An ode to Steve Jobs

I know there are zillions of tributes to Steve Jobs already and twitter records, blog records have broken on the same but still i wish to express the loss I felt.
I have never met Steve Jobs, I will never meet him now but ever since i possessed my first Ipod mini and during my stay at US and even after i came back, i wanted to, at least once in my lifetime, meet this person called Steve Jobs.

I don't idolize people but he was one person i truly admired and wished i could emulate his convictions and beliefs. His comment Stay Hungry Stay Foolish is quite iconic in itself.

Steve Jobs’s most important contribution will be that he made technology about people and not about technology. The entire thrust of his career was about building useful tools that adapt themselves to the ways people already think and work, rather than asking people to retrain themselves to learn how to use their machines.

While other tech leaders have given lip service to similar ideas — especially in the past decade following Apple’s recent successes — only Jobs has been able to thoroughly inculcate this concept into a company and all of the products that it produces.

The point here is that, as much as Steve Jobs loved technology, he was also deeply curious about other aspects of life as well, such as music, world culture, and philosophy, and his life experiences in those areas had a significant impact on his humanistic approach to technology.

Jobs even traveled to India after he dropped out of Reed College. Although he didnt find the enlightenment he was looking for, his travels helped solidify some of his ideas about what he wanted to do with his life and the impact he could make back in America. During the trip to India, Jobs reported, “I started to realize that maybe Thomas Edison did a lot more to improve the world than Karl Marx and Neem Kairolie Baba put together.”

All of this, of course, advocates for a liberal arts education and a variety of life experiences in order to help you think bigger, understand life from lots of different perspectives, and discover more things that you’re passionate about.

Such was his mettle that even after being asked to leave the company that he started, he was recalled back and that too with more respect and admiration. Though he never spoke again to the person who fired him. He was a cancer survivor for long and his farewell email to all apple employees was so graceful and humble.


May his soul rest in peace and its a true loss for not just tech world but every person who uses technology.

Comics

Its mid night and can't sleep, suddenly my thought takes me to writing a blog, i thought of writing few days back about a nostalgic episode.

Recently, on a personal visit to my Aunt's house in Amritsar, I was reintroduced to something i cherished as a child. During my stay there, my teenage cousin volunteered to offer her study cum play room to help me deal with my state of mind. I was particularly feeling low and sad compounded by ill health and needed my privacy. Late in the night, when i couldn't gather myself to sleep, I looked up at a shelf neatly lined up with books.
Suddenly, my longing eyes chanced upon Archie's digests and it took me back to my childhood. As a child, i think half of my pocket money was invested in comics and prior to the pocket money stage, my parents made sure that I caught fancy to reading at a very early age. I remember my dad getting tinkle, chanda mama comics twice a month and later on preferences changed to Chacha chaudhry, Motu-Patlu, Champak etc.
The first slang words in my lingo came thanks to Archies, Richie-Rich, Asterix and Tintin. Frequent trips by my grandfather to Russia ensured a steady supply of Svetlana's folklore and Vladimir's heroic tales.
I had such a penchant for comics and story telling that at a very young age, i started writing stories of my own in class tests but moral of my stories matched the moral of the original text stories and my teachers always admired my creativity.

Chacha Chaudhary in Hindi is my all time favorite. The famous quip: Chacha chaudhary ka deemag toh computer se bhi tej chalta hai brings so much nostalgia with it. Still remember rocket the dog, Saboo the hunk and the round and saree clad chachi with her rolling pin.

Archies took my fancy to Riverdale American High school and somehow my loyalty always remained with Betty and hated Brunette heiress Veronica. In times of doordarshan, I learnt about Smooch and Smack from Archies. Asterix was very interesting and obelix was my favorite character because it reminded me of my obese but favorite cousin.

These days, I see kids taking more to Internet and online gaming, wonder the comics will remain in vogue forever. Request all of the readers to keep this world alive and encourage the next generation to take to these..Even to this day, comics are so entertaining and help bring the child out in us. Chacha chaudhary and champak with its fables is to be credited for my story telling creativity and interest in reading.

