10 Vampire Diaries Quotes to Live By.

This show, while a guilty pleasure, is not all hot, supernatural beings and gore. It’s a lot more than that, with plenty of valuable things waiting to be learned. Here are 10 quotes from The Vampire Diaries to live by.

1. "When people see good they expect good, and I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations..." 

2. "Don't underestimate the allure of darkness, even the purest hearts are drawn to it. "

3.  "You hurt yourself to feel better in your own skin. Isn't that ironic?"

4. "Smiling doesn't always mean you're happy. Sometimes, it simply means that you're a strong person."

5. "The first rule of truly living is to do the thing you're most afraid of."

6. "I would tell you that it's okay to have hope. Because sometimes that's all that keeps me going."

7. "Trust is earned. I can't just magically hand it over."

8. "What's worth dying for if not love?"

9. "It's probably best you don't torture yourself with memories from the past."

10. "The only person I can count on is me."

The Camp.

“Dad, there’s a night camp at school tonight. All my friends will be going. Can I please go too?”

After a minute of silence, dad finally announced the verdict, “Only if you continue to keep up the good performance alike the previous term.”

I had failed to rely on my ears and lamely wondered if it meant a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ The next moment I was in my bedroom packing up my white unwired mp3 player, mobile charger, basketball, eatables and a pair of clothes along with other necessities. I even texted and rang up all his friends to confirm that I was going to be a part of the much awaited night camp.


____________________________________________________________________

With the sky so dark it looked as if the Earth had been covered with a moth-bitten blanket. Tents had been put up, a bundle of wood was kept at one corner for bonfire and certain areas had been lit up with focus lights.The entire school campus echoed with the laughter and excitement of the campers. (Yes, campers! ‘Student’ was a regular term and so for this exciting venture we liked to be referred to as the ‘campers’)

Water-resistant sturdy plastic tents were allotted to us to place our luggage as we arrived. Provided it was the first ever night out for all of us, everybody carried gigantic backpacks with them which were stuffed with almost everything they thought they could possibly need for the night stay, from mosquito repellants to nasal strips (which they could perhaps lend to a snoring camp-mate to ensure sound sleep).

Every single person in the premises was brimming with enthusiasm and zeal, so much that the teachers found it rather difficult to get them properly arranged according to their sections. Near about ten minutes of shrieking at the top of their voices finally got the disobedient and hyperactive students to rest as they sorted their respective places.



We were then directed towards the camping spot which happened to be the courtyard of our own school infrastructure. As we sat cross-legged on the pearl white marble floor, forming a giant-wheel size circle encompassing our footwear at the centre, we started off with fun games and tidbit of gossip to fill in the empty gaps.

Having finished with one complete round of antakshari that had songs ranging from fast Bollywood numbers to Hollywood pop chart toppers to even a few Tollywood ones; we started off with a vigorous session of tug-o-war, at the end of which all of us felt famished to the core. Food seemed like the only solution to rejuvenate us now.

The bonfire was then finally lit. Even though the menu was the usual one and limited to fried rice, sweet buns, spring rolls and manchurian accompanied with soft drinks, they tasted exceptionally good. The other possibility is that our taste buds must have willingly accepted all that came our way to curb the hunger.

Post dinner, we got into our night suits and amidst the incessant chatter and thrill, fell asleep.



It was the much needed break from the monotonous schedule that had reduced us to complete dull heads. The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise, ready to go on with the usual, only a little more optimistic, fresh versions of ourselves.

NOTE :This post has been written for Housing.com .#together 

Start A New Life.

                       

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“Will you marry me”, Karan stood there, a perfectly carved solitaire ring in hand, awaiting my answer with a small, wry smile, his dark eyes anxiously holding mine.



