Jee Haan

Tired.

Songs from the closet

Do listen if you are sick of the songs you've been listening to lately and want some different dope. And if you are young and free. 

1. Pukaarta Chala Hun Main

 

Ye dillagi ye shokhiya salam ki,

Yahi to baat ho rahi hai kaam ki


 Koi to mood ke dekh lega is taraf,

 Koi nazar to hogi mere naam ki..

2. Jawaaniya ye mast mast bin piye..

Na jaane in mein kiske vaaste hun main,

Na jaane is mein kaun hain mere liye..

How?

How do you let go of something you love? 

You cannot. 

Haikus by moi !

1.Biting snowflakes

   A warm smiling face-
   home.

*******************************************************2. Love
    longing for unison-
    wasted time.

# 6

A secret that I hold close to my heart,
Lifts itself wishes to depart.
Brightens the world, the universe grins.
Have you, yet heard, the whispers of the wind?

Merci.

# 5

Kehne ko toh dusron par hasti hain duniya,
hum toh khud hi par haskar khush hain.
Dosh isme nahi hain humara,
humse dilchasp aur hain bhi koi kahaan?

Merci.

# 4

A white daisy, bloomed in joy but,
questioned its existence on a far lone land.
It danced with the winds and sang in the sun,
but didn't know how its journey began.

And, it spent its days in deep wonder
until the sky changed in colour soon.
A deep rumble, a loud thunder,
the heavens parted and down came the moon.

And tiny droplets of little joys,
embraced its petals with a gentle might.
Questions were dissolved into the downpour,
for the daisy could now see the creator in sight!!

# 3

Utre the maidaan mein, khelne duniya ke khel,
magar dastoor samajh na paye.
Aur badal bhi naa sake taur-tareekien toh kya?
Phir,unhi ke niyamon se unhe hara diya!

Merci.

# 2

Like a season, I knew myself.
Until, the winds changed,
And I did not know anymore...

Merci.

# 1

Of this and that,
right or wrong,
true and false,
weak or strong.
Of being definite or having doubts.

I have come a long way,
and all the lines have blurred....

-Merci.

Aaj ka din...

Aaj ka din bhi ajeeb tha,

har din kuch kam nahi.

aaj ka din bhi haseen tha,

har pal mein ye dum nahi.

aaj fir uthe thake hue se,
karwat badal kar sahas liya..

aaj fir aisa pal mila,
ki ruh ne fir hosla liya.

kaam-kacheri mein aise ulajh gaye,
bhool gaye duniya ki baatien.

kuch kar dikhane ki koshish mein,
beet gaye saikdo, din aur raatien.

aur dophar jab ho gayi thi aadhi,
tab aa gayi tumhari yaad.

kaam ke tanaav se hat gaya mann,
bas aa gayi tumhari yaad.

kuch pal yu sapnon mein bitaye,
fir aage, kuch soch na paye.

Din dhala, chal pade,
bheed mein kuch masti hain jaisi,

Tanhai mein chandni,bacho mein saadgi.
Zindagi toh khoobsurat hain aisi.

Dhoond rahe the moti aur heere.
Dekha sab toh hain yahi.

Aaj ka din bhi ajeeb tha,
har din kuch kam nahi.


-Ayesha

What is important?

I have realized that no matter what your dreams are and how you achieve them it is important to have the right kind of people around you. People who love you and whom you love back.

Soup for the Soul.

You know what sometimes pisses you off? On how certain people have a golden spoon in their mouth and are hand-held to all the fancy things that life could give one, with such ease.

Sometimes you get a wake up call. On other days, you conveniently doze off in the reality of your existence. Until, something strikes you or hits you in the face and you sense a certain pang that throbs in your chest like a knot. Jealousy.

You feel, why so easy for someone else. Why not for me? On most cases this feeling is pointless. It adds to no productive value in your life. But it is worth observing. On how a certain X gets to live away from home, study in great places and find the love of his/her life, while you slog away dreaming for everything you ever wanted in one tiny portion of the world.

Now something worth observing even more, would be, while you feel this way, there is someone else who is looking at you and wondering how does this person(you) have it all.

So, life is relative.Unfair. And we only wish it was unfair in our favour.

Each person has his/her own story. We have to make the best of it. Live it the best way. In a lot of ways the social world these days doesn't let us do so. The in-your-face display of fun in your lives ( read: on facebook) doesn't let one escape feeling dull about ourselves. And the pompous display of our own adventures makes us pity ourselves? Do we really need this? In a lot of ways we are only living our lives in our head these days. It's become a mind game.

But you can't escape anything right? This is where the world is heading. So how do you save yourselves and maintain your sanity? When does peace arrive?

I seriously feel we are in an age of information explosion. Too much on news. On social. On any platform. So much that these days I feel proud that I DO NOT know certain things.

