Predictions : Top five trending big predictions in 2020

Top five trending predictions for the next 5-10 years. These are the trending technologies will be discussed in the coming 5 to 10 years. These topics are predicted by top IT analysers .

Internet of Things

                 This is an old idea but it's gained a lot of traction recently, because it's a good one. Connecting & linking not just computers, phones and tablets, but all of our devices through the cloud. Fridges, remote-locking mechanisms, coffee-makers, etc. Most consumer products can be Internet-enabled for less than $20. The only thing holding it back is the fact that the management infrastructure is not in place yet. We'll need ways to manage and utilize these networks of smart devices and objects that are in our homes and lives. This is an area that is very fragmented - yet any widely utilized application or platform will need to work across many different devices, platforms and suppliers. Many companies in the cloud storage/data management space are in a good position here.

For more info ComputerWeekly, IOT for Marketers

Self driving zip cars :

                   We're seeing how Uber is advancing every day. People love it not because of it's new technology or anything but it revamped the very old business from the ground and made it much simpler. Likewise, Ola Cabs (company) in India has done the same or even better job in reaching out to general audience. Imagine if the cars are self-driving too? I am sure companies like Google, General Electric are spending resources towards this. We should be expecting their presence more and more going forward.                                                                              
Why are we desperate for them? Amount of time people are spending in driving per day could be more resourceful. Most of the accidents are drink and driving,using mobiles etc are human blunders. They're taking over the actual feel of driving a luxury car like BMW or Mercedes.

For more info BBC, BusinessInsider

Mobile Payments :

               With rapid evolution of mobile phones, there is such a big opportunity for replacing money transactions with either an existing, or a new form of electronic currency on a very wide basis. Of course there are lots of examples of both alternative currencies and mobile payment systems today - but they are all still based around credit cards, bank accounts, etc. What we need is a whole new protocol. No one seems to have hit upon a business model that is universal and popular enough to displace physical money. And whatever emerges could replace a lot of conventional advertising as well.

                 Very traditional approach broken by PayPal (product) a while back and then big players like Google, Apple has got a good hands on to break this process. Apple has seen a good success so far with Apple Pay. However majority of the world still uses Credit Cards, Cash as a day to day payment channel. This has got to break. We are changing this slowly and hence mobile payments, payments through watch etc came. It's gonna spread even more with stuff like thumb impressions, watch payments, Mobile payments etc.
For more info Mashable , Quora

Artificial Intelligence :

                 Machines are a perfect complement to humans, not a supplement. AI has been able to do incredible things such as beating the chess masters, organize the world's knowledge in the most efficient way and compute things humans would've not done in a life time. However, making them "speak" like a 13 year old or developing an algorithm to identify if a video has a cat in it with a 75% accuracy are the most recent breakthroughs. It's amazing, once you realize anyone can do it. Humans are a product of the laws of physics iterated in an ecosystem which is planet Earth, machines are an invention of the human mind. They are made for different things.

For more info ScienceDaily

Emotions in virtual communication

               There are variety of communication technologies exists today. Communication started with actions(Person - Person) in the early days. And languages found , Sound, language, speaking, texting. These were happened without computer. When computer invented communication become better with technologies immediate text(Message, email), voice based calls, video calls. Followed by these topics  the most popular virtual communication also evolving. In future we can see & talk with other persons without any devices called virtual communication. - Wikipedia

Short stories : What your parents have done for you?

2 colleagues were talking to each other about what their parents have done for them.

One said- "Nothing much, they just paid for my education, supported me in my sports interests and helped me get married. That's something every parents do. What about you?"

Other replied - " A lot of things which I can't repay. They paid for my education, supported me in my sports interests and helped me get married."

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Life Skill : skills every 24 year young should know

Here's the secret for you to apply in your life and get results and success that you've never even dreamed possible.

Invest your time in the following activities and you will gain more power, money, friends, love and affection.