I have been alone for so long now, it is almost impossible for me to imagine life with another person again. The mere idea seems to baffle me. I guess if I am completely honest with myself, I am perplexed by the intimacy of living with another human being. It is not so much of the sexual intimacy that scandalizes me but the physical affinity on a day to day basis, the emotional bonding that knits two people together and makes them an inseparable part of each other. I am convinced I cannot deal with it. I am scared. Scared to make an assurance, scared of caring too deeply, scared of getting too attached eventually, perhaps even of falling in love,if indeed I am able of loving a man again. Fear has crippled me at my emotional roots for the past numerous years. I am conscious of that and so I have created a life for myself, a life unaided; this has always appeared so much secure. Brick by brick, I have constructed a wall around myself, a wall fabricated solely on the bedrock of my basic necessities and career. 

Once I was a fortunate woman. I had all a woman could possibly ask for, maybe more. And then it all came to a standstill.

For the last six years, since that apocalyptic autumn where I lost my childhood love in an unfortunate accident, I have lived a tormented life. I have lived with a misery that is unsustainable. And yet I have sustained. I have found my way out of darkness and desolation when I hardly had any strength left, when I had lost even the desire to live. I have coped up with it and survived.

And I prepared myself to live on my own, have grown used to leading a lonely life, and I am not sure I can open up again, as I once did. But this exactly what Karan wants me to do, he wants me to open upto him, weave our lives together forever. He is a good man and any woman would be lucky to have him. But I am not any woman, I have endured far too much, blotched forever, my soul damaged irrevocably, beyond healing, I know. I don’t think I am the kind of woman he deserves to be with, a woman who can give him her all, a woman without a haunting past, with no burden or lonesomeness pulling her down, like mine.

The easiest thing for me would be to turn Karan down, tell him no firmly and never see him again. Yet I cannot...something holds me back.



In that moment, I decide to leave behind the emotional cripple that I have turned into, acknowledging my feelings for him, admitting that I have punished myself long enough for a crime that wasn’t even mine, I look straight into his eyes, confident and bold, utter the those perfect three letters, ‘YES’ and set myself free of all the agony that constituted my life till date.



NOTE: This post has been written for Housing.com .#StartANewLife

A New Beginning.

She was upset, incredibly down. There was certainly something that stung her. But a woman’s heart is one secretive closet, indeed, you never know what’s being piled up in there until you acquire the key to the closet. Lost in thought, she carelessly lay on her messy bed in sheer darkness, staring at the blank walls through her sleep deprived puffy eyes. Darkness no longer scared her, she was accustomed to it now. Sleep had abandoned her long back, all she was left with were memories-memories which she held very close to her soul, memories that she could survive an entire lifetime on. Her mind bore complaints which the heart refused to acknowledge, and her heart carried anguish which the mind failed to reason. Selflessness had taken over all self-centered concerns. She had loved, lost and been abandoned. The healing touch of Cupid had deserted her. Now she was just a lifeless soul, dragging it through life. Everything seemed to have reduced to materialistic and obsolete for her, words didn't carry meaning and emotions no value. Hurt as she was, pain no longer had any effect, she had grown completely numb.



When she’d lost all hopes of mirth and joy, left with absolutely no valid reason to survive, she walked through the small door into her room, to breathe in the lingering scent of tender, love and care; and to touch infinite memories that the walls held - memories that the she had cherished, some priceless instances that never faded with time - her first step, how after countless loops of stumbling and falling she finally made it. Her first word, and how it had Maa’s eyes brimming with tears, tears of joy off course. Plethora of such moments, her first crush, those sleepless nights before the final exams, the sigh of relief when her efforts finally paid. All those vivid memories just seemed to strike back at her at the moment. For a while, she almost left behind her worries and embraced her lovely childhood, those good old days. Ah! Childhood memories do strike a chord in us, don’t they?

It was in that moment that she found complete bliss. She was ready to make her way back into the world. That was her moment of optimism. Her face now wore a pleasant tranquility, her eyes sparkled with aspirations many, and her heart - just bore the strong urge to love and be loved. She once again stood up like the brave tigress she once was, now only stronger and more prepared to face the world. She smiled and her smile was the proud assertion of her faith in herself. She was ready to conquer the world this time.


