DINNER IS COOKED

Depending on cooks for the evening meal has become a common situation in every Indian home. Especially weekdays, when we return home tired and exhausted after an entire day of scrolling and typing vigorously across internet servers. A 45 minute aerobics session at the society club and by the time your home, its already 8 pm - Day over! 

Even the most rare occasion when your maid has missed work, you dread walking into the kitchen to cook a meal and start thinking of the countless home delivery options nearby. But is that really a good option? Isn't every Indian household already combating digestive disorders, diabetes, obesity, the never ending viral spree and so many more? If there's one good thing I learnt, after living alone for three years in a not-so-fast yet competitive city, is a quick 8 pm dinner meal. I wouldn't brag but yes, I can whip up a meal quite fast and its definitely a better option than home delivery. So when the clock crosses my deity cook's usual time and I know that she's not coming to work today, I step into her shoes and decide to prep something exciting. Maybe a tuna macaroni salad?

After an obvious accomplishment and healthy meal, the next day I decide to share it with others. The only sad part, I forgot pictures. So, we'll skip the images this time and save it for another day. Here's my recipe and I suggest you try this sometime during the week for a healthy dinner time meal.

You will require:

1) Onions - 2 (chopped long)

2) Macaroni - half packet serves four servings

3) Carrot - 1

4) Peas - 200 gm

5) Pepper Powder

6) Chilli Powder

7) Salt to taste

8) Vegetable Soya Oil

9) Tuna Flakes - 1 can

Empty half packet macaroni in a boiling pot with considerable amount of water. Add a teaspoon of soya oil and mix well. Allow the macaroni to boil on medium flame. After it reaches a boiling point, simmer the stove and stir the macaroni in water. Once softened, strain the macaroni and rinse the contents with cool water to remove stickiness. Allow water to strain completely, keeping the vessel aside.

Add two tablespoons oil in a pan and allow it to heat. Empty chopped onions and let them glaze, not golden brown. Just a light glaze is good for this dish. As you notice the onion glaze, add carrots and peas to it and required amount of salt. Allow them to sauté on low flame till the veggies are cooked. Empty one tuna can into the pan and mix with the veggies. Mix well, add pepper (2 teaspoons full) and red chilli powder (1 teaspoon). Mix the spices with the veggies and tuna, adding boiled macaroni in the pan. Maintain low flame and  continue to stir the ingredients well, allowing the spices to absorbed. Stir the contents in the pan for 3-4 minutes and serve.

You may garnish the dish with mayonnaise, grated cheese or boiled eggs. Stay away from them if your working towards losing weight. Vegetarians can alternate tuna with grated Paneer or cottage cheese. All the best!

THREE YEARS AND ALMOST DOWN UNDER

An unbelievably quaint atmosphere, I can hear the floor creek as I take every step into this new, huge and ever-so-good-looking-office. As I continue to walk dainty, to shun the noise below my foot, following the human resource person like a creep I start imagining how time has changed. Am I here for the better? Is this really what I was dreaming of? Is this the place I thought I would be after exactly three years? All sorts of questions, thoughts, sentences and a cloud of words storming my mind, till I am stalled into a conference room to complete my joining formalities.

Exactly three years from my last blog, seems like I was really missing the grind. From 22 to 25 and on the verge to complete my 26th birthday, I feel an accomplishment within. From journalism to public relations to working with India's largest PR firm and handling brands in the consumer industry that most professionals would rave about. Life had a rustic tune playing in the background of every situation I was put through. I changed cities; from a metropolitan capital to a cosmopolitan cocktail-like city, landed a fancy mid-entry level job at India's largest and most finest PR firm to another new job back in the capital city as Assistant Public Relations Manager of a leading personal care brand. Life can be uncanny but I am not sure if at this point it really is!

As I am not allowed to disclose so, the last three years have been the most enjoyable, wild, experimental and I fall short of words to describe how it really was. The experience was not so naive, as independence had settled long ago but this too was in a way nothing less than a turmoil. Living with relatives and then living alone, late nights with friends and then accomplishments at work, falling in love and finally making a home - it indeed was an eventful series of months and years. 

While I sign-off my joining formalities at this new company, I sense a rustic culture something I have never experienced before. I succumb to my thoughts and imagine the impossibilities I could be forced to undergo but then I smile and remind myself of the last three years, the impossibilities I withstood. I feel accomplished, thoughtful and ready to take-on, yet another series of  whatever we'd call it but absolutely never a difficulty!

ANOTHER YEAR END

While resuming a fitness routine can be quite a challenge, turns out—an attempt at it is not a bad choice. It definitely adds much more than being an ideal routine which most people seek to follow religiously. Moreover, with a year gone by and much happening at work and life in general, it suddenly seems a blessing to be a twenty year old something. The pride to disclose your age and say that I am 22 and will soon be 23 is complete bliss!