Your friends will look up to you for your courage to do the things that they've only just dreamed about, your family will look up to you and be proud of your many achievements.

Your colleagues will become jealous of your stratospheric success. They will look towards you for advice on how to become successful like you.

If you don't do these things, 10 years down the line you will wonder where all your time went, what you did wrong to become such a failure.

Your friends will forget you as a has-been, and your family will treat you like that 'bum-sibling' they have.

Here are 5 things you should invest your time in everyday to become a success.

But a WORD OF WARNING...

              If you try doing these things at the same time you will fail. So pick one of the things mentioned below. Learn how to do it. Figure it out. Then spend 1 month to learn how to do this better. Practice it every day for 1 month before taking on anything else.

After the 1 month is over this will have become your habit and you will be able to do it unconsciously. Then when you add another thing from the list below it won't seem very hard.

Within the year you'll be doing each of these things unconsciously and will have developed an arsenal of habits that will support you for the rest of your life.

The Power Of Creating Good Habits

           The biggest secret that man has discovered over the last few decades is the power of habit. Once a habit is established it lasts for a life time.
Developing a habit in the beginning seems hard, but once you master something and include it in your habits, it will be forgotten and you'll just do it easily.

Think about tying your shoelaces. How do you do that? Do you loop each lace and then knot them, or do you loop one and then knot the other lace through the loop.

Each of us ties our shoelaces differently. But once we get this, we'll tie them each time the same way, without even thinking about it.

This is the power of habit. This is the first thing you should invest your time in.
A habit is usually formed when you repeat something in the exact same manner

everyday for at least 21 days. Some habits take longer, some shorter.

So to average it out - invest 30 days to establish each habit.

The 5 Most Powerful Habits That Anyone Can Learn

    These 5 habits will support you throughout your life.

Whether you decide to become an academic and do multiple Ph.Ds, or are an athlete looking to become professional.

Whether you are a mother looking to give your kids a better life, or a high powered business woman seeking venture capital investment.
The habits are universal.

1. Take Care Of Your Body
          No matter what you do in your life, you will do it in your body. You cannot replace it, get a new one, or trade it in. This is your body and your will live in it.

It might not be the perfect body that you want, but this is the one you have. If you take care of it now, it will take care of you when you are 60, 70 or 80 years old.

The way to take care of your body is simple. Eat less & exercise more.

Spend 30 - 60 Minutes Each Day Exercising.

This does not mean that you join a gym and start pumping weights. It means that you work every muscle in your body.

Spend conscious time to move the muscles in your arms, back and legs. Take the time to join a gym and workout and use your muscles. Do this because most of us now spend more time sitting on couches than moving around.

The human body was made to move around to do things. That's the first thing to take care of the body. Learn this habit first.

Spend 30 - 60 minutes each day exercising.

Eat Food That Is Fresh & Healthy

The next step to take care of your body is to eat well. Treat your body like a home. This is the home where you live.

If you bring good things to this home the home will become nicer and you'll enjoy living in it. If you bring rotten stuff into this home the home will decay and you'll hate living there.

So eat good stuff. Eat as much fresh fruits & vegetables as you can everyday. Include a fruit and vegetables in your diet. This will give you the energy that you need.

Play A Sport That You Like Everyday

This is something that will help you relax your mind. That can get you moving physically and get you out of your head and present in the moment.

Something that you do physically, like Tennis or Basketball. The benefit of these sports (or other sports) is that you get out of your head and get in the moment.
The rush of the moment will help your mind relax for a minute and focus on the right now instead of being stuck on analyzing the past or estimating the future.
Additionally the competition will rejuvenate you. Competition in life is how we grow. The more competition we have the sharper, faster, better we become.
Unfortunately in the current job environment that we work in - we can't get immediate feedback on competition. Most of the time at work we are working in teams where we need the team to succeed. But our personal success is often based on the failure of other members on the team.

For e.g. You can't become the manager of your team if everyone in your team also becomes the manager of your team.