NOTE : This post has been written for a competition by https://housing.com/lookup in association with Indiblogger.  #lookup

I am a Pimple, Bumpy & Red.

I am a Pimple, bumpy and red,

Oh! You can spot me by my bulging head.

On the nose, cheek and dimple,

A nasty zit I am, yes another pimple.

Try as hard to conceal and yet will I stick out,

Coordinating colors with your crimson pout.

Aim for a perfect click and out I pop,

You might however have your way with Photoshop.

Some squeezing here, a little itching there,

Frowning at the mirror for hours you stare.

So, you find me disgusting and make a fuss,

Trying to extract the oozing pus.

And just when you think it’s the world’s end,

Having sought remedies from even the distant friend,

Bam comes Garnier Pure Active to free you of your despair,

Just one cleansing wash & I won’t nearly be there.

Alas! The Neem extracts took onto me,

Uprooted me totally and made you pimple-free.

I was devastated. A teenager that I am, it hardly takes much to pull me into an emotional frenzy, anyways. The culprit was a teeny little zit that had appeared on my nose, right at the pointed edge. I ran to the mirror and frowned at it for several minutes, examining it from all possible sides, figuring out angles which flashed less of the red bump. Oh how I wish staring at it long enough and scowling could make it disappear. That however, didn’t happen. So, I frantically searched my make-up box for anything, absolutely anything that could at the least cover it up maybe. I was told acne is a perfectly normal part of the adolescent age and that inner beauty mattered the most than what appears on the outside; but trust me all such words of wisdom (which are all true, by the way) were the last thing I wanted to hear at that moment. I guess this is something which almost all of us have been through or are currently stuck up in.


The skin is the largest organ of the body. One of the skin's primary function is to abolish a portion of the toxic and metabolic waste products present in the body through sweat. If the body accumulates more toxins than the liver and kidney can effectively expel, the skin plays its part. Thus as the excessive amount of toxins escape through the skin, the skin’s normal pH is distorted which causes plethora of skin related disorders, acne being one of them. Abolishing intake of caffeine, snack foods, fried foods, fast foods, processed foods, hydrogenated oils, margarine, table salt and vegetable oils, all forms of sugar and animal protein is a way to efficiently lessen ingesting toxins that will percolate through the skin. Additionally, one should also increase their water consumption as it assists the kidneys and liver to do their jobs of detoxification more efficiently.

The skin breathes too. Oils, grime, dust and pollutants can block the skin’s pores and aggravate existing pimple problems. Therefore, it is also advised to keep your skin clean and wash your face gently at regular intervals. However, excessive scrubbing or washing can make pimples worse by activating the body's sebaceous glands, which leads to excessive sebum production.

Also, avoid squeezing and popping the pimples at all cost! As inviting as it may seem, the damage to the skin can be severe, leaving you with long-lasting marks or scars or even risks of infection.

Dealing with acne can come across as a pretty turbulent phase. You might lose self confidence, accomplishing a perfect click may appear almost impossible, the mirror may start to seem like more of a foe than friend and a lot more nightmares follow. However, do not let it take control of your personal life. Remember, however cliche as it may sound, beauty is defined not by one’s face, but soul. The outer beauty sure attracts, but it is the inner beauty that captivates.

NOTE : This post has been written for a contest by Garnier Pure Active Neem Face Wash in association with Indiblogger.

Check out the links for more :

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(bit.ly/GarnierPureActiveNeemWebsite)

It's just Quikr in Bangalore!

Switching cities is a really tough affair, by the way, for those who happen to enjoy the luxury of spending their entire lifetime in a single city. *sigh*

A new unfamiliar location yet to be figured out, some damaged furniture, a broken crockery set or two, a microwave that refuses to heat your food once it is relocated and much more, all comes along with the package of relocation. And when relocating almost every two or three years is something your profession demands, well let us just say frustration takes the better of you. And that is exactly when Quikr comes to your rescue and restores that sweet smile across your pretty face.

