Dreams... They'll Cheer You Up! No, Seriously

First of all...
Happy New Year everyone!
Let this year be better than all your previous ones put together.
It's currently 12 am in India and I am super glad that I woke up just in time to post this one.

So, like you might or might not know, this blog was something I started out of boredom during one holiday.
Now, it's become quite a passion for me and I'm very glad that people show appreciation for my writing.

Back to what I want to say.

I'm a dreamer.
I like to dream about my future,
about my life,
about my favourite on- screen pairings in my favourite TV shows,
about the latest book I've read,
about the movies I've watched,
about anything that makes me feel all fuzzy and cozy inside.

Everyone dreams, it's like the single most common thing every human has other than the fact that we all originated from a single- celled organism billions and billions of years ago.

Some dream of the success they're going to achieve in the near or far future.
Some dream about their secret love, actual love, non- existent love, future love, something like that.
Some dream about events that are going to take place in the near future (like meeting up with close friends after a LONG time).
Some just dream meaningless stuff.
And some dream that their worst nemesis just gets a transfer to another school. (Admit it, you've had that thought some time or the other.)
And some extra great people dream about the world and how to make it a better place and about their school subjects. (I'm sure I am one of them, sometimes.)

But then, everyone just dreams about something or the other.

Before you think that I'm some sort of weirdo to talk so much and still make some sort of sense, I'll tell you this.

I'm no different than your average fifteen year old girl from India.
I have almost the same wishes and expectations as you might.
And trust me, Santa aka Parents didn't give me any presents for my good, un- rebellious behaviour.
No actually, strike that. They didn't give me any presents at all.
Now, that's mean because even Santa gives coal to the mischievous ones.

Now, before we go off track, again, let's clear up some things about dreaming in general.

You can dream while you're asleep at night. (But, you won't remember most of it.)
You can dream during a particularly boring day or just any day for that matter while you're half asleep. (It's called day dreaming.)
You can dream unconsciously without even being aware of it till someone comes and waves a hand in front of your face. (Can also be called as zoning out.)
You can just dream. (Like planning about what you're going to do later in life or about what you're going to do the next day)

DREAMING ISN'T BAD. Dot.
People might say that you have your head up in the clouds in one dream world or the other.
Be glad you have that kind of imagination.
To dream, is no big deal but to actually live there is like, wow!

DREAMING IS NOT A DISTRACTION. Dot.
Hey, it's more like a reality check and it sort of inspires you to go there and achieve what you had in your dreams.
Distraction? Not at all. More like a break from the Mean, Cruel and Ugly REAL WORLD.

DREAMING DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE LAZY. Dot.
Dreaming requires significant brain usage that uses up your energy.
If anything at all, dreaming means you have an active brain and an active brain is much better than a dormant one.
You DON'T want to be a living zombie.

DREAMING IS COMPLETELY NORMAL. Dot.
Some people look like they're dreaming all the time while the others are good at hiding it.
In the end, everyone dreams, not just while sleeping but also while they're wide awake.

DREAMING ABOUT MEANINGLESS STUFF DOESN'T MAKE YOU WEIRD. Dot.
I sometimes find myself dreaming about a song's lyrics.
Want an example? "Oh maha Zeeya Oho Maha Zeeya..."
Does it make sense? Nope, not at all.

DREAMING THAT YOU'LL BE SOMEONE YOU AREN'T MEANS THAT SOCIETY HAS GOT TO YOU. Dot.
We all find ourselves in this situation.
Fat people dream of being Thin.
Average kids dream of being Whiz Kids.
Poor kids dream of being Rich.
Monkeys dream of being People. Oh sorry, that was a mistake.

Monkeys DON'T dream of becoming people because they aren't pressured by their peers to become one.
Some extra Seventh Sense seems to tell them that being human isn't so great after all.

Too bad, we don't have both the No Peer Pressure thing AND the Seventh Sense thing.
So, it's us poor humans with dreams that could probably end up ruining us.

If you've read my Accept Yourself For Who You Are post, you'll understand what I mean.
If you haven't, then do read it after you've finished this one.

DREAMING IS OK.
As long as you dream of being a better, improved version of yourself.
Not the misguided way others and society want you to be.

DREAMING IS OK.
As long as you don't FORGET your real world because whether you like it or not, the real world is where you are and you have to learn to deal with it.

DREAMING IS OK.
As long as you know your limits and don't end up hurting yourself.
I should know, dreaming out of limits hurts like hell when it's reality time and takes a long time to patch up.

DREAMING ISN'T A CRIME.
No seriously, it isn't.
Dreaming is your heart and mind's way of reminding you of what you actually want in life.

FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS IS THE TOUGHEST BUT MOST GRATIFYING THING YOU'LL EVER DO.
Follow your dreams because they'll make you grateful for your life and they'll make you feel great about yourself.

Life is all about challenges and dreams are a way to overcome them.
When you have a dream in mind, your path becomes clearer, your victory becomes sweeter and life becomes happier.

