Don't waste your time behind the wrong ones. Move on.

We humans are probably the most unsure specie around. We are never completely sure about what we want. Even when we are, as soon as we get it, we start chasing something else. We hate monotony. We hate boring life even more. How we judge people by how boring or interesting they are. Have you ever met someone who was so boring that you slept through the conversation, and met him again next time? I am sure his number is now saved as "Don't answer".

We judge people all our lives. For their looks, their qualification, their salary, their family and what not. Oh he is 27 and doesn't even earn 3 lacs a month? When I was his age I would make double the money. How can a good looking girl (for guys, every girl they are talking to is by default good looking) like you can date such a fat and ugly guy? The list goes on!

I won't deny being this shallow too once upon a time. But that was when I was stupid. And young. And slowly I learned from my mistakes. I grew up. But some people around me never did. For them looks, success etc still matter more than anything else. They are way too pompous about what they are. And they are always on their toes to pull others down. 

I love self made people. But as soon as they become braggers who start pulling others down (which they claim that they deserve to be so), they are the biggest turn offs. Worse than those living off their parents' money.

Thankfully these are not the only people who exist. There are selfless people too. Who help you and stand by you without any motive, without any expectations. They can do anything for you just because they want to. Just because you matter. Just because they love to. They are made of some different metal. And that is what makes them special. 

And then you take a weighing scale. You measure them. And you realise why you prefer the humble ones more. Why the asshole that you are attracted to will always be your bad decision. Why you need to break free and choose what's right. His achievements sound good to your ears. But they leave your heart empty. You keep looking for them among their achievements, but can never find them. You end up getting lost in their success. 

The other ones just keep waiting for you. Till they can take it. After a point, they move on. When you look behind, they are watching over you, but cannot come to you. You have lost an important part of your life behind the wrong one. Damage control? Maybe, maybe none. Regrets? Plenty.

Every bragger has some traits. Read them in time. Realise what's good for you. If it gives you pain, quit. It's okay to rot alone than to rot in his shit. It won't look pretty after a point. Others' shit never does.

Must Do Things When You Travel Solo

Being a girl, I just can't pack my bags and leave for my favourite destination solo. I have to think about thousand things. Safety, Comfort, Baggage, Destination, Hotel, Flights, Transportation - phew! But there be nothing more fulfilling than travelling solo. Travelling bug bit me four years ago when I went for my first solo trip. Since then, I have been to numerous destinations.

First solo trip. I was excited. And scared. Clueless. Worried. I would google things to do, things to be careful about, where to go and what to avoid every hour. I had made a list of things I would need, numbers that would come handy, hotels and restaurants around the area. Yet I missed out on a lot of things. I overpacked, forgot to carry important stuff, ended up losing safety kits because I was carrying chilly spray and swiss knife in hand baggage (duh)!

Next time, I was careful about those mistakes. And ended up underpacking. (Another duh!) After five odd trips, I mastered the art of getting everything perfect. There are a few things that you must do and must remember.

1. Packing Hacks: Pack light. And by light I don't mean less number of clothes. Always keep separate set of clothes for travelling. Pajamas, track pants and t-shirts are a must. For a winter place, carry more number of tshirts instead of packing a lot of sweatshirts and thick jackets. Layering helps in fighting cold more than one or two thick clothes. Keep a separate travel kit consisting of a toothbrush, paste, shampoo sachets (never carry a bottle. I have faced problems of bottles leaking, that leading to spoiling my entire suitcase), soap/body wash, earbuds, safety pins and nail cutter ready and always check and refill it before every trip. Keep extra plastic bags with you. They come handy to carry dirty clothes. There are some more packing tricks that will help you for sure when you travel next time - for work or leisure. Read this to get some cool tips about packing: bit.ly/Ginger-Packing-Hacks

2. Airport Security Hacks: If you are aware about your travel plans well in advance, you get cheap flight tickets these days. Flights save time, they are convenient and safe. But how many times have you lost your possessions at the security check in? That expensive Swiss knife you bought right before travelling alone and those check-in dudes confiscated it? Or that half finished coffee you had to dump in the bin at 5 am before boarding the flight. Here are some things you must remember to avoid security checks hassles: bit.ly/AirplaneHacks

3. Let your phone guide you: We are one blessed souls. Today the entire world is accessible to us just on a click. We can do without humans but not without our phone. And rightly so. Especially when you are on a move, and in a new city, phone becomes the most important companion for our every need. Again for that you must know the right apps. For hotel booking to flight bookings, to eateries to places to visit - everything is right there if you know the right platform to refer to. Here is a list of some of the apps that you must have when you travel. PS: Don't forget to keep your phone charged. bit.ly/MustHaveTravelApps

4. Choose the best hotel: After all, you travel because you deserve that break. And while you make most of the break, make sure you choose your comfort wisely too. We usually end up underestimating this aspect when we travel thinking that we will anyway use the hotel to sleep in. But after going to ten different places in a day, your mind and body require rest and comfort. 