I recently moved in to Bangalore about a month back and the moment my household items were unloaded off the giant truck, I knew things were not perfect. As predicted, history repeated itself and I was left there disheartened and depressed with a broken LED TV beyond repair, shattered glass from the dining table , damaged crockery and not to mention tampered furniture. Almost in tears, I contacted a friend coincidentally in the same city about a few miles away from my recent flat, who advised me to look up Quikr- Bangalore for help. The moment I browsed through the website, I knew all my plights had been solved. This was the ultimate website where finding even or better replacements for my damaged goods would not be a tough task, and that too in reasonable prices and with efficient services (so much Quikr).

I started with ‘Electronics and Appliances’ section and browsed through all the relevant stuff I found there, while applying filters that suited me in order to fetch myself nothing but the best. I then moved onto their ‘Home and Lifestyle’ and grabbed some of the best deals in there, getting my home its perfect decor. In due course, I also noticed that I could maybe sneak a peak into the matrimonial section (winks) or even pamper myself with a furry friend. Amazingly all this and a lot more has the same address : Quikr-Bangalore, where the buyer seller relationship is pleasant and the advertisements seem to have a certain standard sufficient enough to doubt its relevance.

Oh! I also chatted along with a hairstylist at the website and got myself an appointment for a soothing hair-pampering session too and also found some friends among the buyers.

It is really fascinating how in a strange city, I found my distress being soothed at a single destination. Quikr-Bangalore, kudos people! I have truly found a friend in you. Looking forward to much more this year.

I have no fikar, because I have Quikr! #QuikrBLR


Note - This post has been written for a contest by QuikrBLR ( bangalore.quikr.com ) powered by Indiblogger.

Saying 'YES' before 'I DO'...

“We are living at a time where some people …

want to test whether the milk is good before they buy the cow.”

— John Sentamu, Archbishop of York

We live in an era where sex forms the staple of the lingo of the nation’s youth. "Is it okay to have premarital sex?" is a common question among teens and engaged couples. Perhaps you are in a relationship that is progressing in that direction, but you're not sure what to do. In your mind, you are probably weighing the pros and cons of premarital sex. On the positive side of the scale, there is acceptance from your peers, hope for pleasure, and the fulfillment of sexual desires. The negative side of the scale carries the weights of morals, fear of pregnancy or disease, and guilt. How do these scales balance? What is the right decision?

Before we proceed let’s have a quick look at some statistics according to an article in Outlook:

On being asked of a Pre - marital sexual experience, this is how people responded :

Yes : 33% 

No : 50% 

No response : 17%

A sneak peek into other detailed statistics reveal how in the large metros namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, pre-marital sex is accepted as a fact of life and does not carry the same stigma of disapproval as elsewhere. In Chennai, however, the prevalence of pre-marital sex is the highest at 60 per cent, Lucknow coming a poor second at 37 per cent. Amongst the cities, Bangalore has the lowest incidence at 22 per cent.

Having seen that, let us shift back to our unanswered question. What is the right decision?

Morality is a factor for many people when deciding whether or not to have premarital sex. Well, keeping in mind what the youth of today is exposed to in movies and television shows, they ought to think it is no big deal. In light of today's permissive attitude, your peers may think you're weird to even question it.

But maybe there is a voice in your head, that is holding you back from the big step. Many people refer to this voice as their conscience. How can you know if your "conscience" is right? People all around the world look to the Bible as a moral or religious book, so let's see what it says about premarital sex.

The Bible also has plenty to say about premarital sex. Or nothing, depending on your interpretation. The issue revolves around the Greek word porneia.

The New Testament uses this word a lot. It’s clearly a bad thing, but it’s not clear exactly what it means. It’s often translated as “fornication,” which Webster’s defines as “consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other.” That includes premarital sex, so the Bible prohibition appears to be clear.

But explore other translations, and the issue is trickier. Some define it as “prostitution,” because the Septuagint used the word this way.

A popular translation is “sexual immorality,” though this ambiguous.

