What kind of story are YOU telling yourself?

Once upon a time, you read a story. If the story was good, you’re eyes got lit up like a Christmas tree. The perils of the day became a nebulous thought, slowly fizzling into nothingness. Nothing mattered, nothing was captivating enough. The only thing that mattered was “turning the page” — finding out how the story ended.

Stories are captivating. They make us believe in the make-believe. Reality can sometimes look unreal; distorted. This is wonderful for a mental reprieve, to escape. But here’s the scary part: you tell yourself stories every day.

Are you believing in the make-believe?

Your understanding of the the tiny, almost mundane, things that happen around you and your life are yours and yours alone. They may be influenced by others, shaped by others, but as a whole, you have your own virtual reality. With the power of internet and technology you can put a filter on the exposure, feeding your mind to things that interest you and you alone. You live your own story.

You can pick the channels that influence your thought. Your inbox is yours. Your music playlist is yours. Your movie collection is yours.  The way you perceive training, and everything that comes along with increasing your performance, is yours.

I don't want you to believe my stories or take any interest in them, but rather to give you freedom in choosing your own. To perhaps give you some energy to tear down walls that you want torn down, but are too afraid to bust out because of some story behind the importance of the wall.

Stories, when used appropriately, help do the same thing they did when you were little kid that couldn't sleep comfortably. They calm your mind. They help you zone out and enter a state of flow. 

So if you struggle with something, you might not need the truth. You might just need a better story — one that’s true enough to help you sleep at night and give you that piece of mental calmness that will get you by. Be interesting, be awkward, be witty - but have an interesting story to tell yourself every day!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Cheers!
RS

Motivation is Bullshit!

I come across people everyday who tell me that they are motivated by the exercise regimen I follow. I see motivation videos being liked on Facebook, I see motivation speeches being promoted on websites...hell, I even read about motivational theories. (Thank you HR presentation).

But in my opinion, motivation is bullshit; it doesn't get anything done. 

Sure, motivation gets you going; but DISCIPLINE gets things done. When it actually comes down to sitting down and working something out, you cannot rely on motivation. After all, it's just a feeling.

Here's my recommendation to you. Whenever you feel motivated, don't do anything grand or exciting or set any lofty/unrealistic goals for yourself. Get a pen and paper, and write down ONE or TWO things you are going to commit to doing every single day for the foreseeable future, no-matter-what. Use that motivation, and build a machine for yourself. For example, you commit on writing a journal every day. After, lets say two weeks, you don't think about writing your journal anymore. You do it because you committed to it. Every single day. No matter what. It does not matter if both your hands were chopped off and you had to write the journal with your freakin' mouth.

When a habit gets inculcated, your nervous system will not even consider writing the journal/doing that activity. It just gets done, because you committed. Write this down somewhere if you have to - Commit once. Do not commit again and again, and then do it.

Whatever it is that you pick on doing, it will help. Definitely, this thing will not be the sole responsible factor for that transformative action you are looking for, but the context of the discipline you are creating in the interim to grow stronger is what's important.

It's not the grand visions/plans; its the tiny actions that move towards a worthy ideal that's important. Stop getting motivated. You don't need motivation because it does nothing but affords some good feelings in your body. Discipline of following that regime every single day is what is going to get you somewhere.

Cheers!

RS

How to Destroy Self Doubt!

There is this question that comes to my mind sometimes, and I struggle with finding the right answer. That question is, 'How do I tackle self doubt'. How do you proceed in life if you are always doubting what/how to do the next thing.

The question most people ask

Without going into a lengthy rant on how society has conditioned us to always be in self doubt, and finding the right passage of expressing our true self, in fact our strongest self to the surface; always being stuffed down by others and questioned on our activities, I am going to try and find a solution to this.

So how do you remedy this? How do you get rid of this?

You won't find the answer the same way you found the question, i.e. letting things get in your head. Self doubt is purely a self taught phenomena; you taught it to your brain. Honestly, your heart and your ba**s have the ability to do some magnificent stuff, without letting your brain pop in the middle.

