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Reading Recap: 2017

Image Source 2017 hasn't been a very kind year. While it has been a year of emotional upheaval, three things did not suffer at all, thankfully. Professional success, travel and reading. At the beginning of the year when I set a reading challenge of 50 books on Goodreads, I thought I was being preposterous. I thought that it would be way too far fetched and that I might not even make it halfway. But once the year started, the challenge turned out to be such a motivation for me. Although I wasn't too keen on following up with the challenge closely, by the second month of the year, I was 3 books ahead in the challenge. This turned out to be track record that I maintained throughout the year. As of today, I stand at 53 books that was read in 2017. When you are emotionally taxed, reading somehow helps. It temporarily takes you away from the harsh reality of life and throws you into the world of words, twisted plots and interesting characters. Reading kept me sane throughout

Mama Knows Best

PHOTO PROMPT ©  Björn Rudberg " Ma, I told you not to pack these. I wouldn't need them there ", Ray yelled at his mom. " Son, it will be really cold. I've been there before. Just carry it, you'll need them for sure ", his mother said calmly. " Don't act like you know everything, Ma. Just let it be, will ya? "

Disappear

Image Source I often wonder How it would be like to disappear Never looking back Wanting to be anywhere but here Leaving all the fears behind All the joys now unknown Walking away from the obvious Nipping memories already sown Pointed fingers and I told you so's That constant scream in your head A spell and fairy dust would work I'll just be gone, not dead

#FeministMondays | Past Attack

Image Source ***This post was supposed to be published on last Monday. I did put up a #FeministMondays post last week, but it turned out to be way too aggressive and personal for my own liking. An hour after I published the post, I took it down. This post is to replace that. I can always backdate it, but this time I choose not too. Next month on, the #FeministMondays posts will continue to be published on the second Monday of every month*** I recently happened to watch the movie ' Bareilly Ki Barfi ' and I loved every bit of it. I would say that this movie is a step towards feminism because of its female lead. Kriti Sanon's Bitti is strong headed, does what she believes is right, has a firm head on her shoulders and her parents support her and accept her the way she is. One scene in the movie keeps coming back to me. The one where a random guy comes to "see" Bitti with the quest of marriage. When they are asked to go out for a while and speak alone, the

Cloaked In Fire

Image source Let our eyes do the talking Not a word we shall say Lips engaged, arms entwined Together, let's sway We'll warm each other Burning with every move Passion and emotion interlaced Losing ourselves to love's groove This emotion ain't easy, they say But I want to leap into it Eyes wide shut, I drown Letting it inundate me bit by bit

Do It Like #Virushka

Image Source Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma got married yesterday, far far away from the public eye and for some reason this makes me very happy. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of either of them but I do respect Virat for the amazing sportsman that he is. I truly believe that he will create magic in the world of cricket. Together, he and Anushka make a wonderful and a powerful couple. He is a thorough gentleman and has stood up for her ladylove time and again and she has continued to support him silently. As a couple living in the time of social media, they were not too in your face with their PDA or just their love in general. Virat did give us peeks of their love story on special days like Valentine's and Women's day, but apart from that they were in a world of their own. I have never said this about any celebrity couple till date, but they do give love a whole new meaning and make us believe in the concept of togetherness once again. I know most of you are bored by n

Dreams On Ice

PHOTO PROMPT   © Dale Rogerson " What's the dish? ", the judge asked. " It's a coconut, lime panna cotta, strawberry granita, cucumber consommé and shards of coconut ice. " " What made you make this for the finale of Masterchef? "

A Break From Reading With The Book Lover's Tag

Image Source Reading is something I never thought I'd consciously take a break from. Ever since I can remember, I have always been a book lover. Right from hunting around for libraries around home to borrowing way too many books from the school library, from being caught with 'Memories Of Midnight' during my 8th grade and reprimanded by the teacher to being the only one who was allowed to borrow and read classics from the school library, I have come a long way in terms of reading. Every year I read a lot of books, as much as I can. Reading took a backseat once I started dating my husband and then eventually got married. We were busy with each other all the time during the courtship and marriage hardly gave me any time to read while managing a house and a full time job and the brand new pressure of being married and staying with the in-laws. For those two to three years I barely read ten books in total. I am a fairly fast reader and I felt like I was losing my rhythm.

Action Replay: November 2017

Image Source Tomorrow, we're stepping into the last month of the year and I cannot be more glad. Honestly, I think I'm done with 2017 and it might officially be the worst year of my life so far. I tried my best to see the good in it, trust me, but soon it was all back to square one. No, nothing that terrible happened to me over the year, but nothing good happened either. 2017 has been a year of unrest for me. It was a battle with my own mind and my inner strength. But to look at the bright side, I came out a much stronger person with a good number of lessons in my kitty. So far, I had learnt to slow down and let go. This had helped me immensely and I had made peace with the demons in my head. Sadly, November introduced me to the mother of all demons - Anxiety. When you are a strong person, people think that you cannot go through anything bad at all. "Oh, you are so strong. Everything must be rosy in your life", is the general assumption. People need to underst

Book Review: Big Little Lies

Image Source Title: Big Little Lies Author: Liane Moriarty Publisher: Penguin (7 May 2015) Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Mystery Price: Rs. 357 on Amazon Pages: 496 Just like ' The Handmaid's Tale ', I heard of this book too when its show won big at the Emmys. A show headlined by Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon would be quite something. I decided that I'd read the book before watching its adaptation. Also, this was the first time that I was reading Liane Moriarty and I was a bit worried about the writing style. The writing style of Margaret Atwood was very difficult for me to read, so I was a bit wary of trying new authors. Still, I went ahead and ordered the book. Big Little Lies revolves around the lives of three women and their children who all go to the same school, Pirriwee Public School. Jane is a young, single mother to her son Ziggy. Madeline has a daughter, Abigail from her previous marriage to Nathan and a son, Fred and a daughter, Chlo

Dance With Me

Image Source Just hold me tight, follow my lead On the right foot, I'll help you start Together, holding each other Lets dance to the rhythm of my heart Let our eyes do the talking Together as our fingers entwine  Intoxicated, let's lose ourselves Like drowning in a pool of wine Hungry and thirsty, let's explore one another Slowly at first, and then once and for all The passion we feel will keep us going Step after step, without a fall

Of Heartbreaks & Digital Footprints

Image Source Recently, one of the badges that I pin to my bag bag broke off and I googled " How to mend a broken badge " I could have just gone ahead and bought another badge worth 50 bucks, but the Monica in me wouldn't let that happen. From " How to get ball pen ink marks off leather " to " How to get peanut butter off hair ", I have googled it all. Anyway, I digress. As I was typed " How to mend a broken... ", the first option that google suggested was " broken heart " followed by " broken soul ". It is almost amusing to think that people turn to google for mending a broken heart. Having been through a couple of heartbreaks myself, I know how hard it is to get over a broken relationship. But never did I ever resort to google to help me get over the pain. In today's social media age, it is very difficult to get over a heartbreak. More so because every social media platform has remnants of the relationship. Plus

#FeministMondays | I Do And The Aftermath

Image Source In my previous post , I spoke about how women who drink are judged and scrutinized by the society. Today, I want to raise another important question and attempt to answer it in my own way. As of today, in India, there are 945 females to every 1000 males. And trust me, this is a better statistic when compared to what it was earlier. We all know the answer to this imbalance, don't we? Female foeticide. Years ago, I wrote a post about this very topic and it hurt me so much to write that. A few days ago, I happened to chance upon that post again and I thought what could be the primary reason for people, men and women alike not wanting to give birth to the girl child. As a new month began and a certain loan amount was cut from my bank account, I got my answer. It has been close to five years since I got married, but the loan that I took for my wedding is still on. My parents are still paying off debts that they had incurred at the time of my wedding. Yes, five year

Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale

Image Source Title: The Handmaid's Tale Author: Margaret Atwood Publisher: Vintage (19 September 1996) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Price: Rs. 259 on Amazon Pages: 320 I only heard of this book when its series won big at the Emmys. When many people praised this book on social media and since the book was written as a response to second wave feminism, I was intrigued and placed an order for it. It is a fairly short book and I read it in three sittings. The Handmaid’s Tale's setup is in Gilead, formed between the borders of what was formerly the United States Of America. In Gilead, only the men hold power. Be it political, economical or social. The women are only seen as objects of procreation and that is pushed on them as the only expectation from them. They are unable to do anything else, be it have jobs or have a bank account or even read. Since the government has been overthrown, a military dictatorship is formed in order to protect the people from Islamic

Action Replay: October 2017

Image Source It was only when Goodreads sent me a mail asking me to vote for my favorite books of 2017, that I realized that we're towards the end of the year. I still remember new year's eve and the terrible hangover that followed and now I have to plan another new year's party? Where are the days going? I have not even completed 20% of the things that I had planned for the year and now a new year beckons? Maybe, I can just push off my resolutions to the new year instead. Now that I am done with the initial drama, let's get to the post. It's November already and to be honest I'm glad this year is moving quickly. It has not been a very good year for me and I can't wait to start a fresh year again. However, the last few months have been pretty good and it helped me immensely to grow as a person. October was no less. I've been so terribly overworked that one fine day I just decided not to do a few things. No, not like forever, but just for a few

Watch Your Back

Image Source These days friendships are really tricky Every face now wears a facade While it looks like we're all together Each one is playing a different card They bewitch you with their sweet smiles Get their work done through you With hugs and selfies on social media This can almost pass off as true They stick really close to you Watching your every move While their tune is completely different They'll pretend to dance to your groove

Too Good For You

Image Source I think of you every time I look into the mirror. With every new break out, every new scar your memories come rushing. You said it was love at first sight for you and I never believed it. I do not, till date. You were the charmer, the one girls wanted to know. Let me correct myself, the other girls. I on the other hand found you to be full of yourself. A narcissist. There was a certain air around you that I wanted to stay away from. It felt fake, more like a make believe aura. I found you loud and obnoxious too. Yet, you persisted. I'm prettier than everyone else, you said. I laughed it away as one of your lines. You didn't give up. You didn't give the other flawless girls a second look. You stayed by my side. It was difficult for me to even be friends with you. We had nothing in common, remember? I was well read with many hobbies and interests, and you, well, you were just you. Every time we spoke, you could only praise me or ask me out. Every single t

Book Review: Purple Hibiscus

Image Source Title: Purple Hibiscus Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Publisher: Fourth Estate (1 October 2007) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Price: Rs. 216 on Amazon Pages: 336 The rave reviews of ' We Should All Be Feminists ' is what introduced me to Adichie, the young Nigerian author. Turns out ' Purple Hibiscus ' is her debut novel and is considered one of the most strongest debuts after Arundhati Roy’s ' The God of Small Things '. While I have tried and failed reading the latter, 'Purple Hibiscus' made it to my TBR list some time ago. Once I received this book as a birthday gift, it went on to my large pile of unread books. When a lot of people pushed me to read this, I decided to give it a try. I had heard a lot of good reviews about it, but I was not too sure how much I would enjoy an African setting amidst political instability. With zero expectations and ready to abandon if needed, I started reading this book.

#FeministMondays | No Cheers For Good Women

Image Source " Acche ghar ki ladkiyan alcohol drink nahi karti ". This translates to " Girls from good homes don't drink alcohol " and this was a line made wrongly famous by the movie PINK . Have you ever noticed that when you are out for a meal and how the waiter gives the woman the food menu and the man the drinks menu? In India, drinking is somehow considered a man thing. I'm sick and tired of being judged for enjoying a drink every now and then. If the whole point is about alcohol being bad for health, when did the importance of good health become gender specific? Men can drink, but women can't? Our society needs to grow up way too much. Girls who drink are considered characterless, sluts, immoral and what not. But somehow a man drinking is directly proportional to his virility. To be a man, he must drink. To be a woman, she must not drink. Or rather to be a good woman she must not drink. If this isn't prejudice then I don't know wh

