RIP Insta Likes!

I haven’t posted anything here in 5 years.
That’s like 1825 days.
How  disgraceful is that?🙈

It’s not like I’ve forgotten to write but so much has happened since then. I shifted careers from being a journalist to a pastry chef, moved to Australia and now working my butt off to stay in this country and make a better future for myself.

There’s so much I want to start writing about again. So much gossip in the entertainment world. But there’s one hot topic out in the open at the moment. It seems like everyone has something to say about it. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?

Instagram has adopted hidden likes.

What does this mean??

You can still continue to post, you can still like and comment on posts of people you follow but just won’t be able to see how many likes they get.

I don’t understand why this has become breaking news because why would it matter what another persons gets or not. But the mentality of individuals has changed over the years. We are always looking for approval from others. If we don’t get ‘likes’ means we’re doing something wrong. Our content is not good enough. And that’s why mental health has become a huge thing.

One small question... let’s go back to the times where there was no technology, did people witness this much bullying or mental torture? As much as I love social media and you can call me an addict, I’m extremely concerned at the reactions. It really shouldn’t be a biggy.
But maybe that goes back to the reason to why you’re on the app in the first place.

I personally believe this is a brilliant move as it would help users focus on quality content rather than what gets them more likes. They publish captions that can tell a story, engage the reader wanting to click on your profile the next time they feel your content hasn’t shown up on their feed. It’s as simple as that. I’d like to talk about my experience after this change.

On an average, I get about 100+ likes on each post. Most of the likes are from my followers, some hashtags and people curious to check out my profile. Could I be getting more? Maybe but it doesn’t matter to me because I’m not earning from it and my sole purpose being on Instagram is to get inspired, grow my creativity and connect with like-minded people. Even when my food blog existed, I never wanted to sponsor a post. I’d rather use that money to eat some good food.

I have to admit though that there have been times when I’ve felt low about not getting the same kind of reach as others who don’t even put up close to decent content. And then it makes you wonder what you’re doing wrong and the pressure can get to you. But that’s why now you can post without caring much about what the rest of the world thinks. If you believe it’s important to you, that’s all that matters!

Influencers on the other hand are facing a bit of a challenge. Lots of them have spoken up saying how they have lost followers not just likes. I used to manage quite a few social media accounts for clients so I understand their grievances. This is how they make a living for themselves but these likes have become a joke now. Do you have any idea how easy it is to buy them these days? I’m sorry to say but majority are not genuine and I don’t know how PR professionals fall for their nonsense.

With that said, I think it’s working really well for me. In fact, I’ve  grown my #instafam in the last few days and I love the platform even more.

I’m hoping Instagram looks into deleting the fake profiles next, that’s a bigger issue!

What is Public Indecency?

So ever since I like to officially call myself a food blogger, I don't remember the last time I posted something here.

Recently I have been writing a lot with an exception to restaurant reviews and recipes and thought that since nothing much has been spoken about this in the media, I could emphasize on it a little more.

It's not Greek to us. We all come across these instances a couple of times in our lives but just tend to let it go.

Hope you'll enjoy reading it and would love to hear more about your take on this. So please feel free to comment at the end :)

 

It wasn’t too long ago, that a porn ban was going to come into force. Before this, it was the Maggi ban. And now do you think a sex ban could come into place? These various bans in our country are never-ending!

The Mumbai police now seem to have an issue with couples doing their own thing in private spaces not interfering with anyone which I find absolutely shameful and disgusting. They have clearly crossed the line this time by trying to play the role of 'moral police' only to humiliate innocent consenting adults.

Recently, there have been couples that were dragged out of their hotel rooms in Madh Island and Aksa area because they were spreading ‘public indecency’. Not only were they humiliated and questioned for five hours but also asked to pay a bribe of Rs 1200 and some of them were made to call up their parents.

According to the police, we women become prostitutes when we want to spend some quality time with our partner. Why is that so?

It seems like they are being very unreasonable right now and have too much time on their hands. I think it’s high time they stepped up and focused on the more important things in life like arresting terrorists instead of humiliating innocent people.

They do not seem to have an issue with couples making love at Carter Road or Marine Drive (which happens to be entirely public) but when couples seek to find their own privacy in hotel rooms, they come in like hawks making them feel guilty for nothing.

As per my knowledge, there is no law that exists for Public Display of Affection and the most amusing factor is that there is no proper definition for it.  As literate individuals, I’m sure this term would differ for each one of us. There is no one who decides the levels of public indecency as this has not been defined properly even in the Indian Penal Code. So where does that leave us?

It’s sad to say this but the Mumbai Police do not know how to treat their fellow beings. They need to go back to school, brush up their history and civics and get familiar with the whole concept of fundamental rights. We call our land democratic but from the recent series of events including the porn ban, I don’t see where this whole concept of democracy is going. Individuals have become selfish and inconsiderate and do what they want. Our country is not too far from just breaking apart.

This whole terminology of public indecency really needs to be sorted out sooner than later. They need to get their values and morals in place. The fact that they dragged couples from their hotel rooms and shamed them…Now, that is indecency!

Who gives them the right to invade another individual’s personal space? Isn’t that also breaking some laws? In my defence, I believe that this is one of their game plans to make a good buck in quick time. After all, how long does it take to traumatize a young couple who are scared that their families would come to know about the secret affair and get into deep trouble.

They call themselves the ‘moral police’ but I’d like to ask them this one question…

“Dear Police, where are your morals when you are busy bribing people and taking advantage of poor, innocent couples?

They are setting such wrong examples for the future generations of this country by giving them the impression that sex is bad (which does not hold true at all)There is nothing wrong in having sex especially in your own private space. So what’s next? Barge into people’s homes?

In my opinion, they are making utter fools of themselves with this whole issue. I feel that they should concentrate on more serious stuff like rape incidents and sexual harassments rather than wasting their energy on two individuals who make mutual decisions for themselves.These are all consenting adults who know what they are doing and have the right by birth to make their own decisions. The police have no say in this and cannot control their lives.

Coming back to this whole definition of public indecency, let me tell you what it really means.

Perverted men flashing their penis to little children. Yes, that is public indecency! And don’t get so shocked by this statement because I’m sure we have all gone through this at some point of our lives and the worst part was that we couldn’t  even tell our parents about it, as these kind of issues are not ‘appropriate’ to be discussed on our dinner tables in this country.

Or what about having to watch a guy masturbate in the bus/ taxi or even on the street for that matter? These are things that happen every single day in our lives and yet go unpunished.

This just tells us what our country has come to. It is a crime to even hold your partner’s hand in public and let me say this but a police officer harassing a woman in the open, is much more indecent than making love with someone you actually care about.

 What was really amazing to see was the great response this whole issue got on social media. People did not keep quiet especially on Twitter. They voiced their opinions with the hashtag #MyFirstPublicIndecency started by Stand-up Comedian Aditi Mittal. The stories heard were pretty disturbing but at least it was a good eye opener and I just hope the Mumbai Police learnt something from this too. (which I fairly doubt they ever will)

According to Section 292 of the IPC “makes it an offence to sell, distribute, circulate, publicly exhibit or even possess obscene content for public exhibition” ‘Obscene’ here is defined  as that which ‘appeals to the lascivious or prurient interest’ of the person viewing it. But a crucial aspect of this offence is that it should involve a public element.

I’m sorry but I don’t see how being in a hotel room with your partner being something ‘public’.

So you see, there is a lot this country is failing miserably at and this is something that sets us apart from the other countries in the world. People are so scared to even visit our country for a holiday. There are some drastic changes that need to be made or else we will all be in deep trouble.

There is just one thing I never seem to understand. Why is sex treated as such a shameful act in this country? Remember if not for it, you and I would not exist right now.

The Mumbai Police are reacting with this issue in a very immature manner. So what’s next in their agenda? Ban sex?

I think it’s high time our government stepped up and took some action about this and the Mumbai Police need to get their priorities straightened out.

Time to wake up India!

 

Travel to Hampi?

This was part of a history project where we had to choose a place and make a simple brochure.

72 HOURS!

WELCOME TO HAMPI, THE LAND OF THE BOULDERS AND RUINS

“Hampi” is the anglicized version of the Kannada Hampe. It is derived from Pampa which is the old name of the Tungabhadra River on whose banks the city is built. . It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara. It is 353 km from Bangalore. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.

The first historical settlements in Hampi date back to 1 CE where two local warrior  brothers Hakka and Bukka were captured as prisoners by the Tuglak and later there was this large empire found with both of them as the founders.

The topography abounds with large stones which have been used to make statues of Hindu deities.

