I addressed this briefly in my last post, but I wanted to take the time to reflect on the past month and a half of my life. As the title suggests, yes I was unemployed. And yes, it most definitely did suck.

Let me just tackle a few facts before we really get into it. I had a lot of people telling me to keep my chin up, that it would definitely get better, and that eventually I would get a job. While yes, I did eventually land a job, I had to absolutely grind to get to that point. I think that's the underrated aspect that most people don't really think about. Everyone is so focused on the aspect of losing a job, and how that must affect the mental health. But really, I don't think that's what really mad me feel worse about the whole situation. The fact was, I was laid off due to the times itself, it had nothing to do with anything that I. could have done differently. So people coming up to me and telling me that it wasn't my fault that this happened just seemed fairly tacit. 

The big reason why I was affected by being laid off was because I would have to go through the toils and struggles of recruiting all over again. I was frustrated and angry. A part of me couldn't believe that life had really decided to screw me over once again. It's easy when you're in this scenario to feel like a victim, to blame circumstances on your misfortune and retreat into yourself. A big part of me just wanted to leave everything behind and give myself the time to rest and recuperate from the trauma.  I wanted to do that, but I also had to be logical. If this scenario ever happens to you just take a couple of days, or maybe even a week, to recover from the situation. Yes it does suck, and you're allowed to feel bad about it. But after that, you need to bring every grit and determination you possibly posses into the game. That's what I had to do. You have to get back up, dust yourself off, and start the recruiting grind. Fix up your resume, and start practicing whatever skills are necessary.

That's exactly what I had to do. Although I complained about it every single chance I got, and I most definitely went through a few mental breakdowns, eventually I just grit my teeth and got to work. And eventually, it led to me getting a job. Had I taken longer than a week to recover from the trauma, I'm not sure if I would've been as successful during the recruiting season. 

So now I'm sitting here, finally getting the time to relax and enjoy myself to my heart's content. Once 'the fat lady sings' you can finally give yourself the break that you definitely deserve.

What am I going to do during this break you might be asking? Depending on when I start my new job, I think that I'm going to first spend a few necessary weeks relaxing with my family, after which I will try to travel for a little bit. Then it's time to fully immerse myself into the culture of my new job and get straight to work.

I want to leave you all with one final thought on this subject. If life really is like an oscillating wave, in which each of the highs are succeeded by a low, should I really be spending my time during the high dreading the low that's to come? That doesn't seem very healthy at all. If the low is indeed inevitable, which all comes from perspective mind you, I think it's my sworn duty to spend my time at the top completely enjoying it. I think I should spend this perfect period of my life relaxing and enjoying it to the absolute fullest. Indeed, in a very meta way, me writing this blog post is actually my way of coming to terms with this period of my life. And I intend to enjoy every single moment.

And lastly, for those of you who may be In the midst of their own lows, remember that the high Is just around the corner. It seemed so difficult for me to believe that when life sucked a month ago, but if it can work out for me then it can definitely work out for you. Keep your chin up ;)​

They say that your 20s is the time in your life to be testing things out and going out of your comfort zone. Now that always sounds well and fine usually, but I'm starting to realize that parts of that are just a big sham. What does does it mean to go out of your comfort zone? For me, that definition connects with spending some time traveling with no set schedule or plan in mind. It means completely leaving my comfortable surroundings, and steeping myself in the uncomfortable. It means sleepless nights, chilly nights, all in the search of a greater meaning for myself.

That all comes from the romanticized portion of my mind. Then the logical part steps in and squashes the dream like an ant under a boot. I can't do any of those things right away. There's the slight issue of my job search that I need to be focused on. As much as I want to just drop everything, the potential ramifications are too great for me to even consider it.

So what's left for me to focus on during this period? How can I really test things out, discover myself, and go out of my comfort zone. Well that's the difficult thing. As much as I try to find individuality during this period, more and more it seems like circumstances want me to just fit into the standard flow of society. What do you do after you graduate college? You start working. What do you do after your finish working? You die.

