Do you need a Resolution?

Now is the time of frivolous messages with meticulously copied rhymes or paragraphs so sweet that you'd get diabetes. It's also considered to be acceptable to make resolutions and you're compelled to look back and analyze every terrible decision you've made. If that wasn't difficult enough, on further scrutiny, you attempt to realign your life and give it a nudge in the right direction. 

For all those who do manage to do that, I salute you. But most of us don't. So much planning just gives us a headache. What happens when we make resolutions, is that we try to change ourselves. We attempt to change our lifestyle and method of making decisions. In the magic of new beginnings, we try to forget who we are and become who we wish to become. And that's okay. It's perfect actually. But forcing ourselves to study/work six hours a day when you've managed only six minutes before or losing a few kilos when you aren't ready to exercise and put in any effort doesn't make sense.

While playing basketball, you can't plan how exactly each and every basket is going to take place. All you need to do is break some sweat, know your game and have faith that your teammates know theirs as well. The basket happens on its own. The same thing happens with resolutions. You need to know the basket. You need to put in some effort. Then all you can do is watch it spin around the rim, as it teases you before swishing inside. Or pick it up and try again if it doesn't! While every basket is a success, every failed attempt is motivation to get the combination right!

So I hope you start this year with emotion, because it is emotion that makes you want to do stuff. It is the hunger to achieve something that makes you dream. The agony of losing something helps you hold on to stuff and the desire to remain happy makes sure you move on. If you're angry or sad, I hope you have someone to vent it out on because getting it out of your system is the best thing you could do. But if someone's there for you, you might as well realise you shouldn't be glum in the first place. I wish you figure out how many baskets you want to do and handpick your own team of volunteers to help you touch the sky and slide down the rainbow. Learning new stuff is amazing. And oh yes, I hope you find something or someone new to love as well.

Sing a song. Dance to a rhythm. 

Paint a memory. Capture moments. Devour a book. Cook a story.

Do anything, really. Like Neil Gaiman said, make mistakes. Make glorious mistakes or even hilariously useless ones if you like. Because atleast that way you're doing something. 

365 new days. 

* rubs palms*
*dreams of the after-twelfth era*
*yawns*
It's 1am. (when I was typing this it was!)
*sleeps and continues dreaming*

Kanksha :)

Thanks for reading! You guys are the best. <3 Have a great end to 2014 and a smashing year too! :D

CleaningUpOurAct(GTA#3)

GuessTheArtist#3

For all those who don't know, I've capitalized the names of songs and albums by two artists/bands. Your task is figuring out whom I'm talking about. Hope you have as much fun guessing as I did writing! Comment your answer in the box below or on my facebook page! :D

A Sky Full of Stars,

Fluttering Whispers in the Dark;

Everything looks beautiful,

Until the sun sends out some Sparks.

That’s when we see garbage disguised as sidewalks,

A red carpet bestowed by tobacco on the road,

Dog poop splattered around like rocks,

By the same people who have enormous wardrobes.

We’re Falling Inside the Black,

Even though we live a Life in Technicolour.

Instead of being the Saviour..

We’re being a Monster to nature.

The Hardest Part is to stop blaming people

And Rise all together, as one, too.

We have to tend to her Open Wounds,

Earth, it’s time to Fix You.

This one is pretty easy. It's pop, so most of you should be able to guess it I'm assuming!

On the other hand, a very interesting thing happened a couple of months ago. I was on the way to meet Aditi when the taxi stopped at a rather long signal. Someone from a couple of taxis ahead of me towards the left threw some garbage on the road. That caught my attention. On most occasions, no one really cares. But this is when something completely unexpected happened. A man in a car behind them got out, picked up the garbage and threw it back inside the taxi. Normally, the roads of Bombay are full of noise. But for a few seconds, it seemed as though everyone around became quiet. We silently watched him mutter a couple of words angrily and slam the door of his car, annoyed. But in those few moments, he had earned everyone's respect.

I think what he did was wonderful. If we all do this once in a while, it could make such a big difference! Not only will the person who threw trash will realise it's wrong, but whoever sees it will as well.

Also, today was also Day Three of a mission my Aunt had begun. It involved cleaning, whitewashing and redecorating a footpath. This feat was achieved only due to the combined effort of the BMC, Local Cooperator, Residents, School and Media – it’s a perfect example to show us how much we can actually achieve if we work together! For more information click here. 

Let's all try and make a difference. 

Be the cause of the change.

Kanksha :)
Thanks for reading!

(Last times answers are Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses!)

History of Masculinity

It's a scientifically proven fact, that heels actually make women look more appealing. We all know dresses are meant for girls and that a muscular man looks more attractive. Prof. David Perrett, of the School of Psychology and Neuroscience says, ""That is, we seem to have learned that, for example, being tall is associated with a more elongated face shape. If presented with the faces of two equally tall men, and one of them has a slightly longer face than the other, we will be likely to think that the man with the longer face is also taller." These are just examples of strong opinions that all of us have when it comes to what is feminine or masculine.

How many times have you heard someone call a girl a tomboy or a guy girly? (which often changes to gay) Quite a lot of times, right? What if I told you that there is no such thing as girlish or guyish? What if I told you that what we think and believe is pure luck and not logical at all? Today, guys might have been wearing skirts and loving the colour pink - infact I know a guy who was obsessed with pink water bottles! Basically, I guess we feel something is favoured for a particular gender just because it happened to turn out that way!

For instance, cheerleading was originally exclusively a men's sport. In fact, it was taken pretty seriously in the 1600s and involved quite a lot of gymnastics and formations! Idk how the transition happened, but now you'd rarely find men associated with it. Cheerleading is mostly associated with 'a-bit-more-on-the-stupid-side' women screaming away. The stupidity being another stereotype altogether, but lets not talk about that.

