A 15 year old me !!

So few days back a lead singer of a lead band decided to meet his maker and committed suicide.
Soon these less popular desi indie bands decided to take advantage of the gloomy situation and started organizing tribute concerts.

Me, as someone who's never been to bars or pubs (yeah ... I need to get a life) (maybe I'm too old now) (have 2 strands of grey hair) (🤦‍♂️), along with two of my dudes decided to attend one of these tributes.

The concert went well with all the Jimi Hendrix wannabes doing all kind of aerobics on stage.

Me was bored in a bit, decided to check out the other attendees out there.

A young puberty dude, not more than 15 was having the time of his life with two cute dames and 2 chilled hooches.


......
So 8 years back, My mom had assumed me to be a perennial mammas boy and decided to take upon herself the task of educating me about various life and body processes 🤦‍♂️...


*Awkward scenes ahead*
....
Some day, some month, 2008 -

Mom : Som, this age of yours is kinda strange... you've got to be careful.

Me : (no no no no no) What are you talking about mummy ? (Please don't go on ... I know everything ... ).

Mom : You've got to be careful with the way you look around, look at people, (she meant 'girls') (she had no idea .... )

Me : I'm already careful no mummy  ...

Mom : No, see ... from now on there will be changes... both mentally and physically...

Me : (desperately trying to hide my broken puberty voice) yeah ....
.....

Thank god mummy didn't decide to lecture the entire bio unit thus restoring my faith in humanity.
...
Ok I should stop now. If I type more you'd end up knowing all the details about the time when mom caught me watching things that wasn't supposed to be watched.

Okey. Thenks.

Still a loong way to go...

Some things i have learned during my first 21 years on this planet.

Maybe i'm being a bit philosophical here right now :D but still .....  

• Time is the most valuable commodity.
  No matter how much money i get right now, or how much i'll be making in the future, I can never go back to school and do things i did not care about at that time. For eg: When i was doing my schooling  @ Sharada vidyalaya, Mangalore i really wanted to stand for School Pupil Leader, but never had the guts to take up a public post. I tried to compensate by getting chosen as a Class Representative @ St Joseph Engineering College .....but it's not the same thing and i quit after sometime. Nor can i go back and ask out the girls i wanted to. Or the carefree life again. College is also almost over and there are many things i wished i had done but never did due to my procrastinating nature.
  Live in the moment and seriously do the shit you want to. Once you delay, and time passes, you won't be able to go back.
  
• Our 'friends' matter a lot more than you think.I remember a guy i went to school with....I used to hang out with him all the time and used to laugh at the same shitty things... I told him all about my 1st crush to him and he promised to help me even though he knew i had no chance with her :D We used to pull each others legs and i was sure, whatever happens he would never let me down. Then i left my hometown(Coorg) and became too busy to reconnect with my past. Somewhere down the line we stopped talking and became too busy to return each others phone calls. :(
  Right now i do not have any "FRIENDS"(FRIENDS AS IN THE ONE MENTIONED ABOVE)  .. No responsibilities, No liabilities. I do make friends, but, after a while, maybe they don't like me anymore, or i don't.
  Whatever it is, i just stop being with them. I write on Quora, Experience project etc... and today a friend of mine asked me to start writing this blog :D  
  
  Anyways.. the point is ... It is important to have relationships and not just connections.
  And do keep in touch with atleast some people who you know from your childhood.
  
• Learn to accept your bodies as they are.
  Not too long ago, i was never satisfied with my hair and used a lot of hair gel and other stuff that i regret using now. I was never satisfied with myself. Remain fit but do not obsess with losing too much weight or having the perfect hair. With time you will learn to be comfortable in your skin. I know this is sick, but whenever i feel bad about myself i wonder what does my paralyzed relative feel who has lost the working of both his legs in a freak accident and has remained bed ridden for the last 10+ years.
  You are OK however you are. God created you and you are perfect for him. Do not bitch about that friend with beautiful hair or that guy with the perfect abs. Be happy with your less than perfect hair :)
  
• Everything is not perfect and never will be.
  We all have had problems with our parents and we'll have problems with our jobs, in our love life etc. But we do not give them up ... we get frustrated if we try to make everything right at the same time. Learn to let go. Accept you will always face problems. Nothing is perfect .... not your College life, your girlfriend or your future job. Accept it.
  
• Sometimes your happiness is a lot closer to you than you think.
  While you are angry at not getting the attention of that cute girl at college you forget to notice your parents have planned something special for you that day. Or that perfect moon lit night where you can take a stroll. Learn to enjoy the little things nearby than the things you have no control over.
  
• Relationships are overrated and sometimes being single can be the best thing for you.
  People see their friends getting hitched and often wonder how nice it would be to have a girlfriend. Most get into a relationship just for the sake of getting one and not because they are ready. Do not make the same mistake. Love will happen. In time you will make a lot of mistakes in relationships and will end up a better man because of it.
  
• Family matters.
  I'm in my final semester of engineering and the number of times I've called and spoken to my dad, during the course of my engineering can be counted with just one hand ... We tend to drift away from our parents as we grow up. settle in different place etc etc... but we never realize how much that one phone call means to them. No matter how much busy you are do find some time for the. For most Indian parents we are everything to them. The result of all their sacrifices, blood and tears. Soon they will be gone and you will miss them...More than anyone else in this planet.. and one day, we will turn into them too.... we will have our own kids. Treat your parents like you want your own kids to treat you one day.
  
• Never tell all your problems to people. You might think that they care. But most of them will judge you. Others will consider you weak. Sort out your problems yourself and do not seek sympathy.
  "You might want to travel around the world. live an exciting life. But always remember that no matter where you go, as long as you do not have the people who matter around you, you will never be truly happy. You might think we live a boring life doing the same thing everyday but it is still worth it because it has made your education possible and given you the facilities we never had."
  The above pieces of advice were given to me by my mom just recently when i came home after my 7th semester. 
  

A simple conversation of a man with god after he died!

This brought so much peace inside me few days back when i was completely broken and shattered a few months ago.
It felt like drinking a cold glass of water after crossing a thousand kilometers of desert. No matter how broken down or low you feel this will always help :)

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A man died, when he realized it, he saw God coming closer with a suitcase in his hand.

- GOD said: Alright son its time to go.

- surprised the man responded: Now? So soon? I had a lot of plans...

- I'm sorry but its time to go.

- What do you have in that suitcase? the man asked.

- GOD answered: Your belongings.

- My belongings? you mean my things, my clothes, my money?

-GOD answered: Those things were not yours they belonged to the earth.

- Is it my memories? the man asked.
-GOD answered: those never belonged to you they belonged to Time.

- Is it my talents?
-God answered: those were never yours they belonged to the circumstances.

- Is it my friends and family?
-God answered: I'm sorry they were never yours they belonged to the path.

- Is it my wife and son?
- God answered: They were never yours the belonged to your heart.

- Is it my body?
- God answered: That was never yours it belonged to the dust.

-Is it my soul?
God answered: No that is mine.

Full of fear, the man took the suitcase from god and opened it just to find out the suitcase was empty.

- With a tear coming down his cheek the man said: I never had anything???

-God answered: that is correct, every moment you lived were only yours. Life is just a moment. a moment that belongs to you.For this reason enjoy this time while you have it. Don't let anything that you think you own stop you from doing so.

-Live Now
-Live your life
- Don't forget to be happy, that is the only thing that matters.
- Material things and everything else that you fought for stay here.
-YOU CAN'T TAKE ANYTHING

Share this reflection with anyone you love or appreciate. Enjoy every second you live.:)