)! I do not know what is the hidden pleasure in eating non-vegetarian food items that people talk about. The only non-vegetarian food that I eat and that too after so much of insistence and prescription by the doctors is egg. Although I am not a frequent egg eater, I do like to have it like twice or thrice a month.

So, going out to eat with friends become difficult at times. The unending war of vegetarian versus non-vegetarian starts without notice. But to our rescue, we found out a place called The Egg Factory in Bangalore and decided to go there and eat. The idea was all of us get to share and eat, which otherwise doesn’t happen really!

The Egg Factory is an all-day diner which serves food that has everything to do with eggs. It has outlets at St.Mark’s Road and JP Nagar. Now my sole idea was to know the things that can be made with eggs as a primary ingredient and what can be the variations of a simple egg omelette. The menu is divided into sections namely, Eggsamplers (omelettes, frittatas and fajitas), Eggxhilarative Snacks, Eggciting curry combos, Eggxotica. There is another section called Eggucation (all about eggs!) too for knowledge sharing. The good old French toasts and scrambled eggs, spicy egg burjee and others were not missed out. The ambience was good too. 

We ordered a Spinach Omelette with garlic bread, Spanish Omelette, French Toasts with maple syrup, and caramel custard with the usual beverages. It was a brunch, so each of us tried as many varieties we could and filled ourselves.

A few snaps that were taken:

 

Caramel Custard

Spinach Omelette with Garlic Bread

Spanish Omelette with French Toasts and Maple Syrup

I was totally impressed with the idea of eating at a place that is meant for egg lovers. Well, that is the only non-vegetarian item I eat. Therefore, it made sense to me.

I have tried a few of the egg recipes later and definitely wish to visit the place to try out the other eggy dishes!

There you go, that’s me!

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 5 for alphabet E.

Daddy’s Little Princess

For the alphabet D, I have chosen to write on and dedicate the post to my Dad.

You need to be blessed to lead the life of a princess. And I am blessed for life. I am my dad’s dear little princess. Being his second born child, I was always the little one for him. And I bet till this day, I am the same for my parents for they refuse to accept that I have grown up! In this post, I am writing a little confession letter for him.

Dear Baba,

For the first time, I am writing a public letter to express my gratitude towards you and to thank you for what you’ve given me. Well, we do not choose our parents neither do the parents choose us. It’s completely calculated by the Almighty and I thoroughly believe that I must have done something extremely nice or bribed Him so much that He had to choose you as my parent.

In a country where we stay, having daughters as children is looked down at times. And I keep asking this question to Ma often, were you happy when I was born? Just out of curiosity because there are always reports of fathers not liking their daughters and prefer to have a son. Ma replies, you were upset not because I was a daughter but because, you won’t be able to keep me with you throughout because I will get married! But by now, I am sure, you have understood it doesn’t work like that. You know how I am. I am the more sticky type. I do not let go off people with whom I fall in love for eternity.

Now that I am approaching my 30s, I am a grown up for the world and failed to make that impression on you, Ma and Didi. You still think that I am a little baby and keep telling me what to do and what not. I am staying in a different city and I know it’s a concern. But to tell you the truth, I am so used to your advice that I let my brain rest and simply wait for the advice come from all of you.

You’ve taught me to value so many things such as time (be punctual), respect others, be caring towards every one, make an effort to bring a smile on someone’s face and shower love on people who deserve it. I am who you made me.

It’s difficult to survive alone but I know, you are always there when I need you. I can talk to you whenever I want and feel happy about it. I hope that my choice of career as a professional communications specialist has pleased you and that you’re proud of me. Although we can’t calculate for what you’ve given and what I need to give you back, I am sure I have not disappointed you (except for the minor ones here and there).

Thank you for being the most precious man in life, who can’t be replaced even if the most gorgeous looking men start loving me!

Preciously yours,

Your little princess

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 4 for alphabet D.

Cooking is therapeutic!

Ahh! The third post and another aspect of me!

You know, I have been pampered as a child mainly because of few good reasons: I am second youngest in the huge family in my generation, a daughter and a sister who was not allowed or asked to help in household work unless the situation demanded and given the independent life that they believed I deserved. Now, when your elders say, ‘it’s ok, we’ll manage the kitchen’, you really don’t want to hurt their feelings and stay away from cooking. So it happened in my case. I was only allowed to make tea, instant noodles or sandwiches and not beyond that. It was alright till the time I was at home or was staying with my sister but regretted getting pampered in this case when I moved to Bangalore and started surviving on my own.

