The Cool Kids

Honestly, I just realized that I write a lot about social issues that particularly teenage kids are faced with, and that is merely because, well, lets all admit, we experience way too much to share it all with our parents without the conversation becoming embarrassing. However, you all still need advice, so I am here to provide it. Today I have picked the topic "Cool Kids".

As much as we want to be a part of that group that has it all, cool cars, zillions of friends, great fashion style and amazing personalities. It is only fair that we understand these kids..who ride around on bikes even if they are underage and don't have a license.

A little fact that might burst your bubble, these people are also skin and bone.

To begin with, let me list down all the things positive about these kids.

• First is, their carelessness. These kids never bother of what is happening around them, they are really laid back, with their untied laces, peppermint chewing gum and loose pants and over sized t-shirts.
• Their confidence is the other thing that we love, who does not like confidence, and these people seem to be overflowing with it.
• The clothes, the guys always seem to look like the latest version of Justin Beiber and the girls look like Barbie dolls. And we want to experience that flawlessness.
• We love the fact that everyone knows them and they still have a world of their own. Even though, they don't know everyone who knows them.
• And, frankly speaking we all just want to experience a life that is slightly more than ordinary, that is in the spotlight, that is the center of attraction and that is on everyone lips and a part of everyone's gossip.

But, if I am asked of these people the only thing I will say is that they are brats! They are the most cliche kind of people who are happy when everyone around them is miserable. The only way they can feel good about themselves is by pulling the other kids' confidence down. They are all the same faces and souls. We believe that they stand out, but they really don't. The girls have the same skinniness, long hair, colored lips and the 'mean girl syndrome'. They think that they are socially acceptable if they wear revealing clothes! None of them is single, they all have boyfriends. These girls don't realize that these relationships are the ones that are destined to break. There is no long term stuff happening here. And, the only way you can become this is by knowing a lot of people and being hated by all those who know you.

The guys have the same hair, same sense of fashion, and same obsession with leaning against walls or inanimate objects while they run their fingers through their hair in a vertical motion. It is really frustrating honestly. I think it is some kind of a mental disorder. One more thing, these kids don't understand that they are in school. They are not twenty two, they are in school. These people dress up for every occasion as if they are going to some sort of a club or some pub or some adult place. Girls wear layers of makeup, honestly, I don't even know what their true skin color might me. Either they use the fake tanning products or use fairness creams. 

The worst part is their Instagram feed. Let me tell you, I know this girl who is younger to me who wears red lipstick, posts about winged eyeliner, has a boyfriend and has a picture of herself wearing her inner wear. 

I am also against the fact that to be socially acceptable such as these people you have to wear clothing that is revealing in obscene ways. NEWS FLASH: You are not a super model and don't have to make any public appearances! 

And if you think that these people are confident, then well, they are not, because if they were then, they would not be fidgeting with their clothes and wear them confidently, brands would not matter.  Clothes would be just clothes.

We all should know that there is more to us than the superficial. That people are more that their superficial flaws. Most Importantly, there is no such thing as "Cool Kids". That is a myth.  You are all perfect.

                                                                     

The importance of originality

I know that I am late with my post, and, I will justify it but  not just yet, today I want to talk to all of you about you.

When I said 'you', what did you picture yourself as? Did you think you look like some girl from your class or did yo think you are as smart as the topper of you class? Did those people even come to your mind? I guess not. So why is it that you find yourself comparing your amazing originality to them in any social situation?

I know right now, you are possibly thinking that this is one of those articles that tells you to not compare yourself to others or to love yourself but, it isn't. And I don't plan to make it sound like those articles. I am asking yourself to compare yourself. Compare yourself to that kid who sits alone in the class or the one who is surrounded by a million friends and is still lonely, compare yourself to such people if that is what helps you understand your self worth. 

I want you to get up every morning and examine yourself in the mirror. I want you to look at your eyes and if you are not happy with their hazel color or their brown, then  want you to picture yourself with blue eyes (if that is what you want) and try to picture them turn the breathtaking golden in the sunlight, would they like they do now? I am sure not. I want you to smile at your reflection, not sulk at it. I want you to look at your hair and for once hope it wasn't blonde or brunette, but the color that it is. The color that makes you, you. That gives you your own identity. 

