Here I scribble

It's been a while now since Here I Scribble has been around, so I think I can share a few things from my own experience that may help the new bloggers out there. Read  The more you read, the more your mind grows. Needless to say, you learn more and more with each reading, which adds to the research and knowledge of any topic. Also, it helps with coming up with the ideas for creating content and preventing the writer's block. Forget looks Don't spend too much time on picking or tweaking templates— just pick one that you like and start writing. Trying to make the blog look perfect won't help if you don't have anything on there. So, just pick a cute theme (or whatever you like), add the plugins you need and get started. Connect Reach out to other bloggers— read their blogs, leave comments, ask questions. That is the best way to increase visibility to your website and get meaningful follows. Join some blogging communities to begin with— ...

Since I already wrote about a day in my current life a few days ago, today I am reminiscing to another time. I am re-living a time when I stayed with my friends, around 7 years ago. I had moved to a new city for a semester course, and I met my best friends. We live across continents now, but still the same at heart. I am gonna share with you what life looked like back then. The day started without any hustle, with a friend waking me up for the morning tea. We would sit together for tea and chats, and then have the breakfast together. Our accommodation provided all meals so we never had to cook anything, and it made it so much better to just eat, drink and chat with friends. After a lazy morning, we would all get dressed and head out for our (different) classes. Luckily, even the classes were just 2 hours a day, and we would all be back by time for lunch. Lunch usually was accompanied by some TV or movies. Our lazy afternoon was then filled by more talks, movies and pho...

Today I'll take you along for a day, to show you how a day in my life looks like usually. My alarm rings at 7:30am and another one rings 5 minutes later, and I play snooze game for about half an hour before I give up and decide to get up. The first thing I do after getting up is drink some warm water with lemon in it, and I take some good 10 minutes in doing that. It may sound very long for a glass of water, but I am actually using that time to really wake up. I cannot function if jolted out of sleep. I need slow awakening, before I can get to anything. In the next 30-45 minutes, I get ready to head out— the usual shower, clothes, hair and little bit of makeup. I eat my breakfast at home everyday, which is usually an oatmeal or a smoothie. I make my breakfast and hop onto a daily phone meeting, while eating my breakfast. It's a short 15 minute meeting, just for updates among co-workers. After the meeting and breakfast are done at 10am, I head out to work. I dr...

I have written several "things I learned" posts before, but usually I focus on what I learned in last week or month. But when writing for this blogging challenge, I thought of looking back at life instead: Working from home isn't for me. At my workplace, we get this option of working from, in case we have some errands to run or doctors to visit and want to save commute time, or if we aren't feeling well. Some mornings I am really tempted to just work from home, because I can sleep extra in the getting ready time. But that laziness lasts all day, and in the end it isn't really productive. People are different. Everyone has their own moral code. What's wrong for you, maybe okay in someone else's book. It's better to accept these difference, than to expect people top behave according to your rules. There's not just black and white— there are different shades of gray in between.  You get what you put in. If you really want to do somethi...

Today, as a part of my blogging challenge, I am sharing the things that irk me the most: People chewing with mouth open just ruin the meal for me. Not only they'll show the food in their mouth to everyone, they'll add on their personal sounds so you can't ignore them by looking in another direction. Bad table manners are just a big turn off! The sound of someone scratching their nail on wood or pencil. I don't know what's about it but it sends jitters up my spine. It's something I can't even tolerate for a second. People using speakerphones for their personal or work calls. Even if you don't want to hold your phone, they do come with headphones right? no one has any interest in your calls. They are just noise to me. Please be considerate of others' space. People who don't listen. Everyone wants to multitask these days, so much that they want to catch up on their emails, and Facebook, and texting while I am talking to them. The...

We say we are all different, but at the same time it feels like we are all so similar. Despite the several obvious differences, it still feels like deep down we are all just the same. Craving for love and attention, focusing on ourselves before anyone else (some might wanna deny, but realize it's true), and take every important thing as granted just because it's there. And I am not just talking about relationships, though it stands true for them too. In this past month, I realized this. Both for relationships, and my own self. I hurt my foot, my hand and my heart and it taught me one thing: Nothing is going to magically stay there in your life. You have to work for it, take care of it, and never forget that having something today doesn't guarantee any such thing for future. So, love yourself. Take care of your health. And make sure your loved ones know you love them! P.S. Let's connect on  Facebook ,  Instagram ,  Pinterest ,  Bloglovin ,  and ...