The fastest, most effective and Band-Aid rip-off solution that I find to this is 'TO DO THE THING YOU ARE AFRAID TO DO'. Do it. It is not about being confident enough going into a tough situation, it is not about having a plan, it is not about having the most detailed solution; It's about doing it. It's about courage. Courage is what you will experience if you doubt something but go ahead and do it anyway. So your problem is not doubt. Your problem is courage. Doubt will always be there, but it gets out of the way when you express courage.

Millions against 300? Bring the f*ck on!

You won't find success the first time. And success isn't supposed to be that. Success for me is moving in the direction of what my goal, my passion is. People think success is doing things with a plan. I don't quite believe it. For me, success is finding the path to progression; towards an ultimate goal. And courage is doing those things you don't know how to do. Your self-doubt will step out of the way when you build that courage to do the right thing - and the power will be added to you.

Cheers!

RS

Life has taken an unexpected turn!

In the Indian society, being 27 years old, unmarried and thinking of studying further is not the combination everyone looks favorably upon. After all, isn't this the time when you should be looking for a bride, thinking of settling in?

You see, my priorities in life are different, and something that irritates the living hell out of my family as well. I do not want to go according to the rules and regulations of what the 'society' deems fit. I want to live life the way I find it satisfactory. But does that mean that studying further was a conscious decision I took? Absolutely not.

A lot of external factors were a reason why I decided to take this course. Professional advantage, personal gains to an extent (which is somewhat not the case anymore) and overall development of my personality with an international exposure...some things that I found were worth investing money in. After all, "Education is something that lives with you for life".

As I was boarding my flight to London, I had butterflies in my stomach. I will miss my family, my friends, and more importantly the luxuries I have had at my home. Here, I will have to cook my own food, make my own bed, wash my own clothes, and set a budget for myself. Not only this, but also to meet and be a part of a cohort which will have different people with different backgrounds and to adjust with them was something I dreaded and looked forward to at the same time.

Reading!

So how far has this journey been? To sum up in one word - Exciting. I think this one year is going to help me in transforming who I am as an individual, how I think and execute, and how I live. I am beginning to enjoy life (something that had been missing for some time now) and realizing a lot of things on-the-go. I feel more independent, confident and mature to tackle whatever life throws at me. I have made some good friends and look forward to the coming weeks as a litmus test of my abilities as an individual.

The song below kind of sums up what I'm feeling at the moment!

Cheers!

RS

The next station is… Inconvenience …Please mind the gap!!!

Quick question: Where do you hear the following statements the most?

“Hatto bhai! Khisko yaar! Arre yahan jagah nahi hai! Tune mujhe kohni kaise mari behen*#*#, tere baap ki jagah hai yeh etc etc?!”

Ans: You-know-what (If you haven’t guessed, you probably use headphones while travelling in it, or are super rich, and use a car. But in the latter case, you wouldn’t be reading this blog would you? (I presume rich people have better things to do)).

I have always been a huge fan of the Delhi Metro, especially in the not-so-pleasant Delhi summers, and extremely cold winters. The A/C always seems to be working perfectly, the sweet yet firm voice of the announcers and the general hassle of transportation that is avoided completely.

This perception has taken a big blow since the last one month that I have been a regular user of the Delhi Metro. Since my office is in Okhla, and I stay in Ashok Vihar, it made more sense to me to spend around 100 bucks (auto fare included) rather than spending a costly 400 on the daily petrol kharcha I would have had to bear.



 But I must say, the last one month has changed my view about the Delhi Metro completely. Not only is it stupidly crowded, but it has become more of a ‘hell-in-a-coach’ wrestling match for me for close to 3 hours that I spend in the metro every day.



Try and find your friend now mate!!!



Some quirks that I have noticed over a period of time which are both irritating and funny at the same time are:

·         People do not look for seats anymore. Maximum crowd today tries to occupy their place to stand. So they will grab poles, stand in the metro connector with their bums attached to the sides, and try to balance themselves in some form of yoga ‘aasan’.

·         The crowd literally fights to get on the escalator. Do not believe me? Try to board the escalator at the Central Secretariat station which takes you towards the JehangirPuri platform at 6 p.m. and you will know what I mean.

·         While going back from Okhla, the train takes 8 minutes to travel between Khan Market and Central Secretariat, and that is just one station.