Now contrary to the anger that spurred me when I first started writing this post, I don't actually plan to spend most of this time venting. I was left with the question of how do I find individuality and, in the most grand of terms, myself. Especially with how my options seemed mostly limited, I was left fairly frustrated. But I think I've started to figure out a bit more about how that's supposed to happen. Yes, at this moment my only plan should be to start working, and get into that grind. But that doesn't mean that's all there is to life. I can figure out some time to plan that trip if that's what my heart really desires, either before I start working, or when I can take a vacation. It's very much possible. Additionally, just because I start working doesn't mean that everything else that could possibly be done in life is gone. Because, that's the fun thing about work, which is completely different from college and from recruiting. When I'm done with work for the day or the week, I am actually completely done. There's no need to keep working in the evenings or the weekend. I can spend that time doing what I love. And I guess that is an important question to address. What is it that I love? Well I like writing blog posts, as well as working on my countless stories. Apart from that, I like dancing. I've really been trying to improve my dancing recently. I can attend dance lessons more and more frequently.

So regardless of the fact that many of us in our 20s might feel that we're shoehorned into typical roles, it's our job to take the time that we're not working to make the most of. Instead of just sitting there on your phone binging meaningless videos, take that time to read that damn book that you keep saying you'll eventually get to. Make that delicious recipe you saved for a day when you "would have the time". There's no such thing as having the time, at the end of the day you make the time for the activities that you want to do. 

So hopefully this blog post is ending on a much more positive thought than it started. Yes, like everyone else in this chaotic world, I am also human. I am prone to frustrations and anger just like everyone else. But after you clear through those emotions, it's all about looking at things more rationally. If you can do that, I promise things won't look so hopeless. Hang in there everyone.

​- A

I happened across this post online. The actual post was for a poem that depicted an aged warrior, continuing to protect the people it cared about, as it had done for its entire life. And though its body may be useless now, it still continues its job. Sure, it's slightly silly, but the poem remains a very poignant reminder of the finality of all thing

And that poem reminded me of my favorite poem of all time. I'm sure many of you have heard of it. It's called Ozymandias, by a fella named Percy Jackson. Hehe, just kidding. Making sure you're properly reading. If you weren't confused there, look up the name Percy Jackson. By far my favorite YA book series. But that's a story for another time. 

The poem is by a man named Percy Shelley. If that last name seems familiar, it may because you know a person by the name of Mary Shelley, Percy's wife. Right crazy. For those of you who don't know who she is, she was the author of this small little monster book called FRANKENSTEIN. Crazy right. 

Anyways, Percy Shelley didn't write too many poems In his lifetime, he unfortunately died early, but this remains an amazing amazing poem.

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

​The tragic irony that this poem focuses on is the story of King Ozymandias, a man who thought he had it all. At the height of his power, he built a grand statue to be made that would withstand the tests of time and signal the sheer power of this king for years to come. And where was it left now? In the middle of the desert, with nay but the legs of the statue still left. It was a very pitiful scene that reminded you of the passage of time, and how some things that may seem so important and crucial in the moment will simply fade away into the desert of time before long. 

I actually started writing this post on May 15, 2020. But I thought I would finish it up before I went to bed. I'll try to finish the first part (yes part 1) of the short story by tomorrow.

Peace - A

Alright...let's do this again. It's been a little over a year and eight months since I last wrote a blog post here. Now you all might be wondering why. Let me offer a few updates since I last posted on this blog. 

First of all, with my writing.  If you guys remember, last year I was primarily working on my novel. Although working on it was a little bit rich, since I hadn't really made any real additions to it in ages. I've had many stages of writer's block for a while, which has more than hampered my progress. But anyways with the big words. Since then, I've actually worked quite a bit on book 2 of the Stargazers series, or what was once book 2. Since then, I've started working on a prequel to the Stargazers series, something that will actually become my original Book 1. I took the idea of the prequel from The Witcher booker series. The way it went is that the first two books in the 7 book series were a series of short stories that introduced all of the characters and the setting. Following the introduction two books, the actual plot began in book 3. Similarly, I'm having boo k1 be the series of short stories that introduces the characters. Following that, book 2 begins the actual plot of the story, as seen in Stargazers: The Dark Void. Book 1 is gonna be called Stargazers: The Awakening. 

But apart from that, I actually had some writer's block with working on the Book 1 prequel story. As usual I have a hard time focusing on any one writing piece at a time. From there I began a new story.For those of you who haven't ever watched the romcom About Time, you definitely should. It's on Netflix, and it's actually such a heartwarming movie. But anyways, following that story  though there was so much more that could be explored with the story, so I've been working on a sequel story called Except Time. I won't go into too much here, but if you want to read it click this button.