Dream, because it'll ultimately make you glad.
It'll make you feel on top of the world.
It'll be the best thing you've ever done.

Have a great year and life 'cause You Only Live Once!
Happy New Year once again!

Accept yourself for Who You Are

Hey everyone!!!
We're going to officially enter a new year in a few days (two, to be exact) and I decided to end this year with a post.
Now as the title might or might not inform, this post is all about acceptance.

We all can start by simply stating the obvious.

One. You and I are not like super models nor do we have as much brains to become the next Super Whiz Kid. Yay, joy.

Two. We crave some sort of company that glorifies our achievements.
"Hey, nice game!"
"How are you soooo smart? I wish I could get so much marks in my tests!"

Three. We are essentially sort of insecure, even if we try to forget it all and be our own wonderful selves.
"I am wearing this dress no matter what anyone thinks or whispers."
"Hey does this dress look OK?"

Four. We can be selfish sometimes.
"Hey! That was the last chocolate and it was MINE!"
"I wanted to do that part..."

Five. We see every single flaw in our appearance when we stand in front of the mirror.
"Why are my eyes sooooo small!!"
"I think the colour red is NOT for me."

Six. We hate it when people talk about our negative qualities.
This includes me and I guess all you readers too.
I promise this is the last one.

SO, now that we've laid the basis that all of us aren't the perfect angels others might want us to be, let's start with another round of state the obvious.

One. We are beautiful and smart just the way we are. [Yeah, right!]

Two. Even though we want company that glorifies us, we like the company that tells us we're wrong, the best. Because, in the end, they're the ones who help the most. [Oh, really? Right now I want to kill the person who told me I wasn't good enough.]

Three. Even if we may get insecure sometimes, we are definitely strong enough to let go and move on with life as if all that fight against insecurity was easy- peasy. [Give me one second. I'm fighting my "easy- peasy" insecurity.]

Four. Hey, it's ok to be selfish. We are selfless quite a lot too. A person needs balance. [I'm about to fall off because of having no "balance"]

Five. Even if we see all our flaws in the mirror, we see all our good features too. [Mirror, Mirror on the wall. Who is the Fairest of them all? Me? Yeah, right.]

Six. Even if we hate people talking about our negative qualities, we use it to somehow improve ourselves in the public eye. [My negative qualities, you say? My right arm needs some punching practice.]

So, I know that my side comments make my actual comments seem false and stupid.
The thing is, those are the things I would think if I read all those.
And then, I would be wondering what I did wrong.

What I did/you did/you are doing wrong is, you aren't thinking as high of yourself as you should.
You should learn that while we may have our flaws, our highs and lows, our mood swings, our sadness and happiness and feelings in general, we are definitely US.
Each one of us is unique in whatever crazy way there may be.

We could sing horribly, yet sing in our shower every day.
We could dance horribly, yet dance around wherever we go, whenever we want.
We could be horrible at a subject, yet try to learn it in the hope that one day it will make sense.
We could paint horribly yet own artbooks and paints and paint away.

We can be anything and do anything because all those little quirks are what define us.

It's OK if you can't do something that everyone else can.
It's OK if you aren't perfect.
It's OK if you don't perform well in that one test.
It's OK if you hate something/someone everyone else seems to love.

It's OK if you have weird choices.

People judge you because they are so jobless.
Don't let their judgments change you from being you.

You like to do something, then DO it.
Don't worry about what people will say.
If they respect you enough, they will tell you if it's dangerous for you. Otherwise, they'll respect your decisions and act as your support till the end.

The thing is, you need to accept who you are.

Self- Acceptance is KEY.
It makes you feel worthy and makes you feel on top of the world.

Love yourself. From every single flaw your enemies notice to every single good thing your friends notice. 

Have a great year ahead!
More like, have a great LIFE ahead!!

Till next time, friends.

Sugar, spice and everything nice? Is it really true?

Now, you might be wondering where I got that caption from.
If you said Powerpuff Girls- The Movie, you get a double chocolate chip cookie with a dash of chilli sauce and a double scoop of chocolate icecream.
Why? Because it symbolizes sugar, spice and everything nice.

Yes, I do know that you can't start a sentence with because, but really, the use of the word was imperative.

I guess that from the caption, you might be thinking that I'm going to be talking about food.
Ah, you're wrong.
I'm talking about life and hopefully I'll leave you in as jolly(note the sarcasm please!) a mood as I am right now.

I was reading a few of my own poems and a poem in my Literature Textbook.
It got me thinking of what all I thought of life and what all I was wrong about.

I had two internals today and really, I didn't actually know why I was so afraid of them. I just was.

Now that I think about it, it was my fear that I would do badly, my fear that I would shatter the hopes my parents have on me( that they so sweetly try not to show) that made me so scared.
Even now, as frustration threatens to make me insane( I believe mood swings are very typical of my age) one sentence keeps on repeating in my head.

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

When asked about it's real meaning, I would say that it means to always look at the positive side of things.
Now that I think about it, it means that take whatever life gives you and use it to the fullest of your ability.

