Mind Speaks

It's the last day of the year and it feels like the year started just yesterday. I always take a moment on the last day of the year to reflect on what I've done, what I've achieved and what I've experienced during the current year. Should I be sad that 2011 is about to end or should I be excited about the arrival of 2012 ? I ask myself this unsettling question at the end of every year and yet I could never come up with a tangible answer. I guess Syrus rightly said "Not every question deserves an answer." 2011 has been like a roller coaster ride for me with both highs and lows. The important thing is I embraced life as it came to me. I learned to be patient and how to say NO. I realised the point of travelling is not to see all the tourist spots but to relax, have fun and to experience the new culture. I visited 6 new countries (Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy and Poland) and wished I could travel even more. I grew a serious passion fo...

I vividly remember it was the 21st of November when out of nowhere I decided to follow the footsteps of Morgan Spurlock. I thought it would be fun to try something new for the next 30 days. The idea is actually pretty simple but implementing is not. It turns out, 30 days is about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching TV - from your life. In my case I decided to quit smoking.  I smoked 8 cigarettes per day for around 3 years and I have never had thought of putting an end this disgusting habit. There are a few things that I learned from this 30 days challenge. The first was, instead of months flying by, forgotten, the time was much more memorable. I exactly remember the first day when I stopped smoking, the second day and so on. I noticed that it's always the beginning which is tough. Afterwards you get used to it. I still remember when I gave up sugar, initially it was difficult. It took my taste buds one week to adjust with coffee or ...

I often think that the night is more alive and colourful than the day. It's the time when my mind takes a stroll and give me ideas. It gives me a chance to analyse what's going with and around me. Night has always given me the motivation to keep on moving. It inspires and reminds me that the chase to become a better person is not yet over. I don't know when will it over or if at all it will be over. I don't know how would that better person be but for sure I'm not him. Night has taught me the 3 Ps (Perseverance, Persistence and Patience) that my father always wanted me to learn. It has taught me to look a person beyond his colour. It has encouraged me to try and to do the things that I would never do ordinarily. What I take from my nights I add to the days. 

Life is all about trying something new, having fun, to make the most out of it and to live with no regrets. It was past midnight when I took the the metro to get back home and a crazy idea struck me. Every night I sleep in my room on my outdated yet cozy bed. There is a room heater, blankets, pillows, a soft mattress and a room freshener; all the perfect elements along with an ideal ambiance to have a good night and to rejuvenate when you wake up the next morning. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, to push my limits and to see how much of a tough nut I am. It was freezing 2°C outside. I took my sleeping bag, a mini bottle of cognac, a packet of cigarette and mobile phone with integrated torch light. I locked the door and went out to sleep on the street. The last time I slept outside was at a bus stop in Dharamsala, India in 2009. Ever since then, I had an impulsive urge to give a try to sleep on the street. Living in the outskirts of the city in the university area gave me the l...

Just in two days time I will grow one year wiser. Ahhh .. it sucks to be old and I don't want to be older anymore. I guess I have to make a deal with God. I have big plans for my birthday. I am going to decorate my room, make a playlist of songs, download a nice movie to watch, buy some tobacco for the hookah, make mojito and order some Cuban food along with a delicious cake. And then I'm going to sit at home in my pajamas and enjoy my birthday all alone. For a change, I would love to celebrate my birthday solo. Partly because I do not want people to sing the same old "Happy Birthday To You". As such I'm not a big fan of that song either. For the past three weeks, my life is no less than a party. I hang out at some pub or in a club almost every night. Doing the same thing on my birthday sounds so turn off.  For a change, I do not want any gifts on my birthday. For a change I want to spend my birthday peacefully with some quality time rather than being knocked ou...

One month back I was all happy and excited to return home to meet my parents, relatives and mates, to eat all types of street food that I was badly missing in France. To talk in my mother tongue which was a rare thing to do in France. To be amidst my people. I dreamt of visiting Uttarakhand, a beautiful state in the north of India with breathtaking landscapes, hospitable people and delicious food. I wanted to do trekking, adventuring. I wanted to visit the remote places, to be close to the nature, to live with the villagers and to be one of their kind during my stay. I wanted to give myself a chance to see and experience life differently. I wanted to do things that I had never done before including sleeping on the streets with a bare minimum of facilities. Oh yes! I definitely wanted to be away from the Facebook and my cell phone. I had so many plans but unfortunately only a few of them turned into reality. Why ? Well, its a long story and not an interesting one. Now that I have met ...

My friends say it is the lucky fish whereas those who know me back from my school days say its obviously the lucky six. Well, whatever the reason maybe I learnt being patient and not loosing your cool pays off at times. In my last post, I mentioned how I lost my wallet at the Dunkerque Carnival. I was one of the lucky ones who managed to catch a fish thrown by the mayor of Dunkerque from the balcony of the city hall at some hundred thousand crowd who were all drunken and hungry to grab a fish and get lucky. Its believed that the smoked herrings bring you good luck the whole year. I badly needed some good luck to compensate my series of bad luck years in the past. For those of you, who have never been to the Dunkerque Carnival, it may seem that "What's the big deal ?". Well, go there and give it a try yourself. It was the 6th of April, I received a letter from the local police station stating that they found my lost wallet. Although most of the cards were blocked but a...

The other day, I was in the metro on the way to my part time job and I was unjustifiably convinced that this year is going to be financially good. I felt Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, has finally bestowed upon me after witnessing all those financial losses over the past years. I felt like all my stars and planets have finally aligned perfectly in order to boost me some moolah luck. But I guess, I accepted it too early despite the fact that somewhere deep down my heart I was little skeptic about it. My financial loss always reminds me of the palmist who had once said that I will never be able to save money. Although I do not believe in astrology or palmistry, such incidents always make me ponder if he was actually right. Ever since I came to France, money has never been my mate. As if we are like the like poles of a magnet, always repelling each other. Year 2007: I bought an expensive laptop with my scholarship and just two months later, the motherboard was burnt. I didn't eve...

It has been a long time I visited my blog.  Frankly, I don't even remember when was the last time I opened my blog. I was caught up amidst my part time job, girlfriend and laziness. Now that spring is at the doorsteps; like new flower buds waiting for the right time to blossom; I'm waiting for the right time to come out of hibernation and to spread my wings. I guess, I'll have to wait till July when I'll return back home and will travel across the North East India. Last time when I was back home, I and a friend of mine went on a trip to Himachal. We went to Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Rohtang Pass, Dharmshala, Mecleodganj, Pathankot (Punjab) and Agra (Uttar Pradesh). It was one of the most amazing trip I've ever made. I've closely guarded the sweet memories of the trip which I'll always cherish. I'd an amazing time, yummilicious food, amazing places and I vividly remember the whole trip cost me less than Rs.3000 (all included). This summer, I'm planni...