Summer 2019 was spent in a brand new place- a state I’ve never visited before, Georgia! On the weekends, I took the time to soak in everything Atlanta and its surrounding areas had to offer. Here, I’ve compiled a list of some of the places I’ve explored. Maybe you can visit some of these if you ever visit GA! Here’s to the good old south. “Just an old sweet song…keeps Georgia on my Mind,” –Ray Charles

1. MLK Jr. National Historical Park: The entire essence of one of U.S history’s most prominent and inspiring leaders in one place. Here you can visit MLK Jr’s childhood home, as well as the same exact church where he used to preach. The museum chronologies his entire life, from his early days growing up in Atlanta, to challenging segregation and leading the Civil Rights movement. Such an inspiring place.
2. Centennial Olympic Park: A beautiful and expansive park in the heart of Atlanta. It was built by the Atlanta Olympic Committee, and hosts live music, a large fountain show (which takes the shape of the olympic rings) and a giant ferris wheel overlooking the entire city. It’s in the center of many of Atlanta’s popular visiting sites, including the World of Coca Cola.
3. CNN Headquarters: The world HQ of one of the country’s largest and oldest news broadcasting platforms. Inside are the main newsrooms and studios for many of the news channels. You can take a studio tour to get a glimpse of how it all happens.
4. Stone Mountain: Literally a huge mountain/hike where you can climb to get a 360 degree view of the Atlanta skyline. The view really cannot be described in words or through a picture. It also has a sky lift that can take you up and down the mountain, and even a food court at the very top of the mountain. The popsicles really came in handy in the 90 degree weather.
5. A TON of hiking trails: It seemed like every street corner had a walking trail here in GA. There are so many trees, so many places to just go to when you want to escape in nature (complete opposite to Dallas). It’s great exercise and perfect for finding your “zen”.
6. Shopping: I love the malls here. Sugarloaf Mills and North Point mall have a huge selection of stores. Gwinnett Place Mall is an older mall where the third season of Stranger Things was filmed!

Hello Friends! I’m so sorry I have not posted in so long! I haven’t been the best at keeping up on my blog, but I’ve made it a goal to post at least once a week now. Today, I turned 19 years old, the last year of being a teenager. I decided to take some time to reflect on this past year, and write a list of 19 things that I learned at 19. Sorry in advance if some of these sound cliche or cheesy. But everything I wrote comes from my heart, and I hope you find something worthwhile in it. Thank you so much for sticking around, and feel free to subscribe to this blog so you can get notifications whenever I post.

