My Addiction Story

Since childhood, I was addicted to sugar. Candy, ice cream and cake were regulars in my diet.

My grandfather used to get me 2 birthday cakes because 1 was not enough for me.

 

A drawer full of candies and chocolates made me happier rather than scoring 1st division.

 

All was well until I reached the 9th standard. My skin started to break and my weight was whopping 90 Kg.

 

So, I decided to do something about it. I consulted a doctor and she advised me to avoid sugary food/drinks.

 

It took me 2 years to completely kick off sugar from my diet. It was hard at first, but it had to be done.

 

Fast-forwarding to 2020...

It's been 9 years since I quit sugar. Outcome? My skin is healthy and I feel strong every day. 

 

Moral of this post- you just need a reason and willpower to beat addiction. If I can do it, you can too.

Why Did I Choose Writing As A Career?

Recently, I read a blog where a known writer talked about her love for words and why she started writing in the first place. 

Being inspired, I want to share my side of the story- Why did I start writing? 

My answer is divided into 3 pointers. Let's take a look at it. 

1. To express my views- 

For those of you who are reading my post for the 1st time, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Agrim Ahluwalia and I'm an introvert. I find it hard to enjoy the perks of public speaking. 

So, when I learned about content writing, I just embraced it. I love the freedom to express myself on a digital podium without making eye contact with numerous people. 

2. To keep me sane- 

Whenever I hear a piece of bad news or can't make sense of things, I open my laptop and start writing. I try to jot down my thoughts, which gives me peace and helps me to stay positive. 

3. To earn money- 

Well, this is a bonus for me. I never started writing with the intention to earn money. It just happened gradually. And I'm glad it did.

What Mistakes Did I Make As A Newbie Freelancer?

I started freelancing without doing a background check. I had no idea how to pitch clients or ask for payments.  

Because of it, I made several blunders. Here are the top 3 mistakes I made initially- 

Mistake 1- Adopted a free sample policy

Outcome- Clients told me that I was not good and uploaded my write-ups on their websites. 

Mistake 2- I never asked for advance payments and followed a monthly payment cycle without an agreement. 

Outcome- I was conned several times and there is no way to hold the clients responsible for it. 

Mistake 3- Accepted low-pay projects just to have some work. 

Outcome- Worked tirelessly to earn a small income and got frustrated with the idea of freelancing. 

Now, I'm much more aware and alert while communicating with potential clients. 

Advice to all the newbie freelance writers- Learn from my mistakes and be better. 

My Burnout Story

I took a 3-day break from writing. I uninstalled LinkedIn and extended my deadlines. Why?

I was a victim of burnout, thanks to my busy schedule. I wrote 18,000 words, attended 15 skype calls and replied to over 70 emails, all in 1 week.

I ignored my 8 hours of beauty sleep, ate unhealthy food and failed to take breaks in between. 

Outcome? I was tired, cranky, and just wanted to lay in bed all day. 

And that's what I did. My past 3 days were consumed by the following activities- 

1. Sleeping

2. Eating healthy food

3. Watching movies and tv series

Not even a single day, I felt like writing or replying to my clients. 

What did I learn from this?

While working, we often forget the scare of burnout. I could have lost a considerable amount of business, all because of me trying to be super productive. 

Moral of this post- Burnout is not a joke and shouldn't be treated like it. During the productive journey, it's important to take adequate rest. 

ReplyForward

Father's Day Special

I'm a tech nerd and like to switch phones every year.

My dad is the total opposite. He still carries his iPhone 6 and is quite vocal about its performance, even though it hangs a lot.

This father's day, I decided to gift him a new phone. I logged on to Amazon and placed an order.

 

Luckily, the package arrived this morning. When my dad saw it, he was furious with me for spending money, like all fathers are.

 

But when he opened the package, he saw a small gift card with a message on it.

 

For the past 27 years, a small token of thank you. Happy Father's Day.

 

I could see his angry face slowly turning into an emotional one.

 

Now, let’s answer the question- why I did it?

 

He is the kind of guy who barely spends any money on himself. He ignores his needs and tries to save every penny for his family.

 

So, I decided to be his sponsor. Just kidding

 

Moral of this post- look after your parents’ needs, because they won't.

