Recently I have been coming across the adage ‘when life throws you lemons, make lemonade’ many a times. It can be easy to be optimistic when things are going well, but more demanding when life gets hard. This volatile life seems to come at us in ways that are completely unexpected and we are forced to deal with it. Dealing with it is one thing, but making it better is completely different.

I am as tangled as one can be…

The odds of her finding the key,

Seems to send me through a frenzy

This is a moment I must be glee

Then why do I feel like I need to pay the fee?

Today I sit by myself fearfully,

Since it it is the day I decide not to flee.

Kneeling before the universe, I plea

Please release me and let me be free.

In the end all that matters is only family,

And I pray things go on quite happily.

I call this a prix of emotions because I believe that life offers a complete meal of assorted moments – it offers choices too but it comes at a fixed price.

I guess for any person, to share his opinion or belief or his experience with his community is the main drive to communicate. With Microblogging, this is just easier and faster – especially when you are busy and are multitasking. I love the way Twitter/FB status lets you share interesting links and our latest tit-bits on the World Wide Web. I love the buzz and excitement it generates through comments and likes and reposts, I love the way it engages you with your community and lets you participate on random conversations. When I am in one of my attention-deficit moods, I love the way it lets me interact and verbalize my thoughts in 140 characters or less! Isn’t it a lot like public-texting?

On the other hand, every blogger knows in his heart that the digital epiphany from a blog is much more than Microblogging. It lets you dive deep into the content and dwell on the stuff that you want to say (Just like what I am doing right now!! ) It is true that with traditional blogging you need to focus but the impact it has on readers is surely more in terms of the topic lingering in your mind longer.

Well, the bottom line is that this revolution in expression is an epic-win. Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Buzz, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Orkut, Digg, etc. has made our world smaller. Isn’t it so easy to socialize, connect & reconnect now? As long as this is not ruling your life, its okay I guess. Nope, I don’t need a social media detox yet!

So what is it with you guys? So you miss multi tasking (Anyways wait for the next software update!), file system and the USB drive?

Dude, iPad is not designed to replace your laptop. If that were the case, then why in the heaven’s name would Apple just revamp their MacBook Pro?

For those who are complaining about the 64 GB space? Come on! Honestly what are you going to do with all that space? How are you managing it on your iPod? Seriously, learn to manage your music!

Honestly if you want to buy a laptop, save your money and buy a laptop! iPad is meant to be transient – for a quick and easy way to get entertainment, reading, movies etc. Speaking of movies, I’m taking on the flash argument. It is an outrageous lie to say that an iPad doesn’t let you watch any videos except that You Tube. There are tons of different forms of video on it. Most of us care about Netflix and Hulu and that is good enough. Personally I think Adobe is pretty much getting what it deserves. What was Adobe doing when flash kept crashing on OS X? You know what? Every site that delivers video will equip to support non-flash based delivery if they want the apple crowd. (Heard of HTML 5??)

If you have heard the argument from Adobe on a blog post from Adobe’s Mike Chambers, vilifying Apple for not being more open with its approach to the App Store, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller  responded to that on CNet, “Someone has it backwards — it is HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and H.264 (all supported by the iPhone and iPad) that are open and standard, while Adobe’s Flash is closed and proprietary.”

I’m interested and am holding up myself for the next gen iPad or maybe even later. I did that for iPhone – I got myself a 3G and you bet I’m glad I did. I think iPad will be an awesome travel companion – Awesome for short trip and let’s you access data on the go!

In school we had something called “Vanamahotsava” where all of us students were made to plant trees. My dad loved what we did and was inspired to start the same tradition at home. As we grew older, I’ll be honest; I have not really done anything for the earth. Except maybe give a $150 donation to Charity: Water, that too because my cousin was raising money for it.

I’m not exactly proud of myself for losing the Nature Club/WWF activist that I was during my teen years.

The past three years, I notice myself being called out by Water. Every place that I’ve been going to, has been influenced by water someway or the other. I have been utterly mesmerized by water and the transfixing worlds that it creates – be it in the raw power of the waterfall at Chalakudy or shaping of the landscape, eroding the land and leaving behind the colossal experience at Grand Canyon, be it the snow peaked mountains at Mammoth, or be it in the marvelous glaciers in the lands of Alaska. The striking beauty of water belies incredible power!  There is something about water. It cannot be compared to anything and yet everything at some point is dependant on it.

Water is so beautiful even in the morning dew or in gentle streams or in an astounding blast of a hot spring. The gurgling sound of the fountain outside breaks the awkward morning silence. Its rhythm takes me back to the old memories of Palghat, Kerala, where I remember gazing out the French windows – taking glances at the gentle drizzle, cuddling with the book of Jeffrey Archer on my mom’s lap. Why, even this morning, I was left gawking at the magnificence of the clouds hovering over the distant LA downtown. What are clouds really? They are simply massive chunks of sheer water.

Why is water so beautiful and captivating? Is it because it reminds me of something? Or is it me just being a “Cancerian” as per Linda Goodman’s book? Or is it because it is a visual delight? A mere hot bath after a long hard working day, can alter your mood altogether. Water makes your soul peaceful and calm.

The melancholic twist to this whole saga of water and its beauty is “Wastage”. To think of it, Water is the most abused and insulted resource. I wish people think twice about wasting water. As an admirer of water, I speak on it behalf and encourage you to conserve water! Happy Earth Day!