I want you to stop thinking about all those people who you want to look like, and think of what you look like, the same you your family loves and will love even if you dye your hair purple the next day. You don't have to walk like the popular girl or have the same hair as her. You don't have to have the same way of talking, or the same accent because then, what is the difference between her and you? I mean other than the fact that she is an original and you are a copy. 

Why is it that you are trying so hard to look so beautiful? Is it because you want to look good for yourself or is it that you crave attention? Ask yourself this. Does the red lipstick make you look good or are you simply wearing it because the boy you like had a girlfriend who wore that color? I hope it is not the latter. I will be very honest and admit it to all of you, that I honestly used to care a lot about what people think about me. I was not half as lucky as all of you and did not have a good blog article that told me to stop bothering about public opinion and I was merely taught by this teacher I like to call experience. 

And it was only a few days ago that I decided that I am leaving behind public opinion. That I will truly find myself, not by going to some pilgrimage to the Himalayas and chanting but by doing this really simple exercise that includes public opinion. I asked all my friends to describe me in three adjectives and list three things they like and three things that they don't like about me. Honestly, it was to know what others think about me, but as people started replying I noticed that most of the answers, I could not even relate to. There was this one particular answer that caught my eye it said "Who cares?" And this is when I realized that yes, it should not matter, I have to be me, my three adjectives matter not the people who will probably not even be in my life after the next ten years.

I have tried being a lot of different people, tried following in the footsteps,I have followed people blindly like a sheep in order to just "fit in" only to find that there is no particular way to fit in other than being you. Being an original.

I don't know how this may have motivated you but nevertheless I just hope it made you understand your worth. To end let me just quote the internet and say that "An original is worth more than a copy."

Empathising with the "evil" stepmother from Cinderella

So, lately I have been obsessing over villains of movies and stories and I strongly believe that some of them are misunderstood.
Maybe not all of them are evil, obviously some are, but not all. And one villain that I found really misunderstood is the Stepmother from Cinderella.

Maybe she was not evil as depicted in the story and the sisters not as wretched. Maybe the story has been exaggerated a lot than what it should have been.

We all know that Cinderella did "all" of the house work and how no one helped her.But, we often forget about the fact that she never really took care of Lucifer, Lady Tremaine's cat. And have you ever thought that maybe the house work was divided? Maybe the sisters took care of the cat while, Cinderella worked in the cinders. No one has given a thought to the struggles of  a single mother trying to raise three daughters and keep a farm.

Since, they had no source of livelihood, she could not afford rich clothes for her daughters, as there were three children. It was obvious that all of them felt a little neglected. Due to the fact that the family was poor, they had to dress up in poor quality clothes and rags, have you thought maybe, Cinderella wore rags because she worked in the cinders and it would not be economical for her to dress in rich clothes and fabrics.

The part where Cinderella is left at home while the other three go to the ball, is claimed to be the greatest evil that the Stepmother had done but, has anyone ever considered that she might have thought it worthy to get the older daughters married first.

Obviously, the authors made it quite clear that Cinderella was the pretty one. Consider for a minute that since Cinderella was prettier, which left her sisters feeling miserable and obviously might have affected their self confidence. And it is obvious that Lady Tremaine could not ruin the self esteem of the other two. So, it is justifiable as to why the stepsisters got more attention.

Since Cinderella worked in the cinders her sisters teasingly called her Cinderella instead of Ella, her real name. But don't we all give funny nicknames to our siblings?

The rules to texting

Firstly, I am so sorry for posting so late, I know I should have posted for the previous 2 Sundays, but was unable to as my dear laptop decided that he shall not work at all, so, I tried again today, and I think he had a good mood and he actually worked! So, I could not resist the urge of writing this article, even though it is not Sunday.

The reasons I have picked this topic are as follows

1. I thought it would be relatable
2. It might help people who fail to respond properly
3. I got really, really irritated and frustrated because of the certain people I chat with, and they have no idea as to how to reply.

So without anymore background stories, let me begin.

1) How to reply to 'hi'

  Always, remember, when someone sends you a 'hi', its not because they are stupid, its because they want to have a conversation with you. So, either don't open the chat or if you already have always reply 'heyyy!!!' with extra exclamations, to show that you actually want to have a conversation, instead of leaving the person either on read or replying with 'hi'.

