3P's for success - Passion, Perseverance and Patience

The past couple of years have been difficult, to say the least, professionally. Now I'm finally where I want to be. I now know where I want to go and how to get there as well. With confidence I can say that I'll soon be at the top of the ladder. Sheryl Sandberg, in her new book Lean In, calls it the jungle gym rather than a career ladder. But in my mind, it's a ladder where I'm going forward be in any field.

To recap, after graduating from University of Southern California in May 2011, I desperately hunted for jobs without any clue as to what I wanted out of my life. After six months, I landed an internship at a PR firm in Los Angeles - the beginning of a very long journey. After six months, I moved on to a temporary job at a non-profit firm for a month.  Then I landed an internship at one of the most prestigious PR firm - Weber Shandwick. It was a dream come true. This happened after a month of interviewing, waiting for responses, and finally jumping on an opportunity to meet the President. For six months, I observed, learned, made mistakes, and learned some more from my peers, senior coworkers, and my wonderful manager. Unfortunately, it did not turn into a full-time job. Again, I was disheartened and heard a lot of advice, including looking for opportunities in another field. But my heart told me to stay put and continue my search. I did. Then I landed a contract job at another PR firm in San Francisco, which lasted for four months. This was my first real 'full-time' job and I managed to learn a lot in those four months. The end of January brought good news as I got a break at one of the leading technology PR agencies in San Francisco. It was then that I knew for sure I was where I was meant to be.

I mapped out my career as it helped me to understand what pushed me towards success - my passion for PR, my perseverance to stick to the same field despite the many obstacles that were thrown my path and lastly my patience not to give up. Had I given up and moved on to another field, or taken up jobs just for the sake of working I would have been miserable all my life.

"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and good things never die" - one of my favorite quotes from my all-time favorite movie, Shawshank Redemption. Hope also played a huge role in bringing me here. I held on to the hope that someday I'll get a break that will help me launch my career. And it did. So, don't give up just yet. Success is just around the corner.

Technology today

At WSJ's D: All Things Digital Conference, venture capitalist Mary Meeker outlined her annual Internet trends. She also talked about the changes so far with regards to technology. She made a statement that has stuck in my head. Technology today is the “re-imagination of everything.” I cannot stop thinking how aptly the  phrase describes technology, today.

Ten years back, when I had discovered my new obsession for jewelry and clothes I took up fashion scrap-booking, which was putting together pictures of celebrities and highlighting their fashion sense with my own captions. Now, there's Pinterest where we pin numerous clothes that we would never purchase in reality.

The loss of my grandparent made me take up writing. I realized that I felt calm when I wrote and  slowly that turned into a passion. I kept a leather-bound diary to pen my childish happiness and find peace by scribbling my squabbles. I have thus, five diaries that have captured all the memorable events and not so memorable thoughts. However, I recently stopped stopped using a pen and took to typing my thoughts in a Word document (I wouldn't do well in Spelling Bee). I found that it was easier to use technology since I could add photos, use spell-check(oh, thank Mr.Gates for that), and overall it was convenient as I could save it in iCloud (yes, I'm an Apple Fanboy) and open it on multiple devices.

 

After graduating, I commenced the dreaded task of hunting for jobs. Along with my resume I started linking my LinkedIn profile, which has my experiences, recommendations and skill sets listed on my profile page. Additionally, I was able to check people who viewed my profile and in turn I stalked them. If they were recruiters, I sent them a friendly email. 

Gone are the days where you printed out directions from the Web, or worse wrote directions on a piece of paper before heading out. The GPS app on smartphones is a blessing in disguise for people who have a poor sense of direction, like me. I'm sure everyone out there is aware of these technological inventions but just the same I want to highlight their importance. 

I am not one of those people who constantly crib how technology has changed everything for the worse and  need to shy away from them for a day while updating their Facebook status on their iPhone.  I love everything about technology, how they have made life easy and simple and yes, how reliant I'm on those devices. I depend on them and not ashamed to accept that fact. I feel incomplete if I step out of my house without my iPhone. I need my iPad to read books as e-books are the best format of books, ever! It’s cheap,convenient and I don't have to get up to turn-off the lights after my bedtime reading! Yes, I'm lazy but technology is not to be blamed for that. It has made my life easier. Now, if you agree with me like this post! ;)

Are you one to complain about the reliance on tech or do you proudly wave your smartphone?