Like many of the wives of Software Engineer Mappillais from America, I migrated to US after my college and marriage. 500 N Maryland Ave Apt. 1. My first apartment! I had a grand welcome into the home – No, no! I did not have a big crowd or to receive me or anything but my new husband did this “arti” and had the real “grihapravesham” – rice kicking and stuff for me. It felt straight out of a Shah Rukh movie! Our newly wed blissful life was completely centered on this apartment!

The apartment wasn’t big luxurious, fancy spitting out grandeur or anything. On the contrary it was 1975 built, raggedly old building. In spite of that it was cozy and functional!

My initial reaction to the apartment was that I was so positively psyched by the idea of living in Glendale downtown amidst all the tall buildings! Being a small town girl from Palakkad the city life was so alluring to me then! When I first moved in there was not a single piece of furniture in the house; it was an open floor plan. Adit waited for me to come so that we could pick the furniture and all the related bells and whistles together. So that it reflected on both of us. Little by little furniture here and there or the entertainment center here crept in! The research and shopping for our living room furniture was an adventure by itself. As soon as we furnished the place we were excited to take pictures and call our family back in India on Skype to show what we had done to the place. Yep! We do have before and after pictures! Hehehe!

Experiencing the thrill for the first time on our own was an incredible event for both Adit and me! Freedom! Adit and I have lived through some of our best moments here! I remember the time I cooked my first 4 course South Indian meal for my husband. I was super excited to be cooking for him and to see if he had liked it. Speaking of cooking, this tiny kitchen has seen the best and worst of my cooking. On my very first day, I ruined the garbage disposer and Adit had an episode with the apartment manager – trying to explain to him that his new Indian bride did not know how to use it (Gulp! I put in raw carrot chunks to see if it broke – it really broke it down!)

In spite of the undependable manager, cabinets falling apart, cranky-undependable toilet, noisy neighbors (I’ll never forgive you 24 Hour Fitness & the annoying shredding Company for all the noise that you make!), spider bites, late laundry hours, our experience in our first apartment lived up to its promise and glamour of being all grown up! I love you but nay! I am not going to miss you!!

Rule 1: Gain a lot of life experience:

A key advantage a 20s something year old has, is that its okay to fall. Even if you fail its okay. You can jump right back on your feet. Despite the little fears and insecurities that linger in the background, this is one of those life phases where it still feels like it’s okay to screw up, because “real life” hasn’t started yet. I’m trying to love being 20s with this in mind. Since you just start your career, you understand about your field of expertise better than you were in school. Identify and work on the skills to gain, to get ahead of the game. Experiment and gain as much experience as life offers. Don’t be in a hurry to settle down. Keep an open mind. Travel around, observe people and pick up all the best characters that appeals to you. Enjoy the time you have by indulging in something that stimulates you mentally. I know a lot of 30 year olds who wished that they had done something creative in their 20s when they actually had time.

Rule 2: Financial Education

I think there are valuable financial lessons to learn in 20s and it is so important you get them as soon as possible! When you’ve gained the education and/or skills you need for the career you’ve chosen, and you’re earning money and learning how to handle it, its so important to develop good spending and saving habits, and learning to budget and invest during your twenties. When you make all the short term and long term plans for life I think 20s is the right start to estimate and budget your goals. Enjoy the money you make but be responsible.

Rule 3: Remember that it is normal to feel lost but have a plan:

I still have not figured out why there are chunks of insecurity and anxiety in 20s that I did not have in my teens! There are so many moments when there are conflicting thoughts in your head. But I think I will gain confidence with time and more experience. The fact that I am more confident at 26 than I was at 23 is an assurance. If you feel lost and confused, make a plan about what you want to achieve – make a 5 year plan. What I mean is that its good to set goals. I know for sure that people who have a plan rolled up under their sleeve have a better sleep than those who don’t. Have fun but do not get lost in all the fun. Enjoy the minimal responsibility in 20s. There is room for fun and to experiment. I saw Lindsay Lohan on TV recently. I think she is a perfect example of 20s gone bad. The 22-year-old actress is always going to fabulous parties and supposedly having the time of her life, but is she really? Lohan was arrested twice for drunk driving, had to spend 84 minutes in jail and is now going bankrupt, according to Channel E!. Her friends seem catty and the press is all over her. It must be really stressful. That is something you don’t want.

PS: Sometimes its annoying when someone intrusively asks you “what your plan is”. You know what, you don’t have to say it to them. Just remember these plans are for you. You don’t need any tom, dick and harry’s approval for it.

Rule 4: Have a mentor, surround yourself with a good support system

There’s no faster way to improve than to have someone work with you on your goals. And that is what a mentor does. After I identified my mentor and accepted a mentor, I seem to have a direction in life that I lacked before. There is a lot you can learn from every single person, but a mentor helps you achieve significantly more results than if you had worked alone. Trust me on this one! A lot of things are too complicated to learn by yourself. You can save yourself a lot of time and money by having someone you can ask questions to. It’s important to have Mentors in your life who have “been there.. done that” that you can lean on for guidance, support and advice.

Its crazy in the 20s. Only in 20s can it irk you when a teenager acts like she/he knows it all! You know that the teenager is being an imbecile and on the other hand you are not matured enough to understand that you were the same in your teens!

I’m sure there is something about every decade. But something tells me that 20s has its own special way of creating and changing you!

What do you think? Are your twenties how you thought they would be? If you’re older, what did you think about your twenties versus your life now? What was your favorite age so far? I would love to hear!