LOL: Life Of Leo

Image Source There’s something undeniably beautiful about the open skies; how they seem to stretch forever, inviting us to explore far-off lands. But for those of us living with aerophobia, that beauty comes wrapped in layers of fear. I love traveling, the idea of it, the thrill of new cultures, but the fear of flying can turn that excitement into dread. Every time I buckle into my seat, I feel a sense of vulnerability, a complete surrender of control. I’ve often wondered, how can something so exhilarating also feel so terrifying?

Image Source  The dawn awakens with a soft embrace A chance to breathe, to see the sky Though shadows linger from the night before The light is ours, we just must try

Image Source My longest relationship ever, has been with coffee. I honestly do not remember the first time I started having coffee. I remember making cups of coffee every two hours during my late night studies as a student, so I definitely was hooked to caffeine at an early age. No complains though. Coffee has been a constant for me in every phase of my life. While I prefer a deep, dark brew now, earlier I used to consume instant coffee with hot milk and no sugar. The BRU coffee containers that are used to store groceries at my parents' house is testament to the amount of coffee I consumed while staying there.

Photo Credit I'm just back from a two week holiday to Europe and am currently basking in monotony. It is almost funny, how a month ago I couldn't wait to get away from this routine. My partner and I usually get travel fatigue towards the end of every long vacation and we cannot wait to get back to the comfort of our daily tasks. That's the contradictory thing about a set routine. As claustrophobic as it feels at times, it also is immensely comforting. I'm sure I'm not the first one to seek comfort in familiarity and I definitely shall not be the last.

Image Source In the quiet hum of a late morning breeze Where sunlight dances on dewy grass Life unfolds at its own pace A simple joy that none surpass

I started reading when I was about eight years old. Officially, that marks three decades of me as a reader. Reading is something that has stayed with me since I began to make sense of things and a large part of the person that I am today, I owe it to reading. Of late, work has taken over my life and I'm not left with much time for reading. Still, I manage to sneak in a page here and there. Of course I miss those days and nights when I could just sit/lie and read for hours, but as long as I'm reading even if it just a page or two, I'm fine. For me, books and reading possess an incredible healing power that transcends the mere act of consuming words on a page. They offer an escape from reality, providing a refuge where I can temporarily set aside my worries and immerse myself in different worlds, experiences, and perspectives. This act of escapism can be particularly therapeutic during times of stress, anxiety, or grief, allowing me to gain a sense of solace and peace. Anxiet

Image Source Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón - I first heard of her in my late teens, although I do not recall in what context, and I have been obsessed ever since. For the uninitiated, Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter who was also a surrealist. She is known for her bright, bold paintings, mainly self-portraits. She battled polio at the tender age of six and suffered an accident when she was eighteen which left her with multiple injuries, including a broken spine and pelvis. She lived in pain and illness for the rest of her life while being bedridden towards her final years. She had an easel specially crafted for her that would enable her to paint from bed. She died when she was forty-seven on what is stated to be an overdose of painkillers but could amount to suicide on the account of being lovesick. For an outsider, she lived a tragic life and would soon be forgotten. If you look a little deeper into her life, you'll she the inspiration she was is.

Image Source Last weekend as Carlos Alcaraz lifted the Wimbledon trophy for the second consecutive year, a piece of news was doing the rounds. It stated the below: Alcazar did to Djokovic what Djokovic did to Nadal and what Nadal did to Federer and what Federer did to Sampras.  Djokovic really struggled to be a competitor in the clearly one-sided game and honestly there are no surprises there. Time waits for no one and one should have the sense to move on. Virat Kohli did, so did Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. Acceptance is the key here, which Joe Biden finally realized a couple of days ago. After all, like breathing, aging is what we all have in common.

Image Source I haven't been feeling like myself since a while now. A change in my work-life dynamic torpedoed the semblance of normalcy I had created for myself. Everything is good, everything is meaningful. The only thing that I find lacking is time. Yeah, yeah, time management is the "it" word but I am losing myself to it. Today, as I read my last post , it makes me cringe. It feels so much like a rant. I make the points I intended to make, but it reeks of anger, frustration and negativity. I've realized that I shouldn't force myself to write something just because I haven't written something for a while. The result is never pretty. I'm a firm believer that one shouldn't be doing things just for the sake of it, and I seem to have let myself down here. 

