Category: Short Story

“Yes, I figured out how to make a million dollars in the real estate business. You start out with two million. Now, that’s what I call a million-dollar idea.”

Next joke, please.

A real estate software sales representative was on a pitch to an agent: “Our innovative combination CRM system and original transaction management software will cut your workload in half!”

“Sounds great. I’ll take two”, says the agent.

Okay, enough with the fun but that’s what you have been hearing and reading all around you, haven’t you? But when you see the overall Indian economy, it is evident that the same-low graph has been the daunting factor for many dominating sectors of India. Why so havoc only with the real estate? The slowing down is consistent and similar in other lucrative sector. But, in this situation, if you deal with coherent strategies, it’s certain that you will get to see the bubble i.e. boom. The survey predicts that the number of people demanding homes will be more in future. Before understanding the future market of India, let’s go into what a ‘Real Estate Bubble’ is.

A real estate bubble is a type of economic bubble that occurs periodically in real estate markets. After almost a year of few imperative reforms, the coming days are looking optimistic. When the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016 (RERA) came into force, it brought extraordinary levels of transparency into real estate projects, reduce delays in projects, clear out unprincipled developers, and many beneficial executions. When it comes to affordable housing, Indian real estate is on an upward trajectory again. Fortunately, the experts forecast that 2018 will be a better year than the prevailing ones.

The tenacity of today’s real estate market is to re-establish the self-assurance amongst the buyers on the Indian residential real estate sector, which reiterates itself that there is more potential demand in future. The potential future demand is directly proportional to number of buyers and disposable income. Surprisingly, both factors are simultaneously rising and that’s a noteworthy element for a common man to reconsider about the proposition of residential investment he intends to do in the future.

“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” — Mark Twain

India’s real estate market is anticipated to touch US$ 180 billion by 2020. It has already witnessed high growth in recent times with the rise in demand for office as well as residential spaces.

Info graphic (we can represent the same statistics differently)

Homie: “Man, why are you paying 15k rent when you can buy your own house and set the EMI of 15k.”

Anti-homie: “True. But, isn’t it risky today as the real estate market is fluctuating.”

Homie: “Tell me which sector isn’t?  You know what. Disposable income per person in India is increasing. So, the current youth population can easily have access to these rising wealth to buy homes in future. Do you get it?

Anti-homie: Sure, I am motivated. House is a basic need. Also, I saw in the news that the number of people to need homes will increase and that means now is the right time to buy it.

Homie: Exactly. As Louis Glickman, real estate investor, says, “The best investment on Earth is earth.”

India is a country full of youths and buying a house so that one feels secure becomes a basic necessity. Approximately, our 65% youth normally gives 10-15 solid years to build on their professions, living in rented accommodation along the way.

The number of people in the young age bracket is far higher than the people in the age group of 35 who have either settled down with a nice residence or planned to buy the house. It’s time for the youth. It’s now or never to buy the home of their dreams.

I talked with one of my friends, Shalini. She has her point of view (A-Z) on how these Vitamin things work. I just penned it down.

“Being a woman of today’s competitive world, I did not (still don’t) get enough time to focus on the choices that I made regarding my health and well-being. The result of which was that I ended up regretting my actions. My choices or rather the lack of them started affecting my body in the worst possible ways. Not only did I start gaining weight, but my skin also started getting dry and wrinkly. Most importantly I started feeling low all the time. It was as if I did not have enough strength to complete any work satisfactorily. Let alone regain my happy place. Well, the second name of Vitamin E is ‘#Evion’.

Then, after what felt like a lifetime of gloomy days, I one day decided that I WILL change my present situation. I decided I wanted or rather needed to focus on my health and well-being. For this, like most people, I researched the ways, through which I could improve myself without taking outside help like going to a dietician or adhering to a strict diet. Let’s be honest, nobody likes being told what to eat, let alone be forced to eat measured food.

At that point, the internet came to my rescue and disclosed something that I had learned early in life. The fact that a human body needs some essential vitamins which not only ensure its well-being in the present but are also precautions for some severe health issues that might arise with age. One of these essential vitamins is Vitamin E and Evion Supplements.

