April 2021 - Brighter Alleys

Things I Took for Granted... Until NOW

April 23, 2021
By Gauri
5 Comments

Hey Guys, welcome back to my blog! Today, I wanted to write something VERY positive, so I thought of this topic: I'll write the things that I'm thankful for. Now while writing this post, I also realised that I didn't pay much attention to these gifts before. I mean, I NEVER felt I was lucky or special or gifted in some way...

But after this post, I felt glad to see that I REALLY AM GIFTED! Well, you all are gifted and lucky too; if you too didn't realize this till now, read this post and find out!

I am writing this post in two sections, first: I'll write about twenty COMMON things which I now realise are special. Then, there's a twist : After twenty common things, I'll write ten CRAZY things I'm thankful for. Isn't it fun? But please keep up the suspense, don't scroll down right away😉

Twenty Things That I Am Grateful For

I am grateful because I got a chance to live a human life on earth.
I am very grateful because I saw the sunrise today, it means that I got another day to live.

I have a place to rest, a cozy bed and shelter- but not all enjoy these gifts.
I get to eat daily and whenever I want to. It means I am among the lucky ones who do not have to starve before the next diet.
I don't have to walk miles to get water. I am grateful for the 24×7 water supply.
I am lucky that I get to breathe fresh air every instance for free.
I am grateful to my parents, who sometimes scold me to show their love.
I am grateful to my teachers, who no matter how tired they are, solve my doubts whenever I have one.
I have books to study. I feel so lucky to get education in a good school.

I am grateful for the little plant garden I own in my flat. It has taught me to rejoice every small moment (my lemon seeds sprout yesterday:))
I am grateful that I get the chance to feed birds every morning. It is like God is giving me a chance to help other creatures.
I am very grateful to have friends who brought my life to full colour. Without them it would have been black and white!
I am grateful to have the opportunity to attend online classes. Internet ditches sometimes, but it still enables me to study.
I am grateful for all the social workers who help us everyday. The fruit sellers, shopkeepers and guards- each of whom risk their lives every day and work for our welfare.
I am very grateful for the mistakes I have ever done. They've taught me what is right and what is not.
I am grateful to those who got better grades than me. They made me realise that I am not at the top of this world.
I am grateful to have a study space, where I can read peacefully (and write this post as a draft in my notebook).

I am grateful that I have survived the COVID 19 pandemic for one year straight, and did not have shortage of essentials during crisis.
I am grateful to all the people who appreciated me even once in my life. They have encouraged me and given me the fuel to progress.
I am very grateful to all my followers, who have showed affection and support to me in blogging.

Ten Unique Things I Am Grateful For

This was probably what you were waiting for, right? Well, I WAS WAITING FOR IT TOO! I will be listing ten unique (or crazy if i should call) things I am really grateful for. Here we go:

I am grateful to:

1. Newton: For creating easy laws, which I am able to understand! (Actually, I also want to mention Mr. Einstein here, because HE made me realize that Newton's laws were easier😆)

2. Sanitizer: For giving me an inner satisfaction that I am safe (although the product I own might be only colour dissolved in scented water!)

3. Ludo: For letting me ~~waste~~ utilize my free time in lockdown

4. My handwriting: Although I don't like it, but it has helped me gather some 'good and stars' in my notebooks!

5. 3XL Clothes: For making me feel I'm slim even when I'm not😉

6. Chocolates: For immediately changing my mood when I'm about to cry🍫🍫

7. Rubber band: For holding my unruly hairs at one place!

8. Youtube: For teaching me how to do the splits....

9. Internet: For connecting me with the world in this 'online' era :-)

10. My blog: For helping me improve writing and communication skills and knowing there's an e-world on earth itself!

The End

So that was a looooooonggg list of things, right? But now, it's done-Are these the ONLY things I'm grateful for? Yeah! Probably I didn't forget something meanwhile, as this post took a big ✨5 days✨ to be compiled✨

Also, I am happy this post had so many images, let's see if there are a lot of comments too?! What are YOU grateful for? Tell me in the comments box about everything :)

Wow, time to say goodbye. No, it's see you soon, actually ;)

Cheers,

Gauri

Blogging

Twenty Years Older: A Letter Tag

April 17, 2021
By Gauri
30 Comments

Hey Guys, welcome back to my blog🎉 Today, I'm participating in a blog tag-and I'm thrilled to participate! It is a topic of letter and I'll write my answer HERE, in this post. So, the tag is created by me, and the question is inspired from a book called "The Art Of Being A Brilliant Teenager".