So taking up a sport will give you the immediate rush of competition, the instant feedback of success or failure and you will grow.

Avoid Junk Food

Junk food as the name suggests is junk. It's useless, worthless for the body. It doesn't provide the nutrition that your body needs.

If you feed your body with junk food, you will become lethargic, you will lose energy and over a period of time you will gain weight and lose health.
Eat food that is free of preservatives, sugar, corn, syrup and overly loaded with salt and carbs.

These sugar and carbs have an addictive effect on the body and will cause you to crave them more and more causing your body to become dependent on these foods.

Good foods will make your body strong and healthy. Addictive foods will make your body lethargic and rotten.

2. Take Care of Your Mind

           We are living in a time when we do most of our work using our minds. We sit on desks and computers creating for people using our minds.
Even if this isn't true for you, it is. If you are a construction worker who lays bricks, or a day care assistant who helps kids, this is true for you.

Your mind is the one thing that controls your thoughts everyday and the thoughts that you think create the reality that you see around you.

So take care of your mind.

But how do you take care of your mind?

The mind, like anything else, has the characteristics of a muscle. You use it or lose it. And as long as you are using it, it will remain fit and healthy. The minute you stop using it, it will decay and rust.

So you keep this muscle active by doing the following.

Read Every Day

There is no difference between the person who does not read and the one who cannot read. Spend 30 minutes each morning and night reading.

Read motivational books. Books about philosophy, economics, politics, literature. Read fiction. Read self-help books. Read about parenting, read about health. Read about science and technology.

But read a book not a blog.

A book has a very permanent nature. It is written with a lot of thought and research. It is the gist of an author's life experiences. So read a book everyday.
This will keep your mind stimulated and open to ideas. You will get a number of ideas for each author that you can implement in your life. You will also get opinions from across the globe.

Ideas that would not have reached you if you only spoke to the people you met everday. So read a book. Spend 30 minutes morning and night reading a book.

Write Every Day

The only way to bring your thoughts to reality is to write them down. If you don't write them down they will be lost to the electric impulses inside your brain.

So write your thoughts down, write ideas that come to you, write your philosophy about life.

Write every day. This will help you clear your thought and formulate complete ideas.

If you have a problem. Write it down. You will be able to come up with a solution better, once you've written down the problem.
If you have a crush on someone. Write it down. Write down the things that you like about that person, how it makes you feel, what you would do for them.
All these things when written down will help clarify your thoughts about love and life, about right and wrong.

Writing will help identify truths about your thoughts and define how you think. As you progress in your writing, read about writing better. Then write better.
The better you write, the better you will think.

Develop Your Mind In Other Ways

The more neural connections your mind has the better it is. The faster it can do things. The better it can fight against disease in old age, like Alzheimers.
You can create new neural connections in your mind by doing new things. The more 'new' things you try the more your brain will become developed.
Even if you suck at something - the experience of doing it, learning the rule, trying it out will develop your mind.

Listen to and watch things that will develop you mind. Instead of watching TV, watch TED Talks.

Instead of listening to 'distressing' music, listen to sweet, kind music. Listen to Mozart, listen to Beethoven.

Plan to learn a new skill every year. Pick up playing an instrument one year. Spend time learning this instrument like this will be something that you will play all your life.

The next year learn to play a new sport. Something that you've never tried before. This will both help your muscles improve and improve your mind.

Avoid Junk In Your Mind

Just like your body needs good food to run, your mind needs good fuel to run.
If you feed your mind with junk 'input' like mindless television, excessive drama, or constant news coverage whether TV or newspapers, your mind will become lethargic and fatigued.

You will lose the will to do things, since your mind will associate doing things with depressing sad news.

So avoid all news, whether TV or newspaper. Avoid junk TV like dramas on TV. Avoid excessive emotional drama on TV. This will give you space in your head to do things that will help build up your mind.

