Parents in India...this one's for you :)

Very recently my dad told me how one of his friends wanted to meet me, desperately :s Apparently their kid is going the unconventional education way ( neither engineering nor medicine :P) and he is worried about his future. Knowing my choice of unconventional career path, I was thought of some help.

This squared down to me thinking, what could I suggest him, when he finally gets to meet me. Ample things I could tell him about various unconventional career choices, following-your-heart success stories; but the point was, will it make any sense to a worried father who desperately wanted the kid to succeed.

Somehow there was only one thing I could bottom line, which was, let the kid do whatever he likes to do. Let him follow his heart. The only greatest thing a parent could do for the kid was to show their full support, in the kids’ decisions and choices. Only when you make them believe that they can be successful at whatever they choose, you give them wings. There was no other way.

A friend who happens to be a pilot once shared with me: "I never knew flying was my passion Pallavi" I asked, then what made you choose this profession?

My mind was blown with his answer. He told me how his father observed his brilliance at driving cars and taking instructions and thought he would make an excellent driver a.k.a a pilot ;) No wonder his dad's observations were very correct. Visionary genius I call him. To be able to see through your kids heart & passions. Probably, you want to do that with your kid too? Instead of forcing them the conventional ways which you think would guarantee success!

And most importantly remember your kid is not your old age investment plan or a pseudo improvised version of you. They are their own individuals. Trust me, if they ain't happy, you ain't getting anywhere anyway!:)

p.s: I always thank God for the coolest parents ever!

Suicide..is it worth it?

Okay. I have been wanting to write about this from a really long time now. But something really serious happened recently. It made me come here and talk instantly.

A close friend tried to commit suicide last night. Thankfully she is safe and recovering. I feel nauseated and really sick in my stomach thinking about what if's.

My dears, i know, sometimes it gets really tough to pull through the journey and there seems no hope at the end of the tunnel, whatsoever. I know how difficult are those times when you do the self talk. How you feel as if the whole world is against you.

Trust me its just a matter of a phase, which eventually passes, always.

Just hold on, hang in there. Your life is much much more precious than whatever is bothering you. Your problem is not more powerful than you are. What if a relationship didn't workout or your job sucks or you have family issues. Its not the end of the world. Nothing is. You gotta wake up and try harder next day. Maybe talk with a friend? Or anyone random? Or maybe go out and hug a stranger? Or maybe reach me? Its tough I know but that's not the end of it. Quitting is probably always easy, but you have got a beautiful life, why would you? Why waste it because of things which trouble you so much. And I'm sure those people/ things/ circumstances which forced you till here are totally not worth your life. Is that guy/ girl who broke your heart, cheated on you worth it? Or your difficult boss or inlaws worth it? I am sure no one is worth it. You are precious more than you know.

Please don't loose hope. Trust me it all falls in place. Look harder. Try harder. And believe me you always will have a way. Maybe all you need is a hug which you don't know about. I know its a lot easier said than done. But its not impossible.

If you cant count even a single person who loves you or cares for you or would miss you after you are gone. Gimme a shout, speak with me. I am around. But please try once more? Because you are precious.

Wherever you are and reading this. Sending you a big bear hug. Hold on.

Ps: I lost a very close friend many years back. He couldn't get over a broken relationship and decided to quit. Trust me it still haunts me after 10 years. Is that how you would want anyone to remember you? Really? Look inside once again.

Bucket List: 101 Things I want To Do Before I Die

     I made this list almost a year back. Its a very personal thing, but I thought about sharing it today, hoping to inspire someone, like someone inspired me to make mine :) Its fun and a good way to know yourself :D 

1. Scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef
2. Get a Tattoo
3. River Rafting
4. Horse riding, again
5. Become a certified  scuba diver
6. Be a life guard at a beach for a while
7. Step once on all the continents
8. Run for a 10 km marathon
9. Make a sustainable living from making and selling handmade; handicrafts/ paintings/ lamps/ jewelry
10. Backpacking in Europe for a month or more before I turn 30
11. Swim at a stretch for 1000 mts, 5000 mts
12. Sell handmade at an exhibition
13. Make a wall graffiti
14. Teach underprivileged kids, often
15. Teach art/crafts to mentally challenged kids
16. Put up a painting exhibition, lamps exhibition
17. Make my sister VERY proud of me
18. Kiss the sky from a hot air balloon
19. Party and spend a night on a private beach sleeping under the sky
20. Go on a blind date
21. Sky dive
22. Do interior decoration of a house, completely
23. Ditch my cell phone and WWW for 10 days continuously
24. Workout to get ideal figure once in my life ;-)
25. Start an NGO in the name of my mom and grandfather
26. Try to make a difference in the lives of Sex workers in India
27. Learn wave surfing
28. Write a blog and a book
29. Swim in a sea and an ocean
30. Find love and marry him- someone who understands all my craziness and is a little crazy too J
31. Learn to cook non veg for friends
32. Learn to eat chicken
33. Not get addicted to drinking or smoking or anything else ;-)
34. Watch a sunset from a boat, ship, plane and a cruise
35. Make someone laugh, daily!
36. Pet a fish, dog, cat, rabbit, a bird
37. Live a no contact life in a hill station
38. Become the marketing head for a FMCG company
39. Surprise visit my grandparents and parents
40. Spend a month at a stretch with my parents and grand parents
41. Have enough time and money to buy a one way plane ticket to ANY place in the world for the same day.
42. Learn French <3
43. Get a psychic reading and a tarot reading
44. Work in France for a year or more
45. Board a train alone without a ticket.Traveled second AC #likeaboss 
46. Wear a mask and paint a city wall in the night. Banksy style!
47. 10 day meditation retreat at Vipassana Center 
48. Learn Mediation and Meditate daily
49. Volunteer at a Vipassana Camp for 10 days
50. Learn and practice yoga
51. Learn one dance form; ballet/salsa/ cha cha
52. Experience astral projection
53. Dive from a ship and a cliff
54. Learn either of them:  face reading/psychic reading/ aura reading/hand reading/ reiki/ tarot reading
55. Get an eve teaser caught
56. Specialize in cooking one countries authentic cuisine apart from Indian, ofcourse! Thai, maybe?
57. Learn to play a music instrument, proficiently
58. Volunteer at a special needs school
59. Attend A. R. Rahman’s live concert
60. Meet a celebrity while travelling
61. Spend a completely unplanned day chatting up with strangers from another part of the world 
62. Drive Harley Davidson with a leather jacket on :P
63. Be a vegan for a month minimum
64. Paint, often
65. Make a baby!
66. Promote positive self-image and thinking
67. Learn everything about Buddhism and maybe convert
68. Travel to a new place once every 6 months
69. Tell my family and friends that I am grateful to them for being in my life and being so awesome, tell often
70. Quit a job without another in hand
71. Travel with best friends
72. Roadtrip on a bike
73. Skinny dipping at Maya bay
74. Witness firefly chorusing
75. Witness bioluminescence
76. Witness aurora (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIXs6Sh0DKs)
77. Spend a night in a forest
78. Inspire someone, often
79. Travel on a ship and a cruise
80. Support a kids education, thoroughly
81. Ride in a helicopter
82. Go para sailing & paragliding
83. Get a massage by the beach & the hills & on the road
84. Witness sunset at Golden Gate Bridge
85. Visit Las Vegas and play at a casino
86. Travel abroad solo for leisure
87. Travel and stay solo in India for leisure
88. Travel without a plan and a return ticket
89. Visit world’s largest aquarium
90. Learn driving a car
91. Watch penguins walk
92. Swim with whales ,turtles and fish
93. Learn to not be afraid of lizards, aah, one day, maybe!
94. Public speaking to a larger audience of over 1000 people.
95. Strawberry and corn plucking from farms
96. Travel international for work
97. Donate a body part
98. Tomorrowland, Brussels
99. Burning man
100. Help everyone as much I can
101. Take care of my parents when they are old
102. Donate a percent of my earning, consistently
103. Gift dad a swanky car and mom a diamond jewelry
104. Travel in a train for continuous 36 hours
105. Invest more in experiences than asset building and shopping
106. Places to see: well on a list of 194 countries these are just some basic pointers ;) much is never much!

·        Europe : Spain, France, Paris, Italy, London, Iceland, Scotland, Croatia, Hungary, Russia, Venice, Switzerland, Prague, Santorini, Amsterdam, Belgium, Austria, Finland, Cyprus, Vatican city. Okay, almost everything: D
·        N&S America: USA (Disneyland, Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco) Canada (Niagara falls, CN tower, Toronto), Haiti, Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua
·        Africa: Mauritus (Rodrigues Island), Seychelles, South Africa (Sun city), Tanzania
·        Asia: Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, China, Japan ,Vietnam, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Maldives, Srilanka, Turkey, Burma
·        Oceania: French Polynesia(Bora bora, Tahiti), Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia
·        Antarctica: Paradise Bay (Yes, that too!)
·        Well, India: Leh ladakh, North East, Gujarat,  Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, Karnataka, J&K, Uttarakhand, UP, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Goa

Okay, my list is a little more that 101 :D but, I don't know which ones to remove :(

p.s: the ones cancelled are already done :D and half cancelled are half done :)

I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ J