Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas world!!! :D

Nail art

This post has nothing to do with my blog's theme. But, I just wanted to post a picture of the nail art I did on my fingers today... :D
I really liked this combination of a star and moon.... I'll make another one sometime having bows and ribbons!! :)

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Did I just hear the bells ring?
Oh yes I did!
Its Christmas. I love this time of the year. And I have already mentioned the reasons for that in one of my earlier posts.

I sometimes wish that Santa Claus really exists. The idea of him flying across the sky sitting on his sleigh is magical and excites me all the time. The red coat and red trousers and of course the nine flying reindeer. Oh! It all seems to wonderfully magical!

While going through one one of the issues of Reader's Digest, I had come across Santa Claus's postal address. I had even written a letter to him. But, I didn't get it delivered.

Once, I had decided to keep my stockings under my pillow so that Santa could leave my gifts inside it. Next morning, I woke up and immediately checked under my pillow. I was disappointed because I didn't find any gifts inside the stocking.

But, when I went to the living area, I found wonderful gifts(too big to fit in the stocking) on the table! I was so delighted. :D
Whenever I recall my Christmases, I feel nostalgic and I wish that I am sent back to those days when Santa existed for me. :)

Failure stories

Just failed to achieve something? Did not get the thing that you used to always dream about?
For about two months, I was sad because of something that I couldn't achieve.

I had always wanted to dub in the school play. When I was in standard six(my first experience of annual function in this school), I was pretty new to plays and dubbing. But, in standard seven, I wanted to dub. I wasn't much into speaking in public and we didn't have auditions then. So, I ended up being in the choir.

We didn't have the annual function in standard eight. But, towards the end of standard eight, I began doing something new, i,e, participating in public speaking competitions. It was a great feeling. I really enjoy speaking and it gives me a lot of joy.



This time I really wanted to dub. It was my aim. I used to think about it day and night. We had auditions this year. Ma'am really liked the way I spoke. So did my friends and classmates. I thought I was in. Just when my bubble was getting formed, it burst.



I wasn't selected! Reason : I was in the choir and so selecting me would be like stepping on the toes of the choir co-ordinator. It was heart-breaking. And I am not exaggerating. I cried so many times. I used to sulk half the time!



After several days I came to know through one of the dubbers that ma'am had a misconception. She was thinking that I was chosen as the lead singer!!

But, before I had come to know about this misconception, something wonderful had happened to me! Another teacher approached me. She wanted me to become the emcee for one of the events. Back then, I was blind to the importance of becoming the emcee.



But, now that the annual function is just two days away, I have understood and realised that being the emcee is such a fun thing. It's a new experience for me. A wonderful one!

I failed for a reason. I didn't become a dubber for a reason. And today I realised that the reason was good! :)

December!

The year's coming to an end! I can't believe it! Wasn't it just yesterday when this year began?
But I look forward to Decembers. And there are a number of reasons for that..
a) Our family generally has get-togethers in Decembers.. that is definitely something to look forward to!
b) My school conducts the annual function every alternate year in December. And 2012 happens to be the year of the annual function!
c) Most importantly, I love winters!
I definitely can't relate to snowy decembers because I live in one of the hotter parts of India. Winter, here means, temperature falling to ten degree Celcius.. :P

Well I guess I'll be now sharing with you things that define the winter season.
Without them, December(for me and also for some others) is incomplete...

1. Snowfall - As I said before, I can't relate to snowy winters. However, last year I had been to Gangtok in December and I got the wonderful opportunity to experience really cold and snowy winters.


2. Christmas Celebrations - I used to love christmas when I was small because of the wonderful presents given to me. Today, I love it because it is such a beautiful festival!


3. Baking - Baking in winters is so much fun and convenient..


4. The blankets - I just can't make myself come out of them during the cold season!!


Right now, I can't think of any more things. But, I am sure there are many other things that make up December...! 