·         People in the metro look so hopeless and depressed, as if their life has ended. Everyone has a Devdas look on their face; the only thing missing is a bottle of liquor.

·         The stench in the compartment, especially in the evening, is something Hitler would have happily given 100 million dollars to use in his gas chambers to kill the Jews.

·         Even if the back compartments are relatively less crowded, crowd can mostly be found on the connector between the ladies compartment and men’s compartment; 40 something uncles trying to ogle the girls as if trying to see inside their dresses. Disgusting! (Had a couple of fights on this with some metro passengers).

·         Oddly, it always seems that the metro is more regular on the platform across you. While you sweat it out standing in a queue (whatever that means to the commuters), the metro is zipping by on the opposite side, mocking you of standing there like an idiot.

 P.S. (I am too decent to eavesdrop as to what happens in the ladies compartment, I am hoping you guys will fill in the details in the comments below)

I also have a suggestion: How the F*ck do the Metro officials expect us to fit the commuters of an entire train in one metro? That is the condition that happens when the entire train drops at Central Secretariat and heads towards the JehagirPuri line. With only a few guards present, it is madness magnified at the station. Why can’t the metro run some trains starting from Central Secretariat itself?

I am sure many readers of this blog face a similar situation in the metro they travel in (irrespective of the line they use). It is literally high time that the officials wake up to the plight of the commuter and do something about it. If you want us to travel by the metro everyday and encourage the use of metro, at least have the basic infrastructure of supporting it first. As Naseerudin Shah puts it in A Wednesday, “ Logon mein gussa bahut hai, unhe aazmaana band kijiye”.

Doors closed.

Why you should push Start, X, Triangle, Square and Circle

“Get up!!!” My mum screamed, as if I had to report at the battlefront at 0500hrs. “Maa, just 2 more mins”, I said, trying to make puppy eyes, but failing miserably. “That’s it”, she said, and snapped the adopter cable from the TV. “Nooooooooooo”, I howled, looking at the blank screen. I was 13, at Mario’s 8^th world, dragon’s stage, where I was supposed to finally meet the princess. I sat crying for the next 3 hours, my mother trying to console me for 4.

I have been a gaming addict for the past 20 years. As most of you, my initial fixations started with playing Mario, Contra, Tetris and Excite Bike on a ‘cassette’ chip, on the ‘Media’ console. I was so obsessed with getting the Mario princess that I sat straight for 14 hours just to get a glimpse of her, and then paused the game there for another 5 hours so that everyone in my house, when they came back from work, could see her.

I got my first game console when I was in class 9, and since then, there has been no looking back.
Today, I own a Playstation 3, a Playstation Portable, an iPad 2 and a laptop, which all house to my various ‘gaming’ needs.

But, you would ask, why this fixation? After all, what good can a game do except make Jack a dull boy, since there is a low possibility of any physical exercise? But with the advent of technology, the question has become null and void today.

Today, The Video Game industry is pegged close to $15 billion an year. Each month, about a 100 new titles hit the market. Sony and Microsoft have sold closed to a 100 million consoles, and I am not even talking about the hand-held versions. Gone are the days of pixelated, sub-par images. Games like L.A. Noire and Batman: Arkham Asylum use motion capture to record facial expressions of characters, and sometimes take 7 years to complete one single game.

Video Game Expo in the US

Now, there must be something that has led to this incredible growth. And if people are buying it, then there must be a reason. Let me give you some points on why should join this bandwagon:

1. Games help children who are ill or have injuries. Absorption in a game distracts the mind from pain and discomfort. Many hospitals are encouraging children and others undergoing painful treatments to play games.

2. Many medical departments are using computer games as a form of physiotherapy. Games help people who are recovery from physical injuries gain motor skills and coordination too.

3. Video games and computer games are known to improve hand-eye co-ordination and help players gain many skills.

4. Games induce decision making and tech players to think on their feet.

5. Games create team players and hone social skills too.

6. Games are known to enhance creativity and inculcate a taste for graphics, design and technology.

7. Many games improve language and math skills as players have to move at a great speed along with the heroes of the game.