Another thing that you might find amusing is that men were the first people to wear heels. Yes, those painful yet elegent looking thinks that women obsess about - heels. The story goes something like this. The high class men began wearing them, as it made them feel more masculine. Women, felt left out, and began wearing them as well (to look masculine) - they'd done the same thing with hats. Soon, men began feeling that heels tainted their power as a status symbol for men (the same thing happened for cheerleading), and they were stopped all together when practical footwear was emphasized upon. So how did heels make an appearance all over again? It was in pornography.

The idea of clothing has varied as well. There was a time when kings took pictures in dresses. Trousers originally defined being a male. But now, since half a century, women have adopted the same culture. There is nothing masculine or feminine about it.

Is anything at all intrinsically masculine or feminine? Or is it just in our head as we keep changing its definition generation after generation? For all we know, what people have stereotyped as gay today, might have actually been manly at one point of time.

Thanks for reading!

Kanksha :)

Why Kiss

"And they finally get together. Wait a second, he's leaning in. She is leaning in too! Uggghhh. NOT AGAIN. LIKE SERIOUSLY. WHY do they have to show this in the end of every single movie? It's so gross!" - My eleven year old sister.

I've always wondered why people indulge in the act of swapping spit, germs and bacteria. There are so many other ways to show your affection for someone else! In fact, just caring about that person should be enough. (Atleast that's what I believe right now)

Take a look at animals for instance. Not many of them lock lips the way humans do. Yet, their ways to show affection aren't completely different. Nuzzling against each other (horses), sweet talking perhaps (they must be doing that in animal language, right?), rubbing each others noses and a play fight - all of which humans do too. Anyways, I digress. Most people just do it (Nike!) - kiss -because it makes them feel good. They don't stop to think about the WHY. Come to think of it, the reason you kiss is because you see it in movies or people doing it themselves! But ever felt puzzled over who the first person to kiss was?

So my friends, Why kiss? 

Initially, mothers used to feed their children by chewing it themselves and transferring it to their mouth. It is believed that lip to lip contact soon became a symbol of love - minus the food of course! But obviously there is much more between the lines now.

Kissing helps you choose a good mate. You aren't really making the choice consciously. Sometimes, it puts you off. This is because of the information excahnged and processed subconsciously. At other times, it excites you. The information sent to your brain is once again responsible! It is also observed that women are more attracted to men with opposite immune systems, which would also provide the best protection for offspring. So basically, it's a test that checks your compatibility with the other person.

Another reason why you might enjoy eating your partners face is because five out of twelve cranial nerves are activatede. Also, lips are noted to be one of the most sensitive parts of the body having a high number of receptor cells that send sensations to the brain. Another thing that happens is the release of Dopamine and Oxytocin. Oxytocin is also called the love hormone - animals that produce large amounts of it mate for life, while those who don't have multiple mates and are practically loners!

Oh btw, here is an interesting fact. Texting releases Oxytocin too! Now you understand why it's so addicting, don't you? :P

Thanks for reading!
Kanksha :)

Because Hell Doesn'tHave Coffee (GTA#2)

GuessTheArtist#2

For all those who don't know, I've capitalized the names of songs and albums by a particular artist. Your task is figuring out which artist I'm talking about. Hope you have as much fun guessing as I did writing! Comment your answer in the box below or on my facebook page! :D

(This time though, as a friend had suggested, there are two bands. They're not exactly recent but are both pretty awesome. :D) 

And here we go.

Silent nights passed in a self induced Coma, 
Doesn't sound exciting at all.

Dear coffee,Thank You for all you've done, 

For I've Been Loving You since quite a long.

This one is for all the coffee addicts and soon to be ones.


In both Good Times, Bad Times,

Or when you hover over Paradise City, 

When your Estranged and exhausted,

It gets you to the nitty grittyOf relaxing with Patience.

Just keep sipping coffee silently. 

A communication breakdown may occur, 
Maybe Sherlock could Commit a Perfect Crime, 

A Black Dog may change to a yellow occre, 

But coffee is divine. 

It makes you let go and takes you to cloud nine.

It makes You're Crazy come out like the Rocket Queen,

Leads you to emit Sympathy For The Devil,
While you walk on the Stairway to Heaven 
Smiling at every peril. 

Because hell doesn't have coffee Don't Damn Me.

Thanks for reading!

Kanksha

(PS: I almost forgot posting it and scribbled this poem real fast and posted it just two minutes before the deadline. I did it, I did it, I did it, Horraaayyy. Yes that was to the tune of Dora.)

Playful Waters

I have a certain amount of adrenaline reserved specially for adventure sports. So after Bungee, this is the next most exciting thing I did this year:

Amidst the fast flowing waters of the Ganges, we sat in our little raft to ride on a roller-coaster, different from the rest. Before we hopped on, we were taught a few commands, not following which, would pave way for fatal disasters. The first few minutes, we rowed on smooth water (though the current was very strong, it was smooth compared to what awaited us further). With synchronized movement, we rowed forward to reach the first rapid. (A rapid is "a fast-flowing and turbulent part of the course of a river" -Google).

We now needed to synchronize better and row faster. This one was easily crossed.

Each of the twenty rapids we crossed was special in itself. Each moved with a style of its own. The different forces of water combined in unique ways. And of course, our efforts increased. One of the rapids took shape of a mini cyclone. We were somehow at the top of the whirlpool and instead of being pulled into the vortex, the raft was almost floating in the air, balancing on a sort of rim-like water structure. The sight of us desperately trying to row in the air, with almost no water below would have been hilarious. Though this lasted only for about 10 seconds, it was the highlight of adventure.

