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Thursday, December 29, 2011

A New Year, New Living; beyond everyday...

I've done it again! Surprised myself, that is- by coming up with this post- when I had intended to abstain from posting on New Year Resolutions, what with the pointless messages (since who has ever fulfilled their resolutions?) and such a busy schedule that I thought I wouldn't get the time to write anyway. I had thought I'll re-post my last year's piece on New Year Resolutions (I resolve to...), however useless it might be! But then, as I unfolded this Saturday's (Dec 24th) issue of Mint Lounge (which I really enjoy reading. That's a different matter I subscribed to Mint to increase my economic and business related knowledge of which I just read the headlines :P), I was hooked to the cover story! It was on how we can make 2012, or our life for that matter, last longer, by engaging in activities that are fulfilling and that will make memories worth cherishing! That was what the whole paper was about. It spanned 14 whole pages, but I read it anyway, slowly, carefully, to take everything in.


Anyway, the point is, I was SO influenced by the things they said, I couldn't help jotting stuff down in my diary and thought it would be even better if I could arrange it into a blog-post! So here are a few points I think are worth trying. Not in a single year people! That wouldn't even be possible, but in our lifetime. These are really simple things, that can make us grow internally, love infinitely and live fulfillingly (I know that is no word, but it had to rhyme!). And yeah, if you aren't capable of reading really long articles, you better stop now :P

1. Mending cracks with a friend
A friend who was with you in Class 1, or someone you loved but lost contact with, over your busy lives and long time periods? It would be so emotionally fulfilling to see them again, to be able to talk to them about the lovely moments we shared. This is something definitely worth trying. They're all in our Facebook friend list, why not give them a visit too? :) I can think of a few names I would love to see again, let's see how this works out!

2. Cut the fast food
Now THAT's gonna be difficult! In these times of pre-packaged foods, what we consume is mostly inorganic and preserved. But, apart from health reasons, we can enjoy our food better when we've taken out hours and our energies to create something (like spices). Though I'm not fond of cooking, I guess it would be worth a try.

3. Freewheeling!

One of my favorite ideas! It says 'ditch the car, get a bicycle'. You may wonder if I'm mad, preferring a bicycle over a car, but yes! I have always loved bicycles and now I guess, it would be quite cool if I could move around in one. For one, I could save on petrol, my pocket money and the environment and two, I would get some exercise! (Dad, I know you'll be reading this! See the hidden request? ;) )

4. Puzzling!
Having to solve a really big jigsaw puzzle, one that could take you months to complete, having the family to sit and work on it once in a while. That sounds fun! We could preserve the puzzle as a sweet memoir, one that would make us remember the time we spent on putting it together. How about a family photo puzzle? :) There were mentioned a couple of websites that could help create puzzles for us.  

5. Creating your own signature scent!


This is something I'm definitely going to try. The recipe for making your own perfume is so simple! We just need some essential oils, base oil, alcohol ad distilled water, along with some creativity and personal taste! It's all about mixing stuff together, adding more of what you like to get your own scent. That would mean visiting the small lanes of old Delhi to reach apothecaries that stock the ingredients. A really simple recipe, that's going to be fun to try. :)



6. Play with Clay
Clay pots are something we made in Art class in school, maybe just once. The uneven surface, the funny shapes and the clay scent, it was all that we enjoyed at that time. But why not now, too? Wouldn't it give us so much pleasure to be able to have our hands around the clay, watching with marvel the shapes we can create? There's a Delhi Blue Pottery Trust that offers a six month course in pottery, and the course fee isn't even exorbitant! If I'm able to get admitted to a good college and have the valuable resource, time, in my hands, I'm definitely going for it. If not now, some other time for sure. It's been added to my list!

7. Going back to the Pen
I am such a hypocrite! Here I am, typing down these words with so much gusto and talking about how we should not let go of the pen. But still, I will try, since these words from the paper were quite influencing- " The written word, as a creative art, was once about individuality of expression. A writer was defined by the kind of pen he used". These words could also be quite depressing for someone like me, who hasn't written an essay with a pen (apart from exams of course!). Even notes in college are photocopies from different books and the subjects too boring to make your own notes. No wonder I'm the only one who finds my handwriting legible. :/ And to think there was a time when I did nothing apart from writing (with pencils, I mean) and drawing. There was a different kind of satisfaction, one that I'm going to renew now. :) 
(anyone volunteer to be my typist??? I'm obviously not going to write down the same things twice!)

