Fire?!

"The power of imagination makes us infinite." - John Muir

True story: It was a really hot, humid night and we decided to finally turn on the air conditioning downstairs. For the 7 people we had at home, there were quite a few fans/air conditioners on; therefore, we knew we were risking it because the power goes out frequently in July. Fifteen minutes later, everyone is sound asleep and I'm about to fall asleep when lo and behold, the power does go out. I wake up to find out where the power is on so I could adjust where I'm sleeping and stay cool during the night, but Mom wakes up when she realizes that everything shut down. So together, we attempt to fix it but can't. By this time, Dad wakes up as well and goes to adjust some things. I went to unplug the air conditioner and realized how ridiculously hot the plug had gotten. I showed Dad, but he insisted that we turn it all back on again because it was just way too hot. So of course, within the next 15 minutes, everyone falls back asleep and I just sat there thinking about what I would do in case there was a fire. (Trust me, I had it all planned out. I knew how I'd get everyone out of the house, how I'd put the fire out, etc.) I FINALLY fell asleep (woohoo! Those of you that know me well know that this is a big deal, hah.). An hour later, I wake up to Dad shouting "I smell smoke, there's a fire!" (Remember: I had not mentioned my fear of a fire to anyone; I had just been thinking about it all.) As soon as my eyes opened, I felt extremely hot and the air felt hot and smokey. We all jumped up and ran to do what we knew we should in order to protect our home and family...but in reality, there was no fire. Until we realized that there was nothing, Dad and I felt heat and smelled smoke. And until we were 100% sure that there was no fire, we weren't able to cool down. 

Okay so besides the fact that I was afraid Dad would do something dumb to protect us and end up hurting himself and the fact that there really was nothing...I sat there for hours afterwards realizing some crazy things! But before I do that, let me just tell you what had happened: Dad and I had both been dreaming (nightmaring?) about a fire and that's what caused us to feel the way we did and smell what we did. 

So what does all of the above mean? Think about it for a second before scrolling down. Here's something that my help: why did we feel warm? Why did we smell smoke? Why were we prepared to save everything the second we woke up? 

Mental power. You've probably heard so often about our mental strength, right? But how often do we actually use our mental strength to achieve something in life? For example: if you want to eat healthy and you see a cookie, do you eat it? Probably. If you want to read 15 minutes every day but someone asks you to go to the movies spontaneously late at night, do you go? Probably. You can probably think of a million things you want to do but don't really do...think about your resolutions, goals, etc. Ughhh...it's so frustrating, isn't it?!


So HOW can we use our mental strength and achieve something? I think we first have to realize how powerful it really is. If we don't have full faith in our mental strength, then we can't use it. Right? Have faith in it and then start using it for small tasks. Exercise it, just as you know you have to exercise your willpower. It all goes hand in hand: willpower, determination, mental strength, the desire for change.

This is a simple post that serves as a reminder to look at situations more carefully and take a lesson out of them. From this small incident, I realized how much more I need to utilize my mental strength. It is one of God's greatest gifts, and I just take it for granted (kinda like I do with almost everything else). But it's time to change. With baby steps, I shall change.

Will you?

So long. <3

True Love? It Can't Be.

"There’s something inside me that makes me pay attention to every little thing about you. I just want you to be happy."

You could say the silliest thing, and I'll remember it.

You could make the lamest joke, and I'll laugh.

You could say the meanest thing, and I'll brush it off. 

You could look awful in a picture, and I'll think you look amazing.

You could sing and have a terrible voice, but I'll love it.

You could cry in front of me, and I wouldn't think any less of you.

You could suck at dancing, and I'll think you're so graceful.

You could be terrible at sports, and I'll still be your number 1 fan.

You could bring home ugly flowers, and I'd put them in a vase and water them every day.

You could bring home the worst card for me, and I'd hold on to it forever.

You could continue talking forever, and it'd be like music to my hears.

You could suck at playing an instrument, but I'd love to listen to you all day.

You could be awful at cooking, but I'd find every thing you make delicious.

You could put on the worst outfits, but I'd find them so perfect.

You could smile the most crooked smile ever, but I'd think it's so beautiful.

Gosh, you could do anything negative and I'd see it in a positive light.

Is this what you call true love?

But if we aren't meant to be together, then there's someone else out there for me...and you.

And if this isn't true love, then what is it?

Why does it hurt so much?

I know that I have the potential to do great things.

I have the potential to the change the world.

I have the potential to make a difference.

But I am selfishly willing to give it up just to be with you.

What is this?

Why is this so?

What am I feeling?

You and I won't end up together.

I know that.

But I still hope every day...

And I still hurt all the time.

But no matter what, I wish you the best.

You go find that girl for you.

And you show her off to me...

And you know what?

I'll be so happy for you.

I'll be hurting. But I'll be happy.

But in case you care to know: I'll be okay.

I'll find someone that cares for me.

I'll find the guy that's perfect for me.
Or rather, he'll find me.

A guy that doesn't mind my flaws.

So don't you worry about breaking my heart [more]...

Because someone's on his way to mend it.

So long <3

P.S. This is not a copy and paste.

Manners You Should Teach Your Kids!

"Good manners are just a way of showing other people that we have respect for them."


I know that a lot of my things have come from other sources lately, but I want to share them with you all so badly so here's another 'copy & paste'! I may have random notes in red :)


