ECHOES – MARCH MOMENTS

Welcome Potpourriers to yet another Monthly Favourites post. Can’t really believe three months have already gone by, feels like i had recently celebrated 2016 New Years…hmm time actually flies 🙂 And just like February , March was truly awesome in all means !!! ❤

“My MARCH 2016 MOMENTS”

Meeting Prats ( Pratyusha ) this was crazy, it was simply crazy, i had known Prats for only a month now that too via chats (our bloggers whatsapp group) and a month later we were meeting and best part it was all impromptu. Her coming down to Bangalore for a client visit, me being able to go meet her the same night as that was the only time she was free but we made it. And she surprised me with a book as gift. Thanks Prats ❤

Pratyusha’s gift to me 🙂 This came as a surprise

Dinner with Prats along with my buddy Vikas

DIY – Liquor Bottle and LEDs : So i have this weird liking of collecting Liquor bottles and i think i have a pretty decent collection as of now. Thanks to all my friends for contributing to my collection. I really like painting these bottles, doodling on them, trying yarn work and most recently i did this. An LED string and a bottle and you are good to go with a decorative piece in your living room. 

LED and Liquor bottle

March and one thing you remember for sure is WOMEN’s DAY: March 8th is celebrated as the International Women’s Day all across the world. And like majority of the companies, mine too had various events lined up for the women employees. Ethnic day, games, give away etc. Below is the glimpse of the Ethnic Day celebration at work with my office buddies

Women’s Day Celebration (from the start – Deeksha, Anju, mysefl, Sriji, Vikas(with the specs) and Dilip)

Authores Beyond Borders: Last month i had mentioned about my Blogger Whatsapp group but i missed this pic . So here it is all of us. We are one family now and my day doesn’t go by without interacting with them 😀 ❤ Am yet to meet Sana Vishnu Priya and Farid who are also in Bangalore!!!

Rafat(Sana- the hyperactive one 🙂 ), Darshith(every one knows him), Pratyusha, Priya, Me, Nisha(Mayasa), Nimi, Sri Di, Rupz (Rupali), Srinath, Vishnu, KP(Krishnaprasad), Hema di n Farid

The Yin and Yang of my Life: Sometimes you come across few people in your life who just change the way you look at things, or feel about yourself. All they do is be themselves and help us be our truest self. I am glad i met these two handsome hunks – Vikas and Dilip.  I have known them for quiet sometime now but this month actually made me realize how balanced they help me be( being the confused self i am all the time)

Vikas (with the specs) and Dilip (he is also the specs one but not in this pic)

BATMAN vs SUPERMAN: I think this movie was not as happening as how a superhero fan would love it to be but then it was after all a Superheroes movie so no complaints. Ben Affleck looked super hot as Batman and did total justice to the character. I never liked Superman as much as i liked other superheroes but this movie has totally changed my liking towards Superman(and Henry Cavill). I had tears by the end of the movie(the ones who have seen it would know what am talking). Batman ❤ Thanks to Vipin my friend for the good company. I like people who discuss movie while watching it.

Batman vs Superman

Meeting old friends (Vijay) and making new ones (Jennifer, Jean and David) – friendship is a blessing 🙂

Vijay Parpyani – My first Sindhi friend who taught me how to make POHA 🙂 I started my career with this buddy of mine 🙂

am sure you all know him David and his amazing playlist perfect for a pumped up work out routine

Jennifer or Jenni as we Indians call her 🙂 She is such a warm and strong woman. I think we instantly connected just in few exchange of messages and am glad to have her as a friend

Finally – #AtoZChallenge: I  think most of my posts in the month of March was about the upcoming (from tomorrow to be very specific) Ultimate Blogging Challenge. Have been working on it (and am still not prepared completely) . I have chosen my Theme and i hope i do justice to it. I have even signed up few blogger friends of mine to do guest posts during the challenge. And am super excited about it as this is going to be my first ever Blogging challenge (never done daily blogs) and being a Minion with Holton’s Heroes. I hope i survive this challenge 😀 😀

Almost 1700 + bloggers worldwide have signed up for the challenge. Its gonna be fun and exciting. Am already meeting new bloggers and reading some amazing posts. Really interesting cool themes. April is gonna be insane 🙂 All the best to everyone who have signed up for it. Yipee!!! Two more hours for the challenge to begin 🙂

April – you better be good to me!! I need all your support this month to survive the challenge. Thank you March for some amazing moments ❤ You were very very special 😉 😉

Live. Love. Laugh!!! Repeat!!!

7 days for #AtoZChallenge

The countdown finally begins – just seven more days to go for the Ultimate Blogging Challenge – #AtoZChallenge. I am already getting into the “oh my god will i be able to survive it” zone even before the challenge has actually begun.