Hampi’s climate is generally warm and dry. The  best time to visit the place is between September and February where it witnesses some pleasant weather. 
Summer: 20 to 40°C
Winter: 12 to 34°C.

It is often used as a shooting location in Bollywood. 

Reaching Hampi is not a very difficult task.The closest airport is at Vidyanagar and Hospet is the nearest railway station and bus station that offers connectivity to to the main cities of South India.

If you are walkman/walkwoman, Go ahead! A large number of places can be covered by just walking. Sometimes it’s great to walk a lot, sometimes it’s necessary as tracks are not motorable. One can even hire a bicycle there.

Hampi is not a god forsaken place. People are accessible to a bank, post office, general stores, internet facilities although there may not be signal sometimes when you are unlucky.

The whole of Hampi is divided into two parts. The Sacred Center and the Royal Center. These clusters are about 3 kilometers apart.

 The places that have to be seen:

Ø Virupaksha temple( one of the oldest)

Ø Kondanda rama temple

Ø Hemakuta hill

Ø Monolith Bull

Ø Badava linga(again the largest monolithic linga in Hampi)

Some of the resorts where you can have a comfortable and peaceful stay at are Hampi’s Boulders and Kishkinda Heritage Resort

Most of the Hampi’s eateries are concentrated around the Hampi Bazaar.Some others include Mango Tree, Laughing Buddha, The Goan Corner and Funky Monkey restaurant

Hampi is an educational yet most pleasurable experience ever. There’s so much to do and so much to see, hence you need 72 hours!

Wedding Bells Ring Only Once

Another short story.....  
It is very light and fast moving
Hope you all enjoy it! :) :) :)

WEDDING BELLS RING ONLY ONCE

“Tomorrow is the day!! I’m getting married in the morning. Ding dong the bells are going to chime. I’m actually getting really nervous now. Oh well, I think I’m going to cry.”

That is my sister singing in the shower. She is always full of life. It is really annoying at times as I like some peace and quiet.

“Amy, will you stop singing and get out quick? Keep your happiness to yourself. You do know there are other people who need to use the toilet and you are not the only one, right?”  I shouted with disgust.

“Well, you do have your own toilet too. It is not my problem that you only want to use mine.” 

She screamed back at me. 

I knew there was no point in further arguing with her so I went back to my room and shut the door.

Just then, the phone rang. I checked the caller id and it was Aunt Sheryl. I was going to pick it up, but then I could see mum from the kitchen picking it up. I was bored and I enjoy eavesdropping on their conversations so I picked it up anyways.

“My dear cousin, before I continue our usual gossip sessions, I wanted to tell you something I heard from my next door neighbour. Please promise me you will keep your cool and not get worked up?"

She was saying that Tim had still not as yet filed the divorce papers as he had still not gotten over Amy. 

"I did not know whether to tell you or not but on second thoughts, you are my most favourite cousin so I felt you needed to know.”

There was a quiet silence at my mother’s end. Tim was my sister’s ex-husband. He was a terror and disliked by all my family members. The fact that my aunt had kept her mouth shut all these days was very strange. It seemed very mysterious because my mother and father were at his house when the divorce papers were sent across to him. 

My mother just ignored it as she knew Aunt Sheryl very well by now. She was a harmless person but when it came to talking about people and causing trouble, that was her passion. It was something she loved doing and was very good at. 

So my mum finally ended the conversation saying, “ I’ve got something on the stove, I will call you back in a while.”

“My daughter is a smart girl. She would have thought about all of this over and over again before even planning another wedding. Everyone has always been jealous of her. She was a bright student, won all the talent competitions back at school and found herself a great career.”

She thought to herself.

“Tiya!! Tiya!!” my mum called out to me, “Get me my bag! We have to pick up the flowers from the florist. I don’t want to leave anything for the last minute.”

“Yes Mum! I am coming.”  I put the phone down gently. 

I could not stop thinking in my mind all that I had heard before. I hated my sister. We never really get along well but I looked at her as my role model. I did not have the slightest doubt about her whereabouts. She had planned this wedding, months before even the divorce papers came, but did not even start any preparations till she knew they were signed. She trusted Tim. What a skank he is! How could he do this to her?

I grabbed the phone and ran out of the door to meet mum in the car.

“Tim here. May I speak to Amy?”

“She is not yet back home. Any message for her?” my grandmother sweetly spoke.

