LOL: Life Of Leo

Image Source I just returned from a road trip and I'm feeling rejuvenated and energized. The fact that it is the last week of the year and more than half of the people at work are on leave and I have to manage the same amount of work with half the number of people is another issue altogether. Normally, I would have been agitated and stressed at this point of time, but this time I'm taking it very well. Travel has been that sponge to me that takes away every negative feeling within me. Initially, I used to go for a haircut to clear the clutter of my head. Now that I'm trying to grow my mane back, travel is the best option to become clutter free. I discovered traveling only after I met Cal. Before that travel barely meant anything to me. When you are born to middle class parents, traveling would mean going back and forth school or college. During childhood, a holiday meant traveling to my maternal grandparents place five hours away from Bangalore. We would wait for th...

Image Source Many times I ask myself What is it that holds me back Am I busy loving myself Or counting the things that I lack I want to fall deep In the oasis I see in his eyes When I have him around me Everything feels so fine and nice

Image Source I have the habit of checking my phone as soon as I wake up. I'm not proud of it, but old habits die hard. The first thing that I saw on Facebook this morning was that someone on my timeline had added 169 photos to a album titled ' Trip with frndzzz '. I doubt if I have a total of 169 photos in all my albums put together. My first thought, who on earth has the time to upload so many pictures. And next, would people do the same if Facebook would charge them for uploading pictures? As much as I love social media and think it is a wonderful invention, it is turning out to be a bane these days. There are days when I look at my timeline and wonder if I actually know these people. There are people putting up all their photos that they can lay their hands on, online. Others are giving minute by minute detail of their holiday and many many others are screaming out opinions about issues that once mattered but no longer. I think that all of us on Facebook should onl...

Image Source Title: The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad Author: Twinkle Khanna Publisher: Juggernaut (8 November 2016) Genre: Fiction Price: Rs. 155 on Amazon . Pages: 256 After ' Mrs. Funnybones ', I was waiting for the next book from Twinkle Khanna. Ever since she made the best decision of her life by quitting acting and turning columnist, I've been a fan of hers. I like people who say things the way it is without trying to beautify it or reduce the tone of it. Couple this with sarcasm and dry wit, you have a winner! Twinkle Khanna is one such columnist for me. Her sense of humor comes out in the best way possible giving the right importance to current affairs/issues. Her style of writing is also different from the rest and makes reading a breeze. Unlike Shobhaa De who only writes heavy words to mock people and tradition, Twinkle Khanna hits the right note. While her first book was an A to Z of her columns, her second book marks her foray into fiction. No matt...

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields “ The Lannisters are a complicated family. I cannot tell you more than that .”  Michael told his six year old daughter Sarah. “ Tell me about the wolf dogs then. ” Sarah said. “ Direwolfs, my darling. Well, most of them were killed. Just two of them remain alive. ” “ Why were they killed? ” “ There is a war going on. People kill each other and animals too. ”

Image Source No matter how low I'm feeling When I hold you, I feel alright Our long conversations soothe me I can go on and on, day and night Just the thought of you leaves me craving A delicious concoction of love and lust The day slowly manages to slither by But when night comes, you're a must

Image Source Title: Daughter Author: Jane Shemilt Publisher: Penguin (28 August 2014) Genre: Mystery/ Drama/ Contemporary Fiction Price: Rs. 300 on Amazon . Pages: 416 I heard of this book first on another blog. The reader had given the book a five star rating and I was intrigued. The blurb looked really interesting and I wanted to read it almost immediately but forgot about it later. After a few months, it came to my mind again and I made the purchase and started reading it.

Image Source It hasn't been a very good year I've tried so much to remain strong Every path I tread carefully Yet every right turned wrong

PHOTO PROMPT © Jan Wayne Fields “ My parents are buying me the new play station. ” Rohan exclaimed in joy. The exams were just over for the first grade and all the tiny tots were excited about their vacation and what they would do during the holidays. “ My father is taking me to Delhi with him. I’ll stay in a big hotel and watch TV all day. ” Misha boasted. “ My parents have promised to install more games on my iPad. ” Justin beamed.

Image Source November left me all dazed. With the days passing by so quickly, I'm struggling to stay still and absorb what's happening around me. November started off very well with a vacation in Goa. It was a much needed break and we did come back totally rejuvenated. Vacations are meant to do that aren't they? They take away all your stress and you come back feeling light and fresh to make better memories and do better work. A week after Goa, we left to Mumbai. Yes, for the Coldplay concert. This was my first ever concert! I know that Bangalore has held so many music festivals, but I have never been to any of it. I actually was pissed that the Coldplay concert or the Global Citizen event was not happening in Bangalore. I knew that this had to be my first concert. Although the tickets cost us a kidney and a lung each, we decided to go for it.

Image Source I learnt this a long time ago, to stay away from negative people. Earlier, I used to let a lot of people stay rent free on my mind and this used to trouble me a lot. Nothing affects me more than humans and it is a known fact that people continue to be my nemesis. I have met so many people in my life. While some bring joy where ever they go, others can create chaos in the calmest of places. Negative people are of different kinds. Pessimists are not the only negative ones, there are many many more out there.

