A moment too perfect

As I scribble this post down, I am soaking in the late afternoon sun while enjoying a glass of Schorle and listening to "Spiem in Alium" in the background. If this wasn't perfect enough, let me add that my desk faces this amazing Hamburg forest view. I must say, living in the 9th floor has its own perks!

Life has been good lately and I am so grateful with the recent turn of events. I have come to believe that these small incidents of my life will eventually transform into larger-than-life events. Small joys of life, I say. Like the little 2 hour hike I did today morning. The forest near Triftstraße attracted me from the moment I saw it yesterday. Its deep, dark and so inviting. And I surrendered myself to nature finally.

I grew up in a city surrounded my lush forests and hills. Thanks to my dad, me and my brother grew up hiking through these forest trails. Wonderful hiking memories about my dad making stories about the forest as we walked around exploring the place. Robbers, pirates, dinosaurs and sometimes even aliens walked the same paths as we did. Oh what a wonderful way to ignite a child's vivid imagination!  As I was hiking today through this forest, all these old memories came rushing to me all at once. A moment too perfect, and it was all mine to savour. Of course I didn't have my two favorite men beside me today, but the company of Beethoven and Mozart wasn't bad either. And before I knew it, I was walking for around 2 hours and not even half of the forest was covered. But then I have a year ahead of me in this place -  to explore, enjoy and get pampered by nature.

And to my surprise and delight there is a horse riding club at the edge of the forest - guess its time I finally explore another long lost interest of mine! I now officially open myself to all possibilities life has to offer. I have come to believe that letting life come to you, and then surrendering to it can make our lives a collection of perfect memories - even if its bad at times, transition will always happen. This is something I learnt from the current transitional phase which has moved me from a negative problematic phase to a positive serene phase. I am not qualified enough to speak about Heaven and Hell, but there are times I feel that somewhere and somehow I do have some kind of guardian angel, always watching over me and helping me through difficult life situations. And at this point of my life I feel lucky and blessed to be able to experience the small joys of life. I am not sure, dear reader, if you can truly get what I want to say but maybe the following few lines of Rumi might help - 

"In every moment, in every event of your life, the Beloved is whispering to you exactly what you need to hear and know. Who can ever explain this miracle? It simply is. Listen and you will discover it every passing moment. Listen, and your whole life will become a conversation in thought and act between you and Him, directly, wordlessly, now and always." 

So I raise my glass now and drink to a wonderful year ahead with nature, exploring and more interesting activities, but most importantly to a moment too perfect.

Dependable deutschland

My next post in this blog was suppose be on my 10 month experience of Scotland. Unfortunately i got robbed of my laptop, jewellery and whatever cash i had on me, just three days after i landed in Germany. My draft with a good collection of pictures enriched in my memories were lost. Now i m stuck to blog from my mobile . Hence bear with my terse blogposts for next few days, which i believe should be frequent but  short ones.

Now back to my first week experience here. If i could define one word for Germany it would be dependable. Everything here runs on schedule...even nature. After spending considerable time in moody Scottish weather its a relief to be in a place where the weather predictions actually work..and honestly its nice to see the sun after so long.

But dependable deutschland is only because of the people here. I have been here only for a week and you may think its too early to be sure of their dependability,but so far i have  not been let down. Lets start with where i m working. My boss and my colleagues have been really nice and supportive . I wasn't expecting so much of support and concern from their part after the robbery . But I am honestly surprised and happy that I am amidst people who takes care of their employees. The work culture is amazing as well. We all sit in this one big  space with separate desks and not cubicles. The whole openness brings in positive vibes   and it makes you want to spend time there longer. But the fact that everyone makes a round in the morning greeting 'Guten morgen' to each other amazes me the most. Now that brings in a sense of belongingness in the workplace, and that is something I have always sought after.

But its not just people at my job who extended me a helping hand. My professor from my German university even expressed his concerns and if he could help me in any way. My German language teacher whom i met just 3 days ago even offered to find me a computer that I can use. Now that is something I never expected because I hardly know her. If that was not enough my landlady offered her daughter's laptop to me so that I can use it until I can buy 1 on my own. to be honest I'm truly overwhelmed by the german hospitality, and I am glad that I met these people, despite the small unfortunate incident.

Tomorrow I explore the city, but more on that later.  Tchuss!

Cupid or OkCupid?

Everyone everywhere is waiting to fall in love, desperately. Most of us hate to admit it, but we all are  dreaming and running after our "happily ever after"s. However, the modern singletons are an impatient bunch, and the good news is, finding true love no longer involves scouring bars/nightclubs, meeting friends of friends, or just asking your mom to find someone for you. All you need is a computer and high-speed internet, for this is the age of OkCupid, and the avalanche of similar online dating sites. I never knew such reliable services existed until few months ago when a friend mentioned how convenient it was to meet "interesting" people that way. But how reliable is online dating? 

