Sunday 30 September 2012

My Listomania....

I have a habit of keeping a small diary and a pen handy in my bag...who knows when I remember anything I have to do and I don't have something to note it down for reminding me later. And thus adding things one by one transforms into a list.

I have a list for everything...to-do list, grocery list, laundry list, to alter, to buy, to cook and sometimes (this may sound weird) list of clothes I have so that I can make out which all colors are there in my wardrobe and for which one I need to shop :P. And if I have to travel...the list of clothes to pack...things to take..medicines...camera...charger..etc etc. Give me a pen and paper and I would be lost in thoughts with these two gadgets and my unending lists....so  much that I have been declared suffering from Listomania by M. And so much for the mania that my pocket diary needs to be renewed quite periodically.... some people who know me question that how do I come up  with various topic for these list of mine..And I reply them promptly with quoting many advantages of this habit. I am an obsessive list maker. I really enjoy the sense of accomplishment by crossing the tasks off. Done. Finished. Mission Accomplished..... I like lists so much that if I accomplish something that wasn't previously on list I write it down so that I can mark it off.  Lists are often the core of my daily planning, the directions of what needs to be done next. Despite the fact that you may be having an iPad or an Android, there is nothing like scribbling on a piece of paper. Putting your to do task is on paper refine your focus...you see it and hence you are committed.


A practical example would be of last year when one of my ex-roommate was getting married and she was in process of doing up her new house..she kept calling me asking what else she needs to buy for kitchen or in cosmetics...as she was short on time and did not want to miss on anything important...and when she found my list mailed to her covering all the required kitchen items and the cosmetics list (which I had made before my wedding)..she was more than overjoyed and really praised me for my this habit :))))

How many times it has happened that you plan and leave home with what things you have to shop in your mind and you come back realizing that you have missed on a couple of things and cribbing on how you will have to go all over again for that...and if it was like urgent then God only help you to tread back to the market facing dreading traffic. So if you were having a list of things noted on a piece of paper, it would have been nearly impossible to overlook and forget it. I have really been caught in these situations before, hence these lists. This habit of mine helps me to be systematic and plan out my day according to the activities as per their importance. So I don't face the question of missing out on important things.

This habit can not only help you in your personal life but as well as your professional life. For eg.. If you are heading a team, that is working on a large complex project with so many tasks to be done and so many people doing them, that staying abreast of all seems unmanageable. You can use your to do list in this situation to help stay organised by structuring your list by team members, writing out tasks and deadline for every person on the project. 

It's not that I am alone who is stuck with this habit, there are many and hence there are number of tools or apps that help you out in creating your to-do list. Well, it's simply too hard to remember everything that you have to do. If you don't write it down, you will probably forget it or remember it at the wrong time (for example remembering what you should have told your boss today as you are just about to go to sleep at night). The point of making all these lists is not to be a compulsive list making person! There are some powerful benefits in making these lists. It helps you to get these items out of your head and onto a storage system where you can remember to do them when the time is right. Also, it makes it easy to get into action because the appropriate list of actions that you can take is there waiting for you. It's also valuable to separate the different types of items because you can deal with them more powerfully when you have listed them in related groups. 

Once you get into this habit, you will certainly be more organized and more effective. Another great benefit is that you can also be more relaxed. You don't have to worry about what you need to do because you have clarified it and written it down. This frees up your mental energy to focus on more creative and interesting tasks than remembering what you have to do. And because you have an appropriate reminder system, it is a lot less likely that you will miss things that you have committed to do. 


Some of the advantages of making list are listed below:

- Organizes your mind ( brings order to chaos...clear your mental clutter)
- Saves on time and effort
- Relieve stress
- Help us from procrastinating
- Beats workload
- Feel good factor (a visual proof that we have done our tasks)

So now if anybody makes fun of this habit of yours, you can surely give these feel good tips. List makers are successful, and if you don’t believe me — check out this fact. Madonna, Ellen Degeneres, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Martha Stewart have all been known to keep lists. Being able to accomplish your goals is one of the secrets of success. 

