My World

                                     Let me cut right to the chase and answer the question before you read the rest of this article: yes they can. Why would you believe, or let others around you believe otherwise? A boy and a girl cannot only be friends, they can be great friends; they can be best of friends; it is as simple as that. It is a belief that a boy and a girl cannot stay friends; stereotypes even. In a world where love between the same genders is possible, why is not friendship between the opposite? I still remember through school and high school, we have always been shy, terrorized even of talking to the opposite gender. Being placed with the opposite gender was a punishment in the school days. You’d go on and on about who knows what with your buddy in class, but once your teacher notices you and places you in the ‘forbidden zone’, mum’s the word was the situation. I’...

We often take silence for granted; we feel the need to create the atmosphere of words so much that we never appreciate the silence. Silence is taken as awkward, emptiness, lack of courage or boring even, but silence is more powerful than one can anticipate.   And what is even more powerful is the reason behind that silence. Silence is comfort. Imagine two friends beside each other, each doing what they want, completely aware of the fact that they are beside a person who they love and they are comfortable with and it is okay to acknowledge the presence of one another even without conversations. Silence is understanding. One look at her daughter’s face and the mother already knows that her baby has had a bad day and knows whether or not it is the right time to ask about it despite a word out of her daughter's mouth. Silence is serenity. If you cherish what is happening around you, even the smallest things, you will be able to appreciate everything around you....

As Beyonce’s popular number “A Beautiful Liar” featuring Shakira blared through her speakers, her thoughts could not help but drift over to him. Those dreamy eyes, that heart melting smile, every feature of his beautiful face, she remembered it all, even today. And of course, the lies, she remembered them too. He was, in every aspect, the beautiful liar that the song depicted. She cringes at the thought of those lies. How naïve had she been; how innocent had she been: and, even though she had been denying it, up until this point, how dumb had she been. How could she have fallen for that sweet talker? How could she let herself fall for that beautiful liar? How could she just have swallowed all those lies without so much of a second thought? How could she let herself stay in that state of denial? How could she not recognize the real face behind that mask? Of course she had the answer to those questions. She knew the answer deep down to the questions she was asking to hersel...

Most of us would relate the word learning to books and courses. But is that only what learning is limited to? Of course not. Learning is adventurous; learning is a journey; learning is giving roots to your passion; learning is feeding your curiosity; learning is stepping out of your comfort zone; learning is exploring your own possibilities. Sometimes, when I get bored, I think to myself, I have nothing to do, I wish I had something interesting to do, someplace interesting to go, someone interesting to talk to. But who am I kidding? There is a whole world out there; do you realize how many things, how many people, how many cultures, how many languages, how many activities that gives us an opportunity to learn about? Speaking of activities: I only learnt to ride the bicycle in my twenties: there I said it! And it was only after I learnt how to ride the scooter. Sounds foolish to say that proudly: but it is true. And this is not where it ends of course. I still have a lot...