Cocooned!

Cocoon is often criticized as one's comfort zone. What does one's comfort zone really do? It helps one de-stress. When your teacher, boss or mentor asks you to step out of your comfort zone, they are actually just asking you to gain Eustress - the amount of stress required to perform well.
Cocoons can be of sorts, some are your set of friends, some are simply your ethics, which help you cope with peer pressure. It could even be a self-image that you wish to live with. My question is, is it really a bad thing? Bad enough to be considered the zone of the coverts or lazy folks? May be not!
A cocoon is a beautiful place. It tells you exactly who you are. It always keeps that side of you alive, which you wish to leave behind. It is a reminder of your evolution from what you were, to what you are today. Most importantly, it is one of those few things in this world, that are constant. You can always come back to it. And it will never judge you. It will make you feel at home.
So, on that Sunday evening, when you are engulfed by thoughts and mysteries, you could always use a reference point - your Cocoon. Enjoy it, cherish it and respect it. It is what defines you the most!

Dichotomy in the ideology of Fashion...

Clothes, accessories, shoes, bags, fragrances, the works, are pieces of iconography. They are often classified as status symbols, or style statement. How important is it then to choose them, so that they compliment your personality...? Perhaps, very!
Geeks go with baggy pants, sneakers, nerdy specs, and funky accessories, to define their role. Clothes then, become a non-verbal form of communication which helps you carve a niche for yourself in the society. You might ask, why is it so important for everyone to fit into this society? Is there no dichotomy in the fact that on one hand you are trying to define yourself with your clothes, but on the other hand you are trying to make a personal statement of class, interest, nature or sometimes rebellion, to the world?
Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Aldo, Prada, and brands of the likes of it, are all meant to portray your taste and capacity to pay. But if this is all about your taste and preferences, why must you go for something mass produced and over priced, in the first place? How are these brands then helping you find your niche, your personality? Similarly, when you eagerly buy those red pants, because they are the new "in thing", how are you really defining yourself? You are simply giving into an already paved trajectory. This is where the dichotomy in the basic ideology of fashion lies...
May be it's time to be innovative, creative and most importantly, yourself!
Mix and match, don't be afraid of making bold choices.
Believe in what you wear and wear what you believe in!

Guilt...and more

A universal phenomena, a stressful feeling, guilt is a painful truth, which we all encounter at some point in our lives. As a child, we feel guilty about lying to our parents, as a teenager, we feel it for our first kiss at 14! As and when we reach adulthood, we would have already learned about subsiding guilt. What we think and what we do, are two different things. Guilt is usually an outcome of something we wise humans did not think through.
But, what happens if this fundamental phenomenon is pulled out of our lives? What if it never came out of the Pandora's box? What if it never existed!? Have you ever imagined how life would be then? It is certainly not to easy to imagine!
Would life be wonderful, or would it be too good to be true? I don't know! There is only one way to find out. Usually, we do not feel guilty, but are made to feel instead. By our teacher, mother, mother-in-law, friend or enemy. Almost all people linked to our lives, make us feel ashamed of our own self at some point. Do we sit back and let them do it to us? Or, do we face them boldly and tell them "I am what I am and I cannot change for anyone." Do not mistake the confidence with obstinacy. Both have their pros and cons. But, does guilt have any pros (if at all)? Perhaps no.
Live without guilt, live free, embrace your identity, and you will never have to cry. :)

Passionate much?

"Passion" is the most common utterance among the youth today. Some feel they know all about it, while some are happy to even sacrifice it. But what exactly is Passion? What does it do? Does it give your life a new path, or does it simply infuse excitement in your psyche? Hard to answer, isn't it? I am a writer by profession, a content writer to be precise. I thought I knew what I was doing with my life. I had the correct credentials for this job, an English Major with Honors; unlike most of my colleagues who only took up this job as a consequence of disillusion.
Chain of thought...LOST! Why? 'Coz my friend pinged my on the adjacent Facebook Tab :/
Let's start over. So while we - the so called writers, read philosophical books such as Paulo Coelho's Alchemist and conclude that we know what passion is all about, and what it is capable of, are we being totally honest with ourselves? I don't think so.
There have been times, when I have introspected and tried to dig up my real interests in life, I have failed. I might be going around town, telling people that I am an accomplished person, because I am doing what I like, and not simply slogging for a job that I hate. But deep inside, I am scared to embrace the real passion. Passion has this meta effect to itself. It can blind you with dreams and excitement, but it can also make you lie to yourself. I was a talented little girl, until I took my very first internship at a national daily. 
As a matter of fact, I am an aspiring journalist, and wanted to take to writing, only so that I can help people with the my knowledge. I was always a pro at English language. I give the credit to my Mother, who always encouraged me for the same. But I still do not know where my passion lies in. This blog is an attempt to get clarity in my thoughts (and well, also build my CV =P), so that one day I can gauge the meaning of this hot word!