WHEN A GUY DOES NOT WALK INTO A BAR

via pinterest

In an episode of big bang theory, Raj comes to Sheldon asking for a hug, because he says he is feeling blue, not depressed blue but more like a lonely blue. But that can’t be it; blue is already taken, Sheldon reminds him; so the two decide on orange, and Sheldon goes on, ‘you look positively orange with loneliness’.

I have spent much of 2014 living in a state of perpetual medium-low-level-terror. A sort of fear that would refuse to go or shift even. Waiting for things to go wrong. And then when they did, I’d be dreading the worse.

By the way, how absurd is Facebook’s new feature - ‘it’s been a great year thanks for being a part of it’, which I believe is very popular. Unfathomable. 

It would be flippant to say that 2014 was the worst year of my life. I dare not say that. Let’s just say it was terribly hard.  

And I do get those… look at the glass half full, count your blessings, it’s the darkest before dawn, etcetera. I fought to find some good amid so much bad. Which I did. And thus survived. As I save this final draft, there’s news about the Air Asia debris being discovered.

My glass is half full. Being healthy, being loved and knowing people I love and care for are healthy and happy, and getting to watch walter white and jesse after a somewhat fulfilling day at work, make it more than half full I think. Touché.

2015 will have to be about living, about being easy and fun and about making things possible. Just surviving won’t cut it.

Huffington Post says, life is meant to be abundant and limitless, we create scarcity of hope and ambition by believing in it. Life is supposed to be easy and overflowing with good moments. If life is a constant struggle, you're running on empty and you dread Mondays, it's time to take an honest look at your life -- in a loving way.

Trite. But right. Because it’s the new year’s eve, let’s go with it, shall we?

Three of my several plans/resolutions for the new year – mind my own business and have as much fun as I possibly can. Every. Single. Day.
Set weekly goals.
And people pleasing efforts be damned. Thank you. 

Two O One Five, I am ready whenever you are.

resolution #2, go exploring, not necessarily places

explore more, explore the new and the unknown.while last year ensured i discovered newer neighborhoods, markets and some forts, and also a new country [about it later] for work. this year i will make efforts to go in search of the new - places, food [oh yes], neighborhoods, walking trails and more.

here are few pics from my recent explorations.

some installation at a mall

random view

view from my hotel

 and of course i bought nothing from Chanel. :-|

our singapore office

it's that time of the year, resolution #1 [also the most important and the toughest one.]

pardon the choice of word in the picture above, yes i did have an option to use the one that had i just don't give a damn... but it didn't quite pack the same punch. so yeah, the new year resolution also come from my list of things to do not that we have survived the doomsday - not seek an approval. it will be tough, the whole not giving a damn bit. trick is baby steps. starting with i will not give a damn about what my neighbor's guests think about me. or what the grocer in my friend's neighborhood thinks about me. i did say baby steps.

Change before you have to

It's that time of the year, the time for wise words, introspection, new perspectives, prioritizing, re-prioritizing, etcetera, etcetera. Though I think I am not a quote-quote person, 'change before you have to', however, stayed with me, it made sense to me, to the postponer in me. Change I will. Before I have to.

About the photo here, isn't it really good? I am not sure why I like it, it could be the sun, the simpleness of the composition, the couple's effortless energy or the lady's tiny derrière. Everything is just so perfect yet simple, easy and happy. May that's what 2012 be... perfect, yet simple, easy and happy.

Of New Year resolutions, few realizations and a stronger resolve

Good that 2010 is here. Not that 2009 was bad, and I take a moment to thank God for that, but 2009 was very plain, nothing spectacular happened. Like there’s so much more I could have done, that I didn’t, then there’s a lot, which I shouldn’t have, which I, well have. So, I am glad 2009 is over, and the new year gives me yet another chance to do things right, and most importantly do things. To make new to do lists, to note things that I would want to change about myself. If 2009 was mostly about dreaming, yeah lot of dreams, about my perfect job, my body, the way I choose to live my life, the way I keep my home, the kind of fun I have, the places I go, the way I do away with things/people I don’t like/want. 2010, will, yeah most certainly it will be about doing it and doing it most of what I have been wishing to.

2010 will also be the year of being organized and structured in every possible and every little way. 2010 will be a year of zero laziness. This will be the year of doing things and getting things done. 2010 will be a year of being a more balanced, matured and knowledgeable person.

It’s the fourth day of the New Year, and no I haven’t done anything earth shattering yet. But I am very hopeful of a very energized and a busy 2010, busy in a good way of course. The kind that does me and my dear ones good, and first step towards is to plan ahead. Yeah, planning ahead… my day, my meals, my weekends, everything.

What I have here is an extremely structured resolution list. I have categorized them into - professional, personal and miscellaneous. And then, I have sub-categorized these categories. Yep, I do not intend to be interesting here. So in the sub categories we have,

Professional 1 Day Job

Professional 2 Knowledge for my day job

Professional 3 Goals

Professional 4 Priorities

Professional 5 Networking

Professional 6 Get Rid Of

Professional 7 Get More Of

Professional 8 The art of following up

Personal 1 Family

Personal 2 Friends

Personal 3 Me [this one would be quite complex, but will figure it out :)]

Personal 4 Goals

Personal 5 Get Rid Of

Personal 6 Get More Of

Personal 7 Learn

Personal 8 Priorities

Miscellaneous 1 Paper Work

Miscellaneous 2 Learn

Miscellaneous 3Organize

Miscellaneous 4 Get Rid Of

Miscellaneous 5 Get More Of

And apart from that impressive resolution list that I’ve compiled, I am also looking at being more in control of things, decisions, choices and the life in general. :)

Bored or stuck? I know the feeling.

And how do you differentiate between the two? How long do you have to be bored to realize that you are stuck and need to get out? How long?
And on that very note, I began my this year's list of must dos and don'ts. I am bored of myself. My reasons, my alibis, my delusional mind, and some of my ideas. I could do with some change; it's going to be less comfortable maybe, but I do need some change.

Somehow not having that fancy 'New Year's Resolution' heading to my list makes it that much more believable and doable. 'New' tops my list this year; which may include something as frivolous as trying a new haircut to something a tad more serious, like a new attitude perhaps. An attitude that teaches me to not cringe at the mere mention of paper work and investing. An attitude that tells me that hard work is meant to be hard. An attitude that helps me realize that even the guy who creates Nike ads, needs to copy check. An attitude that tells me airbrushing is a fact of life. An attitude that tells me to just get moving and not worry about looking silly. An attitude that assures me that another 5 minutes on the treadmill won't kill me. An attitude that tells me to care but not care too much. An attitude that makes me go about all that I want to go about. And finally an attitude that drills my head and says that I got to decide everything myself, be it trivial or significant; I've got to decide it all and stop looking for a punch bag (more on this later).

What's on your list?

The year that wasn't...

Happy.
The New Year is upon us. And like always, I wonder, where did the time go; not that I am going to be particularly nostalgic about 2008, but that feeling of what have I achieved, does engulf me this time of the year. I am hoping the new year will be happier, with higher salaries, lower airfares and without any black Wednesdays, Thursdays or Sundays.

May 2009 bring us the change that we want to see. (Was that very Obamaish?) Never mind that. Happy New Year Everyone.