Seasick

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz " Look out, darling. The moon looks so beautiful. " Anya tells Jay. " No. I'm not moving from here. " Jay responds, holding on to his head tightly. " It's okay, honey. Just try coming out to the deck. You'll not be sick, I'm sure. " " What if I do? Everyone will laugh at me. " " Come on, we are in the middle of the ocean. Many people get seasick, you know that, Jay. "

Action Replay: September 2017

Image Source While August was all about being in control, September was about acceptance and letting go. Even though it passed in a blink, September was a very good month in terms of both professional and personal life. Work kept me busy and I was able to sail through without much stress. August helped me plan my time better and I found a lot of peaceful me time this month. I've come to realize one thing. Without having some time for myself every single day, I get really cranky, angry and moody. I love my husband and my friends, but I need at least an hour to myself every single day without talking to anyone. I get this time once I'm back home from work and just before the husband returns. During this time, I usually read. Reading with a cup of tea in my hand relaxes me and sets my mind free. It gives me so much peace that I cannot put it into words. If I'm not reading, I'd do something creative. I either draw/sketch something, or design/stitch something. Depend

Book Review: Winter Garden

Image Source Title: Winter Garden Author: Kristin Hannah Publisher: Pan Macmillan India; First edition (30 November 2014) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Price: Rs. 259 on Amazon Pages: 394 I discovered Kristin Hannah by chance on Goodreads after someone once mentioned randomly that she writes like Danielle Steel. A few days later, on a book tag on Facebook ,I saw a couple of friends mention that 'Winter Garden' was one of the finest books that they have ever read. I was intrigued and since I was on a book buying spree, I bought this one. The book has a dreamy wintry cover with apple trees and snow in white and blue. You can also notice the almost blurry silhouette of three women in the background. The book doesn't promise much, it only asks a simple question. Can a woman know herself if she doesn't know her mother?

Footprints Of Time

PHOTO PROMPT © Sarah Potter " You have around hundred pairs of shoes. You still want to keep this? " She asked. " You know the answer to that, Neha. " Suhail replied. " I know it holds a lot of importance to you. But you are the country's biggest superstar. You should not own rubbish like this. "

Walk A Mile In My Shoes

Image Source Life has never been easy for me I have struggled to get past each day When I saw darkness all around I lit myself to find the way Burdens I have carried one too many That pushed my shoulders down Of people, emotion and expectation In uncertainty I was pushed to drown I had to crawl my way back up No one came to help me out When I decided to live life my way Their disapproval they did shout

Book Review: The Book Thief

Image Source Title: The Book Thief Author: Markus Zusak Publisher: RHUK; Latest Edition edition (3 January 2008) Genre: Historical/War Fiction Price: Rs. 320 on Amazon Pages:  592 I had only read good reviews of this book and I want to read it too. But honestly, I'm not a big fan of novels that have war as a backdrop. The only time I have explored this genre was with 'Gone With The Wind', the first ever book that I left unfinished. Since then, it has been a no-no for a war zone book. Then again, the reviews were too hard to ignore and I found myself placing an order for the book. The idea was to give it a shot and abandon the book if the genre doesn't still appeal to me. Boy! Was I in for a surprise. Image Source When death tells you a story, you need to listen. The narrator of this book is Death and this is the best beginning one could ask for. I was hooked on from the first word and this book broke me a million times before putting me back tog

#FeministMondays | The Other Side

Image Source In my last post , I spoke about how feminism did not exist as a concept for me while growing up. Thanks to my chauvinistic father and uncles, I thought that the women are expected to worship their husbands and do all the chores at home while the men lazed in front of the TV and expected their wives to answer to the snap of their fingers. Being the man of the house meant too much to them that they were expected to be put on a pedestal and looked up to. Many women had the same thoughts too and this became a norm without anyone making a big deal out of it. While feminism as a concept is making waves now, some women who claim to be feminists themselves are getting it all wrong. Today we'll look at the other side, where women expect men to treat them like equals in all the wrong ways possible. It is no hidden fact that I have a certain amount of hatred for housewives. I have been very vocal about it and have received my share of flak for it too. But, I stand by my t