Water cooler talks:

Person A: "Hey, you know who all are participating in Big Boss this season?"

Me: "No man."

Saved my soul.

Sunsets

What do you prefer? Sunsets or Sunrise?

I prefer sunrises. Though I can never wake up on time to see them. Yet, I prefer sunrises. You know what's the problem with sunsets? They can be enjoyed only when the sun is very far far away from you . Okay, you may laugh at that line now. The sun is many light years away from us anyway, right? But what I mean here is the horizon is far away from you. For example if you sat by the sea and watched the sun set, you could only enjoy it when it starts to dip and before that all you did was get burnt by the rays relentlessly falling on your face.

But when you're sitting on a hill the horizon seems further away and the sunset can be enjoyed more. Or maybe on a fort. Which reminds me how I want to go to Udaipur and watch a sunset from atop a palace. This also brings me to a fact that ever since my last trip I haven't had a craving or need to travel anywhere else. It was more or less like Nirvana.

I have recently started on a new venture in new life. And I hope to do well in it. I wish I can maintain the right momentum and calmness to achieve it. Have you ever wanted something badly in life and got it? And after that found something else to crib about? We humans are funny species. Nothing is ever enough. And we always find something to focus on and keep wondering how are we gonna achieve 'this new thing' now? Sometimes I think humans are designed like this so that they may constantly have a purpose.But obviously it's not good. We cannot afford to let our dissatisfaction ruin our lives. But we can always let our dreams  fuel our souls. Reminds me of an apt sher by Ghalib. No one could've put it in better words:

"Hazaaron khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle

Bohat niklay mere armaan, lekin phir bhi kam nikle"

*********************************

I have seen many meaningful sunsets. Those spent with yourself alone, with people you love, people who mean something to you. These are priceless moments. I think the wealthiest person on this planet is he who has a great set of people around him. A man with only worldly riches is poor. I am extensively watching a show these days named " Everybody loves Raymond". It's an old tele-series but I've picked it up now. I take my time to pick up shows, extensively watch them and be done n dusted with them until I move on to something new. I prefer it to television any day. So coming to the point what I like about the show is that it is funny. Apart from that, another take away would be on how the Barone family lives together. They bicker but they always live together. They eat together. I also like how there were no cell phones when this show was shot, so none of the characters use them. The husband leaves for work in the day. The wife and him have no constant connection until they meet again in the evening. Can you imagine a world like that? Wow. 

Talking about eating together. I think the best way to solidify a relationship is eating together. Ever clicked to you? Yes. The family that eats together, stays together is true. Your truest friends were the ones you ate lunch with everyday. It forms a different bond, trust me. At my old workplace, we always had lunch with the team. That bond was different.

*************************************

Anyway, the best of relations can always turn up from anywhere. It's funny how people don't think twice before throwing away what they already have. They deem it so small because of petty issues they can't agree to overlook. I wonder how they do that.

Here's to planting more saplings, cracking more jokes and baking more cupcakes. More sunsets. And a quality song. Did I forget to mention? Striving for quality gives me purpose in life.

A few favourite things

While Buzz feed or several other websites tell you the 10 habits of highly influential people or the 10 reasons you should go travelling alone or 10 signs she's just not into you, I have a personal list ready to be thrown out in the universe as well.

10 things I absolutely adore!

1. I love wearing floaters. Yes, that footwear. Ballerinas hurt your toes, heels kill your back, sport shoes suffocate the life out of your foot, slippers provide no protection and not to forget foot ache (due to it's thin sole and the reaction of the hard earth's surface getting to you) . But floaters. Floaters are perfect. With comfortable sole and your feet spread out just like mother nature had designed them to be, this is one hell of a footwear. I find Zen in it. *Heaven*

Floaters 

2. Trimmed nails. Yes. It's a weird fixation that I have. But I absolutely hate it when my nails grow beyond my finger's natural length . It irritates me to no end as they will chip at any place, grow unevenly on different fingers,then I cannot type properly on keyboards, they need maintenance if I have to keep them long and needless to say dirt fills inside of them if they stick out. So, when they actually do grow disproportionately, I bring out the nail cutter and cut them back to their natural size all in a row! This makes me feel so awesome. Too much bliss when thy fingers have been conquered and disciplined!

Trimmed nails (in this case colored as well :P )

3. I love Idlis! Yes, you read that right. Idlis. But not in the normal way. I love them in a very specific fashion. Idlis dipped in overflowing sambhar topped with white coconut chutney! Lip smack. Mouth drool. Cannot resist. Ultimate weakness. This is one food I can have at any time !

Idli floating in Sambhar! *Yummm*

4. Silent, quiet afternoons spent in solitude. There is something about the afternoon time, when you're indoors( office or home) with all your work done ( or atleast major work) and no one to bother you is around and it's silent. Okay, too many conditions :P But it feels amazing when such chances drop by. Life seems to bring to you few moments of bliss and I feel so much at peace.