So as I always mention in my posts about the happiness an IT folk guy gets during a long weekend, this time too I have an off today (Good Friday) so technically I have three days in hand to do some prep work for the challenge. Like prepare the draft blogs which would have introductory stuff basic ones , signatures to be left on comment, bookmark the blogs I wanna revisit during the challenge, collect images that I would be posting on the blog etc (scroll to the end to visit links that would help you with more details on these tips) but the typical me just plans all this in the head and executes nothing. 😛 I know it would be that instant flow of words which would come when I would sit to post every single day in April (I work better when my tail is on fire) Plus the Bangalore Summer is not helping me do anything interesting 😦

And when am bored being a couch potato I see the Blogging A to Z Facebook notification of John Holton introducing his Minions , which means I would be on the post somewhere brings this immense boost of happiness and energy to execute all that I had planned. I am a Minion and can’t be a lazy ass. I am the one who should be encouraging others to maintain the enthusiasm and excitement isn’t it? 😉

So go ahead and click here to read more about HOLTON’s HEROES

Lets get this challenge done. Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success!!!! 🙂 ❤

All the best to everyone who has signed up for the Challenge.

Check out the below links to get some tips and tricks for surviving and enjoying the #AtoZChallenge:

Track of blogs you want to visit
Creating Signature
Finding Images
Blog Checkup

–Live.Love.Laugh and Keep Blogging!!! ❤

P.S : That brings up my 50th post on the blog 😉

this is just the beginning

 

Drum Roll – #AtoZChallenge -Theme Reveal 2016

#AtoZChallenge 2016 Theme Reveal is here !!!!

Whats special today?? March 21st is the Theme Reveal day for all the bloggers who have chosen a particular theme for the Ultimate Blogging Challenge in the world – the #AtoZChallenge. As discussed in the previous blog, should i have a theme?? Not Really!!! A theme is not a mandatory thing to be followed during the challenge but it just helps you declutter your thoughts, be well prepared and channelized and more importantly gives the audience a heads up on what to expect from your blog during the challenge.

Since this is my very first year into Blogging and more importantly my first ever daily blogging challenge( i thought of starting with the toughest one) i decided on going ahead with a theme for the challenge. And drum rolls, my theme for my first ever #atozchallenge is

Yes, you read it right. My theme for the challenge is gonna be related to EMOTIONS, MOODS ,STATE OF MIND of a human beings. Being the emotional creatures we are, and more specifically the Emotional Human Being I am (Cancerian 😛 ) i thought what better than to pour my heart out all in all during this challenge.

What can you expect ? My posts could be like my blog a potpourri of posts, articles, poems, doodles etc. 

I am also a Minion:D 😀 😀 for more details click here. I would be reblogging John’s blog post soon which would be an insight into the Holton’s Heroes team

It would be really great if you could give your feedback, comments, suggestions and keep visiting my blog during the April month. Please feel free to contribute or if interested in doing a guest blog please do drop me a mail or connect with me via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Google +

Wishing all the participants the very best! Let’s do this together and celebrate the joy of Blogging 🙂 Hoping to meet many new and old folks during the one month of blog marathon..woohoo!!! Let the game begin

–Live.Love.Laugh and Keep Blogging!!! ❤

#AtoZChallenge 2016: Everything you need to know

Writing Challenges is always a favorite for the Blogging Community and then there comes the month of April which binds so many bloggers around the world under one single umbrella and that my friend is the #AtoZChallenge. I started blogging 7 months back and have been taking up writing challenges every now and then but there was this #AtoZChallenge phrase attracting me towards it on many of the blogs i follow and was eagerly waiting for the sign up to begin for the 2016 challenge – mother of all daily blogging challenges.

Why take up the Challenge? – Blogging consistently is in itself a challenge and when you got to blog daily it becomes a real deal. It just pushes you to take time, sort things in head and actually go ahead and post every single day no matter what your life is going through apart from the blog world.Besides this bloggers from all around the world on different platforms and different kind of blog content would be participating in this. So you get to meet many new bloggers, read and share their posts, all in all its the perfect time in the blogging world to be in (this would be my first time, yet i am sure that’s how its gonna feel)

What is the Challenge?-  Blog through the entire month of April, excluding Sundays which gives you posting daily for 26 days and each day dedicated to the English alphabet. So on April 01st – you post your topic starting with A, 2nd April with B and so on up until April 30th – Z. The challenge begins on April 01st, and if you haven’t signed up for it, it’s still not late. Give it a shot at least – click here for sign- up

Is it all about posting daily?  No. If you are a blogger you know the importance of visiting new blogs , acknowledging followers and comments on your blog. So yes, the challenge is beyond posting daily. Make sure you reply to the suggestions and comments you receive. Keep your Sundays for these(that’s my plan).Make sure you visit at least five new blogs every day and few more on Sundays if possible.