Another high point (literally, too) was jumping off a cliff about 30 feet high. The raft was brought to the river bank where numerous sellers were selling cold drinks, bhel, maggi and chai(because saying "tea" just doesn't bring that feeling). In the aroma of delicacies, the enticing cliff beckoned to me. And I discharged. I got the same Bungee-feeling during my 5 seconds fall but instead of freely bouncing up and down in open air, the water slapped my face. Hard.

There was also a point where the current wasn't too strong and the guide on our raft told us we could jump off, into the river. Quite obviously, I did. 

Jumping into the river reminds me how, the previous day, my friend and I tried crossing what looked like a tributary of the river. Going by its shallow depth, we thought we’d cross it just for fun. When we reached mid-way, the current got so strong that if we tried lifting a foot, we would get carried away with the water. Somehow, we managed to cross. Now, for coming back, we chose to walk further along the bank where the current seemed lighter. But I will never forget how deceptive looks can be. Once again mid way, pebbles below my foot got slippery. The current gained power in a way I hadn't anticipated. I tried holding on to a rock but it wasn't helping. And not so suddenly, I began losing grip. My friend tried pulling me back but it wasn't long before she lost hold too. We both were half flowing away. In this state of panic, if it wouldn't have been for the vigilance of my mom and superhero entry of my dad (who ironically doesn't know how to swim), I wouldn't be here, recounting my adventures.

Irrespective of what my mother says, I had a blast :D

Aditi :)

Padhne Ki Side Effects

Alright, so this is exam time. Everyone is studying. So how is that affecting us? Read on to find out - Padhne ki Side Effects (the side effects of studying)!

1. Sudden Interests

When it's exam time, suddenly EVERYTHING is interesting. The tree opposite your house looks absolutely gorgeous, the sound of traffic becomes the sound of music and watering the plants at home a time consuming job. Like seriously, you start doing everything you're supposed to do except studying and stall as long as possible.

2. Not having a bath
In my college, I know so many people who don't take a bath regularly. (I, for the most part, do) I don't know how taking a bath and studying is related. Some say it's because of less time. But hey, how about the games you played and videos you watched huh? And those whatsapp messages you checked? Don't forget the movie you watched either!

3. Movies
Before my tenth board exams, I watched an average of four movies a week. Before that, it was an averge of four movies a year. So you see where I'm coming from, don't you?

4. Reincarnating Zombies

When you study, it has to look like you've studied. And when you don't, is still HAS to seem like it. So what do you do? Stay up late, and show mom your disheveled face and rugged state. "Beta/Beti Bahut padh raha/rahin hain." (My son/daughter is studying so much) Game over.

5. Making beds out of nothing

Since you've stayed up late, you have to sleep somewhere, don't you? The bench becomes your mattress and the desk your pillow. The staircase doesn't sound like a bad idea either.

6. Feeling Hungry 

No explanation required.

7. Growing Horizontally

First you eat too much. Then you don't even exercise. All you do is sit in one place and study (or atleast act like it) So what else do you expect? Yet, you'll act like you do care about your diet..

8. Or Growing Thin
If you're a smart kid, you'd walk and study. By pacing back and forth, you'll walk miles and miles without realising. My mom was a smart kid, I am not.

9. Falling Sick 

My mom accused me of having exam fever. Little did she know it was because of a mosquito. But I'm a good girl. xD Most of you people aren't. If you've ever faked (I'm sure you've atleast considered this) a stomach ache or fever, raise your hands guilty. *raises hand*

10. Nothing

Let's be honest guys, in reality, there are NO side effects. All the above happens when you aren't studying. When you're actually studying and focused, next to none of this takes place and you're actually pretty confident.

The irony of this post, the irony. :')

And when anyone tells you to study......

^^^^^Exactly this happens. 

Relatable much?

Kanksha:)

And as always, thanks for reading!

If you missed yesterday's post, go guess the artist! Here's the link - Hide and Seek With Dr.Virus

Just a reminder, you're not Peter Pan in Neverland. (Lucky Guy)

Hide And Seek With Dr.Virus(GTA#1)

GuessTheArtist#1

For all those who don't know, I've capitalized the names of songs and albums by a particular artist. Your task if figuring out which artist I'm talking about. Hope you have as much fun guessing as I did writing! Comment your answer in the box below or on my facebook page! :D

Here it goes...

I'm going to start Dreaming Out Loud,
Because this Virus is consuming me.
It's one smart alec with All The Right Moves,
And knows when to show itself openly.

At times your body is like a burning bridge,
104 Fahrenheit causes Fear to course through your veins,
And when it All Goes Down back to room temperature,
You finally sing a Lullaby to the messed up thoughts in your brain.

How messed up can they get, you ask.
Well, absolutely insane.
Greek Gods screaming out Secrets and random directions,
I'm just an Ordinary Human for heavens sake.

The virus is cheeky,
It's slowly Marchin On,
One day you think he's gone away,
On Waking Up you realise he was next to you all along.

Playing hide and seek in the dark,
I may just go mental and delirious,
So If I lose myself tonight,
Blame the goddamn virus who didn't come to light.

But then I decided, enough is enough.
I'm living a Good Life since when,
So why not Sucker Punch Dr.Virus instead,
"You got what you wanted, but now it's my turn to Feel Again."

Bam. Slam. Kaboom.
I Lived.

Now I just Stop And Stare at the night,
I've realised the importance of those tiny little things,
Like Counting Stars beyond the horizon,
Or letting a fellow Passenger listen to his music in peace.

This one is pretty easy. It's pop, so most of you should be able to guess it I'm assuming! I've decided I'll alternate between old and new bands!