And chacha chaudhary will always remain my favorite comic in Hindi and Archies in English. Which one is yours?

Some tunes linger on in mind..

"Cant get you out of my head" by Kylie Minogue is the only apt song, i can quote at the moment to the following situation -

I have my own list of all time favorite classic songs. And there is distinct list for English and Hindi numbers. Some songs keep adding to the list but however more or less the top contenders have retained their spot. Hindi list is forever topped by Kabhi Kabhi from movie Kabhi Kabhi..and English list is led by Jon Bon Jovi's -Its my life.

But much to my amazement these days, there are certain tunes that seem to be stuck in mind and these songs aren't even my favorite. And for the past few days, wherever i go, either i am singing to myself these tunes or i hear them on the radio/tv etc.

First one is the latest number from movie - Murder 2 - it starts like "Ai kash tu hamesha saath hota, yun na dil rota...haale dil tujh ko sunaata dil agar yeh bol pata". I am certainly not a fan of Jacqueline or Emraan Hashmi and neither this song will ever figure in my all time favorites.

Second one is from the movie Lakshya," Kitni baatein yaad aati hain, tasveeren si ban jaati hain, main kaise tujhe bhoolon". I am more a fan of the video if this song, where both Preity and Hrithik are lamenting over their love lost.

The third song that completes the trio is " Ajeeb dastaan hai yeh, kahan shuru kahan khatam, yeh manzilen hain kaunsi, na woh samajh sake na hum". I don't even know the name of the movie and haven't seen the movie..except i remember the video there is some boat sequence.

What perplexes me is that none of these songs are my all time favorites? I don't even remember or have ever bothered to mug up all the lines..i only remember the first stanza of each one of them. Also, for the past few days, whenever i switch on the tv, one of these songs invariably appears on any random channel and like a sequence at least two of them appear either on the same channel or during channel surfing. Today even while driving my car to nearby parlor, song 2 & 3 came up in succession. Normally i wouldn't even bother to remember the songs let alone the sequence. But it has become way too repetitive.

I have tried to divert my mind to my current favorites but somehow end up singing to myself one of these songs even when i am not hearing them through any external source. Maybe, its a state of mind..but its freaking me out :)

Change

"Change is the only constant in our lives" - This paradox is so true..

Some people say that no one changes, that the leopard never changes its spots. But in fact everyone is changing every day, either for better or for worse. When someone changes for good, we welcome that change. When some one changes for worse, we despise it. Change is an inevitable reality. People change all the time. We may say that it is difficult for us to change but we inevitably change. Everything around us changes as well even before we realize it. Sometimes, change takes us by surprise and sometimes it hits us badly. Some changes fill our life with happiness, some create a void..

Even marriage, birth or death of a closed one, conflict with a loved one, movement to a new place, movement to a new workplace, everything is part of change. In relationships, people change all the time and it hurts really bad when that change swirls your whole life 360 degree. Instead of accepting change, we keep questioning our own self. In workplace, a new colleague, boss, junior or even a new cubicle demands lot of mental adjustment to change. It is all about accepting change.

There are 3 ways of accepting change - Accept it as a way of life, mull about it as to why it happened or try to change the change...I have been a strong crusader of second way but trying to switch over to first or third one.

It will take me sometime to switch my loyalties from second way but who said Life is a bed of roses????

Dreams

Dreams last as long as you let them ... both good and bad.

We sleep an incalculable number of hours in our lifetime. Sleep is necessary to the survival and also inevitable to dream world. However, even nowadays, the field of dreams is still very mysterious. Since the dawn of times, men have tried to analyze their own dreams, to include/understand them in order to better be able to include/understand their lives and their future. The premonitory phenomena of dreams is very fast.

Personally I believe that premonitions ARE a very real phenomena. They are much easier to prove than you would think. The reason being is that if a dream is going to come true it will come true very very quickly. So if its a premonition then you merely have to wait to see if it comes true. If we are truly connected emotionally to someone, we often get dreams which turn out to be true.

