Writer, book lover, civil engineer, YouTuber, aspiring talk show host — not always all of them. Not always in order.
Hi there!
I’m Ana. I’m 28 years old and was born in a small town called Jorhat in Assam — a hilly Indian state nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. English is my fourth language, but somehow the love for the language is rooted deep in my heart.
When I was young, my friends had dreams of becoming astronauts, movie stars, or pilots. I always wanted to be a writer.
There wasn’t even a single doubt in my head. It was my one true love.
I wrote my first poem when I was only four-years-old. When I was ten, my poems and stories won national-level competitions in children’s magazines. At fifteen, my essay won the first prize in a competition organized by India’s central bank responsible for regulating the country’s currency. My parents always encouraged my writing habit and supported me further by taking me on regular trips to local bookstores. …
People from the Northeast are as much Indians as the people from the rest of the country
I was born in Assam — a state in the northeastern part of India. Aside from Assam, there are six other states in this region — Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura — that are collectively known as “the Seven Sisters.”
Ethnically, the people from the northeastern part of the country have different features from the people in the mainland. We have fairer skin, straight hair, more slender build, and epicanthic folds in our eyes. As the book North-East India: Land, People and Economy makes clear:
“While the original settlers were the Mongoloids, the Indo-Aryan and other groups arrived later. There is undoubtedly a dominance of Mongoloid element in the population of Northeast India.” …
Why being organized is not the only way to be productive, creative, and happy, according to science.
I was in a book club meeting when someone mentioned Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Everyone perked up at this, discussing the core concept of the book about how cleaning your room once will lead to a clean room for life. It was an interesting premise. I hadn’t read the book, so I listened with interest.
However, when the conversation veered to how clearing your room of clutter clears your head and allows you to be productive, I grew suspicious. You see, never in my life have I had a clean room. …
Conversation-starters to help you get to someone better before committing to a lifetime of togetherness.
My friend Anuja recently got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Varun. When I asked how she was sure he’s “the one,” she told me it’s because their goals for the future align, they have similar core values and are compatible — emotionally, intellectually, as well as sexually.
This got me thinking: how does one decide whether a prospective partner is ideal for them? In a short meeting, is it possible to discern all these traits about a person — at least well enough to make them your life partner?
This article discusses exactly that. It’s based on my conversations with Anuja (which she kindly gave me permission to use) as well as extensive research from various studies by experts on the field. If you’re conflicted about whether your current partner is ideal for you, or if you’re in a place where you’re looking for potential life-partners, this article will provide you some valuable insights. …
A mix of genres to suit every mood
“I’m not an audiobook person.”
That’s what I kept telling myself all through 2019. It wasn’t simply an assumption. I had tried, and each time, I failed miserably. The narration could barely hold my attention, and I kept missing important scenes and dialogs.
All these excuses came to a screeching halt when a single audiobook I listened to in 2019 took my breath away. After that, I got myself an Audible subscription in December 2019. Since then, I’ve listened to 50+ audiobooks of several genres.
In this post, I’ve listed 12 of my favorite audiobooks to brighten up your 2021. You can listen to one each month of the year and come back to thank me later when you’re in love with the narration. …
Science-backed reasons why you don’t have to feel guilty each time you’re unable to sleep on time at night.
“You’re up early,” my mother remarked as she walked into me rummaging through the contents of the refrigerator for something to eat. It was 5 in the morning. I hadn’t woken up early. I hadn’t yet retired for the night.
This happened in May 2020 — right in the middle of the pandemic-induced lockdown in India. Because I had no obligation to wake up early, I found I just couldn’t go to sleep on time. Even before the work-from-home phase started, I had trouble going to bed early, but because my classes started at 9 AM, I had to sleep by 1. …
The response to failure that’s better than fight-or-flight.
“I can’t handle this drama anymore. I’m quitting.”
That’s what I told my best friend a few days ago. For months, I put all I had into a work project. I’d been the star performer of our team. But all of a sudden, the mood changed. I was held responsible for a mistake another team member made. The project failed and I was harshly criticized. I decided to quit.
My friend found my frustration funny. “This reminds me of the Jhanvi incident,” she laughed. “You didn’t quit then. Why would you quit now?”
You didn’t quit then. …
Break down the secrets of people you’re jealous of and apply them to your work to see fabulous results.
I get it. No matter how hard we’re working or what results we’re achieving, all of us get envious of people who have it better. Sometimes, we might be envious of another person’s talent, credentials, or simply the personal brand they’ve built over years.
“Why them?” we keep asking ourselves. “Why not me?”
As Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D. puts it, “We tend to envy people with whom we compare ourselves. We envy achievements that we think are possibilities for us — but we don’t feel confident in achieving them. …
A chat with Jon Hawkins on how he…
Sometimes it helps to pause and think before speaking
“My boyfriend never picks up my calls. He’s either with his friends or working on a project. It’s as if there’s no connection between us anymore.”
This is what my friend, Anuja, told me one evening when we were walking around the university campus. She and her boyfriend, Varun, seemed to be having a lot of interpersonal problems. What triggered this particular outburst was how she was expecting him to do something special for their one-year-anniversary, but he was too busy playing a game with his friends even to meet her.
From where I stood, it appeared as if Varun was callous and insensitive. After all, he chose to prioritize a game over spending time with his girlfriend on their anniversary. And especially if Anuja said she didn’t feel a connection with him anymore, I felt the best way out for them was to break up. …