Image courtesy: renatomitra

Words are powerful

One reason why I love writing is that words are powerful. It helps me feel better to put my thoughts into words and when I go back to read them, it makes me feel good to know what I was thinking at that particular time. I compiled a list of quotes that make me feel better when I am sad, heart-broken or just need some inspiration.

1. Sometimes in life, you end up falling for the person you thought you never would have feelings for.
2. If you truly want to be with a person, listen to your heart and not all the voices from all the people around you
3. Sometimes the things we can't change, end up changing us instead.
4. I'm done searching for my Prince Charming, He can get up off his lazy ass & find me.
5. Look for something positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little harder. Let the challenges make you strong.
6. It may seem like the hardest thing to do, but you have to forget about the guy who forgot about you.
7. Life is about trusting your feelings, taking chances, losing/finding happiness, learning from the past, and realizing people change.
8. It sucks doesn't it? Feeling like you're always the second choice.
9. Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. Never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean.
10. God puts people in your life for a reason, and removes them from your life for a better reason.
11. Stop caring what people think. Stop taking caution in your actions, listen to what you want, do what you want, this is your life. Live it.
12. The only way to have a life is to commit to it like crazy. - Angelina Jolie
13. If you don't like how things are going, then change them. If you can't change them, change the way you think about them.
14. Sometimes God doesn’t give you what you think you want, not because you don’t deserve it, but because you deserve better.
15. Sometimes we have to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, and just see what happens.
16. Most people aren't worth crying over, the ones who are, will never make you cry.
17. No matter how hard things may seem, there is always something good coming around the corner.
18. Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.

Life is colorful. It's up to you to see it the way you want it to look like!

My first guest post

Exciting day for me! My first guest post was published today on Polka Dot Coaching by Nailah Blades. Having worked with her before, it was amazing to be actually featured in her blog. Check out my first guest post on her blog.

Eat. Pray & love. Read & Write.

Elizabeth Gilbert may have travelled all around the world just to learn how to eat, pray and love. However, I managed to learn how to eat, pray, love, read and write just by leaving my home country.

I entered Los Angeles with expectations, dreams and desires. However, along with learning how to battle my problems, I understood how to live my life. The secret behind being happy is learning to let go of all guilt and give in to your craving, once in a while. When I craved for anything unhealthy, I did not think twice. Stopping yourself from doing something you love will end in regret, always. Initially, I stopped myself from bingeing on unhealthy snacks but then the craving became worse leading me to eat twice as much. This made me feel guilty and thus regret my decision of stopping myself. Truly, I learned to eat for myself and live happily.

Coming from a religious family, praying was habitual and a part of life. I did not question why we needed to pray or why we needed to be spiritual. I went with the flow.

When I was in India, I was showered with so much love from friends, family, neighbors, animals and acquaintances that I did not value it.

After living in the United States I realized how important it is to pray and love. I observed that people had no time to pray. Busy with work and making money, they were so consumed with themselves that they were left with no time to pray. I immediately understood why it is so important to take time out to pray. Praying helps us to be calm, peaceful and relaxed, especially in this busy life of ours. Just like praying, loving also gives satisfaction and makes us happy. You don't have to take time out just to love someone. Just calling someone you care about, petting a dog or even greeting your neighbor will make you feel good. I learned to appreciate the importance of praying and loving.

When you start to appreciate life, you tend to want to show your appreciation in some form. I did that by reading and writing. I read books that were meant to pass time, books that helped me gain knowledge and books that helped me open my eyes and learn about life. Reading always made me want to write. The writer in me coaxed me to continue writing (I have been writing since I was 8), but this time for everyone to read, so as to make them want to write. Now that I write/blog, I have started reading other blogs and contacting bloggers. I have learned so much by reading other's articles which has helped me improve my writing skills as well.

Sometimes, leaving will help you learn more than you imagined!

"The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving." 

- Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

                                             

I hate good-byes

"Why cant we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos." - Snoopy

Two of the best years of my life is came to an end and once again everything changed. Living in an apartment close to my college with two wonderful girls had been the best years of my life Through them I got to make new friends who will remain my life-long buddies. My life has changed again. Sometimes I wonder why things change so much; why can’t it just stay the same? But of course I know the answer very well. If life were to remain stagnant we would have never learned anything, never valued life and never valued ourselves. 

All the wonderful memories, the fun-times, the trips, night-outs and the gossips sessions can never be forgotten. When I look back I feel I have truly grown-up and evolved as an adult with a better personality and character. 


After that I left my student life to join the professional world. I have opened another book full of new memories with the old ones still fresh in my mind. 


2011 has been yet another year filled with surprises, sadness, moments of joy and ended with my wishes  coming true! Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Was 2011 your year?

PR Diaries

So, it's been 4 months since I started working at a PR firm. I have learned more in 4 months than I did in 4 years of college. That doesn't mean a college degree is useless. I started my networking in college, attended workshops (wish I attended a lot more) and got good exposure when it came to learning the basics and kickstarting my career.

• Always, always pay attention to details. 
• It's important to keep the clients up-to-date with everything you have been doing.
• Follow up, follow up and then follow up again with pitches
• Always cover up your work and keep your boss up-to-date with your work. (Always helps to let your boss know you are working hard.)
• Know everything about your client before pitching it to editors and writers.
• Always be in good terms with journalists and writers. 
• Never feed the story to the editor, ask their opinion on the story angle.
• Organization and prioritizing is very important when handling multiple accounts.

These are a few tips that I feel are important for anyone working in the PR field. It always helps to pass on the advice/tips and experiences, so hit me up with your ideas and thoughts! 

Passion, Dreams & Desires

Somebody pinch me, am I really a working-girl now?

I have heard that working is tedious and that you will start craving for weekends. But so far, I have loved working. Except for getting up early, I absolutely love going to work, putting my brain to work and of course being appreciated by my boss for my work.

I have just started at the bottom-most rung of the career ladder. I have a long way to go. However, I feel that every experience is taking me closer to my goal. Somedays, I feel that I'm worthless working hard for nothing. However, those are the days when I have spoken to people who do not understand the importance of passion and only give importance to money.

I encourage everyone to follow their passion no matter what others say. There will be some people who will continue to discourage you. But stand your ground. Follow your dreams and desires. I am speaking from experience!

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from  focusing on what excites you." - Oprah Winfrey


I am now understanding the importance of following my passion. If I hadn't followed my passion and just followed the advice I got from most people, I would have cursed myself every single day. I see people around me complaining about work and how they don't connect to what they are doing. I just wish they had followed their dreams so they wouldn't be in a position to complain.

Everyone has dreams, but only a few can make their dreams come true. I am one of them. This is because passion has a key role in making these dreams come true. Once you realize your passions, it's just a matter of time before your dreams come true.

Remember, "Nothing great in this world has ever been accomplished without passion!"

Stressed out!

Career, jobs, resumes, cover letters, interviews and money- these are the only things running in my head. Finding a job and gaining experience has consumed me to the extent that I have forgotten what it is to be care-free and without worries.

But this not right. Life is not just about jobs and money, its about enjoying while you are young and alive. Its about exploring, making mistakes, falling down only to rise and learn from these mistakes. Don't you think?

Sometimes in life...

…you have to be a little selfish.

…you have to let go of friendships that aren’t constructive.

…you have to cut yourself off to put yourself first.

…you have to get real, and be real, to the core.

…you have to push the negativity out of your mind, or as Jo says, get out of your own head.

…you have to find ways to surround yourself with the influences you need.

…and get rid of the ones you don’t.

…you have to stop thinking about the big picture and start breaking it down into pieces that can actually be swallowed.

…you have to “just do it”.

…you have to break out of that shell, letting go of fear and anxiety.

…you have to stop trying to make everyone understand.

…and start realizing that it’s okay if they don’t.

…you have to find yourself, and start living your life for yourself.

…you have to stop worrying about who you might become and what you might leave behind.

…and get excited for who you might become and what might be ahead.

