The Liebster!

I would like to thank Reshma for presenting me with the "Liebster Award". It always feels good to know that your writing is appreciated and receiving this award just made my day! Such appreciation always encourages me to continue writing and  I hope that I get better with each and every piece so that my readers always enjoy themselves while reading my posts.

Not everyone knows about the Liebster Award. Even I didn't until I received it! Well, 'Liebster' is actually a German word and, simply put, it means loving and endearing. The Liebster Award is an award of appreciation.

The rules of this award are simple and stated below:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. The person must answer the 11 questions set by the nominator; and create 11 new questions for the people he or she has nominated. 
3. The person must choose bloggers who deserve this award and link them in the post (These bloggers should have less than 300 followers).
4. These nominees must be informed of their nomination.
5. No tag-backs are permitted. 

So, here I begin with posting 11 things about myself...

1. I always tend to believe in the best of people. I believe that people are, basically, very good and I often make the mistake of taking people at face-value. There are times when I have had to pay a price for trusting people so easily but I'd rather be the person who trusts and gets hurt than be someone who is suspicious at all times. 
2. Sometimes, I wish I could be in two places simultaneously. It would be wonderful if I could be in my home-town, Kolkata, with my family as well as in Mumbai with all my friends, both, at the same time. 
3. I am a clinical hypnotherapist and I feel very uncomfortable when I see the weird reactions people give when I tell them about my profession. It used to be fun freaking people out while I was still studying but lately I am finding it to be quite irksome. 
4. I am not a hard worker but I work smart and can complete most tasks assigned to me at rapid speed. 
5. Despite being a food-lover, I am quite fussy about the food that I eat. 
6. I am an agony aunt! I always end up in situations where I am helping people sort out their issues. 
7. I love dogs and I wish I could have one as a pet. 
8. While I can drink tea or coffee, I still prefer drinking milk and Bournvita every morning. 
9. I have always believed in living in the moment. What lies ahead has never been a concern for me. However, these days I find myself becoming worrisome about the future and I feel that I need to change that. 
10. If I had my way, I think I would be a student for life. I love learning things and I feel, like Tennyson's Ulysses, the true purpose of my life is "to follow knowledge like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought". 
11. I always smile at people even if I do not know them. Even if you meet me for a brief one minute, you are sure to notice my smile! 

Now, I need to answer the questions that were set for me. Here goes:

1. Given a choice between a world without feelings and a world without words, which one would you choose and why?
   I would choose to live in a world without words than live in a world without feelings. Empty words are meaningless and the language of words is just a symbol. Feelings are what truly matter. 
2. What is the one thing about you that you think irritates others the most?
   Sometimes, I just cut off from people without giving them prior notice. When I feel like I don't want to talk to anybody, I actually do not respond to messages, e-mails or calls. My friends get irritated when I do not return their calls even though they have called me more than ten times in two days or sometimes even more; and no, I am not exaggerating! What irritates them further is that I bounce back into action without giving them any explanations behind the cause of my disappearance. 
3. Describe what writing means to you in 3 words.
   Writing is expression. 
4. If you were to be marooned on an island and could wish for only one thing (except return to the mainland) what would that be and why?
   I would wish for my entire life to be transported to the island! If I can't go back to my life on the mainland, at least my life can come back to me. Besides it does not really matter where you are, if you have your life, consisting of friends, family, and the things that you love, all around you. 
5. If you could choose to be born as a celebrity, who would you be?
   I would love to be born as Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson). 
6. The one blogger you wished you could write like would be ____________. 
   I have left the space blank because even though I love the different styles of writing of all the different bloggers, I somehow feel that I should stick to mine! 
7. If you could possess a super-power, what would it be?
   If I could have a super-power, I wish that I could read and manipulate people's thoughts (like Matt Parkman of Heroes)
8. Who or what influenced you the most to write?
   In my family, no one was fond of reading books other than me. However, everyone liked hearing a good story. Re-telling stories from the books that I used to read inspired or influenced me to write some stories of my own. 
9. Science or God?
   God because it all starts from there. God is the source - you are introduced to the concept of God right from the time you are born. After that introduction, you will automatically start searching for more answers and stumble upon other paths such as Science. 
10. What is/are your favourite book(s) and why? (Limit: 3)
    My favourite book is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I recommend this book strongly to all those who haven't yet had the chance of reading it. It is a wonderful piece of literature.
    Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder  is also on my list of favourites. It is a book on Western philosophy and I love the style with which it has been written. People who are not familiar with philosophy at all will benefit from reading this book. 
11. If you could change one thing in this world, what would it be?
    These days, I find that people in this world are rather apathetic. I would like to change that. 

