Category: Daily prompts

Tools of Expression: My Writing Essentials

Daily writing prompt
Who do you spend the most time with?
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Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

There are a few things that I love,
and most of them are those which help me in living this life,
or easing it in some way…

Those things are my phone,
my precious laptop,
and the bundle of pen and pad with a book that is bound with it…

If it weren’t for my phone,
I wouldn’t be able to reach you ever,
or these thoughts of mine,
you can call it a dependence,
but,
this sort of relation where the only thing that’s closer to me,
is my phone,
I mean there are people too,
but,
that becomes secondary as soon as things start to go wrong,
and I’m left all alone to fight battles that are mine,
(Which I was supposed to from the very beginning..),
so,
I usually have a phone,
though which I can reach those,
and those who want to reach me can conveniently,
drop a message,
or a call,
and we can fix a meetup or talk things over,
if the latter isn’t possible,
we can talk on call…

A laptop that I bought for self because of reasons that will sound trivial,
so,
let’s leave it at that,
the most I use and spend time with is early in the morning,
or,
late at night,
it has seen me at the most vulnerable,
and also,
when I was the numbest,
feeling nothing at all,
laying there just like a deceased,
and wishing for a connection,
until I found many…

The story of pen and pad,
goes way beyond time,
When all of this was a dream,
and wishing to be someone like this,
a writer who is seen scribbling,
penning down some thought,
or being their usual self,
just because there was a want to be heard,
not actually dreaming of being famous,
but,
a dream of having a way with words in which one can easily,
and gently portray what goes on within this mind,
that someone might find appealing,
or might get help by reading it,
(of some sorts maybe its peace or satisfaction),
because delivering what seems to be a thought and exploring requires,
some collection,
some recollection,
where the pen and pad come in handy,
penning down how and what I feel,
when I feel…

There are few people who are close to me,
and their well-being and thriving is really important to me,
so,
I try to be,
some or any sort of help I can be,
until they’re willing to make an effort themselves…

Cheers 🥂 (Happy weekend)

Love Waakiye 🤍

Often,
I’ve sat down,
With a mission,
and things that I keep on me,
with me,
Sitting neatly,
in front of me,
waiting to be utilized…

As soon as my phone pings,
it’s time to work on the prompt,
This body automatically goes into action,
Thinking,
sometimes acting on impulse,
watching a beautiful story pop into existence,
a reality that exists come into words,
words that are shared to you,
all of this world too…

As I close this,
or think of,
a medley of words still spins in this mind,
much of which hits the phone,
to be explored,
explored later…

“A Continuous happening”

07/06/2025
Why I Chose the Name Waakiye: A Personal Reflection

Daily writing prompt
If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?
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Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

The prompt still going crazy as usual,
but,
this one has me look into the old usernames and the alternate sites that I went through,
being a sort of different name and a different vibe that I brought there…

One of the sites that I uploaded my content to,
shut down this year in April,
and I began writing on it late ’22,
so almost 3 years of my content was there,
and there I went by a name that was randomly given to me,
on adding my details,
and that name still sticks to me,
As people who became close to me,
still call me by that name…

Whereas,
this name,
Waakiye
is much thought on,
decided with care and thoughts that go beyond normal,
A single word that has multiple meaning beyond languages,
It’s meaning much different as we travel across borders,
and get a different meaning each and every time,
Hence the considerations before coming at this..

The real name that I carry,
From birth,
there’s no such thing as pure and serene as that,
so,
there’s no changing that,
and the name that you all recognize me by here,
Stays on forever…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

A word,
a name,
that lives forever becomes the game…

For years upon years,
I tumbled,
and got humbled,
within a few years,
I found myself,
A name with limited excel…

A presence of which I became a seeker,
and traveled far lands,
caught within these walls,
called the mind…

So I sought,
one day,
the writing,
these lines,
these sentences,
these (Waakiye)…

They’ve been,
and will be,
from the very beginning,
till the end of me…

“A worthy name….”

06/06/2025
Crafting the Perfect Chocolate Bar: A Caffeine Dream

Daily writing prompt
Describe your dream chocolate bar.
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Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

A genuine question,
what’s up with today’s prompt,
dream chocolate bar…?

I was wondering if today’s prompt would be something that would push me in a direction to think that isn’t conventional,
and would enlighten me or this little mind of mine,
but no,
Waakiye
What’s your dream chocolate….?

But,
this comes as a breather of sorts,
because,
dreaming of food and coming up with creations different than what goes on,
regularly is a challenge of sort too,
because there are so many ways to create a dish,
so being creative becomes something of a mandate,
where your survival isn’t possible without something that is visually appealing,
along with the taste,
how it hits the palate…

Now comes the dream bar,
I am a coffee addict,
So,
if coffee or in a broader term caffeine was a part of a chocolate it’d be the best,
but plain coffee in chocolate wouldn’t suffice,
we’d have to cut the acidity too wouldn’t we..?

So,
to balance that we can add milk chocolate cookie crumble
to give a sort of texture,
we also would have to consider the filling that would be a part of it,
we can use coffee cream in the form of a mousse or something like a coffee liqueur base,
which would give the much-needed kick,
and surrounded by it would be a mix of dark and milk chocolate,
(Upping the content of dark chocolate to give support and stability needed to support the weight of the contents inside…)

With that I’ve become a master (Of sorts) in this craft,
One chocolate bar at a time…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

That’s how I think it feels,
all alone in a room,
filled with light that has an origin,
thinner than a split,
though which we can barely get a glimpse…

As the light travels,
and hits what seems to be like a plate,
and a half visible body of a person trapped within the seams,
looking at the source of light,
not being able to see,
the actual origin…

As he stares at the food,
A bun,
and a couple of donuts holes,
It seems,
he’s tired,
greatly tired of eating them as he avoids looking at them,
questioning its origin;
as he continues to stare at the source of light,
without even a single clue,
he stares into nothingness,
yet again…

“A sufferer’s plight”

05/06/2025
Remembering Childhood Books: A Journey Back

Daily writing prompt
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
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Hey..

I hope all of you are doing well…

Today’s prompt sparked a whole range of emotions,
forcing me to go back to think about,
and relive my childhood…

But,
sadly,
I only remember little bits and pieces,
there isn’t much that i remember,
due to the general stresses and exceeding workload that I’ve got on,
these past couple of years,
causing me to run almost blank when it’s time to remember,
my childhood…

But,
I do remember the books that I read,
many of them were picture ones,
but,
the one I remember greatly was,
The Panchtantra…

It was a picture book that my mother used to recite me,
when I was a kid,
I distantly remember staring at that face,
that face,
from which those beautiful stories I heard,
and I probably laughed at…

I was the happiest when those days were going on
carefree without any worries,
hearing those stories and
looking at those pictures within the books,
of many animals from the animal kingdom…

The Panchtantra had animal stories with Sanskrit origin,
roots of which could be traced back,
they were based on imparting kids with a sense of morality,
and wisdom that comes with age,
by exposing them to us at an early age,
which helped us to form a sense of right and wrong early on in life…

The main focus was to show intelligence and dependence on having a sense of self and belief in oneself,
another story focused on trust and loyalty,
another one focused on having intelligence over brute force…

One such example is that of lion and a rabbit,
Where one time it was decided that the lion won’t hunt any animal but the animal would come by itself and get eaten by the lion,
one day it was the turn of a rabbit,
and he was scared for his life,
so he passed by a well and got an idea;
on arriving late,
lion was mad at him,
and he told the lion that another lion stopped him by the well,
as he went to the well and found another one at the bottom(I.e. his reflection),
after much consideration and two and fro,
he jumped into the well,
killing the lion that very instant…

Here,
we learn that brute force can be overcome by intelligence;
there were many such stories among the same line with morals and our take from it,
which were enjoyed and cherished by all…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

Oh a wish to go back to those days,
where I could listen,
stories from her,
my mother,
my grandmother…

A sense of relief comes to this mind,
as I sat in that embrace,
and heard what became life lessons for me,
to live and prosper in this one…

As I sat,
and got wisdom,
that comes with age,
looking at those faces and the words that I barely understood,
just loving it all,
absorbing it all,
all until I got tired,
and let out a yawn,
a yawn so big,
signing that I was desperately in need of sleep…

Rubbing these eyes,
as i was put to bed with the fan running above,
gentle taps to the chest,
and a sweet lullaby,
to which I used to,
I used to fall asleep…

“Remembering those times”

04/06/2025
Books That Shaped My Perspective
Daily writing prompt
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
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Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

It has been a while since I’ve read a book,
but It has been one of my goals to start reading books in this year,
which I haven’t been able to pick up in such a long time even though there’s a post it notes that I’ve stuck in my room that I see upon my entry,
but,
Something happens,
Sometimes I’m too lazy,
sometimes it’s just that I don’t feel like reading,
and sometimes the time just flies away once I begin scrolling Instagram,
eating all of my said time…

But,
If asked that what books I’ve read,
that sparked a change in me is these three…
1. The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
  One of those books which was a hand me down from my cousin sister,
  and became one of those books which left me shook,
  from the bottom of my core,
  because it was one of those books which i started reading because i genuinely wanted to read and absorb something good,
  it wasn’t something that I did to pass time,
  and on reading so much and so many perspectives in such a slim book,
  although not easy to understand for a beginner,
  because of the tone its written in,
  condensed into a few pages it was the essence of life and how to live in it…
2. Dr. Cuterus by Dr. Tanaya Narendra
  I got this one as a gag gift from a cool friend that I have,
  Dr. Tanaya who goes on by the name of ” Dr_cuterus ” on Ig,
  is a doctor who guides all of us,
  including her 1.8M followers,
  about personal and sexual wellness…
  In her book she talks about things that is kept hidden,
  and often comes at a price that younger generation pays,
  she talks about all this in a fun and easy to understand way which keeps the reader hooked and entertained,
  A must read for each and everyone as they reach at an age where they begin to question these things where parents cannot or wont talk about it with their children…
3. A mix of religious books
  The third according to me is mix of religious books,
  A Quran which I bought as a gift when I went to Old Delhi on a trip with an old friend of mine,
  A Bible which I picked up as one of my friends was leaving the state as his father’s job shifted to another state,
  causing him to pack and move all of his stuff,
  from which he gave me a parting gift (kind of)…
A mix of books that gave me a perspective,
and exposure that no other soul can,
forever grateful for them I am and I shall be…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

Just like that,
amassing a fortune,
for some this might be just books that sit and collect dirt,
but for a reader,
it becomes a treasure,
that one can reap forever…

As the dust that sits,
and often its cleaned,
often the pages are explored,
As the bookmarks are shifted every once in a while…

As the story proceeds,
the good takes the win,
losses are taken up by the evil,
and with all of the things that happen in this world,
this cruel world that exists,
provides a comfort,
provides all of us a zone with some sort of stability,
that helps us to live in this world,
this cruel hard and cutthroat world…

“A safe escape…”
03/06/2025
The Simple Joy of Music in Everyday Life

Daily writing prompt
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
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Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

Have you ever heard music…?

I have,
and I can’t get enough of it ever,
there are times so hard at moments,
where I can’t face the world,
But,
music was,
and all I could do was wrap myself around in its comfort…

There are moments,
some dreadful,
some joyous,
that make up the part of my daily schedule,
and living through them becomes a pain,
but,
a music makes the passing of time easier,
by shifting the focus of the stresses off of me,
by helping me calm down,
and with a calm mind i can look at problems differently,
from various perspectives and find an optimal solution,
just with the help of music…

I listen to music to feel the emotions that I can’t feel,
haven’t felt in a long time,
like,
there are some tunes spark a sense of intense longing or missing a person from the bottom of our heart,
but,
that too has its benefits,
reminding us of our past and mistakes that have been made,
to not repeat it ever again…

During some joyous,
extremely happy times like marriage of close relatives,
or even enjoying night out with my friends,
i have found music to be our partner,
to enjoy happy moments,
and during it,
deepened our bond with each other,
finding things that we listen to by sharing them with each other…

I am really grateful for music to exist in the same timeline as me,
to which I’ve fallen in love with from the bottom of my heart…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

A journey that we tread on,
finding things that comfort us,
on a path that we set,
for ourselves to walk on…

In a dimly lit scene,
as these words paint a picture vivid,
enough to escape the real one,
and live in it;

But,
the reality often inescapable,
forces us to return,
cage our being,
our essence,
by catching us as we flee…

As we use methods to escape,
or feel something,
sparking a change,
sometimes an inspiration to be a better version of self,
or to be a better human overall,
and,
with that,
comes a sense of belief,
that it was made for us,
a gift from gods,
a hymn or a verse,
that detaches us,
cuts our worries short…

“A blessing to these ears…”

01/06/2025
Knowing When to Unplug: Signs You Need a Break

Daily writing prompt
How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

Me opening my laptop to see this prompt while,
there are Instagram reels going on my phone,
there is a Bluetooth speaker playing music,
and there hangs around my neck my OnePlus bullets playing the e-book in my ear,
as I switch all of them off but the laptop,
staring at this prompt sparking a need to unplug literally,
also figuratively…

As soon I turned off all these devices,
a noise of sort runs all along,
And,
it feels like this mind is going to explode,
but,
as soon as i turn on the soft music it goes away,
maybe I’ve become dependent on this,
my mind wants something to play in the background to function properly…

Also,
about the detachment from the work life,
has become a real problem in this world,
where more and more managers or those sitting at top tier,
need the workers to work hard,
harder,
longer hours to match their expectations,
and when something goes wrong,
it’s ultimately their(Workers) blame…

Having been on both sides of the said problem,
it’s known that excessive pressures leads to faults
and,
longer hours make them burn off quicker than they can recover from it,
for someone who just got out of a university knowing how to get the work done isn’t aware of it…

How one is supposed to recover from the last days work,
pressures and stresses,
but,
someone who has never spent even a single day working is unknown to the toll it takes on the body,
so,
it feels like barking up the wrong tree..

So,
it’s just that you have to take things on your own hand and provide adequate,
evidence the fall in work quality and the overall tiredness,
that people go through,
which in turn can be regulated by forming unions,
which demand equal pay for the excessive hard work that people put in,
its a slippery slope as the workers morale drops,
which in turn makes the organization crumble…

It’s of absolute necessity that,
there are things that are understood by all,
a need to be free from the constant pressures,
or things that keep you engaged in continuously,
form a dependence on that,
also,
on being constantly under pressure can make you dependent on it too,
if there is none chaos follows there too,

SO,
a need to detach from things that keep us engaged is absolutely necessary,
like being away from devices for having peace of mind,
taking up exercise to make the best out of the time that we keep for ourselves,
doing breathing exercises,
using the days off properly (not working),
spending time with family and friends,
doing breathing exercises to shift the focus from your soul…

For those addicted to devices,
put a lock on the number of hours you can surf one app, which you spend most of your time on,
like I’ve put up a screen time of half an hour for Instagram,
and after that I’m locked out for the day,
convenient yet frustrating,
but,
that’s how I’ll learn…

Happy weekend to those who are celebrating..

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

A fear to fall off stays,
keyboard keys clacks,
and the sound echoes in the big hall,
that is now empty…

As the vision deters,
a face appears out of nowhere,
telling me to focus on work and keep my head down,
glued to the work that,
i have to finish…

after a while as my eyes start to give up,
a need to was my eyes,
a bottle of eye drops is brought to me,
which i put in them and start my work…

As i am about to finish,
another email reminder pops up,
for the presentation that’s supposed to happen tomorrow,
no,
it’s supposed to happen today,
as I look at the watch,
timer stuck 1 in the morning,
as a notification pops up,
“Go to sleep”
bringing me a chuckle…

An eye is raised,
as I go back to work…

“A dreadful life”