Manner #1
When asking for something, say "Please." If they don't say it, they don't deserve what they're asking for. Trust me, I've refused to give younger cousins things if they can't say please. You might not teach them a life long lesson, but you'll show their parents the importance of saying please.
Manner #2
When receiving something, say "Thank you."
Manner #3
Do not interrupt grown-ups who are speaking with each other unless there is an emergency. They will notice you and respond when they are finished talking. This is definitely true but there's a fine line...if the child is young enough, then you shouldn't continue your conversation for too long. Definitely let them learn to wait, but allow them to say "excuse me" in between a conversation.
Manner #4
If you do need to get somebody's attention right away, the phrase "excuse me" is the most polite way for you to enter the conversation. I guess that says it right here :p
Manner #5
When you have any doubt about doing something, ask permission first. It can save you from many hours of grief later. Yeah but I still think kids should learn to explore and take risks. They're supposed to do crazy things so we can learn on their own. Once they cross certain lines, we should step in.
Manner #6 The world is not interested in what you dislike. Keep negative opinions to yourself, or between you and your friends, and out of earshot of adults. I wouldn't teach my child to keep it between his friends because then they could easily start talking about other kids.
Manner #7 Do not comment on other people's physical characteristics unless, of course, it's to compliment them, which is always welcome.
Manner #8 When people ask you how you are, tell them and then ask them how they are. I totally agree. I understand some kids are shy but I mean come on! At least say hi!
Manner #9
When you have spent time at your friend's house, remember to thank his or her parents for having you over and for the good time you had.
Manner #10 Knock on closed doors -- and wait to see if there's a response -- before entering.
Manner #11 When you make a phone call, introduce yourself first and then ask if you can speak with the person you are calling.
Manner #12 Be appreciative and say "thank you" for any gift you receive. In the age of e-mail, a handwritten thank-you note can have a powerful effect. Agreed. Even if I love to save paper, I think it means a lot more if a thank you note is handwritten.
Manner #13 Never use foul language in front of adults. Grown-ups already know all those words, and they find them boring and unpleasant. Ummm...or just don't use foul language at all. How young are the kids we're talking about right now?? On a side note, I saw this Dad cursing at his 4 year old son at work the other day and it broke my heart. Please don't do that.
Manner #14
Don't call people mean names.
Manner #15 Do not make fun of anyone for any reason. Teasing shows others you are weak, and ganging up on someone else is cruel.
Manner #16 Even if a play or an assembly is boring, sit through it quietly and pretend that you are interested. The performers and presenters are doing their best.
Manner #17 If you bump into somebody, immediately say "Excuse me."
Manner #18 Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and don't pick your nose in public.
Manner #19
As you walk through a door, look to see if you can hold it open for someone else.
Manner #20 If you come across a parent, a teacher, or a neighbor working on something, ask if you can help. If they say "yes," do so -- you may learn something new.
Manner #21 When an adult asks you for a favor, do it without grumbling and with a smile. And do your chores without having to be reminded. If it's the same thing every week, you can't forget about it!
Manner #22 When someone helps you, say "thank you." That person will likely want to help you again. This is especially true with teachers! You can never say "thank you," "sorry," or "please" enough...use them freely!
Manner #23 Use eating utensils properly. If you are unsure how to do so, ask your parents to teach you or watch what adults do.
Manner #24
Keep a napkin on your lap; use it to wipe your mouth when necessary.
Manner #25
Don't reach for things at the table; ask to have them passed. Does it bother you when people have their elbows on the table? It definitely doesn't bother me...I think it's the weirdest manner ever!

It's very basic, but you probably know so many kids that are manner-less...this could help them out :p

So long <3

How to Get an A!

"The foundation of every state is the education of its youth."

When I first started writing, Vatsa's apartment was busy studying. At that time, Kruti put down her books and asked me to blog about "how to get an A" and I promised that one day I will definitely do that...so here you go! (Finally, hah sorry!!)

Not going to lie, but I'm only going through different websites and pulling out things that may be able to help. If you're ever skimming through this blog and you should be studying, read this post and get back to work!!

1. Attend every class. It's not that simple: pay attention in every class. No phone, no FaceBook, no e-mails; nothing. Simply sit there in class, listen to the teacher and take notes. Even if you know everything, you will focus better by taking notes.
2. Know your deadlines for every class and put them all on one document to pull up whenever needed. You don't want to have to go through every syllabus each time midterms are coming up. 
3. Go to office hours twice a semester for each class. Even if you're a genius and the class is a joke, get to know the teacher.
4. Study with kids in your class, but not your best friends that you'll want to gossip with!
5. Set earlier deadlines for yourself (maybe a week earlier). This way, you have a full week to edit or do something else.
6. With that said, here's a basic one: do NOT procrastinate. Haha, I know. How many of us actually avoid procrastinating? None, I know. But...limit your procrastinating. Time yourself. Realize how valuable your time is. 
7. Ask questions. If you don't want to ask in class, then stay after class, go to office hours, email the professor or ask other students. Don't just let things slide.
8. Read. I know that most of us do not read every page of every textbook (or even open it up until finals come around), but I am so sure that we'd do a lot better if we started reading. Watch less TV and read more. Read less novels and more textbooks (I knowww...that sounds awful, but we gotta do what we gotta do!-Tommy Pickles).
9. Do extra credit!
10. Schedule study time as if it's a class and don't let anything else come in the way.
11. Have an agenda book! Or a small notebook. Or put things on your phone. I don't care how you do it, but help yourself by organizing classes, meetings, study times, hang out times, etc. [Google calendar...ask Radhi if you don't know how to use it!]
12. Search practice questions for each class online to review.
13. Use review questions in textbook!
14. Go to learning centers if you don't get something...we pay so much for school, why not use the resources they give us?!
15. Study for classes you don't like or don't get first, and get that out of the way. 
16. Oh, by the way. You should check the dates on your syllabus at least three times in a semester in case the professor changed anything.
17. Have a study area (not your bed or the couch).
18. Don't drink so much coffee...you're going to crash soon. Instead, grab a fruit or something and munch on it. Also, do not eat a heavy dinner and then plan on studying for 5 hours...you're totally going to knock out.
19. Do your homework even if it's optional and ask the professor for help if you don't get it. Even if the questions aren't similar, the concepts will be.
20. STUDY. Don't cram. Don't just review. Don't just skim. Don't just take practice questions. Actually sit there and STUDY! 

I know that this is the worst time to put this up since we're all at home (and only a few of us are taking classes), but it'll help eventually. Set your goals high, and then work to achieve them. Don't just assume that you'll do great because you want to do great.

Hope that summer is going great!

So long <3

If I Die Young

No one knows how much it hurts...honestly, I was thinking about it today: we all have an extremely different relationship with every person we interact with. So no one will ever know exactly how you feel when you lose someone, right? You know the last thought I had of you before you added me on FaceBook again? I wondered if I would take out time from my life to come to your wedding...if it was worth the time and money to come to your wedding. I thought I would want to come just cause I didn't want to miss any cousins' wedding again, but then I think I decided that I probably wouldn't want to come. Does anyone understand how much that hurts? If you were alive, we wouldn't be talking. We wouldn't be friends, we wouldn't act like sisters. It hurts so goddamn much knowing that...and I'm not even learning from this mistake. I'm trying. Sometimes.

Why can't we all always just be really happy? I understand that certain situations come up, we argue, we fight, we get upset, we give each other a cold shoulder, etc. But then why don't we make up right away? What if something happens between the fight and when you're supposed to meet again? How will you feel? But then if we think like this all the time, we're going to all have such pessimistic views...and that won't really help with anything, right?

Tejalben, wherever you are, I just want you to know that one day we're not going to cry as much. We're not going to think about you as frequently as we do now. We're going to move on, we're going to feel okay, we're going to only smile when we think of you. ...that doesn't mean we love you any less. It just means that we've come to terms with life, and that we're going to hold on to the good memories and move on. I don't know when it'll happen, but it most definitely will eventually happen. When it does, please don't think anything of it. You're going to live on in our memories forever...your nieces and nephews will love you without having to meet you--that, my sister, is a promise.