5. Hunger and vada pav. If you're a Mumbaikar you would know that no one can beat this combination ever. Having said that, what I truly crave for is the perfect vada pav. The perfect vada pav constitutes of a fresh bread, fresh vada which has yellow aloo in it and not the brown wala masala and lassun ki chutney. Perfect. Nothing else. I love it when I am hungry and find a  perfect vada pav stall nearby. Cravings satisfied!

Mouth-watering Vada pav with lassun ki chutney!

6. Pani da, rang dekh ke! I absolutely love this song. It has no season. It has such a soft melody to it and beautiful lyrics. Though for many it may be the perfect rain song, it particularly reminds me of Delhi. Maybe, because the movie is shot there. Nonetheless, it adds the to charm of the place and takes me back to the time when I had visited Delhi. Beautiful :)

7. The sense of finishing your major task.  Ever happened to you that there is some important, humongous assignment which has to be given at a certain date and you end up finishing 95% of it two days prior? How does it feel in such a situation? Don't you feel like the king of the world? I do. * Where's my crown? *

8. Sachin. Dravid. Ganguly. There was a time when I was a huge fan of cricket and would follow all the matches. That was mainly the rise of the Ganguly era. Though I have stopped watching the game now, whenever I see Dravid, Sachin or Dada( pics, interviews, anywhere) I feel inspired and my heart is filled with a lot of admiration and happiness.

P.S: Recently, I came across this picture ( top: Sehwag, Sachin and Dravid) on a social media site. Someone had commented on how the bat position and shoulder of the veterans was perfectly aligned and the same. At the same time you can look at the youngsters below. This photo reminded me of why I always considered these men as my icons( they strive for perfection).

9. Responsible people. People who actually do what they say. Say what they do.

10. And finally, this delicacy that I totally adore/have a weakness for.  Malai Kulfi with hola (or as most people call it falooda topping ). Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Malai Kulfi garnished with hola!

Well, that's all folks. If you share a similar fetish or want to add something to this list, leave your comment :)

Unmatched Rhythm

Blood flows through the veins
With an unmatched rhythm.

Just like the traveller who knows not where he goes.

With a deep sense of madness, he kills the time that flows. 

His trail is chaotic. So is his head. 

His life pumps in and out, in an indecisive stead.

Thoughts flow through the brain,
With an unmatched rhythm.

Just like the brown earth, with thousands thumping on its crown.

The lyre of existence plays.The sound of music never drowns.

Golden eyes peep from above. They sleep, an illusion they dream.

Illusions are realities though. A silence is a din, a whisper - a scream. 

Love flows through the heart,

With an unmatched rhythm.

It flows like- Oh, wait. It has no rule.
It is the beginning of anarchy. It is the enlightening of the fool.

I could do with some sense. Conquer the world while I get.
Yet I sit by the window and wait for you instead.

Jo beet gayi, so baat gayi...

I love Gtalk. I still haven't upgraded it to Hangouts on my PC (can't do much on Android phones though). Recently, one of my dearest friends updated her Gtalk status. It was a few lines from Harivansh Rai Bachchan's poem. I fell in love with them. And was also reminded that I haven't written one in a long time.

Anyway, I just wanted to share it on this post. They are lovely. I can share the English version with you, but that's injustice to art. Watch out for the first paragraph (and the others as well ;-) )

जो बीत गई सो बात गई 

जीवन में एक सितारा था

माना वह बेहद प्यारा था

वह डूब गया तो डूब गया

अंबर के आंगन को देखो

कितने इसके तारे टूटे

कितने इसके प्यारे छूटे

जो छूट गए फ़िर कहाँ मिले

पर बोलो टूटे तारों पर

कब अंबर शोक मनाता है

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में वह था एक कुसुम

थे उस पर नित्य निछावर तुम

वह सूख गया तो सूख गया

मधुबन की छाती को देखो

सूखी कितनी इसकी कलियाँ

मुरझाईं कितनी वल्लरियाँ

जो मुरझाईं फ़िर कहाँ खिलीं

पर बोलो सूखे फूलों पर

कब मधुबन शोर मचाता है

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में मधु का प्याला था

तुमने तन मन दे डाला था

वह टूट गया तो टूट गया

मदिरालय का आंगन देखो

कितने प्याले हिल जाते हैं

गिर मिट्टी में मिल जाते हैं

जो गिरते हैं कब उठते हैं

पर बोलो टूटे प्यालों पर

कब मदिरालय पछताता है

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

मृदु मिट्टी के बने हुए हैं

मधु घट फूटा ही करते हैं

लघु जीवन ले कर आए हैं

प्याले टूटा ही करते हैं

फ़िर भी मदिरालय के अन्दर

मधु के घट हैं,मधु प्याले हैं

जो मादकता के मारे हैं

वे मधु लूटा ही करते हैं

वह कच्चा पीने वाला है

जिसकी ममता घट प्यालों पर

जो सच्चे मधु से जला हुआ

कब रोता है चिल्लाता है

जो बीत गई सो बात गई.