Take a look at the world news for today. Pick up the newspaper and read the editorials in your newspaper. Then go online and read the newspapers of the country that those editorials were about.

The opinions in those editorials will be completely different.

So while it's great to be exposed to different points of view, you won't get them in the news. The news will only report the 'bad' news, using shock, anxiety and fear.

A better way to get exposure of other people cultures, mental stimulation, and discover what's going outside your own home is to travel, or meet other people.
You wont miss what's happening in the news - people will tell you anyway.

Avoid all of the news, political, celebrity, current affairs. Nothing in the news will impact your life on a daily basis. If there is something that impacts you - you will hear it from your friends and family before you see it on the news.
Excessive news will only stress a 24 year old and make them feel like they can't do anything, or become indifferent to the sufferings of others. A better idea is to discover issues afflicting the community where you live.

If you think a TV show is good - write down what you like about the show, then go out and experience that for yourself. Go meet people do some stuff in the real world.

This will give you the habit of becoming an action taker, getting in the game, instead of sitting on the sidelines watching others.

If you like House of Cards - go volunteer with a political campaign to learn what really happens there, instead of watching someone else version of real life.
If you like Mad Men, intern for an advertising agency in your town. Learn in the real world - not sitting on your couch. Sure your friends will have a lot of opinions about what 'cool' stuff you're missing out, but while they are warming the couches, you will actually be having more fun than they are.

You'll be living - not watching life from a couch.

So avoid junk food for your mind and give it the resources to build itself.

3. Take Care Of Your Relationships

How do you get a friend, by being a friend.

You are born with a very few people in your life. Your parents. Your siblings. Your grandparents, if they are still alive. Your cousins, if you are close to them.
Every other relationship in your life you have to go out and create. You make friends along the way. Some of them are good, some of them are not so good.
These friends that you make in your journey through life will become your support system. the people you meet everyday, from the grocer, to the kid working at Best Buy.

Sure, at 24 you're probably thinking, 'who gives a f*&K about these people...' but down the line it is these people, these relationships that will matter most to you in your life.

The way to take care of your relationships is as follows

Remember Birthdays & Anniversaries

Even if your friends tell you they don't celebrate birthdays. Even if your family become sullen when you call them for anniversaries. Remember them.
Even though people say they don't care, everyone cares about their own special days. When you remember their birthday & anniversaries, they will remember your kindness.

But it doesn't end there. Remember the special moments in their lives. If they had a kid, remember the date and call them, or write them a card on that occasion.

Yes, even in the day of email, and text. A phonecall or a card have a HUGE impact than a Facebook message or text. Over the years your kindness for others in the form of remembering their special days will snowball and you will become a powerhouse.

It is good to know that some one cares about you - both for them and for you, when you are in trouble, or they are.

Remember when they had hard times in their lives. If they were close to their grandparents and they recently passed away. Remember them on that day. Help your friends get over these moments.

When you need them, when your loved ones leave you, your friends will be there to catch you before you fall.

Forgive Them Before They Ask For Forgiveness

In the long scheme of life small things don't matter. It doesn't matter if your
friend forgot to tell you first about their new job. Or they didn't tell you about the girl they were proposing to.

Be a gentleman and forgive them in your heart even before they ask for forgiveness. Then let the incident go. They will realize you are a big hearted person and treat you like that.

But when you do this - don't resent them after. Really forget the incident and forgive them.

This is more for you, than for them. If you keep holding onto every single hurt that any one has done for you then your baggage will become so heavy you won't be able to go through the door.

You'll be stuck inside your own head and no one will want to be around you. No one will want to trip on your baggage.

But if you do forgive them and forget the incidents you will be free. Your carefree nature will be reflective in everything that you do and everyone will want to be around you.

Avoid Emotional Vampires

No matter how good you are to people, occasionally there will be some who are vampires. They suck all the time and energy out of you.

Sometimes you will encounter them at your workplace. Some of them will be your childhood friends, or even a member of your family.