I have been quite curious to get my dreams interpreted. Dream interpretation has emerged as a vast field to explore. Sometimes i get dreams which are good, sometimes dreams are absolute nightmares. I have even subconsciously tried to change my dreams. Some dreams are recurring in nature, some are glimpses of past occurrences, some are premonitions and some mere reflection of mind. Good or bad, dreams are a reality and shall coexist with us, as long as we live.

I just want to end on a happy note that i hope that all my good dreams turn true and all my nightmares/bad dreams never actualize..

Wishful thinking :)

There is only one life..so watch out..What goes around..comes around?

What goes around comes around..

We all have heard Justin Timberlake crooning to this song but my blog is not about his song, its about this proverb.

Some wise people say its law of karma and some say its a good corrective tool or a repertoire. Generally the interpretation is that if you do bad to someone, bad will happen to you eventually. However, very few people perceive it positively i.e. if you do good to someone, good will happen to you.

When we look at live examples around us, we see Saddam Hussain, Osama Bin Laden and say they deserved it. Have any one of us wondered, that sometimes help reaches us unexpectedly. We may have jumped traffic signals when no one is watching but we did help someone at some point of time too by offering a lift. And when suddenly in the hot summer, when our car broke down, a complete stranger helped us with fixing it.

One of my good friend is a staunch follower of karma theory and whenever i do something wrong, he tells me its a bad karma you have earned and when i do something nice, he reminds me i erased a bad karma. Sometimes, I often wonder why I wasn't lucky to get the winning lottery ticket and why someone has all the luck? It may not be true that the person who got the winning ticket has the best karma in this life but he/she is certainly paving way for his/her next birth.

So, instead of pondering over whether it will come around to us or to people whom we want it to come, lets just try to fix things which are in our control..rest let the law of karma prevail..There is only one life so watch out..

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"

Good teacher in life is success guaranteed..

I once heard that there are two noble professions in the world - Teaching and Medicine. The reasoning - Teachers and Doctors are the ones who can really make and save your life. I never really understood the meaning and the significance of the statement then but today I truly believe in it.

Teacher doesn't necessarily mean our academic teacher in school/college. A teacher is anyone who teaches us, tutors us, guides us or leads us. A teacher is a guiding light for us and a life without a teacher is like lost in woods without a light. I believe that we can find teachers in any sphere of life, any age group, anywhere.

History is full of events, which have shaped our present and many teachers have been the mastermind of such events. For eg, Chandra Gupt Maurya, a great conqueror of ancient Indian Kingdom, his whole life changed after he became Chanakya's Disciple. Another great example is Dronacharya who was Arjuna's guru in Mahabharata. In fact, Krishna became Arjuna's guide during battle and whole Bhagwad Gita is based on those teachings.

I feel a good teacher always understands his students potential, works on the capabilities of the student, helps the student take care of his short-comings, teaches his/her student the ability to deal with failure. A good teacher also knows how to keep the student grounded on achieving success.

These days many corporates are also working on mentor/mentee programs which is more or less modern day version of guru-shishya relationship. I am currently working on a document forwarded by my colleague and soon plan to introduce the same at my organization.

Till then, salute and a wish that we all get good teachers and get the most out of their learning's.

Fallacies of Indian Education System

Last month saw an absolute time pass Hindi movie...and the title of the movie was quite apt "Faltu", which means extra or waste...Though the theme highlighted in the movie was a take on Indian education system but it failed at narration level.

But off late, I have been thinking about the relevance of the topic "Indian Education System". Today, I am going to write about my views on the same. Another factor which caught my fancy was reading about many Hollywood stars going back to college for earning their degrees. Recently, Actor James Brown went to University of Houston and many other stars are following suit. I have been thinking can i possibly return to college mid term in my career. Various thoughts clouded my mind- I will be the oldest employee? Will i be able to study? Who will sponsor my education? Will I be able to fit again in corporate world after the gap? I sincerely believe that there are many like me who have similar concerns and doubts.

It has lot to do with our education system. As a child, we are expected to ace each and every subject. Subjects like science are considered as stepping stones to ones career but vocational subjects and arts are never given prominence. Sports take a big backseat in our education system. We are expected to mug and vomit out answers year after year. We are further expected to make a career choice and then stick by it forever.