Maybe I have trust issues. Or maybe, its just my old-fashioned heart that still believes in meeting by chance, and not by algorithm. But I do understand that many people have reaped the benefits of such services. Of course with demanding jobs and fast paced lives, hardly anyone has the time and patience to meet someone without the help of technology. After all these websites promise to match them with a calculated and acceptable percentage of compatibility. Only when thats done, will these singletons put some time and effort in speaking to the "suitable" strangers via email for a period of time, which might eventually exhilarate and heighten intimacy and trust between them. So even before they meet in real world, they already feel a bond and connection. And if there is no connection when they meet, well, at least its one meal they don't have to eat alone.

What intrigues me is that these websites offer every sexual whim and steamy internet rendezvous that follows, all based on questionnaires, profile pictures and personal info. Of course despite the obvious pitfalls (people faking their identity, cheaters, liars and losers to name a few), I am sure its a sure-shot confident boosters for those with dwindling social lives and appalling insecurities. And definitely short term fun time for the rest. But mostly I feel this is nothing short of one mass orgy. Some people like it and some don't, but I shall reserve my opinions on orgies for now. 

A friend of mine who indulges in online dating occasionally often laments how the women he meets in bars are either aggressive in making sure they 'get a man' or are plain stand-offish, which for him are complete turn-offs. Hence he wonders if meeting a "nice girl" online is his only alternative left. After all one's social life gets narrowed down when all the girl friends are taken, and the male friends are either married or doomed to a life of lone wolves. Singledom can be hard, not only because it can get lonely at times, but one can also get one envious by seeing others in love. I am no relationship expert, but I find myself in this juxtaposition that maybe nowadays the only way people can actually build a rapport is via their fingers. When online, its easy to come up with seemingly witty responses as you have time to think,  pick few anecdotes from Google, and even bring up any ubiquitous yet titillating subject matter without any apprehensions or fearing any rejection. 

Still not convinced? Then maybe you can Google up  thousands of saccharine sweet testimonials regarding online speed dating. If you think you define someone based on a set of questions, followed by a bevy of emails/chats, I say go for it! Of course I still don't believe that one can fall in love online, maybe its just lust. I think the conversation should be the hook, not the sinker. What do you guys think?

Miles to go before I sleep

Waiting makes me reflect - especially waiting for a visa to arrive, 'coz that generally means travelling to a new place and starting all over again. And strangely enough, I enjoy relocating myself every now and then. The familiarity of unfamiliar surroundings comforts me. It has become part of me and I couldn't agree more with Alan Alda's words - "You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself." 

I left my city of comfort so long ago that I don't know if I will ever be comfortable there again. Travelling has changed me. I can't be any less dramatic, but the day I stepped out of my house to travel on my own I knew that this was a one-way road. I can only move ahead, and see the world to my heart's content. And there is no stopping to that. And that definitely scares my mom, if not anyone else. Like every other parents, my folks did want me to settle down at some point. But now they have given up on the nomad of their daughter. And I am glad they finally understood that I am a free-spirit that belonged not to one region but to the world. I choose to defy conventions and live life as I feel should be lived. Call me impulsive if u want, but we live only once. How many chances will we ever get?

I must have popped the travel pill long back when I spent hours staring at the Atlas my dad gave me. And I happily admit to have succumbed to that addiction, and become a total junkie. I have found myself in the delirious world of self-discovery, thriving friendships and an unquenchable craving to have some more. Life has become one big rave party, with no need to end in rehab. The realization that my dreams are limitless and that life can be more than a planned box of rules, is very liberating. Maybe thats what happens when you live in William Wallace's land for more than 9 months - 'Freedom' is what you perceive!

I consider myself very lucky. Not because I have drop-dead gorgeous looks, nor was I born with silver spoon in my mouth. I am lucky for the people I have met in my life. Many came and went, few stayed..and in whatever way they touched my life, they showed me something new. Earlier I used to assume that everyone thinks and feels like me, and that made me quite judgmental. But when  I met people who saw the world a little differently, caused an immediate shift. It made me realize that the world is a big place, and everyone's different. Every place I went taught me something new - history, culture, human relations, but mostly importantly about me. 


Travelling has helped me get rid of my inhibitions too.  Now I can happily talk to random people, and what I realized is that no matter where you go people love to be heard. You hear their stories and then you share some of yours. And the writer in me loves picking up on little stories here and there - the old couple I met in Dusseldorf airport told me how he (A Brit) fell in love with his Spanish wife without speaking a common language, or the retired marine at Paris CDG sharing his travel plans with his son in Australia. My experience so far has been like a book of world short stories, and its one heck of a page turner!


The road is life. I have been living a nomad's life for last 10 years covering 12 cities, 2 countries and now preparing for my 3rd. I am excited about it, and plan to fill-up my current passport in the next 4-5 years. Whats next? Naturally to keep travelling, making friends and sharing more stories. Travelling, for me,  is not running away from reality. But its my quest of finding what I believe in, and the path I wish to follow.

