Being thankful maybe the key!

Note : Though the title suggests that there must be nothing new that this guy has to offer and that maybe true to some extent. But the way I see it & jot it down or the way you read it , does make a vast difference. “Perception can change anything to everything”

Are we thankful enough for the things we have?

I know many people (even I am one of  them at times) who keep repenting on things that they don’t have. Why having regrets when you haven’t committed a sin?. Regrets…like What if I had this? What if I would have grabbed that opportunity?. Trust me , it wouldn’t have made a difference .Won’t change the fact that you are such a cry baby all the time. Even If you finally did get that , then you would want something else & something more later.  Whatsoever we currently have, will always be less for us & that’s good in only one way ..we tend to strive for more ..we work a lot harder…we have a goal to achieve more!. That’s it! That’s just it! Other than that , no point in wanting more if you are not appreciating what you currently have.

When we get up every day  …are we thankful for yet another day that lies ahead of us? When we have our breakfast , thinking about the delicious meal that awaits us for lunch , are we thankful for the daily bread?. On your daily commute to and from the workplace where you have enough  time to think , when you pass by a slum , we aren’t thankful for the wonderful homes that we live in (Not house , I did mean “Home”). Are we thankful enough to our family members who make us realize the difference between a house & a “Home”. Your current life’s a boon mate, so cherish it. I can’t even start to state the things that we have & others can’t even dare to wish.

Thinking about the future …planning things…feeling happy about the things that we are gonna have in the near future is nice..very nice…but what’s the point in that if that’s just a transition for a next distant future just like our present. If we are today thankful to the things that we currently have ..appreciate the current feeling that makes us feel alive today, then & only then the future cravings or the needs are worth it. So ,being thankful right here right now maybe the key to our life ,to our happiness that we always urge to achieve. Have that amazing feeling now …Live that amazing feeling now!:)

P.S – When you have so much to get you through each day , please think about the one’s who pray “God , give us this day our daily bread” and still don’t have much to meet their daily obligations.Let us all think about them & be thankful.

There’s a saying: “You need not have more to be thankful , you just have to be more thankful”

Peace out!

Dexter

[NOTE: “No spoilers!” ( You can trust it when a big fan says it…;) ]

“Tonight’s the night. And it's going to happen, again and again!”

The pilot starts off with a slight plot description & when I hear the above mentioned words for the first time…I knew back then only (5 years back) that I was totally hooked but little did I know ,”to this very extent”. Never thought that  after watching an episode from a T.V. Series (most likely the finale)&I would ever go to a state of profound cogitation. This show changed that particular thinking of mine, plenty of times. One word for this show : "Smart".

The year was 2009 I guess , when I first started watching the season 1 of DEXTER which had it’s pilot aired in 2006. Everybody has his/her fav. TV – Series. I have many but DEXTER  is certainly a much worthy contender for the top spot. Frankly speaking, the character holds a special place. Over the years I have followed this show  religiously. Yep , you heard that right . I have watched it carefully & religiously. “No food or disturbance when Nikhil’s  watching Dexter” my roommate would remark. I have watched plenty of shows & like I said choosing the best is certainly not possible but Dexter , as a character has been ,is & will be my favorite character.

Dexter :  “People fake a lot of human interactions, but I feel like I fake them all, and I fake them very well. That's my burden, I guess.”

The plot – Dexter Morgan (Michael .C.Hall), a forensics technician(blood spatter analyst) for the MIAMI METRO is a serial Killer who only kills a certain kind of people …like the one’s who have escaped justice .Dexter believes the world is better off without such ,who are a disgrace to the society & a threat to the one’s who compose one. Debra Morgan(Jennifer Carpenter) is Dexter’s Sister who also happens to be a Detective working for the MIAMI METRO. Dexter’s Dad , Harry Morgan plays an important character as well. Actually the complete cast is just too good.