With another year at its closure, I contemplate on the days that have just passed. Even though it started with a great career move, the year had much in store than what I had expected. The loss of a near one and the joy of meeting another. Both happened at the most unexpected time. As I continue contemplating on the year that is passing by, I realize that life is much more beyond what we see and believe. There are times when our busy schedules compel us to ignore the most simple pleasures of life which later often result in lessons we learn or rather realize too late. Even though regrets follow, it is important to move on yet embrace those hardships that will help you sail smoothly in life. Without being melodramatic about life and its variations, I continue contemplating on the year that is coming to an end. It reminds me of the obnoxious new year resolutions, the year-end celebrations and the ever-so-obnoxious rumour that the world will come to an end. Thinking of how the days went by in the year, it makes me realize that such is a good exercise, not just reminding you of the things you did and the celebrations that mattered but it also tells you of all the things undone. It gives you perspective and allows you to reflect on yourself and the people near you.

While I agree with the tabloids that speak about the uncanny resolutions that people make every year, I also feel that resolutions help one take a step towards achieving something they want. Even though it maybe all about sticking to one's own word but at the end of it, your ultimately pushing yourself to do something good for yourself or someone else; that of course doesn't matter. The fact that one would make time for something they would otherwise never do is half an accomplishment already achieved.

For those who love making resolutions but are never able to stick to their own word, you really have nothing to worry. Since 98 per cent people in this world are have similar instincts as yours, you can still begin the year with a tap on your shoulder—only for the good thought that comes to your mind. 

RETROSPECTIVE

Finally the day came and I woke up to resume my fitness routine. I completed six Surya Namaskars, followed with some Pranayam (meditation technique) and was already left breathless. Well, this is how an unhealthy body behaves!! Sudden heat waves take over your body and make you feel  breathless after six rounds of struggling in and out of yoga postures. Even though I skipped my walk due to sheer laziness, I managed to crawl out of bed and practice yoga. So yes, maybe an accomplishment but I guess a few more challenging mornings and I will be charged up again.

Adjusting with a new routine is always a challenge and especially when you have to make the effort to change it. But when you know that a change would do you good then I guess, it gets a little easier. Nonetheless nobody likes changes but sometimes you just need to enforce some into your life to do good for yourself. The most recent and transformative change for me has been getting acquainted with the work place. It's been four months of continuous rummaging and the place where I sit and move around suddenly feels like it belongs to me. The people around have been good companions and helping it all seem worth the risk and trouble, which makes the journey seem exciting. When I go back in time and picture myself in Central Park watching the walls of this office, aiming to be here someday makes me feel a sense of accomplishment. It's a big achievement and I realise the importance of holding onto this. What it has in store, is yet to be seen but the more important fact is to hold onto what I have and cherish what I always wanted. That's what life is all about, something I totally disagreed with a month back.

Life is enjoyed best when you cherish what you possess and held onto whatever stood beside you. Apart from sounding like a philanthropist, it has somewhere seeped into me that gone are the days when only work could determine your personality. You need to build a strong personality and make it reach beyond what the rest aspire towards. It also includes karma and definitely revolves around spontaneity. Your instant reactions speak what your mind is all about and may also act as a breakthrough device at times!

We all go looking for peace and happiness but we never sit back and appreciate what we have today. Life is a benevolent gift, live it while it lasts' and cherish it till your moments are there to stay with you.

SEASON DILEMMA

Spring is my favourite time of the year. The weather is perfect, the bright mornings suddenly make you feel fresh and the chirping birds, just add to the beautiful moment. Even though many say its too early, but I feel that global warming and all the other crazy scientific reasons due to which there are climatic changes occurring, spring will just as usually be here before its official time. I have been waiting to get rid of winter and get into spring, so that I'm free of cladding myself from the cold. Moreover, the season is actually changing. Can't anyone feel the temperature difference? Or is it just me?

Anyway, while thinking about the changing season, what comes to my mind first, is my clothes. I just love the spring for its weather and the clothes that I get to wear. The floral dresses, cool t-shirts, shorts of all kinds and colours and easy going footwear. Winter, no matter how much you try and prop your look, it leaves us with less choice. On the contrary, spring is perfect to experiment and wear the best. During the season, there's a mood that makes you wear bright colours, flashy hues and loud contrasts.

What can be the most disheartening in winter is the weight you gain. You tend to become lazy and the festivities make you gorge on delicacies endlessly. Who cannot put on weight? Three previous consecutive years that I spent on dieting and gyming, had me on a sabbatical this winter. I would usually take time off from the health club and enjoy my vacations for a month. 26th Jan would be my day to go back to my usual work out schedule.Yes, that's the truth. I would gorge the entire month and then be working out rigorously and trying various diets which usually showed results but sometimes had me running to the doctor with some sickness or the other. This year, though, has been different. I have been on a sabbatical since the past six months, the time since I started working. Initially, going to the gym and a regular office routine worked but after sometime, it faded. Thankfully, I have not put on too much weight but pictures never lie.

Sitting at my desk at work, anxiously waiting for the season to change, my attention is suddenly drawn towards my flabby stomach. Six months back, it was flat with no rolls but now it seems to be round from every corner that my eyes can reach. My thighs and legs have an added ooze and the ride in the auto rickshaw today morning, felt the vibrating fat on my arms. What could be scarier than that? Honestly, I don't want to be mistaken as an obnoxiously health concious person. I love curves, but there's a whole lot of difference between curves and flab. So, just to be clear, I am vying for a healthy, fit body.