“Nothing at all! Was just trying to reach her on her mobile but could not get through. Please give her the message.”

My grandmother was stunned. Why would he call a day before she is getting married to someone else? She did not want any more drama so she decided that the best thing to do was to keep her mouth shut.

We were back home soon, had an early dinner and went to bed.

                                                                    ***

The next morning there was too much commotion around in the house.

It was the day of the wedding. The day Amy had been eagerly waiting for weeks now.

I slowly peeped into her room and saw from the mirror that she was giving me this half- smile.

"She’s actually being nice to me and not picking a fight." I smirked back at her.

Just then mum came in, literally running, “Oh my! Not again. A gorgeous bride standing right in front of my eyes looking even better than the first time.”

“The last time I actually prayed so hard for your marriage not to work out.” She giggled.

There were tears in her eyes. She was crying a pool of water. I just hope that she would do the same for my wedding too.

“I’m so happy for you. You will have your fairytale wedding this time. I am sure of it.”

“Thanks mum! Love you loads”, my sister replied back as she pecked her on the cheek.

                                                                    ***

Beep beep honk honk

The car had arrived.

After all the old uncles and aunties had blessed my sister with all their good wishes, we got into the car and it took us straight to the church.

There was a lot of traffic on the road which delayed us by ten whole minutes. The good thing was that God had been good to us this time and there was no outburst of rain.

When we reached the church,there was a lot of muttering happening.

 “There is no sign of Kevin. Where is he?” said a middle-aged woman, who I had never seen in my life before so I presumed she was invited from the groom’s side of the family.

We got out of the car and I held her trail. They tried calling him on his phone but it was switched off. 

As we reached the steps of the beautiful, little church, his parents came running towards my sister. 

“We do not know where he is. The guard said that he had left earlier this morning. We have tried tracking him down the entire day. We are very sorry.” they said.

I could not bear to look at my sister. She was a mess. She just stood there like a zombie getting ready to explode any minute.

It seemed like her world had just come crashing down. Being stood up twice in a row? Now that is harsh indeed!

The bouquet of flowers dropped from her hands and fell onto the floor. The tears came rolling down, messing up all her makeup. Nothing mattered to her. She could not hold herself anymore and fell into my mother’s arms balling in pain.

It was such a happy morning that turned out to be so disastrous. Who could ever imagine it would end this way? I wanted to curse every soul that had something to do with this. Could it be Aunt Sheryl? Could it be Tim?

I hated to see my jolly, crazy sister this way. A miracle had to happen. This had to be another dream. This is not how weddings are supposed to be. 

We all know that wedding bells only ring once but there are special people in this world who deserve another chance. 
My sister was one of them.

Half-Girlfriend Review

 

Sorry for neglecting this space. I’ve been extremely busy lately with my other blog. It just got nominated for the #IFBA Awards 2014 so I have been working really hard on it. You'll can go check it out: www.yummyinsidemytummy.wordpress.com

The minute Mr Bhagat announced the release of his latest book, it got me all excited. I finished the book about a week and a half ago and quite enjoyed it, but was obviously expecting a lot more from it.

There wasn’t much of a difference seen with the previous books of his. A simple, uneducated Bihari boy falling in love with an up-class, filthy rich Delhi babe, having one thing in common- BASKETBALL!

There were a lot of repetitive scenes and yet again cultural differences had to be brought out.

The plot was too simple and very predictable. Nothing exciting or out of the ordinary happens!

But leaving aside all of this, there was one thing he managed to do.... And that was to grab the attention of the reader which is one of the smartest moves made by a  good writer today. You look around and you will find everyone talking about this book. Now that’s being clever!

He definitely fulfilled his mission in reaching out his book to millions by pricing his book at a reasonable price accessible to all.

I’m actually more excited to see it come out as a movie. I believe Mohit Suri will do a better job out of it. But still not keeping my hopes too high!

Before reading the book, I was planning on writing quite a lengthy review, unfortunately now I have nothing more to say.

So let’s hope now for his next to entertain us a little more!

Dairy Entries

This was part of my Internal Assessment in Creative Writing. My teacher loved it!

 

Dairy Entries

A student studying in a foreign university living in his own place.