On this amazingly sad note, I would like to say...Darpana Aunty, I totally expected you to walk in today when Jagdish Uncle came to Yuva Din and that completely threw me off track. It's been so long, but I can still hear your voice and incredibly beautiful laugh...wherever you are, I hope that you are resting in peace. If you're back, I know that you're making a family extremely happy and that in many years, you'll be an amazing mother again. <3

And Ramesh Bapuji, it's crazy how much our lives turned around completely after you left us. It's crazier how your family's lives are a lot better now that they've been introduced to so many great things here on Long Island. I hate it so much that you aren't here with us, but I am so proud of everyone on behalf of you. I know that you also are making a family very happy now and that you're going to be the best Bapuji to someone else...and I also know that you will somehow make sure to take care of Dada because he's not doing so great right now. I assume that you are so proud of having a father like him-after having been through so much, he's still the head of the family that's still intact.

To all of my family and friends that have passed on...I miss you. You affected me in ways you don't even know. Charles, I miss the confidence you had in me. Jagdish Bapuji, I miss going to parades with you. Mani Dadai, I miss you watching us play baseball in the summer. And the rest of you that I didn't get to know so well, I hope that are you doing better than you were here...

Know that you are all remembered. Know that I love you. Know that I miss you...

"If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh, uh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had, just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had, just enough time

And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little, cold finger, I've
Never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand, there's a
Boy here in town who says he'll love me forever,
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life, well,
I've had, just enough time

So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell them for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (uh, oh)
The ballad of a dove (uh, oh)
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save them for a time when you're really gonna need them, oh

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had, just enough time

So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls"

So long <3

Stepmom 1

I recently saw the movie Stepmom again and jotted down a few scenes (this being one) that really struck me.
 
Dad "We love each other...We want to share our lives togethe.r"
Daughter "But you had a life with Mommy"
Dad "But we didn't get along...we argued a lot. That wouldn't be fair to you kids if we always argued."
Son "Anna and I argue all the time, can I move out?"
Dad "Noo you're brother and sister, you can't do that."
Daughter "But you were husband and wife..."

Wow, just look at that. What are some important relationships in our lives?

• Parent/child
• Siblings
• Relatives (Aunts, Uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc.)
• Spouses
• Friends
• Neighbors
• Employer/employee
• Co-workers

So now look at the list and pick out which ones you can easily give up and which you are in for life. It's pretty simple to me, although I know that values can be different. Personally, I say that parent/child, siblings, relatives (sometimes unfortunately) and spouses are relationships that you are in for life. [Friendship is controversial because some friends you know you'll have forever while others are just kind of there for the time being, but that's another idea for another day.] I understand that marriage is looked upon differently now. But let's take a step back.

Once upon a time, marriage was regarded as a binding relationship between two people who would embark on a journey together through thick and thin. Today, it's not such a big deal. People get married and divorced like it is nothing; therefore, that relationship is not taken to be so seriously. But enough about that, here's what I think.

Marriage is permanent. Nothing [absolutely nothing] should come in between two people that are together. You have to know that there are differences before you get married, and you have to be ready to accept changes afterwards. Gosh, I could go on forever about this but think about these simple things before you get married: can you deal with the dishes being in the sink? Do you need your bed to be made every morning? Will you get pissed if you have to take out the trash every day? ...well, if these things are gonna bother you in the future, then there's something wrong with you. There's no such thing as perfect! Everyone has to give and take when it comes to a lifelong relationship because if we make the little things matter, then we won't be able to stick together to work through the bigger issues.

(I haven't written in awhile, so there's absolutely no flow-I apologize.)

Back to the quote for a second, is it okay for this Father to send such a message to his children?! He is literally telling his children that a marriage is not a permanent relationship; therefore, they will not take it so seriously. If we start telling everyone this when they are young, then obviously marriage won't be so important in the future! I mean come on, it's already losing value. How much worse can we make it?!

I don't know what you think, but I know that even if I am afraid of any and every kind of commitment, I will not be able to end my marriage under any circumstances. And I think that before you do become committed to someone, you should really take out time to think about all of the details even if everything seems perfect in the beginning. Sigh. Your thoughts on marriage?

So long <3

Summer 2011

"I can't change the direction of the wind but I can always adjust my sails to reach my destination."

Ah, I apologize for not having written much this summer. But I'm back! Let's start with something simple. For a lot of us college students, summer 2011 has officially begin. Everyone else, you just have a few weeks left until summer starts so this is a good thing to talk about for all of us: goals.

So let's take a look at resolutions and goals that we've set in the past. Have we kept them? If yes, then wow-good for you! But personally speaking, the answer is generally no. Except for my soda sankalp, I haven't been able to stay steadfast with any resolutions, but this summer, that's about to change! [Or it has so far!]

First of all, set your goals. If you have time right now, think of what you want to accomplish this summer or do on a daily basis or whatever. I'll list mine out so that it triggers some ideas.

• Do suryanamaskar every day
• Work out every day 
• Read inspirational & developmental books* 
• Not eating out*
• *Everything starred has special conditions in case you hold me accountable in the future :p

That's just a few that I've been working on for the past week or two. So now that you've thought about what you want to do, list the reasons that you want to do it all. Because honestly, if you don't have a reason, then you won't be passionate; therefore, you'll easily give up your goals. While doing this, make sure that your goal is realistic. It's understandable that you might want to go run a legit marathon this summer, but if you've never been much of a runner...then it'll probably require a lot of training. If you don't have time for that, then you might want to set another running-oriented goal. So look back at your goals and see if they are achievable or not because here's one more reason: if you set high goals and aren't able to accomplish them, then you'll feel bad about it and that will discourage you from setting goals in the future...and you definitely don't want that!

Okay so now that our goals are set, how do we keep them this time around? Well a simple way is to have people be accountable for your goals. Have someone text you a few times a week asking if you've been doing what you're supposed to, or tell your parents! They're usually good at bugging you to do the right thing, haha. Another way is to write about them every day. This gets exhausting at times, and it's easy to stop writing one night if you're really tired but promise yourself not to sleep without jotting everything down quickly [it'll take 2 minutes] so that you can look back to see which days were peaks and which weren't. It'll motivate you to make more days successful!

Someone awesome once said: "willpower is like a muscle. The more you exercise it/work it, the stronger it gets." Maybe someone famous said something similar, but it was Akon who said it to all of us girls...and it's true. If we look at great people, they all had willpower. But as a lot of us discussed, they weren't just born with this willpower. They were able to use it in small scenarios, which eventually lead them to become strong, great people. We can't put off strengthening our willpower anymore...time is not going to wait for us.

So together, let's make this summer incredible and live up to our goals! Thus far, my summer has been incredible. I love it and I'm trying not to waste time (even though I do watch a lot of TV). I miss all of you! And hope that you're all doing spectacular things this summer.

So long <3

Cheating.

“The end justifies the means”

During senior year of high school, we fought the board of education because our salutatorian didn’t deserve to be honored as #2 in our class. She was a cheater, and we all knew it. Instead, another honest senior deserved to be ranked #2. As frustrated as I was that year, I thought to myself: college will be much better; my teachers always tell us stories about students being kicked out because they cheat.

