My Trip and Your Guide to Seychelles :)

If you ever tried looking for Seychelles on the world map, you’d see it as a tiny dot in the Indian Ocean. But you’ll be surprised that on the contrary this island nation comprises of 115 islands! Rising from the warm blue waters of the Indian Ocean, almost 1,000 miles east of Africa, Seychelles is a collection of unspoiled jungle-clad islands, some little more than a lonely rock or two, fringed by soft white sand beaches and gently swaying palm trees. The vast majority of the islands are uninhabited and with just over 5,000 hotel beds in the whole country, the archipelago retains an air of exclusivity, with blissfully empty beaches and deserted coastal spots easy to come by. Seychelles is one of those isolated, dreamy locations often sees in movies. The white sand beaches and turquoise waters surrounded by forest-clad mountains, makes it every travellers dream.

Seychelles has been known to attract newly weds, including the likes of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, my husband and me... and discerning travellers looking for a beach holiday away from the maddening crowds.

With the launch of Air Seychelles’direct flight from Mumbai to Mahe (the main island of Seychelles) and a 30-day free of charge Visa on Arrival, the destination has become more accessible for Indian tourists.

Staying at one island or island hoping... this might confuse you... So here is my trip details to help you out :)

1. Mahé Island

When you fly to Seychelles international airport, the aerial view will take you aback. Trust me, Mahe airport has the best view.

Mahé is the largest of all the islands and site of the nation’s quaint capital Victoria, Mahé is home to 86% of the Seychellois population. It’s best to explore its hidden coves by car, but be sure to spend at least a couple of hours wandering around Victoria’s Botanical Gardens and art galleries, and viewing its famous clocktower, a replica of one near London’s Victoria Station.

2. Praslin Island

A 45-minute ferry ride from Mahé, laid-back Praslin is the second largest of the islands. Most visitors make a beeline for the luxury hotels, restaurants, but the real highlight is the magnificent Vallée de Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with towering indigenous trees and one of only two places in the world where you can spot naturally occurring coco de mer palms. Praslin’s sun-kissed beaches offer plenty of snorkelling opportunities too, and are only a short hop to the hawksbill turtles of Curieuse Marine National Park, just over a mile away.

3. La Digue Island

So laid-back it’s practically horizontal 😊, La Digue is home to a 2,000-strong Creole community, who very welcoming to visitors curious about their way of life. Until recently, no cars were allowed on this time-warp isle, and even today the best way to explore is by bicycle. Spot the elusive black paradise flycatcher in Veuve Nature Reserve or try beachcombing among the soft sands and pink granite boulders of Anse Source d’Argent, arguably the Seychelles’ prettiest beach.

😊😊

Travelling Tips:

1. Water is very expensive in hotels, so try to buy bottled water from super-mart

2. Even during winters, its really hot in Seychelles. So don't forget to carry your sunscreen and glares.

3. If you stay at Beau Vallon (Mahé), there is a local Wednesday flea market. Don't miss it. Its totally worth your time

4. When in Prasline, do try the chocolate ice-cream. I assure you that it be one of the best chocolate ice-creams ever.

5. Creole people are very friendly. So don't be astonished if a complete stranger greets you.

6. If in case you are unable to get Seychello Rupee carry USD. It is accepted across the country.

7. Google Coco de mere right now 😉

Since Marriage Season is on... Things my Future Hubby should know :)

Dear Future Husband,

I’ve had my share of experiences in the past and after a lot of retrospection I’ve realized I’m probably not the best judge of people. Because I’m certain I can’t blame my share of horrible experiences on the male gender altogether, I’m taking a deep breath and leaving it all on my parents. My enthusiastic Indian parents. So you can’t blame me if I’m a little bit paranoid. However, I believe in — “there’s someone out there somewhere waiting just for you” kinda love. But before my parents find you and finalize the contract, I need to say these things to you because I don’t want, but need you to swear by these long-awaited ultimate fantasies of mine for a happy-ever-after for us.

So here it goes…


1. Just because its an arrange marriage don't skip asking me for marriage.
For you it may be cliched but for me, the day the man can bow down to you leaving everything aside, he knows you’re the one. My parents may have given you the green signal but seeing you take my consent first will be the first time I’ll look up to you and may fall for you too.