How Dexter manages his social awkwardness , maintains the balance between his lives, how he plans a kill, how he executes one & how he evolves as a human being is definitely a treat to watch. My one of the favorite things about this show is the narration. What he(Dexter) thinks is played out loud. It’s like you can hear his thoughts. The voiceover as we call it . You as a viewer eventually start viewing things the way he perceives. It amazes you & at the same time thrills you. Sometimes you feel sorry for the guy & the next moment you feel ..nope..chuck it ..the guy can take care of himself real good. The dialogues are dark .. sarcastic …sometimes witty(best termed as dark humor )..most of the times thought provoking….at times heartwarming too.

One more highlight feature about this T.V. Show is , the quality graph increases & just keeps getting with every new season. One season finale you think “No other season can beat this one” & the next season you are totally blown away. No kidding!

In short , Dexter ‘s every single episode is simply 60 minutes of top notch & well directed i.e. “crafted to perfection” material that sets high standards for T.V. viewership. It is bound to leave you with many quotable moments. So would  conclude with one that I recently heard & still remember.

Dexter: [voiceover] –" I've lived in darkness a long time. Over the years, my eyes adjusted until the dark became my world and I could see .Then someone came & turned on the lights. Now I’m blind”

P.S. – Missing Dexter is like missing out on one of the best T.V. Shows in Television history.      Highly Recommended!

P.P.S – Do watch out for the opening credits. The theme is just too good.

As smart as the series is, its opening sequence is its own mini-masterpiece, and, after all 8 seasons, still one of the best on TV. After all these years , I never skipped a single one throughout.

 Total Seasons : 8. And 12 episodes per season.  

Were you always like this?

“Were you always like this Nikhil or all this is a recent change?”

And my reply to this was…. (Wait for it…will tell you later in this post)

A couple of days back, to be exact it was yesterday that I was having a conversation or more like a discussion (a serious one this time :p) with one of my dear friends. She was all addled and said “I am sick of  this coding stuff & I am in a dilemma ..and very much confused with what to do next “

And frankly speaking most of us are( & that includes me as well). We all at some point or the other in life tend to think about “What’s next in store for me?”. And that’s ok. Not everyone enjoys what they are currently doing with their life. After a while of doing something new you ought to get this feeling eventually. If you love what you are doing then you are truly a lucky person, mate & keep doing it with the same zest & zeal.

“Were you always like this Nikhil or all this is a recent change?”

I replied “ I have always been like this ….I maybe self boasting…but what do you think gal…always or recent??”

To this she says “ How will I know re..I mean always being positive & enthusiastic ..dreaming the same dreams..wanting the same thing …with some it dies over the years ….and for some exceptional cases it’s always the same”

At that moment I thought being an extrovert has it’s  own advantages too ;) It can lead people to think awesome things like this about you. :p. But yeah jokes apart.. I felt really happy when she said that .That she thinks I am a person with the qualities of an optimist. But it is not cent % true. I do kinda act  naive at many situations.  At times life can really piss you off & all you wanna do is stand on the highest possible point around (accessible to you :p) & scream your heart out “F@#$ all this sh*@ & screw you life”. But yeah that is just a passing thing & sooner or later that phase just fades away.

Dreams do change & that is not a wrong thing. But make sure the dream that you have been dreaming for a long, long time now ..is at least met at some crossroads in your life.  Make sure to live it for at least a day or even for some moments  & then moving on is all okay! Dreams do change but believe me you.. it better change after you achieve at least a part of it, is what I would say.

I sure doesn’t say achieving 100 % of your dream is not possible, for some it is & for some they just move on eventually forgetting about it. So this is for the other folks “Dream on….. At least try achieving a part of it….move on & then again Dream on you dreamer!”