I picked this up from a blog named 'Quater for her thoughts'. I felt that this blog was inspiring and thought it might be good to share it. When I read this, I felt good. I felt like someone was personally giving me this advice. 

Peopled!

I meet/see/observe different kinds of people every single day and it is so interesting that some of them are extremely interesting, some are so weird, and many are just plain fun to observe!I just love observing people, imagining how they lead their lives and what they are thinking while they are walking past me. I just wonder if any of these random people are ever going to come into my life! I have many good experiences and some not that good. I link myself to each person whom I see or meet and try to learn something from his/her behavior.

There is one person I don't want to be linked with or ever want to meet again: my Computer Science TA (teaching assistant) who I respected and thought highly of him because he helped me a lot in understanding C++. I took his class a year back. Recently, I met him in a cafe and I was very excited to see him. I was talking to him and told him about how I switched to Communication because I was not interested in Engineering. He smiled and said "well, girls are better at such soft arts and should not take up CS". The respect I had for him just vanished. He has no clue about the capabilities of a girl/women. First of all, girls are very intelligent and second of all every field is equally important and challenging. Passion is the key to success. I was not interested in Engineering which made me unhappy. Though I was uninterested and did not put any effort I did pretty well as a Computer Science student. I chose a different career path because I don't want to curse myself in the future for not following my passion and be a miserable rat forever. Today, when I am actually following my passion, I feel that this field is equally challenging and requires a different set of skills altogether. The difference is I love my major and want to make a career out of this course of study. It wasn't that I was not intelligent enough to pursue engineering, it was just that I was more concerned about my happiness and interest. So neither engineering nor any other 'soft field' is superior nor inferior. Every course, every field, every subject is equally important and equally challenging. Stereotyping is one of the worst things ever. So I decided to show people like him that we girls are intelligent and that stereotyping is just a way to make snap judgements about people which are wrong and plain rude. I do not hate him or anything, I just feel sad for him because he is clearly backward in his thoughts. This is the 21st century, where girls/women are succeeding in all fields including the male dominated fields. Such people just need to fast forward their minds to the current situation and realize that they are way behind. Anyway, I just needed to put that out because such people do exist and that we girls should not be put off by them.

There are others who just have so much life in them that I feel so happy just by seeing them. I just love people who have a zest for life. Whenever I come across such people, I think to myself; life hands you all kinds of things, so instead of cribbing about life, it is so much fun to think about the brighter side of everything. After a series of incidents, I realized one thing : "If you love life, life will love you back" So I decided that I am going to be a happy soul and try to always think about the positive experiences and also see the bright side in the negative experiences. Happiness is contagious. I observed that whenever I am full of joy and smiling, people around me are also happy and look at me with such warmth and joy. We just don't realize that if one person is happy, all the people surrounding that person are also happy.

Each new experience prepares us to handle life better. There are different kinds of people out there and each kind teaches us a new lesson. I am a changed person now and I feel that I have changed for the better. People changed me , experiences with different people changed me .

Food for thought!

Today we were reading an excerpt from Noam Chomsky's book - Chomsky: On Democracy and Education. The class got into a heated debate when we were discussing Chomsky's comment on patriarchal and egalitarian societies. He has said that China and other Asian countries still have patriarchal societies while America has egalitarian society. So, he concludes that America has moved upward in the cultural ladder meaning that the other countries are backward. In a way he is right. Though America does have its own issues , it does to some extent exercise individual rights and gender equality. But that doesn't mean that the countries that don't follow egalitarian society are inferior. Every culture is different and should be respected for that. Each culture has its own pros and cons and no culture seems to be perfect. But we should always strive towards achieving what is best for us and not think about how superior or inferior we are compared to others. As long as we show respect to others, other cultures and other countries we can surely go high up the cultural ladder . It is left to us to decide what kind of a culture we want to follow. Our ancestors followed patriarchal society because men were actually stronger and more powerful than women and so they were the dominant gender. But now men and women are equally strong and powerful so we should be able to lead each other to the right path rather than being forced to follow orders. 