The festival of lights

Diwali for me had always been about Puja and then bursting crackers. But, this time I did two new things that I thoroughly enjoyed. So, here I am sharing the pictures of the end products!
So, the first thing I did was painting diyas. It was a pretty simple thing to do! I first gave a white colour to the diyas, let it dry and then finally painted it with vibrant colours. So, given below are some of the diyas that I painted.  :)

The next thing that I did was make a rangoli. Now, we always make rangoli infront of our door on Diwali. But, earlier I used to only draw the rangoli and my mum used to fill in the colours. This time, I not just drew the rangoli's design but also filled in the colours. I was pretty satisfied with the end product as it was my first attempt! 

So, thats the rangoli! 

Had loads of fun making that! :D 

Thats all for today! Will be back soon! :)

My Diary

Maintaning a personal diary is such a bliss! Going through it at the end of a year makes you realise the enormous amount of changes that a single event, incident or a year brings in you! It also makes you realise that life is like a pendulum... Sometimes you feel the pain of disappointment and sometimes you feel the sweetness of joy!

Many people don't maintain diaries because they are lazy.. I used to always maintain diaries for the first few months of a year. But, this time I have maintained my diary right till the end of the year(courtesy : my aunt cause she got me a Harry Potter diary. How can one not maintain that? :P)

Flipping through it's pages I feel as if it was only yesterday when I was freaking out before my first elocution or I was cheering Kolkata knight riders during their finals!

It's a great feeling! And such a beautiful experience when you can go back to the past without using a time turner! ;)

So, I strongly recommend that each one of you should maintain a diary from 2013 onwards! You'll thank me!

Fete @ Loyola School, Bhubaneswar

If you weren't there, you missed out on a lot of fun!
I am in ninth standard and we are supposed to be volunteering in the Children's Day Fete. I had always dreaded volunteering because I thought that I wouldn't be able to enjoy the fete if I volunteered. However, this fete turned out to be the best!
It was truly the best experience of fete. There was a lot of work, music, fun and yes, dance! My friends and I were working at the song dedication stall. During our first shift, everything was going slowly. When the unexpected second shift began, we didn't have time to breathe! We were trying to plug similar song requests together and we were all screaming on top of our voices!
Towards the end, the tenthers set fire to the dance floor. We played Gangnam Style atleast a dozen time. We all went down to dance. We danced till the fete ended!
It was a great experience. Tiring, but exhilarating.. Looking forward to more such wonderful experiences...!!!

A Year Down!

A year ago, I had written down my first post for my blog. It was a review of Shah Rukh Khan starrer Ra.One. I had always wanted to open my blog. My aunt was the first person to advise me.

Blogging is just such a fun and good experience because you can write all that's in your heart! The best part is checking out the stats! Oh, how much I love seeing that page! :P

I wish that I never stop blogging. It has become an integral part of my life and I hope that I continue to write more and more!! :)

Here's wishing Life is Beautiful(my blog), a very happy first anniversary!! :D Blow the candles and make a wish! ;)


And also Happy Halloween!! :D

Get-together diaries

So, finally I've got something interesting to write about :D

Yesterday, we had a get-together at a friend's place. One of my friends was missing :P But, it was great fun!!

I can't wait to share all that happened...

We were just three girls. When I reached at my friend's place, we chatted for a while, listened to music and clicked pictures. Then we went into the kitchen where icing supplies were kept ready for us. We began icing the awesome pure chocolate cupcakes brought by my other friend. It was an awesome experience. It was our first time and I am sure that everyone enjoyed just as much as I did. 

                                      

                                                           The pure choco cupcakes...

                                      

                                                                       After icing....

                                      

                                                     That was iced by me.. pretty, huh?

We had lunch. Went to the terrace and and chatted away the time. ;) 

It was evening and it was time for us to help my friend bake her first cake! We checked the recipe on net and made sure that all the ingredients were at home. We then began the prep. 

It was hilarious and outrageously funny to see her mix the batter. She was so new at this!! We helped her with the mixing and the batter was ready!

                                      

We poured it into a baking dish and it was time to bake. We waited anxiously for the cake to come out of the oven. After 25 minutes, the cake was done. When my friend took out the cake from the tin, we were all overjoyed. It was beautifully cooked. Soft and spongy! :D

We iced the cake a bit and we were ready to serve. 

                                     

                                      

It was a yummmmy cake!!! I hope she learnt something useful and fun.

