The Grid of Life

If we all could look at our lives from an aerial view, it would show us the most fascinating network of paths leading to different destinations… or are there destinations? All our paths are forked and it’s the choices we make in life that determine our way ahead. Our destiny and fate may decide the number and kind of choices we get in life, but it is only we who decide which one to put on faith in; the faith that this path will lead me to a future that I desire. That why I think there would be no destinations in this network grid. Imagine the number of permutations and combinations possible with every choice that we have, and with every decision leading to a different path. But do we really live for the destination? I think not… after all u spend most of your time on the path. Nobody ever stops walking on the path unless they rest on their death bed.

What if we get a chance to see how our life would be had we made different choices. I’m thinking for most of our choices we would still want to follow the path we did, even if it wasn’t too pleasant; because we are more comfortable with the known than the unknown.

Inspired by Richard Bach’s book; ‘The One’

Will never be 22 again.. sigh!

I think 22 is a very important year in you life... it an age of a delicate balance between the innocence of your youth and the maturity of your adulthood. You are more aware of what you like and yet are open to exploring new things to add to that list. You would have just finished your graduation and looking to work or study further. It is the next big step you take after your post 12th std very stressful career decision. But this time things are a little more clear and specific. You are more likely to do what you like than what your parents what you to do. You are also in a better position to convince your parents that what you envision for your future is in fact better or has more scope than what they want (some smart kids ha.. :) )


It is also a time when love takes a new meaning. Your choices for the future puts your past relationships to reality check. If your relationship passes through this then you know that 90% its going to be with you for life.


But whats sad is that when you are 22 you dont realise its potential to influence the rest of your life and create beautiful memories. Its the one age where you can afford to take informed risks and still have enough time to get back on track (just in case)


I wish someone had shaken me up and said, ' Divya... you'll never be 22 again! ' (well some claim they did.. but I didnt listen :P )


If I could go back in time to '22'....
I would have dreamt bigger and not waited for God to give me big things and then realise that, ' yeah i can get there'
I would have travelled more...
I would have worked to getting over my fear of water (its very difficult to learn to swim now :( )
I would have... ok now beyond this I cant put up on the blog :)...

Sooni Raah

Chal pade the apni raah par, apne bagal ki jagah khaali rakh kar

Wahan kabhi tum hua karte the, haathon mein haath hum chala karte the.

Pehle toh nigaah baar baar tumhe dhoonda karti thi,
Kahi tum peeche toh nahi reh gaye , ya phir aage tikal gaye ho?
Phir maloom hua ki tumne toh doosri raah hi pakad li.

Raah ka khaalipan es dil mein utar aaya, Kya yeh jagah kabhi bhar payega?

Sochte the ki dil se tumhara ehsaas mita diya hai,
Par bhool gaye the ki, kiseeka na hona bhi ek ehasaas chod jaata hai

A Social Devil Saves the World!!

Environment and Energy Conservation issues have returned to the forefront of the media with the Earth Hour day approaching on March 26th. Among all that is being written about it, it made me very happy and proud to read that the demand for solar panels in India has doubled in the past year specifically in the regions parched for electricity (Bihar, Uttarakhand etc) But as I read on, I realized that there was a ironical twist to the tale. Turns out that most of these purchases were because ‘Ladke walon ne TV, AC, Mobile sab ek taraf rakhke woh solar panel maanga hai… Waise dekha jaaye toh sahi baat hai .… TV chalane ke liye bijlee hi nahi hogi toh TV ka kaa karenge….?’


And this is how a social devil called Dowry contributes to Energy Conservation and thus Save the World!

Knights In Shining Armour!

Mumbai has a way of making its girls feel safe and unsafe at the same time. The crowd, the lights and the hustle bustle till late hours of the night make you feel safe whereas the creepy looks, unnecessary brushes and fear of people (even street kids..!) snatching away your phone or bag makes you feel more vulnerable than a typical Mumbai girl would like to. With time however these things stop affecting you as much, you either find a way of creating your space in the crowd by defending yourself with your elbows, bags or disgusted/deadly looks or you just tune your mind out of things which do not enter your personal space (like you wouldn’t notice a person staring at your chest from a distance unless he’s too close for comfort). We all eventually deal with it our own way… but sometimes it takes a ‘Knight in a Shining Armour’ to save the day for you….! In our case however there were two ….