But apart from differences in writing, a lot has happened in general in my life. Last May I graduated with my first degree. I'll be graduating this upcoming May with my Master's as well! I've gone through so much stress, exhaustion, trials, and tribulation. I've had one internship, and even accepted a job in San Francisco! So yeah, a lot has happened, so I hope you all understand why I haven't posted in a while. Recently, however, a lot of misfortune has befallen on me. I started a road trip with some of my friends from college, but that had to be cut short due to a COVID scare. 

Now here I am, five days later, stuck quarantined at home, positive with COVID. All of my friends went back as well. SO while I've been stuck at home, I've also had a lot of time to think. And whenever rI think, I want to start writing again. So here I am.  What can you all expect from me this time around? To be honest, probably not much, although I have a few short ideas that I want to write. Maybe some more of my thoughts centered around isolation and COVID. It's kinda sucked so far, although I hope things will be improving. We'll see what I post. I also want to get out Chapter 5 of Except Time soon so I should also get working on that.

But anyways, that's pretty much It for my update. I hope you all understand why I've been busy so far. I'll be working on the short story next! 

- A

P.S: That reminds me, last summer I was working In NYC. So many memories and pictures that I definitely need to talk about at some point.. I'm sure I will eventually :)

Hey all, what's up. So I'm back home after a long long time in college, so everything is just great right now. I'm definitely super super relaxed. Also guess what? Game of thrones is currently in session. 3 episodes have streamed so far and the next episode is this Sunday. Now I don't want to spoil anything for any of you who haven't watched the entire shows yet, but I just want to tell you it gets insane. Like so freaking insane. Definitely the best show in the entire world and if you haven't watched it because you think it's lame you're just wrong. And if you're scared because of the violence and stuff it really isn't as bad as you think.  But anyways, as you can guess from the title, today's blog is about my trip to Europe. So timeline of how this whole thing happened. 

Sometime last April when I went to an info session at my university, I learned about this summer program that has me study in Oxford. But that's not just it. The first five weeks are spent traveling around Europe, while the last six weeks are spent fully immersed within Oxford. So my itinerary for the summer is a bit insane.  It is...

Berlin, Germany
Leipzig, Germany
Prague, Czech Republic 
Krakow, Poland
Vienna, Austria
Venice, Italy
Rome, Italy
Florence, Italy
Chamonix, France
Paris, France

and finally I'll be in Oxford. This trip is definitely gonna be the highlight of my entire summer given that I'm not doing much of anything else in the like 3 weeks I have remaining. But regardless it's gonna be a summer worth remembering, which I hope to be able to document in my blog as well. I've already done one city profile on Florence, but maybe I can do like one or two more before I leave in two weeks. I bought a European guidebook which I'm sure will be super helpful. But anyways, yeah I'm super excited for this trip, and I better start packing soon. By the way, I'm really not sure if these notes should go under thoughts or traveling, although I feel like this one is better put within thoughts, while the rest of the blog posts about the trip will be in traveling I guess. Oh wow, Aakash's blog, where he literally talks about organizing his blog. Yay.

But I also want to talk about a few more things, especially what I'm doing with the remainder of my summer break. Now it's been like 5 days, and I really haven't done much. I've spent most fo my time watching movies and playing video games. I've spent a lot less time on the blog than I'd rather have spent, something which needs to change. I feel like I should devote like at least an hour a day to just writing in the blog. That's not too much to ask I guess.

But anyways, back to the Europe trip. Like I literally couldn't say how exciting this is gonna be. Like I'm actually going to the be studying in the second oldest university in the world. Like wow what an experience, not to mention the other various cities I'll be exploring. I also have a few friends in Oxford and Berlin who I'll be meeting, which will be very cool.

But anyways, yeah. It is currently really late right now, and I just wanted to talk about a big event that's gonna be happening really soon. Tomorrow I'm gonna post about my novel! Peace!

Well I am still alive. Yes, it's been a whole month since I last posted. No, something terrible and tragic did not happen to me. Actually, that isn't entirely true. You see, I was abducted by aliens, who dissected by brain to see what knowledge I had. When they found out I knew nothing, I was promptly dropped back off to Earth. Just kidding.

For the past month I've been going through the terrible ordeal that is college finals. I spent two weeks studying for the finals, and then had to actually take them. Oh wow so much fun. I literally stopped taking care of myself in those weeks. And yes, I know that's very very bad. I felt the repercussions when I got extremely sick in the last week of my finals. That was great fun. I had a headache and chills, but somehow still woke up to study linear algebra. But yes, that is in the past now.