A Note On Mental Illness

Since childhood, we are taught to exercise daily and enjoy a healthy diet. 

We do this to improve our physical fitness, which helps us to fight off diseases (if we meet them face to face). 

But what about mental health? Why don't we address mental issues?

On a personal note, I have 2 active depression cases in the family.

And still,

My parents haven't had a serious discussion on depression with me or my sibling. 

By now, we all have heard about Mr.Sushant Singh Rajput. 

It's sad to hear about a successful chap taking his own life due to depression. 

May he rest in peace

Instead of expressing our sympathies, it's time to take the fight with depression. 

I would request all of you to take an extra step to help people surrounding us battling depression. 

Go talk to them, listen to their problems and help out in every way possible. 

And don't forget to take care of yourself. 

Remember- humans are designed to work together. That's where our strength lies. 

iPhone SE 2020- Apple’s Knockout Punch To Budget Android Phones

It’s quite rare when Apple comes out with a product that rattles the cages of consumer technology. The company first did it in 2016 and now, they have done it again. In April 2020, Apple launched the new iPhone SE. It is the successor to 2016’s iPhone SE that took the market by storm. The latest device promises to carry its torch by providing amazing performance for a fraction of the price (when compared to $1000 phones). Let’s find out more details about the product.

Design

2020 calls for a modern design and Apple didn’t fail to disappoint us. Wait, not so easy. iPhone SE  is a glass sandwiched body that comes in at 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches. It is a sleek device that won’t pop out of your pocket. It carries a smaller footprint like iPhone 8, which makes one-hand navigation a delight. However, huge and chunky bezels are visible from a foot away, which are not so appealing when compared with other $399 smartphones. Thankfully, the iconic touch id sensor is back, which also acts as a home button.

Display

It rocks a 4.7 inch LCD display with 1334 x 750 pixels. It can shine at 625 nits and comes with true tone and haptic touch. Yes, the figures are not so exciting on paper, but it gets the job done. You will get a decent experience while viewing content, but Pubg/Call Of Duty players will have a hard time to locate their targets because of the smaller screen. Perhaps, their money is better spent on a larger AMOLED display.

Camera

iPhone SE is equipped with a 12-megapixel shooter in the back and 7-megapixel shooter in the front. It is the same configuration that is found on iPhone 8, but it comes with a twist. The A13 Bionic processor leads to better image processing, which allows iPhone SE to click good pictures. They are clean, vibrant and colour-accurate, all that you would expect from an iPhone. 

Apart from it, you can make full use of portrait mode and 4K video recording at 60 frames per second whenever the need be.

Processor

This is perhaps the most talked-about feature of iPhone SE. Apple has armed the device with A13 bionic processor, which is found on the iPhone 11 series. According to the company, it is the fastest chip available in a smartphone to date. So, iPhone SE will allow you to edit a video or play a graphic intensive game without breaking a sweat.

Battery

With 1821mAh in the bank, iPhone SE is not designed for power users. If you are someone who likes to game or watch loads of content, you will have to charge this device more than once in a day. Luckily, iPhone SE supports 18W fast charging, which will give you 50% battery within 30 minutes of charge. However, you have to buy a fast charger separately, which is a bummer.

Audio

A small phone like iPhone SE is not expected to deliver a great audio experience. Wait, let’s correct this statement. To our surprise, this device managed to fill the entire living room with enough bass and hip-hop beats that forced us to jump on the dance floor. If you rock the old iPhone SE, you will definitely feel a huge difference in the audio quality.

Price

With a starting price of $399, iPhone SE will go head to head with Pixel 3a and other budget-friendly phones. In India, the device will cost Rs.42,500 for 64 GB variant.

Other Add-ons

iPhone SE comes loaded with wireless charging, Bluetooth 5, IP67 water resistance, WiFi 6 support, NFC, three colour options (black/red/white) and Gigabit-LTE, which will allow the device to regain its position of ‘Budget King’.

In the end...

iPhone SE was never meant to be the ‘Star’ of the smartphone industry. Superb camera, massive battery and the bezel-less display are not its cup of tea. If you are someone who wants to buy a small phone with the latest internals at a wallet-friendly price, iPhone SE will bring a smile on your face.