2. Love me first, don’t cut to the chase
I absolutely love being cared for and vise versa. I swear I don’t want to generalize but this is something I’ve noticed in many Indian men, they take their 'wife' for granted. Hug me often... may be just to make me realize that you are there. For me, there’s always love before lust my darling.

3. Leave me notes
I’m a bit old school when it comes to romance and all that, I think every girl is. I still think feelings and emotions are best expressed in words. It’s a shame nobody believes in it anymore. Go beyond saying you love me. Write me notes, text messages, Post-its would do, emails even, that I can save for the rest of my life just to go back to them in my low days.

4. “Truly Madly Deeply” by Savage Garden is my dream love life
Cheesy as it may sound but this is the truth. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved this song. Every bit of it. Now I want to believe in it. Please help me with that? I promise to do the same.

I’ll be your dream I’ll be your wish I’ll be your fantasy, I’ll be your hope I’ll be your love be everything that you need.


5. Let me consume alcohol however and whenever I want to
I’m a twenty first century girl man. I’m not saying I’m an addict but I hate it when a girl is told to drink less because she can’t “handle” her drinks, just because she’s a girl. Yes I’m kind-of-just-a-little-bit feminist and why shouldn’t I be. Please accept me for who I am.

I absolutely love alcohol and I mix my drinks all the frigging time.


6. Be fine with the men who were there in my life before I even met you
I have a past and I have friends who are guys, some are my best friends. Please don’t expect me to give them up for you because they were my only constants till I met you. I can’t imagine a life without them, it takes ages to find friends that stay.

7. Accommodate with my mood swings
I hate to accept it but it happens. I’d like you to understand me whenever I act like I’m bipolar. I don’t want you to mention it because it’ll make me go crazier. I want you to know that i might say rude and ugly things when I am mad, I might hate you for a moment.. but I'll love you forever. I promise!

8. I might take over a lot of your bathroom space. Accept it.
I have all my toiletries in twos. Two shampoos, two conditioners, two shower gels, two face-washes. I might not need them all at once but I need them to be around just in case. Please understand my dilemma — “What if I feel like strawberry one morning but there’s cocoa shower gel around? What then?”

9. Not every girl loves babies, don’t think I’m abnormal
Promise me you’ll not force having a baby. I do like babies but there’s a long way to the day I’ll be ready to take up that responsibility. I want to do all our honeymoon trips before we decide to take this step.

10. Don’t only be a good listener
Yes I have a habit of over-communicating things. My work, my hair, my nails and what not. Listen to me but don’t just hear me rambling. Respond to what I’m saying, my insecurities make me talk way to glory and if you don’t respond, it feels like I’m talking to a wall.

11. Stop me from munching on things
I’ve seen my friends doing that a lot after they got married. I don’t know if it’s stress or something else, but I don’t want to be a fat married woman. Please take care of that?

12. And look attractive for me

Please try keeping fit for me. Let’s keep the beer belly from coming in between us. Make an effort, like I promise I will.

13. My parents have spoiled me with all the love and luxuries in life, please keep up with it
I’ve been treated like a princess all my life. Once I grew up, I made sure I could afford myself and my expenses. I am independent and I will save money for the both of us. But, I need you to be the responsible man like my dad was to each one of us. Think about "us" and our future together.

14. Make me believe in monogamy
Let’s not even talk about infidelity. It’s a term I hate and I’m always scared of even thinking of a situation I might get into if my husband cheats on me with another woman. It’ll be the biggest insult in my life, if nothing else.

15. You’re probably getting married to settle down in life but just know I might turn it upside down
I’m really messy, with my hair all over your floor to my clothes lying all around the house, to my books bundled up and dumped in the corner and my laptop lying on the bed, all this will be in your room. Our room. It’s not easy to be a woman you see, especially a working woman. Please deal with it till we grow together.

But trust me, living with me will turn your life around, for the better. I can promise you that.

Sepsis Shock: How it nearly killed my MOM

World Sepsis Day is September 13, the same day which changed my life forever.

What I mean to share in this post is 'sepsis awareness'. After everything that we've been through, it’s actually a good time for me to finally write it out.

Let’s start Sepsis awareness by few less known facts

• Sepsis causes more deaths than prostate cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDS combined. Globally, an estimated 20 – 30 million cases of sepsis occurs each year.

