I'm Moving!!

When I started this blog with the help of my father, he was the one who told me to use blogger.

Blogger has been nice. But, no matter how nice it may be, I still felt that it is not how I thought my blog would come to life. Keep aside the fact that I posted irregularly (because of schoolwork and other activities that kept me busy).

I have moved my blog to a new site. I feel that now, it is just how I imagined my blog would be. I also think that it would prove to be a better reading experience for the reader.

Don't worry, all my posts till now will be available on that site, so that you can read those as well. You can watch out for new updates there. I would love it if you head over to my new site and show some love!

Here is where you can find She Who Likes to Read from now on:

She Who Likes To Read

For the last time here,
Sincerely,
She Who Likes to Read

Just Keep Running!!

It has been a few days, hasn’t it?

No, if you haven’t wondered already, I do not have specific days that I post on because I do not want to post any content that I had to rustle up in a few days. I want to provide good content, hence the irregular posting.

So here I am again. Hello! Recently I was on a trip to the city I used to live in before I moved to this one like I mentioned in one of my previous posts. I also met up with a friend whilst I was there. But that wasn’t the real reason for our visit.

We were there for… drumroll please… a marathon!! Yes!! My father has been doing marathons for really long, and very soon, my mother and I followed. No, neither did I do the full marathon (42 kilometres), nor did I do the half (21.1 kilometres). But I did do a ten kilometres run. My second one, in fact. Why am I telling you about this, from my tiny little phone screen, you ask? Because running a marathon is one of the most exhilarating experiences of one’s life, and once one starts, one does not want to stop. We, the running community, want everyone to join in.

Everyone.

If I liked it, so will you. So let me tell you about my running experience, and why I like running early in the mornings, even though I am part panda.

My first paid run was on 17.May.2014, in Dallas, Texas. I ran five kilometres with my aunt, uncle and their two daughters. I didn’t run through the entire thing because I wasn’t fully prepared. But I ran through half of it and walked the other half.

Crossing the finish line was awesome. I never thought running 3 miles would leave me happy and satisfied. But it did, and I’m happy that it did.

After coming back home to where I live, I reminisced about all the good memories I had on my trip abroad. The highlight, without a doubt, had to be the run. So then, I got my dad to sign me up for another 3 mile run a few months away, on the last Sunday of August (the one that I and my family run every year.).

I wear, it seemed like with every run, or “marathon”, as I called it earlier, crossing the finish line became more and more magical. The satisfaction of completing something that you’ve worked so hard for is so…erm…satisfactory, that you feel like doing it again and again. No. Not just cross the finish line… Work hard, train hard, and finish another run!!

I had loads of fun with these runs, and I and my dad, and sometimes my mum, did as many runs as we could.   I never thought that I would enjoy running by choice. I did say I was part panda…

With the progression of my runs soared my energy and my motivation to run more and more… and I loved it!!

Last year, while registering for the August marathon, we discovered that there was no 5-kilometre run. There were only 10k, 21.2k and 42k runs. So I made the decision running the 10k. A good decision, really.

And so I did it. I completed my first 10-kilometre run. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy at all. It was crazy (keep in mind, we are talking about a good crazy here.). It was tiring. It was gruelling.

But above all, it was magical.

The “500 metres to go!!!” sign was the signboard that I had been waiting for my entire life (or so it seemed like)!! then I went into don’t-stop-till-you-drop mode and gave it my all for those 500 metres. There were people cheering me on. Complete strangers, telling me to run faster. And so I did. And I finished it.

With a huge smile plastered across my face, I ran towards the finish line and crossed it. The moment I crossed it, there was a medal around my neck, and another crowd of complete strangers cheering for me and the people running with me at the same time.

There were tears of happiness in my eyes. I could not express my happiness in words. I still can’t. the experience was so awesome, I signed up for my second 10k run the next year, that is, this year.

The second marathon was amazing as well. Not much of a difference in my timing, but a huge difference in my way of thinking. During the entire run, not once did I think of how much my legs hurt, not once did I think of when the torture would end. Okay, okay, you got me. Just once, though, on that final flyover. Believe me, that flyover is deadly!!

And again, there was a smile on my face, tears in my eyes, a medal around my neck, and another run to brag about.

So let’s bring it down to the lesson of the day:

RUN!!!

Sincerely,

She Who Likes to Read.  

To My Dearest Chummy!

27.Aug.2016

It had been really long. It had been really long since I had last met my best friend, Megan.
Even since I moved away, we had been communicating through messages, but it wasn't the real thing. Then finally, on 27th August, we met. And it was just like I thought it would be. We fell into each other's arms and stayed like that for a few minutes, tears in both of our eyes.