But OH MY GOD, NO. It’s not any different. In reality, it’s even worse. Machiavelli clearly knew what he was saying. Seriously, I hear it all the time. So let’s take a step back…way back…and think about what he said. Do you really agree that the “end justifies the means”? I mean, why not? After all, who is actually going to sit there and look into your past to look at all of the small details that led up to the life that you’re actually living (or will be living). Think about it this way: do you think that the cheater or the honest student became the CEO of a company? Well, simply put: the cheater has the better grades. He probably had more positions on executive boards because he wasn’t busy studying for exams. And then he probably got a better internship than the honest student because of all of these reasons. Eventually, he cheated his way up there and now is living happily with his family, supporting them easily. And what happened to the honest guy? He’s still working his way up there…there’s a good chance he’s not even living his dream at the moment because he never ended up making that much money.

So then where does that leave us? What is our goal in life? Well, one of our goals is to be financially stable in order to maintain a family, right? So to reach that goal, are we supposed to be dishonest? Are we supposed to cheat our way up there? Is it okay to set up our desks so that we can easily look at each other students’ scrantons? Is it okay to pay someone to write our papers or do our homework?

And what exactly is your definition of cheating? Is helping someone on their homework cheating? How about taking someone’s answers because there are 5 minutes left before it’s due? Obviously glimpsing over at someone else’s test is cheating, but what about reusing your own paper? Or even portions of it? What about sucking up to a teacher so that he helps you more than he should on a paper?

Side note: why do professors suck at catching cheaters? Have they just stopped caring? If yes, what does that mean? They’ve lost hope in our generation…they don’t think it matters anymore. How sad. Honestly, I think that Rutgers should invest more money in hiring people to catch cheaters than using it for our football team (and I LOVE football). Even better: all professors should STOP texting, emailing, reading, etc. while their students are taking exams. I mean COME ON, you are getting PAID. Earn that money! Don’t just sit there. It makes me so furious! I lose all respect for that professor because they just seem…dumb.

Back to the topic: here’s my point of view: I HATE cheating. I HATE that I have so many friends that cheat. I wish I could just yell at them but I don’t have it in me. Instead, I just roll my eyes and continue with my life…I refuse to cheat on quizzes, exams, etc. I honestly rather fail than cheat-I just can’t do it. Yea…I definitely have looked at other students’ homework questions, but I’ve stopped doing it. I really rather not submit it than cheat because after all my research on corruption, I have a new theory that I’ll talk about later. Yes, India is extremely corrupt. But honestly, we aren’t much better here in America. Our corruption just comes in different forms, like cheating. And more than that, cheating will be the basis for worse corruption. Just wait and watch…we aren’t heading in a positive direction, and unless we stand up and fight for honesty and morality, we’re so screwed.

**I understand that this post is mainly questions…but I can’t really force you to think what I’m thinking. This is just a way to get your viewpoint on this topic, since we all come across it on a daily basis.

So long. <3

Birthday Note

I wrote this up on my birthday, and wanted to share it here for those of you that hadn't seen it!

So two hours into my birthday, I had the following thoughts: "Why do we make SUCH a huge deal out of birthdays? I mean seriously, it's not like we did anything to be born...we didn't even really have a choice, right? So, why do we wait anxiously until midnight to wish someone? Or why do we get upset when someone doesn't wish us? Or if they do it the 'wrong' way...via text instead of calling? Via FaceBook instead of texting? Why do we expect so much? Why do we care so much?"

So approximately 10 hours later, my Dada called and after wishing me a “happy birthday”, he then proceeded to say “sal mubarak” (a greeting used on New Year’s Day). I laughed, and questioned him, asking him why he’s saying that. His response was quite simple: “it’s personally a new year for you, and it’s always been every year after your birth…it’s probably more important for you than New Year’s.”

So now I’m sitting in Alexander thinking about all of these things. And I realize why birthdays are so important. Yes, birthdays are when we’re supposed to go out, have fun, cut cake, drink, celebrate, and just BE happy. But there’s so much more to a birthday than that! It’s the time to introspect. Look back at the year that just passed, and evaluate. Have you changed? Are you a better person? Are you a worse person? Are you happy? Have you accomplished anything? Look into the future, and see what should be different and what should stay the same. Jot it down. You know why? I bet you won’t remember half of this stuff in a year from now. Instead, you’ll believe that things today are the way you wanted them a year ago because you don’t want to admit that life isn’t going the way you want it to be. And hey, maybe I’m wrong, maybe you can look back and go “wow, this blows.” But not everyone can do that, so why not just jot it down? Or use the “email yourself in the future” feature they have online. It’s pretty neat.

I guess the things that I’m evaluating are too personal to just write to the world on FaceBook. But some random thoughts I’ve had can be shared because maybe you feel the same? Or have thought about these as well.

Expectations. Wow, do they kill a lot of spirit.
Friends. I keep in touch with one friend out of many that I was “tight” with at age 16.
Attitude. The more you smile, the better things seem.
Loyalty. Is there even such a thing?
“Best” friends. …seriously? What are we, two years old?
Forever. Is that possible? Can we be friends “forever”? I don’t think so.
Family. Blood doesn’t create relationships, we do.
Death. It really does come whenever the hell it wants to.
Back-stabbers. You probably don’t know that most of your friends are this.
Fraternities. LOL. I had to put this here. A year ago, I judged all frat boys. And now I see/talk to more of them than non-frat people. <3 They’re really good at heart, just give them a chance. So I apologize, sincerely apologize, for judging you. It's just sooo easy to do so when half the world does it. =/
Money. Wanting it makes you feel so materialistic, but there’s no denying that we all need it to make it through.
Changes. Hah, so much could be said. Though I HATE changes, I guess all I can do it accept them, smile and move on.
You know, while I’m at it, I might as well say something else that’s been on my mind. Coming to Rutgers seemed like an awesome idea at first…out-of-state college experience, how could it go wrong? But freshman year basically sucked, and I was expecting to transfer out of here by Spring 2011 and go back to Long Island. But wow, after this semester, I must say that I don’t think I could ever think about leaving. My girls…you are so amazing. You make every day so special, and I love you for it. ASC, I love us! We are so awesome this year. And because of you our amazing events and determination, I now have some awesome IND and DEPsi friends/acquaintances. I don’t want to name any cause then if I leave others out, they’ll think I’m picking favorites…but, Ankit, I must say: you know who my favorite is! Haha, that’s right – Jeev.

This semester in general has been so amazing! Although I only really keep in touch with Jess and Rishiface, they’re basically enough to keep me going <3 Dance girls I love you so so so much! I can’t wait to see you – SOOO much to tell you, you don’t even know! Next time we get together, we aren’t going to go around sharing everyone’s stories. Instead, I am going to talk THE WHOLE TIME haha. <3

I’m probably forgetting to write so much in here. But I guess I just needed to let some things outta my little head.

