A piece of me

Erin Hanson's quote, "What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?" is probably a recurring thought in our heads when we hit a fork in the road. The uncertainty of whether we will manage to spread our wings in time and take flight is scary. Which is why so many of us find ourselves curled up and stepping back at this very moment. Such moments always remind me of His First Flight by Liam O' Flahert, one of the eloquently written narratives that was included in my 10th standard syllabus. I have found myself in this dilemma so many times that it's taken a lot of pep talk to push myself to take the leap. Several times, when things wouldn't go according to plan, I would start believing that I'm going for my fall and that I had made a wrong decision. Only to later realize that things had worked out and I emerged with a new lesson. I was definitely a very attentive student in 2023. This year was loaded with lessons in every nook and cranny. Through my ex...

C hristmas is a few steps away, and there is a slow excitement entering my body. This festival of all festivals is something I look out for. The birth of Christ is a symbol of God's love for us; from decorating the house to making sweets to going to midnight mass, it is something I always eagerly wait for. For me, this is one time our family really comes together to clean the house, decorate it, and, the best part, make sweets. The Christmas carols in the background, mixed with our laughter, is my favorite sound of Christmas. Definitely, Christmas is also marked by new or old family traditions for many of us. After COVID hit us in 2020, I found my own little tradition, which I make sure to follow every Christmas. This tradition was first inspired by my grand uncle (yes, my mother's uncle, basically); when he posted us a Christmas card. As COVID deprived me and my friends of any meetups and created an uncertainty about the future I decided to post Christmas letters to my friends...

The song  'learning curve'   by Lily Williams has just made its way to my ears and I haven't been able to stop listening. She has dedicated the song to her husband. The song is sung very soulfully. Lily has a delicate voice which makes all the difference to the song. If I have to explain my exact reaction when I first heard the song; it's love at first instance. 'learning curve' creates a calm and peaceful ambience for anyone listening to it. It's not just the vocals by Lily but also the profound message that she's highlighting by employing her storytelling ability that really stands out for me. It's like a pat on the back or a simple touch that means alot. The song paints two important portraits about life and love. One of the colours from this protrait that had an impact on me was the underestimated fact that we all are EVOLVING human beings, and hence we are going to change and evolve every moment. For some change comes fast, for some it's slo...

  I don't miss school, I miss my friends at school. I miss the privilege of seeing those faces every day. I don't miss school, I miss sharing our problems and giving and taking advice. I miss how snake rotation could not disrupt our communication. I don't miss school, I miss how we would find each other at the end of everyday. I don't miss school, I miss some teachers, the pep talks, the life lessons and funny little life incidents they narrated. I don't miss school. I miss the memories that painted the walls of school. I miss the company I had at school.                                                             –  Alloysha Dias  ______________________________________________________

' You don't have to swim like a fish; that's not possible. Just learn to swim.' This was a response my heart offered me a few years ago that still keeps me going. This statement helped me to be kinder to myself when I couldn't meet my own standards or things weren't up to the mark. We were never meant to swim like fish, and yet every day we try hard to fit in. We allow others, as well as ourselves, to condemn us for not being a particular way.   What makes things worse is hating yourself for not being able to do something perfectly and then not trying or attempting that thing again because of fear of doing it wrong, or rather, giving up on trying something because we believe we won't be able to do it as well as others. This eventually causes regret as to why we gave up without trying. For such situations, I had come to modify the earlier statement to say, "Why worry about swimming like the fish when you can do a backstroke, freestyle, or butterfly...

Fireflies have always been magical creatures to me. Growing up, I saw them as tiny insects exploring the mysteries of the night with their own little torch. Scientifically referred to as Lampyridae , which is a fusion of Greek and Latin. The first part comes from the Greek word 'Lampyros', which means a shiny, bright light, and 'Idae', on the other hand, is a latin suffix to denote family. So Lampyridae literally translates to those that shine. Apart from this, these tiny insects are identified by several other names. Fireflies, glowworms, lightning bugs, firebugs, blinking bugs, lightning insects, fire fairies, fire beetles, blinkies, gentlemen's candles, and so many more And yet, even with so many names, they unitedly act as flash lights in innumerable childhood memories.   This tiny insect spends major parts of its life as a larva and a pupa and comparatively less time as an adult firefly that we see. As an adult, the firefly's main purpose is to attract po...

I read a quote that said, "Find someone who loves the moon, for he will know to love you when you're not so full." And my first thought was that I should learn to love myself just the way I love the moon. No expectations, just acceptance. I realized that, just like the moon, we too go through different stages—imperfect phases. Sometimes wondrous, sometimes trying.      Every day, little bits and pieces of us are changing. We aren't the same every day. Each day, our feelings and progress may also not be the same. Like the moon, some days we may feel at our best, unstoppable, or high on confidence. Other days we may feel less productive or low, and that's okay. Sometimes the moon gets hidden because of the clouds; similarly, we may face obstacles in life that try to stop us from achieving what we want. Other days, we may feel tired and want to sit back and just be behind the clouds. We also need to remember that wanting or needing to rest for a few minutes doesn...

  Atmosphere is cool, It's time for umbrellas, rain- coats, and paper boats.                                                     -Alloysha Dias ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️ Picture credit: Alloysha Dias

Gentle breeze takes strolls. Birds and trees provide comfort. Two woman giggle.                                                              — Alloysha Dias 🍃🐦🍃🍃🍃🐦🍃🍃🍃🐦🍃🍃🍃🐦🍃🍃🍃🐦🍃🍃🍃🐦🍃 Picture credit: Alloysha Dias 

                                        "How are you?" This question usually has a predictable answer, Fine, thank you. However, I have realized that this is one of the biggest lies told by most of us simply because we want to avoid the questions or rather the interrogation that follows. If we are not fine, then everyone wants to know why. Even though this question may be out of genuine concern, it doesn't help because everything we experience cannot be explained. I am a moody person, and I feel gloomy and sad for reasons I can never detect. So instead of answering this question, I prefer the easy option, an option that will save me from the questions whose answers I don't really know. I am often surprised to find out that on such gloomy days when I feel not so fine, all I needed was to remember that I matter and that people care for me, sometimes with a hug, a phone call from a friend, m...