31/05/2025
What Makes a True Friend: The Value of Trust and Honesty

Daily writing prompt
What quality do you value most in a friend?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

Have you ever made a friend that you’d have to give up later?
because this is a proof of either a lapse in your judgment of the type of person they are/were,
or,
they were easily influenced by things that life gave them for their hard work or sheer luck…

I’ve had 2 friends,
the real ones,
who go back to middle school,
and the type of friendship we have will sound weird…

We can meet one day of the week randomly,
and after that we might give each other calls,
and meet a month later checking up on each other,
getting to know about our lives,
well-being of our families,
the siblings,
the work that they are currently in,
involved in,
or a general talk of any stresses that we have,
we try to…

We do it while grabbing a bite to eat,
or over some drinks,
that way we can enjoy the time as we get to eat together,
all of us coming from middle class families,
so we do have a common goal to make it big somehow,
but,
they’re stopped by the slow-moving money that exists in our surroundings,
but,
not until long,
we are working hard to come up,
and with each other backing and support,
we will for sure make it big…

The type of quality that we value is honesty,
truthful and being absolutely real…

Even if things go south,
we know that we can trust each other,
put in 100% of our faith in each other’s word,
and can stand wherever we need to,
just on a single calling,
we know we can trust each other without worrying,
the other person,
because that’s the type of mindset we have…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye 🤍

A path that we walk,
knowing the next step that we take,
is for the betterment,
betterment of the family that exists,
with all might as they pull them towards a better life…

With stresses beyond our scope,
and to tread a path that isn’t paved,
but,
has to be made as we step,
Step into this fast-paced world…

Often, we sit together
when distressed,
when stresses take a toll on us,
we seek each other’s company,
and in it,
we find peace,
as we hear,
each other’s side,
a laughter here,
a chuckle there,
some tears of sadness,
a supportive shoulder tap,
glass clinking and forgetting it all,
after cheering ourselves up…

“A Happy life”

30/05/2025
Lessons Learned from My Work Experience

Daily writing prompt
What jobs have you had?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

Exceptional work on getting this day’s prompt too,
the type of jobs I’ve had…

It might seem like i am a person who has done a lot in my life,
in a sense that these words or the type of person they portray me to be,
but,
in the contrary,
the type of job that i’m currently involved in had no relation to the type of career path i chose in my high school or my bachelors…

I’ve worked the same job and picked up various tasks,
starting as a helper,
picking up scraps and filling up coolant water,
and cutting huge quantities of material,
often returning home covered in soot and a layer of metal dust and sweat due to long shifts without breaks,
to operating machines big and small,
by learning the basics and now doing tricky processes on my own,
currently,
grinding things to their sizes within the specified tolerances,
and giving them to the customers,
Also,
face to face customer dealing from day 1…

The type of field that I’m currently in,
has unlimited potential for growth,
But,
it doesn’t have the matching pay to it,
you can have all the skills,
quote what you are deserving of,
but,
a helper or someone who will be taught will be a replacement of you within a few days,
i.e. no sense of job security…

Being from a commerce background,
I started with a blank slate,
with limited knowledge,
of the field,
but,
the sheer dedication,
and focus that i put in,
(not being able to find any other at the time),
i picked up the family business and have taken it upwards only…

Didn’t work many jobs,
but a range of jobs within one to develop skills that can be used in many places,
and,
I’m grateful for that…

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye🤍

Often,
I find myself,
sitting,
pondering,
wondering,
if the work i did today mattered…?

Did it matter that i woke up,
set that early alarm,
woke up before that,
and got ready to avoid the morning rush…

Did it matter…?