Also, I Apologise for not posting for one whole month. At first I was really busy, and then have been sick for a week and just found out it was malaria. (Now you know from where I got inspired to write this) I'll post as often as I used to from now on though!

Take care. Don't let mosquitoes bite you.
Kanksha:)

PS. How many of you came here thinking I was talking about GTA aka Grand Theft Auto? :P

Pink Depression

When basic solutions give acidic burns,
When everything in our head just topples and turns.
Our emotions are not in control anymore,
When it seems like everything colourful walked out of our door.

It's the feeling of being Comfortably Numb,
The reason behind our sophesticated grace.
It's when we feel awfully stupid and dumb,
And take an hour to complete a ten minute race.

We know we're sad,
Gloom and monotonity is hovering around our face;
Flowering trees look like frowning sculptures,
Good things become a disgrace.

We've been trapped in curls of enormous lies,
Left stranded all alone (note the pun.)
We feel like we've been overcooked and fried,
Chewed up and spit out from our bones.

Either there's some Brain Damage happening,
As we Have A Cigar and count Sheep with Dogs.
The other options are far too frightening,
Like driving on narrow mountains in the fog.

The fear of rejection
The anxiety of hate
Pseudonymous identity of betrayal
All work as one so we break.

We're in a frenzy but can't cry,
Streetsmart but not sly,
The Dark Side of the Moon calls out to us,
As we say Goodbye Blue Sky.

Sigh.

Those were the Happiest Days of Our Lives,
Decades of Time have passed since then.
We used to sparkle with authority and pride,
Now it's just Us and Them.

This write up has two purposes. Firstly, to ask people to not be depressed or sad about anything. Because being sad sucks. Let the light Shine on you Crazy Diamond! :D
Secondly, DID ANYONE GET ALL THE PINK FLOYD REFERENCES? There isn't any random capitalisation or italics. It's all Pink Floyd. (Now do you get why it's 'Pink' Depression??)

I'll be doing something similar on the 12th of every month. Although, instead of telling you which artist or band the poem is based on like I did this time, I'll let you guys figure it out from the references itself. This is going to be so much fun!

Thanks for reading!
Kanksha :)

PS: Go like the facebook page if you haven't already!?

Just Yesterday. And is IIT really (i)it?

Time can't be felt. It can only be realised. Just yesterday, I was done with school. Just yesterday, I saw some of the people in my grade for perhaps the last time in my life. Just yesterday I stepped into the adventure called college. And only yesterday did I realise eleventh and twelfth grade wasn't much of an adventure at all.

It seems as though everything happened just yesterday. The day I found out I was having a sister and the joy I felt while I jumped on my not-so-bouncy bed, the moment I gave my best friend a hug in the US after she gave me two books as a farewell gift (which I still have!), the day that I came back to India for good and my whole family was waiting at the airport. The day when I entered the place I'd call school for the next eight years and grow to love, winning as a school and the ten day tour; the day I drank a pint of courage before entering junior college and began conversations with random people, most often with my signature handshake. The memories are still fresh and alive, spiraling in my head, tickling me and making me laugh and reminisce. It's as if the perfect pictures locked inside your brain that has captured photographic moments are attached to springs. When the springs expand, you see it all happening again like a film and relive it. When the spring contracts, it gets hidden somewhere deep inside only to come out again after some stipulated time to continue it's pendulum like motion.

You always thought school was an 'end' in some way. Looking back, you realise it was in fact merely a trailer. Now the movie's about to start and hence the beginning.

Wherever you go, you hear people talk about university. Everyone is making a "big decision" that's supposed to affect the rest of their life. Most of my college friends want to get into IIT. But is it really worth it? Because of how our education system works, science students wanting to get into a prestegious engineering college are expected to do nothing but study. Forget expectations - if they don't study enough, they definitely won't get into their dream college. But aren't these two years important for overall development too? What happens to that? What happens when you realise that you've forgotten how to ask questions? When you've feel like you've lost interest in studying because these two years was just too much? The only reason I'm asking these questions is because many of my professors were in the same situation. (That's what it sounds like from the way they talk.) They claim to have enjoyed mercilessly for four years. Isn't that defying the purpose of doing engineering in the first place?

I think a college having a brand name matters in only one way - it just makes getting a job easier. It's like buying the new Apple phone just because it's Apple. Buying it just for the status it gives you, instaed of considering other options and doing enough research. (IIT resembles Apple in this case.) In reality, you weave your own story. All successful people weren't from known universities. But they all did what they loved, and they did that to the best of their ability. And I think that's where India is holding back. Some IITians become nuclear physicists and ponder about saving or destroying the world, some work in the field of nanotechnology and make robots smaller than those that can be seen with the naked eye...and others? They teach kids in coaching classes and write books.

I'm not implying writing books or teaching is a bad or relatively lowly profession. I love writing and think teachers deserve all the respect we can give. I'm just questioning out loud why some people think it's becoming necessary to do IIT (if you're pursuing further studies in India) for success. And why, to an extent, that's becoming remotely true too.

Views and opinions are, as always, welcome. Thanks for reading!
Kanksha :)
Read. Comment. Share.

IceBucketChallenge Accepted? Think Again.

Everybody is talking about the ALS ice bucket challenge. A bunch of them are doing it too. I’ve heard loads of people debating whether wasting a bucket of water is legitimate or not. Most people come to a truce saying “Agreed, wasting water is a bad idea, but if throwing a bucket of water is spreading awareness and raising donations, why not?”

I’ll answer the why not for you.

“An estimated 801,000 children younger than 5 years of age perish from diarrhea each year, mostly in developing countries. This amounts to 11% of the 7.6 million deaths of children under the age of five and means that about 2,200 children are dying every day as a result of diarrheal diseases. Unsafe drinking water, inadequate availability of water for hygiene, and lack of access to sanitation together contribute to about 88% of deaths from diarrheal diseases.” – WHO

And the statistics above only account for the deaths of children.