This has to change. We need to inculcate right education practices amongst our children. Besides, Doctors and Engineers, we need to talk about alternate professions as well. The grading system has to be towards highlighting the progress of students and not demeaning them, just because they cannot score a particular percentage. The innocence of childhood has to be revived.

Hope reforms in education system will be introduced and new system will aim at building careers and not robotic machines..

We at India have our own traffic rules

When I moved to US few years back, many asked me what is it that you miss the most apart from family of course, about India? My answer was Traffic, the chaos and driving my car (as i didn't have an American license and also I was not familiar with american way of Left-Hand side driving).

Similarly when i moved back from US, many people asked me what i missed the most in US about India? MY answer remained same, traffic and the chaotic roads and my car :)

There is something about driving in India. I am quite fascinated by the way every driver manoeuvres his/her vehicle. We have so much variety on roads and not just limited to types of cars or bikes. We have scooters, cycles, cycle rickshaws,auto-rickshaws (popularly known as tuk-tuks in west), pedestrians, sometimes horses, camels and in some cases, carts, carriages, tempos, tractors,cows and donkeys too..List is endless phew..

I remember Gul Panag recently tweeted that we have bad driving in our DNA..but is it DNA or its just how we are accustomed to, since our childhood? As a kid, i remember pillion riding behind my dads two-wheeler with my brother and we only had our dads waist as our protection for our balance. Today, i twitch my nose each time i see a couple having their child seated in front of the two wheeler or seated between two pillion riders. We had never heard of child seat but my brother doesn't board the flight to India with his son, till a child seat is arranged for his son. In US, one cannot dream of taking the child out without a child seat in the car, unless he/she has extra money to pay for the ticket.

Well, getting a license in India is quite interesting. You need to practice a little, even if you have cleared the driving test, either you need to have contacts in transport department or should we willing to loosen purse strings to get the final driving license.

Traffic signals look very pretty..give a very organized look to the roads. But I am one of few Indians who never jump traffic signals. But this hasn't won me any laurels..my car has been bumped from behind while waiting for green light, I have got snarls and stares for stopping at red light and pestered by beggars on the lights for some petty cash.

Then there are many who love to tailgate vehicles and not just put a dent on their vehicle and pocket but on the front vehicle too..and if you are unfortunate to be travelling in a bigger vehicle, you end up paying even if it was the other persons fault.

Metros are characterized by traffic jams, chaos and it is usually caused by drivers jumping lanes and blocking traffic in return. Though we have right hand driving but we all seem to be ignorant about right of way. I can go on and on..but i guess i am exhausted now..

For non Indians/NRI's and people fascinated by the tag FOREIGN, favorite tag line to use is "traffic in India is so bad". But still, this is the way i have learnt and i love and enjoy listening to FM while driving..

Happy and Safe Driving to all...

Superstitions galore!!

Well..If great leaders/winners/conquerors were/are superstitious. We have all the right to be. Dont we??

I have often met people who claim that they aren't superstitious, I buy that fact. BUT, i am yet to meet a person who didn't fall prey to superstition even once in life. Some may mask it under garb of bad omen, luck or timing..but we all are superstitious in some way or the other.

Wikipedia defines superstition as "a credulous belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge". I agree there is no reason for being superstitious when someone calls out your name when you are leaving or when a black cat crosses our way when we are set out for some significant task.

I don't bracket myself into general superstitious lot but at times, I can be very very superstitious. My biggest superstition is with clothes. Color red to begin with is a big no-no for me. Somehow, red always spells trouble for me. Then if a new footwear or outfit means a bad day at office, it never sees the light of day for months rather years to be more precise.

Recently, all newspapers were inundated with myriad superstitions related to cricketers and supporters alike. And in case, a superstition comes true, it carries a stigma with it forever. Also, there are many who get an opportunity to rhyme " I told you so". And superstitions are not exactly new age brainwave, there have been instances of superstition galore from time immemorial.

I can list (Not in order of frequency) some of the most common superstitions:

1. Number 13 - Considered very unlucky..To the extent that many people from Victorian times don't have a house number 13. In my city, Chandigarh (one of the most and only planned city in country), there is no sector 13.