Well, this 'tag' means a question or task, which I'll do first and then encourage other bloggers to do as well. The rules for this letter tag are:

i) Appreciate the blogger who nominated you.
ii) Mention Gauri@BrighterAlleys, creator of this letter tag.
iii) Answer the question, which is a task to write a letter.
iv) Now, nominate five bloggers who you think are worth it. Make sure they know that they are nominated.

And here's the letter topic:

Imagine yourself to be twenty years older than now. You have become what you always wanted to, and are living your dream. But suddenly, the 'current version of you' pops out of nowhere and asks for some tips. What tips will you give? Write a letter from the 'twenty years older you' to the 'current you' and tell how you reached your goals in twenty years.

This is the letter topic on which every amazing nominee (including me) has to write. So I have to think that I'm thirty-four year old now, and then write to my past (fourteen-year old) version. It's going to be tough!

Now, here's my letter:

Dear little Gauri,

I'm Gauri too, but your the thirty-four (14+20) year old version. I would like to tell you that in today's world, you're fabulous! I know I'm praising myself, but trust me, I'm who you always wanted to be. And you have a big house with the garden of your dreams. You live in a calm place, but the whole world knows you! I mean-you're really famous here😃

But little girl, you had originally asked for tips, and see what? I'm not telling you any! You see, I'm talkative even now. But let's come to the point: How can you reach here, where I am standing now? There's no one-word answer to it, and that's because my journey had several ups and downs. Sometimes things were tough and out of hand, and sometimes I thought to give up. But, as Babe Ruth said, "You can't defeat a person who never gives up", I too kept on working tirelessly.

I invested days and nights in studying, programming, working for my dreams... I will tell you one thing: there's nothing as "luck" in reality. Everything depends on how much effort you put into it. I want you to always be ambitious, and strive for success. I can guarantee you this: If you work real hard, and that MEANS real hard, no one can stop you from achieving your goals. But hard work should be complemented with smartness! Sometimes OTHERS may try to take advantage of your efforts, don't let them.

And always obey your parents. Even when their advices might not be what you prefer, they'll always think the right for you. Also, make good friends. You know what, your friends may be the best companions you'll ever need! Sometimes you might think that you're enough by yourself- but the support of loved ones can't be ignored sweetheart :)

I would now give you one last tip, or you'll think "how boring my thirty-four year version is!". Learn to be happy with yourself. If you feel that you'll be happy AFTER you accomplish something, or AFTER you get a top rank, you'll NEVER really be happy. It's actually quite the opposite: if you are happy NOW, you might easily accomplish something or get a top rank. Happiness is free, don't try to buy it ;)

Your BIG version,

The thirty-four year-old Gauri

So this was the letter I expect my thirty-four year verion to write. How was it? For me, it was a fun experience but also tricky at the same time! I had to think a LOT while writing it💦

Now here are my nominees, whom I think can write an even awesome letter:

1. Maith @ Maith's Musings

2. Vanya @ Chirps of a Forest Bird

3. Shanessa @ My Days in Montana

4. Evin @ A Curly Sue's Ramblings

5. Roshni @ Roshni's Random Thoughts

These were the amazing people whom I nominate. If you too are capable of writing a letter but are not in the list, don't worry! You can use this letter tag too, PROVIDED that you follow the rules. So, in a way, I nominate you too! Accept it- and continue this tag chain, dear blogger 😉

And be sure to tell me in the comments section if you enjoyed this post. It was unique for me, the first tag I've ever created! Try clicking the share buttons and make this post even unique😊 See you soon...

Cheers,

Gauri

Blogging

How I Write My Blog Posts

April 14, 2021
By Gauri
9 Comments

Hey Guys, welcome back to my blog! Recently I was thinking of some blog-post ideas and I thought why not share with you all HOW I make my posts?! So today, I'll tell you my whole procedure and share some quick tips of my own. Before starting, I would like to thank you all for your excellent response to my post Nominated for Mystery Blogger Award😊 It became my most famous post of 2021! Thank you all, and thanks Ivy for the nomination! Now let's get started, without my normally LONG INTRO!

The FIVE steps I follow for making my posts are:

The Basic Idea
Getting Creative (Typing)
Images- the Spices!
Schedule, Labels and Techie-jobs
Publish and Furnish

Let's be a little detailed on these topics, but I'll try to keep them short ;)

1. The Basic Idea

All the content you see on my blog started with a blueprint in my mind. I imagine of what words I'll include in the post, the catchy lines, and the headings I would use. After I've made my mind, I make a REALLY ROUGH draft in a notebook. It includes only the beginning lines and the names of every topic.