For you, it’s just one bucket of water. Add up all those single buckets your friends used, and you’ll get a swimming pool. Add up all the buckets wasted by people all over the world, you might just get a dam. That one bucket doesn’t mean anything to you, even if you waste it every day. So if you transport a dam-worth water to a place where fresh water is scarce every now and then, you might just save hundreds of lives!

Wastage of water is just one of the reasons. Another reason which hasn’t been highlighted by many so far, is the amount of money that is actually going to be put into research for ALS.

The annual report of 2012 says:

Research $3,904,240 7.71%

Other program activities $32,214,563 63.63%

Fundraising $9,169,818 18.11%

General & administration $5,335,872 10.54%

Currently though, they say they’re giving 28% to research. It’s a progress from the measly 7%, but considering the amount of money donated recently, isn’t 28% a bit too less? Whenever you donate to any foundation, do check WHERE your money is going. That way, you might be able to reach out to a wider range of people!

The idea behind creating awareness was brilliant. Not many people can resist a challenge. So by doing exactly that, the challenge spread worldwide and people who hadn’t even heard of ALS before considered donating money to support the cause. Conflict was created due to two reasons – wastage of water (as I mentioned above) and “why don’t we support other diseases that are claiming the lives of many more?” According to me, the challenge could have been something different. Perhaps something that didn’t lead to such a great loss of water like a guy cheerleading and a girl doing something equally funny and posting a video of it or whatever else. This way, you could create awareness without harming anyone.

As for supporting other causes…. Various diseases are responsible for millions of deaths. Not donating for something that causes less number of deaths, or not donating simply because people in India aren’t affected by it, is inconsiderate and stupid. It’s like not helping your neighbour who is at war draft a peace treaty. Eventually, it’s going to come to your borders too, and that time you may not be able to do anything about it.

 

There are other things to think about as well. I digress a bit but tobacco, for instance, is responsible for the death of 1 in 10 adults worldwide. Why don’t we urge the government to do something about it? Why don’t we have a campaign to put a ban against tobacco (or cigarettes too for that matter) yet?

Thanks for reading! And do share the message if not the post.

Kanksha

PS: All of us donating for one cause won’t help as much as different people donating for different causes. So go donate money where they require it, but please do your research first. Only then will it truly make a difference!

Patterns

When I say atom, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? It must be the vision of a nucleus with neutrons and protons in the centre and electrons revolving around them. Now imagine the solar system. You see the sun and planets orbiting around it, don't you? The atom is like a mini solar system in itself! The atoms that make up everything came from the universe. A part of the universe broke down and became a whirlwind of light creating gas which started floating away. Fast forward a lot of years and you see present day life, like a Lego structure of atoms.

(That means technically, a part of the universe is inside you and not the other way round.)

Now step aside your comfort zone of thinking for a second. What if the universe is an atom for something so very huge that we can't even begin to imagine it? What if the atom is a universe for another “Earth” inside it? What if this is repetitive? An atom being a universe for one box of life, the cosmos being an atom for another?

Yup, I'm asking you to imagine a whole universe inside something smaller than all this dust!

So we started with comparing the atom and solar system, found a pattern and tried to understand it. That pattern has led us to think of an awe inspiring possibility.

Patterns are everywhere – natural or manmade. Sometimes, they’re visible to everyone. At other times, you have to make a conscious effort to recognize them. It could be the floor of your house, the keys of a piano or the chandelier hanging from above. It’s in the web made by the spider and the ripples created by the water birds.

What is photography? It’s the challenge of making something not so enticing and reletively ordinary look beautiful. Moreover, it’s the art of looking for patterns. You could then blend the subject of the picture in the sea of patterns, or make it stand out and blur the rest. That doesn’t really matter though.

And a comb alongwith some sugary good-ness

Love, Success, Fear and Hope have patterns too. Love, for example, is like surfing a wave in the Pacific Ocean. It’s risky but thrilling. You’re on an all time high. Slowly, the wave decelerates, and you’re down – questioning your love. It’s the 'rough patch'. But then another wave picks up (probably an apology wrapped in sugar and cream), and you’re up again, back on the ride. The cycle continues, the pattern repeats.

  

Go pattern hunting one day. Try to understand how they work. If you're anything like me, that'll keep you thinking for hours! (And taking pictures too!) Share your findings in the comment box, maybe?

Thanks for reading! 

Kanksha :)

All the pictures above belong to me. If anyone is found copying them, they'll face the wrath of the Titans. And me.

© 2014 Kanksha All Rights Reserved

I'm a Woman, So What?

It’s a dark night. Shadows are playing hide and seek with the light. Three women stand against the wall in a deserted alleyway, having a good time. A man suddenly comes into sight. His eyes become wide and a moment of fear passes, after which he decides to try and go unnoticed till the main road, would come in sight. Keeping his head low, he walks on acting oblivious, yet completely alert. A bunch of whistling and cat calls makes him increase his pace – going back isn’t an option. But before he knows it, they have him cornered to the wall and don’t let go. He’s trapped and doomed.

A boy and girl are going out for a date. The girl makes the plan. The girl picks him up. She is surprised at the fact he doesn’t starve and eats real food. She is shocked at how he actually has a sense of humor and astounded that his blonde hair doesn’t mean he is stupid. The boy has a curfew. He texts his mom to confirm she is dropping him home – it would be stupid and dangerous to go home alone (or at least without a girl) at that time!