19 Things I Learned at 19 

1. College can be CRAZY. In so many different ways. College is fun, stressful, emotional, and a time where you can learn a lot about yourself and life all in the span of one year (as cheesy as that sounds). I met some of the most amazing people and I’m so grateful to have made friends that have literally become my family. Also, leaving home can be HARD. Get ready for some tears, on both sides. 
2. Life can be really confusing. You might not have clarity in your professional life, personal life, or family life, and that’s ok. I feel like everyone holds such a high expectations for people our age, and people feel a lot of pressure to succeed in the eyes of their parents. But take your own time to figure out how you want to go about your own life, because you don’t want to look back and regret that you didn’t accomplish what you wanted to do. 
3. Give back! Volunteer, donate, make a fundraiser, make your voice loud and clear, get politically active, raise awareness in a cause that you believe in. Do anything you can to give back to your community and make your mark on the world. At 18, I finally got the chance to vote in the midterm election and support the causes that I passionately believe in. The world can be a dark place, and sometimes it seems like no matter what you do, you can never fix anything. But it’s important to contribute, because if everyone contributed, there can be profound change done. 
4. Get some hobbies! This sounds really simple, but I’ve met so many people close to me have always said things like “man, I wish I sang, or I wish I could play tennis, or I wish I did this.” I used to say these things ALL THE TIME, but now I realized that I could just do them. It’s never too late to join a sport, or an a cappella group, or learn the ukulele (YouTube is a great place for that). Whatever you want to do, don’t let yourself hold you back. 
5. Read more books for fun! I’ve honestly been so bad at reading nowadays, not because I lack the time for them, but the motivation. But sitting down with a good book in the library with a hot cup of coffee on a Sunday morning- one of the best feelings ever. Some of my favorite books- A Thousand Splendid Suns, Becoming, and Unbroken (you can read more about these in my previous blog post). 
6. Learn about finances! This is something that is just not taught in public school (I have no idea why), but this could quite possibly be one of the most important lessons a young person going into the real world needs to have. Before college, I had no idea what the difference between a savings and checking account was. I had barely an idea of how stocks worked and was just clueless on budgeting, financial planning, or 401ks. Read up on this stuff, do your research, learn about taxes, so that when it comes time to do this stuff on your own, you won’t be clueless as I was. 
7. Read about Bitcoin! Following up with number 7, I recently started reading into Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. The timing was fitting, as I’m working as a cybersecurity intern, and I’m getting more and more interested in Blockchain and cryptography. After watching a podcast by two of my favorite YouTubers (Michelle Phan and Ryan Higa), I finally got to understand what Bitcoin was, and why it’s such a valued asset.  It’s digital gold y’all!
8. Catch up with childhood friends! There’s nothing like meeting with your old friends and catching up on life. You know they’re your best friends when you haven’t seen them in years, but it feels like nothing has changed. 
9. Practice self-care! Everyone always says this, and I know it’s hard to actually do, but trust me, it works! My go-to method is meditation. Check out my meditation playlist on Spotify at audi9000. 
10. Talk to your grandparents! I haven’t been really good with this, but the more I talk to them, the more I’m in absolute fascination with their life stories. My grandparents are all from India, and it’s so interesting hearing about the experiences they’ve had growing up. My grandpa used to be an English professor and tells me all sorts of stories about his time as a lecturer in India. And he knows everything about everything, literally. He can give a summary of any literature book in existence, or give you a breakdown of the history of any country on Earth.
11. Be informed! Read the news, know what is going on in the world around you. We are all citizens of this planet, and it’s our responsibility to be aware. 
12. Reduce social media consumption! This was probably one of the biggest changes I made in my life this year. I would literally waste so many hours of my life surfing on Instagram, watching YouTube videos, and going on Snapchat. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these things, but I truly feel that are generation has a collective addiction to social media and it is becoming somewhat of a disease. What is the point of living through other people’s experiences, when you can create your own? Instagram was rated the worst social media for your mental health, and it’s clear to see why (you can read more on this in one of my other blog posts). 
13. Health is wealth! Mental health and physical health. Take care of yourself. 
14. Love yourself. This has something I have admittedly struggled with for a long, long time. It’s so easy to fall into the hole of self-deprecation and self-loathing. It’s also easier said than done to actually be content with yourself. It’s useless to compare yourself to other people or put yourself down constantly. There’s little room for progression and success for people that aren’t confident in themselves or their abilities.But take it one day at a time, and be appreciative of who you are as a human being. 
15. Be respectful! This is definitely something I’m still working on. You might not agree with everyone and anyone, and this is totally fine. Just be respectful, and move on. If things aren’t working out between another person and yourself, wish them well, and move on with your life. Life is wayyy too short to keep toxic people in your circle and cause you stress. 
16. Don’t be afraid to branch out! Change is hard, but inevitable. Reach out to people, smile and say hello to the person who is sitting alone at lunch. Or be friendly to the person who decides to sit with you at lunch. College is the perfect time to meet all sorts of people, and make best friends for life. 
17. Party culture is complicated. America’s party culture is a bit overwhelming, to say the least. And it makes sense, because partying is fun (especially in college). But after going to a few, you might realize that it’s not your scene. Maybe your scene is going on summer night drives with your best friends, with your windows rolled down and music blasting. Maybe your scene is talking about your big dreams and your plans to take over the world. Maybe your scene is playing board games with your family and cooking your favorite food. The point is, it’s OK if you don’t like to party. Don’t shame other people for partying or not partying, the choice is theirs. 
18. Listen to music! Music has literally been therapy for me, my entire life. There’s hundreds of thousands of songs out there. Pop music, rock music, Spanish music, bollywood music, K-pop, the choices are endless. Follow my playlists on Spotify at audi9000!
19. Enjoy your life! Do stupid things, and learn from them. Work hard and set goals for yourself. Be kind to other people. Spend time with your parents, who will literally be there for you no matter what. Follow your passions. Keep learning. Travel the world. The world has endless possibilities for you, and it’s up to you to create the life that you want for yourself. Be brave, and enjoy the ride that life takes you on. 

Just like many other little kids, I read books all the time. And when I mean all the time, I meant ALL the time. Reading at the dinner table, reading during recess, reading after playing outside with my friends was not uncommon for me when I was younger. Even though I lost this interest with reading somewhere along the lines, I became inspired to read again after Michelle Obama came out with her memoir, Becoming. Here is a list of three books that I highly recommend. If you lost touch with reading like I did, you might find it hard to sit down and concentrate on whatever you are reading. The best thing to do is create an atmosphere for yourself in which you can lose yourself in your book. Eliminate all distractions (no cell phones, laptops, etc.), relax, and immerse yourself in reading. Enjoy.

1. Becoming, by Michelle Obama: The entire life story of Michelle Obama told to us through her own words. She brings us along in her journey from her humble childhood in the Southside of Chicago, all the way to her time as First Lady of the United States. Her story is incredibly inspiring, hilarious, and emotional all at the same time. It’s not surprising that her memoir was the best-selling book of 2018.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini: Quite easily the best book I ever read. A chronicle of 30 years of Afghan history told through the experiences of two brave women, Mariam and Laila. It’s an incredibly moving story of friendship, faith, and family, teaching us that hope and love can be found even in the most unfathomable situations. *warning: many tears may be shed whilst reading
3. Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand: An extensive biography illustrating the astonishing journey of World War II veteran Louis Zamperini. His experiences were harrowing, intense, and arduous to say the least. But his story teaches everyone that the human spirit is extraordinarily strong and that strength can be obtained through hope. Louis, we learn, is completely unbreakable.