Thy Majesty - The Mountains

Recently, I struck an important point off my bucket list. I visited the mystical lands of Leh-Ladakh which encompasses the north-most part of India. Off late this place has become a hot tourist destination. So much, that probably it is very fashionable to visit Ladakh these days. Or maybe, not.

I would like to share my experience with everyone so that they know what to expect and most importantly, what not to expect out of this place. We had an 8 day trip to Leh. We met many people on our way, forged new friendships and enjoyed our time there.We visited Leh in the end of May which is probably the beginning of summer( in other words: start of the peak season) in that place. Having said this, the weather was not very warm over there. Temperatures stayed low and you required your thermals, jackets et all. The sun rays beat down on us during the day. The open skies and elevated heights did not help much either. We witnessed a contrasting play of nature at work as the cold winds pressed your body, while the intense sun rays were capable of giving headaches. So  yes, sunglasses are a must as well. The nature in this part of the country is overpowering, mighty and intimidating. It is obviously even more remarkable and beautiful beyond words. But, when you roam in the mountains with barely few people in sight, you have this feeling that you are just born. Civilization hasn't seeped in yet and earth has just begun. You feel fresh, brand new and in awe of the beauty of our planet.

It is important to note that only postpaid sims work in Leh, that too only in the city I would say. BSNL is the only network that gets the most amazing range and worked in Nubra Valley as well. Sadly (or rather delightfully ;-) ) my vodafone sim never caught network outside of the main Leh city. As a precautionary measure people eat a medicine called Diamox which assists in breathing at high altitudes,when in Leh or before leaving for Leh. If you are young and fit, I would suggest simply carry it for safety. You mostly don't need to eat it and if Day 1 is spent well in acclimatizing, you should do just fine without any external assistance. You can also carry camphor, other meds and lots of dry snacks to eat on the long roads between two points.

We took a flight straight to Leh as opposed to the  Srinagar-Leh route via road . The view from the plane when you are approaching Leh, is phenomenal. The flight route I believe is better than the road route only because of the top view of the Himalayan ranges. And also because you are going to have an experience of the road trip once inside Ladakh, anyway.We stayed in a hotel named 'Mandala'. It is the in heart of Leh City, barely 15 minutes from the airport by car. It had nice rooms with heaters and all facilities in place.The people there were extremely sweet and helpful.We had a nice view from our room as well. Hot water would come early in the morning and yes, Leh is isolated from the world, so don't go there expecting any 5 star treatment. If the lights go off in the entire city it will most probably go off in  your hotel as well. No matter which suite you've booked. I believe Ladakh is beyond all these worldly pleasures anyway and be ready for an adventure ride when you reach there.

View from the plane

Day 1 was spent in acclimatizing which is essential by all means.The temperature may be bearable with all the layered clothing but the effect of altitude cannot be ignored. 'Walk and talk on your phone' is no longer a good 'idea' as it will soon leave you breathless. Try climbing a few stairs quickly and you will observe yourself getting tired earlier than usual. Nevertheless, there is nothing to worry. Just relax and go at your own pace. Walk peacefully, don't stress. After all, you are on a vacation right?

On Day 2 we had light sight seeing. We saw the Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace and the Sankar Gompa Monastery. We spent the rest of the day exploring the local market and tried local food.  Leh may disappoint you when you go out shopping as your options are only limited to Shawls, Tibetan Handicrafts and Jewellery. If there is anything that I found specific to Leh it was the prayer flags. You also get really nice T shirts with messages like "My friend was in Ladakh and all I got was this Bloody T-Shirt" or " Yak Yak Ladakh" and so on. I personally found these the best souvenirs to carry home as I am not a fan of handicrafts or jewellery. We ate at a place called Gesmo which happens to be a decent  food place. You get fast food, traditional cuisine, bakery items and drinks as well. One should visit it if in Leh. We even had the local butter chai which was hot and salty.

Carvings at Shanti Stupa

Yak Cheese Pizza at Gesmo

Day 3 we saw the rest of the places that need to be explored. We went to Alchi (an old village), Hall of Fame, Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Pathar and the wonderful Sangam (confluence of the river Indus and Zanskar). These sites took up our entire day. The Hall of Fame makes you proud of the Indian Army whereas the Sangam is a spectacular sight.

Confluence of the Indus and Zankar

The next 4 days in Ladakh were the most exciting and most amazing experiences of my life. Our trip to Nubra Valley via Khardung La (Pass) and visit to Pangong Lake via Chang La (Pass) was what makes Ladakh, Ladakh.

For the uninitiated, Khardungla is the Highest Motorable Pass in the world at 18380 feet. We headed out for Nubra Valley on Day 4. We passed Khardungla on the way to our destination. This is the first time I have ridden up a huge, majestic mountain( yeah, have done it many times for hill stations- but Mountains? NO) I believe not many of you may have done it either. The road seems fine as you begin and slowly on the elevation you see the city disappear. The landscape briskly changes and you find yourself surrounded by dusty mountain walls or steep valleys. It remains like this for sometime but soon you see yourself on a level with clouds. The dusty mountains have suddenly turned white and you still haven't reached the top. As your vehicle goes round the ranges, paths have been carved after clearing snow and the ride gets shaky.You are enroute to the top most part of the world with biting winds, snow and not even a bird in sight. If it weren't for the occasional army check points it is as good as you are alone in some adventure land with nowhere to go. No networks, no people. Into the wild. Believe me you can't feel more alive than this. This is when all your other troubles disappear. Your job or frivolous issues. It's  surreal. I experienced my first snowfall at Khardungla. It was a tough ride though I did not experience any major travel sickness. I did get a headache because of staring at snow throughout my ride. Yeah,100% sunlight reflection does that to you. Also, it was an experience out of nowhere. All my group mates were tired. Exhilarated yet happy that we were soon descending on the other end and leaving Khardungla.

Driving up the Khardung la

Reaching on top

Descending en route to Nubra Valley

After we moved out of the pass the journey hadn't ended yet. We still had 2 hours  to reach Nubra and the landscape was all Sandy now. Smooth Sandy hills, sand dunes , sand storms adorned the landscape and this was soon becoming the ride of a lifetime. It took us around 7 hours to reach from Leh city to Nubra Valley. We arrived at a remote hotel named Karma Inn. This hotel was brilliant. I would highly recommend it if in Nubra. They had beautiful balcony rooms with outstanding view, hot water 24x 7 and all necessary facilities in place. My phone network dint work here. But they had wifi at the reception. Nubra is at a lower elevation than Leh. So you feel pretty comfortable here after having braved all the other hardships on your way. It's a beautiful, scenic valley just like they talk about in books. As soon as we checked in and rested in our rooms we went out for a ride on the rare breed of double humped camels. The sand dunes here were amazing and soon we forgot all our tiredness. We spent the night in our hotel which was amidst trees. We stayed out late at night watching stars and had a bonfire as well. The sky here was very clear. I have never seen so many stars together at night. The sky was a thick blanket dotted with stars and we had bonfire, music, games friends. It was so perfect .

Sand dunes and double humped camel in Nubra

The next day we left for leh via the Khardungla pass again. This time the journey was easier as we were officially getting into Ladakhi skin now.  My face was turning red by the fifth day by the brutal cold winds. But I was enjoying it. On our way back we stopped near the Shyok river which was mesmerizing. I have never seen a river cleaner or clearer than this ever before.  One can even drink water from this river. It was splendid to sit beside this river and watch time fly. The rest of the journey was spent listening to songs, many of those I had never heard before. ( yes, I caught up with some Bollywood numbers here ) 

Shyok River

We reached Leh by evening and rested for the remaining day. We chose to collect all our dry snacks, wear maximum warm clothes that we could and spend the evening on the terrace of our hotel from where we could see the trees sway in peace and the white mountains fall asleep while three stars quietly opened their eyes in the sky at a distance, prodding their friends to join them.

Dusk at Leh

The next day we were heading towards Pangong Lake. Yes ! The moment everyone had been waiting for thanks to Bollywood. After 3 Idiots and Jab Tak Hain Jaan, Pangong has definitely become the must see sight on everyone's list. It takes 6 -7 hours to reach to Pangong from the city as well. So, its quite funny how in our movies it is shown as an easily accessible location. Kareena Kapoor reaches Pangong from the city on her scooty.  Yeah, bite me ! Anyway, Bollywood is always exaggerated and nothing can be done about that. Also, an important point I missed out on, both Pangong as well as  Khardungla require government permits. This has to be taken care of before you head out for these places. Also, the road signs in Ladakh are damn witty. They will keep you engaged on your long tiring road trips.

On our way to Pangong, we stopped at Shey Palace. We also stopped to see Thiksey monastery and had lunch at a traditional home. The road to Pangong went through another pass in the mountains - this time the Changla. Chang La is a few meters lower than Khardungla and is touted to be the third highest motorable pass that there is. We sailed smoothly through Changla and experienced snowfall again. We made a snowman and had chai and maggi at a lone cafe when we reached the top of the pass. The journey to Pangong was enjoyable and while we neared the lake the landscape changed to greener pastures, rivulets flowing and ponies as well as yaks grazing amongst them. As the roads meandered endlessly, a sign read " first view of the Pangong Lake ". All eyes darted towards the horizon where the valley between two mountains gave way to a glimpse of a blue shining water body. Yes, that was it. One of the best sights I have seen in life. Pangong. There it lay between India and China. At the east most extreme of Jammu and Kashmir. Devoid of any inhabitants and far away from the life we have been conditioned to live in.