17^th  June 2014

Dear Diary,

In another two weeks, it will be a month since I have moved to this place miles and miles away from home. I just cannot believe it. I still remember that day when everyone came home and gave me such a grand send off. I really do miss my family these days especially mama’s food. I still have six more months to go before I go back for Christmas. Counting the days to go!

28^th June 2014

Dear Diary,

Sorry it has been awhile since I last wrote. But I do have a really good excuse which you will be most pleased about. I got a part time job. This will hopefully not make me feel that homesick anymore. You remember I told you earlier that I had applied for the  “Masterchef Australia Culinary Workshop”???  They got back to me today and I spoke to Matt Preston on the phone. His voice is so overpowering. I literally was on top of the moon. He toldme tocome in tomorrow at 5 pm for a short interaction with the rest of the team and the best part is  I will be meeting all my dream chefs. I am so excited right now!!!!

29^th June 2014

Dear Diary,

I just came back from the Masterchef kitchen and I was in awe. It was a food paradise inside. I spoke to Heston Blumenthal!!!! Can you belive that? Allof a sudden, I feel very important. I actually felt like a girl for a moment going all “gaga” over him.But who would not?  He wasso impressed with my culinary skills but at the same time told me that it is a huge competition. Okay! I am too tired now so I am off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be very exciting when I tell all my friends at the Uni.

12^th July 2014

Dear Diary,

I did not realizehow hectic college life is. It even more hard when you have been pampered all your lifeby your extremely loving parents and in one day have to survive in the world all on your own like now. One good thing is that I have an advantage over most of the other boys studying in my class. I CAN COOK! Not just cook, but cook good food.  My morther has definitely done a good job with me. Okay then, I bet stop bragging about myself now cause like I have mentrioned it before, I do miss my mama’s chicken roce curry and pork sorpotel all the time. But luckily, tomorrow my aunt is coming to town and she’s promised to take over the kitchen. My friends are actually more excited than me. The girls are already deciding what to wear. This is another perk of being a guy. We do not care about any of this. Just throw on some pants and a shirt and walk out of the door! They get so irritated with me at times so now they have turned into my wardrobe experts. They make it a point that I look into the mirror every day before I leave my place. Oh no….it looks like I’m trning into one of them now!!!

22^nd July 2014

Dear Diary,

It has been ten days since I last met you. There has been so much happeneing these days. Our midterm exams are coming up and it’s not that easy when you have to come back home to a mess waiting to be cleaned up. Yes I forgot! We have no maids around here. It’s times like these I miss Shanta the most.  Shje would have come every morning to wake me up and bring my milk to my bedside. Then, pack my lunch, do the housework andcook us all dinner at night. I really do admire her. She’s a superwoman! Anyways, today was a really bad day. I wanted to try out something for my dinner that I had learned that class earlier today and guess what happened?  I turned the knob the wrong way and my sauce started burning .I am a real muff when it comes to disasters. I just stood there shocked. The first thing I did was called my mother who lives in another continent and she didn’t answer the phone. So I finally enede upeating instant noodles.

1^st August 2014

Dear Diary,

It is the first of the month and I always believe that good things ought to happen! Caitlyn, the girl I had my eyes on, the minute she entered the doors of the baking class, came over to sit next to me. She would talk to me now and then but today she came and told me in my ears that she loved the way I cooked and wanted me to teach her some of my skills sometime. I freaked out like crazy. I just stared into her eyes and I think I scared her as the next minute, she was out of sight. This made me feel really stupid so went to her at lunch and asked her out on a date this weekend. I don’t know what was wrong with me. When I told Shawn and Joshua at English class, they burst into laughter. But inside, I knew I would not regret it!

3rd August 2014

Dear Diary,

Tonight is the big night. Caitlyn, the girl of my dreams is coming over to eat my food. She is Italian so I thought of whipping up some creamy beef lasagne, a pepperoni pizza and pannacotta to steal her heart. One should always be impressed on the first date. I just hope it does not turn out to be too over the top. I don’t know what to wear now. She dresses up like a princess every day to college. Can you imagine what she would wear on a “date” then???  I just want everything to be perfect.The year has just started for me and I believe that nothing can ruin it. Should I get her tulips, roses or lilies? Wow. This is not as easy as I imagined it would be! I cannot get shy in front of her and scare her away again.  But I have one issue. When I look into her eyes, it is just too much for me to process. She is too good to be true. Anyways, I have two more hours to go so I better get started. Everything has to go as planned. Wish me luck!