The reason I say it is essential is that it acts as an antioxidant that travels throughout the body neutralising free radicals which would otherwise damage fat-containing structures like cell membranes and brain cells. The regular intake of these nutrients is essential for the proper functioning of a number of processes in our body. It even prevents oxidative stress. Other than facilitating healthy muscles, regular intake of vitamin E benefits our skin. Well, while all this information may seem to a little technical, it’s vital that we are aware of it. For everyone’s better understanding, I’ll break down everything and list all the benefits separately. All with a bonus of sharing my own experience.

However, before moving forward I would like to state that the purpose of all this is present before everyone a picture where they would realise the importance vitamin E themselves. Now let’s get this show on the road.

BALANCE HORMONES

The hormonal imbalance in a human body is quite a natural phenomenon. However, it may cause problems such as allergies, weight gain, and urinary infections; to name few. It has been proved by the researchers that vitamin E helps in balancing the hormones naturally without depending on medicines.

Further, vitamin E is necessary for females as it helps in reducing cramps, anxiety and other PMS symptoms. By balancing the hormones, it not only decreases the severe pain but also reduces the menstrual blood loss. The best part is that all of this can be done naturally.

When I first learnt about this benefit, I also got to know about various vitamin E capsules and supplements available in the market. But, before taking any medication, I thought it would be better to talk to my gynaecologist and discussed it with her. After our discussion, she prescribed me a suitable vitamin E capsule. However, she, again and again, emphasised that rather than taking some capsules, I should start including vitamin E rich food items in my daily diet.

Even though I believed her, I was desperate for immediate results. So, for my next 2-3 menstrual cycles I took the vitamin E capsules but also followed her advice. Gradually, I realised the unbearable pain and cramps that I usually felt had now started reducing to the point that I no longer needed to take those capsules. And let’s just say that after that I was one happy female who no longer dreaded her periods.

STIMULATING HAIR GROWTH

I am sure everyone has heard other people use the phrases “good hair day” or “bad hair day”. Generally in today’s time, having a bad hair day could hamper one’s overall look. In fear of this, people keep on experimenting with numerous products and styles. Thus, exposing their hair to heat and chemical, which in turn further destroy their hair. In all this, they forget to provide their hair with few essentials that it actually needs to naturally look and stay healthy. This is where vitamin E comes into the picture. As mentioned above, vitamin E is an antioxidant, which possesses the properties to repair our damaged follies and promotes the circulation to the scalp. This helps in decreasing hair fall and increasing hair growth, all while giving our hair a lustrous look.  Not only this, vitamin E prevents our hair from premature greying.

The reason why I have written the above words it because I myself have experienced all these things. I remember that in my school days I used to have so much volume in my hair. Unfortunately, at that time I didn’t care and value what my healthy hair. I kept exposing my hair to heat; sometimes straightening them other times curling them. In the end, the result was that my natural hair volume was lost and on top of that, my hair permanently looked damaged.

One might think that all this would not have happened if I had used heat protector lotions that are available in the market. But let me tell you that even if I had used them, the result would have been the same. This is because almost all the heat protectors have chemicals that harm our hair. Not only this, the shampoos and conditioners that we use also have such chemicals.

Thus, I needed a solution which would be beneficial in the long run. And like I said above, vitamin E came to my rescue. I started massaging my scalp with coconut milk. I leave it in my hair for 30-40 minutes and then wash it with a mild or organic shampoo. I suggest repeating this two times a week for 2-3 months to observe a positive result.

REPAIRS DAMAGED SKIN

When I say that vitamin E helps in repairing damaged skin, I don’t just mean that it acts as a moisturiser. Yes, it’s true that it restores and rejuvenates our dehydrated skin, but it does a lot more than that. It acts as a cleansing agent and prevents our skin from becoming dull and wrinkly.

Personally, I am someone whose skin gets dry very fast. This situation gets worse in winters. In winters, even when I apply moisturiser, after few hours I feel that skin, is getting dry; especially my hands. So, I need something that would properly get absorbed by my skin and keep it moisturised and soft for the longest time possible.