8. Back to your Mother Tongue
We've all been raised up to learn English- the most important of all languages, if we don't want to make a fool of ourselves as and when we grow up (though that's a different matter I've discovered now it really doesn't make much difference. You could excel in any language, just be dedicated to your job, and life). And an even different matter that I have always loved English, making faces when I had to learn Hindi at school. But isn't it true that you're kind of recognized by your own culture and regional language too? I remember getting Punjabi-learning books when I was young (and hadn't seen the real world and had too much enthusiasm), but I wasn't dedicated. It wasn't something I had to excel at to get good marks (Don't blame me for this outlook! Point your fingers to the education system here!), hence I still can't read in Punjabi (here goes my reputation :/). But I think I would like to go back to it, and I think you should, too. :) (not to Punjabi, confused people, but to whatever language is your Mother Tongue- Urdu, Malayalam, Tamil, Asamese, whatever!)

9. Climb up rocks..
Considering I always get so excited I could cry, at the prospect of adventure sports, this is one point I would want to work on like crazy! Rock climbing! Forget all the health and body, stamina blah blah reasons they give, I just know I would love to do that, and that's it! (Thank you Mint, for giving names of relevant clubs in Delhi). And I loved this line from the paper- "Climbing is a pensive, personal and challenging sport. The ground is our comfort zone, we are safe on it, and so to take just the first step up a wall, even if roped, is to walk past fear". :)



10. Wildlife Photography
I can say nothing on it except that you probably already know I've been crying out in a hoarse voice since the last two years, begging my parents to take me to some wildlife park, but I still haven't been to any and I'm still crying over it. Not that I am not independent, but not old enough to go on my own (wellll, maybe :P). 2012, Please! Let you be the year I FINALLY get to see the mystical forces of nature and wildlife and of course, to photograph them. ;) Away from city life, into a jungle. Really worth a try! (My Mom thinks I'm mad for thinking like this, but I don't think so. I know we have a 'real' and 'practical' life to live, but we can surely give one day to some senseless desire, that is always much more fulfilling).

11. Plant. Bonsai.
Before I read this, the only thing that came into my mind at the mention of the word "Bonsai" was the extraordinarily yummy pickles made from Bonsai-oranges and gifted to us by Mom's friend's Mom! But the idea that I could have one such plant in my own home is quite interesting. It doesn't even require much space and to see something grow at your own hands, and the final result of so much perseverance, the idea is surely  inviting. :) 
                                 

12. Give a gift that lasts...
It's so tough to think of gifts to give to our friends, relatives and other people you want to present gifts (in some cases you actually don't WANT to, then this point can be ignored). One such idea here, I think, is genius! Find out what the person is really interested in (gardening, photography, art!) and gift them a yearly subscription of a magazine related to their field of interest and one that's not easily available on the stands. That way, the person won't only think of the occasion on which you gifted them, but also of you. (The italicized lines are from the paper. I'm not a plagiarist, just so you know). And this is in no way, my indirect manner of giving you ideas of what you can gift me. I'm not that far gone. :P

13. Build a family tree...
This can be quite challenging, what with the enthusiasm in the family to extend the family as far as possible, spreading across the whole planet! But it would be so much fun too, visiting relatives you haven't seen in months (or years!), and maybe even discovering that the weird guy in your chacha's neighborhood is actually your dad's brother's wife's second cousin! A website, genealogy.com could be of help. I want to try this out! That would take a really long time, considering the huge number of cousins of cousins I have, but if I'm successful, I could have my own huge family tree painting in the living room (I get such weird ideas from fiction. Blame Harry Potter and Sirius Black in this case).

14. Visit a museum a month
Even this is something I've been bawling over. But now I think I am capable of going on my own. I still haven't even seen the National Museum in my own city, just because no one bothers to accompany me! Mom, please don't think it's a direct threat (if at all you will read this), but I'll start off on my own if you don't come with me! Museums can be a wonderful source of knowledge and learning. It's so much better to learn history and about landmark events through art.