Guys, it doesn’t sound so good when the roles are reversed, right? It sucks much more when you experience the same thing yourself. I’m a woman, so what? Is being a woman that much of a crime that you kill us before we are even born? Does that make me a lesser human being? Does that make me less capable of doing stuff men do? Why does my gender imply whether I’m an easy target or not? Why does it have an impact on how much importance is given to what I have to say?  Why should being a woman limit my employment opportunities? Why should we have to be cautious of the time, place and people all the time? Why are all of us subjected to dense stereotypes and how long is it going to take for the world to get over it?

Feminism is an idea. And like an idea, it is growing everyday and has different perspectives. I feel feminism is all about having a society where men and women have equal rights and are on the same level. Unlike what many people believe, I feel it’s as much for men as well. Just how women are expected to take care of a family because that’s what they are ‘biologically’ made for, let their dreams fly away and settle down, men are expected to not show any weakness (like crying), display their masculinity by flaunting their strength and have a ‘sex-driven mind’. If they don't, they are ridiculed and mocked by their peers. In India, women are expected to respect their husbands and men are told to ask for their respect. Mutual respect is ideal, yet in some cases, women are denied of that too. That’s just the way our society has been functioning, which is also exactly why you need feminism to free men from these preposterous beliefs as well! It should be okay for them to get emotional and show some empathy once in a while!

Gender shouldn't matter. Both must be treated equally. Once again our thinking must change.

You’re a man, so what? I’m a woman, so what?

‘Cause in the end? We’re all human.

Kanksha :)

So what are your views on feminism???

And as always, thanks for reading! 

Make Peace, not Piece(s).

An airplane goes missing,
The world is on a treasure hunt.
It can't find the rubble anywhere -
Not even ashes in case it was burnt.

One more plane crashes,
In Russia near Ukraine..
My mind believes something is fishy;
As the same model faced an accident again!

Iraq is facing a crisis,
Innocents are being vicimised.
With gunshots and death stained in their head,
Children are getting traumatised

Since the 1900s,
Israel and Palestine it seems,
Have been fighting for land and control,
Hungry with greed.

They have three options,
Either divide into two or combine.
Ignoring these two peaceful ones,
They seem to be hell bent on destroying the other side.

Missiles are fired,
Bombs are dropped,
Dead bodied lay in heaps;
Yet the world can do nothing but watch.

They say history repeats itself,
Read your history books for that, they preach.
Why don't those text books,
To places like these reach?

Perhaps mysteries of the world,
Like the Bermuda Triangle will be sorted and figured out.
At the same time new ones would have sprung up,
For the GenNext to ponder about!

Maybe after a couple of years,
Or a deacde or century too..
These countries would have finally come to an agreement,
And have decided what they want to do.

But no one can take away the sadness and pain,
The sorrow one faces when they lose their loved ones,
The grave they dig for themselves when they are struggling with depression.

None of us can even begin to imagine the horrors they faced,
The challenges they embraced,
Or distance for safety, they paced.

All we can do is hope.
Hope for the best,
Hope for some light,
At the end of their quest.

Kanksha :)
Thanks for reading!
Now that you've stopped by, leave some evidence in the comment box, will you? Thoughts and opinions are welcome! :P

Why do WordThatCameUpInGoogleSearch

This Saturday afternoon, I sat wondering why scars and tattoos persist, even though the cells of our skin are regularly replaced. What left me gawking at the screen were the Google suggestions after every word I typed. I thought I’d answer a few of those ‘frequently asked questions’.

So Number 1. Why do we dream?

Remember that dream last night when you were flying on a Pegasus marching over to the castle above the clouds? Some people believe dreams act as compensation and help you cope with stress. So if you’ve been having a dismal day, the night time will make it up for you ;) On the other hand, dreams tend to be related to what you’ve been thinking about all day or just before you sleep. My friend was once murmuring a formula (when she slept after watching a video lecture) in her sleep!

Second comes the question of why we yawn. Now this is really interesting.

Scientists believe there are two reasons – firstly, when your brain is tired or stressed out, it heats up. And yawning, is nothing but a mechanism to cool down! Secondly, our brain is hardwired to copy people’s expressions. Next time you’re having a proper conversation with someone you like, notice how you smile when the other person smiles and how you make a half surprised expression when your partner makes one. We have mirror neurons which are responsible!

Check out this video. It’s basically made up of 50 different people yawning (ridiculously if I may say so). Even though I didn’t yawn till the end, I did yawn a couple minutes later!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJXX4vF6Zh0

Why do we fall?

Everybody in this world falls. We fall into ditches, we fall into traps. We fall for people, we fall in love. Falling, I think, happens because of a force. You’ve named gravity as one, but mankind still has to name the others!

Why do schools exist? (I am Number Four. (It’s a cool book btw.))

Schools are one of those things that were always there. And unless you’re the reincarnation of Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin or Walt Disney, you will need your degree. That education of yours is going to be the first step in making a living in this world.

Why do scams succeed?  

Scams succeed because of two reasons. Either the scammer is way too clever for his own good, or you are not. It’s just like monopoly, where the scammer is a player and the bank is being played. Either the mastermind goes bankrupt or the bank does. (Until he’s sent to Jail eventually. Even then, the damage is done and lost money can’t really be recovered!)

And lastly, WHY DO SCIENCE.  

Firstly, nobody can ‘do’ science. It’s kind of impossible. You can take up science or even opt for science but ‘doing’ science is not humanely possible. But I'll still go with the question of “Why do science.” It’s an excellent one. And that is exactly why I’ll leave it to be answered by my friends who have taken up science in college and are (hopefully) reading this at the moment!

Thanks for reading! 

