The Introvert's Bubble

Grieve. How do you grieve? What do you do? Do you say thank you to people expressing condolences? Do you cry? Do you try to stay strong?  Each one of us has a different way to grieve. Some are too expressive, like my mom. Some secretly cry in the bathroom, like my dad. And some teleport themselves to a dream island to avoid messing with their head, like me.  I thought I didn't know how to grieve.  But today was different. I never before thought that one day I would have to walk through that white gated door of my grandparent's place and not shout, "Yo, what's up" waking even dead ants and mosquitoes inside.  The house. It wasn't scary because it was empty. It was scary because it was so full.   There, yes, was an empty feeling, but what scared me more was the number of people in that house. For as long as I've been visiting "sector 37" (that's how I know it), there has been an entry cap, any more than ten people (that too is the max end), and...

 We've all been in lockdown for more than a year now, yet we still haven't cracked the code for avoiding C-19!   Is it the vaccine? Is it the Kadha? Is it the steam?  Trust me, the kind of things I've done to keep myself fit through the year, I have never tried as many odds before. I've had more Kadha in the year than I've had all my life (I legit feel that it has replaced my coffee, more like one day I'm going to walk into Starbucks and order myself a Kadha, with extra sugar 🙈)  I've inhaled so much steam that I feel, rather than smoking hookah rings, I've become a Pro in making eucalyptus oil steam rings.  I wash my hands after touching anyone and anything, even if it is my room door handle, lowkey feel my future BF is first going to get spray-sanitized before I meet him🤭 (there goes my future BF, Tata bye-bye) I've done so many exercises and so many workouts in just 2020 that I can surely beat Milind Soman in the barefoot race (lol, too far, jus...

  This particular blog's idea came to me just yesterday when it rained in Delhi, it isn't the monsoons, but well, it doesn't even rain fully on monsoons, so I guess this is what Delhi rains are. I'm staying in Delhi after long, almost after four years. I'd left Delhi for my college in Mumbai! So whenever I used to come to Delhi, it used to be a short stay of about 3-4 days, at max one week, and that too during festive offs. It was like my home had become my vacay stay.  So back in school-days, I used to hate rains. I could go to school in extreme winters with like 3 degrees Celsius but not when it would be raining. I used to hate the idea of dressing up in my school outfit, then load it with my school bag, a raincoat, an umbrella, and gumboots. And unlike in Mumbai, Delhi receives light to medium rainfall. So, during rainy days, I used to take a leave from school, terrorizing my parents that due to heavy rains, the roads would be wet, the driver wouldn't be able...

  Just about last night, I came across this post on Instagram " Everyone teaches us to say No, but no one teaches us to accept no " That is so true.  But there was only one thought that crossed my mind while reading that...can acceptance really be taught? Or do we learn it with real-time experience, having been through a failure, a break-up, a non-promotion, a rejection?  Why do we fear failure? Why do we fear rejection? Why is it that we are on a constant quest to just get what we desire? Why can't we simply accept things the way they are?  Has it ever occurred to you, I'm going in for an exam and, if I fail that exam, what would my next strategy be? Or is it just the usual, I have given my 100%, rest is luck? Or I am gonna get this.  We all are taught to be optimistic, right? But has anyone ever questioned that we might be losing out on what's real while chasing that optimism, and in ways weakening our power to accept things the way they are?  So, most of...

 A winter night it was, stars lit the jet black blanket of the night sky while the moonlight perfectly pierced its way through the dense leaves of the once summer flower tree, dancing on the beautiful snow blanket that covered the street. It was a quiet night, so quiet that one could even hear silence. There was no life around, except for my friends and me, and of course some bats and owls here and there.  It was a perfect surrounding to spend the night in, though none of us bothered to notice that, busy as we were engrossed in our talks. It was New Year's Eve. I suggested walking down the street and recalling memories that once bound all of us together. We were best friends in college, distanced as we all went apart to write our lives. Dancing and laughing as we all went down the street adding voice to the quiet-still night, we recalled our late-night college diaries, discussing how life had changed for all of us, how we forgot to smile, live and have fun the way we used to, ...