Try googling the world "fitness" and you get around 1.5 billion results in under a second. With that much amount of information, one would think it is achievable. Not that it isn't but it definitely isn't an easy journey. I personally have struggled with it for a large part of my life thus far and with very little success. So, obviously this is something that's on my mind a lot. Yes, we can aim at working out 5 days a week and come up with a healthy plan to follow. But, it isn't that simple. It's not just us and the plan- there are several other factors that throw us off. Work:  We all have things we need to do, and sometimes these things demand more attention than we have in mind. Be it long hours of work, or much needed family time, or giving attention to kids- life gets in the way of the fitness goals. Peer pressure: It's the hard truth- you are all alone in this journey. Friends and family don't really provide the support you mig...

In the last couple months of high school I was struggling to decide what I wanted to do, go back to school in the  fall or wait. I was accepted into programs I had applied for, and I was beyond excited but I was so unsure of what I wanted to do with my career.   It took many discussions, some soul searching and after hours, and days of stressing I decided to not go back to school... at least not right away.  That was nearly a year ago,  Since that time I have been working full time in office settings located in downtown Calgary. I started out doing reception at a hair salon, then moved to an engineering firm, now I am working as an executive assistant.  Working in a corporate environment for the past year has taught me a lot of things about how life is outside of high school, and about things that I never expected to learn. The "real world" as most people refer to it as, is so different from what I expected it to be like.  

I have been feeling a little weird last few days. Not sad or anything- just weird. I don't know why either. But, that's just how I feel- very weird. So, that's what I will write about today. Feelings: I have this weird feeling all day- I keep feeling restless most of the times like I am forgetting something, like I am not doing something I should be doing, like I need to be someplace, I can't really work these days, and I can't sleep. I am even getting up before I need to in the morning. That is not me! I am someone who sleeps till noon, and needs to be dragged out of bed in morning- that is who I am, that is how I like, and that is how I want it to be. Dear sleep, please come back.  Snakes: The other day, me and my friend went for our usual walk on the trail behind our office. It is a beautiful walk by the lake, and it is like a daily thing for us now. She was telling me about her colleague who had seen a snake on the trail once. And honestly I though...

I've been off-blogging lately. Reason? I don't know. I tried to write, but every time I was kind of blank. I tried using quotes, reading etc. to help me, but all in vain. But, now I think something worked. I am not sure though, what that something is. I re-arranged my room, mainly my computer area yesterday. I guess that helped. Another thing could be that I woke up really early, and I've had a fresh morning, which is a debut for me. Well, whatever it is, I'm happy with it. One thing I realized today- "getting up early is not much a problem, getting out of bed is." Yes, it's really true. Once you manage to pull yourself out of bed, it's all OK. But, the first part is the problem. But then, we can have all the sleep while we can, can't we? ;) P.S. Let's connect on  Facebook ,  Instagram ,  Pinterest ,  Bloglovin ,  and   Twitter !

I remember being a hopeless romantic who believed ‘love conquers all’ and love was the destination to my journey called life. Love was always the ultimate goal, and the necessity too. Be it that special someone, or family, or friends- love was too big to let anything else come in the way. I was so far from reality, right? I had also been told a few times that I live in a dreamland, and life is not what I think it is. To use exact words, it was called living in a bubble.  And eventually, the bubble did break. I feel very differently now. I don't believe as much, I don't have the same blind faith, I try to keep myself at a safe distance from hurt, and I prepare myself for the worst. Maybe that's what growing up does to you. It shows you the more real but ugly side of love.  But, we ourselves are a part of the problem here. We romanticize love so much, we make it seem so perfect. And we just forget that the lovers are humans- imperfect creatures, stitched...

Yes, that's me! I am a big dreamer. There's hardly ever a time when I would have a dreamless sleep. And, I am also able to remember my dreams most of the times- at least bits and pieces. Like with everyone, a lot of those dreams don't make any sense. It's like I am traveling from a scene into another, people morph into different personalities, but sometimes dreams seem to be conveying a message. And today, I'll share some of the weirdest dreams with you and try to analyze them too !  The one with the ex: I am talking to an ex-friend on phone like we were sorting things out or something, and in my mind are all the bad memories of that time of betrayal- this goes on in my dream so it's like something in the mind inside my mind.  I don't forget things and they randomly popup into my head from most unexpected triggers. And those thoughts could be the reason behind these dreams. Every time I get such dreams I get this feeling where I end up wonder...

"To be heroic is to be courageous enough to die for something; to be inspirational is to be crazy enough to live a little." ― Criss Jami,  Venus in Arms Happy weekend scribblers! P.S. Let's connect on  Facebook ,  Instagram ,  Pinterest ,  Bloglovin ,  and   Twitter !