Kanksha :)

Let her unleash her inner crazy

Maybe it is the uncertainty with which she moves, going as slow as the hour hand of the clock some times, and ticking like a time bomb the others. Maybe it’s the aroma she unfurls while strolling soundlessly like a feline friend, hunting its prey. It could also be the twinkle in her malignant eyes. But the truth is that every person, man or woman, is addicted to her.

Yes, everyone is addicted to Life.

She is celestial and irresistable. You barge into her practically everywhere. You stumble across her while talking to your friend; you gaze at her in a fluttering butterfly. She wanders away when your phone is dead, but comes back running when it flickers the green light. Clouds expel her slowly, bit by bit, as she comes down from the heavens to give you a feel of her divine touch. Once in a while, she is concentrated like in railway stations, which are bustling with people minding their own business. Otherwise, she scatters herself evenly giving everyone a fair share of herself.

But it’s becoming a bit difficult for Life now. There are too many people to look after, too many things to keep in mind. Every Alzheimer’s moment she encounters gives a field day to death. Her hold is strong, but if the connection falters, death’s grasp becomes even stronger. And occasionally, she gets confused. I don’t blame her though! In illnesses like cancer when one’s body is attacking itself, there isn’t much she can do either. Making a part of her ‘human’, she’s breathing life to the cells too and whispering for Death to inevitably take over.    

Yet, Life is majestic. We all have those days when we just want to give up. We’re tired and can’t take it anymore. All we want to do is curl up in our bed and stare at the ceiling for what it is worth. Everything and everyone seems to be against you, even though they actually aren’t! You're angry and clueless about everything. This may seem a bit dramatic and cliché coming from a teenager but it’s true and the reason behind it is scientifically proven as well. (It turns out the part of our brain that processes fear and anxiety develops way ahead than the part which enables us to reason calmly!)

So when you feel like giving up, remember that Life was always by your side. Don’t lose faith. If she seemed beautiful once upon a time, she certainly will again. If you have memories doing crazy things, have a chat with her and find that energy you had to go beserk with her afresh! Eventually, you’ll realise she hasn’t given up on you at all!

Let her find her way into your body.

Allow her pour into your blood.

Empower her to unleash her inner crazy.

Thanks for reading!

Kanksha :)

Btw, I absolutely loveee comments. They make me really happy. So if you have anything to say, the comment box is down there! :)

The Football Fever

La la la la la,
La la la la la,
La la la la la;
I dare you.

What can I say? I'm a bit addicted to Shakira's song. At first, my sister and I were literally laughing out loud at how 'cool' the song was. Yet, just like every Miley Cyrus song, this one was catchy and I ended up listening to it nearly five times today before I couldn't take it anymore!

I'll make something clear to you guys though - I don't watch football. I've read the rules, taken the patience to understand how it works and willed myself to watch a match too. But somehow, I just don't feel like watching it.

Till the world cup came up, I'd see a couple of facebook statues now and then from selected people, related to games and mostly expressing joy if the team they supported won. Suddenly, when I stepped into college about ten days ago, ALL I heard about was the football matches that took place the other day.

Gone were the discussions about the newest resteraunt that opened and the amazing food they served, lost were the conversations on the 'epic-osity' of our professors who do calculations in milli-seconds. In fact, football was just everywhere. Girls who didn't know the names of the players suddenly started finding a couple of them (alright, more than a couple of them) hot. Everybody started talking about how a guy couldn't score in the game but scored in extra time (Whew! So close.). Everyone is busy critisising the performance of a few players while appreciating the others. But *surprise surprise*, some people are yet confused about which colour Jerseys belong to which team. Yes, like totally, Argentina has a yellow Jersey. (Not a New Jersey definitely though.)

In my previous post, I talked about how people play follow the leader/society all the time. That's exactly what I believe is happening. Football has suddenly become the new thing, and regradless of their liking, people want to follow it. So I'm going to test whether you are a follower or actually love the sport. Yes, me, the person who knows hardly anything about football is going to test YOU. If you get all these correct, I believe that you are a true football fan. xD

Q1. What do footballers drink?
(Ans:PenalTea)

Q2. Why do soccer players have so much trouble eating Indian food?

(Ans:They think they can't use their hands!)

Q3. What lights up a football pitch at night?

(Ans:A football match.)

Just kidding. 

But honestly, seeing people act like they love football when they didn't even know about the existance of the teams a month ago annoys me a bit. It's ridiculous. There was this experiment conducted by the people of the show "Brain Games" in Las Vegas. They put up a board that said "Line Starts Here" in the middle of nowhere and made one of their own man go and stand there. Everyone asked the man why he was standing, and he repeatedly told them that someone told him to form a line. Slowly, people started queing up behind him. Mind you, NO ONE knew why they were standing there. After about 30-40 people came up, they were lead through a useless maze - no one complained. There was a red line they put at the end of the maze over which the man jumped over. EVERYONE jumped over the red line too. Basically, people played follow the leader without even realising what they were doing!

Think about it. Why are you watching football? From where did this sudden craze appear? Do you actually enjoy it, or is it just a style statement? Because why in the world would you do something just because the rest of the world is doing it?

Thanks for reading!

Kanksha :)

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Are Your Thoughts Really YOURS?

Do I really do what I want to do? Is what I think, REALLY what I, myself, think? Or is it influenced by hundreds of other things and biases?

This is what I ended up thinking about when I came across Cognitive Biases while strolling the internet.

So firstly, what exactly is a bias? Whenever you feel something, particularly for or against a certain group or topic which may not seem fair, your opinion is biased - Just like how your mom thinks you run better than Usain Bolt because you’re her kid, or the former social system of South Africa where skin colour decided how many rights you had and made you superior or inferior.

There are loads of different kinds of biases, but I’m talking about the cognitive bias. A Cognitive Bias is like a limitation to our thinking. It stops you from making a decision that you really wanted to make and leads you to make mistakes instead.