The Hills Are Calling

PHOTO PROMPT ©  Danny Bowman “ You cannot manage it alone. ” He said again. “ I can and I will. This is important to me. ” Anya replied. “ I don’t understand why you need to do this. Stay safe here. ” “ I don’t want safe, Sameer. I’m tired of being safe. I need to find myself again and I want to start by going away somewhere. I need this break away from you and the children .”

Why It Is Not Easy To Be A Straightforward Person

Image Source If there is one thing that I am as a person, it is straightforward. I'm not the one to beat around the bush or try to beautify things. It's not that I don't know how to sugar coat words, I just don't want to do it. I'm a realist and I call a spade a spade. Being this way has given me many names, but the most popular one seems to be 'Bold'. I hate that word! It makes me sound like I do crazy, x-rated things. I'm just someone who is known to speak her mind. I don't hesitate to stand up for what I believe is right and I lead my life the way I want to. I have made a lot of unconventional choices in my life and I stand by them with my head held high. Just because I'm different doesn't mean that something is wrong with me. Yes, I'm blunt and say it as it is. But no, I'm not mean. I'm not condescending, rude or brutal. I'm just saying what it is. Being a straightforward person is not easy. More so, if you are a w

Action Replay: August 2017

Image Source I'm just going to say it, August was AWESOME! This probably was one of the best months of the year for me. Not only because it was my birthday month, but, because this felt like an actual month. It was rightly paced and didn't go too fast or slow. Of-course it came with its share of lessons and while I'm definitely a year older today, I feel many, many years wiser. I don't know if some super power intents to do this or not, but my birthday months always teaches me a lot. 2017 hasn't been much of a good year until now, but August seems to be the silver lining in an otherwise clouded year. This time, like always, I has a fabulous birthday. When you are married to your best friend, everything falls in place and is near perfect. I do not like extravagant celebrations that are way too loud or all over social media. Yes, I'm a closet drama queen but I like my occasions to be simple and with limited people. When it comes to birthdays, I like to cel

Book Review: Into The Water

Image Source Title: Into The Water Author: Paula Hawkins Publisher: Random House (2 May 2017) Genre: Crime/Thriller/Mystery Price: Rs. 299 on Amazon Pages: 480 After ' The Girl On The Train ', like many, I also was waiting for the release of the next Paula Hawkins' book. While her debut novel had a brilliant mystery and ending, the novel in itself was hard to read. Boring narration, multiple point of views and a slow paced track, nothing was working for it. But towards the second half, when the book picked up, it went on in full steam. What a story it turned out to be in the end! When 'Into The Water' came out, I heard a lot of negative reviews about the book. Most called it even more boring than the first one. Still, not the one to fall for the opinions of others, I went ahead and bought this book. This was an easy book to read and I finished it in just about two days.

Jab I Met Sejal #NotAMovieReview

Image Source I watched 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' a fortnight ago and I wanted to know why any woman with a sane mind would agree to do the role of Sejal. The character of Sejal was flawed on so many levels, not that Harry was the best ever character written, it is just that Sejal was more annoying of the two. The movie stayed with me even after I had seen it and I gave myself all the excuses possible to figure out why Sejal was the way she was. I know we are in the era of feminism and it is "my choice" and all that, but still there were a million questions unanswered in my head. To give myself some sanity and to get this juvenile bullshit of a movie out of my system (No, Old Monk didn't help), I decided to sit down and have a chat with the one and only (thankfully!) Sejal. A brief introduction before I start. Note: This is not a movie review. I didn't want to put in so much effort on something so minuscule.