And my friend, who’s actually the source for this post…her what’s app status reads “ Someday all your dreams & all your nightmares will be a reality…be prepared to embrace both of ‘em with the right attitude” ;)

This post is truly dedicated to people like us who wish to Dream On…On …and On! J

P.S. – And specially to the person who made me think about this & this post is what resulted when I pondered the question of what exactly the future has instore for us?….Don’t you worry gal…Eventually you will come to a decision which will change your life for good. Kudos to dreams…Hold on to ‘em ….you ought to achieve ‘em….Kudos to life!!!

P.P.S - Lines from the movie , The Pursuit of Happyness: “If you have a dream , go for it! Period”

It's been a long time.....

It’s been a long time since I wrote something

Since we’ve  talked

Since we saw each other

Since I have felt my existence

Since I have rested  but I am not tired

It’s been a long time but I am content with something inside

It’s been a long time but still the time just flew by

It’s been a long , long time coming

It’s been a long time but I did realize

Deserted maybe my soul

It’s  been long  because it’s been a long travel.

 

Traveller : Haiku # 2

                                                                    Left another place
                                                       quite blurry when I look back

                                                                 Tear’s  thicker I guess

Liebster III , IV & V . :D :D :D

Readers …I feel you & I feel for you too. I know for sure that you are terribly bored of reading the post where I am showing my excitement after winning another award & go on with the rules,trivias,yippity yappity stuff..blah ..blah..& blah. I thought I wouldn’t post a yet another thank you post acknowledging the award but then again I realized eventually that I owe it to the awesome fellow bloggers who nominated me on the first place,who consider me worth the appreciation & might be expecting at least a post. So for them , I am actually ok to be considered as a bore for a while but trust me readers , I will make it up to you soon & in sometime soon will post some worthwhile kick-ass reading material. (Even this one is, if you can bear with me for some minutes :p)

 

Liebster III – Now if I say , I got nominated for a liebster by a national bestselling author , would you believe me. Nope you woudn’t ,’coz I am just a rookie , a newbie.Even I can’t believe it myself. But trust me when I say , yep I did get a nomination from such a great , supportive , awesome fellow blogger who happens to be the writer of the national bestseller “The other side of the bed”. He is none other than Bhavya Kaushik. And do checkout his wonderful space”Walking barefoot on broken glass” here . Thanks Bhavya for the award & the continuous support & suggestions you gave to make my blog better.This person has always answered to every single query that I have chipped in , nomatter how busy he is ..he surely get backs to you. You are humble & a great human being. Keep rocking.

Answers to Bhavya’s Q’s

1.     Why did you start blogging?
      Sometimes I have this urge to write .Needed a channel to jot down my thoughts & make it a worthwhile read for others.

2.      How did you choose the title of your blog and how is it relevant to what you write?
      I came across this word when I was going through an article & I kinda liked the sound of it. Couple of years later when I decide to start a blog , don’t know why but this seemed to be an apt title ‘coz I am a total movie freak. I love books..more like a bibliophile who has a good reading habit(I try :p). Travelling has always fascinated me..have led a trekking group more than once now & I kinda feel I am good at the travelling thing. I like trying new delicacies. So there were so many things & “Aficionado” seemed an apt title for the blog.

3.     If you could travel anywhere in this world, where would you go?
      Now this has to be the toughest one. Because I want to see the world atleast 80% before my last breath. For the time being I would settle with let say , Buenos Aires ,Argentina. Just have a lot of good reviews from my peer group.

4.      What is your favourite book and why?
      Haven’t read many yet ..but so far City of thieves by David Benioff which I read recently comes to my mind. His writing style is quite impressive & I am a fan of this author who happens to be the writer of “Game of Thrones” , Stay ,Troy , 25^th hour. All the work that I have enjoyed a lot.

5.      Who is your biggest inspiration?
      A Traveller. Eventually he/she tends to be at peace with anything to everything in life. I Like that. A specific inspirational figure :I would have to say “Sachin Tendulkar”. He is calm, composed, determined,ethical & specially down to earth after being such a famous/known person in India & across the world.