Well now its time to cross off another task on my to do list ...????.....that of penning my thoughts on my blog :)))))

Get out a piece of paper and pen or open a new document and start listing. Just try it – and if it doesn’t help you stay focused and complete your tasks, I want to hear about it. Also will like to know who all have this habit (mania) along with me :)))

Keep reading n writing too :P



















Wednesday 12 September 2012

My Priced Possession...My BLACK beauty!


Finally...this was a long pending one....So much of thinking & researching has gone into this that it was imperative for me to share with you, dear readers, the almost six months ordeal in deciding on the car to buy along with the various other incidents associated with it. The dream was there long before but was not able to materialize sometimes due to the financial crunch and sometimes due to the indecisive munch.

The car which was there in mind at that point of time(needs to be mentioned as the time frame is really important to understand the whole process) was the very successful new Swift by Maruti Suzuki....a well tested and a popular car...also within our budget. Every time I asked M, when will we go to book the car, now that the model is decided....he would tell me to first decide which car to buy then only we can book it...and I would reply back frustrated that it has been already decided that we are going to buy Swift....and would blame him saying that 'you don't want to buy the car now, that's why you are fooling me around'. And then came in the very BIG question - PETROL or DIESEL? and believe you me that finding an answer to this dreadful question had been a tedious one...full of confusions,  suggestions, decisions, realizations...at the end a draining one...But the answer had to be found. So here began the drive to find it. I was joined in this  journey by a very close friend of mine who was also planning to buy a car. I would also like to add here that the main reason for this question to pop up in our minds was the ever increasing prices of petrol and the speculation that the it will soon touch Rs. 100/litre. And just for your reference, all this was happening around July 2011.

Once the motive was set, began the big research...browsing net for the benefits, features, differences, the pros cons of each one. Hundreds and thousands of different opinions...each for his own..made us all the more confused. Websites like team bhp (got to know the full form of BHP...an addition to the vocab - Brake Horse Power), cardekho.com, carwale.com were read for the reviews and the discussions, various links shared and news releases to update each other on the information found. Every get together was a battleground when we used to start a discussion on this topic and were told literally to shut up if we want to talk on this matter. Anyhow our search or I would say research was going on and it was learnt that now there is a major rise in the diesel cars being sold due to the ever increasing petrol prices, the better fuel economy and the subsidy enjoyed on the diesel prices. Also the fact that we have to shell out extra Rs. 1.25 lakhs for the diesel variant for the same car, which was really depressive at that point of time which would stretch our budget a way too much. Again major permutation & combinations, calculations on mileage, on time needed to reach the break even point when we would start reaping benefits on our diesel engine and of course the pricing. The extra servicing and maintenance charges for the diesel engine which will add to the recurring cost as compared against petrol engine which is a more silent and smooth one. Suggestions from people that the first car should always be a petrol one as it is easier to drive and smooth.....Ohhhh God...so much to break our head for. Reading comparisons, sort of interviewing our car owning friends to get their views and getting yet again a plethora of diverse biased answers...confusing to the core...enough to drive us nuts!

