Fear

Today’s prompt is – What am I afraid of?

There are plenty on that list. I am deadly afraid of lizards for they give me the creeps. But, most of my fears are quite abstract. I am afraid of not being there when I am needed by the people I most care about.

There are plenty of things that give me anxiety when I think of it, but I take them to be a test for myself. The anxiety and the cold feet are but symptoms of when I am asked to step out of my comfort – that is never a joy for someone like me. However, one must persevere. Conquer as you go is the motto for such situations.

Then too I realise I can handle a lot of things most people would not want to deal with. I have Life to thank for that. But, if I have to travel through a narrow road with traffic coming every which way, I scream or just close my eyes. It is such little things that actually make me scream like a girl.

Today’s topic was quite a bore to write about. I am not a daredevil, but I am not afraid of too many things in life. I had to post this topic yesterday, but I had a devil of a headache since I woke up and was lying in bed all day.

A Book

Today’s prompt is to post about my favourite childhood book. And I remember that I wrote about it not too long ago.

I might as well link back to that post. Here it is! It was not all about the book, but about a favourite character, but still it counts.

This post was way too easy 🙂

Timeline

Alright, by now you all know that I am a bit pedantic about somethings and lethargic about others. If I am both with regards to one thing, it has got to be Time!

I remember when I was studying, I used to have a separate diary into which I would log I how many hours I would study what. (I honestly recommend this practice to all those who are preparing for competitive exams.) This habit is one I still maintain. I used to have a book for my day, but then Google Calendar happened and it is a fabulous tool to have. It is where I put in most of my day.

As you can see on some days, I am very diligent about filling my calendar in and on the others I am not. The purple coloured blocks are work, while the light green coloured ones are studying and reading. The pink coloured blocks are self-care or my time to be pampered by myself – do my nails, a facial or an oil massage… stuff like that. And the brown coloured blocks are my cleaning time, yellow is for food (snacks and meals!). The bottom half of that screen, not shown here, would have a thin red coloured block to show my prayer time. There would also be a few other colours like a lighter red for meditation and a shade of blue for exercise. The huge grey colour block is everything bedtime – Sleeping, pre and post routines. If you haven’t yet used such a system I highly recommend it, it gives you a fresh perspective on your time management skills.

So, how does my timeline every day look like? I am not a fully functioning human being before 10 am. Therefore that grey block will always extend to 10 in the morning. Then there is work. I start off by tackling off all the chores that need to be online, like making a booking or paying dues etc. Then progressing into work based on priorities. I take breaks every now and then, and I use a Pomodoro timer (Pomotasking extension on Chrome). I read or look up Feedly during this time. Once I have been at my desk for a couple of hours, I go and clean up the house. It is the break my body needs. So on till the evening when I have classes to teach. Then I have the classes I signed up for and then some exercise, prayer, dinner and TV time. Finally, meditate and bed.

That is about all what I can fit in into my day. But sometimes, I do not bother logging in anything into the calendar. Some days my body and mind are too tired, like yesterday when I skipped writing this post, and taking care of myself is my priority then. Things will pile up, but I need to be in top condition to function best. Making oneself a priority is important!

What, what???

I actually missed writing this post. It was yesterday’s prompt, but I am making it today’s and will push the others down by a day as well. You know why I was unable to post anything yesterday. Before I start off, today is Pongal. Wishing you a very Happy Pongal! If you want to know about it, here is a little I wrote about a few things related to Pongal a while back.

Coming to handbags, I have three primary ones. A big black, a medium sized maroon one, and a smaller tan sling bag. Then there are the ones I take along for the chores I need to get done, like a Kanvas Katha tote. That doesn’t count. I do have more than a few clutches, but that is exempt as well from this post. So, what is in my handbag…

…Here are two of them.

Nothing! My handbags have nothing in them. I have mostly kept my bags this way since I can remember. Except for one thing. I always used to tuck away a five hundred rupee note in each of my bags and clutches. It was in the case of emergencies. One note, folded in four, held with steel paper clip was always tucked away in one pocket. I could always fish it out with the magnet attached on my swiss knife if I needed that money. And do not think I am rich brat tucking away money everywhere. One needs to be always prepared for an emergency. Sigh! I had to stop that habit because of demonetisation. You see I do not hold a lot of cash in hand. And what I could rummage off, I dealt with during that time. Then after a few months, well after the time for exchanges or deposits for old currency was allowed, I found one five hundred rupee note in one of my clutches.

Imagine the heartache! And to remind me of my forgetfulness, I stuck that note on to the mirror so everyone could see it.

That was a bit off track from the topic. Nonetheless, it was a lesson to spread. Now then, as you can see two of my bags, the maroon one is not featured, have nothing in them. That is because I have a bag organiser and I also have a draw to fit all of the knick-knacks in.

Let’s list off the things, clockwise from top left – wallet and coin purse; address book; a notebook, post-its, a small pen; a ‘proper’ pen; headphones and pocket-sized hand sanitiser; battery backup; Swiss knife; handbag organiser. My handbag organiser has many many pockets, two zippered compartments and one huge compartment in the middle. What you see is one side of it containing a hand sanitiser, mirror, clips, safety pins and rubber bands, earbuds, bandaid and pepper spray, wet wipes and tissues. The other side has limited stuff, a roll on for headaches, gum and mints and a foldable shopping bag. I use to the middle compartment to hold a book. One of the zippered compartments holds my sanitary and hygiene kit, and the other is empty mostly but will hold an umbrella in case needed.