• Sepsis remains the primary cause of death from infection despite advances in modern medicine, including vaccines, antibiotics, and intensive care. Sepsis, which is often misunderstood by the public as “blood-poisoning” is one of the leading causes of death around the world

• Patients surviving sepsis have double the risk of death in the following 5 years compared with hospitalized controls and suffer from physical, cognitive and effective health problems.

• Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It may lead to shock, multiple organ failure, and death, especially if not recognized early and treated promptly. Between one third and one half of patients with sepsis die.

• Sepsis is often diagnosed too late, because the clinical symptoms and laboratory signs that are currently used for the diagnosis of sepsis, like raised temperature, increased pulse or breathing rate, or white blood cell count are unspecific

My mom wasn't doing well. I remember mom had been complaining about fever since a couple of days. But, she’s a lot like me. Or I suppose I should say I’m a lot like her. She insists she doesn't need to go to the doctor – or hospital – when in fact she does. But with all of us nagging, she finally relented and agreed to see a doctor. A few hours later, she returned with a diagnosis that I can’t even remember, but nothing serious. She’d be fine. There wasn't anything to worry about.

We took mom illness as normal “viral”. But then after few days, around two-and-a-half months ago, on a Saturday, we were having our routine lives. I had a call with my mom in the morning like any other weekend. Except my mom wasn’t feeling well. At all.

By noon mom had fever 104 F. She started feeling cold and she suddenly lost consciousness. She was rushed to the nearest hospital while she lay unconscious. By the time she reached hospital her blood pressured crashed down to 70/40 or something silly low close to that. It was just the beginning – and a mild version – of the crashes that were to come, but it was very fortunate that she was in the hospital by now and doctors where there for her. Doctors tried to stabilizer her, put her on ventilator and admitted her in the ICU. But, she showed no signs of improvement.

And so began seven days of pure hell, where my mom would nearly die – over and over and over again – in front of me and my family.

Doctors knew my mom was in septic shock. The mortality rate for sepsis goes up 8% every hour it goes undiagnosed, Mom went undiagnosed for 4 hours, killing her chances by 32%!

Sepsis shock is a medical condition caused as a result of severe internal infection where toxins released by bacteria cause tissue damage, low blood pressure, and organ failure. Because in mom’s case it hadn't been caught earlier and treated with antibiotics, it had progressed to the point that she was at risk of dying.

The doctors were working around the clock on mom — she was hooked up to every kind of life support. It had progressed well beyond sepsis. They just didn’t know what bacterium was causing it. Neither could they find the source of the infection, so she was on every heavy antibiotic there was – in extreme doses. By the third day, it was becoming apparent she wouldn’t be able to fight much longer; she wasn’t going to make it without the ventilator. They’d held off on that. It’s a last resort because when the body is as sick as her, pneumonia sets in quickly and then, well… But when the body is as sick as her, it needs help, too.

Things could have got worse. But with God’s grace, mom started responding to medicine and after a week she was discharged from the hospital. She is 52 years old. The only reason she lived through it was because she was healthy when it hit. She was incredibly physically active and in good shape.

Someone who was dealt a crappy health card in life — someone like me — would have been dead by the second day.

Mom was 30 pounds lighter when she came home. She could barely walk. We brought her to Delhi to make sure she gets best medical attention. She is getting better now.

Friends, sepsis and sepsis shock are no joke. I shared a limited account of my mom’s experience from my perspective. I’m still not completely over it, but I’m okay enough. I don’t believe she will ever be completely over it, physically or mentally. The details of the story – and more importantly, the part that followed the initial part – aren’t mine to share. So I’ve shared my experience, which was nothing in comparison. And yet it was a lifetime, lived in a week.

Life beyond PCOS...

Hello everyone! Welcome to my Blog!

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Madhulika and one of my goals today is to raise awareness about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). It is a complex metabolic and hormonal disease and the number one cause of infertility. I have PCOS. 

"I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome."

I’m excited to share the discoveries I have made along my PCOS journey. It has been far from easy, and it took a while to get to where I am now, but my path to healthy life has finally started to open up. Getting diagnosed with PCOS was a blessing in disguise, after all the years of guessing what was “wrong” with me. 