Anyway…I guess on the bright side: Yay, it’s my birthday, and I’m in Alexander. I’m making sure I don’t have babies during finals weeks. Because this is hell.

Random people are tagged because 1) I think they’ll care. 2) they’re mentioned in this 3) some of these thoughts were sparked by conversations we had 4) they tag me in their notes! If you would like to be un-tagged, then un-tag yourself. Nothing personal, I know J And if you would like to be tagged and you weren’t, then please tag yourself or let me know. Nothing personal, you should know. J

<3

Happy birthday to all of the following people:
Divyesh Dabhi, Reema, Radhi Patel, Jahnvi, Jayshree Aunty, Yash, Krishna, Alexandra, Aarti, Aakruti, Akash (IND), Rupal, KT, Brad Pitt & Christina Aguilera! Yes, I share a birthday with all of these people! I wish you all an amazing year, full of nothing but happiness & success! =)

Oh, P.S. This doesn't mean that I don't care about the text/FaceBook/call thing, I still do. It just means that I don't want to care about it. Maybe next year...

Expectations

"I do my thing and you do yours. I am no in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mind. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, then it is beautiful. If not, it can't be helped."

Why do we expect things from people? From friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, siblings, cousins, other relatives, teachers, neighbors to even strangers: we are always expecting something. For them to talk to you constantly, to reply to your text, to write on your wall, to make soup when you're sick, to hug you, to love you, to take care of you, to keep you updated, to ask you questions, to buy you clothes, to teach you properly, to give you good grades, to avoid littering on your yard, to hold the door open, to smile at you, to make you food, to yell at you, to go on adventures with you...to do so much. We are always expecting!

But are we wrong to expect? Is it possible to stop expecting? And even if we say that we don't expect something, are we being true to ourselves? Doesn't it just make sense that we expect a friend to care for us? After all, the definition of friendship is the cooperative and supportive relationship between people. And the role of a parent is to raise and nurture a child. And the role of a spouse is to help you and meet you halfway. Right? So then what's wrong with it? We get hurt when we expect. When we really expect. When someone doesn't meet us halfway, we get screwed over. How? Cause we get upset that we're doing more than the other person or that they're just not doing what they should be doing.

Most of this isn't even worth writing about because I'm sure by now all of you are thinking about specific situations that you've dealt with that have to do with "expectations". But the big question is: what are we supposed to do? To what extent do we expect? How do we get rid of this need to expect? What do we do?!!!

I wish I just had an answer for you. But I don't think I do. Personally speaking, I have step 1 of probably many that I'm working on that I'll share. I honestly don't think any of you will agree but oh well, here goes nothing. My life is about me. Not in a selfish way whatsoever, but in a more giving way. I need to first figure out what I expect from myself...what do I want in the future? What are my real goals? Most of us do have similar goals (to become a better person, to give back to the community, to be financially stable, etc.). Once these goals are set in mind, we need to remember something: we have choices at all times. Remember the "situations" post? It kind of goes back to that. Everything you do in life is a choice-including the people you associate with. (No, you don't choose your neighbors necessarily but you do choose which you talk to more and which you don't. No, you don't choose which strangers you bump into but you do choose how many you are nice to.) But yes, everything in life is a choice, right? So now put those things together: you have certain goals in life+you can make choices=a happy life.

Let's say that you realize that a certain someone is not living up to your expectations. Before even thinking about getting rid of those expectations, think about this: a) Are they helping you achieve your goals or are they deterring you from doing so? b) Can you choose to have them in your life? If they are deterring you and you can choose to not be "as close" with them, then back away. You will no longer expect anything from them because you will once again put yourself in the center of your universe.

Remember this is just a step...because obviously this doesn't hit upon the other side: what if they can help you achieve it? Or what if you can't choose to have them in your life (spouse, family, etc.)? Then there's probably still a lot that you can do. For one thing, I would confront the person. I know people that are afraid of confrontation (cough cough Hina...), but it really is such an important thing in life. You have to let someone know that you aren't happy with the way things are, because maybe they truly don't realize it. There are so many people that would choose to just ignore the situation and live life (actually, most people do this). But this is so terrible because you bottle up feelings of anger, resentment and hatred towards this person and although your expectations cease to matter, your negative feelings increase. So this does not go well at all...

So did I really help you out? Nah, most probably not. But that's because I'm still really working on this, especially at the current moment. I'm not here to "help" you, I'm here to SHARE with you because sharing is caring! So please be sweet and tell me your thoughts because I would love to know. Clearly, I love thinking about these things. Anyway, I'll let you know if I resolve my issues!

So long <3

Happy 43rd Birthday Mom!

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie."

"Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together."

 

"If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been."

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts.  A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."

WOW so many good quotes for mothers, but I rather share my own thoughts now =) My Mom's birthday is today, and as you can see she's turning 43. Yup, she's still young! But more than that, she's young at heart. My Mom is one of my closest friends, the other two being Dad and Nick. I absolutely love everything about her, and wish I told her that more often. I talk to my family once a week if we find time for each other and even then, the conversations last 2 minutes each. When we're together at home, we can talk for hours and hours. But more than that, we can fight. We are so damn good are arguing about anything and everything. WHY? 

I wish I could control what I'm about to say at all times because I know that I would be yelling a lot more at home. I really wish that I could express my love, gratitude and respect towards my Mom at all times, but it's not my fault...we're so extremely similar that our personalities clash! I guess that's a good thing though because I love everything about my Mom-her values, her thoughts, her feelings, etc. It's really awesome knowing that I'm just like her =p even though that is mad creepy to those that know the both of us haha. 

I know that we won't change. I know that we'll always stay the way we are with each other. So because of that, I use her birthday, Mother's Day and her anniversary to show how much I really love her, even if she knows it all the time. My Mom is amazing-I don't need to say it for her to know. She just knows it. I love talking to her. I love arguing with her. I love laughing with her. I love ganging up on Dad with her. I love love love her. I love listening to her thoughts because they're usually the same ones that are running in my mind. 

I am proud to be a daughter of someone so strong, so amazing. I am proud to be a daughter of someone that cares so much about...everything. I am proud of her for all that she's done. And I always will be. You've done a hell of a good job with Nick, and I wish you could see that just as everyone else does. You're accepting, you're caring, you're loving, you're sweet. If there's one thing I could do, it's to take away all the pain you feel and give you all of my happiness. You deserve the best, and I hope that you know that. 

I love you <3 

Appreciate your Mothers. There's no one else in the world like them.
Happy 43rd Birthday <3
So long <3

Follow-Up: Cure Rayan

"MYTH: Bone marrow donation is painful.

FACT: General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure. Donors feel no needle injections and no pain during the marrow donation process. Afterwards, most donors feel some pain in the lower back for a few days or longer." - DKMS Americas

So I asked each of you to take on the 10 people challenge a little over a month ago, and was wondering how that's going. I am sure that it hasn't gone far because we are all very, very busy-and that is understandable. But please take a moment to read this seriously because it would mean a lot to me and so many others out there. I am just going to ramble on in no order whatsoever to show you how important this is...