Like all good things, the day came to an end. But, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I look forward to more such good times with my lovely friends :)

Jab Tak Hai Jaan Songs

Its been a long time since I posted something on my blog. My vacations have just begun and I have spent my past couple of days listening to Bollywood music and reading quotes.
I would like to write about the few songs that I have heard.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a movie which is going to be released on Diwali 2012, i.e., 13th November. It was Yash Raj Chopra's last directorial venture as he passed away yesterday. Truly, its a great loss to the industry. RIP Yash Chopra.
The songs for the movie have been composed by the maestro, A.R.Rahman and the lyrics have been written by the great Gulzar.
The songs are fresh and new. All the songs are really nice but I must admit that I have my favourites.
My personal favourites from the album are Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the poem as well as the song.
The title track is awesome and makes me go back to it again and again and yet again! The poem is very well written by Aditya Chopra.
Ishq Shava is another very delightful song! Challa is fresh and soothing.. Jiya Re is funky and nice. I initially didn't like Saans all that much, but, now I find it to be a pretty good song. Heer is slow and beautiful in its own way.
But, if I have to recommend something, I will recommend the poem and the title track.
I really hope that this movie does well at the box office as well as in the hearts of the audience and the critics. I am sure it will. Till then enjoy the songs..!! :)

Decisions

Life is all about decisions and choices. It is said very rightly in one of the Harry Potter books : "it is your choices that show you who you truly are". Well, obviously, this line was used in a different context in the book!

You have to make choices every day and every moment.. And these choices affect not just your life but also the life of so many others!

Decision making is difficult! Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you are not able to decide... Sometimes, we need to take hard decisions and sometimes the quick ones!

And then the worst and best part about choices - they change!
Yeah, it's true! You choose something today and months ans years later you end up choosing something else.. This shows the uncertainity of our decisions.

I had always wanted to become an engineer, walk through the gates of Indian Institute of Technology(IIT). I have alway loved physics. It's not an easy subject. But, it's super interesting. I was completely against choosing a medical profession for myself. I liked biology but I felt that the medical field is for braver hearts than mine...

When I came to standard nine, I became really interested in biology. I started thinking of becoming a radiologist!! Now, this was a shocker for me! Never had I thought that I would ever wish to become a doctor!

It's not that I don't want to be an engineer anymore! I still like physics! But, then I also like biology. I have to make a choice.. Maybe it's too early to make one. But, it has to be made!

I don't know what choice I will make. I don't know what job I'll be doing 10 years hence! It's a hard decision to make. But I'm sure I'll be able to male it!

I am reminded of a few lines from Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken" which I will share with you :
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence :
Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Note : the poem has left it to the readers to decide whether the 'sigh' is an expression of happiness or an expression of disappointment....

Come on! Cheer up!!! :D

Exam papers have started coming out and I see so many emotions around me. There are people happily looking at their marks and then there are those who are wearing a depressed look on their face! The exams definitely cause a lot of discrimination.. I see my friend sulking away just because she hasn't received good marks. Sorry, a correction, my friend is sulking away because she is not receiving marks as good as mine or my other friends! Is that the way to deal with marks? Do you go away from your friends just because they are better scorers?
Oh come on!! You know that's not true! I know practically no one would agree with me, but marks really don't matter. Its the knowledge that matters at the end of the day!
I too believe in marks. I will be sad if I don't get the so-called "good" marks. But, who is really going to remember. May be you will remember your marks. But, no one else is ever going to think, "What marks did she get in history in standard nine?".
And then there are people who start forming these groups like '90% students' and '80% students'. What's the point in doing so? You will part with your friends just because they fit into the '90%' group? You will consider yourself to be unworthy of their friendship because of such stupid reasons?
Come on!!! Get over this! You know that your friends can't survive without you! They will never put your marks before you!! NEVER!! Why are you sulking then? Why are you sobbing? Why are you going away then?
Why? Oh why?
Come on, mate! We are here for you! You can share all that's in you with us. We will help you out. And if we can't we will stand by you. Don't blindly believe what others have told you! Percentages are nothing in front of our friendship!! Get over it! We are waiting! :D