While this article is definitely about one of the biggest first world problems there is, I just wanted to share my experience with one of the most popular social media sites that exist today. Even though deleting Instagram may not sound like the most rejuvenating, soul-awakening experience, to me, it actually was, and I’ll explain why. Here is a breakdown of my timeline with Insta – from when I got it, to when I had it, to when I decided to let it go.

Disclaimer: I don’t mean to shade the app itself or anyone that uses Instagram. I think social media can be a great tool and is an effective way with connecting with others. The purpose of this is to share my personal experience with Instagram as well as provoke the thought, how much of our lives has social media consumed? Take everything I say with a grain of salt.

December 2014: I made my first Instagram with two of my friends. This was when the app really started to gain traction among people my age (high school freshman). Many people in my age group started their Instagrams during early middle school, but high school was when everyone’s pages started to get “serious”. Posting “artsy” pictures of food at fancy restaurants, taking candid pictures with friends in gardens or some other beautiful place, and documenting exquisite travels to Italy and Costa Rica were becoming the norm. And don’t forget, with every beautiful-looking photo comes a brilliant quote, pun, or funny phrase for the caption. To top it off, the people involved in the masterpiece post would be tagged, and the location was put on display. This, we learned, was the concoction to the “perfect” Instagram post.

December 2015: My sophomore year of high school was when I really started getting absorbed into this alternate, digital form of the universe. Going to places with my friends was not complete if we didn’t have an entire photoshoot afterward dedicated to our Instagrams. All of our followers just HAD to see what we were eating for dinner, how nice we dressed up, and just how close and happy we all were. After all, what was the point of even going out if we didn’t show it off to random people that we don’t really care much about? Receiving likes and comments on my posts gave me a kind of satisfaction I never really got from anything else. I was getting validation from hundreds of people, all of them indicating that they liked whatever I posted. I felt important, felt acknowledged, and felt like I belonged. As I gained new followers, I got more and more likes on my photos and it made me feel more accomplished. This obsession with numbers escalated, as I was seeking for the numbers of followers and likes to grow. I felt like Instagram was one of the only ways that I could have control over my life, and I wanted my feed to be just like what everyone else wanted- a perfectly curated highlight reel of the happiest moments in life.

December 2016: This was when Instagram stories was introduced. Just like Snapchat stories, now, we were able to display where we were and what were doing in real time. It was absolutely essential for people to show what they were eating for breakfast, show themselves getting ready for school, and documenting more private information in real time. At this point, I found myself truly missing out on life’s greatest moments all because I wanted to get a good Instagram story. I would stop enjoying watching fireworks through my own eyes, and instead I would watch them through my phone screen as I videotaped for my Instagram. I would take boomerang videos left and right, all of them capturing how much fun I was having. I would check who viewed my story instead of spending quality, personal time with the people I was with in the first place. And this happened almost all the time.

May 2019: Fast forward a couple of years, I decided that after all this time, maybe Instagram just wasn’t for me anymore. I was so absorbed into this digital space that whenever I wanted to take a photo, I started planning captions in my mind. I started to post at times when I knew I would get the most likes. But at the end of the day, why does any of that even matter? I want moments for myself. I want memories and experiences and good times, not likes and comments from people that I barely even know. I want to travel the world and experience life through my own eyes, not behind a screen where a few hundred people are watching. I don’t need to keep seeing heavily edited, filtered, PhotoShopped, and Facetuned images of celebrities with their chiseled abs and perfect faces. It’s great that people enjoy their lives with their beautiful friends at beautiful beaches in Mykonos or Ibiza, but it’s not something that I want to see. I want to experience these things for myself, and I want to keep these experiences for myself, not broadcast it to the entire world.

So, I finally went ahead and deleted my account. Needless to say, I feel so refreshed and it feels like a weight has been off of my shoulders. I started having more personal conversations with everyone I spent time with, instead of pretending like I didn’t know what they were up to already. Going to new places felt real again. There wasn’t any pressure to broadcast what I was doing to the world anymore. Life just started feeling like what it should be. I encourage anyone with a social media addiction, or anyone who finds themselves unhappy with Instagram to take the brave step in deleting it altogether. You might find yourself finding the things in life that truly matter to you.

Welcome to my WordPress page! Ever since I was little, I used writing as my outlet. It was where I went to express my thoughts and emotions, and it was a way for me to make sense of the world around me as I went through life’s experiences. So, I finally decided to make use of modern technology/social media to share my journey with you through this website. Here you will discover topics such as music, the life of an ABCD, politics, books, travel, food, tech, the meaning of life, relationships and more. It’s an amalgamation of all the things that make me human. Everything that makes me Audheya. I’m excited to share it with all of you. Thanks for joining me in this journey.

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton