A Book review for Monday

Today I finished one of the books of Sudha Murthy (one of my favorite authors) and would like to share my views on this. The reading experience of this book compels me to write about it.

Mahashweta is a story of a female protagonist Anupama, Dr. Anand falls head over heels in love with beautiful Anupama, when he sees her for the first time. He convinced his mother to marry Anupama but later after marriage Anupama suffers from Leukoderma and Anand does not take any stand for Anupama. Her in-laws forced her out and she came back to her parent’s house where she feels loneliness in her life which leads towards a thought of suicide but she accepts the truth and moves along with it. She builds her career as a lecturer and becomes a self- dependent woman after so many physical and emotional struggles.

This book portraits the inner strength of a woman who discovered herself empowered in the utmost vulnerable condition when her husband even deserted her. The story deals with the sensitive topic of 'vitiligo' and how despite being a harmless condition of depigmentation it destroys lives and hopes and ostracizes one from society and friends.

It’s a great work of Sudha Murthy, simplicity has always been a specialty of Sudha Murthy’s writings. I loved the book and fell in love with the writings of the author. This is an inspirational read I would like to recommend for everyone.

P.S:  This blog is just not only about the book reviews, it's about my experiences, learning and creativity, nowadays I am reading a lot so delighted to share my views, Hope you all like it. :) :) 

Happy Monday!

Thanks for stopping by

A Light Weekend Read: Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

This is the first novel I have read of from Shopaholic series. Though, I have read one of the books of Sophie Kinsella- “Can you keep a secret” which I really loved. This novel is a chick-lit with good humor.

This is a continuation of Shopaholic series (I should go for other books in this series). 
Rebecca Brandon and Luke are expecting their first child and Becky (Rebecca) is busy with baby’s unusual shopping which includes five prams, 400 count crib sheet, and other unnecessary things. Life seems so perfect for her as she gets the best celebrity obstetrician -Venetia Carter and a spot in Vogue. Then her world comes crash down as she gets to know Venetia is Luke’s ex-girlfriend.

The story revolves around so many twists and turns which makes it more interesting. The thing which I really love about author Sophie Kinsella is – She has a knack to draw her characters which makes readers fall in love with them.

Becky is a quirky, Shopaholic, Frivolous character and a combination of silly and intelligence. At first glance, the character appears very shallow but gradually the reader feels warmth in the character and Becky appears a strong, lovable person who gives importance to the family as well as friends.

This is a light and merry read! You can go for the audiobook too that would be fantastic!

This is a quick review of the book, Hope you liked it. :) :) 
Happy Reading!!!!

P.S: Though I really do not want to use the term "Chick-lit" for the sake of few people as they feel the term is a demeaning one, but I do not find the chick- lit label as an offensive one, so I use it. 

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Happy Weekend!

Life’s Trifles!!

We should appreciate the small little things that keep happening in our lives. These tiny little things are sometimes worth a lot. It may be a cute little blooming flower in your balcony garden or a beautiful text message from your friend or a hug from your spouse or anything which is small, yet cute and beautiful.

Yesterday, when I was de-cluttering some of the old stuff, I found a letter written by my friend and roommate in college given to me by her as a farewell gift. I read it and couldn’t hold myself from re-reading it again and again. I was completely immersed into memories from the college time. The letter was so beautifully written and filled my heart with emotions. I wish I could share the contents of the letter here but without her (my friend’s) permission I cannot share it. The sad part is- We both are not in contact with each other, I do not even have her contact number. There is no misunderstanding but just a communication gap due to our priorities in life :(

But, now I have decided “to bridge the gap”. I am going on a mission to find out this friend of mine and I believe there is nothing so difficult in this digital world with so many options to connect with each other, social media being one of the most prevalent and accessible options :)

Hope we will be in contact soon. This feeling of re-connecting with a good old friend excites me.

And for all you guys, cherish your old memories and keep finding small, beautiful, exciting things in life. Stay connected!

My Life

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And the life still goes on and forever till eternity.

There’s nothing that makes it stop or deviate from its normal course;

Nothing that disrupts its flow, nor does anything slow down its pace.

Time runs out everytime I wish I had some for myself,

And expressions fade out in the vast multitude of gestures that intend to convey the feelings.

The real feelings are never interpreted or are always misinterpreted.

The perturbed emotions represent  themselves in the weirdest ways .

