I came across this poem (pasted further in this post) a few months ago, and though I could relate with it then, I realise now how much more I always resonated with it.

In one of my recent posts titled, “The world of boxes”, I am trying to question who I am and which of the boxes I fit in. Do we really need a form? It does give us more confidence in terms of who we are, as we have an identity in the material world, but is that not illusory and limiting?

P.S. “You gave me form but maybe I wanted to be formless..? …

I had posted some tweets over a year ago on how one can make their own terrarium, after learning to do it at a workshop conducted at Bhaudaji Lad museum. Recently, a few people (online and offline) asked me how to do the same, so I thought of documenting the steps here for those interested, as it is easier to read than scrolling through tweets! So get ready, and please read the whole post before you begin, to avoid any mistakes :)

1. Start with a clean glass bowl or container.You may have to put it out in the sun for a while, so all the germs, bacteria etc. …

Was musing last night over why we feel lost sometimes. I encounter this question many times in my own life, “where in this world do I fit?”. Mostly with regard to profession, “Who am I?”, “Am I really a web developer? But I love to write”. Or, “am I a feminist?” I am all for equality of the genders but I can’t help feeling taken care of on occasion when the guy pays for the meal when we are out together.

It’s hard for me to tick the boxes I fit in, and I wonder if we could live in a box-less world. An attempt at poetry after REALLY long. (Maybe years). May not be as crisp as it used to be, but it had to be put it in this…

As I mentioned in my last tea post, I am quite fond of trying out new teas. However, when it came to green tea, it had always been something I cringed my nose at, often thinking of its bitter aftertaste. I never thought I could enjoy green tea until I tried the Sencha tea last weekend from the Tea Culture of the World tea box. …

I haven’t met anyone that was so passionate about life as Neil was. He spread energy and joy wherever he went. Be it a shop owner, a friend, the postman or just someone who lived in the vicinity, there is no one who hasn’t been impacted by his energy. Neil loved everyone and everything. The places he had been to, the food that he ate & liked.. Neil loved to explore new things, especially food and places. He loved being in the outdoors and almost everyone who had met him once remembered him fondly.

Those of you who know me or even follow me on social platforms are well acquainted with my love for tea and trying out different kinds of it. Though my personal favourite will always be the milky masala chai, I always like to experiment with exotic teas and savour them on days when I feel like soothing my nerves down and indulging myself at the same time :) Also, this monsoon calls out for hot beverages, and so this tea box from Tea Culture of the World arrived just in time :)

(Originally posted here: http://anubha-bhat.blogspot.in/2017/04/life-on-other-side-of-25.html)

They rightly say that the mind goes through puberty in the twenties. Life is the most stressful, I believe, once you cross the age of 25. I have been struggling since then, trying to fit into old structures that worked for me (which obviously won’t work now, but I am often unable to see that things are changing, and I don’t know how to deal with the changes, so I keep going back to old methods).

For instance, I love staying in Mumbai, in my home. It is the place where I can be most comfortable and relaxed but as I grow up, I realise that sometimes this routine just does not work for me. I can’t drop everything at my convenience and go like, “The shower can wait. I need to write this down and get this out of my system.” (Going through this at this very instant). Even if I do that, I can’t shake myself off the guilt of not having showered before a certain time, not having woken up at so-and-so time, it just piles on and on. I like having a routine but often, I realise that my body demands that I go to bed early, it demands more sleep, it demands not eating a heavy meal at night. It can sometimes get difficult to meet these demands and form your own routine within a structure of a family. You may have to make certain compromises such as not sitting down for a meal together, and that just feels odd to me. …

So it’s been a little over a week since I have been in this city, and it has been welcoming so far.

Fate brought me here to experience a new land, a new workplace and new people. It’s scary when there is nothing, absolutely nothing familiar to hold onto but I am finding ‘home’ in unusual places — maybe in the unconditionally helpful nature of people here, in their everyday, ritualistic traditions, or in those people in who my spontaneous ‘Bambaiyya’ nature often brings out smiles and laughter. People aren’t used to spontaneous expression, I noticed after I got here.

So this weekend was my first weekend out in Bengaluru. …