Everything or nothing

These two words joined together gives my most powerful mantra for life. You either go for everything or nothing at all. But then why is it so difficult for people to admit what they want in their lives? Why should we be shy about our own dreams and desires? Is it the fear of failure or the fear of being laughed at by others that hinders us from being what we can become? I often wonder.

I meet people everyday, who can do wonders in their lives only if they realize their potential.  I think they are mostly scared to admit their extreme potential. 'coz when u know who you are and what you can do, you are immediately alienated from the rest of the crowd. The fact that you are different from others makes you their eye sores. Ironically, these haters can be different too and live up to their potential. But they don't. Instead, they huddle together and gossip about what an effing pain in the ass you have become. 

I have come to believe and now, can openly admit that I can achieve whatever I set my heart to. You may call it a pompous-self-glorified declaration, but for me this is the power of my intention.  Of course I have had my share of failures, but I have tuned myself over the years to find opportunities out of these setbacks. Yes, sometimes it takes time and frustrates me, but I get my heart's desire in the end. I strongly believe in the power of attraction. We get what we attract. Its a very scary truth. I have personally come in contact with people who always claim how unlucky they are and how unfair life is to them. And surprisingly, shit happens to them, all the time.

Now getting back to achieving your heart's desire, you have need to be positive - sometimes terminally positive even when the whole world is against you. There is no middle-path of believing in yourself - Its you, and only you who can do the magic!  Whether you believe it or not, everything up to this point in your life that has or has not happened to you is because of the choices you have made. Of course, we can always blame the fate for it. But the truth is,  fate too is a part of your choice. Because you believe that luck always favors you, you have directed every single molecule of your body, sub-consciously, to act or behave like a winner in life. And without your knowledge you become that charismatic person, who not only attracts other people but also attracts good things in life.

So go ahead, and grab onto your happiness. Go for everything you dream of getting in this life. If you don't go to the extreme, you'd only be doing an universal injustice to yourself. So, pour your heart completely into your cause and make it effect you and everything you believe your world should be about. 

If others can, why can't you??

Relationship Status: NA

Ever since Zuckerberg added this to Facebook, FDA got a whole new meaning. I call it the "Facebook Display of Affection" or "Fake Display of Affection". Its the new PDA after all.  Every one I know or had ever known are constantly changing their statuses. The best part was to see someone on my list go from "in a relationship with" to "single" after valentine's day. I know its mean, but I couldn't help ROFLOLing for 5 whole minutes. I mean he could be the Facebook loser, but he caught my attention for 5 mins, and thats EPIC. I mean who in their right mind, wants the world to know that he/she just got dumped. And more importantly, who in their frigging mind cares??

Yes, i did that once but I never could understand the the importance behind being "Facebook official" (thats what the kids call it these days!) I mean once you change it, you get like 100 likes from people who neither knows you nor your beau. Followed by the gazillions questions with when, how, where…and not to forget the oh-so-fake awwww and how cute  ;) :P :D ( that makes you wanna go _I_ eventually). Yes, for a moment you may get elated thinking your 1000 friends on your list are happy that you are seeing someone, or that you met the "one". But in reality, we are just hoping when you are going to break-up soon enough. We are actually waiting and watching (and in most cases praying) when your "in a relationship with…" changes to "its complicated with.." 'coz if your relationship status says "it's complicated", you aren't fooling anyone. Change it to "single". 

To be honest, none of your FB buddies cares about your status change. The exception to this case could be your parents, family, your close friends and that occasional ex(who might be doing the silent laugh at the current dolt in your life). The rest is all fake. I m guilty of liking status changes too, but Facebook etiquette demands it or else you are outcasted as someone cold and non-humane. The only time I truly "like" someone's status was the change from "engaged" to "marriage" transition, 'coz somehow I could hear Freddie Mercury go "Another one bites the dust" instantly in my head. Every single time. Great song, right?

What surprises me the most (not!) is that your update "no longer in a relationship" will win you even more likes, not to mention the attention with another set of gazillion questions with  when, how, where…and not to forget the oh-so-fake awww and i m sorry :( :P :D" (and the occasional virtual pat on the shoulder with - "good job bro" or "good riddance"). its a vicious cycle, and you don't need me to tell you each explanation you give makes the cut even deeper.

Facebook (Fake) Display of Affection in short, creates this emotional orgy with 100s of odd people in your list, with whom you didn't even talk in real life. Does this idea makes you happy or makes you feel icky? If the latter, why make your personal life, public? Why make your life one big circus to those who gives a rat's ass whether you live or die, happy or sad? For those  who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter. Those close to you will always know, appreciate and be part of your life, in happiness and sadness, come what may. Then why the whole Facebook tamasha??