Procrastination is probably the biggest evil in my life at this point. I have SO MUCH to do and yet I just procrastinate. I always find something to procrastinate with . It just stresses me so much in the end, and still I don't learn. So, I thought I should just sit with myself and figure out why the heck do I do this to myself. Arghh.. Big projects:  Whenever I have a big project coming up, I just keep looking at it like this big mountain that needs to be climbed. The more I think about it, more I don't want to do it. Eventually, I do climb it- but I just waste so much time thinking how can a tiny me climb this big mountain. To deal with this mountain- I have started to break into smaller doable chunks. I now set breakpoints over the journey and maybe small rewards or naps when I cross each of them. Rewards motivate me! Worry:  Sometimes I worry about the results. I have this fear of failure or not living up to the expectations. I feel like my family and frie...

1. Naps: I had been in sleep debt for such a long time now, and over this weekend I slept well and a lot, and I feel like I have some energy back.  2. Alone time: My roommate was busy this weekend, and I was all alone- just doing my sleeping, laundry, reading. Like I have said before , it is a recharge for me to spend some time with just myself without the need to talk or be there for others.  3. Work: Past few months were a long, painful wait to get work. I used to hate those days when I was just waiting and it made me feel so worthless. But finally, I have got it! Bonus point: the perfect location- it's a five minute walk to a beautiful park facing a lake. I have been going there every day during lunch.  4. Fights: Normally, fights aren't something people are thankful for. But sometimes they show you how people care for you or how much you mean to them, so yeah today I am thankful for few. 5. A good news: My childhood friend got engaged! Yay!...

Hello scribblers, How are you all? Long time since my last open letter to you. I know, I know, I was the one who had been absent for so long. Blogging again really seems like a comeback to me- can't even remember the past few years, they were so busy and fast. They still are, but writing is something I loved and therefore I have decided to give it my best effort by managing my time better. I started blogging again at the start of this year, and I am happy to be continuing it. And in this past month or so, there are a few things I have learned: Consistence is important , in everything we do. Even when we don't feel like doing it. Each day is different, and some days it takes a lot of extra work to get the thoughts from mind to paper. A little push on those days, and a bit of scheduling on the good days can help you on those seemingly bad ones.  It's quality, not quantity. The number of followers doesn't matter as much as the engagement with them. The num...

Last night, I went out for dinner with my roommate to P.F. Changs . We had a good time talking and eating- the two most important things for us. I ordered Kung Pao Chicken, and she got Oolong chilean Sea bass.  (Honestly, the food was just okay - I've had better!) With the check, we got these different fortune cookies they had made for their Valentine's special. I never eat fortune cookies, but my roommate thought they tasted better than the usual ones. I opened mine, and it said,  "Your heart of gold will soon help a friend in need." This fortune left me in mixed feelings. I do like to help my friends, I have always done so. But lately I have been feeling I do that a lot, but don't get much in return. So, this fortune doesn't make me feel so good. Maybe helping others has nothing to do with happiness. Maybe it just is how my life is. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorabl...

We all have those days when nothing feels good, our shoulders are heavy and nobody seems to understand. I have been there too, quite a lot lately . Although we cannot run away from our problems altogether, sometimes we need to shut them out for a while and just focus on picking ourselves up.  Here are some things that always (read: most of the times) work for me: Chocolate:  It is the best endorphin fix there is (for me, at least). A small amount of chocolate , especially dark chocolate, can help elevate moods and induce a sense of pleasure. If you are not used to the darker ones, start adding the darkness gradually- that's what I did; there was a time when I hated dark chocolate, but after reading about its health benefits I started increasing the cacao percentage and now my absolute favorite is Ghirardelli Intense Dark . So, here's another reason for you to splurge*! Hot bath:  Baths can help reduce the stress and tiredness in body, and even help improve ...

Happiness is always unexpected. We spend days waiting for a tiny Ray of Hope, but it's all about the timing. Things will happen when they are supposed to happen. All the worrying and thinking can't change anything. Just let things be, let them happen at their own pace, and do what you need to do. Life is good; the rough patches make it much more interesting. Happy Sunday scribblers.  P.S. Let's connect on  Facebook ,  Instagram ,  Pinterest  and  Twitter !

Like everybody else, I too have made several bucket lists over last few years. Last year, I had 4 things on my list: Get a tattoo, drive on Golden Gate Bridge, go Skydiving, and visit Las Vegas. But, even after keeping the list short, I could do only half of it. I did get a tattoo and also drove on the Golden Gate Bridge which was awesome . But sadly, the rest of it couldn't happen! I might be a little late in doing this but I am making another list this year, we'll see how far we go with this one! Make this year a year of me. As far as I can remember, I have always given more importance to others- their happiness, their expectations of me. I want to change this. I want to be selfish.  Travel. Like last year, I have a few destinations in mind but I have learned that we cannot plan too much. So, I will try to travel as much as I can without making rigid expectations from this year or from people.  If someone is reading, I still have Vegas and Florida on my list. S...