En route to Pangong

The lake is approx 134 km long and the LOC passes through it.  Everyone jumped to life the moment we reached here. We chose to go straight to the edge of the lake instead of debunking at our tents which were at a distance from the lake. The temperature here was very low to our surprise. We were expecting Pangong to be the most pleasant site of all. Instead, it was freezing cold and the brutal winds had me cover my face completely. Nonetheless, none of this dampened our spirits or diminished the beauty of the lake. The water looked deep blue, to sea blue to a lighter shade in layers. Never before have I seen such a spectacular display of colors together in a water body. After having spent ample of time by the lake, we retired to our tents. Night had fallen  and the temperature had dropped to 5 degrees by now. I have never experienced such a temperature before and needless to say we were shivering like crazy.  We were staying in cloth tents with no heaters so there was little respite around. I wore 5 layers of clothing, two gloves, and three socks just to feel okay. All the youngsters gathered outside to play games at night as usual. The climate was difficult yet an experience of a lifetime. These are memories I'll never forget. We played dumb charades, Contact 123, Mafia and a hand game whose name I don't remember. Sitting under the sky, meeting new friends and chatting away is one of the moments I'm never going to forget.

Pangong Tso Lake

At night, we had to take 5 blankets and seek assistance from hot water bags to try and fall asleep. No one wanted to miss the sunrise at Pangong, and we were up by 5 am.  The sun was already up by then and we couldn't stand for more than 15 minutes by the lake. It was very cold. Yes. It was. We fell asleep again. This time for real. When we woke up it was time to leave back for Leh. But not before spending more time on the lake. We packed our stuff and went back near the lake. Photos were clicked aplenty in the daylight and we soaked in all the beauty before we could finally leave. On our way back we stopped at the Hemis Monastery. This is by far the biggest Monastery at Ladakh and should definitely not be missed. It has a museum and a souvenir shop as well. After exploring Hemis we also visited Rancho's School. This school received a  boost in funds and popularity post 3 idiots. There was a souvenir shop here as well where all the proceeds would go to the development of the school. A lady asked us to line up and follow her as she guided us around the school. It was made of stones and beautiful indeed. They had inbuilt hostels for boys and girls. We were asked to refrain from clicking pictures of the students there who were busy playing in the field. The school has education upto 10th standard and is beautifully structured. Took us back in time to our own school days.

Hemis Monastery

Post this we headed straight back to our hotel with no more sites left to visit. Me and my friend realized we had under-shopped and got down at the market to buy more stuff. We visited Gesmo one last time again with our friends and could not believe this journey had come to an end. Once, back in the hotel we packed our  bags and prepared to catch a flight back to Mumbai the next morning. No, we did not want to leave. The entire trip had been so exciting and fulfilling. We could not imagine returning back to our daily lives in the city. That night was spent exchanging numbers with newly made friends and promises and plans of meeting elsewhere again. The entire night was spent playing a final round of games and being involved in friendly banter. More memories were created to counter the moment of parting and sadness of leaving such a surreal place behind. 

We took an early morning flight back to Mumbai. To the city we call home. Refreshed and Rejuvenated we welcomed it with our arms and were ready to take on to the world again.
I need to mention our wonderful guide Karma, our hotel in -charge Yaasin and our vehicle driver Naamjal for making our trip as well as stay enjoyable. I would also point out Cox and Kings here as we had our trip planned by them and though initially I was apprehensive to go through a tour ( have always travelled on my own and never relied on tour agencies :P), the entire trip was executed amazingly and I am surely impressed by their service.

Needless to say, my trip to Ladakh was not just another vacation. It was a journey of a lifetime which will be reminisced for years to come. I would surely, 101 % recommend this place to anyone who is willing to go. You won't come back with any regrets :)

Happy April

April is a funny name for a girl. Isn't it? Yet, I remember a movie in which the protagonist was named April. Or was it a book?

April is the most positive month  this year. Or so, I have declared. But May will be even better. And so on and so forth. This is mainly because things have changed and the dice has been rolled.

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I have finally finished a course at Coursera and I feel so proud about it. Two months- all lectures, all assignments. Happy ! :D I'm soon off to taking up another course which is so darn interesting. I have to mention Dr. Charles Severance from University of Michigan is awesome. I think I'm gonna join twitter and leave a message for him.

I will be off to Ladakh soon. Because nothing like the mountains right? Plus, its been a long pending dream.