What if this was your child? Friend? Parent? Relative? Neighbor? Wouldn't that make you want to become registered? Wouldn't that make you want to get millions of people to register? 

Do you think it's painful? Really...did you get this "fact" from a movie/book?? Read the myth vs. fact again. Actually, do me a huge favor and read the following link thoroughly to learn more about the facts: http://www.dkmsamericas.org/bone-marrow-donors/become-marrow-donor/bone-marrow-donation-process/myth-vs-facts

Do you want to help people? What better way than to directly save a life. You can donate money to different things but it will not be the same as this. It won't feel the same. 

The chance for a Caucasian patient to find a match is between 40-80%

The chance for a minority to find a match is approximately 1.7%

Can I emphasize: it hurts for the most a few days and then your bone marrow grows back or whatever the medical terminology is. You are totally fine. You don't even feel that something happened. ...why is a needle stopping you from this? I really don't get it.

Since this is a follow-up, there's obviously another post (March 7th) about this. Please read it if you skimmed it before. You might actually be the one to save Rayan. Or just someone else.

Why do I care so much? A childhood friend of mine is walking, alive and well because he received a bone marrow transplant. What could make me happier?

I UNDERSTAND if you really can't because of medical issues-I do have a heart, I swear. But most other excuses do not work for me. What's yours? Maybe I can change your mind.

Please have a heart and convince others to become registered bone marrow donors. 

****If you ever get that special phone call saying that you match someone and will be able to donate and think that you want to opt out of it, please please please please call me so I can remind you of the moral obligation. Please. Have a heart, save a life, tell a friend. Do whatever it takes to save Rayan and all those in need of a transplant.

So long <3

Situations

"Everything occurring in your life has been perfectly orchestrated to inspire your maximal evolution as a human being and bring you into your true power. Learn from life and allow it to take you where you are meant to go-it has your higher interests in mind." - Robin Sharma

So first of all, I didn't realize that you guys were actually reading this. It was so nice to find out that people care and have time for this...and it kind of in turn inspires me to write more. Thank you :) 

Okay, back to this post. Look at the quote again, and think about what it means to you. Do you believe it? I know that at times I definitely don't, so don't be scared to say "no". [Remember, lying to yourself will only make your life more difficult.] Anyway, so keep thinking about what that quote is saying while you read everything below. Actually, what I think you should really do is take time away from the rest of this post to think about what it means to you and how that quote can change your life at the moment. Once you're done, come back and read my personal thoughts on it.

...or you can continue reading. Either works for me. So I'm going to just think of a lot of situations and then explain what I got out of that quote. 

1) Your roommate starts getting mad at you about the littlest of things, and you talk to her/him about it. You see that there is no real reason behind this anger your roommate has. Instead, there is a slight jealous undertone because your roommate is not happy about the fact that you have friends that are not mutual; therefore, you hang out with others without inviting him/her. How do you react? (a) You are annoyed and you stop talking to her. (b) You are annoyed and you let her know that you are annoyed before you stop talking to her. (c) You are annoyed and you pretend that nothing happened, meaning that you talk to her but are essentially "fake". (d) You are truly okay with it, and continue to treat her like a really good friend because you feel that she still is one from the bottom of your heart. Which seems to be the best way to respond? *Ding ding ding* you got it! But now seriously speaking, how are you most likely to respond? It isn't (d), is it? Most likely, no. It's not.

2) You are with a great group of friends that you've known forever. They constantly make fun of one person that you don't know so well. You have never spoken to this person but you've heard so much about him/her that you feel as if you've known him forever. Let me emphasize that these are really, really good friends of yours; therefore, you're with them all the time. You finally see this person one day because you happen to be in the same class and this person is in your group for the day. How do you react? (a) Negatively towards the person since you have those [subconscious] emotions for them? (b) Negatively towards the person because you accept everything bad your friends say about the person. (c) Neutrally-you decide you will figure out how the person is on your own. (d) Positively-you don't really think about judging the person; you just act if it is anyone else and you assume that you can (and will) become friends with this person. Once again, what would you do? What should you do? Is there an obvious answer? Yes, I think so.

3) You are a junior in college. You are super busy: You are studying for some super important exam (MCATs, LSATs, etc.). You are studying for some not so important exams (neuropsychology, accounting, etc.). You are writing papers for some classes (research, religion, etc.). You are reading some boring but potentially interesting books (religion, philosophy, etc.). You are involved with three different on campus organizations. You are pledging for a fraternity. And your parents want you home every other weekend for some cute family game nights. Or something like that. You also have so many good groups of friends that like to hang out and just be kids. So you really are busy. Your parents ask you to come home one weekend to do something important (celebrate a holiday, take care of your siblings, etc.) but you are swamped: you have meetings, things to do, and you have been invited to what is supposed to be the wildest party of the semester. What would you do? (a) Go home and be grouchy the whole time. (b) Go home and be really happy. (c) Go home and do your work while doing what your parents want. (d) Stay at school and go to your meeting and get your work done. (e) Stay at school and go to your meeting and go to the party. (f) Stay at school and do whatever combination you can at school basically. Is there a right answer to this? I don't think so, maybe you disagree. But yes, that's the situation-you answer however you would like to.

So what am I getting at?! Let's look at what we can learn from these situations. 

1) if we choose to go on with our lives and just truly continue liking her as we did, then we're getting a lot out of it. Selfish? Maybe, but not really. You are growing, you are developing. How? You are forgiving. You are opening up your heart and choosing to focus on yourself and your life. You aren't letting anyone else's negative actions change you. Instead, you are choosing to be "the better person." I know that sounds cliche and all, but think about it. You are helping yourself by being a better person. Isn't that awesome? To forgive is to have compassion, and if you are able to forgive someone when they do random/silly things as situation #1, then you will find it easy for your heart to forgive later. It will be natural for you, and that will make you better and happier. You don't have to agree, but that is definitely how I feel.

2) I personally think that this one is a lot more obvious. By being positive about the situation, you are doing so many good things. First of all, you're being positive. That's always a good thing. But more than that, you are being accepting. It is so difficult for people to just accept others into this world. I don't think I really have to expand on this point, but just imagine if you chose to accept that one person into your life with no prior feelings towards them. Who knows...they could be your best friend in the near future. Right?

3) Like I said before, this has no right or wrong answer. But what do we learn from this point? Priorities are important. If we have our values/morals/goals straight, then it will be extremely easy for us to make decisions. More than that, we'll never regret the decisions that we make because they have a foundation. 