Here again, a basic vitamin E rich remedy came to my rescue. This remedy was the use of olive oil. Yes, to fight the dry skin problem, all anyone needs is some warm olive oil. Gently massage it for 5-10 minutes on the body. While everyone can apply it whenever they get time, I believe the best time is before going to sleep as it would give the skin a proper time to absorb the oil. Also, after the massage, everyone would sleep better.

Further, when I regularly started following this routine, I realised that it proved beneficial for more than just the above aspects. It helped in soothing pain, lighting dark spots and fading scars. So, yeah I totally recommend it.

IMPROVED VISION

Even though I have a good eyesight, earlier I used to get my eyesight checked on a regular basis. This is because I am constantly in front of a screen, whether working on a laptop or watching TV. Due to which sometimes I was unable to focus on what was in front of me or would have severe headaches. However, once I started focusing on myself, I realised that this problem too could be solved at home and that too by making small changes in my eating habits.

To keep my eyesight healthy, in addition to vitamin E, I started consuming an adequate amount of vitamin A and zinc. The food items that I would recommend for healthy eyesight would be nuts and seed, as they are excellent sources of required vitamins and minerals. Additionally, they are a tasty snack which everyone can have in between meals. Personally, since my childhood, I eat 5-6 almonds every day before or after breakfast. I guess that is why I have a good eyesight. However, if someone is not a big fan of eating raw almonds, then there are other ways to consume it such as drinking a glass of almond milk.

PHYSICAL STRENGTH

There is a pre-conceived notion that physical strength can only be achieved by exercising. Well, my friends, this is one of the most popular myths that exist in the world. While exercise will definitely help one achieve this goal; there is another way as well and that way is eating right.

Yes, I am not kidding. I myself did not believe it when I first heard it. However, once I started eating healthy food; included vitamin E and other essential vitamins and minerals in my diet, I realised my physical strength and endurance was getting better. Surprised by the level of effective change, I started gathering facts. At that time, I got to know that vitamin E in reduces the power of oxidative stress on the muscles and increases the muscle strength. Further, it gradually increases energy in the body. Well, it worked for me and I am pretty sure it would work for many (if not all) of everyone as well.

While these all are the benefits that I have noticed till now, there are several other benefits of vitamin E. Some of which are listed below.

• It helps people with Alzheimer’s disease.
• It helps in balancing the cholesterol as it serves as an antioxidant which fights cholesterol oxidation.
• It is believed that it lowers cancer risk and also helps in improving the effects of medical treatments.
• Theories state that it is important for women during pregnancy for proper growth and development in infants.

Now that I have mentioned the benefits of consuming vitamin E, I’ll also provide a list the sources or food items to make things all the more easier for you. Everyone must have noticed that it’s not in every section that I have mentioned about making vitamin E rich food items a part of a daily diet. Nevertheless, it is applicable to all the about benefits. Even if a people don’t follow any of the above suggested routines and just adds vitamin E to their diet, I am confident that there would be a constructive change in their health and well-being. So, now I’ll provide below a list of recommended food items that are rich in vitamin E. They have worked for me and I am pretty confident that they work for everyone else too.

• Olive oil- Like I have mentioned earlier, I use olive oil as a natural moisturiser to rehydrate my skin and scalp. Apart from this, I use it for cooking as well and sometimes even put a little on the salads.
• Peanuts – What many of us don’t know is the fact that peanuts are a great source of antioxidants, rich in non-saturated fat. It is good for the heart, prevent colon cancer and gallstone. As for making it a part of the diet, I usually eat it as a munching snack.
• Sunflower seed- Like peanuts, I eat a handful of sunflower seeds to munch on a snack. It can also be used to garnish the salad.
• Avocados- One avocado contains 20% of the required daily intake of vitamin E. However, personally I eat it 2-3 in a week as I feel it is quite heavy on the stomach.
• Almonds- My love for almonds goes way back. Since childhood whenever I needed a quick fix of energy, almonds came to my rescue.
• Broccoli- this is one of my favourite vegetables. I am a big fan of eating boiled vegetables for dinner and broccoli is at the top of that list. Everyone who has not till date eaten this vegetable, I request you all, please try it.
• Spinach- This is considered to be one of the healthiest green leafy vegetables. It can be eaten raw like tossed up in a salad. However, since I am an Indian, I generally cook a spinach dish by boiling it and then lightly frying it with some other vegetables such as potato or paneer (cottage cheese).
• Shrimp- This may seem a surprise as shrimp is high in cholesterol but it is a low-calorie food which is rich in not just vitamin E but other vitamin and minerals as well. Talking about the intake, I personally combine it with chopped onions, chilli peppers (also rich in vitamin E), and garlic. Lastly, I add some olive oil to it.