No matter what you do, you can't change them, you can't help them improve, you cannot guide them.

So the best thing to do with people like this is to avoid them. Though it might hurt you in the beginning, but the best thing for you and them is to avoid them.
You can be kind and make an excuse for not meeting them, but that will only last so long. So take the bigger step and let them know that they are an emotional strain on you - and you'd much rather hang out with more positive people.

People who support your goals, your dreams, your aspiration. People who share your ambitions and values. These are the people who will really help you grow.
The vampires will get hurt - but there is no better way to deal with them. The sooner you take care of them the better.

Really dig deep and find out the people who bother you in your life like that and then stop meeting them and hanging out with them.

CAUTION: If it turns out that everyone in your life seems to be a vampire you either need to change them all, or look inside yourself and change yourself.
Most likely, the conclusion will be to change yourself and your attitude towards them.

4. Take Care Of Your Finances

           No matter how you grew up, in abundance or poverty, it is your duty to take care of your own finances.

Even if you parents have taken care of them for you, even if you have a trust fund, even if you have an empty bank account. You are responsible for it. It is your responsibility to take care of your finances.

If you take care of your finances starting today they will take care of you when you most need them. When you are old, or sick, or sending your kids to school, or helping a parent through sickness. Your finances will help you.

If you don't take care of your finances you will end up in debt. Your shoulders will droop and your mind will be gripped by thoughts of money. You will end up living the life of an indebted servant, where you have to work to pay of your debts.

But how do you take care of your finances

Get Positive Cashflow

To begin taking care of your finances you need to have more income than you spend. You need to have more money coming in to your bank account than you are spending.

Most people don't learn this until after they get their 1st job or after they've
maxed out their first credit card.

As long as you have a positive cashflow you can get other things in your life a lot easier. If you don't have positive cashflow in your life spend the next year or two getting positive cashflow.

Spend the next 15 minutes figuring out how much money you spend, include rent for the house you live in (or your contribution if you're living with parents), utilities, groceries, car, internet, other monthly expenses, insurance, and monthly spending on shopping & entertainment.

Once you have your expenses take them out of your income. If you have no income - then you have a negative cashflow. Do whatever you can, teach other people, pick up a 2nd job, mow lawns. Whatever you have to do to get this to positive cash flow.

What do you do after you have positive cashflows?

Pay Yourself First

Every cent you earn will be spent by other people for you. The government will want its cut in the form of taxes. The bank will ask for the mortgage payment, insurance, car payments... and so on. Until you don't have anything left in your account.

So before this happens, pay yourself first.

Get into a retirement scheme where they take 5 - 10% from your salary and put it into a gratuity and provident fund. Then when you get your salary, take another 5 - 10% and put them into another account.

This account is your retirement account - also known as F*&K You money.  This is the money that will give you the balls to say F*&K you to anyone you want to.
Because you have this money sitting in your account - you won't become a slave to anyone, no one will control you.

But a word of warning... You can't just get a small amount and then stop. This is a lifetime practice. You have to keep adding to this account. Until it becomes big enough that you can invest this into assets that make money for you.

This is money that you only spend on assets that make money. Like a house you put up for rent, or government bonds, or dividend funds, or buying a profitable business etc.

Financial Sinkholes To Avoid

If anything sounds too good to be true - it probably is.
A few things to avoid when you're taking care of your finances.

The Stock Market - Most people will tell you to invest in it - but don't. Only invest in a S&P Index Fund at best if you really want to. Even though some friend of yours will tell you they have a big 'tip' on a stock that could make you millions - don't invest.

Investing in the stock market as a habit is not a very productive habit. Some days you'll do well, other days you won't do too well.
When you do well you'll be on top of the world, when you don't do too well, you'll become anxious, stressed, even suicidal.

If you made 50% one year, did you make another 50% the next year. Probably not. Which is systematic. If you could make 50% each year, you'd be Warren Buffet.

It is the job of people on Wall Street to make money investing, yet they sometimes fail. They are professionals, very good at their jobs. 99 out of 100, professionals will beat a hobbyist.

In wall street you are always playing against a professional. In a sport you will play most days with people on your own caliber. So you’ll win some, you’ll lose some. On wall street you’ll lose a ton.

Business Opportunity - If someone tells you that you can make a million dollars in 3 years by investing a small amount of money, or any other such scheme - don't listen to them. Shut the door, bang the phone, kick them out. If it's a friend - stop meeting him again.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't do your own thing. If there is a business that you think you can run - go for it. Just don't fall for Biz-Op schemes.

Lottery Schemes - If you ever hear that you've just won a cruise, or are tempted to buy a lottery ticket, or that you will earn X number of points. Run away - don't walk, run away.

Credit Cards - Yes, even the lovely credit cards. These are probably the worst things invented since the dawn of time. Credit cards don't increase your spending power - they just make it seem that your spending power has increased. You still have to pay for what you bought, plus interest.
It's great that you pay your bill in full. Most people don't. This habit of paying for full on a credit card is great. But there is a flaw in this habit...
The average credit card debt in the US is $7,000. Most people can't pay that off every month so someone is paying for very expensive credit card debt.
Someone did think that they could make the complete payment every month, then got stuck in and is now paying less than the whole payment.
Points, miles, bonuses is a way of getting you to spend on your card, until you get behind on payment. You might not - someone close to you will. The system is more patient and disciplined than you can ever be.

A better alternative is to save for what you want - then when you have the cash then go buy the thing that you wanted to buy.

This has 3 benefits

1) The thing will in all likelihood be cheaper by the time you've saved for it

2) There will be a newer shinier model that you can now buy based on the money you saved.

3) You will realize that you didn't want it in the first place anyway and were buying it on an impulse.

These sinkholes mentioned are all just ways to get a single $1 out of you. Don't give them the dollar. It represents a part of you, of your life. You might think what's the big deal about a dollar, but a dollar properly invested can become the greatest fortune in the world.

Read the story about how the Native Americans sold Manhattan for a $1, and how much that dollar would be worth today invested properly. Hint: It is worth more than the value of all the buildings, land, and businesses in those buildings on Manhattan - put together.

5. Take Care Of Your Communication

          The biggest problems in the world arise because of mis-communication. People mis-understand each other.

Spouses fight because they don't understand what was being said.

Employees get fired because of a communication error.

Friends fight because of something that was mis-understood.

Communication errors cause major problems in relationships between friends, employees, board members and even countries.

So take care of your communication. Become a communication master. Become some one who can communicate clearly and effectively. Not just in your speaking, but in your writing, in your thoughts.

But how do you improve your communication?

Communicate At The 6th Grade Level

Yes, at the 6th grade level. This is one of the most important thing you can do for your communication. If you can explain things to a 10 year old you can explain them to anyone.

You might think that most 'educated' people will get turned off by this. But the truth is even most educated people think at the 6th grade level. When they are reading research papers, or grading Ph.D thesis will they get into the 'educated' mind and think this is stupid.

Just by communicating at this level, your communication will be understood every time. Your kids will understand you, your parents will listen to you, your employers will 'get' you.

In fact by communicating at this level every one around you will think you are wise that you are able to explain complex ideas in the simplest of manner.

Learn The Vocabulary Of Whatever You Are Doing

By learning the vocabulary of what you are doing you will learn faster. You will be understood quicker. Your responses will be on point.

Every profession, sport, online forum, clique, had a different vocabulary. The faster you learn this vocabulary and use it in your conversations the quicker you will rise.

If you play tennis, learn every thing that the pros are saying. Learn their meaning and then when you talk to your friends at tennis using the vocabulary will enhance your game.

The same applies to your profession. The sooner you learn the vocabulary of the profession the faster you will progress. But this isn't a technique, use it to enhance your overall vocabulary.