2. Black Cats bring bad luck - Cats have nine lives and cats spell evil/doom.

3. Touch Wood - Touching a wood, enhances chances of luck. Wood has always been considered sacred, pious and a route to reach God.

4. Call out from Back - Never to venture out, if you are heading for an important task and someone calls out from back. Same is the superstition associated with Sneezing

5. Twitching Left eye or Shaking Legs - Both are harbingers of bad omen and luck for business.

Well, if i start listing general as well my own personal superstitions, i will never be able to finish this blog. I guess, all of us in this crazy world are "LIVIN LA VIDA LOCA"; no matter what age, century we fall in, we will always have some sort of belief or superstition.

We will always have superstitions and there is no harm in having one. Some are good like touch wood, lucky mascots etc but some are evil like witchcraft, female oppression etc. If a superstition does wonders, why should we shy away from it? If a superstition saves our day, why should we abhor it? Whereas, if a superstition contrasts with our lifestyle, with our progress, with our environment and our society at large, there is no point of carrying on with such regressive notions.

However, what I want all of us to ponder at the end of my blog is: Is superstition now a way of life with me and hampering my growth (personal/professional/societal? or Is it just a belief that guides/protects me?

Remove clutter !!

Its been days and there has been clutter all around. I have been wondering to myself, how does it matter with a little mess around? After all, having Indian DNA in me, I love the chaos, I love a bit of mess and everything perfect makes me a tad bit uncomfortable.

My mother, who has spent good percentage of her parenting life trying to make me a bit organized, has indeed given up. She has tried everything from sending me to a looney hostel (in a vain attempt to discipline me), counseling, ridiculing in front of my girlie friends to keeping all clutter on my bed, but some habits are incorrigible.

But then I am surprised at my own self, when it comes to my work, I am quite meticulous and organized but when it comes to household chores, its simply not my cup of tea. I find it absolute waste of time to organize my closet when i exactly can find the right top and right belt and pull it out just the way a magician pulls out a rabbit out of his hat. But, recently, much to my chagrin, things have suddenly become unmanagable. These days its an ordeal to find things and out of sight has become out of mind. Situation came to a hilt when i couldnt find something which was quite indispensable for an occasion and the whole situation went kaput.

It rang a warning bell to me and I resolved to clear the mess. Started with emptying my handbag, which weighed at least 5 pounds less after i removed clutter. Now have resolved to clear the clutter from my closet within the coming week. It is as good as mission impossible but these days i am up for challenges. Also, I came across an interesting article about clearing clutter from life.

Removing clutter from your life involves more than just tidying up and organizing your living space. It also consists of getting rid of the unnecessary components that clutter up your social activities and professional life, and moving on to a healthier, more liberated state of being.

Although it’s not as popular as losing weight, removing clutter is a resolution for individuals looking to relieve stress from their lives. Clutter, piles, and an overabundance of “stuff” can cause stress in many people and by purging unnecessary goods they can reduce the potential unhealthy side effects of chronic stress. By organizing the home and removing stress-inducing piles, individuals can reduce the amount of stress in their personal lives and actually begin building a healthier, happier lifestyle. This is one of the most important practice of Feng-Sui as well.

You can remove clutter from your life by following few simple steps:

1. The clutter of too many obligations
2. The clutter of too much stress
3. The clutter of too many work commitments
4. The clutter of negative people
5. The clutter of emotional baggage

Removing unnecessary elements from your surrounding gives you a sense of control over your life. In fact, organizing and removing clutter can be so life-changing that some people experience a sense of euphoria and well-being.

So, lets de-clutter our lives...

Its never too late to learn !!

Paint brush, colors, canvas...oooohhhh..the very picture is so mesmerizing and fascinating..

I had often visualized myself..standing with a paint brush in my hand, bit of color on my apron and on my face.