There are days when I come to my blog and I just don't feel like writing anything. So I end up just checking the stats and then going away. Then there are days when I feel like writing a lot and I do write a lot. Then there are days when I feel like writing a lot, but I can't decide what should I write about!
Today falls into the third category of days. I have this strong urge to write something interesting to update my blog. But, I just can't think of a topic to write on.
I think of writing about myself and my aspirations. I think of writing about my take on life, the dreams that I dream and the goals that I want to achieve. But, then I feel : "Would this be of interest to all readers?". And I drop the idea!
Next, I think of writing about my plans for the day. But then I realise that I haven't made any!
I think of writing about the weather outside, but, there's not much to write about it. The weather's not that inspiring!
I don't have anything to write about cricket or about books. Although I did make a pizza yesterday(my very own recipe), I am not in the mood to write about food.
I am going to go for a movie later today. But, I can't really write about the movie unless I have seen it. And then there's no point in expressing my excitement!
I think of writing about blogging. I started blogging when my aunt suggested me to do so. My friend also started blogging on the same day. Blogging is just such a good way of expressing your thoughts, ideas and so much more. As I am thinking of writing about blogging, I drop that idea as well.
And now I am sitting, thinking that I didn't write anything at all. It's only when I read what I have written above, that I realised, I have already written a post!!!

Wow! That's surprising!! But, I guess that's the magic of blogging! Ideas simply flow out of your mind!!
Ending a post, that I never really intended to write, I would like to say that I LOVE BLOGGING!!! And I suggest that everyone should start blogging about something or the other...!!!

It's been a long time since I posted something on my blog.. And I am really sorry to keep you all waiting.. But now that I am back I have many things to write about. Most importantly I want to write about the experience that I had during this examinations..

The exams kicked off on the 3rd of September. While writing my very first examination, I forgot one of the points of an answer. Never in the last few years had it been that I have completely forgotten a point. I had to concentrate a lot to remember. It was a weird experience. 

The rest of the week was no good. For me, exams have always been an enjoyable experience. This time, however I cried before my 2nd, 4th and 5th exams. I stressed out before the rest. I believe that I performed well in the exams but the experience was a hectic one. 

Why was I nervous and tensed? I don't really know! I wish I had known! I was under no pressure by anyone.. But, still I felt that I had to perform well. Why? I again have no idea. 

I wish I knew the answers...

Before the 6th exam we had a long weeken at our disposal. My dad and mum asked me to read a pages from Dale Carnegie's book : How to stop worrying and start living

I have to admit that it's a beautiful book. I learnt that if I think I will fail, I will most definitely will. But if I think that I can do it, I most surely will. 

The book did give me some confidence. But, this exam was a lot different from the others.. I'll make sure that all others are not like this one. :D

I do recommend that all of you should go through Dale Carnegie's "How To Stop Worrying And Start Living". Its a wonderful book! 

This friendship day, lets enjoy some wonderful songs with our friends..

Enjoy Guys!

Happy Friendship Day!!!

Friendship Day!

My friend : What do you want for friendship day?

Me(writing impulsively) : You!

My friend : I love you!

What I wrote, was directly from my heart. 

Friendship is just such a boon to all of us. I love all my friends so much! And by friends I obviously mean not only my inner circle of close friends but also everyone else! There is this ad which is so true. It says, "Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai", which means, that every friend is important. 

I have so many different personalities whom I call my friends... And life would have been so different without them! 

If I didn't have a friend who studied hard from morning till night, I wouldn't have had the urge to pick up the book! ;) 

If I didn't have a friend who was super passionate about dancing, I wouldn't have ever tried to find my passion! :)

If I didn't have a friend who was a crazy fan of Harry Potter, I wouldn't have read the series and I would have missed something really good!! :D

If I didn't have a friend who was crazy after a band, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to laugh at someone's insanity! :P

If I didn't have a friend who used to always finish the syllabus months before the exams, I wouldn't have started before a month was left for the exams...!! :)

If I didn't have a friend who was so bold and outrageously funny, I wouldn't have had a hard laugh! :)

If I didn't have a friend who was famous for cracking poor jokes, I wouldn't have had anyone to hit with a book! :P

All you guys are important.. I haven't mentioned the characterisitics of 'all' my friends. There are so many of you!! But, that doesn't mean that you aren't important..! You all are!