A Non-Parenting Post

Image Source Two weeks ago, I turned 31 and had one of the best birthdays of my life. My priorities for the next year of my life is simple - To focus on my physical and mental health, to spend a lot of time with my husband and friends, to travel as much as I can and to read as many books as I can. Apart from this, I want to excel at work and climb one more step in the professional ladder. Yeah, that's about it. Having a child has never featured in my list of priorities and I doubt if it ever will. Before people start assuming that I'm a child hating witch, let me tell you that I actually do like children. I like watching them and playing with them, but in small doses. Children are beautiful creatures and I think that it is amazing to watch them grow. But do I want to do that? No. Not as of now at-least. The problem with a woman my age being a non-mom, is that, most of my friends are now parents to one or two and in some cases three children. Good for them. I'm sure

My Late Journey With Harry Potter: Part 3

Read part 1 here and part 2 here . Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Image Source The Book: The sixth book paved the way perfectly for this one. Every loose end was tied brilliantly and everything came together in such a beautiful way. I loved the search for the Horcruxes and some scenes were truly goosebump inducing. I loved the angle about the inheritance that Dumbledore left for the main three and their significance. But I loved the tale of 'The Three Brothers' more. The discovery of the deathly hallows and the quest for them was quite something. Finally, Hermione and Ron's love story got the necessary importance. When every thing was so good, what could be the best part of the book? Snape, of course. I knew he was a nice man right from day one. Some thing inside told me that he is really important to the story. I knew that he was holding the final thread of the tale. Oh, and how happy I was! I've loved Snape since day one and he remains the epitome of

My Late Journey With Harry Potter: Part 2

Read part 1 here . Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire Image Source The Book: While I finished the first three books within a week and eagerly looked forward to this one, this book turned out to be really tedious. While the concept of the Tri-Wizard competition was really good, the book just staggered on and on At 800 odd pages, I struggled to get past this one. While the tasks of the competition and the introduction of two other wizarding schools was brilliant, something about this story did not hold my attention throughout. Mad-Eye Moody was an interesting character and the return of the dark Lord was shown really well, but the book needed some serious editing. The length and pace of the story troubled me a lot. I thought of abandoning this book many times and moving on to some other books, but I just pushed myself and held on to this tale. I also wasn't very happy about the fact that Cedric Diggory was present only for some brief moments. If he was such a star of the H

My Late Journey With Harry Potter: Part 1

Image Source Last year, roughly around this time, I received the Harry Potter book set as my birthday gift. I then made a promise to myself that I'll finish reading the series by my next birthday. As I turn a year older tomorrow, I can proudly say that I have finished reading all the books from the set as well as I have watched all the movies in the series. I know that for most of you, Harry Potter is a done and dusted topic, but for me it is something that I only discovered recently and then I fell head over heels in love with it. I want to talk about the books and the movies in detail, but I do not want to do reviews. I just want to talk about them like in a conversation. Considering that there were seven books and eight movies, there is no way that I could finish that in a single post. So, I'm attempting to put in all my thoughts and opinions about this series in three posts. Here is the part one of the post from the girl who discovered.

Employee Of The Year

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson She led me to a small room, that had a table and chair on one side. Boxes were stacked all around, clearly indicating that she had spent quite some time and effort doing this. Fresh flowers were placed on the table and it was a pleasant sight. Bright sunlight came in through the window and it did look like a cozy nook. " You sure deserve it ", she said.

Action Replay: July 2017

Image Source July probably was the quickest month of this year for me. Also, probably the best one so far. July was a very good month in terms of personal projects. I worked a lot on myself and changed a lot of my habits and routines. I worked on time management too and this resulted in effective planning of hobbies, work and other household chores. Professionally, it was a pretty good month. We had a successful release and work is not as hectic as it was before. What I mean to say is that I have time to breathe now. Work is a very important part of my life and I need to make sure that I'm giving all that I have to it. At the same time, I do not want to compromise on my personal life. July taught me how to bridge the gap between the two. Personally, I have been the happiest this month. Nothing great happened, but somehow maybe I have found inner peace. I'm at ease and do not stress over petty things anymore. I spend a lot of time with myself and have been clear in the h