After much brainstorming, Swift Diesel....and can u believe that it took us six months to make a decision and we planned to book it in January 2012 as the waiting period was around 6-8 months..well enough time to arrange for finances. So finally we went to the maruti showroom for a test drive and to see & feel the car physically. Saw the car..bombarded the sales guy with a volley of questions...this that..what not..his views on the car..the diesel or the petrol...And there he demonstrated his best sales skills and tried to lure us for the petrol one and the offers on it. The reason being that the diesel was already selling like hot cake...the need was to market the petrol one. But we were also well researched and determined & the plan was still the same to buy a diesel variant. As we were checking out the leg space, head space, boot size, interiors etc....we saw the showcased dzire next to the swift..so started exploring that as well just for fun and found out that it was more spacious than the swift with a nice interior. So again there was this moment of indecision which compelled us to rethink. And soon enough came the news update from Maruti about the new swift Dzire to be launched in the first week of February with lot more new features at a lesser price than the current dzire. Hence, again a visit to the showroom to inspect the new car and then a unanimous decision to buy the new Swift Dzire!  And as if this was not enough, there was a news of the price hike by Govt.on the diesel cars to earn profits, from 1st April onwards post budget. Speculations were there that the hike can be upto an amount of Rs. 80,000 and this being the major concern for us as we were already overbudget. But to our relief, with the help of my brother in law, we would get the car before April. So finally the car was booked on the 6th day of February. and the colour?....offcourse it has to be the much dzired Midnight BLACK....We were also concerned about the financing part but by God's grace, were able to arrange it. I was so excited about the car and then there was this blast from our landlord to vacate the house as he required it for one of his family commitments. All the happiness subsided. All frustrated, we started searching for the new flat, almost forgetting the car. We got a call on 4th of March informing us that the car has been dispatched from the plant and would reach the showroom within 10 days. This was a great piece of news as we were getting the car exactly after one month of booking and that too before the price hike. But the house hunting had overshadowed all our excitement and happiness. On 6th of March, we finalized the home and now was the time for celebration and shopping for the car as in the cushions, the Ganpati idol etc etc.

Not everything went smooth after that, as we were told by our pundit that the time will not be auspicious to get a new vehicle or for house shifting after 13th March for about a month due to some bad times......and of that 11th and 13th being the most auspicious days...less than a week to plan everything..so requested the car dealer to at least make the car available on 11th just for the pooja and will collect the vehicle on 13th after the registration is done...so did car pooja on 11th morning followed by house pooja in the evening....then again the final shifting on 13th...trying to get it done by evening so that can go to get the delivery of my much dreamed car...but alas! shifting did not finish on time and the delivery was taken by B-I-L on 13th March 2012.... how disappointed I was....nothing went as per the plan...But at least everything was done as per the religious sentiments of our parents and at the end of the day we were happy to get them done as scheduled as it is not everyday that one buys a vehicle.....

AND now I am a proud owner of my BLACK beauty...my much planned and cherished car...enjoin the long drives with friends....the endless rains...music masti....

Today its exactly six months when we brought her home.......and now about the amazing feeling which I get on driving my beloved.......these words come to my mind........
I AM LOVING IT :))))





Monday 10 September 2012

I love u K-K-K-K-Kiran...

He is fondly called as SRK...King Khan...Baadshah of Bollywood...King of Bollywood...It stands true...for me he is The Icon of Romanticism. As far as I can recollect...I understood the meaning of love...romance by watching his films. I liked him from his  initial movies..Deewana, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Darr, Baazigar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na, Anjaam, Karan Arjun..but it was RAJ of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, an all time Blockbuster, who totally floored me...so much so that I had decided to name my son Raj...stupid me...but I cannot tell how much I love this movie...can watch it for number of times...From that time, till now he has been my favourite actor and with no doubt he will be so for the rest of my life. I remember having hundreds of postcards, paper cuttings of him and his movie scenes. I had bought a life size poster of SRK for my room which my mother never approved to paste it...how much I was dissappointed with that and had treasured the poster in my wardrobe till my college days...Really don't remember when I 
misplaced it.



 A Self Made Man

Some people have it all...fame, money, luxuries easily inherited, while some have to achieve great success and reach the place where they stand with their head held high up with lot of hard work...A perfect example of a self made man is Shahrukh Khan. Born in a very  normal family with no filmy background who has seen everything in life...financial crisis...parent's death...the battle for his love Gauri...but through his hard work and a  self belief..he has come so far as a shining star. He is someone who is confident and commands respect. His success story is amazing...how has he created a niche for himself. Whatever people might say about him but I respect him for the very fact that he is a simple man...very much devoted to his family, who has come so far and the attitude about which the world talks about is what makes a person star...makes him stand out...Starting his career from a tv serial to an actor with 14 Filmfare Awards and a Padma Shri Award for his immense contribution to Indian Cinema, in his kitty...he has come a long way and there is no looking back....
Brand SRK

Loved by millions of fans worldwide...he is the heart throb of nation...an adorable charmer...charismatic...a stunner and intelligent. He is an actor, a producer, a cricket team owner, a businessman, a loving husband, a doting dad and above all an entertainer...and how has he done justice to every role...undoubtedly the biggest and the most saleable brand in India and across. His magnetic off screen persona...his clean image...his honesty...his personality make the brand he endorses BIG....