For us, I think, it was an infinite moment. Nothing could take that happiness away from us at that moment.

And then, all these memories came flooding back. Good ones, and bad ones (not many). From the age of three to ten-and-a-half, we had been best friends, and it was the best time we ever had.

I remember the first time we met, at the age of three. I had offered her mum some "tea" from a tea set they had given us on the first day of pre-school. We instantly hit it off. From then, we increased our friend circle. We became a group of six friends, but personally, I think that the friendship between the both of us was the strongest, since she was the first friend I ever made.

On every birthday, I took her with me to distribute chocolates to teachers. In every class, we would be the ones laughing unreasonably at the silliest thiIngs.

Those eight years were the best.

I now live in a different place, and I met Megan for the first time in three years. It was surreal. I am glad we could make it work. Thank you, Megan, for giving me the best eight years ever.

Thinking about all this, I realised something. Had I not given that cup of tea to her mum, I would not have met her. Similarly, if I had not gone and introduced myself to the girls that I am friends with now, who knows, I could have still been a lonely soul. This has also taught me something.

Seize the moment, for you don't know when you'll get another chance.

Hello! It has been a long time, hasn't it? Well, I am back with a dedication to one of my best friends ever. Do you guys have any friend, or friends, who have given you the best years of your life? Tell me about them! Until next time, Adios!!

Sincerely,
She Who Likes to Read.

The Types of Friends We All have!!!

Hello! We meet again! In my last blog post, I had mentioned my friends and the types of friends who always manage to put me in a good mood. Then, when I gave it more than one thought, I realised all of my friends manage to put me in a good mood. What kind of friends put you in a good mood? Can't make a choice? Here, let me help.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the types of friends you and I have.

The Ultra Helpful Friend. This is the type of friend that is there any time you need help. Need a hand on your next art assignment? They are there to help. Need an idea for your next blog post? They come to your rescue!

The Hyper Friend. Has it ever happened to you that your least favourite teacher didn't show up? Oh, what am I even asking, of course you have! So then you must be very familiar with the way the class rejoices when this happens. Everyone's whispering ‘Yessssssssss…' to themselves. Then there's this one person who runs around the classroom, screaming, ‘Yaaaaaaah!!! She's not coming! She's not coming!' This is the one that we're talking about, folks.

The Always-online Friend. This is the friend that always replies to a message within thirty seconds of sending it. It makes you wonder sometimes, do they have a life, or are they so desperate for someone to talk to?

The Weird Friend. Now personally, I think this one is me. Imagine this. You're in a quiet place, nothing but silence around you. Then this person breaks the silence by randomly wondering ‘I wonder what an avocado milkshake tastes like.' Now do you really???

The Friend That You Can Sing with. Whether you can sing or not, you always have that singing buddy. The songs you sing don't even have to be real songs. You might be singing the words to the laws of motion to the tune of ‘Black Magic’, for all you care.

The Loud Friend. Do you want to hide something from someone? But of course, you have to tell someone! So you make the mistake of telling the loud one. Of course, their reaction is something like this: ‘She did what?!?! Oh my God, how dare she??' Obviously that attracts a crowd, and the next thing you know, the whole school knows.

The Chill Friend. This is the friend who doesn't mind, doesn't care. You tell them that the submission of your classwork is today, and all you get from them is, ‘Hmmm… I'll manage.' Gimme some proper answers, buddy!

The Clown. These are the cartoons of the class, always the ones who can manage to brighten everyone's day.

The Foodie. These are the ones who relate to the famous ‘Joey doesn't share food!' on a spiritual level. You touch their food, consider yourself dead. No really, you must take these people seriously.

The Smart Friend. This is the one who gets full marks on all their tests without really trying. It's kinda annoying, because all they ever say to you is, ‘I just studied.'

The Annoying Friend. They mess up your hair, they tease you with stupid songs, they always think that any kind of responsibility is a ridiculous thing. But still, the day would be boring and lifeless without them.

The Best Friend. This friend falls into a special category. This is the friend that knows all of your deepest, darkest secrets. This is the friend that you meet up with every other weekend, apart from how you meet every day. This friend is practically all types of friends in one. You would be nothing without them, and you know it…

Made your choice? Now tell me, which type of friend always puts you in a good mood? Which type of friend are you? What is one quality you adore in your best friend?

Until next time, Adios!

Sincerely,

She Who likes to Read.

A few of my favourite things!

