How to overcome smartphone addiction.

I am addicted to smartphones. I am addicted to buying new phones. In the past year I have purchased 4 new smartphones.

The following are the list of phones that I purchased and used so far:
1. Blackberry 8520
2. Samsung Galaxy Note II
3. Sony Xperia Tipo
4. iPhone 4s
5. Sony Xperia C3

The phone which I am using currently is the Sony Xperia C3. I faced issues with the previous phones. The following list compiles the numerous issues from each phone:

1.  Blackberry 8520

I purchased this phone back in the day when Android had not yet taken over the smartphone market. I used it till it tore down to its final pieces. One major disadvantage of this phone was that I could not use the apps over wifi. I had to recharge the Blackberry Internet Service to activate EDGE plan. Normal 2g or 3g data plans did not work. Also one major setback of this phone was that it look a long time to boot. It took around 10-15 minutes to boot and start up the phone.

     2.   Samsung Galaxy Note II

This phone was purchased from Thailand by a friend of mine. Because of which, the phone could not be unlocked to be used in Indian network. I have tried and taken it to many service centers. But they could not crack the code. I still continued using this phone for apps over wifi. The snag with this phone led me to the purchase of my next smartphone.

    3.   Sony Xperia Tipo

After Note II this phone felt like a miniature phone at my palms. Although this phone is not as assorted as the Note II, it served its purpose of making and taking calls. One glitch was that, during calls you could access the call screen. This meant that I could not end calls from my end. I had to wait for the other person to hang up. There was no secondary front camera. The touch sensitivity was not impressive. But I got it nontheless because it was within my budget at that time. I moved on to the next phone after the screen of this phone fell out.

    4.   iPhone 4s

Although iPhone 5, 5s and 5c had already been launched in India, I got this phone. Because it was within the price range that I was looking for. Also in terms of hardware, it was not very different from its successors. I made good use of this phone. The UI is very streamlined. It played high graphic games in it with minimal or no lag at all. The primary 8 megapixel camera was of superior quality. But I had puchased the 8gb variant of 4s. And this was not enough for me to store my data. So I moved on to the next mobile, Sony Xperia C3.

  5.   Sony Xperia C3

This I can easily say, is my best buy. I am quite content with the specifications of this phone. After iOS, I wanted to use Android again for its customizable features. With this phone, I can download and use various apps. I can extend the memory upto 32gb. The best part is the 5 megapixel front camera which comes with an LED flash. The primary camera quality is not very impressive though.

Smartphone addiction, in my opinion stems from the various apps that you can download and use. Social apps, photo apps, messaging apps are a few examples. We are constantly checking our phone for any notifications and updates. We have glued our eyes to the 5.5 inch smartphone screens and we fail to look at the real world pixels which are right in front of us. Some of us cannot do without Whatsapp, Facebook or Twitter, that even during meetings, dinner or lunch we are always staring at the screen. Social life now means ignoring the people sitting next to you and choosing to connect with people online.

It is best that we get rid of this addiction. This is for the benefit of ourselves and most importantly for the mental health and patience of the person sitting next to you.

The following simple steps will help you put down the smartphones that is in your hands and pick up the conversation with the company you are with:

1. Turn off notifications.
When you are with a group of people, the constant buzz and vibration of the phone causes great distraction.

2. Delete apps.
The more apps you download and install on your phone, the more you get disconnected from everybody else.

3. Turn off mobile data or wifi.
Whenever you are in a meeting or with the company of others, turn off mobile data or wifi. This will disable app notifications to reach you. These notifications feed your addiction.

4. Keep your phone in the other room.
If you know you will be constantly picking up the phone even if you do nothing at all, its best you leave the phone in another room. And try your best to restrict yourself from fetching it. It's all about will power.

5. Stop playing games.
Games are as addictive as social apps. You waste a lot of time playing games on your smartphone. Time is money, when you waste time playing games, you are wasting money.

6.    Throw away your phone. 
If you have reached the terminal stage of this addiction, its best you throw away the life leeching smartphone. You can go back to the basics and use payphones.


This article was written all in a day's humour and is not directed to anyone personally.

I am you.