Let’s see Wikipedia’s take on the subject:

"There is much debate amongst Christians as to whether or not sex between two people who have never been married constitutes a form of fornication. The Bible itself is silent on the issue of consensual, premarital sex between an engaged couple."

And even if premarital sex were prohibited in the Bible, so what? The Bible celebrates genocide and slavery, and we reject them. If a ban on premarital sex makes no sense for modern society, drop it.

After all, are we living in the Stone Age? I’m fed up of the wholly unnecessary controversy that's raked up by one renegade group or the other every time the subject of premarital sex crops up in a discussion. I am aghast that on the one hand we speak of going ahead and staking a claim to be treated as a modern, developed state at par with other nation states, and on the other feel so shy of even uttering or acknowledging that three-letter word. Talk of hypocrisy, you'd rarely find it in such abundance as here.

Yes, there can be harm with sex, but there can be harm with a lot of other things too. Sexual compatibility is an important component of a strong marriage; shouldn't the couple figure it out before taking the vows?
The gap between sexual maturity and marriage has gone from a couple of years to more than a decade. The ban on premarital sex is naive, especially when its just a tradition and isn't in the Bible. There is nothing inherently harmful in premarital sex, and the sin of premarital sex is one of those rare problems that you can simply define away.

#PreMaritalSex



NOTE : This post has been written for a contest by Indiblogger concerning Poonam Uppal's latest book :
A Passionaate Gospel of True Love : A Mystical True Love Story

Parachute Advansed Body Lotion - Bring Back The Touch

“Never leave a true relation for a few faults. Nobody is perfect. Nobody is correct. In the end affection is always greater than perfection.”

‘I forgot our anniversary’, Ross said.

‘Oh?’

‘Twenty seven years,’ he added.

Behind him he could hear dried leaves rattling in the breeze.

‘I’m worried about us,’ he finally admitted.

Joe glanced at Ross. At first he thought Joe would ask him why he was worried, but instead he squinted, trying to read his face. Then turning away, he spoke, his voice was soft and low, ‘Do you know what one remembers most about the good days?’ Ross shook his head. ‘No’, he answered. ‘Falling in love’, Joe said. ‘That’s what I remember from my relationship.’ He smiled. ‘Every time I showed a gesture of love, it was like I was courting her, because she would fall in love with me again just like she had a long time ago. And that’s the most wonderful feeling in the world. To fall in love with the same person over and over. And though it has been 7 long years since she passed away, the feeling never passes.’

It was then that Ross knew what he had to do. He had to court his wife again. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But things aren’t always like they seem. Ross and Janet had lived together for decades, it wasn’t as though they had to start over.

He walked across the room and reached for her hand. Janet wondered what was happening. He then pulled her body next to his. He touched her face, then slowly closed his eyes and as soon as his lips touched hers, she knew that it was unlike any kiss she’s ever received from him. It was new but familiar, appreciative but filled with longing and its very inspiration evoked the same feelings in her. It was a new beginning to their lives, just as their first kiss had been so long ago.
 

NOTE : This post has been written for a competition sponsored by Parachute Advanced Body Lotion.

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Weighing the Pointers!

Life of an engineer, as we know, is a non-stop slogging with a larger than life syllabus, coping up with plethora of tests, projects, assignments, mid semesters and lots more stuff to deliberately make life tough, not to mention the October humidity to drain us of all our energy. Meanwhile to make the situation even worse and to add to the heat, the ever so considerate RGPV decides to declare (*trumpets please*) the semester results. Perfect, right? Duh!

Now while the 8-pointers and 9-pointers (Read : ‘book-a-holics of the class’), precisely a bunch of ever complaining students whine about a loss of mark here or there and how they could have landed another A+ in their report had they not missed out on a certain blah term in a certain blah question, a fairly large crowd of students are all smiles about how bunking lectures and hours of ‘chhole samose’ & gupshup sessions at our very apna canteen got them through the semester without much of a headache. A curse or two about low sessionals is heard in almost every department, and some drooping faces spotted; as for those who scored well above average, the demand for ‘treat’ is at an all time high; and for those who scored well below average, well, let’s just say they’re busy arranging for previous sem papers and Shivani (yeah, like you thought we study from the books) to keep their slates clean of the ‘F’s as they move on to the next semesters. As for those looking for a valid explanation for their indifferent attitude, a single piece of paper can never determine your future, can it? *winks*

So here’s to another rocking month. Bring in the winter mood, spread your waistlines a bit and chill out in your couch till the next semester result! 