Keep it short – Let’s be practical, with so many people taking up the blogging challenge, long posts would never attract many people. Neither would you prefer reading posts which are lengthy during the challenge. So keep it short anywhere between 100 -300 words and you are good to go!

Scheduling posts? Experience matters!!! And so many of the #AtoZChallenge survivors suggest to schedule your posts well in advance, with only a fortnight to go it’s always smart to draft your posts so that when the actual day comes you get time to visit more blogs besides your own. There are many like me who tell this but never really follow what we ourselves say. Though i have drafted the words i would be using and the theme i am gonna write on. With that moving on to the Theme

Is a theme necessary???  Not necessarily. Having a theme simply helps you filter out and strategize your thoughts and ideas focusing on a particular topic. Moreover it might help you learn deeper about a certain thing you have been wanting to. And would definitely help you with topics for the alphabets Q, Y ,X, Z 🙂 😛  (I was not getting what to write and finally when i picked up a theme, choosing topics became easier for me). We also have a separate sign-up list for the Theme Reveal which is on the 21st of March. Many participating bloggers who have chosen a theme would be revealing it to the community so that one knows what to expect from their blogs.

Cool Stuff?  Go ahead and put up the #AtoZChallenge badge on your blogs sidebar and let the world know you are participating in one of the worlds biggest blogging challenges. Alphabet badges

Together we can – Join a writing community so that you don’t lose the excitement half the way and you always have the back of one another to achieve the ultimate goal. Working together is always productive. Encourage your blog friends to take up the challenge and brainstorm your way through the April month. Guess what? You can also have guest blogs during the challenge and its gonna be fun. This is a shout out to my friends with whom i am taking up the challenge – Nimi, Darshith, Reema, Pratyusha and KP.

Stats – In 2010  nearly 100 bloggers started the Challenge and most of those saw it through to the end. The buzz about that event spread and this year we already have 1223 people signed up across the globe. Cool?!

Why is the Challenge special to me??  This would be my first ever #AtoZChallenge, more specifically my first ever daily blogging challenge that i am taking up. The only one i had done so far was 3-day quote challenge. And even more exciting thing about this is am a Minion too 🙂 A minion is the one who helps the one of the Co-Hosts of the #AtoZChallenge and am part of Holton’s Heroes (a badge is on my left sidebar – more on this later). Below are the Co-Hosts of the Challenge.

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Heather M. Gardner
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
AJ Lauer
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Damyanti Biswas @ Daily Write
Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing

So do you take what it is to be a part of the Ultimate Blogging Challenge? One more fortnight to go, loads of excitement and nerve cracking moments all waiting for you. Go ahead and sign-up for the challenge. 

Let me know if you have any queries and i would be happy to help. Also get all the latest information by the below sites.

We have a Facebook Page and Pinterest Site
Email address is contactatozteam@gmail.com
Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge and Twitter id is @AprilA2Z
Join us for weekly Twitter Chats on Thursdays and Saturdays with the hashtag #azchat!

–Live.Love.Laugh and Keep Blogging!!! ❤

Draw your future

Most of us have heard about the book Secret which talks about how by applying laws of attraction we can attract all that we want in life and help in manifesting our dreams and aspirations. A secret to lead a happy and successful life.

And this is something which we have been doing since our childhood just that we never knew the theory behind it until few years ago when Rhonda Bryne opened up this whole new world of possibilities for human being just by visualizing and thinking positive about everything that we have dreamed for.

Personally sometimes when i look back i guess few of the incidents in my life that had happened were in someway related to this theory. Few good ones and few bad ones. Bad ones cause yeah just like how one can attract positive vibes one can even attract negativity too. I didn’t know back then about this and some serious negative thinking that i did unknowingly came out true. (People like me learn from mistakes 🙂 😛 )

Well well well, this post is not about Secret but about one of my fav personalities Patti Dobrowolski. She is an international keynote speaker, comic performer and also the founder of Up Your Creative Genius, a consulting firm that uses visuals and creative processes to help companies and individuals around the world accelerate growth and change. Known for her high energy, quick wit and commitment to helping people and businesses achieve their goals, she lives in the rain forest of Seattle, Washington with her partner Julie, 3 dogs and 3 chickens.

So here i am sharing this video of hers from one of my fav Ted Talks. Vision boards, making to do lists, drawing my future has somehow affected me positively in the last one year 😀 So go ahead and watch the video and am sure by the time you finish it you would be excited to pick up a pen and a paper and DRAW YOUR FUTURE

P.S: People who love Writing Challenges check out the A to Z Challenge 2016. This would be my first time and really excited about it even more cause I am also a part of John Holton’s Team. Check out their site and fb page for further details.