It all started during last few years. I started gaining weight and getting acne. I was experiencing severe mood swings, blood sugar spikes, as well as a severe lack of energy and motivation. I lost all drive to life. My menstrual cycle was either very irregular, or completely absent, and I lacked self-esteem.  

My medical history, blood and hormonal tests as well as a pelvic ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. For the first time in my life, everything that I’d gone through started making sense. It was all connected, in one way or another, to this complex metabolic and hormonal disease. I was diagnosed in December of 2013, when I was 23 years old. I count myself lucky for having been diagnosed early on in my life. It paved the path to wellness for me. In saying that, what I mean is that the diagnosis allowed me to now found out what needed to be done for me to feel like myself again. 

Of course, the doctor told me there was nothing I could do and that I needed to proper medication well as a Diabetes medication called Metformin, for around a year. I was also told that I can be more prone to developing other serious illnesses such as Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Disease, Osteoporosis, Obesity, Cancer, etc! Not even counting all the horrible symptoms I was already experiencing, it was a rude awakening. It did make me realize that I needed to start taking my health seriously. It wasn’t just about losing weight or controlling my hair fall anymore. I had to prevent further complications from this disease.

I began doing my own research, soon to discover PCOS can be cured..!!! Yes.. You heard it right... PCOS can be cured :)

Just try to have a healthy lifestyle and take your medicines on time. Try to exercise moderately and practice stress management activities such as yoga and meditation. I’ve also discovered that staying on a good routine, going to bed before 10:30pm, fertility charting, as well as keeping a PCOS journal is very beneficial and keeps you feeling in control.



Lastly, the most important aspect of treating  PCOS is surrounding yourself with people who love and support your efforts. It’s important to communicate with your family, friends and spouse as PCOS can definitely affect all your life relationships if you or they don’t see it coming. The people around need to be understanding, but it’s also important for you to try to control yourself, and to educate and find what works best for you. That is why the journal and recording how you feel is so important. It helps you to see a pattern, and to understand your symptoms and mood swings, so that you can know when to avoid stressful situations, or give your loved ones a heads up!

Throughout my life, I had always been searching for the one thing that was causing me to feel ill. Through much education and personal experiences, I learnt that it’s not only one single thing that makes us unwell, it’s a combination of everything we do in our lives; from what we eat, how and when we exercise, which products we use, what environment we’re in, the people we surround ourselves with, etc. While some situations may be unchangeable, we must pick our battles and change the ones we have control over.

Treating PCOS takes some time and effort, but it is well worth it, and becomes easier as it gets habitual. From the day I became proactive in my own health and treatment, positive changes started happening. I’ve never felt better in my entire life! For that reason, I'm writing this blog to help women like me, who need to go by life with the day by day struggles of this disease. I believe that I have gained the upper hand and control over my PCOS, but I do expect some pit falls along the way. There is no magic formula to completely cure PCOS. Living with PCOS will be a life long struggle that I have to accept and I hope that any issues arising along the way will be dealt with positively based on the natural resources that I have, and that are out there.

P.S. I would be glad to help anyone with ways to deal with PCOS. or just a girl to girl chat.

P.P.S. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a complex and life-altering disease, but there is hope. Your health is in your hands; heal yourself! Your path to vitality awaits you. Strive to achieve!

The Climb!

I can almost see itThat dream I am dreamingBut there's a voice inside my head saying"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm takingEvery move I make feelsLost with no directionMy faith is shaking

But I gotta keep tryingGotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountainI'm always gonna wanna make it moveAlways gonna be a uphill battleSometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get thereAin't about what's waiting on the other sideIt's the climb

The struggles I'm facingThe chances I'm takingSometimes might knock me downBut no, I'm not breaking

I may not know itBut these are the moments thatI'm gonna remember most, yeahJust gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strongJust keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountainI'm always gonna wanna make it moveAlways gonna be a uphill battleSometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get thereAin't about what's waiting on the other sideIt's the climb, yeah!
There's always gonna be another mountainI'm always gonna wanna make it moveAlways gonna be an uphill battleSomebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get thereAin't about what's waiting on the other sideIt's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbingKeep the faith, babyIt's all about, it's all about the climbKeep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

New Girl in India's Capital

I have lived in the Indian capital for over a year now and, like many other women in this metropolis of 16 million, I soon learned how to deal with the lecherous stares and dirty comments, the drunken men in cars who follow my auto-rickshaw home from work at night.