Image Source A lot has been said and written about what women want, but what about what they don’t want? Interestingly, when searching for references, most results focus on relationships: what women don’t want in a partner, in a man, or what they don’t want men to know. It’s curious, isn’t it? The internet seems to suggest that a woman's desires or aversions are primarily tied to their relationships with men. How about we prove it wrong? A couple of years ago, when my partner and I were vacationing in Singapore, we visited a Chinese temple there. The men in the group visited the prayer hall first to seek blessing of a certain baba, while the women had to wait outside until this was done. Well, it was not without entertainment. A group of women, of all ages, were there to impart knowledge to the women assembled there. We were given chairs to sit down and while they all stood in a make-believe stage. After having the assembled group to guess the ages of the women on stage (I still do

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson Nel and Sam walk hand-in-hand, as Nel is blindfolded. Waiting for the perfect moment, he removes her blindfold. " You brought me to an ice-rink for Valentine's? Really? " Nel looks at Sam with blurry eyes. " Yeah " he beams. " What were you thinking? You know I'm not the adventurous kind. " " We've been together for fifteen years, Nel. I know. " " Then? " " Hear me out. We're here for the view. This is what we're going to do. " He lays out a thick blanket on the side with a picnic basket and two books. " Fine? " he smiles. " The best. " Nel leans forward for a kiss. This drabble (100 word fiction) is written for Friday Fictioneers, 16th Feb 2024 .

Image Source Love sure is magical Yet it needs to be more than a promise band You need to surrender to the feeling Love and trust go hand in hand

Image Source The early bird catches the worm. Well, good for those who like worms. I prefer coffee and over-night oats. Or toast. Or muesli with soy milk. I'm not a morning person and I never will be. That's because I don't want to be one. Until a few years ago, one of my major resolutions was to wake up early. Of all the things I had difficulty in being consistent with , this one topped the list. Probably because I did not see the need in it. Honestly, my days are hugely productive all thanks to my planning and routine. For all you know, trying to wake up early might actually derail this properly working system for me. I haven't been a morning person for close to 4 decades now and I'm totally happy. I'm successful, financially independent, in the best shape and phase of my life, living with the best man and the best pup in the world. I've done this without feeling the need to wake up at 4 or 5 AM.

Image Source It is no secret that I'm obsessed with Karan Johar. No, not with his sexuality like most of the people who troll him online are. I'm just obsessed with him in general. He has a fantastic sense of humor and a very interesting sense of fashion. Above everything else, he's entertaining to say the least. Unfortunately you cannot say the same about his movies. Well, they are entertaining, but not exactly in the true sense of the word. As I write this I realize that most of my #NotAMovieReview posts have been on his movies. Like this , this and this . Then of course is my infamous chat with the man himself! Can't believe it was five years ago. Once he completes his season 8 of KWK (yes, I continue to watch it), I'll probably invite him for a chat again.

PHOTO PROMPT © Susan Rouchard " How long are you there for ", Alan's mother yelled on the call. " Not sure, ma. For a while ", Alan said coldly.

Image Source Survive, Simplify, Balance, Nurture - These were the words I chose from 2018 to 2021. The past two years, I did not choose any word. It was not only due to my scanty writing, but I did not feel the need to do so. This year, I want too. Because it is the need of the hour. I'm an organized and planned person. You see all those best selling planners? Well, they are made for people like me. I like to plan each day to the T and I try to ensure that I get all the tasks on the list completed. My work meetings are pretty ad-hoc now, so a lot of things on my list are left undone. They mostly are personal, self-care stuff. While I'm able to do them for a day or two, it falls off the list pretty often. This year, it is imperative that I stay consistent with the things that I want to do. Easier said than done, I know, but I've found putting things in writing to be helpful.

At the end of the year, when I look back in retrospect, I feel that I haven't done justice to this space. I started last year in high spirits, determined to write regularly and keep the blogging mojo going. I was fairly regular until March and then life took a U-turn. A big risk at work paid off and I was looking at a new role with truckloads of responsibility. It was something I hadn't dabbled in, so it needed all my focus. Everything else automatically took a back seat.  It has been such an experience that I cannot begin to articulate it. It was an emotional roller coaster and in the end I came out a better person. That's all that matters, right?