Clean Water Initiative

Those who are familiar with the popular Netflix show 'House Of Cards' will understand the title of this post in one take. For the others, clean water initiative is a group of people coming together to provide clean water to children and families around the world, where clean drinking water is a scarcity. While in the show, it is a non-profit organisation, we here can make it a way of life. Water is a must for our survival. Now just imagine that you wake up and see no drinking water around. You are parched and there is nothing you can do about it. They say that a human can survive 3 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water. Drinking clean water is something that will keep you hydrated, make you look good and feel healthy. The dearth of clean water leads, directly and indirectly, to the outbreak of several diseases and water-related ailments. According to WHO, over 3.4 million people die annually from water-borne diseases and most of them are children. This makes wa

Orange Is The New Black

PHOTO PROMPT ©  J Hardy Carroll The clear blue skies, the slight chill in the breeze, the chirping of the birds, the happy atmosphere - I was not the one to appreciate all this. I buried myself in the virtual world. You see, I was famous online. I was an fashion star with many followers. I kept myself busy by posting my pictures on all the social media platforms. I was addicted to selfies and my phone. One day, while driving, I took a selfie and ended up killing a pedestrian out for a walk.

Corporate Circus #4: Loyalty Points

Image Source On the 27th of June, 2017, I completed 9 years in the corporate industry. Also, 9 years in the same company. Roughly around ten years ago, I was placed in one of the biggest companies of the world as part of the campus recruitment. A day after the last exam of my Engineering ended, I joined the company. Looking back, I feel so nostalgic about the whole journey. My joining location was in Chennai and I spent the first four months of my corporate life there and hated every part of it. While most of my problems were with the city I was staying in rather than my job, I still did not get to enjoy the start of my corporate life. My peers were very different from the way I was. I was the odd woman out among a batch of local produce. There were a few others from different locations as well, but our frequencies were not even remotely close. During the first four months of my corporate life, I hated everything around. I was one of the lucky few to have been placed in a proje

The Rich Puppet Master

Image Source There once lived a puppet master This story dates back to the days of yore This woman piled on her vices For her greed, there was no cure She cast her charm while she was young Through her fingers she captured a man He surrendered to her from day one Inflicting melancholy on his own clan Together they cheated and stole From everyone and everything that came their way Turning into misers of the highest order They piled on their riches day after day

Book Review: Like Water For Chocolate

Image Source Title: Like Water For Chocolate Author: Laura Esquivel Publisher: RHUK (16 September 1993) Genre: Contemporary Fiction Price : Rs. 360 on Amazon Pages: 224 This book was touted to be a magical realism one and I was fresh from the brilliant hangover of ' The Night Circus ', so I picked this up gleefully. For a food lover like me, any book that revolves around food is a bonus hit. I had read and loved ' Chocolat ' and this one seemed to be on similar lines. It is a love story like none other and every chapter begins with a delicious recipe. I devoured the story, page after page. Tita de la Garza, 15 years old, lives on a ranch near the Mexico-US border with her mother, Mamá Elena, and her older sisters Gertrudis and Rosaura. It is the de la Garza family tradition that the youngest daughter must remain unmarried and take care of her mother until her mother's death. Tita was born in the kitchen and has a deep connection with food and a lo

Long May She Reign

Image Source Tall and proud she stood strong Stripped off her every face Power still lingers in her eyes As she prepares for the race An unloved wife but a loving mother Deaths of her children she couldn't foresee She'll fight with all that she has Giving up is not a part of Cersei Married twice but no man by her side Dangerously ripped off her innocence Lost, unaware but finding her way Slowly, of the war she's making sense

All About The Bling

PHOTO PROMPT © Janet Webb My uncle Bob was one of a kind. He was different in his own way, just like me. Probably that’s why we got along so well. “ We have just one life, darling. We might as well as sparkle ”, he used to say. He liked shiny things. He used to dress in bright colors and wore matching earrings. He was a happy person, positive and always smiling. But, the family hated him. Maybe they were not used to seeing so much happiness on one person.

