Tuesday 24 March 2015

Sunday 22 March 2015

Stay cool, stay happy!


Happiness is just a state of mind. It is the ultimate objective of every human being around the world. Every person tries to search for happiness in some way or the other; some find it in their dog’s licking after reaching home after a busy day, while for some happiness is an adventurous journey far away from home. For some others, it is having a pleasurable moment with family members while at home. However, the common thing among majority of people is the feeling of refreshment and coolness that happiness brings in their lives. Coca- cola brings such kind of happiness everyday in the lives of millions of its consumers by spreading smiles on their faces. It not only satisfies thirst, but re-energizes the whole body, making us feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

For me, happiness is about doing things which I enjoy doing. Weekends are the days which make me feel the happiest. Being a professional, these are the only days when I get a break from the usual boring lifestyle at work and I am able to explore the different facets of my personality. The feeling of lazng around in your bed for hours with no tensions of world round you, just relaxing yourself, or wearing comfortable casuals and stepping out to new unknown places with my loved ones excite me the most. But nothing beats the experience of going on an adventurous journey with my friends.

Recently, I had been to a trek to Karjat with my close pals. It was a rejuvenating journey. We stepped out at 6 am from our homes, met at a common place around 6.30 a.m, and boarded a train towards Kasara. Karjat is approximately an hour and a half away from Mumbai by train. The train journey was an ultimate experience. We all friends are from the same age group an hence, we laughed and engaged in light banter all through our journey. Once we reached Karjat, we hired a “tam-tam” (a type of auto rickshaw) as it is called in Karjat. From there it took us an hour more towards Amby Valley. We had carried enough eatables with us in our backpacks as well as Coca-Cola bottles as we knew we would not get much to eat or drink there. There we trekked the mountain Kothaligad which was a rocky and difficult trek. Once atop, we opened our Coke bottles and enjoyed as we danced and sang on the hilltop. The weather was very cold out there and this helped keep our drinks fresh and cool. After the trek, we went to a nearby dam and enjoyed having a dip in the freezing water. It was one of the best experience one could ever have. Amidst everything, we clicked a lot of photos to preserve our memories of the day. It was one of the happiest days of my life, as being a hard-core travel maniac, nothing brings more happiness on my face than travelling with my best buddies. It just added a fresh dose of refreshment, brightness and cheer to my life which was becoming dull at office and brought fresh energy in me. The same way as Coca- cola brings energy and happiness in the lives of its million lovers all over the world, as you will vouch for after watching this video:



So, on international day of happiness, we must always stay happy, and keep doing things we love, as life is too short to have any regrets.

Sunday 15 March 2015

The power of being together with ones you love!


Life is a stressful journey. It doesn’t let you be happy for a long period of time. There are stressful and sad moments which just make you feel like taking a break for a while and just let it go. Those are essential part of life’s journey. It is during such moments of hardship that we realize the importance of being with loved ones, forgetting about the world around us, strength and motivation we need to replenish our optimism. These moments can be ranging from anything, right from going out on a date with your girlfriend, taking your family out for dinner, buying a special gift for your sister, or just an evening walk with your dog or best friend.

I have been working as an trainee for one of the professional exams that I am about to appear for. It is a part of the curriculum of that course for any student to go through 3 years of practical training under a qualified Chartered Accountant. What is stressful about the profile at this stage is that you are not a qualified professional, and in addition to it you have the studies going on as well. So it’s a juggle between office and tuitions whole day, which leaves you with little energy at the end of the day!

It had been a stressful year at work, almost a year since I joined my company. There were various ups and downs during this interval, and as the life of any employee goes, he is never satisfied with the amount of work he has to do, especially at a trainee level. And this is even truer when you are working with leading companies. I was working with one of the leading Big 4 firms, and while life seemed sorted for initial few months, slowly the regular late- sitting as well as work pressure started getting the better of me. I was longing for a break.