Sometime, I do wonder… What is it about life that makes me happy? What is it about life that makes others happy? So here I give you a list of what makes me, and probably you, happy!

Warm winter days that allow you to snuggle in bed with a comforter explosion.

 Hot chocolate.

3     Disney movies.

       Sundays

       No-school days.

6     Early morning runs.

7    The smell of rain (which is called Petrichor, by the way)

      The noise of fingers tapping away on a keyboard.

9        Books – A way to escape reality!

       Friends who love us!

      Your favourite teachers in school

1     Hot showers

1     Music

1     The strumming of a guitar

1     Changing from itchy jeans to soft pajamas!

1     Putting in eye drops

1     Junk food!

1     Good perfumes!

1     Good lip balms!

2    Good lotions!

2    Friends who sing and do stupid dances with you!

      Putting on sparkly clean glasses

      Dancing in the rain

2    Running in the rain

2    Friends that share the same interests

2    Going running with your friends

2    Having no incomplete work

2    Taking a flawless selfie without really trying

2    Clapping hands

       Hot breakfast on a rainy day!

3     Long drives

3    Singing in your room

3    Soft hair

3     Striking something off your bucket list

       Accomplishing a song on an instrument (The guitar, in my case)

       Having a smudge free phone screen 

       Having no knots in your hair

       The smell of new books

       Buying new books

4     Sudoku puzzles

       Sharpening a new pencil

4     Good food

4     The smell of erasers

4     Eating chocolate

4     Putting together the perfect outfit

4     Feeling the heat of a hairdryer

4     Swimming

          Getting appreciated by your favourite teacher

4     Getting a new idea for a blog

        I have everything that I need actually, even more than I need. I am utterly privileged to have the life that I have.

What are things that make you happy? Tell me about it, if you want to. Make a list of them, like I did, so that you can look back at it when you’re feeling sad, and brush the blues away!
(I would like to give a massive shoutout to one of my best friends, for giving me the idea for my next post, and for being an amazing friend!)

Until next time, Au Revoir!

Sincerely,

She Who Likes to Read

Same Post, Different Struggles!!!

A few years ago, in the city I used to live in earlier, I was the teacher’s pet. I had been in that school since kindergarten. So, almost all teachers knew me well. A few of my teachers recommended my name for our school’s student council.

I went through the interview, and the only thing I was thinking of was all the respect I would get from the younger kids. At the age of 8, all I wanted to do was to show off to people. So in the interview, I tried to come off as a girl who was really keen on getting the post of House Captain. I think I knew that I was going to get the post anyway, so I didn’t really care. Guess what? I got the post.

My parents were ecstatic. We celebrated it, but I behaved as-if it was the most normal thing to happen. I took advantage of the situation and ate all the ice-cream I could. For a few weeks after the selection, me and my “council mates” went through rigorous and gruelling training (I’m not even kidding!), but in the end it was a sweet reward (that I didn’t really appreciate)!

My parents were called into school and were able to savour the moment with me. We got photographs taken with the Principal of our school, which, for me, was a big deal. Later on, our Principal came and congratulated all of us personally, making sure we got the message of her pride in us.

And so our duties commenced. We looked out in the hallways for students who weren’t in proper uniform, we watched over our school assemblies every single day, and also had little meetings with the Supervisor of the school to let her know how things were running.

We were all having fun. Amidst all the fun, we never realised when the school year ended. Our examinations went by in a breeze, and we all passed with flying colours.

A new academic year started, that one passed, we moved away, and before I knew it, I was passing out of eighth standard.

By this time came selections for the student council. Again… This time, me and one of my extremely competitive friends babbled for hours on who should get the position of the Student Editor, that we were both yearning to get.

Soon, we got the forms for participation. My hand trembled as I put the pen to paper, making millions of spelling mistakes. I waited in anticipation as our teacher told us the outcome of the first round. She announced the names of all my friends, and as she got towards the end, my eyes were getting teary, because she still hadn’t announced my name. My name did get called in the end!

This meant that I got through to the second round, which was going to be even more tricky. A few days later, after several discussions about it with my friends, the day of the second round came. I admit, it was pretty tricky. But I got through it okay. How, you ask? I passed through to the third round, which is going to be a direct interview with the Principal and the Chief-Executive Principal of our school!

I was ecstatic - sorry, I am ecstatic! We got these results a few days ago, and all that I could do that day was grin stupidly like a Cheshire Cat! The round with the Principal is to happen any day now.

When I came home and told my parents, all they could do was grin like Cheshire Cats as well!