The mental agitation defeats the very existence of intellect.

All efforts to return to sanity only add to the misery.

Time slips as I try to grab into my hands,leading myself to vanity;

Time gone by comes back and passes,trapped into a whirl I find myself again.

Cognizance all lost and memories so oblivious.

Good old times but return to haunt and make me sick.

The turbulence just can’t get worse,time stands still,

And the life still goes on…..

Make your own boundaries

Is it necessary to draw your own boundaries? - The answer is-Yes!

Sometimes you encounter a person you wish to avoid due to a history or some past experience. Everyone has a personal space and it’s one’s own choice how much to allow others into that space. We don’t live in a perfect world. So it’s perfectly “OK” to avoid someone.

The important thing is that you know how much you can tolerate and what is your threshold limit and accordingly draw your own boundaries. If you really want to stay happy –

•         No need to tolerate others if you do not want.
•         Do let them know about your personal boundaries.
•         Be clear and be blunt in your communication with them.
•         Ask them to respect your space.

This formula is applicable to every relationship and more you are ambitious, more is the need to draw a line.

I was talking with one of my friends and she told me how much she was disturbed with frequently asked questions after marriage, coming from people who she didn’t want to talk and wanted to avoid, about having a baby. Initially, she did tolerate them and was very much disturbed but now she is able to avoid these people. She is bold and blunt just enough and has created her own boundary for these people. The matter of family planning is her and her husband’s decision and it’s their personal matter, so she has full right to avoid answering others in that matter.

Sometimes we all should take our stand, should delineate boundaries and draw lines if we want to stay happy in our life and don’t want people to intrude into our personal space.

NEVER SLEEP IN THE NIGHT

When the dawn breaks into the day
And the Sun starts shining bright;
The divine rays dispel the darkness,
And spread over the chaste light;
The world wakes up from a long slumber,
Leaving behind the dark night;
The masses make hay, and
Get involved with their schedules tight.
Amidst all the changeover indifferent I stay,
There's nothing new-To myself I say;
Not because awake I had been the whole night that I can't see the light of the day;
But it seems there has been no night, no darkness on my way;
On voyage, I had been for time so long,
And for even more, I still may.
When the day ends taking away the light,
The darkness leads and follows the night.
Amidst the alternation indifferent I stay,
There's nothing new-To myself I say;
I take on the night and continue,
till the world sees the first sunray.
Once again the dawn breaks into the day,
And the sun starts shining bright;
I never stop for a respite,
Rather I continue my flight;
And until accomplished, I never sleep in the night, never sleep in the night.

Lost

******************************************

Life lost in the midst of vanity now feels like heaven,

No ambitions left:no desires fulfilled,no wishes granted though.

Perseverance will pave the way to a safe haven.

Hopes dying out and beliefs pretty lame, life struggles to come to flow.
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Ten- Minute Creativity Challenge

Whenever we encounter a new type of challenge, it almost always gives us a chance to develop a new set of skills. For me, it is very important to challenge myself to keep myself motivated. So I took a Ten-minute creativity challenge to nurture my creativity. I took random topics and tried to create something creative in Ten minutes. I was especially focusing on nurturing my sketching skills.

 Here are a few topics that I randomly selected and sketched:- 

 1.Something which I dislike:-

Capsicum: - From the Greek word- “Kapto” which means “to gulp” Although I dislike Capsicum because I don’t like its taste, but I like stuffed capsicum, I do end up gulping it.

2.My Favorite animated Character:-

Pluto: - I like Disney’s beloved canine Pluto. The naïve yet cute dog speaks a lot with his expression and famous for his powerful sense of smell. He acts as Mickey’s sidekick.

According to Mickey, Pluto can find anything and anybody with his nose.

The only thing ever said by Pluto is ‘Kiss me’.

“Bone Trouble” is an animated short of the Pluto in which Disney receives an Academy Award for Best Cartoon.

3.Something that is in my room: - 

Wax Crayons: -There are a lot of things that make me nostalgic and wax crayons are one of them. I like to collect these small things as it reminds me of my childhood memories.

~If you carry your childhood with you, you never become old~

                                                           -Tom Stoppard-

4.Something Purple:- 

A Brinjal/ An eggplant: - I like crispy shallow fried eggplant and stuffed one as well. 

Do you know eggplants aren’t really vegetables, they’re berries. Which isn’t that strange, considering other fruits are commonly mistaken for vegetables- like tomatoes.