I'm a traveller of time;

I collect those things that you left behind.

All those dreams that never did chime;

All those triumphs that you weren't able to find.

I move through space;

Visited places,that in your mind you paced.

Memories of spots you thought you had erased;

Obtain the nirvana that you'll forever chase.

I am none but you;

The soul that leaked from within you.

Find me and you'll find the true you.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

- Never break the Bro code. 

You know that Bro code applies to one and all, all close knit friends. If you want your friendship (your relationship with anyone for that matter) to remain intact, follow these simple basic rules of friendship. 

If you break it, then face time for it.

- Nothing good happens after 2 am.

After 2 am, everything seems a little too blurry. Senseless decisions, drinking way too much, rides in the middle of the night, cops catching you, non speakable misdeeds, such are few of the things, that makes the night...
Wait! What am I saying, everything legendary does seem to happen after 2 am! Screw you Ted!, Barney's right on this one!

- Don't be afraid to take the leap.

Remember that episode where all of them had to jump from roof, one building to another? How that metaphorically helped them and all of us to take the giant leap of faith? Sometimes, you've just got to make the jump to know what it feels like to be on the other side.

- Follow your dreams.

Even if Lily failed initially, when her dreams of becoming an artist didn't pan out, look where she got to by the end of the series. Never forget to follow your dreams, find out where your passion lies. Ted dreamed to be one of the biggest architects in New York, he did build GNB's tower, but he knew in the end, he wanted to teach. And he did. Marshall, he always wanted to be an environmental lawyer. Even with a few stumbles along the way, he got to it. He had to do what he had to do, to become what he wanted to be. (Refer: His initial stint at GNB with Barney)

Sort out your weaknesses, your strengths, your skills and that is half the work done. Focus on them and that will pave the way for you towards success.

- Marshall and Lily's relationship.

Their relationship, their marriage,might have encountered the rocky shores, but it did set sail despite the storms. They showed that, marriages are hard but with a loving spouse and a best friend beside you, there's nothing that can't be sorted out. All they needed was honesty, understanding and respect for each other. Of course, you can't relate TV couples to real life couples, but we can learn from them a little and live the TV non-realistic life for real, can't we?

- Barney Stinson

He is my favourite character in the series. In his own words, he is legen-WaitForIt-dary! Legendary! He brings fun to the party! He makes sure everyone in the gang is entertained. Ted, Marshall, Lily and Robin protest and whine about the plans he makes for them, but by the end of it all, it was a night to remember! Half of Ted's stories to his kids, were all Barney's doings. Barney got everyone out of the comfort and lazy zone! They'd all have aged a decade earlier if Barney wasn't around. But this doesn't mean that I approve his sick ways of sleeping with girls. Ok wait, his Playbook was hilarious! Gosh! I have mixed feelings about this. Leave it.

- Ted's search for The One

Love like Marshall and Lily's, love at first sight, love at first encounter, does not really happen and work out so well in real life. Ted went on a series of dates, blind dates to find his "The One". He was not afraid of falling in love, not afraid to explore his options and associate with different kinds of people(women) to know who fit him best! It's never a fail, to love someone even if it doesn't work out in the end. Because you evolved in the relationship, know yourself better, know your partner better, then you can assess yourself or modify your likes and dislikes. I like the fact that he is very thorough about it all.
Never fear to fall in love, never fear of break ups, because we all deserve the best and the best things don't always come easy.

- The Mother

I never liked her when they introduced her in the previous season. But as her story unfolded, I realized Ted is a lucky person! I slowly began to like her. That one episode where she sang La Vien Rose, brought me to tears. She loved and she lost. We all have, but that doesn't mean we stop living all together. Moving on is a hard one, but we need to be strong to face the fact. That one person, may have been the world for us at one point of time. But when that person is no longer around, we need to live with the rest of the world around us. We must learn to let go no matter how hard it might be.

- Ted and Robin

Ted is Robin's soul mate. He was the one who found the locket for her. He was the one who stole the blue French horn, he was the one big romance of her life. But they were never meant to be together. But she ended up with Barney, because love is unreasonable that ways, love never works out the way we want to. Love is crazy! When it just doesn't work, you can not force it. But just because they didn't end up together doesn't mean, they stopped caring for each other. 