Okay so the main point of this: do you realize a common theme in each situation?? You ALWAYS have a choice. Every single thing you do in life can go in many different ways. Whether you go to class or not, whether you say hi to someone or not, whether you pick up your phone or not, whether you walk around the BCC or through the BCC...every single thing you do is a decision. So why not think about it and make the "right" choice? Or the better choice? You probably think that I'm insane right now. How can we possibly think about making the "right" decision at every second? We can't. But maybe we can do it once a week for one situation, right? If you know that you are making the better choice at least once a week, then you are becoming a better person at least once a week. Doesn't that sound almost too good to be true? But think about it because it really does make sense. More than that, you will begin to imbibe so many things such as forgiveness, selflessness, unconditional love, acceptance, etc. I honestly am so excited & happy right now just sharing my epiphany because it just seems so amazing! 

If you think that this is obvious and I'm being silly, then that's great/amazing for you! I know this and I know that it's obvious BUT I also know that I have not spent time to think about all of my actions even if others have told me. I think I needed it simplified and after thinking about that quote for a few days, it was broken down in my mind so I wanted to share. As always, these are my thoughts-you do not have to agree! 

If this doesn't explain what I'm saying enough, then let me know please! And if you aren't as excited as I am at the moment, then let me know!! I will write more :) I will explain more, I will share more. If you need someone to hold you accountable for analyzing one situation per week, let me know-I'll be glad to be that person. I think that as friends we are supposed to be working on becoming better people together. So why not start now?

So long <3

Why is My Dad ALWAYS Smiling?

"My Father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me."

I went to drink some water and happened to look out the window right when my Dad was laughing so hard while playing a silly little game of cricket with his cousin, my brother, and some of my younger cousins. Just moments before seeing this, I was listening in on a conversation that my Aunt and Mom were having about certain members on Dad's side of the family. Let me sum up the two stories I heard because they are quite ridiculous and they upset me so incredibly much.

1. My Dad's Mama's (I call him Dada) youngest son kicked him out of the house recently, just a little after he got surgery. This Dada is one of the sweetest Dadas I've ever met. I became close with him after my Mota Kaka (Dada's oldest son) passed away suddenly during my sophomore year in high school. I was very close with my Mota Kaka, and I had known how excited he was about his Dad coming from India after not having seen him for 10 years; therefore, I know that this Dada was extremely upset to come to the airport and find out that his eldest son had passed away...Ever since then, he's been very quiet and just soft spoken because he hates the fact that he had to be at one of his own sons' funeral. So back to the main part: this sweet old man who needs a place to live has been kicked out. His heavy heart is now much so much heavier. ...so not cool. 

2. I am going to number my Kakis so you know what's going on. Kaki #1's two sons wanted to hang out with Kaki #2's sons so she let them go. Kaki #2 then refused to get lunch for Kaki #1's sons, for no apparent reason but to say no. The sons then told their mother (Kaki #1) and she awesomely confronted Kaki #2 who just kept lying to get around everything. The point of the story: Kaki #2 was being selfish for no damn reason. I understand if she's poor and can't afford food-but a) she wasn't paying for them, they were for free b) she's rich c) she's just rude, clearly because if that were the case, then she shouldn't be getting food in front of the other two boys (oh, by the way, they are ages 5 and 8). Right? Right.

So why am I telling you this? It's very personal-why should you care? Well, you don't necessarily have to care about my families' stories, but I just really want to make sure that MY friends never ever turn into the Kaka that kicked out his own Father or Kaki #2. I'm tired of just smiling and pretending that everything's always okay with family members because that's not the case. Why do someone people always have to sacrifice and be sweet and amazing while the rest get to be the bitches, the douchebags? It's really not fair. I hope to never hear such stories about you guys (you know how gossipy the world is). Please please please always put yourselves in other peoples' positions. It's true: "treat others the way you want to be treated". It's the GOLDEN rule. Just follow it...and if you make a mistake, don't cover it up in lies. Apologize sincerely and fix it. Don't make the same mistakes again. I swear that stories like this make me so upset that I just want to go to the person and shout at them and tell them how dumb they are...but too bad for me, my parents don't let me. (Oh yes, I've done it before. I'm known to be the only person on both sides of my family that really truly calls people out for their mistakes in front of crowds of people. It's my specialty...but I only do it because I really think people just really need to be told what they're doing is wrong. Maybe they don't realize it. And if they do, then they just need to be publicly humiliated. What do you think? Hah.) Anyway, I really applaud those that are able to speak their minds because if families become torn and messed up, then maybe God really does want a fresh start. No matter what we do outside (ex. volunteer), it won't make a difference if we can't be good to our families. Seriously...they are our everything. Our pillars, our constant support, our encouragement, our love, our everything...how can we just do such things to them?!

So where does my Dad come into all of this? Well, these two stories are of MANY stories from both Mom and Dad's sides of the families. We hear so many things, we experience so many things...yet, my Dad is so good to every single person. He never ever shows any negativity when he's around them. I don't know how he does it. I hold grudges like you can't imagine, and most people I know also do that. But my Dad, he just can't do that. One of my closest friends once described my Dad as the following: "you know, if someone accidentally drove a car over your Dad's foot, he'd continue smiling and waving to say bye." [It sounds dumb now, but at the moment it was awesome because he almost accidentally drove over Dad's foot.] Anyway, it's really true. Dad just loves everyone and is just so happy. I guess that's one of the many reasons I admire him so much and strive to be like him.

So the ultimate point of this post is the following-what do we do if we're being great to others and it doesn't make a difference? What if they're bad to our parents, friends, spouse, kids, etc.? What do we do? We be like my Dad...we just keep smiling. And that is something we all need to work on. Just smiling.

By the way, I really hope that no one's given this around to others...I know who's reading my blog and I like it that way :) Especially when things are very personal. Thank you! And I hope you don't think I'm "telling" you to do things (like smile for instance) but I'm just sharing my thoughts. If you don't like them, then stop reading my posts =p

So long <3 Smile!

Valuing Time

Here's an email I've seen quite a few times that I wanted to share with you all. None of the following is written by me :) but it's worth seeing.

Never look down on anybody, unless you're helping them up.  
 
Please read the following quietly then send it back on its journey 
 
To realize the value of a sister/brother ask someone who doesn't have one. 
 
To realize the value of ten years: ask a newly divorced couple. 
 
To realize the value of four years: ask a graduate. 
 
To realize the value of one year: ask a student who has failed a final exam. 
 
To realize the value of nine months: ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn. 
 
To realize the value of one month: ask a mother who has given birth to a premature  baby.. 
 
To realize the value of one minute: ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane. 
 
To realize the value of one-second: ask a person who has survived an accident. 
 
Time waits for no one; treasure every moment you have. 
 
You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special. 
 
To realize the value of a friend or family member: LOSE ONE. 
 
The origin of this letter is unknown, but it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on. 
 
Remember...Hold on tight to the ones you love! 


So long <3

The Castle

"There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."