8. Make it a family affair. Ask everyone to join.

9. Video and computer games help you gain self confidence and many games are based on history, city building, and governance and so on. Such games indirectly teach you about aspects of life on earth.

10. Games teach players problem solving, motivation, and cognitive skills. Most games inspire players to strive and reach more difficult levels presenting challenges at each stage.

11. Be what you want to be. Leap off buildings, be a thug, win a car-chase, kill 15 monsters in one shot, beat the computer at boxing, etc etc. Play James Bond, Superman, Harry Potter, Lara Croft, or my favourite, Stewie Griffin from Family Guy.

A classic case-in-example is the Dualshock controller of the Playstation 3. There are two joysticks that need to be moved simultaneously because one controls the player movement, while the other controls the camera. Hence, a person is able to move both the joysticks, push buttons and decide the path (for ex, to go left or right in a car chase) at once, greatly evolving the hand-eye co-ordination.

Sony Dualshock 3

On the other hand, with the coming of next-gen controllers like Microsoft Kinect and Playtsation Move, which are dependent on the physical movement of a player, the question of physical exercise is also eradicated.

Stop the monotonous regime of your daily life. Buy a video game.

The You-Know-Which-Trip...dissected The Final Chapter

To all my friends at MMC...U guys seriously rock...

11th March 2010, 8:00 AM

After sleeping like a one-year old baby, I was woken up by the alarm. Erstwhile, everyone in my room was ready except me and Rohan Ji. First of all, getting up, it took me a moment to realize where I was. I had actually forgotten in my sleep that I was in Nainital. Anyways, I got up and did my usual exercises (God, how I missed my gym!) and finally by 9.30, went with everyone for breakfast.

9.30 AM

The breakfast that day was neither delecious nor good-looking, so I decided to stick to jam and bread only. Everyone around me was having coffee/tea, and I could feel the warmth getting in their body just by sitting next to me. I enquired about how the coffee tasted (It must be hard-to-believe, but I have never had coffee in my life, ever). Apoorva suggested that I gave it a try, and I asked her to get me one. I don't know wether coffee generally tastes this bad, or was it just that cup, but it was really bad. Till that day, I had only seen coffee drinkers enjoying their cups as if it was the end of the world for them. But after tasting, I can safely say that nothing beats Bournvita and milk :)

After breakfast we decided on the day's itinerary. We had a lot of places to cover and very little time. So the initial itinerary decided for the day was:

1. Head to Naini lake for boating. Then visit the Naini temple.
2. Go to the ropeway.
3. Come back to hotel for lunch.
4. Visit the cave museum.

Though I insisted that we should leave the juniors alone, Rohan Ji being the 'sabka bhala chahne wala' he is, asked them to join us too. Finally, we marched

11.30 AM

Upon reaching Naini lake and seeing the rope-way going over the lake, we revised the itinerary. First, the rope-way and then the boating, it was decided. We headed towards the entry gate (in the mean time, some controversial pictures were clicked),

Controversy :)

but after collecting 150 Rs. from everyone, we split in 3 groups and made our way over the mountain.

12:00 AM

Boy, did we have fun on the hilltop. As soon as I got down, I saw a shooting game happening between Apoorva and Swati. I decided to join them, test my own skill (which I came to know later, I was pretty good at). I took 10 shots, and all of them hit the target. Next best was Apoorva, who hit 8/10. Swati was more interested in hitting the air than the target, and the farther the target got, the more air she hit.

Bull's Eye

 Finally giving that up, we decided to visit the other side of the ropeway, and look at China Peak.

As luck would have it, China Peak was not visible, weather being the culprit. But we got a lot of pictures clicked with guns (literally) and pissed the gunman off. Before he could fire at us, we ran off the place, avoiding casualties.

As we were making our way down, we heard a sound 'Aaaaaaahhhhhh and Vrooooom'. Being the inquisitive-headed man I am, I ran towards the place where the sound was coming from. We saw what can be aptly described  as 'Stairway to Heaven'. A 20 feet high ride that takes you up and then brings you screaming down. Now I'm quite sure that everyone has done this once in their lifetime (If you haven't, where have you been living mate? Stone Age?). 60 Rs per head. I joined in.