It was the last day of the Kala Ghoda festival and we five enthusiasts (3 girls and 2 boys) went to hear Sonu Nigam live :0 The place was already crowded for Ustad Fazal Quereshi’s performance preceding Sonu’s and to our disappointment they did not empty out the stands for the next show :( so we tried making our way through the crowd to atleast get a glimpse of the stage (we can’t give up so soon can we..?!) we spent atleast half an hour ( It actually seemed much longer) trying to find our space in the crowd with these two friends of ours (knights of the night! ) Sukant and Arvind struggling to hold their and our balance and as if it wasn’t enough work already, to take care of these three girls (who otherwise think that they do a great job taking care of themselves…!) they even had to protect us from the many chance marus around! There was a time when the entire crowd was actually tilted 45 degrees… that being the panic point for us girls..! But the boys took over and got us out of there... phew…! I will never be able to forget that night.. not so much for the panic but for how Sukant actually walked backwards half way through the crowd trying to pull me out :) Thanks Sukant and Arvind…!! Our Knights for the Night with Shining Armour..! :)



This incident got me thinking, that it’s always nice to have ‘nice boys’ around you. ( And I have been fortunate to have many..touch wood!) Who let you find your own way most of the times, but when it matters the most, will always be there for you...


Three cheers to all the Knights in our life..!!

Awards...

Since i was concerned about my friend's confidentiality, i didnt mention her name while giving my thank yous...But apparently it is not a point of concern for her :) So i dedicate this ENTIRE post to her...


Here it goes.....


The Credits Award for coining the bestest ever blog name and tagline goes to 'Ms Smita Sridharan'..!!!!

Applause..! :)

And the second award for being a brilliant support and critic in coining the name of this blog goes to 'Ms Kimi Mehta'...!!!

Applause...! :)

My Bowl of Maggi :)

Maybe i should start with my thank yous...
Firstly to my two Dearest friends at work who actually gave me a day's deadline to start my blog (typical consultant behaviour i say.. ) and i also owe the name of my blog to them.. :) (brain storming on gtalk conference... )
Also to every person who has ever appreciated my writing and encouraged me to pursue it...
Applause!
This is what happens when you watch too many award functions and hear very few hatke thank you speeches :)


Now lets move on to the real stuff...


For Starters, this blog is Not about Food... But the name has orginated from the 'Love for Food' that my two friends cum colleagues share and it is rubbing off on me too..but ofcourse, i haven't been able to match up with them yet...Sigh....
Now how would I know that I have in fact reached 'There' ... Well there is an Indicator for tat :) (sorry guys the consultant terminologies have become a part of me) If I think of one of my favorite foods or just the mere mention of it, Immediately sends me into a reverie; where i start imagining me having it, smelling it, tasting it and even feel its texture... then Boy am I There!!


So coming back to the name of the blog.. sorry My Blog (I'm still getting used to it :) )


Masala Maggi...ummmmm... Anybody can bond over a bowl of Maggi.. this phenomenon being Global...! and if your trying to bond with somene especial... then Masala Maggi will add just the right amount of spice ;)

Maggi like our lives, can never be straight... every bend is different from the other. You will rarely find a maggi strand alone..it's always inter twined with some others (sometimes few, sometimes many) and thats why we love it right?... In a competition between the boring straight Hakka Noodles and Yummm Maggi Noodles.... our beloved Maggi wins hands down!

Also, you might or might not be a 'Food Fan' but most people relate to it, as an extenstion of their own self.... Hence the name.. :)




So here I am... just to create some cyber space of my own and to pen down..or rather 'key down' D' Flavours & D' Spices of the World as I know it....


Welcome to My Bowl of Masala Maggi... :)