Facebook Page : AtoZ Challenge

Website: AtoZ Challenge 2016

 

Echoes – Fabulous February

Welcome to my Monthly Favorites section which is an Action Replay of all those beautiful moments that i have experienced in the last 30 days. Though i have missed the Jan month , but what better way to start with the month of love – February, so much love that it actually had an extra 24 hours for us to spend. Moving forward every month am gonna post my favorites cause i guess you blog now and live forever and these moments of mine are gonna remain even when i leave this world.

“Welcome Potpourriers to my Fabulous February 2016”

The best thing that happened to me this month was definitely and undoubtedly the #FlipkartOutdoors Indiblogger Meet @Mango Mist Resorts on the 20th of Feb 2016. I didn’t have the slightest idea how amazing it would be to meet fellow bloggers. My first every blogger meet where i met some really crazy, fun and interesting folks. It needs to be experienced words just can’t sum up the whole feel of it (yeah I do fall short of words at times). 

Having said that, the moment you hear February just one word comes in your mind naturally and that would be the Love!! Valentines day was never a big deal for me it was just another day either spending quality time with myself or with my loved ones. But this time i celebrated my Valentines day on a Harley 🙂 Yeah i have this amazingly loving friend whom i really lookup to well he took me on a ride on a Harley. Might sound lame to few but then not everyone gets to sit on a beast machine (at least that i know of)

Feb 10th is a special day for me, its my Parents Wedding Anniversary and i am so so proud that am born to such incredibly beautiful couple who have defined what love is all about. And having an article on them published on a reputed firm like Women’s Web only made this month more special and a gift to my parents.

And finally the perfect way to end the fabulous month was to go this place which is my second home cause it gave me friends whom i have now known for a decade and they are the best thing that has happened to me in life. They just let me be me by just being themselves. My Best Friends and my best place Hyderabad (more to come about them in my A to Z Blogging Challenge next month). All that i need to do to rejuvenate myself is to board a bus go to Hyderabad meet these angels of my life that is all i need and am good to go until the next time.

Some other important fav of the month were 

> Caprio finally winning the Oscars  for the movie The Revenant on the 29th of Feb (what a leap yr to remember)

> My Whatsapp bloggers group – “Authors Beyond Borders” they keep me entertained and they pamper me with so much love ,care and warmth

> Handmade gifts that i made for a bunch of friends like the Zentangled Bookmark for Deeksha and Sriji, the Max poster for Rahul

> Buying more and more books, i ended up taking a crossword membership. I have bought like  14 books in the last one month

> Lunching out every Friday of Feb month and each time a new place

> Met many new people who have touched my heart in some way.

> One step closer to something big that’s gonna happen in my life 

> Listening to the Grammy winners collection on repeat mode 😛

February was indeed Fabulous and am sure March is gonna treat me well (you better March) cause it’s the best season of the year Spring ❤ ❤ ❤ and a lot of homework on the upcoming April month’s AtoZ Challenge 2016 . Fingers crossed for this one, its my first ever big blogging challenge and i hope i survive this one. I am gonna try to publish more posts in March just to get myself prepared for April.
It’s already two months down of 2016, woohoo this year seems so to run fast….!! What was your Feb Fav?? Let me know!

Please be good to my family ,friends and me!!!

Live. Love. Laugh!!! Repeat!!! ❤

Magpie Tales -#01/307

This is my very first attempt at poem writing after ages, i know it sucks but just thought of posting it any way since i wanted to try the Magpie Tales. So the objective of the blog is “This blog is dedicated to the enjoyment of poets and writers, for the purpose of honing their craft, sharing it with like-minded bloggers, and keeping their muses alive and well.” 

So the funda is simple, a picture is featured and you got to write a post using this image as an inspiration and here i am with my stupid crazy imagination !!!

Somehow the image is not being displayed due to some censor issue so you could click this link to see the featured picture, CLICK HERE . This is my first (#01) post of the many magpie tales(#307) and here goes my poem 🙂 🙂

Her angelic closed eyes
holding tons of surprise
Those dark long tresses of hers
as intoxicating as last nights glass of liquor
Her smooth soft curvy voluptuous body
as she tosses in the bed sending out radi
This woman i wana hold
with whom  my every breath unfolds
Waking up to her as she cuddles in my arms
moving my hand across the bed to snooze the alarm
Finding few more minutes before i could wave her goodbye
as my finger dipped in paint completes her kohld eyes!!!

P.S – This one seriously needs some review and feedback. I suck at poetry that too English