This fantasy of mine,led me on a massive hunt for finding the right tutor to train me. The criteria was to find a tutor who could come home, adjust to my timings and demonstrate extreme patience :)

After countless screenings, interviews, self-doubt (it stems from the fact that inspite of being very creative and artistically inclined, I cant draw or sketch a basic object), yes-no's, rescheduling of classes, I finally today presented an opportunity to my tutor to come and start the classes.

The height of my paranoia on myself was that I was hoping against hope that he will just call in sick or just wouldnt make it. However, at the designated time, my tutor arrived. He had asked me to get a sketch book. Sketch book was there but I can be quite robotic at times (only comprehend the explicitly mentioned details) and forgot that to sketch on a sketch book, one certainly needs a pencil and an eraser. So as soon as he arrived, a massive search began to look for a pencil, eraser and sharpner in my closet which is a labyrinth in itself. So, after few minutes of frantic search operation and an effort to disguise embarrasement in front of an amused tutor, finally all required was on the table.

As he wanted to gauge the proficiency level of his new student, he asked me to draw anything that I felt like. So, in an attempt to mask embarassment over the events, I showed alacrity by drawing my version of a scenery with hills, a hut, a river and a tree. Looking at the result, he said how about drawing a sketch of a human face (generosly he gave me a choice boy or girl). I needn't mention the outcome was terrible. Not giving up on his politeness, he then asked me to draw an object that was placed on table (Kellogs carton on an upturned bowl).

Finally, the tutor figured out that its an equally daunting task to teach for him as it is for me to learn how to sketch and paint. Then he started his tutorial and made the human face and how to draw an eye, the proportion in which forehead and the nose is divided. I am absolutely in awe of the fact that mathematics has its tentacles spread even in something as basic an art as drawing. So, after many rounds of demonstrations, i tried to draw an eye. I failed miserably but my tutors patience and my courteous self egged me on. What seemingly was a poetic beauty now had become a challenge. Finally, I got it almost right.

Then, to keep my interest alive, my tutor taught me how to draw a car, a peacock, a dog, a tree, a flower etc. Initially, I was disheartened with my failed attempts at getting something perceived as easy as an eye to draw but I thought to myself, this is something I have always wanted to do and I need to try till I succeed. Its satisfying to put your thoughts on canvas, to give shape to your vision. What started as a mere fantasy, I plan to pursue and chase like a dream now. I want to learn and I am confident that I will learn. No matter what, I will learn how to sketch and how to paint.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first session and I will continue till I succeed. I have got an assignment and I am happy trying to complete it like an obedient student..

I may not grasp like a whizkid but its never too late to learn..

Holi!! Festival of Colors..My favorite festival

Holi in India transcends the barriers of caste, creed, and communities to paint a vibrant and vivid mass of colorful faces. Faces enraptured in bliss and showing the face of India. And you accept them, for they are playing Holi, as you are.

Holi, the color festival of India is steeped in tradition and myths abound concerning its origin. It has the roots of its name in the bonfire festival that commemorates the burning of the demon Holika, the sister of demon King Hiranyakasipu. To, this day the burning of bonfires before the day of Holi, commemorates the victory of good over evil, the burning of Holika and the saving of Prahlad.

However, Holi as a color festival came into existence in later Vaishnavite tradition with the depiction of Lord Krishna, the last Avatar of Vishnu playing with the women of Vrindavan and his lover Radha by sprinkling colors and colored water on each other with spray tubes or pichkaris. This particular festival, the color festival, is actually called Raslila, and enacted in all vaishnavite temples and communities across the country. Traditionally, in India, Holika Dahan, the burning of bonfires and Raslila came to be combined in the festival of colors, Holi.

I love Holi, simply for the fun thats associated with it. Colors, sweetmeats, revelry, friends, fun everything is part of it. It is so much pleasure to smear your loved ones, friends with colors and then dodge your ownself from others. Its fun to chase and even more fun being chased.

Today, more than the victory of good over evil, Holi embodies the spirit of love and revelry started by Lord Krishna while playing with his lover Radha and other Gopinis or women of Vrindavan. With time, Holi in India has come to symbolize communal harmony and love and loss of one's social identity for a brief time in a rain of colors. On the day of Holi, people exchange gifts and sweetmeat and anoint each other with color to celebrate the joy of life. Holi brings out the spirit of India in a fashion that no other festival can, for Holi has no barriers.

