This is an unusual post from what I generally write. All this while I have been writing about staying together as friends and being there for each other. This time around I want to talk about staying away from those group of friends who are causing harm to you. Yes, at some point of time, we come across individuals who cause harm to us, or lead us on the wrong track. It’s very important to identify them at the earliest and stay away from them and their influence. These friends will only lead you to trouble. You have to say no to them and resist the temptation of yielding to the plans they make for you, however fun that plan may be.

How do you do that? First, make an alternative plan of your own at the same time. If you have a plan, you won’t try to fill up the void by going out with a toxic group of friends. You can tell them you have other plans, and if they check up on you, they’ll get it that you were not lying. You can also avoid taking any calls from anyone belonging to this group. Engage yourself in activities that will occupy your time. You may feel nostalgic about the good times you have had while passing by the hangout spots. You may also come across these toxic friends having a good time without you. To get rid of this aspect, avoid that street and use an alternative one. If you want to do it, you can actually do it. Give it a shot and if you have other ideas up your sleeves, write to me.

We don’t really get to laugh together often, do we? In these times, it is hard anyway to find out a reason to laugh, let alone laugh together. When we went out on St. Patrick’s Day we were talking about those days when things were not this difficult. We used to meet up almost every weekend and share some light moments. Then there were complications which came up. There were break-ups and more work pressure on all of us. We started working extra hours to stay afloat. Even when we are not working, we are constantly thinking of work and how to stay one step ahead. The casualty in this process is that we don’t really participate in fun activities anymore.

This is more damaging actually than the work pressure itself. You need a safety valve to keep your sanity intact. Work pressure often gets on your nerves, and if you do not have your light moments, you cannot get back to work with a fresh mind. As the cliche goes, work hard, party harder. My friends believe in that too, but it’s really difficult to switch off the mind when you are out of office. I tried to do that on a number of times, but each time the thought of work kept popping up in my mind. And when it happens, it’s difficult to get it out of the mind. As a result, the whole point of having a nice time goes out of the window, and you have a worry crease on your forehead immediately. How do you manage stress? I’d really like to know, I can’t really think of an effective way.

American Idol Season 8 is in the Top 10 stage. After weeks of anticipation and speculation, we have the Top 10 contestants who will take a shot at the American Idol summit. The episode that decided the Top 10 was packed with tension and suspense. The ball was set rolling when Danny Gokey was declared safe. That set out a loud cheer from Irina! She also let out a shrill hoot. Adrian squirmed. He doesn’t like Danny. Lil Rounds got into the safe zone too. When Allison Iraheta, Adrian’s latest favorite, was declared as constituting the bottom 3, Irina let out a sarcastic sigh that was not lost on Adrian.

One by one Scott MacIntyre, Megan Joy Corkey, Matt Giraud and Kris Allen got into the safe zone. Just before going into the break, Allison was declared safe. Adrian jumped from his seat and took the popcorn tumbler away from Irina. He had not touched the popcorn before this. Irina was quiet. I got up and went to the other room to answer a call. When I got back to the TV, Alexis was singing to impress the judges and stay on in the show for at least another week. But she fails and she’s out. There was not much heart-break at our end, except for the bad feeling you have when someone falls out of a competition. Did the selection of the Top Ten contestants surprise you? Are you upset Alexis is out?