The introvert's guide to life

This will be a drabble,because I'm severely constrained for time and trying to write for multiple blogs isn't as easy as I thought:| If our source of energy were a scale,at one end would be introverts and at the other extroverts with ambiverts being at dead centre. However,the real world is more complex than this and that's what this article is about. I recently read a comment on my blog that said " Deep down,all of us are introverts.It's just about how well we can play the part of an extrovert " While I was skeptical about everyone being an introvert,it was this perception that intrigued me.Since then,I have been contemplating on past conversations and incidents where several people have said something along these lines to me. Most people do not like the idea of being called extroverts.They look at it as something of an insult, as if it is "uncool" to be one.They all want to be "cool" enigmatic,mysterious introverts with hidden dept...

So yesterday a friend told me to my face that I’m “not normal”. This is not the first time that someone told me that. But since it has happened yet again, it got me thinking what does it mean to “be normal”? Talk talk talk and talk and talk and talk - about yourself, your home, your mom, dad, bro, sis, uncle, aunt, first cousin, second cousin, school wali friend, PU wali friend, college wali friend, work friend, neighbour aunty, friend’s kid, friend’s cousin’s wife, etc. etc. etc…….. Talk and talk - about yourself (again), your hair, your skin, your nails, your features, the threading and waxing and tweezing and manicure, pedicure, etc. etc……… Talk and talk - about yourself (wait, we aren’t done yet?), your new pair of jeans, the salwar your brother got for you, your kurta, your kurti (there’s a difference), your one-piece party dress and how it was waaaaaayyyyy better than the partywear of every one of your friends, the poncho top you bought on amazon, the cape top you bought on...

This is more of an intro post, the justification for my claim to introversion. There aren't any guidelines as such. It's only meant to resonate with you, my friend. You are not alone! As a child I was always the ‘quiet kid’. Though my teacher for Class 1, the lovely Ms.Agnes Horne, had a few other adjectives in store for me: ‘sincere’, ‘responsible’, ‘studious’, ‘hard-working’ and of course ‘quiet’. But the ‘quiet’ part dominated almost every other nice trait I earned. While in Class 3, they introduced this new kind of report card that had 2 pages dedicated to ‘Personality Development’ that listed various essential qualities and a column where the teacher would remark as to how the kid fared. And I knew that was the harbinger of my doom! Starting then, every quarter, for the next several years, you would find an ‘Average’ against things like ‘Taking Initiative’, ‘Interaction in Class’ and ‘Leadership Qualities’. Neither did I nor my mother found that alarming. I was happy ...

No,I don't hate people.It's just that sometimes I want to be alone.Utterly alone.I'm sure you have such days too! Sadly,most acquaintances and friends expect you to talk to them the moment you see them.So what do you do when you're trying to desperately avoid people and yet don't want to come across as rude? Eye contact:The precursor to all conversation is eye contact:P If you avoid this,you have a sure as hell shot at avoiding all interaction that follows.Eye contact is one of the most powerful non-verbal cues.If you don't look at someone,the odds are that they won't talk to you. Earphones/Headphones: Technology's gift to us! These always work--you don't even have to be listening to anything;plug them in and you're all set.Not as powerful as the previous one,but it still lets people know that you probably need some space. Be invisible:Yeah,if we had an invisibility cloak it would solve all our problems.Since we don...

 Would have been nervous writing this if I hadn't already done so! For as long as I can remember,I have felt like a fish out of water.I thought that when I finally belonged somewhere,it would feel amazingly blissful.As if it were proof of normalcy;a validation of the fact that I am a human being too. As a kid,I never knew how to make conversation.All my answers would be monosyllabic and any attempt someone made to talk to me would go down the drain.I was very upset about this when my grandfather quoted Dale Carnegie to me: "If you want to be interesting,you have to be interested."   Since then,I have used this method unfailingly to my benefit.Given that most people like to talk about themselves,it is very easy to draw them out with a question.As a good listener and even better questioner,this is a godsend for me.Not only that,but it leaves me knowing more after every conversation.Granted that it might be trivia,but trivia is also quite useful at times:P O...

I'm still working on the design of the blog--can't find enough time to get it all done in one shot.So bare bones it is for now! @Chella @Lakshmi Please feel free to edit and customize the design as much as you want to!:) That being said,the stage is all set.The floor is yours.Go ahead and post:) I'm done posting my two articles. Changelog: Added theme Added Posted by Added the ability to add a gadget in <main> Added a featured post slider to pick up posts featuring particular labels