Did it matter,
that i arrived before anyone could,
and started work earlier than anyone,
preparing the type of work each and every employee had to work on,
make a detailed process and work sheet,
set timings to check the type of work that went on,
Routinely checking the prepared product,
the tolerance and the proper build,
and like that,
staying on these tippy toes,
i get the work done,
Advising,
checking,
guiding,
before i could look up it was lunch,
a late one…

It was 3 in the afternoon,
before i could sit and eat my lunch in peace,
by then i got a call for delivery of raw material,
inhaling my food i went out,
and brought some helpers,
and after a thorough investigation,
the product was kept in the designated place,
As the clock stuck 4…

Before i could go on another checking shift,
i was given a task to prepare and look at the repairs of a machine,
After meticulously studying and locating the err,
not within our scope the maintenance staff was called in,
taking up 45 minutes,
as i went on to checking the final product…

Before i could come back the machine was up and running,
downtime of 42 minutes,
which was easy to manage and work around…

As the clock stuck 5 staff stared to leave,
workday being over,
some overtime staff that stayed on half an hour,
by the clock stuck 5:45 the place was empty,
deserted like there existed none,
By 6 and checking all of the machines before leaving
not leaving anyone of them on,
and putting in my timestamp,
i left for my home…

where I sat,
just like that,
thinking,
did it matter,
as i prepared for another day,
and 4 more to come…

“Did it matter…?”

29/05/2025
Do You Practice Religion? A Personal Reflection

Daily writing prompt
Do you practice religion?
View all responses

Hey…

I hope all of you are doing well…

I really wanted this to be one of the questions/prompts,
well before I started,
because,
i like to study people and their religious beliefs,
and the way they carry it forwards after getting it from their grandparents to their parents,
and now it’s finally their turn to pick up the rituals that their parents carried,
watching it happen ever since a child,
and now they embrace it with their open arms…

I don’t practice any religion,
or openly say that i am a part of any religion,
but,
in our household,
both Hinduism and Sikhism are practiced;

Upbringing of your parents and their place of birth matters a lot,
My father’s origin was from Panjab,
whereas my mom’s were from Haryana,

both the places had a connection with Both of the religions,
But,
Haryana tended to have a deeper connection to Hinduism,
her place of birth being next to Kurukshetra which is associated to the Mahabharata war,
and birthplace of Bhagavada Gita,
…
And Panjab, on the other hand has deep rooted beliefs with Sikhism,
being the birthplace of the religion,
that people follow worldwide…

So,
a mix of both is followed and respected in our household,
but,
that doesn’t mean we degrade other religions,
we respect those religion that we don’t follow,
because that’s how we are…

I was taught to be a better person before practicing any religion,
if someone follows Islam, Christianity or any other religion,
it has been ingrained in my being to let people follow and practice their faith,
until it becomes a problem for me,
forced conversions and such,
(a big issue here…)

But,
answering the question,
do i practice any religion,
actually i don’t…

i believe in atheism,
that there is no belief in me of deity worshiping,
or praying a stone or a clay made and painted figurine,
that most of the people follow around me…

BUT,
that doesn’t mean i forbid anyone else of their choice,
they can and should do it,
if they feel like,
and they won’t ever hear it from my mouth that this is wrong or right,
until they want,
truly want my answer…

WOULD YOU EVER WANT A MORAL COMPASS,
THAT ALLOWS OR DOESN’T ALLOW YOU TO DO SOMETHING,
OR,
A BELIEF,
THAT WHATEVER YOU DO,
IT’S ADVANTAGE OR BLAME SHALL BE PAID AFTER YOUR EXISTENCE HAS LEFT THIS EARTH…?

So,
you do bad things,
and justify it with religion,
or,
make others suffer just because you won’t have to face consequences now,
but in an afterlife that you don’t even know exists or not..

Food for thought

Cheers 🥂

Love Waakiye🤍

As i watch,
the world run down…

Run down into ruins,
by those who call themselves,
the saviors…

The savior that believes,
by hook or by crook,
his word shall remain the truth…

The sole truth that prevails,
is that we are humans,
before being divided by faith..

A faith that i follow,
a fight that ensues,
my fight,
the fight,
it goes on between me and my fate…

Between me and my faith,
a person who sits back like a wraith,
all observant,
until it’s his turn,
to narrate…

“A personal quest…
To reclaim the voice,
I let silence arrest.”

28/05/2025