I was reading an article about how you can change your own life and make it awesome. They say you should remove toxic thoughts, toxic relationships and toxic people from your life. I feel I simply need silence. Silence solves everything.

The song Aisha from the Sonam Kapoor movie named Aisha, is very nice. Also, it's my name. So, its very nice. Ayesha or Aisha means 'someone who always stays happy.' Also, it is originally the name of a lady who serves as a role model for many. So, I guess I have a lot to take inspiration from.
Someone once told me, my name is so beautiful. It has no hard sounds. Yeahhh, I guess they were right. :P

Okay, enough of narcissism.

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I recently went shopping at Fabindia and picked up awesome stuff. Their collection is always good. So is W. They have awesome stuff too. I also went to this place called Myo Thai Spa. Their foot spa was awesome and  they are having this 1 spa-1 free scheme all throughout April. So basically you pay for one spa and get another one free. Take a friend and split the bill. Or take your sibling and pay for one. But definitely go for it! Its awesome. :D And yeah, you deserve it.

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Since we are in such a good mood let me ask you something. Aren't romantic songs so awesome? Who doesn't enjoy them once in a while? Bringing out the true emotion of living beings - love. Transporting you in a new world while you listen to them. That feeling :)

Let me name a few songs I particularly like- Pehli nazar mein( Race),  Tum se hi ( Jab We Met) and Hoshwalon ko Khabar kya( Sarfarosh). I find all of these songs so beautiful and they have a mesmerizing quality to them.

I was busy browsing pages on the internet when  the legendary Jagjit Singh sang in the background,

" Unse nazrein kya mili, roshan fizaaein ho gayi,

  Aaj jaana pyaar ki, jaadugari kya cheez hain"

Doesn't your heart light up when he sings that? Or you burst into a private smile? Tell me how many of you haven't felt like that even once in your life for anyone? Even for a moment? I would like you to share your experiences or thoughts on this to me. Yes, for the first time on my blog I'm calling for an interaction.(:P)  Do you agree? Let me know. For any soul out there who hasn't felt like this ever, " dude you haven't lived ok?"

Anyway, I personally think this song is legendary. Though, to each his own.

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So, its Throwback Thursday today. Thank God it's Friday Tomorrow. And then weekend rolls in, so we're all happy. Yay.

Enough for the rambles.

Chicken soup

There is a question. Very simple one. How to feel okay when you know everything you wanted is falling apart? Where is the rest? The escape?  The break point of this infinite limbo.

I never knew love could destroy you. But it did.

And now I wonder, where did I start? What did I do to put myself in such a situation? Trying to learn from someone who does not understand you. What's the meaning ?

Why inflict pain upon those close to you? And feel guilty later.

Why write such posts when you can sleep.

Chicken soup for the pain inflicted soul.

Courage: The Cowardly Dog..

I lack courage. I am cowardly. Stupid. And, I think I am wasting most of my life like this.

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I had written that line almost three days ago. If you knew a girl's mind, you'd know that I am not in that frame of mind anymore. It's getting difficult to blog these days. Nothing is giving me inspiration. Except for a momentary burst of Art here and there. If it weren't for Art I don't know how we human beings would survive. Songs, poems, movies, verses.. 

I rather be a a Rockstar who sang only three legendary songs than an engineer who spent his/her life coding. Or a poet who wrote that one outstanding poem. Only one. 

But then, art is always for the self. So I think I am writing through my blog anyway. And maybe, it is helpful somewhere. 

When I sit back to reflect, I think life is awesome only. It's funny how we waste all days in resisting. All energy. 

I cannot sit still. My mind keeps wandering. I have to be on my feet. I think most of us youngsters have this problem. To concentrate in the moment, I should learn. Like Yoda, I talk now.

"Jaane kya hoga, kya hoga kya pata... is pal ko milke aa jee le zara "

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I started reading the Life of Mirza Ghalib recently. The book is written by Gulzar and fortunately I have an autographed copy. So I decided to let go of my tech addiction and tried reading it.

It was pretty interesting. Took me back to my love of poems and philosophical abstract writings. But soon, I gave it up because I got distracted by a new bookmark. It was a picture of a door in Puraani Dilli. Yeah, I started clicking pictures of it. *Sigh *

"Dhaage tod laaon chaandi se noor ke, Ghungat hi banaa lo roshni se noor ke"

Okay, that is Gulzar playing in the background again.

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It has been a long time since I stopped watching the television or reading the newspapers. Nothing that both the mediums show can be taken seriously. There is just too much of information thrown about. We really need to know less. Trust me on that.

I liked my free days. When I was all by myself. I felt stronger. Those were my adolescent years. 