"....like peeling away layers of an onion....for cultural reasons, the move away from patriarchy is a step upward , not just a change, It's step toward understanding our true nature ." (Chomsky) . He is right when he says that the farther we move from a patriarchal society , the more advanced we are. We are all humans and we should all be treated with the same respect. Why should there be any discrimination when we are all co-existing in the same planet with the same mental and physical capacities? Humans dominate animals , men dominate women, why should there be any kind of domination? Yes, there should be domination not discrimination, else the world will be in chaos. But that doesn't mean that the ones who are dominated should be disrespected. Even in egalitarian societies there is always a leader. Its just that everybody is given equal opportunities to choose their leaders and that everyone has an equal chance to voice their opinion. So, let us all hold hands and reach the final step of the cultural ladder which is: making this world a place filled with love, respect and peace.

Dreams do come true!

"Dad, when I grow up I want to be a Journalist. I want to write stories and interview people."

I was in 8th grade. I had aced my English exam and was praised for my essays which proved that I was good at writing. I was suddenly eager to grow up and become a Journalist. I wanted to interview people and write stories. Little did I know that this was not just a dream, it was a passion. Writing has always helped me get out my emotions. Whenever I am sad, happy, angry or upset and frustrated, I write. I write furiously, I write to get all the emotions out of my system, I write so that one day when I read those pages I will remember exactly how I felt and what I was thinking at that time.

"Dear Diary (25/11/2004)
I am extremely happy today. I was awarded the 'Outstanding Student of the Award......" and so it went on.

Every emotion and every moment is captured in my diaries. Yes, since 4th grade I have got into a habit of writing in my diary. I love writing. It is my passion. I wrote few stories and continued writing in my diary. However as I grew up, I became practical and thought about my career as something that needs to be stable and which helps me get a fat paycheck at the end of each month. I forgot about my dream to be a Journalist.

2011 brought me happiness because my dream came true. I am a Journalist and I have my own column. I interview people and write what I want.

Yes dreams do come true.

I work at a newspaper called Campus Circle. My first article was published on 26th January 2011 and my column is named 'The Greener side' .

Check it out -->
http://www.campuscircle.com/review.cfm?c=Blogs&sc=The%20Greener%20Side

What Next?

Graduation, jobs, money, getting settled, further studies - these are the words constantly running in my head now that my 4 years of fun and frolic are nearly coming to an end.  As is the case with any student who is about to graduate, I have this mixed emotions building up within me. I don't want to graduate, well the reason is obvious - leaving the comforting and secured shell only to move to a scary, exposed and open world. However I do want to graduate, I want to explore this world, I want to work, be independent and more importantly be successful! :)

            For quite sometime I have been going over what I want to do after I graduate. I thought getting a Masters' Degree would be a supercool idea. I would be still in the study mode and could continue to pull all-nighters and be high on caffeine. But the question was "do I know for sure what I want to be doing?" My mind did not answer this right away. I want to go into advertising, no I want be in PR, well Journalism is always there...and it went on. So I halted, took a deep breath and started the journey of finding the job that I think would suit me and my interests. US has been great to me since it helped me to conveniently change my career path and deviate it to suit my interests. Not all of us know what we want to do with out life and I am proud to say I am one of them. I am proud because it gives me an opportunity to experiment and try new things in life before finally figuring out the right path. It is going to be one long and exciting journey, for sure. Learning new things, making new mistakes, rising up after every mistake and becoming a new and improved person, each time fills me with enthusiasm and excitement to take the next step.

             So, for those of you who are like me, start focusing on finding your passion. Passion is the key to success. For the next 40 years you will be working in the same field and if you are not passionate or interested, then you will be cursing your life and job. So don't let this happen. Choose the right career that interests and then success will follow. 

My take on life

I never thought about life as much as I am thinking about it now. Everything seems more clear to me now that I am old enough to understand what life really is. Sometimes I wonder why things change so much, why can't it just be the same. But of course I know the answer very well. If life were to remain stagnant we would never have learned anything, valued life or valued ourselves. Ever have the feeling that nothing seemed to changed but suddenly everything changed? Well I feel that more often and sometimes I feel happy. I welcome change, because without changes my life would have been boring. 2010 has been the first of those years where changes were infinite and lessons learned were insightful.