15. Breathe!
Usually I'm not a yoga type of a person but I sure am concerned about my health and living peacefully. This one talked about how our breaths actually control our life. I don't have much to say except I'm following this from now on. An excerpt from the paper- "In Sept, WHO reported that with rapid industrialization, India is one of the worst affected by air pollution and an epicenter for lung diseases. Our age is one of short, sharp, half-lung breaths. No wonder, we are so angry all the time. Breathing is the metronome to your day. To control breath is to control life itself. To realign life, begin with one, full, deep, clear inhalation. Breathe, now."

There were 50 such points, of which these 15 are ones I'm definitely gonna give a shot! Apart from these, I listed down a few of my own
- Learn Geography: I admit I'm not so good at it, and it's such a shame considering the fact that I would love to move around the world and discover new places.. Work on it, work on it!

- Record : My scrap-file still hasn't been justified, scraps from papers are still lying around pointlessly. About time I file them properly!

- Learn a new language: Something I've been trying to do since the last two years and almost did this year, but backed out at the last minute. 

- Concentrate: Whatever I will do, I will give my full concentration to it, to be able to learn something valuable. Multi-tasking has its side effects, one of which includes lack of concentration. Take things one at a time. :)

Really, there are such wonderful things, waiting to be explored, and here we are, scraping off the stale days all the time. These things will make memories, and will mark the time we did them, thus making and marking our years, and subsequently, our life. :)

Of course, all this isn't possible in a single year, and these aren't even my resolutions, but things I discovered must be undertaken in our life. These are so simple, so easy and really, just so small, but the happiness and fulfillment they have the power to give us, is too overpowering. I will try these out, will you? :)
Wishing everyone a Very Happy New Year and a life full of enjoyment and smiles. :)
Love, Spread Love, Live. :)

10 comments:

  1. Amazing and straight from your heart. All my wishing to you for the coming year and I hope you'd achieve them all! :D

    Since I'm not a resolution person. I cannot refrain myself from saying this eccentric line: "Resolutions are a beautiful letdown". :)

    Happy New Year and keep writing. You Rock!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for the motivation Rachit :P

    You bet I will get around to doing this stuff, obviously not in a single year, but definitely sometime. :)

    Happy New Year with lots of fun to you too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Errrr....One question, Do you have some kind of mystical powers with which you can read minds of some people?

    Maybe, I should assume that it's just a coincidence that-

    *I want to learn rock climbing real bad.
    *I love photography, all kinds of.
    *Museums and historical monuments are the places I'd be happy to be lost in for a full day .
    *I want to roam as much as I could and see new places and learn about cultures.
    *I have been trying to learn a new language since 2.5 years but can't keep it going for various reasons.

    Sorry for making this so long, but just couldn't help saying it. :$

    A free-flowing article as always. Wish you get them lined-up and going soon. :)
    And yeah, a Happy New Year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! that was a really long and undoubtedly thought provoking post!
    Even I wish to get off track this year. I want to do things that I haven't done before, and this post of yours has given me some bright ideas ;)
    I am definitely going to try making my own scent ..
    Loved it :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Usama, It was such fun reading your honest feedback, like always. You can make it as long as you like and I wouldn't complain! :)

    Thank Goodness I know someone who's got similar taste. I can totally connect with it. And I have a feeling that quiet people love peace. I know you do! Thank you for your comment! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Saloni, it was indeed long :P
    But then, so was the article (should I call it an article if it was 14 pages long?). It was a real motivator and I'm glad you could get some ideas too ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. And Oh! Wish you both a Splendid New Year and a super happy and satisfaction-filled life ahead! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. A Well guiding article in all.
    And straightaway m going for the 12th one, and the 3rd one is like my passion,so its already on from childhood till now.

    Happy New Year

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Vivek! I'm glad the 12th point seemed appealing to you. It's a great idea, isn't it? :)
      And I'm very happy to know you love bicycling!

      Delete
  9. Thats a damn fab idea yaar.
    And i even started looking for that Perfect gift that will bring all smiles to my Bestiiisss.
    Thanku for such a lovely idea.

    ReplyDelete

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