From cars to  soft drinks, from biscuits to pens, from hair oil to beauty fairness creams, from MBA program to anchoring programs...the man endorses it all.

And how can I miss the trademark...KKKKiran, that dimpled grin, playful eyes or arms wide open act....

It was the brand SRK that even though his cricket team did not perform well in IPL season 1 & 2, Kolkata Knight Riders topped the charts with a massive value and having the max profit by his brand endorsements. The tagline of KKR.."Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re" perfectly reflects  his ever fighting attitude.

An Inspiration...

The man who is known for his unlimited energy...is a school of inspiration himself. The life he puts in his dance, his acting is truly mind blowing. From being an inspiration to the young hearts for winnning his lady love to being a passionate person about his family...to be madly in love with his profession. I have read the inspirational talk he gave at Yale school many times..He addressed his talk as his experiences. Every word of it reflects how simple a man he is.


From a ordinary Delhi boy to Baadshah of Bollywood...His journey has always been worth admiring. The star has completed 2 decades in this world of glitterati....Indian Cinema...he has impressed us all and won our hearts and will continue to rule mine for my lifetime.
And his amazing dance moves in Chammak Challo...totally bowled over...the dance steps looked fantastic and effortless...and I was over the moon when KKR won the IPL season 5...which was a well deserved win.


His other movies which I loved are (though I like him in his every movie) Pardes...Kuch Kuch Hota Hai...Chak de...Rab ne bana di jodi.......Here are some of  the famous dialogues from his movies...

Deewana
"Haan haan mujhe ishq hua hai" 

Darr
“Tum hi mera pagalpan ho tum hi mera junoon ho, I love u k k k k kiran.” 

Baazigar
“Kabhi Kabhi Kuch Jeetne Ke Liya Kuch Haarna Padta Hai, Aur Haar Ke Jeetne Wale Ko Baazigar Kehte Hain.” 

Anjaam
"Door gagan mein ek tara mujhko lagta hai pyaara..mujhko mera tara dede.... maa mujhe vo tara dede…"

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
“It's alright Senorita, Bade Bade Deshon Mein, Aisi Choti Choti Baatein Hoti Rahti Hain.” 

Dil Toh Pagal Hai
“Rahul…naam to suna hoga?”

Pardes
"Vishwas ka, maan ka, maryaada ka, pooja ka, pyaar ka. Agar Ganga ki hifazat karna pyaar hai, to pyaar hai, pyaar hai, Haan pyaar hai......."

Dil Se
"Bahut pyar karta hoon main tumse.........Dil Se"

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
“Hum ek baar jite hain, ek baar marte hain, shaadi bhi ek baar hoti hai, aur pyar….ek hi baar hota hai.” 

'P
yaar dosti hai. Agar woh meri sabse achi dost nahi ban sakti toh main usse kabhi pyaar kar hi nahi sakta. Kyunki dosti bina toh pyaar hota hi nahi.'


Baadshah
“Kabhi Kabhi dil jodne ke liye dil todna parta hai, aur dil tod ke jodne wale ko…. pata nahin kya kehte hain”

Mohabbatein
“Pyaar zindagi ki tarah hota hai, Jiska her mod aasan nahi hota, Her raste per khushi nahi milti, Per jab hum zindagi ka saath nahin chorte, To hum pyaar karna kyon chorein…” 


Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
“Zindagi mein kuch banna ho, Kuch haasil karna ho, Kuch jeetna ho, To hamesha apne dil ki suno, Aur agar dil se bhi koi jawaab na aaye … To apni aankhein band karke apni Maa aur Baba ka naam lo … Phir dekhna tum her manzil paa sakoge, Her mushkil aasan ho jayegi, Jeet tumhari hogi….. Sirf tumhari…”

Devdas
“Kaun Kambakht Bardasht karne ke liye peeta hai... "

“Babuji ne kaha paro chodo, paro ne kaha sharab chodo, aap kah rehein hain ghar chodo, ek din aya ga who kaha ga duniya chodo.”