Then I put the rough draft onto my blogger homepage. If I'm not sure of what topics to include, I prefer writing your draft post as an essay, then divide it at the end :)

Quick Tip: When the "New Post" button is clicked, ensure not to leave the draft for too long. For me, if the draft becomes nearly a week-old, I forget the content which I would write!

2. Getting Creative (Typing)

Okay, so as you know, this is the major part for blogging. For me, I first type everything I can think of, related to the topic. But all the lines can NOT be good, that's why I remove the not-so-perfect lines before posting. Then, an important step would be to ensure the grammar is correct. Either I check it manually, or through a website Word Counter.

After the complete text is ready, I check the alignments, font style and text sizes. Then is the time to get creative! I roughly go through the paras and add hi-lights, italics, bolds, etc. There are some portions of text which I want to emphasize, so I put them in CAPITAL or BOLD. (Or both, like this one!)

Quick Tip: Use emojis to add a zing to the reading part. They might also help the reader know how you're feeling inside!

3. Images-The Spices!

If you've read my post How To Write An Effective Blog Post, I have talked of how important the images are for our blog. It has been a personal experience of mine that my posts with less than three images get comparatively lesser views than others. That makes images a MUST-HAVE for a blog to blow up, right?

Since I have talked so much about images in my above-linked post, you can go through it too😊

Quick Tip: If you want your images to not be used by anyone else, then try adding a copyright symbol and your website within the image. This can be done by any photo-editing app like Canva, Photoshop or Snapseed.

4. Schedule, Labels and Techie-jobs

While writing a post in blogger, you can see the techie stuff in the right side of the screen. I give them complete attention before publishing ANY of my posts. One of the most important things is "Search Description". If you already know it, brilliant! Otherwise, it's never too late ;)

Well, we use the Search Description to add a small part of our post in that text-box. This is important because the text you add here gets visible in google search. Like this:

And the second important thing for me is the 'schedule'. More professional bloggers publish posts on a VERY FIXED schedule, but you know, I'm not one😉. I still use it to put a fixed timing to my posts. I know the rest of the options in blogger are so common that everyone knows it better!!

5. Publish and Furnish

After everything is done, I'm left with a one-second job: Clicking the Publish button. One second, right?

Probably not.. Becoz after publishing, I open my website and SEE how my post turns out. There are many corrections that I notice only after my post is published; so it is important for me to re-check my published post. Once or twice might be enough (but some mistakes just don't stop from happening!)

Let me tell you an example: In my Second Collab, I put up a picture of 'happy new year' with an amazingly silly mistake! Instead of "Buh-bye 2020", I wrote "Buh-buy 2020"! It was my friend who told me the error and I corrected it...after FOUR days😂

Conclusion:

All right, so this was my process of writing a blog post. I really feel so happy to share it with you all. I wanted to write this post MONTHS AGO ~~but who would've read it back then?~~! I was hardly getting 50 views/week.

And I have a good news too: Brighter Alleys has crossed the 15k views mark on Blogger! Thanks to all of you💓 Hope you keep enjoying this blog, and I keep enjoying writing for you :)

Cheers,

Gauri

Life

FREE Motivational Thoughts For You!

April 11, 2021
By Gauri
13 Comments

Hey Guys, welcome back to my blog! Today's post is on the the theme: MOTIVATION. I was basically feeling bored with the monotonous 'my life' posts, so I thought of something new: Today, I'm writing ten of the most amazing thoughts I've ever read. I also gave a download link at the end of this post, so that you can DOWNLOAD and PRINT these FREEBIES!

Yes, they're free! You can read, print and stick these thoughts at your study place if they're good enough! Also tell me in the comments box if you have your own quotes too. Let's not wait any more- time to get motivated friends 😉

Okay, so all the thoughts below are not my own, but the image created is mine. That means I'll not take the credit of the awesomeness hidden in these lines, but definitely for the awesome picture!

Well, I have created all these images with Canva- an amazing graphic designing app. It's perfect for creating cartoons, images and even videos for your site! Click this link to join Canva. If you create an account using the link I'm giving you, both of us will get a premium icon for free; that's a win-win!

Thought 1: "Ask yourself what you are doing today is getting you closer to what you want to be tomorrow."

Thought 2: "The distance between your dreams and reality is called action!"