Apart from these, vitamin E is also said to be found in food items like kiwi, mustard seeds, asparagus, beet greens, turnip greens, apricot. I am sure there are other items too that could be added to the list.

Thus, this is my vitamin E mantra. Or more likely my dose of a healthy lifestyle. Frankly, these little changes and their gradual results are what has persuaded me to keep following this. Not only this, the change that I feel in myself is what has encouraged me to share my experiences with others as no matter what we might think; most of us encounter similar situations at some point of our life. So, like I have shared my mantra, I hope many others share theirs so that we all can learn and benefit from each other experiences.”

Evion is Indian’s No. 1 Doctor Recommended Vitamin E. I think I can say this now, can’t I?

WWE Mayhem by Reliance Big Entertainment (UK) Private Limited.

#BringonTheMayhem

When was the last time you had the adrenaline rush while playing video games? Do you remember playing WWE games at your friend’s house for hours? Well, you better get ready to experience the same chaos again. WWE Mayhem will deliver the hard-hitting fun in the most adventurous, authentic and actionable way for all the WWE aficionados. Enter the mayhem of WWE’s greatest roster of all time by becoming your favorite Superstar as John Cena, The Rock, Andre The Giant, Triple H, Xavier Woods, AJ Styles, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Brock Lessner, Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Kane, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Jinder Mahal, Kalisto, Big E and many more.

WWE Mayhem brings to you the over the top moves of WWE legends who punch you right in the guts. From the outstanding power packed finishing moves to the reversal of it, this game will trigger excitement, eagerness and entertainment. This game isn’t all about wrestling; it’s an amalgamation of innovative combat and fast-paced arcade action in the most desirable way possible. It’s all about how you feel when you jump in the ring, isn’t it?

That feeling is only few finishing moves away. All you have to do is get in the ring and unleash devastating signature play styles.

Total Immersion: Is it you or your favorite superstar who is hitting the opponent hard enough to be engrossed in the most epic matches? Aren’t you totally into it?

Look, Look: Each WWE legend is given a completely fresh and highly styled makeover to double the fun you used to get while watching them fight. Look twice! Aren’t they real?

Smacking Raw-ster: Find your WWE Superstars from RAW & Smack Down. Play as/with the supreme of all time.

Combat Class: Make your own legendary squad from class: Brawler, High Flyer, Powerhouse, Technician, Wildcard & Showman.

Tag Team: Wouldn’t it be fascinating if you two of your favorites make a team and jump into the ring? Make your own tag team.

Brutal Moves: Add up your punch meter in the game and make a high velocity surprising reversal move to thrash the opponent.

Weekly Events: Play action-packed events in sync with Monday Night RAW, Smack Down Live, Clash of Champions PPV.

With all the rewards of Gold, Boosts, Bounties, Special Prizes, make your MAYHEM.

Punch. Defend. Kick. Move. Thrash. Signature Move. Tap 1,2,3. And the winner is…..

Nowadays, carpooling is a big thing, and according to many, the need of the hour. However, I was never one a great supporter of it. I couldn’t understand that how can someone travel with a bunch of complete strangers, with whom you probably have nothing in common. So, no matter what the circumstances, I never went with carpooling option while booking a cab. Until one (un)fortunate day.

I remember that day clearly for many reasons. I was getting late and the nearest individual Uber was 20 minutes away. On top of that, it had started pouring half an hour ago. At that time, because I was out of preferable options, I checked the waiting for the carpool and much to my dismay it was just 5 minutes away. So, half-heartedly I booked the carpooling Uber and waited for it to arrive. Once it arrived, I saw that I was the first passenger. I asked the driver if he had any other pickup, he replied: “abhi bas 1 aur hai”. After 5 minutes we reached for that other passengers’ pickup. Turns out that passenger was an angel. Clothed in a white shirt and black trousers, she was dressed to perfection. Not even a hair was out of proportion.