Now it is my turn to ask questions. Here is the list:

1. If you had to describe yourself with the help of a song, which song would that be?
2. What is that one thing you would do differently if you felt that no one was judging you?
3. If you had the choice of starring in a movie, which movie would you choose and what character would you play?
4. What is the one cause that you feel most passionate about?
5. What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
6. Who was your favourite cartoon character when you were a child?
7. If you could bring a tourist to only one place in your city, where would you take him or her and why?
8.  What does your name mean? To what extent is that meaning applicable in your context?
9. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
10. What is the best gift you have received?
11. If you knew that today was your last day on this earth, how would you like to spend it and why?

I would like to nominate:

1. Green Speck
2. Sanika
3. Me
4. Ashok
5. Chatty Wren

Looking forward to reading your responses!

Your Turn Now!

I am a person who, forever, wears a smile on her face. I smile at people I know. I smile at strangers. I smile at, practically, everyone. A few of my friends find this rather odd but based on my personal experience, I have seen that every time I have smiled at anybody on the street, the smile has always been returned - it does not matter if the person was someone known to me or a stranger. The moment a person starts to smile, his or her mood automatically becomes happy. Even when I have been down in the dumps - and believe me - there have been many such times - I have experienced instant moments of happiness each and every time someone succeeded in causing my face to break into a smile.

A couple of months ago, I had heard about the Your Turn Now! initiative from a colleague of mine. I was told that in this initiative, people are issued 'Your Turn Now!' cards.  Whenever this card-holder does a deed of kindness, he or she passes on the card to the person who is grateful of the kindness so that the person can remember that he or she must do a good deed ahead, and the chain continues with the card getting passed on from one kind act to the next. I found this concept to be rather fascinating. If people actually become a part of this chain, there will be kindness, joy, and contentment everywhere because the entire city will be bustling with people who are on the look-out of doing good deeds for someone.

A week ago, my colleague and I received our stack of cards. I got a chance to pass on my card to someone the very next day! I was returning home from class, travelling in an unpleasantly crowded local train. A superfluity of nuns were also on the train. Most of them seemed middle-aged though a few of them looked quite old. They were all carrying heavy bags. As the destination neared, there was an entire swarm of women waiting to get inside so much so that it was difficult for the people to even get down. One of the nuns was just stuck and she looked petrified! I had got off the train safely and her reaction did not surprise me - the Mumbai locals can daunt the strongest of spirits if they are not used to travel and she appeared to be a hapless, old woman. I was reminded of my initial days of travelling and how uncomfortable it used to be on days when there were huge crowds...I somehow managed to break through the crowd and help the woman get down with her bags. As soon as she got down, she was surrounded by the other nuns who were comforting her. They all thanked me for helping her get down. Usually I would have shrugged it off and merely dismissed it as being a very small thing but I was, suddenly, reminded of the card in my wallet. I just handed 1 card to the nun saying, "Don't thank me. Just keep this card until you have done a good deed and then pass it on." The nun merely smiled. She thanked me again and blessed me.

As I walked back home from the station, I couldn't help smiling. Although I had helped someone else, I was the one who was feeling high on life! It is indeed true when people say that if you want your day to be bright, just go ahead and try to brighten up somebody else's! We all are extremely busy in our daily lives but all it takes is one moment to make a positive difference in somebody else's universe.

If you feel that this post has brought a smile on your face or inspired you in any way to pitch in for a good cause, do become a part of the Your Turn Now! movement and spread smiles everywhere! These cards are free of cost and can be ordered on their website: http://yourturnnow.in. You can also text your postal address at +919029602897 or email rushabh@yourturnnow.in to get your cards. 