Putting It All To Work For You

These habits when put in to action will enhance your life profoundly.
You won't feel it when you turn 23, or even when you are 24. But as you progress as you spend more and more time in this, your results will multiply and compound.

Each day that you spend doing these activities your results will increase ten fold.

By the time you turn 30 you will have more friends who love you, more employers who want to hire you, and more energy than you can imagine possible.

But on top of that because your life is built around a number of activities, not just your job, you will be more fulfilled and happier in life.

I know even starting at 27 yrs old and implementing these in my life - by the time I turned 33 the results I was getting was more than I'd ever imagined.

It still amazes me the way my life keeps changing every 6 months to a year.
Every year. The results will speak for themselves when you apply these.

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Life tips : Make life more simple - I

1.  Letting go of things/situations/people which are not in your control. Don't try to control everything  and everyone. Give every one their space to breathe otherwise it suffocates them.

2.  Understand that everything happens for a reason. Maybe at first, it won't seem fair, but someday you will understand why it happened. And how necessary it was.

3.  People make mistakes in their lives. But what's important is, the moment you realize your mistake, learn a lesson from it, and never ever repeat the same mistake again. Accept everything the way it is.

4. Stop complaining. Few souls are even less privileged. All that they have to  continue their lif, is the free air.

5. Be Good, Do Good. Treat everyone the way you would want them to treat  you. You have been given a life to experience, but not alone. Wear a smile.

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Heartwarming,Touching story : I Married a Stranger

"I Married a Stranger.."

             I was on the bed, feeling terrified. I opened my diary and wrote, 'I married a stranger' and quickly hid it under the bed. My whole body was shaking.

"What do I do?" I questioned myself.

"Do I act like a virgin?"

"But what if he finds out? Do I tell him to wait for it for a few days? But what if it makes him angry?"

The front door opened and my heart jumped in my neck. I was breathing heavily. The sound of his footsteps gave me goosebumps. I looked down and pretended to be calm. I saw him stopping at the door though I wasn't looking at him.

"Ghauri", he said with ever-so-calm voice. I dared not to look at him.

"Ghauri, I am going to sleep in another room", he said.

'If your husband doesn't want to sleep with you, you have failed as a wife', echoed my mother's voice in my head. But I didn't look up. I stayed quiet.

"Don't you want to ask me why?", he said, with little humor in his voice, clearly trying to cheer me up. I looked at him for just a few seconds and looked down again.

"You are my wife", he said and paused, and then he continued, "not a prostitute."

I really didn't know what he meant as my mind wasn't working well. 'When you don't know what to say to your husband, keep your mouth shut' came back my father's voice. I obeyed him as usual.

"If we sleep together when we really don't know each other, what different you would be from a prostitute? We will sleep together someday, when both of us wants it, and that day, I'd be making love to my wife. I definitely won't be having sex with a stranger."

He turned off the light and just few seconds later, put it on and said funnily, "I am not a secret gay by the way. I promise you that."

Despite how scared I was, I giggled. He smiled, turned off the light and went to another room. I was still giggling. As I slept on the bed without removing my make-up or anything, tears rolled down from the corner of my eyes.

People say it amazes them when we shed tears while we are happy. They say, it didn't make sense, but to me, it made more sense. We felt something so strong that a part of us couldn't stay inside us, that's what I thought anyway. To me, shedding tears while being happy meant more.

I woke up and made myself ready to make breakfast. I went to the kitchen but he was there, cooking. I don't know how horrified I looked because it made him really scared. He quickly ran to me and said, "Ghauri, are you fine?" and his voice was filled with worries.

"Why are you cooking?" I said with a low voice.

He seemed lost. And finally he realized what I meant. "Ghauri, look at me. I like cooking, okay? You can cook when you like and so will I."

"Ghauri", his voice was authoritative this time, "you are not my slave. You are my wife!"

'If you let your husband step inside the kitchen, you fail as a wife." mocked my mother's voice as I came out of the kitchen.