I found my Ted, but he will always be my Ted and I will always be his Robin. Because that's how life just is.

When Cupid turned blind eye: Darker side of Valentine's day

While most lovers fall even more in love with each other with the oncoming Valentine's day celebration, there are others too who drown themselves in the sorrow of love taken by expiration. Victims of broken relationships still weep over the failed attempt of reconciliation. Lovers scorned over their cheating partners still venge for revenge. Cheating partners now consumed with guilt, try their best to make amends. And the worst is those poor souls whose partners have left them to alone in this world...

And all I see on facebook these days?
-- "I luff eww baby boo."
-- "I miz eww."

No, I do not have any personal vendetta against these young lovers, who fell in love with each other probably with first glance over their emo profile pictures (I'm guessing). I mean whatever sails their boat,  if they're happy then who am I to judge. *insert smiley face*

What I want to bring to light is the darker side of Valentine's day.
Chocolates and flowers.
Can you imagine a Valentine's day without chocolates and flowers? Your girlfriend will probably flip out on you when you go home empty handed without the much awaited flowers and chocolates which them makes go "Awwww! Baby you didn't have to!". But which she anyways ends up eating the whole box.

But as you make your Valentine’s Day purchases this year in the hopes that your gifts will make loved ones happy, you must also consider the human consequences of these spending decisions.

"Flower workers routinely face labor violations in a push to meet the demands of Valentine's day. Most of these workers suffer from work-related health problems, including headaches, nausea, impaired vision, conjunctivitis, rashes, asthma, stillbirths, miscarriages, congenital malformations, and respiratory and neurological problems. These problems, especially those associated with birth defects, are primarily attributed to the chemicals that workers are exposed to while on the job.
Most of the pesticides used in flower production are known carcinogens or toxins that have been either restricted or prohibited. 

And thousands of miles away in West Africa, similar abuses are occurring on cocoa plantations, where 70% of cocoa, the main ingredient in Valentine’s Day chocolate, is grown.

However, in addition to all of the health risks associated with growing and harvesting cocoa, these problems are concentrated among thousands of children who work in cocoa fields every day. Children as young as 5 and 6 years old are required to perform dangerous tasks on cocoa fields, such as chopping down cocoa pods with machetes, breaking the pods open with knives, carrying heavy loads of cocoa beans, and spraying dangerous chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. These hazardous activities have resulted in injuries and an inability to attend school."

But then again how do you not purchase these key ingredients which makes your Valentine's day special?
One option is to opt for products that have been certified to promote worker rights and protections. But how far will you go to search for those products which sets standards for worker rights, water conservation, recycling, and organic production?

2013 for me

There's this popular norm, we should always write only what we know. If we do not want to make a fool of ourselves in front of everyone. All these critics will be ready to pounce on you and find whatever fault there is in your work. But I'd say screw you! Our country gave us Freedom of Speech and Expression, so I'm going to use it to  my advantage.

I might not know a lot of things, I might not even know how proper sentences are framed. Sentences which make those perfect little paragraphs in those outstanding stories that everyone will give an ovation. But I do know for sure that I write what I feel, be it strong emotions or random muses or just to let out my pent up pms-ing mood swings! For the
latter case, I'd suggest you DO NOT test my patience. Teehee!

I have a lot to say but sometimes I'm not too sure if I have the right audience. People believe what they want to believe and hear what they want to hear. So what I say might sound musical and sweet to some, to others just some random rant of a loon and then there are those who don't even care. I know I know, I seem to be contradicting myself with my declaration above. But these are unavoidable debates as we live in a society comprising of different kinds of people. How they recieve you and your thoughts are important too, if you do not want to spark off a conflict.

I had been having trouble writing down my thoughts for quite some time now. I'd have these brilliant awesome ideas and brain waves which seem impossible to trace back after the minutest of seconds! And hence my lack of blog updates and the pages remaining blank in my journal.