The Year Of Surprises

Birthdays have always been a special event for me. Being a person who is not very religious, I regard birthdays as the only day worth celebrating in the life of every individual.From the time I was a small child, I have always had my birthday celebrated in a grand, elaborate manner. Of course, over the years the extravagance has sublimed to quite an extent, but my birthday is still a day which I enjoy spending with my near and dear ones.

My sixteenth birthday is one which I remember very clearly - that year I had broken my leg and was confined to the bedroom. Despite it being my birthday, I did not have a cake to cut nor any visitors who were coming home to meet me. My brother was in school and my parents had gone off to work. I was all alone at home and rather dejected. My friends were busy giving exams which I had been exempted from writing owing to the fact that I could not attend school. As I lay in bed reading a book, I got a call on the intercom that two of my friends had come home to meet me! I was so surprised! It was completely unexpected and thanks to both of them, I had a happy sixteenth birthday after all.

It may strike you as strange but despite this pleasant experience, I have never been fond of surprises. I do not think that receiving a surprise enhances pleasure. I agree that I was happy to have two unexpected visitors dropping in to celebrate my birthday but I do not think my happiness would have been less had I been prepared for their arrival. In hind sight, being aware that they were going to come would have resulted in me not having a miserable mood even for half a day - I would have been impatiently anticipating their arrival instead of brooding over the fact that no one seemed to be taking any effort for making this occasion special.

I happened to stumble upon this quote while writing this post:

"Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable."
- Jane Austen
I remember having a conversation with my friend, Su, on the topic of getting surprises on birthdays. She told me about an incident where one of her friends had planned a surprise party for her on the evening of her birthday - this friend had instructed others to not wish Su at midnight or the entire day. Su was unhappy at midnight when none of her siblings or family members wished her on her birthday. Throughout the day she continued being upset because none of her friends had bothered remembering her birthday and wishing her - even her oldest childhood friend seemed to have forgotten that it was her birthday! It was only in the evening when she discovered the party did she cheer up and celebrate. But was it really necessary to make her go through all that misery the entire day, we, both, wondered?

My best friend had once attempted to surprise me on my seventeenth birthday and failed to do so - he had just moved to the city where I was residing at that time and had decided to not share that information with me - the news was going to be my birthday surprise! Unfortunately for him, I found out much before my birthday that he was in the city and I was furious at not being informed. I took it to mean he did not wish to meet me and I was quite cross!

I have neither been too fond of giving surprises nor fond of receiving them! With time, I have tried keeping an open mind and practicing this growing fad. One day, I sat and introspected and realized that what I don't like about surprises is keeping a person completely in the dark and making him or her feel glum on his or her special day. I realized I don't mind surprising my friends at midnight! I remember dropping into my friend's office at midnight while he was busy working with a basket of goodies and cake. He was pleasantly surprised because he was only expecting me to wish him on the phone at that time - he did not really think that I would drop in at work just to wish him on his birthday! The look on his face was priceless and I could sense that he was happy as he told other people on the phone about how his friend and another colleague managed to surprise him!
Earlier this year, I had surprised another friend in another city by sending her birthday gifts at her hostel - since I had received her postal address from her brother, she was not at all expecting to receive something and, hence, was pleasantly taken aback on the morning of her birthday!

This year, my friend, Sanika, was turning 23 years old. For her birthday, I surprised her by organizing a treasure-hunt for her - I had hidden her gifts in various parts of the house and some time before midnight, I gave her clues that would lead her to them. The hunt was planned to end at 12:00 a.m. sharp with her discovering her last gift that would lead her to her cake which was in  the shape of a girl on the moon (being a Cancerian, she fancies herself as the Moon Maiden). Things went as planned and, if I can say so for myself, I think my surprise worked out well and she did have a good time.

At present, I don't think I am still keen about the prospect of getting surprised on my birthday - I'd prefer knowing whatever it is that is going to come my way. On the other hand, surprising those who like surprises (or at least claim to like surprises) is something I am comfortable with, and, as I have recently discovered, something that I enjoy doing. I am good at planning surprises and ensuring that they are executed successfully but when it comes to being at the end of receiving a surprise, I'd still say, "Thanks but no thanks!"