2) How to reply to unrepliable texts

  No one likes being left on read, so, please by all means, if someone sends you even '.....' as a response, depending on the conversation that you were having earlier, it is safe to send the emoji that best suits the above conversation.

3) initiate the conversation

  If someone, texts you everyday, then probably they like talking to you, and if you reply, then you should probably sometimes bother to send them a 'hi' or initiate a conversation, it might make their day.

4) Never leave anyone on read

  Never leave anyone on read, it is the worst kind of insult. Not just insult it feels like, when you speak to someone and they don't respond and you keep talking, but they still don't respond. It is precisely that same feeling that the other person gets. 

Example:

Me: hi!

Xyz:

Me:how are you?

Xyz:

Me: I am going for a party wanna join me?

Xyz:

Exact description of what I feel, whenever someone does this to me I feel like going to them, grabbing them by the neck, and sucking the life right out of them like a vampire.

5) Act fast

  I hate the people, who read your messages and still remain silent and keep reading your messages but somehow fail to reply. And then they start typing, so you wait and don't say anything and after they are done typing for one and a half hour what you get is 'hi'. These kind of people are like the kind of math sums that have so much calculations and you have to use so many different formulas, but the answer you get at the end is either 1 or 0.

6) React

  It particularly gets on my nerves, when you send someone a really long yet interesting forward and they just read it and don't respond... I mean, the whole reason for me to be sharing this is that

• It is for you to read and react
• I sent it cause I wanted you to react
• I sent it because it was good, and I wanted to know what you think of it

But somehow, for some reason unknown to me, these people fail to respond.

7) How to end a conversation

  Certain people don't know how to end conversations, they simply end it with 'gtg' and kaboom they are gone. But, they fail to realise while they somehow, manage to disappear in simply 5 seconds, I was typing a response to their previous message, which I now have to delete, and I have to send 'bye'.

8) Do not type, when you know the other person is typing.

  It is so frustrating, when you are typing and the other person is typing as well, and maybe you are writing a really long story, but this person, disregarding that still types and sends you something totally different, and you have to erase all of your hardwork to respond to them.

9) Always reply.

  This is similar to rule number 4, but, here it ,might be accidental that you don't reply, so to that you can later reply by apologising for the late reply, and continue with the conversation. It is a totally different matter if you are upset with them and leave them on read because of that.

That is all for today, hope they helped. I would like to apologise once again for such a late entry.

India's vibrant ethnicity.

Source: Well, I wrote it but, not for the blog, I actually had an extempore competition so, I wrote the article as a speech. My school is having a celebration for Independence day. Even though it was on 15th August, but the celebrations still continue. Anyways let me get on with the article.

[it might sound like a speech]

Before I begin, I would like to ask all of you, what do you understand by the term ethnicity? The etymology of the word is from 'ethnic', which usually refers to common cultural and traditional values (according to the english dictionary). When I think of the word, the definition that I mentioned before is not what comes to mind. The word sends a chill of excitement down my spine, I feel rich flavours in my mouth, I picture vibrant saris and earthenware with the most extraordinary designs, I hear the soft music of tabla and sitar as a background music.

India as a nation has so much cultural variety, from Ghoomar to Bharatnatyam. There is variety not only the dance forms but also in the case of food, languages and dress code.

So many regions are famous for so many different things, like when I hear the name of Maharashtra, the first thing that comes to my mind is the thali and vadapav. When I hear the name of Tamil Nadu, I think of Bharatnatyam, picturing a woman dancing with a lot f grace and vigour.

Does it not make your mouth water at the thought of dal bati or any other food that you like?

Apart from this there is also diversity in the vernacular , from bengali and marathi to tamil and telugu. There is also a huge difference in beliefs and legends of the people. As you move northwards you find a lot of people have a strong belief in Lord Rama, but to the south people have a strong belief in Lord Shiva. In fact, he is termed as the lord of the dance and known as Nataraja. The way the sari is worn also differs from region to region,there is a difference in the jewelry as well. 

I could go on and on about this topic as it is so vast. But, that would probably take me more than today,so, I would like to conclude by saying, that there are many leaves but, one tree. And in the same way there are many cultures, but all of them solve the same purpose. To give India  a rich culture and heritage. 