All those philosophical and noble things aside, I believe that all these years, I had the whole concept of life wrong and I can't believe that it took just one poem and a couple of amateur ones written in the heat of the moment to make me understand what I was doing.

Life isn't always about sugar or spice or everything nice. It is also about bitterness and sourness( by the way, I love sour foodstuffs) and overall it's what Tamilians call as 'Arusuvai'. 

There were these two lines,
"... But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day..."

I guess, I already did my bit in making my tomorrow better than my today.
One main thing is that I finished my internals and I needn't worry as much as I did today, tomorrow.
Another one is, typing this out, sort of reduced my frustration and has made me more calm.

On a completely unrelated note though,
My mom used to say,
"Yashasvi, everyone here is there for a reason..."
"You are destined to become what you want..." 
"If you are willing to put a bit more of hardwork, there is no one to beat you..." 
"My daughter is a very intelligent and talented girl..." 
"It's okay of you don't get good marks, you are a good daughter and that's all I want..."

And then I used to say,
"Amma, you have too much belief in me..."
"What if I don't get good marks..."
"It may not trouble you but it troubles me..."
"I am not that intelligent and talented..."

I realise now that whatever she said was to encourage me.
In my fifteen short years of life, never once have my parents ever imposed upon me to study.
They never helped me study but if I needed help, they were there.

They taught me some things about life and made me learn the rest.

And no matter what happens in my life from henceforth,
I know for sure that my parents would be included in the sugar, spice and everything nice category.

Everything else, if where you decide to put it.
Marks, school, friends, studies, etc. All have values you assign to them.
You don't need to decide between anything.
Believe in what you think and go and hold that supportive arm when you need it.

And yes, I can't guarantee you that everything will be sugar, spice and everything nice.
But then, even the sourest lemon tastes like heaven with a bit of salt and sugar.

And if you start thinking that way, trust me, all those lines my mom said, would apply to you too ( change the gender as applicable, ie. Daughter --> Son, Girl--> Boy.).

Hope that leaves you guys in as happy, melancholic, sad, jolly mood as I am in.

Do comment your thoughts on this post.

Fat- Shaming... I don't give a Damn.

Hola people,
It's me again. I'm still alive and working and hopefully I'm still the same.
I'll tell you one thing though, school is TOUGH.
I'm not going to be explaining that though. I've had an idea of sorts for a while now and I'm going to put that out for the world to see.

FAT SHAMING!!!
I hate that word, especially because it has happened to me, it is happening to me and might happen to me in the future too.
Fat- shaming is quite common here in India, when you come to think of it.
It may be by your parents, grand parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, school friends, classmates, teachers and so on.
My advice? Don't give a shit about what they say.

A person has the right to be however they want. Who are they to comment that you are fat? And besides, it's not like you're making them fat.
If they say they get an eyesore because of you, patiently go and get them some eye drops and a mask to wear so that they can protect their eyes.
Why should you change?

Movements against fat- shaming have increased in number around the world.
The sad part is, most people in India don't know about it.
Celebrities all over the world have voiced their opinion that avoiding people because they are fat is worse than racism and caste-ism put together.

I ask you, if people mute swear words on TV, why isn't there a similar ban on words like fat?

People often think that people get motivated to become fit when they are fat- shamed.
That's WRONG and STUPID, because fat- shaming reduces a person's sense of self- worth.
It makes them question why they even live.
It makes them question whether they'd get that perfect fairytale every thin girl in the movies gets.

I'll tell you one thing though, sometimes the so called 'fat' people are more healthier than those stick- thin girls who live on water and raw vegetables every day.
Did you know that living on only water and raw vegetables equates you to a cow or any other herbivore for that matter?

People might think that fat people don't feel much emotions because they seem to brush off every rude comment that someone makes.
I ask them, would they be alright if someone always seems to point out that they are fat?
Would they act like they're brave or would they break down on the spot only to warrant more ridicule?

It's tough being the way you want in a society that seems to have a pre-defined notion of what being perfect means.
Simply put, if you want to be the way you want, you get ridiculed.

I was looking at the newspaper and the picture of the winners of a beauty pageant was put up.
It was the same old story.
Perfect parlor made hair that flowed down, stick thin legs and hands that were probably waxed in a very famous parlor for probably Rs. 10000, dresses that barely came to half their thighs and flawless facial done faces with glowing lipsticks and false eyelashes and smooth complexions.

The ideas of beauty are so deep- rooted in our minds and society that people fail to recognize the everyday beauties who go out in the sun with zero make up and thick hair braided and curvy bodies hidden inside their clothes and shawls.

God made every girl different. You can't be me, I can't be you and I'm glad I'm me because, under this fat and unmanageable hair, there's a person, a soul that calls out to similar ones.
Why should I care if someone thinks I'm fat or if someone thinks I'm unworthy. I know I'm worth what I ask. I won't sell myself low and so should you.

Next time when someone says you are fat tell them that you're glad that you aren't sickly and stick- thin. The world will be comfortable with you only if you are comfortable being you.