I wanted to spend this blog post talking about what I'll be doing in the next few weeks on this blog. Since I am now on winter break, I will be working on this blog post a lot. I'm thinking that tomorrow I'm gonna write another short story. I think that after that I'm gonna write an essay on the Indus Valley Civilization based on a research paper that I wrote a long time ago. Don't worry, I'll keep it interesting through my charisma and wit.

And after that I think I'm gonna check out another random writing prompt and write a short story based on that. It's looking to happen on Tuesday, but that might extend out to Wednesday. And after that I think I'm either going to talk about some guidelines I have for college, or maybe a funny story from my experiences so far. And after that, who knows what'll happen. I think I'll focus on short stories for a while. I also want to share some of my drafts of the novel I'm working on, Stargazers.  So yeah, there's a lot to look forward to for the next few weeks. Man, it does feel good to be home with nothing to worry about.

I'm really gonna enjoy these next few weeks. Peace!

Wow sorry about the ominous title. But yes, today I am going to be answering a writing topic on what I would do if I had 10 years left to live. 

Alright, you're probably wondering where in the world this idea came from. There I was just sitting in my freshman seminar class, it's about mindfulness by the way, when all of a sudden my professor tells the class to take out a piece of paper and spend five minutes writing what we would do with 10 years left to live our lives. 

So naturally I spent an entire minute thinking about this question. What would I really do?
​

Yes it was very perplexing. If I had ten years left to live I would try to do everything that I have to put off right now because I'm worrying about my future. 

So with that idea in my mind I quickly wrote this out. Just bear in mind, I only had four minutes to write it...

And the countdown begins. 10 years left to live. Suddenly, everything I'd once thought about life went out the window. No longer was it about preparing for the future. No, it was now about living in the present. Honestly, I would spend the last 10 years of my life fulfilling all the things that I've always wanted to do, as one naturally would do, that I've always pushed off to the future. I would finish editing and publish my book, and then do the same for the sequel. I would work on having weekly blog posts, and I would buy that dog I've always wanted. I would spend the first few years of the decade just staying in this equilibrium, also working to save up money for the last few years. I would walk the beaches of my hometown as frequently as possible.

Next, using the money I've saved up, I would first spend sometime traveling to visit all of my relatives in the US. Then I would buy a plane ticket to India and spend sometime visiting more of my relatives. All of the long forgotten promises would be fulfilled as I connected with these parts of my family. Lastly, I would buy one last plane ticket to Kathmandu, Nepal, where I would go back to working in the monastery where I've spent so many summers. That's the place where I would want to take my last breath. High up in the Himalayas, overlooking the world.

So yeah, there you have it. I know it's a bit cheesy and kind of boring, but I know that this is exactly what I would want to spend the last part of my life doing. I wouldn't do anything crazy or stupid, like buy a jet ski or something. 

On a side note, why are jet skis the examples people use when talking about buying something stupid? Right? I mean, look at it!

Wow. Maybe I would want to buy a jet ski. That's honestly a work of beauty.

...

Aakash's blog, where you can go from deep philosophical questions to a nonsensical discussion about jet skis. Let's steer back to the deep parts.

It took me a while, but I finally understand why my professor had us do that activity. For each person, it allowed us to see what we truly want in life. It showed us all what our deepest goals are at the moment. And maybe that will change. I know mine have changed drastically in the past few years. 8 years ago if you'd asked me what I'd do with 10 years left to live I would've told you I want to drop out of middle school and just eat pizza and play video games all day.

Yeah really classy Aakash.

But anyways, at this very moment, with 10 years left to live, I would want to finish this huge creative undertaking that I've been working on for the past few months. I would want to be consistent with this fantastic and amazing blog, no bias, that you are currently reading. And I would want to get out of the hustle and bustle of our fast paced lives and spend a few years really connecting with myself in a peaceful environment.

If my deepest goals in life do change in the next few years, which they're bound to do, the biggest question I'll be asking myself is why? Have I matured in some way?

So many interesting questions from this topic. I'm actually glad I decided to take that freshman seminar class, mostly because it makes me think about life in very different ways.

And that's very refreshing.

Next post is gonna be something travel related...

I'm not saying specifics, but it might have something to do with summer study abroad plans.