Thought 3: "The day you plant the seeds is not the day you eat the fruits."

Thought 4: "The greatest fear people live in is the fear of what other people think"

Thought 5: Every time you quit, someone else gets your prize

Thought 6: Success doesn't come to you. YOU GO TO IT.

Thought 7: "The best view comes after the hardest climb."

Thought 8: Sometimes later becomes never. DO IT NOW

Thought 9: Forget the mistake. But never forget the lesson.

Thought 10: The only difference between a good day and a bad day is: YOUR ATTITUDE.

All right, so these were the ten quotes I wanted to share with you. Now, for your convenience, I've shared a download button below. It'll save all the above thoughts in your Google Drive.

Click the beautiful download button below to download (of course):

So that's all for today's post. It took me nearly four hours to complete this post, and that's why I hope you ~~liked~~ LOVED it! And ever thought of using the share buttons? They do work!

Also, tell me in the comments section which quote was your favourite. Lemme see is we have similar choices! Waiting. . . . . . . . . . . . !

Cheers,

Gauri

Blogging

Nominated for Mystery Blogger Award

April 06, 2021
By Gauri
18 Comments

Hey Guys, welcome back to my blog! This post is so fun to write, because I've been nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award -----Tadaaaa! 🎉🥳 And a big thanks to Ivy@Ivy's Scribbles for nominating me! Well, she nominated me in January 2021, and I was having some *school work* and I could not do the award then. But it's never too late to receive a blogger award, I guess?

I've also got the Liebster Award, and my post on Nominated For Liebster Award just blew up! But the award I'm getting NOW seems more exciting😤

Well, I should first tell you what the Mystery Blogger Award is, and why is it so exciting to me...Well, it's kinda an appreciation token that Ivy gave to me. I'll be answering some of her questions (a compulsory rule before accepting a Blogger Award😆). Then, I'll be nominating some bloggers, and they'll answer my questions. That's pretty much like a chain of bloggers getting awards for their work.

So here are the RULES that nominees must follow:

1.) Display the award logo on your blog.
2.) Mention Okoto Enigma, the creator of the award.
3.) Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
4.) Answer 5 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
5.) Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
6.) Share the link to your best post.
7.) Nominate 10 – 20 bloggers and notify them that they are nominated.
8.) Ask your nominees 5 questions of your choice, including 1 weird or funny question.
9.) Continue the chain!!

And here comes the logo: (pretty, isn't it?)

Okay, now starting the questionnaire round:

Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.

I'll tell you three UNIQUE things (not really) about me:

1. I believe that early civilizations were more intelligent than modern man.

2. I love gardening, even when most of the seeds I plant don't come up.
3. I dislike leafy veggies (the essence is so un-exotic to me!)

Share the link to your best post.

This has been one of the most optimistic and top-read posts of mine: What Would my Ideal Day be Like. I have written so many posts which are my favourite, but your responses on this post make it just so special🌟✨

Answer 5 questions from the blogger who nominated you.

Vanilla or Chocolate ?

Definitely Chocolate🍫🍫 I think I can live all my life just by eating chocolates *ignore the big belly I'll gain*

Your least favourite Book/TV character ?

Tough Question! Okay, I got the answer after thinking for long: I hate Margaret and teacher Miss Battle in Horrid Henry. They're so rude! I think they could've been funnier instead... But the show is nonetheless fun!

What’s your favourite thing about blogging ?

I've always said about this thing: I love blogging because it is an outlet for my expressions and creativity. I get a chance to talk to the world, and connect to some of the most awesome bloggers ever! I now know quite a lot of bloggers, but when I had started, there was just me alone😀

If you had one super power, what would it be ?

That would be "the power to learn anything I want". That also gives me the complementary power, which is just the opposite: "the power to forget anything I wish to". They are a perfect match! All the not-so-cool memories erased, only paradise-ical memories in mind🌈

( Weird one ) If you could enter a book/ tv show, which character would you want to punish because of how oblivious they are?

I will be punishing mini doraemons😏 They're cute, but totally un-mindful! They do just one thing: michiefs, and then they'd say one thing-Doraraaaaa.....🎵🎶

So these all were my answers for the Mystery Blogger Award . Hope you liked them!

Now, I'll be nominating some bloggers to answer my questions. Here they are:

1. Isabella @Mizz Iz Blogs

2. Smeeha@ Lala Life Of Smeeha

3. Maya @ Pretty Little Scribbles

4. Tanuj Rathi @ Words Of Wonder

5. Vanya @ Chirps of a Forest Bird

6. Maith @ Maith's Musings

7. Adarsh @ Teenage Blogger

Lucky number seven!

Dear nominees, congratulations to you. Now it's your turn to participate in the event. Answer the below questions and accept the appreciation from me!

1. What would you prefer: Eating at a restaurant or Ordering at home?

2. The most unique cartoon character (according to you) is ____________.

3. What's the reason for choosing the title of your blog it's having now?

4. If given a chance to explore one planet or satellite of the Solar System, which one would you choose and why?

5. Time for the weird question! Would you prefer an encounter with a live mummy or visit a house full of creepy dolls? Why?

➖❌➖❌➖❌➖

Hope you liked this post. Well, if you are a blogger and I didn't nominate YOU, don't worry! Just drop me a comment (and give a follow if you haven't already). Then, I'll be nominating you the next time, when I get a chance. And for my awesome readers, I made a special question. Answer in the comments section : (and click the share buttons, if you can see them!!)

Where on earth would you like to travel if given an opportunity (and a free ticket)?

Cheers,

Gauri :))

Books and Studies

Time For Results! My Expectations?

April 03, 2021
By Gauri
6 Comments

Hey Guys, welcome back to my blog! So this is my second post after my blog-hibernation. This post is all about my current situation, upcoming results, new class and my thoughts on them. Well, I'm pretty happy-scared that my annual examination results are to be declared soon!

About Exams:

My exams were offline, but as soon as they got over, a school-lockdown was announced in my city! I felt pretty shocked, bcoz only my school (and a very few others) had conducted their exams; while other school kids were lucky enough to get promoted-at-home😐 What about you, did you give your exams or..?

Anyways, the positive side is that I got to meet my "long time no see" friends. I was so excited when I saw them all, covered in a layer of N95 snout! They had all grown real tall (and fat, some of them). We all had grown so big that sometimes the invigilator teacher would be the shortest one in the exam hall!

After Exams:

I finally had my exams over after two long weeks, and we had the best-ever party in the school bus! Maybe you too had offline exams, how was the final day? Tell in the comments please! Okay, keeping it not too long, I'll tell you what's coming next: RESULTS! Like the two weeks of exams holidays passed so quickly, and this week, we're gettin' the "not-awaited" report card😖 Wish me luck guys!

Waiting for the Results:

I don't know how much marks I'll get, but I surely expect something better than 90% (or atleast better than 80). Hopefully the day will be a bliss for me, and I wish I get a pat instead of a lecture! I guess I'll get above average, actually LOT ABOVE AVERAGE in science and maths (and computer, my favourite one). But I won't wish to predict my History and Geography marks. They were just so lengthy and hard nuts to crack-as expected!

But the literature and grammar papers were o.k. English Grammar was the last exam, so you should know how less willing I was to study it😂. And I only had enough time to READ the chapters- a few pages were unread even till the day of exam.

Well, I'm not exaggerating (I know I REALLY sound like that!) In fact I had two exams on the last day, so I could devote less time to each of them. If you too had offline exams, then how did you manage them? Can I get some tips please?!

Anyways, exams are done, so no more discussion! Let's talk about what's next: a new standard! Just the best part of the year, probably😀

And a new class finally

I can't wait to go to my new class! I'm already bubbling with thoughts and imagination of how my new class would be. More excitement is there because of the fact that, every year the sections are reshuffled. This makes me too impatient to know who my new classmates are. Are your sections shuffled too? Or is there any basis of getting sections?

Well, all my friends are currently in different sections, so you know how much I wish to reunite with them! And the thoughts of new books, new teachers and a new class (of course) delight me too...

Well, every year I make a plan of what I want to achieve in the new academic year. This year, too, I wish to make one; however, I'm scared with the new COVID wave in India, and if I'll get a chance to fulfill my goals. Uncertainty everywhere, you see... But hopes should dominate them right?

Concluding lines..

If you too make a plan every year, tell me in the comments. Or do you prefer to go with the flow? Exciting! I really appreciate all your (good) thoughts; and that too, after a long blogger's block (the right word probably, instead of blogger's hibernation😆).

And don't read the previous post if you haven't already, it's not that cheerful!

Okay, see you soon,

Cheers,

Gauri :)

Pages

Things I Took for Granted... Until NOW

Twenty Years Older: A Letter Tag

How I Write My Blog Posts

FREE Motivational Thoughts For You!

Nominated for Mystery Blogger Award

Time For Results! My Expectations?

About Me

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