One of the fact about this fruit is -The eggplant is believed to have originated in India, where it is considered to be the King of Vegetables.

(I wonder who the Queen is?)

That’s all for now folks.Hope you enjoyed the post, will post again soon.

तेरी याद

 *******************************

फिर तेरी याद आई जब

तो आईने में देख लिया चेहरा तेरा

मगर चिलमन ये वक़्त का जो ठहरा

चुरा ले गया तेरा रूप सुनहरा |

फासले ये घट जाएँ, चिलमन ये सिमट जाए

तनहाई के ये पल बस पल में कट जाएँ

नज़र में बसा लूं नूर तेरा की ये दुनिया मेरी रोशन हो जाए

मिट जाए सारे गम कि सब जीवन में बस तू ही तू छा जाए || 
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Little Confusions

Some memories are beautiful and really make you feel nostalgic, especially if it is a childhood memory. Today, I want to share one incident from my childhood which brought a sweet smile on my face today as it flashed in my mind as a random memory for what reason, I know not!

As a child, I was very competitive in all the things I did whether it was studies or any other co-curricular activity. I always wanted to be in the first place but now things have changed a lot, and so has my philosophy. With my experience through these many years, I have learned that being competitive somehow makes you comparative, and you start comparing yourself with others not to better yourself but to get better than someone else. I believe, we must follow our passion and give our best and compete with no one but our own self.

Apologies for this digression, coming back to my story- It was the last day of my first grade & results were soon going to be out.

I was headed towards the School with my Dad. I was immersed into my own world of calculations, wondering what percentage of marks I would get. Will I secure or lose my first position this time? Then I thought –maybe I should pray to God, but what good a prayer would do at this time? I was confused.

I decided to start a chat with my Dad, hoping it would help ease off the anxiety, and the conversation was like this:

Me: What are your expectations from me for today?

Dad: I wish you pass with flying colors.

Me: I just wanted to know one thing.

Dad: What?

Me: When will make you more satisfied - if I get more than 95% overall marks but fail in one subject or If I get just 33% marks and pass in all the subjects. (I knew from the previous night’s conversation with my elder brother that 33% was the minimum passing marks percentage, and he would have been more satisfied with mere 33% rather than failing in one subject.)

Dad: That is such a huge difference. What is your expectation?

Me: I think I would be close to 90% but I’m afraid as I had not performed very well in Mathematics (I had always dreaded Mathematics as a subject).

Dad: Now, I am confused. Let's wait and see what your result is, because there is no point in getting 90% and failing in one subject.

This made me even more perplexed, as this conversation which I started did not solve the purpose.

That was the whole conversation and the good news was that I got 95% (I am not sure about the exact percentage, which I can check out looking at my report card but I am too lazy to do) and retained my first position.

My Dad was very happy but for me the confusion was still on as to what would be more satisfying -   a Pass in all the subjects or a fail with overall good percentage of marks.

Anyways, the day ended well with an end to all my anxiety and my favorite food at home, as a celebration of my achievements.

Sweet Memories and a Broken Heart

Sweet memories and a broken heart

No rolling back, no restart.

Emotions all shattered, and feelings got battered;

To nobody, this ever mattered.

Happiness is eluding and contentment I cannot find;

Memories play through and contaminate the mind.

For He is, I still live in hope;

That the times will change and give life some scope.

For He is, I still hold my belief strong;

That there will be some respite and relief from this suffering long.

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Precious Lessons

"tuesdays with Morrie" is a must- read book for everyone, here are few quotes from this book which I really like:

~The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in.

A wise man named Levine said “Love is the only rational act" ~

~Everyone knows they’re going to die but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently ~

~Learn to detach

                      But detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That’s how you are able to leave it.

You know what pain is. You know what love is. You know what grief is. And only then you can say,’All right. I have experienced that emotion. I recognize that emotion. Now I need to detach from that emotions for a moment ~

~As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty- two, you’d always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it's also that you understand you’re going to die, and that you live a better life because of it ~

~If you’re trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down at you anyhow, and if you’re trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between you ~

~Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone ~

~It’s not just other people we need to forgive. We also need to forgive ourselves ~

~Death ends a life, not a relationship ~

Here's my favorite thought from the book-

                    ~The truth is….once you learn how to die, you learn how to live ~

That's all from me for today folks, good night.