The past one week, I have woken up to an alarm and after switching it off, I walk out of bed after only an hour. My mind consciously tells me to quit the bed and get out of the house but at that insane hour, when the alarm is shrieking in my ears, I can only think of how to switch it off!

As I sip on my tea, I see my stomach and realise floral dresses and t-shirts that I am eager to dress up in, are not ideal right now. I cannot be walking around with flab rolling either, so its time to get back to the gym and start all over again!

DISTANCE EDUCATION BEING DISTANT...

Beginning a career from the age of 21 is definitely a major responsibility, especially when you are trying to study at the same time. While weekdays are occupied with work and a fixed routine, the weekends are occupied with family and friends. Apart from this, studying in India through distance mode is another additional challenge that I have found. They act like impatient horses during the admission procedure citing they need to adhere to strict deadlines and also shut their doors with an informative advertisement to visit their website regularly for constant updates. A funny joke, until you realise that they website has not been updated since the year 2010. Well this is the condition and then we talk about the young generation spending lakhs to study abroad. Its time to wake-up because this sluggish attitude is the reason why students are venturing beyond the boundaries of our country.
Simply stated, the generation today wants information at their behest and if there is a website where information is supposed to be available then why aren't there any kinds of updates in the first place. Mind you, they also take your personal number saying that they will contact you for further information and send constant updates about the submission of term-end examinations and assignments, which they never do. A new way to fleece students is through the fixation of two submission dates. One, where it would be written is the final date and the other also stating is a final day of submission but with a generous late fee.

Honestly, till date I was hearing about our educational curriculum being faulty but now the reason I have come to understand lies in the education system. The way it is mishandled and manipulated is not just a shame but a root cause to the problem of increasing drop-outs in our country. Yes, there are many who drop-out of such distance learning courses due to such kind of sluggish approach. This is not just slamming a negative image against the education system in the country but also leaving some with no choice of upgrading their educational qualifications. There are many who choose this method of education, to work and study simultaneously as its not just a better opportunity to gain experience at the work-front but also helps many gain financial independence and a hope to address economic slowdowns in their households.

Bringing out such programmes of distance learning, need to bridge the communication gap that delves between the university and students. It will foster the urge in many to enrol and take it up with a more serious approach.

FRIENDLY BURST

This is something I have being dying to blog about..

Growing into a twenty year old something, is special, essentially because it is something that I personally want to share.. It would not be about something I have no relation with or was never really interested in the first place.. If you like it, well your most welcome to comment and if you don't, you can still comment and it'll be my pleasure to have a critic.

Beginning with my teenage years which were the most explicit and I truly agree with people who say teenage years are the best for every girl.. Yes, I am still a girl and will always call myself that even though many disagree, saying that I should now associate myself as a woman.. But, what are we?? Living in the 80's, when girls were called women once they were married at the age of 16 or 17.. Times have changed and I am glad that it has.. Anyway, coming back to my teenage years.. They couldn't have been better especially living with my friends in boarding school which was fun. I practically grew up living out there and claim that cause I spent nine years of my life. Since nine years old and grew up to be 17 years in those maroon & yellow buildings.. Nine years may seem short for a 50 year old person so please don't say, 'its just nine years damn it, I have spent more than that..'

Those nine years were special because I learnt to make friends, share, fight, be sarcastic, learnt leadership, equality, learnt to work hard, losing, winning, and alot more.. What made everything more explicit and fun was understanding friendship and how it can make you feel. Friends were all that mattered to me. The only reason I associate those days as the best in my life because it taught me alot (and I really don't mean to be philosophical). I learnt so much from my own experiences, through my own indulgence (yes I just said that!) and through my own mistakes.. Well, I call them mistakes because when I think of it now, I feel somewhere around, they were mistakes but what makes me feel good is that I have the courage to accept them and have also learnt from them.

After being bullied by my older siblings, I never indulged in being a bully myself.. Always made sure that none of the freshers were treated badly and I guess that reasons out my reaction towards my seniors in college. It was required at that moment as it was totally unacceptable. Along my days in school, I was ambitious and the need to prove myself when I'm young enough to work. I always wanted to see myself grow into a professional in the creative field. Inculcating an enthusiasm for anchoring programmes and participating in creative writing competitions made me realise that the media industry would be a great fit. And so I decided to study journalism. It seems very easy to put it down in words but honestly it wasn't.. I changed ambitions every month. Sometimes I would come back home on vacations saying, "I want to be a model", then once I came back saying that I would like to be an air hostess, then it changed to being a fashion designer, a beautician, a lawyer and then finally I decided that it has to be journalism.. So yes, it was confusing and I still keep myself prepared for more changes to creep into my mind as career ambitions.

High school was the most enjoyable phase of my life. The rest wasn't bad but life during school was the best experience till now. It was, it is and would always be special.