As I sat and thought about what my next blog post should be, my mind slowly drifted to my selection for the interview. Then, I realised something.

When I became House Captain in fourth standard, I got the post by default, because till that moment, I didn’t have to do anything for it, and had always maintained a good relationship with my teachers. Now that I am having to struggle for getting through every round, I realise what I have been doing for so long. I have been taking things for granted.

Getting that post in fourth standard was a piece of cake for me, when everyone else was struggling for it. For my super-competitive friend, it is easy, because all the teacher of this school know him well, not me, or anyone else, for that matter. I think he is taking things for granted, because he doesn’t realise that what he already has is what others are struggling for.

This has taught me one thing: Never take anything in life for granted, for you never know when you’ll lose it.

What do you think about this? Have you taken anything for granted, and then realised your mistake?

This is all I have for today. Till next time, Sayonara!

Sincerely

She Who Likes to Read.

What I Learnt from Moving to a New City

About three years ago at this time of the year, my parents threw a bombshell at me. We were moving to a new city. I cried, I fought. I let them know I wasn’t happy.

My parents told me not to tell my best friends till we were sure of things and sure about moving. What did I do? I went and told them. I was so angry at my parents that I didn’t want to listen to anything they had to say. I didn’t want to do anything they wanted me to do.

My friends were outraged. They threw a fit. The teacher called me to her later on to ask what the commotion was about. She found out. She became even more outraged than my friends.

The moving was the only thing that we could talk about for the next few days. Slowly I started getting accustomed to it. The day my parents told me that we were moving for sure, I gave them a disappointed okay and continued doing what I was doing.

Over the next few days my friends became very distant from me. They kept asking me vague questions, just ensuring my suspicions that they did not want anything to do with me, now that I was moving. I kept walking dejectedly wherever I went. On the last day of school, the last day I was going to be seeing my friends in person, they pulled me to the side and gave me a gift. That was what they had been planning for days! We all pulled in for a hug and stayed like that till our teachers told us to cut it out.

Over the next few days, I listened to sad songs and reminisced about all the fun times with my friends. My mum had organised a going away party for me and had called all my friends home, who came gladly.

Then came the day. We spent all our time packing our things away, wrapping them in newspaper and putting them away in boxes, labeling them. After sending the boxes away, we piled into our car and drove off to another state…

The day we came to where we were going to live, I went to introduce myself to a few girls around. They harshly shooed me away. I got the signal.

From then on, my routine went something like this: Go to school, sulk, come back from school, sulk, stay in the house, sulk, eat while sulking, sleep, repeat. I had become dull, which was the complete opposite of how I used to be.

Slowly, some girls came and started introducing themselves to me. I started getting comfortable with them. I hung around with them, and they introduced me to even more people. Things had also started looking up in school. People were talking to me, but were also talking about me behind their back. I got used to it. I tried to start something where I lived. Some show for Independence Day, some clubs, but they all failed. I had fights with my friends in the process. Major fights. I thought everyone hated me, not only where I lived, but also in school. I got used to it.

Then, a new year came. I got shifted to a new class with a girl who didn’t really like me (She is now my best friend). I saw a new girl and went and introduced myself. We immediately hit it off. We went together everywhere, we talked and gossiped about the same things. She didn’t hate me; I didn’t hate her.

Things were getting better, for real this time. I had made some good friends, my academics were fairly good, and so were my extra-curricular activities.

I was happy where I was, but still a little upset about the move.

It is our fourth year in this city now, and I have started to accept my life the way it is. I am still in touch with my friends from before, and I have three new best friends who love me for who I am. What did I learn from moving to a new city?

No matter where you go, change will come. You just have to learn to accept it and move on.

People will also change. As I said earlier, that girl who didn’t really like me is now my best friend. You will also find people who don’t like you at first, but as they get to know the real you, they will want to hang out with you more.

You will change your perceptions about people. People will change, but it is also the other way round. You may not like some people in the beginning because they come off as loud and irritating, rude and dominating, but as you get to know them better, you will start enjoying yourself in the presence of these same people, who once, maybe, made you feel insecure about yourself.

You will change. Your attitude will change, amongst other things. You may become sullen and rude because things aren’t going your way. You may become silent and an introvert, because you are afraid of rejection and negativity. Just be yourself.

In the end, things will work out alright. No matter how much time it takes, things will get better with time. Just stop fretting about it. As they say, time heals almost everything. Give the time some time.

That is all I have for today. I keep learning every day, and so will you. Hopefully ten years later, I stumble upon this once more, and have a million other things to add to my list.

Sincerely

She Who Likes to Read.