Here's wishing a really happy friendship day to everyone! Lots of Love!! :D <3

I shot an arrow into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For, so swiftly it flew, the sight

Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For who has sight so keen and strong,

That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak

I found the arrow, still unbroke;

And the song, from beginning to end,

I found again in the heart of a friend.

- H. W. Longfellow

M_A_N_G_O :)

The king of all fruits - mango!

Every other fruit bows down in front of mangoes. Who doesn't love them?!
I am writing about mangoes when its time to bid them good bye. This yummy fruit comes once in a year and makes us all swoon for more!
You can eat mangoes in so many ways. I am not fond of mangoes but there are so many of us who love to eat raw mangoes!
I always wish that I could have mangoes all through out the year. It would have been so good to have mangoes even in winters and in spring!
So, here is a list of my favourite ways of enjoying this yummy, sweet, juicy king of all fruits, mango :

1. Mango shake. Milk, mangoes, sugar - blend them together to get a really yummy mango shake. Top it up with ice cream or mango yoghurt if you like!
 

2. Mango ice cream!
 

3. Mango Pie


4. Mango Pudding


5. Mango Kulfi(This is something that you will probably find only in India)


These were my favourite ways of having a mango! What about you?

For now, good-bye mango! See you next year! :D

Hi Guys!
I am really happy that people are liking my blog and appreciating what I write on it. My blog has been visited by many countries like:

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Thanks a lot for visiting my blog from time to time. If you like what I write please follow my blog. You can become a member of my blog by clicking on the button on the right hand side of this page which shows existing followers. Thanks a lot! Enjoy!

Courage...

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow".

We have so many goals to achieve. And we want to achieve them all. To achieve something we need strong determination and we need to work hard. It may also be, that despite our relentless efforts, we fail in achieving our aims. So we also need to be patient.
Apart from being patient and hard-working, one should also be courageous enough to embark on paths which no one else walks on. One should be courageous to bear the failures. One should be courageous so that one doesn't lose hope.
We need courage for whatever we do. We will take a path and it will be full of thorns. People would consider us incapable. But, we need to have courage to bear all our failures and to continue to work hard to achieve our aims.
Courage in a man's heart is the deciding factor of a man's life.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ― Winston Churchill
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ― Nelson Mandela

Don't be afraid of failures. Have the courage to face them!

On 12th of this month, I celebrated my 14th birthday! I realised on that day, that time really flies. It seems only yesterday when I was waiting to turn into a teen. 

Birthdays are always special, especially when it is your's ;) 

It is special because, on this day, everyone makes you realise how special you are to them. 

Honestly, I think that my 14th birthday was the best birthday of my life! A surprise birthday party, awesome gifts and lots and lots of fun are the perfect ingredients for a perfect birthday! 

My mum and dad had organised a surprise birthday party! And all these days, I had no idea about it! 

It really made me feel special..

A big thank-you also goes to my friends who turned up and made me feel all the more happier and pleased! I can't believe how they kept the secret to themselves...! Hats-off to my dearest parents and friends.

So, coming to back to birthdays in general, I don't believe that for a birthday you always need big, pompous celebrations.. It has, it is and it will always be the love that you get on this day, that makes you feel special. Gifts, parties are just ways through which you can express your love for your near and dear ones. Let me clarify, its not that I don't like gifts and parties.. Honestly, I love them! But, I just want to write about things that I love about birthdays, apart from gifts and parties! 

I also did a bit of a calculation today. Turns out, that I have spent 5114 days on this earth! That is quite some time! I bet, two out of three people have done this sort of a calculation at some point of their lives.. 

One of the best things to do on a birthday is to go through your childhood photographs. I was going through mine and I was thinking, "I looked like that years ago!". Ten or say fifteen years from now, I will again look back at those pictures. I wonder what would I think then!

Now, I am running out of time as well as things to write in this particular post.. So, in brief, birthdays come once in a year. But, one should celebrate oneself every day, every moment of forever!