Kal Ho Na Ho
“Aaj….. Aaj ek Haseen aur baant loon…. Aaj ek Dua aur mang loon….Aaj ek aansoo aur pee loon… Aaj ek Zindagi aur ji loon…Aaj ek Sapna aur dekh loon…..Aaj….. Kya pata Kal Ho Naa Ho!!!”

Chalte Chalte
"Duniya ke kisi kone mein ek aadmi hai jo bahut khush hai... Kyon ki tum khush ho..."

Veer Zara
Please mujhe galat mat samajhyega. Main jaanta hoon aap kissi aur ki amaanat hain. Aur na toh hum dono ke beech main aisa koi rishta hai, naa hi aisa koi rishta hoga. Lekin kabhi bhi, kahin bhi, ek dost ki zaroorat pade, toh yaad rakhiyega, ki sarhad paar ek aisa shaks hai, jo aap ke liye apni jaan bhi de dega.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna
"Kehte hain, ke shaadi ki buniyat sirf beimtehan mohabbat honi chahiye, aur kuch bhi nahin, kyun ki agar buniyaad galat ho, to rishte toot jaate hain."

Don
"Don ke dushman ki sabse badi galti hai.... ki woh don ka dushman hai” 
“Don ko pakarna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai“!
“Mujhe jungli billiyan bahut pasand hai” 

Chak De
"Sattar minute. Sattar minute hain tumhare paas. Shayad tumhari zindagi ke sabse khaas 
sattar minute."

Swades
"Main nahi manta humara desh duniya ka sabse mahaan desh hai. Lekin yeh zaroor manta hoon, hum mein taaqat hai, kabiliyat hai apne desh ko mahaan banane ki. Dekhiye yeh dono desh (USA and India) har pehlu, har roop mein ek dono se bahut alag hain. Shayad mujhe kehna nahi chahiye lekin aapne baat chedi hai isliye keh raha hoon. Jab bhi hum muqable mein darne lagte hain, hum ek hi cheez ka aadhar lete hain – sanskar, parampara."

Om Shanti Om
“Picture abhi baki hai mere dost.”

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
"Never say gud bye..
always say..hum hai raahi pyaar k fir milenge chalte-chalte"


My Name Is Khan
"Kuch khaas awaazon se dil ki dhakkane tez ho jaati hai. Mere liye toh mandira, woh awaaz, hamesha tumhari hasi ki ti."

Don2
"Sir? sir bohat shareef lagta hai...call me Don!"  
“I AM BACK”

Ra.One
"Larai goliyon se nahin, dil se jeeta jaati hain" 

There are a lot more....these one being the most highlighted ones...But my all time favourite is DDLJ...



And I am waiting for the next one by this year end where SRK is Samar....

I wish to meet him one day...just to see him live...the person who fascinates me...who inspires me...who defined the word Love to me...For me he will be the sole superstar of Bollywood,,....the shining star...An epitome of Romance.....Ohhh God,...I can go on and on... but I will like to end this with...

Itni Shiddat se maine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai,

Ke har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai,
Kehte hain, Agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho,
Toh puri kayanat usey tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jati hai,
Aaj aap sab ne mujhe meri chahat se mila diya,
Main aap sabka shukr guzaar hun ki,
Aapne mere sapno ko yakeen mein badal diya,
itna-itna ke I feel king of the world...
Aur aaj is baat ka bhi yakeen ho gaya, Ki humari filmon ki tarah,
Hamari zindagi mein bhi end tak sab theek ho jata hai,
Aur agar woh theek nahi hai, toh woh THE END nahi hai doston,
Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost...
Picture abhi baaki hai!!!!!

Luv you Sh Sh Sh Sh Shahrukh :))))