It seemed god saw my plight and heard my prayers. We got a well- deserved 10 day break at the end of December. I was naturally overjoyed, as was my family. We deliberated and zeroed in on Darjeeling, and immediately booked our tickets. The climate was best suited for a fun time at Darjeeling, it was winter season, and I just love winters. And we took off, to our trip. Darjeeling is a beautiful place, it was chilling cold there. The pleasure of sitting on a toy train, going to an ancient Buddha shrine which is considered one of the oldest Buddhist shrines of the world. Sitting atop Tiger hill, sipping a hot cup of Darjeeling tea made with the freshest tea leaves that you may ever get in the world, was a breathtaking experience in itself. We were also lucky to witness the Darjeeling carnival, a 10-day festival of Darjeeling which is celebrated in their characteristic simple way. Seeing the smiles on the faces of my family members made me just forget all my stress at work. I could actually feel the stress being released from my body.

This amazing trip refreshed and re-charged me completely for the life ahead. Seeing the simple yet satisfied life of the natives there made me re-think about my approach towards work, and I realized that the key to happiness is in being content in what you have. The memories of that trip have stayed with me till date and rejuvenate me whenever I feel low in life. These are exactly the values that Housing believes in, which makes it such a must-have for everyone in their day to day lives. So even if the journey is stressful, it feels good when the time spent with your loved one makes you feel that he is together with you in this journey.

Wednesday 11 March 2015

A bold step that brought a beautiful change in my life!


Chasing your dreams is one of the most beautiful and unsatisfying feeling in the world. I use the word unsatisfying here because as a great philosopher once said “True dreams are not those which you see when you are asleep, but they are those which do not let you sleep”. In my life I am proud to have chased one such dream and took a bold step to achieve it.

I had made up my mind to enroll for Chartered Accountancy (CA) course as soon as I cleared my Higher Secondary board exams (equivalent of 12th standard). I used to be always fascinated with the respect a Chartered Accountant enjoys in the society. It was an easy cakewalk till the initial few days, as I was able to clear the Common Proficiency exam (entrance exam of Chartered Accountancy with ease. However, the real challenge lied thereafter. I, being from a middle- class family background, did not want to depend on my parents for my coaching for further education. And the cost of coaching for CA classes was quite high at that time for a reputed coaching class. And I did not want to compromise with quality of education. The new- found feeling of self- dependency got the better of me, and I decided that I am going to fund my coaching myself. That time I decided that I would take up work at some well- known Multinational Corporation (MNC), and postpone my CA attempt by 6 months, in exchange of being able to fund my coaching myself, in addition to a bit of practical learning about corporate life which would help me later.

Initially, it was a bit of struggle. Nobody was ready to hire a 12th pass as the minimum requirement at most places was that of a graduate. However, a leading MNC called FIS saw my potential. They offered me to work on a contract of 3 months with them. I was overjoyed. It was exactly what I wanted. FIS not only helped me achieve my goal of generating enough fees to fund my own tuition expenses, it also helped me get a great corporate exposure and getting acquainted with work culture. Overall, it was a great experience.

It also raised my self-respect as well as my parents were proud of me. But the cherry on the cake was when I paid my own classes fees myself, I was feeling proud and my confidence was at its peak. I, with dedication put in hard hours of study in the classes, and in the end managed to achieve the rare feat of clearing both my exam groups papers in a single attempt (a feat quite rare in CA exams these days!). And from there on, there was no looking back. Today, I am employed with a leading Big 4 accounting firm as a trainee, and a bright future awaits me in the corporate world!

Housing is a witness to similar stories of success by taking bold steps in creating Houses and making our life better. It saves the valuable time of the consumer that he wastes in carrying out basic task like selling or rent property, creating rental agreement or finding an agent. Please watch the below video for further details.



Indeed Housing is a symbol of change in today's limited time for everyone.

Friday 6 March 2015

Dry bottoms- The recipe for a rocking baby mood!


Parenthood is indeed the most exciting feeling in the world! Seeing a new-born baby grow up in front of your own eyes, his first steps, his first words, each moment is worth capturing in itself. How important is then the smile of the little one in the house? Indeed a lot! When your little one greets the day – and you – with a smile, all the stress of a hard day at work or at home seems to melt away.