A really interesting one under it is called the Gambler’s Fallacy.

 

In this bias, the person is misled into thinking that what happened in the past will affect the future. The last few tickets’ not winning in this case doesn’t mean anything. In reality, the chance of him winning is still 50% and not more.

Another such bias is the Buyer's Stockholm Syndrome. Ever found yourself purchasing something extravagant yet unnecessary in the spur of the moment, but then realizing what you did too late? Also, you must have ended up convincing yourself that what you did was alright and smile about it all day. We do this in many situations. Make awful decisions first, regret them a bit later, but make ourselves feel better about them subconsciously because we don’t want to regret them.

Like if I don’t study for my test properly, I regret it the very moment I start writing it. But then, by the time the day is done, I’ve somehow convinced myself that it’s alright and happens with everyone and one test didn’t really hurt. At the same time, I’m challenging myself to debate that thought, but do not as I know I don’t want to regret it. And I guess doing this is fine, it’s okay..but only as long as you know you are doing it.

Another example is the Negativity Bias. Everyone gives importance to the bad stuff.  My cousin brother tried to block the game pieces of the opponent from going in the hole at the corner while playing carom, instead of trying to put his own pieces inside the hole. He was focused on not letting the other person win instead of focusing on how he could win. Newspapers always talk about inflation and rarely about how the prices go down. If I buy six apples and one is bad, the next day is spent in arguing why that one apple was bad and bargaining for a replacement with the local fruit vendor instead of noticing that five of them were perfectly alright! It’s like you consider the bad/negative things more important.  A person could have stolen bread in winter because there was no food and his/her family is dying. That person may have been working all day and was left with no option but to steal. Yet, you label that person a thief and not a caring, hard working human being like in the Les Miserable’s and give out a prison sentence for years.

The last one that I’ll discuss here is the Bandwagon Effect. Everybody has read “The Fault in Our Stars” and loves it. I have to read it and love it too! Not many people into cricket anymore and football is the new thing? I’ll have to Google and see what it’s all about. DJ Tiesto is coming to town? I don’t know who he is, and neither have I heard of him till today, but “OMG! He is amazing!” What people around you keep talking about influences what you think about a lot – more than you can imagine.

We all like to believe we are in control. We want to be independent in every way, including our thinking. I feel, many of us are prey to the Bandwagon Effect and highly influenced. There is another big percent of people out there who are probably lead to believe stuff because of the negativity bias which may be only partly true! And who out here hasn’t convinced themselves that the decision they had made (which was actually not good at all) was for the best?

^^^^Or maybe, I’m just biased.

Kanksha :)

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And as usual, thanks for reading!

That Weird Sense of Satisfaction

Everything you do leaves you feeling some or the other emotion. Sometimes those emotions can’t be guessed – you could go shopping and buy the whole store which in turn probably makes you happy, or come back with absolutely nothing and be frustrated. But some things have a remix of magic in them. They leave you feeling happy and satisfied no matter what. I call it the weird sense of satisfaction because it’s not “I-have-a-grin-the-size-of-the-universe” happy or “My-stomach-is-going-to-burst-the-food-was-epic” satisfied either. It just brightens up your day and keeps you in a better mood than you were. 

So here are seven things that give me that weird sense of satisfaction.

     1)      Running and managing to catch the bus at the signal.

No one except those who catch buses and trains everyday know how exciting running and catching a bus is. Yes, maybe there is a bus scheduled just five minutes later, but your brain is screaming at you to GO CATCH THE BUS IF YOU CAN! And that’s when the adrenaline starts pumping!

    2)      Finding money in random places

Whether it’s a hundred rupee note, or a ten rupee one, finding it in a pair of jeans that have come after washing or an old bag you had stopped using makes you feel richer than Bill Gates. (But that’s just for a few moments. Reality comes crashing back in a while.. :P)

    3)      Going through pictures and reading old emails

These days, all the pictures we have are digital, and that’s all cool. But the ‘feel’ of opening up a dusty photo album and looking at pictures of yourself and your family is completely different. Old emails and letters are awesome too!

Here is a snap of an email sent to me dated back to 20/2/12:

 first, i will talk about how to handle your enemies.

>>>

>>> enemy type 1 and a half: the bangers and mash enemy

>>>

>>> a bangers and mash enemy is so called because they like nothing more than

>>> a decent head to bang.  next to banging your head, the bangers and mash

>>> enemy's fave pastime is mashing a head.

>>> handling a bangers and mash enemy: the imposter method.i will email to u

>>> all of this other stuff later and first all the useful stuff.

    4)      When people laugh at your jokes..or pick up line…or puns for that matter.

How do you make holy water? Boil the hell out of it!

If you were sin^2x and I was cos^2x, then together we’d make one.

Girl, if I were a fly, I’d be all over you, because you’re the shit!

What do you call a bee having a bad hair day? A frisBEE!

^^^^You get my point!

    5)      Talking of bad hair days, add good hair days to the list.

I think all the girls agree with me on this one.

    6)      Bubbles and balloons

Remember all those birthday parties where we’d become all competitive in the end about who pulled off and burst all the balloons? And those days at the beach blowing bubbles and bursting them…and sometimes even waiting to see which one popped in the end?

    7)      Doing something you love

This could mean anything from taking pictures and writing a blog post to finishing a drawing or going for a jog. Photography, reading a good book….you name it :)

(I was actually going to add a number eight, which said “No Homework” but that happens as often as you see a green coloured moon.)

So what is it that gives you “that weird sense of satisfaction”?

Kanksha :)

Thanks for reading!

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(Thanks Chirag for the post idea!)