Finally, she entered the cab and much to my surprise to the seat right beside me. The reason I was surprised was that we were in an Inova and I was in the last row. I had assumed that she would sit in the middle row but was happy that she was sitting near me.

Immediately after sitting, she started arguing with the driver, asking why was he 15 minutes late and that she always went to carpools and never had she had to wait for so long. In reply, the driver told that this sir, referring to me, too had booked the cab at the almost same time and since my place was closer, so he picked me first. At that very instant, I got the dirtiest and angriest possible look from her.

Imagine this, on one hand, I am fascinated and in total awe of this girl, and on the other she is fuming inside seeing my smiling face. And, what happened next did not help either one of us.

Remember I said it was raining, so guess what happened, traffic jam. Once the driver moved from inner lanes to the outer road, I was clear that we would get stuck in the traffic jam. We both tried contacting our offices for a leave or work-from-home, but surprisingly it was rejected and so no matter how late we got, we had to report to the offices.

Well, everybody knows that there is no way two people avoid each other if they are stuck in a small space, even if they are enemies. So, automatically after few minutes, the driver started some talking about the corrupt govt. and thereafter, the conversation started to flow.

After some time, I realised that this girl sitting beside me was a perfect combination of beauty with brains. And with every passing minute, I was more and more impressed by her. Busy in our conversation, we did not realise that the driver has just pulled in front of her office.

However, she did not immediately get down, as if waiting for me to say something. But me being me, was not sure what to say. Whether to ask her out or to just say goodbye. After almost 5 minutes, she finally moved to get down of the car and at that same moment, I gathered some courage to say something. But as my luck would have it, her phone rang and answering it, she left. Not once looking back. And, at that very moment, I realised that I didn’t even know her name.

I am a firm believer in the saying “love can happen to anyone, anywhere”. Mostly, because I am 28 year of a single guy who is desperate to be in a relationship. Yes, a proper relationship and not just sex. Though I cannot say that had not had any offers of that too.

Now that I told everyone that obviously have no love life, what-so-ever, let me also just tell you that I am not big on money. The result of which I have to travel to everywhere by public transport so that I can save every penny for the future.

Probably now it’s clear that I am one of those million ordinary guys who live their life on autopilot mode in the hope of better future. Plus, being an ordinary decent guy means you have several friends who are girls.

One such “girlfriend” of mine was the one I met in a bus one day. Though our first meeting was accidental, our encounters ever since are the highlight of my day. Mostly because I am a quiet listener and she is a chatterbox. In the evenings, when both of us take the same bus (I consciously tried to manage my schedule according to hers) we have almost an hour before she gets down at her station. This kept going for a year, and both of us a formed a friendship that I know was special for us.

However, for me, it was more than just friendship. Only after a month knowing her, I knew that she was different and the kind of different that I was looking for in a girl. Every time I talked to her, I felt more and more drawn towards her. It’s like, she has a vibe that just regenerates every cell in my body.

You all must have been thinking I am a ‘loser’ for having ‘guts’ to ask out a girl about whom I was crazy. But, my friends, it is not as easy as seems. Not to sound too philosophical, but sometimes in life, you have something that is too good that you don’t feel like risking it. Well, for me, my friendship with her was like that, I couldn’t think about losing it. I was scared of thinking that would I be able to bear her rejection.

But, all the philosophical thoughts aside, the reality is that I am a guy and the guys are meant to do screw things up. And that exactly what I did.

One evening, on the valentines eve, I decided that I would ask her to meet me somewhere else, maybe for lunch or just coffee. Repeating the plan in my mind, I approached her. However, it was not until the bus was about to reach her station that I was able to say something to her. and, what I said was alien to my ears too, because what was supposed to be “let’s meet for lunch or coffee”, turned into “I love you”. She stopped right in her tracks and looked into my eyes. A smile formed on her lips but before exiting the bus, she uttered “Too late. Sorry”.

After that, I never saw her again and after pondering over our every conversation I realised that I was in fact too late to recognise all the signals she was sending me for a long time.