One of the very first things that you realise is important when you stay independent is cost cutting and saving. So I decided to cook for myself and in the process, learn the art of cooking. Unending telephonic consultations with the mother about ingredients, basics and survival food recipes continued for about two months. While the curry and vegetables would turn black without telling me, the rotis or wheat flat breads were of different shapes and crisp as biscuits, milk loved to overflow and get spilled and colors of the cooked food never matched the ones I grew up eating. Nonetheless, it was the taste and the desire to cook better that kept me going. I started looking forward to making my own food and improve with each effort. I even took advantage of the discounts that were gifted to me by a popular bookstore on my birthday and ended up buying cook books by Nita Mehta, Sanjeev Kapoor and others. I became a regular visitor to the cookery blogs and magazines and noted down recipes that I found easy to make.

And now, well, I cook them perfect. The salt, the colour, the taste are in place except for the rotis who are soft and nice but definitely not round! Cooking worked like a therapy for me when I was trying to adjust to the sudden new development of staying alone in a new city. Buying vegetables, negotiating with the vendors, picking up spices and sauces, spatulas and bowls, measuring spoons and just the ingredients that the recipe demanded—all became fun activities!  And yes, the mother now boasts about her daughter’s culinary skills and share tips and recipes that are in the range of medium to difficult.

Paneer Bhurji

Egg Bhurji

Matar (peas) Pulao

Flavored Rice

Orange Kheer

Few things that I cooked!

And as a follow up thing, my next effort will be to start a food blog soon!

So, that’s me and how cooking brought about peace and change in my life!

I am linking my post to the A to Z Challenge for #Day 3 alphabet C.

Beat the Boredom

The second post of the A to Z Blog challenge and the second thing that is about me.

I am not a very restless person, can get idle in the real sense if I wish to and do nothing. It happens on certain days like the first day of a long weekend or a holiday. I just tell myself, Girl, you need a break. So enjoy and sleep. But the moment of sleeping glory is difficult to sustain. So, I get back to doing this and that to beat the boredom. Following are the things that I do and enjoy doing:

a.   Clean my room: It is the most effective way of beating boredom. The room and the cupboard turns into a mess starting Monday and I end up cleaning and arranging the room on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons. The best part of this activity is that I find the many things that I thought I must have lost or the clothes I forgot that they existed. So, it’s like a treasure hunt at times.

b.   Turn into a bookworm: I love reading and thus, have started keeping a separate amount reserved for buying them. I simply love reading romance and thrillers. So, mushy romances and thrilling chases are two types that you’ll definitely find in my book shelf. Oh yes, also the cooking books. More on this in my next post.

c.     Movies: I have always been an onscreen entertainment fanatic. Like watching movies and television serials and sitcoms. While going and watching a movie in a theatre is kind of restricted to a few chosen ones, watching them in my laptop has become a habit.

d.    Creativity: I paint and I knit. Two good things but not so regularly. I have a professional training in painting from one of the most reputed art academies in Kolkata and knitting is kind of a passion to make something new. I have now started taking these up regularly. Once a few good pieces are created, you can check them out at my Pinterest boards.

e.    Take a lazy stroll in the nearby supermarket: Yes I do this to beat my boredom. Whenever I am anxious or bored or I seek solidarity, I go to the supermarket, laze around and check out stuff that I wouldn’t need.

So, that’s me when it comes to Beating boredom! Hope you’ve like reading my post and will suggest other good ideas to beat the boredom.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge #Day 2 for the alphabet B.

Advertisements: The Art of Story Telling

Wow! The first post of the A to Z challenge is ready and here it goes.

This series will be about different aspects of me as a person and for alphabet A, I have chosen advertisements. You love them, yet you hate them! You want to watch a handful of your favourite ones, and yet wish they don’t hamper or eat time out of the other favourite one running along because it appears more important.

Also termed as television commercials, these are those 30 second stories that can either sweep you off your feet with their concepts, leave you asking for more when it unravels its story in sequels, or simply tell you, it was a mere promotional activity. I have grown up watching these advertisements from childhood and would wait for the commercial breaks. Advertisements have been my source of entertainment as I would enact the lines from the popular ones in front of the mirror and get to know of the new products. But what advertisements have really contributed in my life is the sense of story-telling in a very crisp manner. How to build a story for a brand with an appropriate message for the public and is high on entertainment value.

As a professional in the field of Brand and Business Communication, my mind always craves for the good creative ideas and what better than commercials: print, electronic or digital.

Some of the brands whose advertisements which I like are of Tanishq (jwellery retail from Tata Enterprises), Cadburys, Surf Excel, Vodafone Zoozoo, Tata Sky and Flipkart. You can watch some of the funniest advertisements for Indian brands:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6CC1E58FB4DA3842

This post will remain incomplete without the mention of Amul’s print ads. Check them below:

So, that’s me! A post on how advertisements keep influencing and entertaining me and what I gain out of them.

I am linking this post to A to Z Challenge for Day 1 for the alphabet A.