Recently, I spent an entire evening with my friend in a secret place I will not name. It was like we were camping under the stars. We zoomed on her scooty with the wind blowing in our faces. It was bliss. And we chalked out patterns of constellations in the sky. And then, thought of how we wanted to be astronomers/astronauts as kids. I guess that's every kid's standard dream.

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What is with Lata Mangeshkar's voice in the movie Mera Saaya? It has such a beautiful haunting quality to it(which fits with the movie's theme btw). Lovely songs. And yes, Rahet Fateh Ali Khan also. Listen to this.

mind =blown

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I have changed the template of my blog. Earlier I was using dynamic views but I hated it. I changed it to something sober now. But I hate this too. I 'll find time someday and fix this as well. 

Till then enjoy one nice soundtrack. It's from a show named Zindagi Gulzar Hain. The show was short with 27 episodes and pretty decent. Its funny no matter how regressive Pakistan tries to behave, it's music scene always manages to supersede the Indian(current) one.

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One year old.

On this day, exactly one year ago, I started my blog - Merci. It has a bit of history as I have been writing ever since childhood. Only in a dispersed sort of way. In notebooks mostly. As a child I had a diary which had a collection of poems I wrote or phrases I liked. I also had another notebook where I'd pen down lines  written/ said by famous people. Lines i particularly loved.  Id like to believe those were my first blogs. Only, they were not virtual. But I like to think of the effort I took with pride and also there is another kind of charm to the written word. 

As the internet culture grew we had Facebook and several social media platforms. Blogging or micro blogging- common terms. I continued writing posts on Facebook notes as I was, what you could call, not very pro-blog maintenance. I saw several people pour their hearts out or write regularly. I could never do it. So yeah, I stayed away from blogs for almost 7 years! I started one and randomly posted poems written ages ago  but never used it.

In January 2014, I don't know what came over me. But I had to write things somewhere I could keep them forever. So I revamped my earlier blog to Merci. A name that has, in a special way became associated with me and many memories. I wouldn't take credit for the name though. A friend recommended it. Merci was supposed to be  joint blog. But it never happened.

I don't know how usual or unusual it is for people to celebrate blog anniversary or blogversary as they say these days. But I want to.  Because I know it has been a certain kind of achievement to come back to this page during intervals of my life and fill it.

What was particularly encouraging was that a lot of people from nowhere , simply out of the blue, have told me they enjoy reading it. They said they relate to stuff or a certain post made them happy. Such things obviously make my day. I don't think I can write with pretence. If it comes to heart it may come down in words.

Writing is beautiful and so is reading. Its great how words can brighten our souls whether you read them or write them.

I don't what to make this too long and sappy.

Happy First Blog Anniversary to me. To Merci.

2015 !

Finally 2015 is here with all gung-ho and fervor. New years are so lucky. They always receive so much attention and adulation. All this, without even knowing what it has in store for us. Great luck I must say.

A year ago, on 22nd of January, I started my blog. So yeah, anniversary is approaching. I need ideas on how to celebrate it (on this blog obviously). If anyone has any thing in their mind, please share.

Today as I write this post I don't feel very inspired. I almost had a thought there, for how long am I going to maintain this blog? Someone recently asked me, why do I write? And if I do, why do I share it? I write because I find it soothing, maybe. And I don't mind sharing it with people. If they read it and found something useful or enjoyed it or took away something from it or added something back to me, there would be no harm right? I didn't understand the question at all. Mainly because the variables of my life rejected it. It was silly and I let it go.

People were talking about resolutions. What they are and how they should be. Skill development or habits changing. Talks are futile commodities. If I want to really do something I always do it. I don't need resolutions.

The best gift I would like to receive this year is freedom. Freedom from bad thoughts, bad people, bad things and a chance to do what I like. What inherently makes me happy. Some support. Some respite. Some something. something something. too much some.

Perspective. With time perspective changes. At time t1 I want a thing A. A is perfect. A solves all my problems Staying away from home, earning, living, being, escapism. But t1 remains elusive. So , I forget about it. How badly I wanted it. At t2 I want B. But B does not want me. And I'm chasing my own tail. And after several years I do get A. I cannot see it's importance anymore whilst I have it, because I have B too. And I want B and I don't want to lose A. And I want A and I don't want to lose B. And I don't know what choice to make. It's tricky. But I choose one and lose another and what if I eventually lose both. Then what do I have left?

The problem is that at every instant your desires may change. And that your perspective will be different. And at the end of it all, you will remain stupid. Or maybe I will.

Communication should always be possible in relations. If you can't even talk to a person about what's in you heart , it's a useless place to be in. Parents, friends or siblings.

Sitting in one corner of the world. Writing your own blog and not knowing anyone at all feels like a perfect solution to things. Not having people around you to bother you at all.

If you want to do anything new this year then just try pursuing your hobby. Believe me it feels wonderful.

Until then, ciao!