Aaaaahhhhh....Vrrrroooommmm

 The first lot to go was Gitika, Me and Mustaquim. Though me and Mustaquim Mia were reasonably comfy, Gitika's face said it all. A cocktail of Fear, Excitement and Nervousness gripped her. And what can an adrenaline junkie like me ask for? "Tu gai Gitika", I said, laughing looking at her face. She was so nervous she didn't even reply. I waited for the ride to start. Slowly, it took us up. I had brought my camera along. The scene from the top was breath-taking. As soon as I had clicked a couple of pictures, the ride went down with full force. "Wooooooo" I shouted, while the same echo came from Gitika, albeit in some kind of a different tone. Then it went up again, and this time, brought us down in rather 'vigerous' shakes. It was fun.

Gitika's expression says it all

In the next time, Megha, Apoorva and Swati went. They enjoyed it too. This time, I decided to sit on the other side, from where we could see the Naini Lake.I was joined by Megha and Gitika (again!). The expression on her face still remained the same. But we did enjoy this time too.

Our time to go back via the rope was 1.15 PM. We gathered near the rope-way only to be told that the rope-way had developed a snag. and therefore will take up time. To kill some time, me, Swati and Apoorva headed for another game of shooting, the result being the same. Me: 10/10, Apoorva : 9/10, Swati: More or less hitting air :)

After the shooting, we all decided to rest a little bit. We went to one of the eateries of the place. I did not order anything. Gitika, Apoorva and Swati ordered a plate of Maggi, and some juice. I thank the Juicewala till date because that glass of juice brought out a side of Apoorva that frankly, I had never seen before, nor do I ever again intend to. You see, so far Apoorva had been, as far as I was concerned, normal. But that glass of juice brought out a (sorry to say, but true) horny, uncontrolled energy out in her.

Trip Turner

 
The full effects would be described in the later paragraphs of this post.

2:00 PM

Finally, thankfully, the rope-way started again. We all climbed in the groups we had come in, and went down. Ours was the last group to get off the rope-way. Some students had by that time got into a skating rink and were trying their luck in skating, failing miserably. I asked Rohan Ji what the itinerary would be now, as the rats of my stomach were ready to jump out. So again, Rohan Ji revised the itinerary. We had to head back to the hotel, have our lunch, and then come back to the Naini lake for boating and to visit the temple.

We all started our 3 Km trek towards the hotel. Me, Apoorva, Rohan Ji, Swati, Ratika and Garima decided to take the same route we had come from. We were the first lot to leave. However , when we were very near to the hotel, we saw everyone coming from another direction. Apparently, there was a short-cut, which we were not aware of. Cursing each other, we headed to our hotel.

4:00 PM

Stomachs full, we decided to head back to the lake. This time though, we decided to take the short-cut. We reached the lake at around 4.30. As soon as we reached, we were swarmed by the local boatwallas. We decided, after much debate, that we would use the row boat and not the pedal boat, because frankly, after seeing the fitness level of my friends on the trip, I was quite sure not even one boat would be able to complete one full circle of the lake. We all sat in groups of 4, and only one boat got 5.

In my boat, Rohan Ji, Mohit, me, and Mohnish were sitting. Me and Rohan Ji grabbed the better, more comfy seats, while Mohit and Mohnish had to take a plank of wood. Though we got a bit uncomfy in our lifejackets (and honestly, I think Rohan Ji just got stuck sitting with me, otherwise the seat was large enough to hold me only), we went ahead. The water was freezing cold, and no one was in a mood to talk much, because the scenes around were quite nice. We clicked a couple of pictures, when we heard a voice "Koi hamari bhi kheench lo". The juice was taking effect. Apoorva was shouting in the middle of the lake, with other boats around, imploring anyone who could pull her ___. Finally, Rakhu obliged..., and clicked her picture.

Koi hamari bhi kheench lo :)

After taking a round of the lake, we decided to head towards the Naina Devi temple. We all got down, and the last boat to come in was the one carrying 5 people. The boat comprised of Megha, Ujaley, Ratika, Allen Parker and Neera. While docking, Megha, as usual, created a ruckus. The boat started to wobble, and we could see Ujaley's tounge darting in and out like a chameleon. I was told by Apoorva that this is what Ujaley does when he is nervous. We all laughed, and that increased the darts per second even more. Finally, everyone got down, and we walked towards the temple.