               "Life is a camera, face it with a smile", life is an ice-cream, eat it before it melts", life is..blah blah...Life is so many things. For me life is simple. I live in the present. If I get hurt, I cry. If things are going well I smile. I don't want to be strong all the time. Then when everything gets back to normal I feel like life is amazing. My feelings and expressions are not constant. Life changes, I change with it. Every teardrop is necessary and every laughter meaningful. I don't believe that we have to smile and be happy no matter what happens. Its just like speaking out your feelings. Be sad when something bad happens and be happy when something good happens. Nobody's life is perfect, nor are we. We come close to perfection by understanding our life and learning to deal with it better every day. Thats what life is to me.

               

Sometimes its good to be random!

I love to go on Facebook and see everybody's photos because it helps me understand and get to know that person better. What makes them smile, where do they go, how do they dress up, what kind of friends do they hang out with etc. There is a reason why they say "a picture says a 1000 words!"

I love to dream about my future, what kind of house will I be living in , where will I be, what will I be doing, where will I be shopping, what kind of work will I be doing and other such stuff...its fun and completely pointless! I love dreaming because " dreams do come true if we wish hard enough!"

I love to be mysterious because it makes people curious and want to get to know me better. I am mysterious and I will continue to be.

I love to smile because it brings happiness to all including me. It gives me immense joy in seeing others smile. So I assume that if I smile and be happy, everyone else will also feel the same. "Smile is indeed contagious!"

I love to help people around me because it brings happiness to them making them smile in turn making me happy and making me want to smile and spread the happiness.

I love to write because it helps me reveal my thoughts and show the world what I believe in.  "Pen is definitely mightier than the sword! - a Computer is definitely mightier than the sword!"

I love taking pictures because I can go back and see the pictures. I can smile and cherish the moments all over again, it is as good as a time machine! "

I love to do many more things but sometimes its good to stop before it gets too boring! :)

Random Truths

I thought I would share some random truths about myself and life!

I realized that when my hair is all well settled and looks good, my confidence level is high and I feel generally happy and chirpy. Weird, right?

I am sure everyone will agree to this; when I am idle , with nothing to do I get the most horrible and depressing thoughts. "Idle mind is a devil's workshop" is absolutely true. I try to keep myself busy constantly to keep myself happy and cheerful. Experience speaking!

When someone is crazy about me, I don't value them. I get irritated and wonder why they are so sweet to me. When I am crazy about someone, they move farther away from me. I recently realized that!

Its always better to do my own work, rather than being dependent on someone because only I can put my best efforts. Others will do it just for the sake of doing it.

Be careful what you wish for, because wishes do come true not always at the right time!

A smile can definitely change my day and is contagious. Whenever someone smiles at me I feel so happy and I pass on the smile to others.

The weather sometimes defines my mood. Bright, hot sunny days make me lazy, bored and irritated while cloudy, breezy days make me happy, enthusiastic and chirpy!

Many more to come..will update them!! :)

Why Vegetarianism? Why not Vegetarianism?

I was 8 years old and I was walking past a store which sold ‘fresh’ meat. I was curious, so I went in and saw the most horrifying scene that a young child should never be allowed to see. The butcher was chopping away chicken, goats and pigs and the heads of these animals were strewn across the floor. It has been my personal goal ever since to make people around me to understand the importance of being a vegetarian.

Vegetarianism is one of the most common topics to be discussed and debated. Eating meat not only has health risks but also involves cruelty against animals and has environmental hazards. Many religions which promote vegetarianism like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism emphasize that animals have a soul just like humans. Avoidance of killing of animals is one of the main reasons for vegetarian diets.Vegetarian foods are not only healthy but they are delicious. Vegetarianism is encouraged for a variety of reasons. But the most important reason is the health risks caused by eating meat. The American Diabetic Association confirms that vegetarian diets have various health benefits. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than non-vegetarians, and lower rates of death from heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.

Vegetarianism not only has heath benefits it can also eliminate world hunger. Meat production has a large negative impact on the underdeveloped countries. Debt–burdened countries are turning over agricultural land to raise cattle and grains for feeding the cattle. According to the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, each year in the US approximately ten billion land animals are raised and slaughtered for human consumption. Apart from the pain and torture to animals, meat eating poses environmental risks. If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads.