New Love

          

                                                                                                                  New Love    

The Herald of a new era

The enlightenment of soul with divine love

Fulfillment of the longing desires

And absolution derived from the holy skies above.

The notion of well-being and self-contentment

The experience of each moment lived in bliss

The completeness of being

And the sweet memories of beautiful times to forever reminisce

Enough delight for a lifetime to cherish

And the intense emotions just too hard to behold

The opulence of your love imparts life its vividness

And perpetuates prosperity and fulfillment as life’s virtues extolled

The eternal elation of your being shall never culminate

This yearning for life shall never come to an end

Your immaculate love gives life its purpose and scope

And all my cognizance it does comprehend

Happy Reading

I love reading books and nurture this hobby by reading more and more. I feel the time and effort we invest in reading a good book is a worthy investment, as the returns are enormous. Because of my love for books, I recently joined Justbooksclc, which is a library chain working in major cities and has a good collection of books. The books catalog is available online as well.They also provide doorstep facilities for delivery and pick-up.

This is not a sponsored post, but I just wanted to share something which could be of help to many book lovers.

Today while browsing through the book's catalog, I came across a lovely picture with a beautiful quote "Behind every stack of books is a flood of knowledge." It is indeed true.There is so much knowledge that goes into writing a good book, and thus each book has the potential to affect our lives enormously.

With every book I read, I do learn a lot. A single good book can teach you so much. So choose and read your books carefully as it will reflect in your personality and affect a lot of people around you. 
There are a variety of categories of books: some are gloomy, some can have a negative impact, some will give you a new lease of life and some will make you depressed.
So choose carefully for yourself because as they say "Books are a man's best friend."

Enjoy with your family and a good book as the weekend is around the corner. Happy Reading and Be Positive.

Body Shame

Body shame is something which is spreading in every section of our society epidemically, especially among women and children. I am going to share one of such encounters which happened recently.

I was attending one of my friend's wedding and my niece who is just 7 years old (but very smart according to her age) had delightfully accompanied me. When I was involved in a casual chit chat session with other friends, one friend of mine who I had not seen or talked to for last 5-6 years popped up and greeted me with a screaming "Hi" from a distance and in the same loud tone yelled-"You look sooooo......fat". I was a bit embarrassed as there were a bunch of friends around. I wondered for a while if I have really grown too fat. She must have been definitely over 10-12 kgs. over my weight. (though I am poor in calculations but good in speculations and approximations), So I tried to calm myself down and did greet her back trying to be as polite as I could and said: "We all are just competing with each other, right?". But she did not stop there and replied- "No, you are more than me." For a moment, I was speechless and to avoid any argument on an irrelevant topic, I just ended the conversation returning a fake smile back to her.

When we were returning from the event, my niece who observed all these things, came to me and said "Bua, you are not fat, you look beautiful, you know at my school the same thing happened to me, I got bullied by few of my friends. When I returned, then papa told me that I am a rather healthy, cute baby and not fat. So you do not feel embarrassed. I planted a kiss on her forehead. I was amused by her innocence, as she thought that I was still occupied with that friend's remark (and yes she was  right, I was actually thinking about that bull shit)

So the moral of the story is- We should be concerned about our good health as compared to how we look, whether skinny, slim or fat. We should teach our children to avoid any kind of body shame, to detest the unsolicited advice on the sartorial, or any other choices that we make and ignore those who just want to demotivate or bring us down. One should have a good diet and a great heart which always motivates and never demeans anyone.

Flawed Frame

It took me 20 mins to make this sketch and when finally it came up I did notice a lot of flaws in it, but I feel.....

Sometimes it's "OK" to be flawed, it's "OK" to be imperfect. Beauty is hidden between all the imperfections that we see, I like the sketch with all its imperfections and I think the real beauty of the picture lies in its originality. So no matter how imperfect, fallible it is, it is original and real, and so it is beautiful.

A Gift for an Angel

I just made a small cute card for my cute Niece. I used simple paper cutting and a paper art which is called "Quilling". So here is a brief information about the art:

Quilling: This paper art evolved in 18th Century and is an art form that involves the use of strip of papers only. This is simple yet beautiful. It is perfect for making cards, 3D structures, beautify pen holders and create decorative designs.

My niece is soon going to be a 7 year old grown up girl and she likes craft work. I hope she likes it and makes one for me sometime soon.