Sunsets

Sunsets have always been my favorite for many many reasons.

But today's was different and definitely the most beautiful since I have moved to Chicago :

It was absolutely breathtaking. Most of the sky was a steel gray because Chicago is obnoxious  in terms of weather and it was a cold cloudy June day. But far at the horizon there was a rich golden yellow and a flurry of crimson, mauve and peach slowly blended flawlessly into the steel gray. I had never seen something like that before. It was different.

It was different, not just because it was splendid but because of the realization that followed after.

Its a casual sunday and I'm over-worked. I have been sitting in the same position on the same side of the couch with my body aligned against the same pillow working on multiple presentations. Finals week struggles are real. So I was sitting, propped against my pillow, cozy under my fleece sheet working on the content strategy for an ice-cream company.

It was 8:07 pm and I happened to stretch and look outside the window that was right behind me. I saw this beautiful sight. The picture does not do even half the justice to the real thing. Technology is obviously overrated. I removed my cellphone to take a few pictures and dramatically gasped a little at the beauty. At approximately 8:09 I was back to my couch propped against the same pillow working on the ice-cream strategy again.

At 8:23, I turned again and the sunset was gone.

I realized I was never going to see the sunset again except in this 8 megapixel form.

And the same goes for every day :)

Carpe Diem

Interventions & Lists

Yet another sabbatical. Week 4 onwards is just downhill every quarter. This quarter has been particularly dramatic and I have been particularly amazed at how much can happen in one quarter (which is not even over yet)  - Good and not-so-good.

Point being, I was galavanting on my old blog and found a list I wrote on July 24, 2014.

It's titled : To-Do. 

Very very interesting piece about things I wanted to do once I made the big move and today as I read the list I felt awesome but at the same time horrible about myself because while there was so much done, there was also a lot left to do.

1)Drink More Water 

2)Talk more, Text less.

3)Sketch a lot. Sit by the lake and sketch.

4)Organize my Desk

5)Mind-Map (Work in progress)

6)Read one good book every month

7)Be more Direct & less diplomatic

8)Create a brand

9)Start a new blog 

10)Eat weird food

11)Wear less Makeup

12)Make a mood-board

13)Sky-Dive (Summer 2015)

14)Stop dwelling , Stop worrying

15)Read about the economy and about money

16)Save (Constant work in progress)

17)Spend less on clothes and more on food

18)Get retweeted 100 times

19)Design a typeface

20)Get comfortable on Skype

21)Send postcards back home

22)Watch foreign movies in languages that I don't understand  (Work in progress)

23)Learn a foreign language (Work in progress, thanks to Qiu from Ningbo)

24)Fewer emoticons :(

25)Learn to use Google Maps better  (I have aced this one)

26)Learn to make really good coffee

27)Be vocal, be honest.

28)Start an online portfolio

29)Do 16 Suryanamaskars and Tibetan Yoga everyday

30)At the end of these15 months read this to-do list and feel happy about yourself (6 more to go!)

Lists make you revisit your goals and reconsider your priorities.

When you're living in a new city - you're often so consumed with so much stimuli around you. You find less time for yourself and Your thoughts revolve around people more than your goals, it's often overwhelming, sometimes lonely and sometimes you create a million problems that don't exist. 

Obviously, some days are entirely spent on netflix.

 Sometimes you forget to think about the present and dwell in the future. Job/No job? India/America? At such times it's so important to have an intervention with yourself, go through old lists, make a new list, take the pressure off and have a jolly good time ;)

A new spring cleaning list & more updates on this eventful quarter will be up soon!

A bright yellow spring carnation, 

Juie