6.      If you were writing an autobiography, what would the title be?
     The title would say something like “ Hey you! Nikhil here”

7.     Do you have any short term/ long term goals that you’re working towards?
     Short term…hmm…to be good at whatever that I am doing right now,make my loved ones happy & to be a lil.responsible :p Long term  - Want to write a lot. Travel a lot . Live life “ a lot”. J

8.     If you could pick one character from a book to be your best friend, who would you pick and why?
          It certainly would be the genie(Jinn) from The Arabian Nights. I used to admire his loyalty &    friendship towards Alladin.

9.     How long have you been blogging? What was the experience like?
      It’s almost 3 months. And the experience has been “Legend” …wait for it …”dary”.. Legendary , awesome & great. My blog is 3 months old & so far I have won 5 Liebsters & 3 Versatile Blog Awards.:)

10.  What is one of your fondest childhood memories?
      I used to purchase a lot of gums,wafers & stuffs just for the free stuff that you get as an offer or   something. The happiness when I get my hands on ‘em..ahh.. .Simply amazing!

                          
                                         Thanks again , Bhavya. It means a lot ! :D

Liebster IV -  They say three’s the charm but fourth is a lot better. I got nominated by a true fanatic Divya , the blogger of “Fanatic’s Farce”. She has a lovely blog & is a Big boss fan as well. Her writing according to me is elegant & simple yet so powerful. Do checkout her blog to know more.

Answers to Divya –

1)       What is your favourite place and why?

Dehradun , ‘coz I did my engineering there & have so many awesome memories attached to that place plus it is indeed the best place to settle down once you grow old. As in a tourist destination , would love to go to England sometime.

2)       What would be that one wild thing you intend to do in your lifetime?

Hmmm…that’s “actually” tough to answer. I intend to do a lot of wild things(remaining from the list :p) in my complete lifetime. I am not sure whether it counts as a wild thing but I  always wanted to have a tiger or a jungle animal as a pet. I am not sure it’s allowed here but I would love to. Or would like to cover all the countries in this world before my last breath. ;) Now one of’em atleast is a wild thing.:p

3)       How do you define serenity? Illustrate with examples.

According to me ,Serenity is when you feel content & happy. I mean..at peace even if it’s for a moment. I feel like that when I am visiting some place that I have always wanted to check out , getting my hands on a book that I always wanted to have , listening to a song that I feel like putting on repeat ,watching my all time fav.movies on a holiday afternoon after brunch & offcourse some quality time with my family.  

4)       If you were to ask only one question to an alien, what would that be?

Are you guys actually that brilliant & intelligent or it’s just the movies that creates the hype ? :p

5)       Light shades or dark colours? Reasons?

Dark colors. ‘coz I think it looks awesome.

6)       What is your dream job?

Not one. Would like to juggle between a part time traveler ,Writer ,movie critic ,software guy i.e. A full time Aficionado. I don’t think they have jobs for people like me. 

7)       Describe your favourite birthday experience.

Every b’day has something special but one that stands out is when I surprised my mom , by knocking on my home door an hr before my b’day, when I was actually suppose to be miles away from home.

8)       Given a chance, what will you change about the planet earth?

Would love to change it’s revolution in such a way that Nights become longer than Days :p

9)       What do you do when you have absolutely free time?

Hmm…I watch movies.

10)   What is it that you don’t like in someone?

Not living their life to the fullest. Life is definitely worth being lively.

Liebster V – Five is my lucky number by the way. I have always lived with this thought. It’s either 14 or 5. So , yaa…my fifth nomination came from the lovely journalist Parvathy from “Speak Out”.I like her writing style which expresses rich & subtle meanings so easily. I love reading the real time experiences that she shares so wonderfully.If you don’t believe me just check out “Speak Out” to see what I am talking about.:)

Answering the questions asked by Parvathy –

1.      What is more important -- being competitive, or being compassionate?

Being compassionate.

2.      Why did you start blogging?

To fulfill my urge to write.