First impressions

Hi! I know I am late in posting, I'm really sorry. So, anyways I lately have been surrounded by a LOT of WANNABEs. And I really, really, really feel sorry for myself. Apart from wannabes I am also faced with mean girls, weirdos , creeps and many more. There are so many people judging you at every moment, and first impressions are really important. There are certain things that we tend to forget when meeting people for the first time, we must also understand that what might seem okay to you could offend someone else. So, I decided to list down the things I keep in mind and the times when I forget them.

1]Smile.

    It is very important to smile when you meet someone, it makes them feel like their company is appreciated by you. And to be honest who doesn't like that?

2] Eye Contact.

     Always maintain eye contact, not only does it portrays you as confident but also like you are really interested in the person you are talking to.

3] Inquisitiveness.

   Keep asking questions about the person you are talking to, you can ask them about their hobbies, favourite band, songs, artists,etc.

This also, makes them feel that you are interested in speaking to them.

4]Forget The World.

  When you are speaking to someone block out the world and don't get distracted by what someone is wearing or anything as such. Keep your entire focus on the conversation.

5]Compliment.

   Complimenting does not hurt, go ahead and compliment their clothes , personality, hair, physical appearance or anything as such. Let them know you appreciate their existence.

6]Cut The Sarcasm,

   Lessen the sarcasm, it not only seems rude but also portrays you as mean.

Apart from having conversations with someone for the first time,there are times when you have to speak in front of a crowd.

I know, everyone gets nervous. I surely do. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest. But none the less you have to speak.

Whenever you enter a room always smile, let everyone around you feel that you are happy to be amongst them.

After that always try to look at everyone, if anyone holds your gaze smile at them, and don't stare. Sometimes when in a really crowded place you can pretend to have an imaginary friend to whom you may wave from the crowd, this makes people think you have friends and are good at socialising. 

When speaking in public always introduce yourself with a smile, and use expressions in your speech instead of talking like a robot.

Well, that is all for today bye!

The ideals of Beauty

Hi everyone! So, for this article I will be telling all of you about the ideals of beauty, and no, it is not a pretty face or a particular body type. There is way more to it. The inspiration for me to be writing this is a friend of mine, who posted a picture on instagram which said  " makeup makes girls better and break up makes boys better".

I was seriously offended by this. And I was really hurt when I read the comments, as lot of my friends thought the statement held true.
And this is when I realised how messed up the ideals of looking pretty are.

So, I decided to write an article to inform all you girls and guys out there that beauty is definitely not about anyone's physical appearance. This leaves us with the question "what is beauty?".

In my opinion, it is not a particular skin colour, body shape, length of hair, waist size or anything like that. It is more than that. Way more than that. It is the kind of person you are from within. You cannot call someone who looks like a Barbie doll on the outside and behaves like the wicked witch of the west pretty. They are not.
Beauty is not what pleases the eye but what touches the heart. People think that girls who are thin and have poofy lips are pretty but that is not true at all. Infact the only reasons these ideals are so messed up is because of all the posters and the celebrities. They literally paint themselves in makeup, they are faker than the wolf from little red riding hood. They make fantabulous appearances on red carpets and in movies and inspire girls all over. Infact the amount of makeup they wear completely covers their true skin. Infact what is disappointing is that the girls who are able to look like the ideal "pretty girls", keep ridiculing the girls who don't. No one is fat and ugly. Society is messed up if they believe in such stuff. 

Beauty is about the behaviour and personality of a girl. It is no use if your beauty is only skin deep. If people hate you then what is the point of looking like a doll? Being pretty is about making the other people want to spend time with you, about your aura and how people feel when they are around you. Infact makeup is not a way of looking like someone you are not, it is to make you feel good about yourself. How can anyone be satisfied by looking like any other barbie doll, when they know that all that makes them look like that is nothing that is their own, not their contacts,extensions, lip colour or the skin colour which they try to change using fairness creams. 
If you are truly good at heart you are beautiful. And you are way more than those girls who are like stick figures and poofy lips.

The day you see you in the mirror instead of seeing a girl who cannot look like Barbie, you will realise you are way more beautiful than Barbie.