This past week, I saw a play titled "The Castle" and was expecting it to be boring, but wow...I cried for the whole play and just walked out upset and shocked. I heard 4 ex-prisoners talk about their lives before prison, during prison, after prison...basically just everything about them. I realized that we judge so many people based on their situations, and sometimes, they can't really help what they go through and where they land. So 3 out of 4 grew up in a way that didn't allow them to grow and develop properly. They didn't know any better; therefore, they did bad things that landed them in jail. And then after that, when they were sent to certain corrective institutions, they were treated so badly that their anger just increased and they came out worse. Their lives just kept screwing up more and more because they couldn't live in society and they couldn't get help anywhere.

Each of them eventually were introduced to a place called The Castle that helped them change their lives. They were given help in many different ways, and more than that, they were taught how to fit into society again. After a long time, they were able to live their lives and today they all have families and are very happy people. They are also helping other people fit into society because they themselves know how difficult it is to get help.

So this got me thinking...why do things like this happen? It's not fair. It's not fair that their lives suck from the beginning and that that causes them to screw up more and that causes them to go to prison and that causes them to seek help...and what's not fair the most is that a lot of places are corrupt and don't really want to help, so it screws people up even more. WHY?!

Okay so another thing-one of the guys was like "I learned how to read and write in college" and another said "I worked on my college degree while I was there". Wow...how incredible! I guess this all just put a lot in perspective for me personally because I realized how much I should appreciate what I have in life. I have a family that supports me and guides me to do the right things. I go to a school that has so many resources for me. I have friends that are there for me and make sure I do what's right-I'm so lucky! And yet, I complain about so much. [I am saying "I" because I don't want to offend you, but I'm sure this also applies to many of you. Just saying.]

But here's another thing. How many times do we hear someone speak or watch something and think "wow, this puts life in perspective...I'm going to appreciate things more." I know that I've done that so often. So how do we keep that motivation and inspiration and gratitude in our lives? So this time, I contacted a prison outreach program and either this summer or in September, I will begin to volunteer a few hours a week at a corrective institution. I think that by going to a place and helping people learn how to read and write, learn simple math, etc. I will be reminded weekly and I will learn to appreciate more often. And more than that, I will just be able to help people...oh God that's a whole other topic. I just want to HELP the world. But we'll talk about that later. I just wanted to share with you one way that I hope to be more grateful in life.

So long. <3

World Cup

" I have never believed in comparisons, whether they are about different eras, players or coaches." - Sachin Tendulkar

Sooo...when statuses and profile pictures started popping up so often about waking up mad early for cricket matches, I thought everyone was going insane. I didn't realize why so many people in America were taking it so seriously, and I was just annoyed at my newsfeed. But..yup, you guessed it, I eventually got pulled into it as well. I mean, I can't just sit there and watch them play because that I find so boring. But I do like keeping track of the score to see who has how many runs-outs, overs/50. I guess I might enjoy watching it if it weren't through the internet, but who knows. 

Anyway, random things I just wanted to share that are going on in my mind. First of all HOW DID SEHWAG AND TENDULKAR get out soooooo fast? But then I thought-it's so easy for us to say such things, but do we even think about how they feel? They work so much for this, and one mistake or throw or whatever just messes up EVERYTHING! Can you imagine that happening to you? You work so incredibly hard-you practice, you study, you read, you do so much...and then within minutes, it doesn't matter anymore. Everyone just gets really frustrated with you =[ Just another way to look at it from their point of view.

Someone was asking "why do countries come together so much for things like this?! It's JUST a sport..." Well, at least they do come together at one point. And more than that, they also come together during tragedies so at least they're not only doing it during this. Random thought-I think it's so cool how we have team countries for cricket, where as football, basketball, etc. kind of split up states/areas. Right? But then again not every sport is like that. 

But yeah I guess that the main thing is just not being so angry with them because it's so easy being us (we're just viewers after all) and it's so difficult being them...millions (probably billions) of people are watching them and expecting them to win. They are playing against an amazing team-that is why they are at the WORLD cup. So no matter who wins, just be proud of India for making it to the world cup.

And if Sachin Tendulkar really does retire...then :( because he won't be able to win ever again. But he does have a wife and 2 kids, and he always talked about wanting to spend more time with him even if he loves cricket with all of his heart and wants it to be a part of his life forever. Hopefully he doesn't become a couch potato...who knows, maybe he'll start coaching a team or just volunteer. I hope that he continues to sponsor 200 underprivileged kids every year. 

Go Sachin!

OH and...our parents should learn something from Sachin =p they should stop comparing us to everyone else in the world!

P.S. WE WON! This is a day to remember. =] It's all for Sachin!

So long <3

 

Friendship

"Sometimes you put up walls not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down."

I am so blessed that I have so many people that I call my "friends". I feel as if I have all types of friends...or at least that I have enough =) I wish there was a way to make them realize how much they mean to me because they really have affected my life. Here are a bunch of quotes that just define friendship and are nice to read!

"To the world you may be just one person, to to one person you may be the world."

"Even though we've changed and we're all finding out own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends."

"This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smile when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for you when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life."

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are."

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." 

"Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend." 

So enough of that. Friends are those who are willing to listen to your crap all night and not mention how tired they are. Friends are those are who can encourage you when others don't believe in you. Friends are those who love you even if you really are crazy. Friends are those who will walk in mad sketchy areas if you need a friend with you. Friends are those who are willing to listen to Spanish music just because you have this new love for it. Friends are those who will pick up when your parents call. Friends are those who will tell you that the guy/girl that dumped you is ugly and a jerk. Friends are those who will stand by you always.

But they aren't all like that. Some are just friends while you're in a certain class with them, and that's fine. Some are just friends when you see them at camp, but that's fine as well. Some are just there when you're living in a certain area, that's totally cool. You can't have everyone in your life at all times. It's just not possible. And although friends do all of the above, you can't EXPECT them to because expectations can and will ruin everything. But it's not easy to have a friend and not expect them to "be there for you" right? So what are we supposed to do?  

Anyway, I just wanna let some people know that I loveeee them! The people I keep in touch with from high school-you are awesome. From a class of 632, there's a reason why I only talk to you now; you all have a special place in my life, and I'm glad that we'll always keep in touch. My dance girls-so much to say about you all, but for now let me just point out that I haven't seen you in 11 months, how insane! Anyway, I love our random days in the basement catching up and crying and laughing! My Swadhyay friends-you guys are just plain awesome. I love that we can talk about anything and everything because our relationship is so pure in a sense, and we are all connected through the most amazing person ever, to say the least. My RU friends-damn I never thought I'd be so happy in New Jersey, but I love it. You guys make every day an adventure-climbing roofs, eating at random places, studying in buildings we shouldn't be in, [not] going to classes together, etc. Thanks so much for making my college experience as amazing as it is. My family-what can I possibly say about you guys?! I love you. For those of you that don't fit into these categories-there's gotta be a reason why I hang out with you or talk to you, haha. 

Anyway, each and every one of you makes every day special, and I wanted to thank you for that. Appreciate your friends and life will be better! Spend more time with them, because as said before, time is precious.

So long. <3