3.       How does blogging help you?

Helps me satisfy the urge as mentioned in the previous answer. I feel content.

4.      If you could change something about you, what would it be?

Naah …nothing I am just perfect :p

5.      Who is person you think about when you close your eyes?

It depends on the moment when /where/why I am closing my eyes.

6.      What is your favourite dish?

Steaks in any form is my fav. dish.

7.      Which is your favourite sitcom?

Friends/The Big bang theory.

8.      Which book are you reading now?

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

9.      What are your hobbies?

I am a movie freak who loves reading books, playing cricket, table tennis & visiting places.

10.  What does this award mean to you?

It makes me realize that starting a blog was definitely one of the best decisions that I have made in my life so far.

P.S. – Bhavya , Divya & Parvathy . My apologies. I am extremely sorry for the delay caused. I know it’s almost a month since the nomination. But I do accept this award with great pleasure, honor & gratitude. Thanks for the support. J J

NOTE: I just got to know about a rule recently. It says,you can’t share your liebster more than once. So yeah..I won’t be nominating anyone but frankly speaking I wanted to. Anyways, will keep the names intact for the next big thing. J

You shouldn’t :# Shouldn’t fake laugh on jokes that you don’t get. :p

“Hey dude ,remember the time when you said that joke & it was real funny. (Damn it ,was it O_o ) Faking a “laugh” is the hardest. If you get the joke, it’s very good , if you don’t then don’t laugh for like 2minutes on a thing that you don’t have a clue about. Come on, have some empathy on yourself. You got it..it’s good & real funny, if u didn’t then pass on a smile & wait for the topic to change or just get the hell out of there.

Maybe, the trouble for the fake laugh isn’t even worth the joke. What if the joke was a total crap anyways!

You are there for the joke , make sure you don’t turn out to be the joke. :p :D

Sometimes a “NO” works just fine! -> Part-1

So I guess we have a hell lot of “Yes, Man” & “Yes, Woman” around us. Would add the “Yes, Boy” & Yes, Girl” as well just so that, they don’t feel left out. :p

In our heads, most of the times we are like: ’You seem to be talking to one of my other personalities …can’t hear you..nope ,still not a word…say what? :p

So , yeah …we all have this terrible terrible habit of saying “Yes” to everything even if in our mind we are like “It’s a Noooooooo…….go away for god’s sakes”. We can’t say “No”. Damn it , I am definitely one of those people too. It’s not like I want to say “no” to anything to everything . I am happy to be at your service whenever “possible”. Reason behind me writing “Possible” in quotes is that , we happen to say yes to things even if we know it’s gonna screw up our things  & will be coming right back at us ..as a bad timing thing. So these are the things that we should say “No” to.

‘Dude, I know you are in the middle of a TV-Series , but can I have your laptop for my trip? I’d be really bored!..you can continue once I get back.’

What do you expect I do… Hmm..( Note: the one asking is not even a friend..some friends’ friend that I happen to bump into)..maybe a friend borrowing it when I was in the middle of it..won’t actually happen/bother ‘coz they actually are sensible enough to understand….most of ‘em are at least :p.  I say: “You can have it” . But trust me when I say this , I was miserable throughout the week guessing what happens next & when I got it back , I sure got over the point where I am even vaguely interested in watching what happens next.

Let say , your colleague asks for a favor knowing that you are already overloaded with work. One time thing..ok..Help the poor soul..Second time..Ok let’s do it for him/her for one last time..One more time….what the…?

 Say “No” not in a way that can get your ass fired right away but in a way that sounds polite, reasonable & convincing.

Never say “Yes” to others when you are actually saying “No” to yourself.

P.S. – In the next post will let you know about some ways(funny or serious..it’s how you take/give it) to actually say “No” to things that you would love to avoid.

Look ahead to...