The Early Bird Saves More

Image Source What is the best part of a holiday? The destination and that awesome feeling. And the worst part? The planning, of course. Honestly, I am an avid planner and when it comes to travel I leave no stone unturned. My husband and I try to take a vacation every quarter and we plan our year around this. Traveling on a fixed budget is never easy, but if the planning is right, you may even get to save some money from the budget. What the first step in planning a vacation? Yes, choosing the destination. The next step is to decide how you would get there. Air transport has become so convenient these days that you can fly to any destination from any city. The one thing that troubles me as a traveler is the fluctuating prices of the flights. One day it is low, a few days later it is high and a few days later it is back to being low again. This sinusoidal wave of high and low always puts me in a pickle when I sit down to book my flight tickets. A few years ago, when we booked our

#FeministMondays | Let's Start At The Very Beginning

Image Source Feminism is a word that came into existence very recently. Better late than never, one would say. But has one thought how it would have been had feminism existed right from day one? If men and women enjoyed equal rights right from the evolution of time, would there ever be a need for the very word? Today, feminism is considered a bad word. Most people don't know what it is and a lot of wrong and unnecessary things are also being done in the name of feminism. There is no denying that. Feminism is about having equal rights for men and women. It is not male bashing. It is not the elevation of the female on a pedestal. It is not about celebrating women's day. Feminism is not about all the million things that it is deemed about. It is only about one thing. Gender Equality. Still, most of us do not get this. There are quite a lot of women who call themselves "feminists" just to appear cool. These are the same women who succumb to husbands at home and th

Why I Love Ranveer Singh

Image Source Ranveer Singh is someone who can never blend with the background. He was born to stand out and he did so right from his first movie! I did not find any of the current crop of new comers interesting, until Bittoo Sharma reached our screen. I loved him right from the word go. No, he's not that good looking. Nor does he have that sophistication. But one thing he has and that is charisma. He's like that roadside Romeo (in a good way) that you cannot ignore. He's enthusiastic and so full of energy. His antics are so adorable and you cannot not love him. But then again, people like him are not everyone's cup of tea. For me, he's the perfect and delicious blend. He turns 32 today and I'm here to wish him a very very happy birthday! Thank you Ranveer, for all that sparkle.

Action Replay: June 2017

Image Source June was a very weird month for me. As much as I felt that it passed by way too quick, I also feel that it dragged in parts. Half the year is gone and here I am sitting and wondering what the hell have I done in the past six months. Am I the only one who feels that 2017 is not going really good? For some reason on which I cannot lay a finger, something doesn't seem to be right with this year. Based on the FB statuses I have been seeing over the past few months, there are many others who feel the same too.Well, let's just hope that the second half of the year gets better. June was a pretty relaxed month in terms of work. I had completed most of my projects and only the final finishing activities were pending. This meant that I had some extra time on my hands everyday. The extra me time that I got helped me relax to a large extent. I realized that I am a person who needs some time alone everyday. Else, I just lose my mind and get cranky. I need some time just

Why Every Creative Woman Needs A Journal

Let's face it, a woman's life is never easy. We always have to work twice as hard to prove ourselves to others. Being a career woman myself, I make sure I give equal importance to my house and to my interests as well. Sometimes, I feel that the twenty odd hours in the day are really scanty. I need at least forty five hours a day to be able to do the things that I want to. I recently read about a concept called 'mental load'. This is the load we women carry with us throughout the day. The thought of what to cook for dinner, while attending a meeting at work. The random business idea that pops up in the mind while cooking dinner. The silent reminder to pick up the dry cleaning. The omnipresent grocery list. The urgency to reach the market before the fresh vegetable stock depletes. This list can go on and on. Although we do not talk much about it, the mental load remains firmly rooted. No amount of planning eases it. No matter how much you try, something or the other g