That's all I'm saying for now. Also, I will do a part 2 to my short story very soon as well, I just have to find a good idea or writing prompt to stem from. Thanks for reading! Have a good day!

Peace!

​In junior year of high school I took the AP World History class, which I absolutely loved.

One of the topics that we discussed immensely in this class was the Silk Road, a collection of trade routes that connected two ancient civilizations, and worlds together. It stretched from China, throughout most of Asia, all the way to Western Europe.
​







​






​The most fascinating part about this trade route was how it created a huge cultural syncretism and impacted much of this part of the world. In fact, it's impact can still be seen today, which I will discuss later.

But first, let's discuss how it began.

The Silk Road began roughly around 114 BCE, and lasted until about the 1450s CE. So for around 1500 years we have this massive trade route where all sorts of goods are being  transferred between different civilizations. As you see in the picture above, there were so many diverse civilizations that were connected by the silk road.

But anyways, I'm getting side tracked. The Silk Road began, and got its name mainly due to the Han dynasty. See during this period guess what was an extremly lucrative trade good for the Chinese...

I'm gonna assume you guessed it correctly. that's right, it was Silk. So the Han wanted to bring in more profits and they began to expand their trade throughout Central Asia. The Han were the real deal. They expanded the Great Wall of China just to protect the trade routes.

But anyways, after that, like an organic spiderweb, the trade routes began to grow, crisscrossing throughout all of Asia.

And I think I need to give a clarification here. I bet that most of you assumed, when I first said the Silk Road, that it was like an actual road.
​
But without those yellow lines of course.
But no, roads like that can be found in Texas, not Asia. The actual silk road was more like a route directly through the desert.

The trade on this road also led to significant developments in a few civilizations. Yeah not too big of a deal. Want me to read them off for you?

Yeah just, China, Korea, Japan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, the entirety of Europe apparently, the Horn of Africa, which is a peninsula that juts out on the eastern portion of the continent, and Arabia.

Yeah...not that significant huh.

For those of you who don't get that by the way, it is actually sarcasm. Yes this was extremely significant. It led to the development of most of the Old World (Eurasia if you will), which in turn led to the development of most of the rest of the world.

And this leads us to the significance to our modern world.

Ahh, but first you want to know what type of goods were traded on the silk road?

Yes, I'm asking myself questions. Don't judge.

But anyways, there was a huge variety of goods traded.

Some key items of note include :
Europe : Silver Wool, and Figs
Egypt : Glass
Arabia : Incense
Persia : Indigo and Glassware
India : Slaves, Spices, Gems, and Perfumes
China : Silk, Gunpowder, Paper, Grain, and Ivory
and just for the heck of it
Japan : Camphor (whatever that means)


So there you have it. The Silk Road caused a massive exchange of people and goods, but also ideas.

Religions, such as Islam and Buddhism, spread on the Silk Roads, brought by missionaries. Artwork, music, and dances were also spread to vastly different cultures. There were so many people from completely different cultures all sharing this one drive, to make their fortune through trade along the Silk Road. As such, a part of each person's culture involuntarily spread to new lands.

Oh by the way, Camphor is like a waxy leaf, which has oils that can be taken from it which help with like headaches and stuff.

So cool.

But finally, I want to talk about the legacy and influence of the Silk Road in our modern world. The Silk Road was a huge driving force in cultural interactions between vastly different groups of people. Like I mentioned before, it led to a huge cultural syncretism, which essentially means a blending of different cultures. The Silk Road definitely led to the formation of diverse societies all throughout Eurasia. One can also argue that this was almost the first steps to a truly global society. It was a time where people were open to accepting new ideas. Religions spread quickly on these roads for a reason. But it was also a time where two different groups of people, completely distinct in their own religion, language, and traditions, could exchange a piece of themselves. Our world is truly a global society now, but sometimes people forget that we always were one society. Forget about all of the societal problems affecting the world during the time of the Silk Road, but just remember there was a time when different people mingled in relative peace.

This was an essay that I wrote for my english class. We were assigned to write about anything we wanted, so naturally I decided to write about the silk road. Also, in one of my seminar classes we were also assigned to write about a very interesting prompt which I will post in the next few days. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this kind of crash course on a topic from history that really interests me. This was really fun! I definitely think I'll do it again! Oh yes, also next part of the short story will be coming soon! I'm probably gonna write it sometime after my midterm! Peace!