" It " : A click + Haiku

                                                   " Mine rests upon it’s

                                            
                                                    Gazed at me with vacant eyes

                                          
                                            turf of internment "

My Second Liebster this week!...Double happy & double honoured.:)

Now isn’t this awesome. Last Saturday I got an Indimail from Bhumi of “Hey Listen Wait” saying , I was one of the nominees chosen by her for the Liebster Blog Award. I was damn happy that I being a newbie  got this appreciation or let say a memento of confidence & support  from a fellow blogger . It felt so good that yaa, my  blog is being noticed. I was sure that this can’t get any better but I didn’t know what’s in store for me the next day.

Then comes the people’s favorite day of the week “Sunday”. Started off pretty normal & then around evening I saw a comment on one of my posts from the diva :Manpreet , from “the glamorous diva” in which she says that, She’s nominating me for a liebster on her blog & this time I was like, “Man , you are on a roll or what!”. Best weekend (Blog wise :p) ever.

So here I am with my second Liebster Blog Award & I can’t be more happy writing this post. Blogging for me has always been  like satisfying the urge to write , to jot down the random pondering thoughts , to share , to bring to you fellow bloggers some worthwhile reading material . Can’t thank you guys enough for the support.

The Liebster Blog Award: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely. Started in Germany(probably) & is used to highlight new/recent/lesser known blogs or let say blogs with less than 200 followers.

This is how it works

To accept the award, you must complete the following:

»   Link back to the persons blog that have nominated you

»   Nominate 10 more bloggers whom you feel are deserving of more subscribers & you pass the award on to them.

»   Answer all questions posted by the nominator

»   Create 10 questions for the nominees

»   Contact the nominees and let them know that they have been nominated for the Liebster

Now it’s me…Answering the questions by Manpreet ..

>If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose and why?

Hmmm…..maybe an Island with all the possible amenities  or a house most likely at Malibu facing the sea ‘coz I always wanted to do that .:p

> What is your favorite meal.

Steak for dinner .:D

> What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Hit the snooze button( at least 5 times :p)

> The girl next door or the wild one??

It depends on, how wild is the girl next door .:D

> Is there anything about yourself that you would like to change or are totally uncomfortable about?

Hmm….nothing as such….I am just Perfect ..:p :p…naah…not even close. I would wanna change how I lose my temper at times.

> Do you have a pet?

Nope ,  Always wanted one, I am a dog person by the way. But my grandparents do have but I don’t think that counts.

> Best book you have read recently?

City Of Thieves by David Benioff

> love or money?

Tough one….just kidding….love would be the logical answer straight from my heart but like they say:”Say  money is not important once you are sure that you have earned enough”:p :D

My nominees for the Liebster Blog Award(in no particular order) are as follows:

Vivek - http://vivexperiment.blogspot.in/

Kathy - http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com/

Neha - http://storywala.blogspot.in/

Vaisakh  - http://themuseumpiece.wordpress.com/

Namrata  - http://namratakumari.wordpress.com/

Harsh - http://www.buildvocab.com/

Maniparna - http://maniparna5002.wordpress.com/

Ankita - http://hummingwords.blogspot.in/

Mansi  - http://www.eatpraylovemovies.com/

Aayesha - http://aayesha1611.blogspot.in/

-----------------------------------------------------

Questions for my nominess are:

>In a dilemmic situation , would you listen to your heart or your brain & why?

>Choose between an “Unlimited internet connection for a month” & “1 month of your favorite food delicacy”?

> 5 rare random facts that most people don’t know about you?

> Fictional character(from a book/movie/tv show) that you think closely resembles you.

>Congratulations , you have been just given the opportunity to travel back in time. Which year or occasion & why?

>Coke or Pepsi?

>First thing you would do if you win the lottery (amount can be the maximum you can think of right now):D

>One thing that annoys you the most?

> Something that you would love to do but are too afraid to?

> A superpower or a lot of money….and justify your choice?

Stop!!!...:)

Thanks again!

Congratulations to the nominees!:):D

Start cracking the answers now.

Write on!:)