Religion has a huge impact on diet. Hinduism among other religions encourages vegetarianism.Vegetarianism is a natural consequence of the principles of ahimsa (doing no harm). Hindus know that by injuring nature’s other creatures we become a source of pain and sorrow. Contrary to the belief that killing plants is like killing animals, the Hinduism Today, justifies that, plants lacking nervous systems, do not endure pain and terror that mortifies animals at slaughter. There is a famous Sanskrit saying which is translated in English: “I am now eating the flesh of an animal that will someday in the future be eating my flesh.” Humans are considered omnivorous since they eat plants as well as animals. But human body is designed to be a vegetarian. Humans with their long digestive tract take between twelve and eighteen hours to process and digest flesh. Because the environment of the digestive tract is warm and moist, the meat rots and creates free radicals – unstable, destructive oxygen atoms that can cause cancer, premature aging and other degenerative conditions. Being a vegetarian is simple and healthy. As George Bernard Shaw aptly says “I do not want to make my stomach a graveyard of dead animals”, the more animals we eat, the more inferior we are. How can we be superior if we copy the lifestyle of animals that are lower to us intellectually and physically? In short, vegetarianism keeps us healthy and guilt free because killing plants is just not the same as killing animals. No wonder we use slaughter to refer to killing animals and not plants.

So why eat animals and suffer when you can be happy and healthy. "Live and let live!"

My Beloved!

Trying my hand at poetry! My first poem and so its very special to me. It was inspired by a guy who keeps coming in my dream, his face is blurred but I can still hear his soft voice! So this poem is dedicated to my dream guy! :)

I looked up at the sky

And saw the sun smiling brightly

With his golden rays spread across the sky.

I felt blessed!

I looked up at the sky

And saw the stars sparkling

Like diamonds spread on black velvet.

I felt rich!

I looked up at the sky

And saw the dark clouds

Blessing me with their holy water.

I felt pure!

I looked up- to see the face of my beloved

And saw his eyes sparkling with love

Smiling brightly at me.

I felt sheer bliss!

I looked around me

And realized that love can do wonders.

I could see the beauty of life through the eyes of my beloved;

I was never a poet but became one for my beloved!

Poetry is written from the heart. Love inspires me. Like I said: I love to love and I love to smile be loved and I love to write!

My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.

"My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist". Each time Rizvan Khan (SRK) uttered this line I had goosebumps all over my hand. 'My name is Khan' touched me to my very soul and I can easily say that this is of those movies which has a strong message and truly deserves a standing ovation. One of the many lines which stood out in the movie was : "There are only two kinds of people in this world; good people who do good deeds and bad people who do bad deeds." This is absolutely true. Religion is just a part of our identity. We should not allow it to define us nor should we fight for or against it. The message of this movie is that all Muslims are not terrorists and that we should not judge people based on religion. Just because one apple is rotten does not mean that all apples are rotten. There is always a bad person amidst good people. As the saying goes," the sweet is never sweet without the sour." Certain parts of the movie were really silly but I do not want to discuss about the bad parts of a movie, I just want to talk about all the good things about this movie.

Seeing the racial attack after the 9/11 attack, I could imagine how it would have been in reality. 9/11 attack killed thousands of people, the aftermath killed a few more. Another line that stood out was, "If one innocent person dies, the entire humanity has to pay for it." This is extremely true. One bad person takes the lives of innocent people and the whole world is affected by this. Every part of the world was in chaos after this attack and has undoubtedly left a black mark in our hearts. But the attack on Muslims and Sikhs (just because they looked like Muslims) after the big attack is something that was uncalled for. One Muslim guy becomes a murderer and all Muslims are blamed. Why is that? We always choose the easy way out. It is much simpler to blame everyone instead of pointing out one bad guy who actually committed the crime. Isn't that unfair?

This is how I think about it; we (humans) created the concept of religion in order to be organized and to avoid creating chaos in the world. Now, when we should be learning about other religions and following the good things about every religion, we are fighting like cats and dogs in the name of religion which was started in the first place to avoid fighting. Oh, how we love irony!On a lighter note, please do watch the movie, you will cry your heart out and you will enjoy SRK's jokes! :)