Another very important thing to check before booking a hotel is their laundry service. Yes. Laundry. Because if you want to travel light, you need to re-use your clothes, and for that you need to get the used ones washed. Or how to get rid of sweaty smell from your everyday wear like hats and gloves. Watch this short video to find answer to all those awesome and useful tricks and tips.

I so wish I knew about these things before. But well, I did learn in time. And I am going to save you trouble of learning these on your own. Just follow these tips to make the most and best of your travel. But  do travel. Travel smart. And travel safe.

Happy New Year indeed

As soon as a new year starts, it feels as if it's never going to end. Towards the year end, you feel that the year flew by. Do we ever have a normal life? A life where things are just there. A content feeling. Or maybe very boring one.

And those endless resolutions. Problem is not making or breaking them. Problem is remembering them. That reminds me about how I don't remember things anymore. Actually it has always been like that. I don't remember good or bad stuff that happened in a particular year. I don't remember my school life. WTF did I do in college? No idea. Law school? Did I even attend one? But yes, I remember what I studied there. I don't remember history or maths. I don't use them in real life. But I remember laws. My mind is a smartass. Remembers what's required.

How was my 2015? Fuck no idea except that I took 8 vacations to 8 brilliant places and 1-2 more trips here and there. Tomorrow is just another day of this life. Happy new year? Sure.

A world without names

Imagine a world without names. Nothing has a name, an identity. To communicate to someone, you have to tap on their shoulder, or wave your hand rigorously. The one you hate will not have a name. Just a face. You have to touch him to tell him that you hate him. Expressing your love will always be special and personal. You won't be able to gossip about anyone. Reveal any secret. 

Imagine a world without names. All your destinations will be called nowhere. And everywhere. Every fruit will be called a fruit, so will every vegetable. You will never find out what's her favourite flower, or perfume. 

Imagine a world without names. All the letters will be addressed to everyone. People will notice people more to distinguish them from the others. That one unique feature, mark, will be the identity. It will not be long or short. Good or bad. It will just be that mark that makes that person special. 

Imagine a world without names. You and I will be the same.

Facing Your Worst Fear

Phobia - the moment you hear this word, and if you happen to be a phobic, you feel the chill running down your spine. You remember every detail of the things you have a phobia of. It can be one, it can be multiple. You imagine yourself being tied from head to toe with a rope and the phobia to be death without the hood. For a person who does not have any phobia or is yet unaware about his/her phobia will find this explanation quite exaggerating. But that’s how you feel when you face your worst fear.

The dictionary definition says - “A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational.” Thank god words don’t scare me, or else I would have fainted halfway reading this definition. To put it simply, it’s your worst fear - a fear that is capable to make you lose your senses, scream out loud, cry, hide, cover your face or even faint. Common phobias include Acrophobia (fear of heights), Claustrophobia (fear of confined places), Aquaphobia (fear of water), Hemophobia (fear of blood) and so on.

These day-to-day things that look plain and simple to us may turn out to be the biggest hurdle for some. Imagine being a woman and hemophobic. Every month you have to face the blood coming out of your own body. A friend of mine gets sleepless nights when she is on her periods. Changing sanitary pads is the biggest challenge for her. She avoids blood tests. And in unavoidable circumstances, she goes for one with a blindfold on and nose covered. A claustrophobic climbs 24 floors but he will not travel by a closed lift. An aquaphobic panics even when he sees 3-4 water bottles lined up together.

These are common types of phobias. Some people have really weird phobias too. Chromophobia is a fear of bright colours. You are walking on a beautiful sunny day. Suddenly you spot a perfectly curved rainbow in the sky. Or a bed of beautiful and colourful flowers. And you freak out. You are terrorised. That’s because you are suffering from chromophobia.

Now imagine being scared of hair. Your own body hair that covers every possible part of your body. And you are scared of them. To an extent that you pluck out every tiny hair that you spot on your body. Your scar it just to get rid of those scary hair. That pain of pulling out hair from your sensitive area is more tolerable than the sight of hair.

There also exists something called Lepidopterophobia - fear of butterflies. Those harmless beauties can scare someone so much that they end up fainting. Eisoptrophobia - fear of your own reflection. Not seeing yourself in the mirror because you imagine worst possible things that your reflection does to you, that also includes strangling you. But the cruelest of all is Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia - it’s a phobia of long words. What an irony. The phobia itself is one of the longest words I have seen. If I think of it, I have a phobia of long sentences. I write in short sentences mostly. But when a sentence is longer than two lines, I freak out. I don’t understand how to deal with it. Talking of weird phobias of others!

It’s worrisome how these fears control us, how they limit the way we think and function. We can take other kind of pains just to avoid facing the fear. Imagine taking unbearable pain just because we are scared of something. Our imagination can trick us into doing something so stupid and so dangerous. Can this be cured? Can you get rid of your fear? For that you need to face it. The thought itself scares the daylights out of me.