I still vividly remember the days when my sister was born. She was born on the auspicious occasion of Raksha- bandhan, which made her birth all the more special for me. I was 10 at that time, but I still cannot forget all her growing up years, her initial days when I was given the responsibility of changing her diapers frequently. She had a liking for music since her days as an infant. She used to instantly used to smile and start moving her tiny hands when we played tunes of Happy Birthday or Jingle bells near her. And this discovery came to my rescue as every time she started to cry when my mother was not around, I would start playing these tunes on my piano and it would instantly make her quiet and happy. She was also fond of dancing ever since she was small, and as the days passed by, while learning her first steps as a toddler, she would get up and try to walk a few steps. I would put on her favorite music and while holding her hands, would try to make her body sway to music a little, which would excite her a lot. Eventually, as she started to walk, she would sway her bottom a little while listening to music, which would catch everyone’s fancy as she used to look very cute while doing these steps.

But even while doing all these fun activities with her, I noticed that dry diaper would contribute to a lot of extent to her mood. She used to instantly start crying in the middle of the night when she had wet her diapers, and our sleep would go for a toss as she would not stop till the time her diapers were changed. Infact, In a recent survey conducted by Pampers called “Baby Got Moves”, ‘Waking up dry’ of babies emerged as a top factor in ensuring that babies started their day in a happy mood. And this in turn, impacted the mood of the mothers as well in the day. For instance, 74 percent of moms who participated shared the consensus that their baby’s smiling face was indeed the best thing they looked forward to in their morning. And 60% of them said that their baby’s mood in the morning impacts their won mood for the rest of their day.

However, most diapers only focus on being leak proof and ensure dryness on the outside. Only the new Pampers Baby Dry Pants promises dryness for your baby on the inside. Its Magic Gel locks in moisture so that your baby’s skin remains dry and healthy for up to 12 hours. These diapers have 3 layers of absorbency versus only 2 in an ordinary diaper, which helps them stay up to 3 times drier. With the Ultra Absorb layer, These diapers offers outstanding leakage protection and flexes for a snug, comfortable fit all night long. Pampers diapers are softer inside and out to help your baby get the uninterrupted sleep he needs for a great morning. To see how Pampers contributes to a happy morning for you and your baby, check out this video below:



So to sum it up, if you want yourself and the baby to have a fun, uninterrupted sleep and great childhood, Pampers is the best and most reliable choice as it keeps babies dry, and as I found out, a dry baby is a happy baby!

Thursday 5 March 2015

Hope for a bright future!


Optimism stories can be found all around us, but the best stories to narrate are always the ones which are a part of our own experiences. In my short life of 22 years, there have been very few moments which self-inspired or self- reinforced the feeling of optimism in me, but those are worth narrating.

It was a usual rainy month of August. I was sleeping wincing in pain on my bed trying to ignore the gushing sound the wind was making while it rained heavily. I was down with Chicken Pox as the doctor had confirmed, and it did no good to me as I was 19 years at that time and in case of such ailments, the later they occur the more impact they make on the body. My whole body was filled with bumps which were slowly growing into blisters, causing all the more pain. I had missed my CA coaching classes for almost 3 days in a row, and it was not helping at all since I had my exams coming up that November. I was almost feeling like my body is covered by pointed thorns which will pierce through my body. It must have been 2.30 a.m at night. Suddenly, I heard some noise near the door of my room. It was my mother, who had kept awake, just because she could not see me in pain. She came inside the room and put her palm on my head and run her fingers through my hair. Her next words still echo in my ear “God gives us pain because he wants to give us double the happiness later.” Over the next couple of days, she was by my side for most of the time, taking care of me, giving me all the things I needed to eat, getting neem leaves as a cushion for me as they are known to heal chicken pox faster than any other thing. The blemishes still remained. But she did not lose hope. And now, with her motivation, I was prepared to fight this battle and defeat the ailment. I took good care of my body and slowly, went on course for a speedy recovery.

This is one prominent incident whose memory will stay with me throughout my life and I would be forever indebted to my mother for the kind of support she provided me when I needed her the most. To know how Housing can make your life better, you can visit here

So that was the most relaxing moment. Time stood still for me. Within a day, the blemishes started slowing down. I cleared my CA exams in first attempt. And later went on to join a Big 4 accountancy firm. Still this optimism has stayed with me till date. Which proves, its essential to look up always in life!