I began to open up with him, little by little. I didn't share any of my biggest secrets with him or talked about my ex boyfriends, but I started talking with him. Once, he asked me some important suggestions about his office and my jaw dropped.

But I quickly remembered, my dad doing the same with my mom.

My mom answered and my dad got so furious, he slapped her in front of me for the first time. He looked at me and said angrily, "When your husband ask you about his works, he isn't really asking, so keep your mouth shut."

But they have been wrong ever since I came here. I started suggesting and he listened. I used to shed lots of tears at home and I did the same here too, but the feelings of why it came, was different.

I felt confidence building inside me. I could have never imagined asking him about going with my friends for trekking but I did.

I looked at him and said, "Can I go with my friends for trekking? It is only for two nights. I won't do anything stupid and will come back as soon as I can. Or you could call me if you want me here and I will come back here sooner."

My mom asked about going out with her friends fo for some religious purpose and I still remember my dad's expression. My husband made the same.

He looked at me disgusted. He was clearly angry. I felt naked in front of him for the first time but little did I know, he was going to teach me to not be shameful when I am naked.

"Ghauri", he said frustrated, "how many times have I told you that you are my wife? Why are you taking my permission like that? Like you are a prisoner? In fact, why are you asking at all? Inform me and go. Don't beg for it!", he said and walked away angrily.

My parents gave birth to me and they raised me, but I was only starting to live. My husband was teaching me how to live.

I went behind him. He was looking down the balcony. I stood behind him and looked down as well.

"I am learning, please be patient with me", I said looking down, probably opening that part of me for the first time, "My mother has given me thousand lists of what I can do to fail has a wife and my dad has given me thousand lists of when to shut up. So, I am learning".

He laughed though I wasn't joking. He said, "I apologize for laughing and for my earlier behavior. I will keep that in my mind, if you promise me to remember that you are not in your home anymore. Ghauri, let the past be in the past."

He touched my back for just one second as a comfort but it was his first touch to me after I entered his house. It was, in all honesty, special. And the more he called my name, the more it sounded special.

I started calling my friends home for dinners. We sometimes drank the wine my husband brought for us. I was living. My parents' greatest gift to me wasn't giving birth to me, their greatest gift was marrying me off to a stranger.

One night, my husband and I were drinking. He asked me what I want to become.

I barely whispered, "I want to become a writer."

The expression on his face was priceless, something I could never forget. I had never seen him so happier and I bet there were tears in his eyes. I would have never thought but he had always wanted to be a writer too.

"Got too busy. Will you do that for both of us?", he asked me with smile filled with sadness and joy.

I could only manage a nod.

That night, I cried like never before. I covered my face with pillow tightly to protect the sound. I didn't know why I was crying so hard but I wanted to scream. I saw a black shadow near my door. He was standing there, watching me.

I stood up and went to him and I kissed him. I hugged him and kissed him again. I dragged him in the bed.

"You sure it isn't the wine doing?" he asked me.

I rolled my eyes and replied, "You sure you aren't a secret gay?"

He laughed, "You are about to find out." he said and pushed me on bed and kissed me while undressing me.

It was typical of me but I had to say it, I thought I owed it to him. I stopped him and said, "Before we start, I just want you to know. I am not a virgin."

He waved his hand off and said, "I thought you were going to say that you have AIDS."

I laughed and pulled him close and kissed him.

And we did it. I had sex with him after three and half months of our marriage. Let me scratch that, I made love to my husband after three and half months of our marriage and sure enough, he was straight.

I woke up the next day and looked at him sleeping peacefully beside me. I was sure of one thing like never before.

I took out my diary and turned to the page where I wrote with a blue ink 'I married a stranger'. I picked the black pen and wrote, 'and I fell in love with him' because I really had fallen deeply in love with him. I smiled and decided to keep a promise I made to him. I was going to write, I was always sure of that but what I didn't know was what I was going to write about. Now I did. I was going to write about us.

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