True friends are forever

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget"

Some of the fondest memories we gather in the journey of life are the ones that remind us of our beloved friends. Moments of endless laughter, longest chats and beautiful times shared with friends are simply priceless. So often when I read a beautiful poem or a quote about friendship I am instantly drawn into my world of beautiful memories about the times I spent with my friends. The very essence of life is to continue to make such beautiful memories, that one can look back upon and smile about.

Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends

Qualities of Libra star sign:

I m proud to be born under Libra sun sign.

And reasons for my prudence are as follows:

a)We are ruled by the planet Venus, which is associated with emotional behavior, partnerships and relationships, art and culture, beauty, morality, charm and possession.

b)We always value balance, justice and passion above everything else and are naturally passionate about all forms of art and always seeks balance in all aspects of daily lives. However, this does not mean that we're all about the peace and quiet, we like to shake things up every now and then.

c)Libra individuals rarely enjoy being alone. We value our quiet time alone, but we would much rather prefer being around people who are important to us. Partnerships and relationships with family, friends, and colleagues are very important to Libra individuals, and we would prefer being with these people and nurturing these relationships on any given day rather than being alone.I, being a libra individual, love to socialize and highly value my social engagements and commitments.

d)People love being around Libra individuals, because of our fun-loving, helpful and social nature. Libra individuals make for excellent friends because we are always willing to give a helping hand. Libra individuals are the ones who usually take on the role of mediator and problem-solver whenever friends and family get into arguments.People are naturally drawn to our fun-loving and Samaritan nature. Libra individuals will not hesitate to initiate get-together and gatherings,when we feel like spending time with family and close friends.


e)Libra individuals are known for their gift for talking. Balance, harmony, and justice are very important for us. It is not uncommon to find Libra individuals working in the fields of HR, Law, governance, creative arts. Our ability to see both sides of an argument makes us excellent diplomats, and our desire to uphold justice, makes us good civil servants and lawyers. Libra individuals are also artistic and creative, which makes us successful in careers in the music and fashion industry, interior design, marketing, advertising and performing arts.

f)Libra star sign shapes us born leaders and people's persons. Libras willingness to cooperate and lead and sense of diplomacy makes it easy for Libra people to fit in and adjust to just about any setting.

g)Libras like to shop and are shopaholics. We find joy in shopping for gifts for friends, family, and those close to us. We are often materialistic and expect our partners to shower us with presents. Our ruling planet Venus also tends to be extravagant in more ways than one. We pamper ourselves with expensive purchases. Shopping is a female Libra's favorite past time cause they don't mind spending. Be wary when going for shopping with Libras, though, as we tend to be indecisive about our purchases. An interesting tidbit about Libra individuals: We are naturally drawn to stores that sell expensive clothes and housewares. (I can absolutely vouch for it, as I have a natural flair for fine things in life)Libra individuals are very refined and sophisticated.

h) Libras are fun-loving, but this doesn't necessarily mean that they like loud, boisterous activities. In fact, most Libra individuals abhor loudmouths. We also dislike violence, injustice, or anything that harmfully disrupts balance and harmony whether spatially/physically or figuratively.

i) Libras are very romantic and loving by nature. We celebrate special moments with style and panache. We bring out the romance in everything we do and make excellent lovers and partners. Libras are vocal about our desires and things we fancy. We do not feel shy to express ourselves and since we are ruled by Venus, we bring a natural charm and beauty in whatever we do.Librans are indeed classy and elegant :)

j)Libras under influence of Venus are very charming and attractive. We give lot of attention to our physical appearance and generally love to maintain our naturally attractive physique and demeanour. Libras charm is very infectious and it is difficult to escape it or specifically ignore a libra woman's charm. Librans are very natural and people get drawn to us easily. Lovers of Libra women have to give a special focus on their appearance as libra women abhor ugly or unkempt appearances. Also, Librans detest manual, household work and consider it too menial.

I am so happy to be born under this star sign and am fortunate to have all the libra qualities.