2012 had been a really bad year. I do not want to go into the details of it, but yeah, it was pretty bad. Emotionally, physically, mentally straining and stressing out. This was one of the reasons why I had stopped feeling. Once you are torn up, you will never be the same again. All the things, the teeny weeny things that used to excite me had lost its glamour.

Since the lack of excitement and enthusiasm had left a gap in me, I could not quite fill it up. I always did by writing about it. But all it left me was a void. And it started growing into me like a tumorous cancer.

Come 2013, I decided that this will not be the end of me. Why should I let my past dealings affect the future that is yet to be made? So the year started off, not with a bang, slowly picking up little pieces, one at a time. And I believe that one day I shall have all of it in my hand and restore it to how it was before. Scars? Pfft! These scars prove I am a war hero. A survivor.
Only when you learn to deal with your problems and accept the outcomes of your doings, you will learn to solve your problems. Do not push them aside and procrastinate them for

tomorrow. Solve it now, because when it weighs you down, you're gonna have a bad time.
And yeah do not let yourself down when you make a mistake, it's a part of learning. Nobody was born a genius.

Believe in yourself even when the whole world doubts you.

Oh you buffoon!

Your face in itself is a tragedy,

I wouldn't laugh with that horribly made up comedy.

Oh yes, I've retold story of this kind

Please don't think you're in it all the time.

My mornings don't belong to you,

My nights sure as hell don't include you.

'You made my day'.

Oh man, I'm so sorry I had to lie every fucking day.

You are delusional if you think you've got me, It takes more than a fling to even get to me.

Rhyming words is horridly hard,

But when the words are about you, its easier than a fart.

In a way I'm glad you exist,

Because this helped my writer's block perish.

I don't want to waste another line.

For you who's not even worth a single dime.

*exit*

College

Early morning the alarm rings. we all curse the scientist who invented the alarm system. We gotta rush for the 9 o'clock class. Damn attendance. Everyday we rush to the gate of the college cursing all the way because we have to go to college and attend classes. I used to feel this, but now i dont anymore. I can confidently say this because of the following reasons :

Why we go to college :-

1. We go to college because every morning when we enter the gate, we ca give those guards a smug smile and say to ourselves " I'm dressed for college. Try throwing me out now! HA HA!".

2. We go to the kiosk, fresheteria, gourmet hall and grab a quick breakfast. Food becomes utterly yummy when you dont have time to chew on it properly!

3. We feel the satisfaction of getting attendance when we come late to class, after begging the teacher for it. In the end 85% matters!

4. We go to college because the 5min break we get between hour, where we grab another quickie ( food i mean you dirty minded fools! xD ), decides whether we return to class or bunk the next hour and go sit in the pebbles! And trust me the ecstatic elation after bunking Father's class feel awesomely good.

5. We go to college and experience the blunder of mistakenly entering the wrong  restrooms! :P Most of us have :|

6. We go to college because the 10 min nap we take in class are always the best sleep we'll ever get!

7. We go to college because there is nothing cooler than texting in class under the benches and away from the prying eyes of the teacher.

8. We go to college because we like the thrill of doing our assignments at the last moment!

9. We go to college because we have met and made the bestest friends in college.

10. We go to college the entire weekdays to feel completely justified waking up late on a Sunday morning and lazing the entire day.

11. We go to college for those moments when our teacher actually like us and praises us for the one sum we manage to solve after days of practice.

12.We go to college so that we can take pictures and make tiny folders in your system titled class, randomness, college etc. And years down the road we'll look up at those pics and smile reminiscing the old times .

13. We go to college because ( for some of us) we found our sweethearts among the hundreds of people in the campus.

14. We go to college so that we can go out after class and grab some beer and chill with the guys.

15. We go to college because ( i absolutely love this one ) you get to sit with your closest friends in class and do crazy stuff at the back of our teacher! We can never get back those 3 years of tomfoolery in class with the same people!

 

I can go on and on and on ( or maybe i have run out of points :P ) but what is important is that our days in college is ending soon. And even if we hate the entire system to the core, we should all make it a point to come to college now in order to meet the ones whom you love, treasure the most. Because you never know when you'll see them again..
As written before the year ended. Now that its over, it was like a bittersweet memory. :')