I have learnt to be aggressive, to talk straight and serious when addressing male strangers, to not make eye contact, to not extend a handshake and to certainly not smile, share personal details or be friendly when dealing with men I do not know. Some may think this is a little severe, but when you are bombarded with reports of crimes against women — of men throwing acid in women’s faces, of women being dragged off the street and gang-raped in moving cars, of little girls being lured, raped and murdered, of women being stalked and harassed, most here will likely agree my actions make sense.

Women in Delhi have learnt to be guarded, to keep up a wall, to use reputable cab services and to take pictures of licence plates on our phones and send them to friends as we board auto-rickshaws. We have learnt to text or call loved ones when we reach our destination, to carry pepper spray, attend self-defense classes and have rape alert apps installed on our smart phones. It’s become a way of life. A norm — almost part of our subconscious — which helps us survive in a city which has the unsavory reputation of being India’s rape capital.

The brutality of the December gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in Delhi shocked not only Indians but also the world outside, awakening others to the horrors women face in this largely patriarchal country. I realize now how much of my somewhat cold, aggressive behavior to male strangers is linked to concern for my safety. India has a vibrant culture, diverse population and breathtaking landscapes. Its people are warm and welcoming and economic gains are gradually improving the lives of the poorest in the interior.

Inspite of all this i just wish India would become a country where women can wear what they want, where they are not sexually harassed or stared at on the street, where they can talk openly with men they do not know and can wear the shortest of shorts and the skimpiest of outfits. No one stares. No one cares.

Women are present in large numbers in all public spaces, doing everything from driving garbage collection trucks to policing the streets to loading your bags onto trolleys at the airport. Maybe someday I'd want to believe that men in India would finally allow women to feel comfortable, unconcerned about attracting stares and unwanted attention. To feel liberated, let down their guard and be at peace.

But my point is that it is not just a question of better attitudes towards women on the streets, but also about Government sending strong signals to society to respect women, something we do not see so much of in India. Indian Government passed a new anti-rape law after the Delhi gang rape , but a U.N. expert criticized it as being too limited in scope. The law was watered down by the predominantly male parliamentarians, who agreed to broaden the definition of rape and increase the penalties, yet did not criminalize a husband who rapes his wife, saying this could lead to the break-up of the family unit!!!

And now it gets really difficult for me to understand... What values do we Indians talk about? We worship female goddess but at the mean time rape a woman? and even after all this the government doesn't do whats needed. Trust me... India being the biggest democratic Nation and I being an Indian.. I can clearly state that Democracy is for fools where goon rules!

The Moving Frame... Strangers Again

"He's my unicorn!"

At first I didn't get what my friend meant.She said "He's the guy that I always dreamed about existing. Too perfect, making me happier than I ever thought was possible. And I found him. We're finally together.!!!"

This is how my friend described her new boyfriend.  Though it was several years ago, that term has always stuck with me, probably because, I think that's a very good way to put it.

Every relationship begins with a crush, an attraction.  The person of interest is a dream. You could only WISH to be with them, to be their boyfriend/girlfriend, to know everything about them, and grow with them. They are, a unicorn to you. Unicorn because you think it too good to be true. No one goes into a relationship (seriously) with someone they're not crazy about. You couldn't WAIT to see them, to hear from them. You would give anything to be WITH them... 

But sadly, at some point, this excitement, this appeal, this idea of perfection fades. Somewhere along the line, the unicorn, just becomes a regular horse.  In my opinion, that the reason why majority of relationships out there do not last. He or she is no longer appears to be "that special" and so you both start to act differently, or do stupid things that eventually lead to breaking up.

To me, the saddest part about a relationship that did not work out, is the inevitable path both parties are on to become strangers.  They start out as strangers, grow to learn about each other, eventually become each others' lives, and then break up, and return to being strangers again. 

I've been wanting to write about this for several months.  I went a little overboard and made a visual representation of a "typical" relationship...from rise, to demise.  Seeing it so plainly sorta depresses me since it's quite familiar...but maybe it'll help others who are going along the same path, and now seeing that, they're not alone.