Being the atheist I am, I decided to sit out of this event. I was joined by Keerti. We sat just outside of the temple, while everyone else went inside. We chit-chatted for some time, when people started to come out. Everyone came out in about 20 minutes, but there were a couple of people missing. Upon enquiry, we came to know that Mohit and Neera were still inside. Mohit was getting some special puja, and would take some time. We enquired about the cave museum, and came to know that it would have closed by the time. So, another itinerary revision came. We decided to skip the cave museum all together, and decided to stroll down the mall road.

There is always a time in every trip when you want to say, 'Why god why', and that moment came during the mall road stroll. Being with girls, and that too juice-affected girls, spreading their germs to other girls too, you have to be extra conscious. The affects can vary from person to person. Some may shout 'Mera Boyfriend Hai, OK'?, while others would get inside random shops and buy nothing. Some would be teased, while others would just wander off without the group, only to get lost (Ujaley), deep in their photography slumber. After a while, when we could not take the chilly air anymore we decided to cut short the trip and head back to the hotel, where we were told a bonfire was waiting for us.

9:00 PM

We all gathered around the bonfire, warming our bones, when the juice decided to raise its ugly head again. Girls became possessed, and some stuff in the pictures which cannot be mentioned in this blog.

Juice taking effect

Anyways, we headed for our dinner at 9.30, and at around 10.30, went to our rooms

11:00 PM

We all bunked in Megha's balcony, where we were later joined by Swati, Apoorva, Keerti and other members of our room. We discussed some general stuff: about college, friends, life etc, got some pictures clicked, discussed the trip we just have had etc. Though we had decided that since it was the last day of our trip, no one would sleep, but we were all in our beds by 1.00 AM
By 1.05 AM, I did not know where I was.Again.


12th March 2010, 7.30 AM

Finally, the last day of our trip had arrived. I was woken up by Mohit, but I decided to stay in the bed for a few extra minutes. Finally I got up, freshened up, and went in the girl's room next to us. Here, I was confronted by Megha. "Oye, did you hear what we said about you last night? The banging on the walls? The talks? Anything?". The juice, I thought. "Nahi yaar, I was deep asleep", I told her. Though, I have never been told what the talks were, and I was pretty astonished these girls talking about me, but I have been assured it was all in good sense, so its ok :)

We all had kept our luggage outside and were ready to check out by 10. The breakfast was not good (again). Inspite of repeated warnings, lot of people ate Puri-Aaloo. What would happen to their stomachs now depended on god and our bus driver, who was anyways not in a good mood because of some past debates. By 10.20, after getting pictures clicked and sending the luggage towards the bus, we moved.

The bus took off from Nainital at around 11. Special mention to Johnny the mountain dog who came all the way to the bus stop to say his goodbyes. After braving the mountain curves for about an hour, our first vomit contestant came to the front. Garima Arora. I was asleep at that point, and when the bus stopped, I happened to look outside. And, I think, I was the only person who witnessed Garima's throwup. Disgusted, I went back to sleep.

2.30 PM

The driver had decided to take a short-cut through the highway, saying it would help us cut about an hour. But honestly, I thought the route took more time than it should have. Anyways, the bus stopped in between for pee relieving. Everyone got down and went through the process, but Gitika got something in return as well. Want to know what? Ask her.

Though the later journey comprised of a lot of unpleasantness exchanged between the juniors and seniors, i'm not gonna write about it, because for me, its not important. A lot of juice flowing also happened, and I hope Apoorva would add on to that in the comments section. We finally reached our college gate at 10.00 PM

One of the most memorable journeys of my life had come to an end. I had made so many new friends, came to know so many people up, close and personal, and developed a special relationship with everyone. The only grudge I have is that this trip should have happened in the first year, so that the new found friendship had another year to blossom. But we all have promised that we will be planning something again, right guys? Hope to add more friends this time. Cheers!!!

Students for 2 years. Friends for life