12 years of schooling, 3 years of graduation, and a year or so of work, I have always abided by the mantra of staying POSITIVE and being kind to everyone. That's one thing my parents have always taught me, be positive and everything else will just fall in line and be kind to every soul . But this is something I didn't always experience. When I first stepped into college, about 4 years back, I met different kinds of people, each of them obviously with a different view and personality, some not always positive or kind.  So, my experience with the "not so positive" attitude started there. That was the first time I was staying in an all-girls hostel, sharing room with 2 strangers with whom I didn't share even one similarity. Now, a group of strangers, new to the city, all away from their homes, will surely connect in the first few months. There will be hostel night stay-ins, singing and dancing nights, play-dates, Maggi nights, we too had all of it. I think the first ...

Worli Sea Link, Mumbai (Photograph by Nandita Relia) ⭐️It's here in Mumbai where you'll come with a bag of dreams but leave with much more than that. ⭐️It's here in Mumbai where you might not know anyone, yet those familiar faces on the local train would make you feel at home!  ⭐️It's here in Mumbai where you may go finding Salman Khan at galaxy apartments, only to end up finding him at 'Bademiyan'.  ⭐️It's here in Mumbai where you might not talk to your best friend for long, but end up finding a friend in a stranger. Coz those long walks at the beach or idle time at cafes are to look out for...  ⭐️It's here in Mumbai where you'll find people looking out for each other- and by looking out, I don't mean asking 'how you're doing' but bringing an extra "Dabba" for you when Dabba system shuts down!  ⭐️ It's here in Mumbai where you might not find time for breakfast, but that Vada pav and cutting chai round the corner will...

Bullying- Google describes bullying as an act of seeking to harm, intimidate or coerce someone, perceived as vulnerable.  But is bullying just that? While physical bullying is the most obvious form of bullying and can be seen or felt, mental bullying is kind of complex. At times, even the person who's being bullied doesn't realize how it's impacting them.  So in my school days, I used to be this quiet person who was almost non- existent in class. I used to sit in one corner and be super indulged in my books. I swear when I say this, I wouldn't even notice period changes or lunch breaks. At any spare minute of my school time, I'd pull up a book and start reading! But no, I wasn't always like that, I loved making friends, just I didn't get people who would want to be friends with me, maybe I was awkward, I still am, in small talks.  Back in school days, as we grew older, concepts of double meaning, short skirts, improper uniform style, and high ponytails were ...

Now that I’m in a new phase of life: the white-collar employee journey and that too in a city as crowded and as expensive like Mumbai, I have become accustomed to travelling in Local trains and local, unlike other trains as metro, is not a cakewalk, especially during monsoons. It’s overly crowded, sweaty and fusty. One has to have a proper understanding of the way to travel safe in Locals, especially those not belonging to Mumbai like me. I’m from Delhi and in Delhi metros, the worst level of a rush can be till the point the metro door shuts, however in local, if you’re able to even hang on its door, you’re considered among the few lucky ones who got space! My first few days of travelling by Local was difficult and frustrating as anything, some lady might step on my foot or I wouldn’t be able to climb on the train due to rush or my bag would get stuck and the list is endless. Additionally, it was very difficult to keep up with ‘Mumbaikers’ speed. They are rushing for everything- rushin...

About 4 years ago, I was an avid reader, I LOVED reading, it was actually my one true love. Like imagine a person who's parents used to say if you read one more book this month, we'll lock away your books. I still remember my 8th-grade library teacher was shocked to discover that I'd read over 140 books in a year!! And no, not ladybird books or short fairy tales, but actual novels of big-time authors like Sidney Sheldon, Mary Higgins Clark, and a few easy reads included Nancy Drew or Princess Diaries series... But yeah I didn't really fancy non-fiction or classics genre, I was more into vampire/ witches sort of fictions so Twilight and Harry Potter series at that. I still remember re-reading Harry Potter at this vacation my family took, along with some of their friends to Manali ( for those of you who don't know, it's a hill station in northern India), because even there, despite the other 'better' scenic view (which I tell you, people especially go to ...