Guilty Pleasures.

     Guilty pleasures! Who doesn't have one?! Well as for me, I've 10 lined up here. And many more that I'd rather not mention here! ;)
      So here goes :

1.   How I Met Your Mother. This show sure doesn't fall in the intellectual watch category but I sure as hell love it anyways. Actually no, I freakin' love it, especially Barney and Ted and Robin and Lily and Marshall (wait, did I name all of 'em? Oh yea! :P ).  I watch it every time I can even though I’ve seen every episode more than twice. Such "legen-wait-for-it-dary" drama and lovable characters. Who could resist? Not me!

2.    Karaoke in the privacy of my bathroom walls. I do this all the time. I sing in the shower since bathroom has great acoustics, and just so you know, I consider myself no less than Sunidhi Chauhan in due course. (which is so far from reality, it's even hard to imagine otherwise)

3.   Sleeping till late afternoon. If you're anything like me, your holidays begin after what normal people like to call "morning". This particular guilty pleasure might get me fired from any potential job in the future but hey, I'm not complaining! Twelve hours of sleep is simply divine and those who haven't experienced it are simply missing out on something 'great' in life.

4.   Laziness at its best. One of my guilty pleasures is displaying acts of such unusual laziness that would make you lose faith in humanity. I bat an eyelid and get tired. I throw myself on the bed like I just returned home from war. I use my toes to pick things up and would rather push stuff under the bed than get up and throw it in the dust bin like a normal human being. Call it whatever but I got no shame in admitting I'm one bag of lazy bones.

5.    Watching sappy romantic movies. Be it the same melodramatic love scenes from our very own Bollywood or the 'awww' moments from the videsi love stories, I just can't help watching sappy romantic flicks. Not only do I just watch them but over and over again. Yes, to the point that I can quote them. Watching them so many times usually results in emotional breakdowns.

6. Celebrity gossip. If there is one guilty pleasure that I'm massively guilty about, it is this one. Yes, I admit that I am obsessed with the daily snippets of celebrity gossip. Sometimes, I open laptop and find myself casually checking out the latest gossip in B-town! I find myself unhealthily drawn towards finding out who Ranbir's dating currently or wondering why did Deepika have to get drawn to Ranveer of all the men. You may not find me flipping through the daily newspaper but you sure as hell will find me eyeing the magazine section with deep concentration at my own leisure.

7.   Putting on pajamas as soon as I am home. No matter what time it may be. Even if I head home after college at 12 noon to spend the rest of the day at home, I jump into my pajamas within moments of walking through the door. I don’t care if I have to get redressed in an hour, or even 5 times that day. They’re comfy and that's what matters, right?

8.   Pizza. No, wait, food. Any kind. As long as it tastes good. Anything at all. It's not that I eat beyond my diet. Let's just say I don't exercise enough or rather not at all. Life is short and food is good, that should be reason enough to binge on that extra slice of double cheese burst pizza. Okay now gentlemen, do not disturb. 

9.    Taking extremely long showers. Sometimes so long that my mom doubts I'm taking a short power nap in the bathroom itself. Even if it actually takes me 10 minutes to take a decent shower and soap down, I spend like another 20 minutes adoring myself in the mirror and singing away like a pop diva as the shampoo bottle makes up for the mic. 

    10.    Choco-lava. I often sneak into the kitchen when no one's watching and treat myself                   to an entire bar of utterly tempting chocolate. My love for chocolate dates back to                     when I was an infant and to this day this love has just grown over the years. Once                     gobbled up in my mouth, it melts away like heaven. Yummmm! *mouth watering*