Not all of this goes into all of my bags or clutches. But this is all of it organised. The small pen, pocket-sized sanitiser, basically all the small stuff is for my smaller clutches. I have small wallets as well to hold cash and coins if I am using such clutches. But for my bags, this stuff is what mostly goes in. I may add in some of my makeup, eyeliner and lipstick, that I am wearing into the organiser. My sunglass case if I am using it, which is most of the time when I am out, will also be included in it.

And yes, most of it is leather. I am all for animal welfare, but I have had some of these bags for more than a decade now and they look like they will last for a lifetime. And… none of them hold any amount of money, not even for emergencies.

Oh, did you notice the spelling mistake in the header image? I did not notice it until I uploaded the image and I couldn’t be bothered to correct it now. So, I am letting it be. Perfection is overrated anyway.

 

 

Quote

If you have been to my personal Twitter, you will find my pinned tweet is a Tolstoy quote. It is very ironic.

J.B. on Twitter

I understood that if I wish to understand life and its meaning, I must not live the life of a parasite, but must live a real life. – Tolstoy

All I do on Twitter is lurk around and read interesting threads, watch twitter fights from the sidelines, watch animals being funny and otherwise use it to increase my stalker skills.

Then there are the few I have liked on GoodReads. And there are the many I actually have flitting about in my head. Like this one,

“A lie is an affront to the soul, as well as an insult to the intelligence of the person to whom one lies.”

― Judith McNaught, Something Wonderful

Plenty of quotes floating around all around me. However, there is one that is very important.

Sometimes, the quote does speak for itself and we need not write odes to it.

Lottery

Today’s Prompt – What if I won the lottery!

Haha… That would be a dream come true for everybody, wouldn’t it?

And what would I do if I won the lottery? It depends on many things actually. Primarily, it would depend on the amount I won. Let’s take the “Go Big or Go Home” path and imagine I won the World’s largest lottery.

I won it and I have an insanely obscene amount of money now. What would I do? Of course, I would buy the usual stuff – real estate, stocks and bonds, gold and art. I would also buy a comfortable car. Nothing flashy or fast. I have always thought that if I were to have a humungous amount of money, I would buy a Mercedes GLE. It is a nice sized car and it would great for going about with my people! And maybe, I would get another car for the purpose of my family – a compact car, chauffer driven so that my mom, sister and grandmother can go where ever they want, whenever they want. A Hyundai Creta would be perfect for that. My dad, of course, has his own vehicle, so if he wants an upgrade, he gets one of his choice.

And the real estate, I would spend a good fraction of the lottery to generate rental income. But, I would definitely spend a big sum on a home for myself. It has got to be big! Maybe a two or three bedroom home, with a moderately sized kitchen. However, there will be an entire floor filled with books! Imagine plenty of windows, with window seating, reading nooks and comfortable chairs and chaises.

The above image is from here. It does look like a good plan.

It goes without saying that my workstation, desk and all the accoutrements would be on this floor only. Basically, I would be living there!

Of course, the house would be solar powered, with plenty of space for a garden (one on the roof as well). And there will definitely be space for art in that home. I do spend hours on Instagram looking through The Louvre (remember this post) and other museums; it is only natural I would have to have something gaze-worthy in my space. Another splurge would be my bed. I spend a third of the 24 hours in a day in bed and it goes without saying that the bed would have to be a heavenly abode for me – the best that money can buy for me. The bathroom is also a space that is a zen-zone for me, and that is something I would splurge upon.

Investments apart, that is all I can really come up with as a plan if I won the lottery. I would also perhaps put up a fund for my parents, my sister and a few very best friends. It goes without saying that charity is a given thing, especially education.

And then there are the completely inane guilty pleasures – makeup, food and… a lifetime membership on Netflix! Tennis and Golf as well. I mean I don’t care if I don’t get tickets to the Wimbledon or a golf club membership, my middle-class mentality would be offended if I were to spend on it. But, I would definitely get the games on a PS at least.

Huh, now that I think about it, having won the World’s Biggest Lottery, I only have very modest dreams in comparison. And then there is the income from the ROI as well. So I shall keep all that money in reserve for whatever whims and fancies strike me in my new rich person lifestyle.

Oh, and lastly a pet for me… a dog!

In the end, one needs to remember that if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Pride

Today’s prompt – Most Proud Moment.

As soon as I read today’s prompt, I harrumphed like a dowager duchess. Honestly, I think being proud of a particular moment in one’s life is not a good mentality. One needs to be proud of every moment. Did you throw a tantrum, be proud of it. Did you bawl your eyes out, be proud of it. Did you climb the Everest, be proud of it. Did you take 3000 steps today, be proud of it.

Nothing, no matter how big or small is meant to be ignored. You have done it. It was your thoughts, words, and actions, that made you complete whatever deed it was. Have you seen a child ever being proud of turning on its stomach, or sitting up, or take its first step? The baby just continues to do it again and again and improves upon that. An attitude worthy of replicating. I think even Roger Federer would not be proud of his many, many accomplishments. There will definitely be a few which find a special place in his heart, but there is always the next summit to be conquered.

So, if I were to be completely honest, I am not proud of one particular moment. There are few I am fond of, memories that I recall to make me happier and motivate me at times. I must also admit that I proud of everything I have done so far in life.