I know it may seem I'm extremely bitter/pessimistic for claiming this is the representation of "typical" relationships...but, i'm just keeping it real.  Honestly, most of us are not gonna be ONE person forever, and you will break up. The normal stages in a relationship is as follows:
(I'm assuming no one cheated, beated, or did anything truly stupid that deems them unworthy of being counted as a meaningful relationship. Those are deal-breakers right there)

Stage 1: Everyone starts out as strangers.  You don't know who he/she will be, you don't even know he/she exists right now.


Stage 2: By some chance, you meet him/her. It could be through a mutual friend, online profile, a friend you've had for a long time and it's just clicking, or a total stranger you bump into on the street.  Whatever it is...you meet him/her, and most importantly...you are attracted.

Stage 3: If he/she your type, and you click, you'll find a way to keep talking and getting to know each other.  At some point, he/she will be the only person on your mind, you'll always look forward to getting that call or text from her.  You flirt, your eyes always meet first in a crowded room...She is your unicorn.

Stage 4: If you make it here...congrats!  You have found someone, out of alllll the people in the world...who likes you the way you like them at the same time.  If you think about it, that's quite a feat.  Make the right moves and he/she is now your boyfriend/girlfriend.  Lucky you, you are finally with the most wonderful and perfect boy/girl to you. Thus begins the honeymoon stage as everyone knows it.  The beginning of the relationship when the two of you couldn't be happier or more excited that you are together.

Stage 5: Time will pass, and whether you want to believe it or not, the fire won't rage on.  But that's okay, it's only normal and healthy for each of you to simmer down and just be chill with each other.  This is when you get comfortable.  There's no need to fake anything, you'll be real, you'll be honest.  Some fights might occur, some problems may arise, but that's fine. Again, it's only normal. What you do and where you go with those arguments and that comfortableness is what makes the difference into the next stage. (The comfortable stage is tricky because it could be very short, or very very long, years even, but you'll never know until after it's over)

Stage 6: For many, the problems persist, and despite trying to make up each time, you're still arguing, upset, or dissatisfied with the relationship.  It's only once in a while that you two are actually totally happy, because most of the time... you are just tolerating each other.  This is the stage when most people say..."It's not great, but it's not bad".  By the way... that's never a good description of a relationship. If you're saying that, you're probably headed for the next stage.

Stage 7: If you've gotten here, most likely there's not much time left for the two of you.  There may be valiant efforts to save the relationship, but in the end, everything will add up and it'll be too hard to keep it going.  Something was lost along the way and you can't bring it back.  Usually both of you will be too afraid to make the final call...but one of you will.  It's rarely completely mutual, but each case is of course different.  Most likely, both you won't agree at the same exact moment to break it off, and this results in the "he broke up with me" or "she broke up with me" when it was really what both of you were thinking at some point. However, there are definitely the cases that are really one-sided, when she doesn't see it coming at all, and you essentially "break her heart". Those are the worst.

Stage 8: The Break Up.  Pretty self explanatory.  If you're lucky, it'll be on good terms.  Sometimes they're long and drawn out.  Regardless of the duration or type...the relationship will end.

Stage 9: Assuming you were total strangers before...There will/must be a time of distance in order to heal.  You and your partner are coldly thrown back into a life null of each other, and it takes a while to adjust back. This is the most difficult part. (I could probably make a whole other subchart for this stage). Be strong. "Time heals all wounds"

Stage 10: Depending on your personality/support/life events...stage 9 will end after a certain amount of time.  You'll either move on, or find someone new.  Usually the most common way people move on...is just finding someone new.  It's not necessarily a rebound, but seeing that there's another unicorn out there sorta makes the pain from the last one start to go away. Or you try to convince yourself that your ex was never a unicorn in the first place.

Stage 11: If both of you are mature and have good hearts...the two of you will recall a time when you were very important to one another and a part of each others' lives. This will undoubtedly cause you to sometimes think about them and how they're doing.  As a result, once in a while you'll send them an email, or message, or a call to say hello.  Maybe even catch up over coffee?  This might happen a few times, but after awhile, the time between will become longer and longer.  She'll get a new boyfriend, He will be busy in his life, so meeting up won't be a priority. After some time...the two of you won't be talking at all and will have totally lost touch, bringing you back to right where you started... Strangers. After a few more months/yrs...everything the two of you went through will feel like a dream that may or may not have happened....