Image Source Title: Lessons In Forgetting Author: Anita Nair Publisher: Harpercollins (30 January 2010) Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Drama Price: Rs. 308 on Amazon . Pages: 344 The first and only other book that I have read of Anita Nair is ' Mistress '. A couple of my friends were talking about a particular Indian author whose work was excellent and this turned out to be Anita Nair. Another friend gifted ' Mistress ' to me and I started reading it without any expectations just like what I have from most Indian authors. That book turned out to be fabulous and the writing was fantastic. It did have a nice South Indian touch to the story and that was something I could relate to very well. I loved the story and the characterization as well as the complex emotions. I hold ' Mistress ' very close to my heart. I did not review it because I was not sure what to write about it. I understood the relationships in the book, but I could not put it into wor...

Image Source This year has been a really great year for me in terms of reading. Since childhood, I have been an avid reader. The first book that I have ever read apart from my school books was a ' Champak '. Every month my dad would get this for us and I would devour it as soon as possible. The tiny book suddenly was the center of my universe and was my first step towards reading. ' Wisdom ' also was a magazine that my parents used to subscribe. While I was too young, I found it difficult to read it. It was too "wisdomous" for me. But as I grew up, this book became really important to me. Every book was filled with great stories and soulful poems. But the best part of this book was the quote that was present on every page of the book. I used to steal them for the 'Thought For The Day' at school.

Image Source I clearly am ripped inside Through the dual life that I lead One rules my heart forever For another, I'll gladly bleed

Image Source Title: A Midsummer's Equation Author: Keigo Higashino Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (19 August 2016) Genre: Crime, Thriller & Mystery Price: Rs. 189 on Amazon . Pages: 368 ' The Devotion Of Suspect X ' is one of the best mysteries that I have ever read. When my husband fell in love with Higashino's style of writing, I bought him all the books of this author that were translated into English for his birthday. This also happened to be one of them. While taking a break from reading Harry Potter, I decided to read this one. And with a couple of hours per day, I was done with the book in three days. That is the best part about Higashino's books. The writing is light and simple and doesn't get tedious. Although the book has 350 odd pages, reading it felt like a breeze.

Image Source Two months to go and we're done with the year? Wow, 2016 did pass in a flash! While the rest of the year looked bleak to me, October some how managed to lift up my spirits. Finally 2016 started looking up towards the end of the year. Better late than never, right? October was a relatively free month for me in terms of work and I did get to enjoy some good "me" time. The biggest achievement for this month was that I finished my reading challenge for the year. Last year I had signed up to read 10 books and crawled my way to get to it. This year I had signed up for 30 and finished it with two months to spare! Better planning did the trick for me. I'm thinking of going for a book a week next year. 52 books in 12 months should be doable you think? Well, I still have two months to make up my mind on that.

Image Source I live my life the way I want Why do others have a problem with it? I let go of people who don't matter to me And others, in my life, I always fit I wear the clothes that I like Short, long, wide or deep The length of my skirt is my choice Why so desperately you want to peep?

Image Source " When the wife is away, the husband will play. " " Marriage is a workshop where husband works and the wife shops. " " WIFE: Without information, fighting every time. " " It is hilarious when women think that they are punishing their husbands by not talking to them for a few days. " " A husband always has a wireless connection around him. It is called - Wifeye. "

Image Source Title: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest Author: Stieg Larsson Publisher: Quercus; Film Tie-in edition (29 July 2010) Genre: Thriller Price: Rs. 299 on Amazon . Pages: 656 The first and second books in this series were so awesome, that I picked this one as soon as I was done with the second. While the original translation of the Swedish book is called The Air Castle That Exploded , The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest is a continuation of the second book and manages to tie all ends together. In this book, the characters have more interesting lives. While Salander is now confined to an intensive care ward due to her injuries, she is also assigned a lawyer (Blomkvist's sister) to fight the murder case where she is the prime suspect. Blomkvist is going out of his way to help Salander, including smuggling a PDA and a modem into the hospital for her to use. Erika Berger is going to quit Millennium to be editor-in-chief at Sweden's large...

Image Source I sit here with a cup in my hand Looking into oblivion, but not lost I am at peace as I do this This gives me happiness at zero cost Sometimes I do read a book As I enjoy my cup of tea I like that no one disturbs me When I come here, they let me be

Image Source For some reason, all the articles that I've read since morning have been about marriage and the difficulties that surround it. I am not a staunch believer in the institution of marriage but I do believe hopelessly in love. I married the man I love around four years ago and we have continued to be lovers and soul mates. It worked out very well for me, so yeah I'd like to say that marriage is good. The reason why I say that I'm not a big fan of marriage is because of the forced relationships and responsibilities that come with it. When most couples say that they don't feel married, it mainly means that they do not stay with their parents. The only time that I've felt married is when I stayed with my in-laws for the first two years of marriage. It was no less than hell. Today as my husband and I stay on our own, we're back to being in a relationship rather than being forced to being man and wife.

PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields “ But there is still plenty of light outside ”, I say looking out. “ I know. But since this is the only time you have before you leave again, we’re doing this now .” He smiles his charming smile. “ But… ”

Image Source I joined the corporate world almost eight and a half years ago, right after college. Yes sir, I was one of those lucky ones who finished exams on one day and had to report to work the day after. A year before my final exams, I was placed in one of the biggest companies in the world and my family and I were delighted. Writing as a passion and a part time job, came years later. Back in college, let me correct myself, back in an Engineering college the only goal I had was to secure a job before I was done with my graduation. It was accomplished without much of a difficulty and a year later I was on a train to Chennai with my parents as my joining location was Chennai. Since this post is not about my struggle in that God-forsaken city, I will not bore you with the details. The first day was the induction that was held in a five star hotel and I walked into the corporate office the next day.

Image Source The path is crowded with thick fog It pierces every part of me, her scream Blinded, I slowly try to trace the path Not too sure if I'm in a dream A sharp stone pierces my bare foot Almost to prove that I'm still awake Cries of plea cloud my ears I hear the shackles she's trying to break

Image Source A few weeks ago,  when I stayed up all night being sick, all I wanted to do the next day to take a leave from work and sleep. The idea was to sleep until 10 am and then drop a message to my manager about being sick. It was just 6 am then and I thought I had more than enough time in hand. My eyes were exhausted as I hadn't slept a wink the previous night and I was having a terrible headache along with severe body pain. It was gloomy outside and it was the perfect weather to cuddle up inside a blanket and go to sleep. I had just closed my eyes when I woke up to a loud sound. That of a Shehnai . I stay on the third floor of an apartment complex, so imagine how loud it must have been. Turns out it was a religious procession by a man and his gaudily decked up cow asking for alms in exchange of blessings. Why he had to be so loud I do not know.

Image Source Circa 1999: I had just changed school and had moved to a convent for the eight grade. This was an all girls school and it was a little difficult for me to adjust as I had been a part of co-education until now. I was always a tomboy and being only around girls was something new. I am someone who makes friends easily and soon had a circle of my own friends in the new class. After the first exam, I turned out to be the topper and I was enjoying my popularity in a relatively new place. This made me gain more friends. Some of who were happy for my success and others who just wanted to be a part of my circle. I had many friends, but not one I could relate to. Then one fine day, in the middle of the term a new girl joined the class. Shy and introverted, I still recall her round brown glasses. Of course, I stayed away from her at first. Silent people were never my cup of tea. I like the loud, brash ones. In short, people who are like me.

Image Source You have a lot of things on your mind But what you are lacking is the time Life suddenly feels all rushed Stopping for breath feels like a crime You are swamped with too many things Nothing you do seems to go right Before you quit take a second to think Do you want to leave without a fight?

Image Source Yes, yes I'm really ashamed of staying away from this place for such a long time. I did have my reasons though. First, work kept and continues to keep me busy. Second, Harry Potter. We'll come back to that one later. At the risk of sounding like a techie, I'm gonna say that we already are at the final quarter of this year and I have no clue how the months passed by. The last three to four months were all about work and September was no less. Not that I am complaining. I'm a workaholic. We all know that. But earlier, I used to manage my time much better to include writing blog posts, reading, sketching etc etc. Something has snapped somewhere and I'm trying really hard to fix it. It is not easy, but I have no choice if I need to keep this space up and running.

Image Source Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Piyush Mishra, Angad Bedi. Direction: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury Genre: Drama Duration: 2 hours 16 minutes After 'Vicky Donor', I've been a fan of anything that is creatively touched by Shoojit Sircar. When I saw the first promo of this movie, the fact that it had Amitabh Bachchan in a female oriented movie made me want to watch it. When I learnt that it was being produced by Shoojit Sircar, I had mentally booked the tickets already. My husband and I watched this movie yesterday and it still continues to play in my mind.

PHOTO PROMPT © Shaktiki Sharma John asked for the kitchen duty again. This time, they agreed. Earlier, he was assigned to cleaning the prison toilets. After months of requesting, the jailer finally let him do the kitchen duty. He assumed that John was really interested in cooking. John was expected to start with grinding tonnes of flour and then work his way up to cooking. He started early everyday in a dusty room and finished his work on time. The prison authorities were impressed.

Image Source I saw this image online today and found it really interesting. I wanted to write my own interpretation of it. So here it is: His strong fingers that I once loved Now slowly find my delicate neck Everything about him now hurts From a simple touch to a light peck His hold gets deep and tight I cannot explain this pain His eyes follow everything I do As I try to escape in vain

Image Source Although many things are left unsaid I see all the answers in your eyes Our relationship doesn't have a name Knowing you and me it's not a surprise No string holds us together Strangers during day, lovers at night Just the fact that you exist is enough for me Brightening me up with your light Friends we were, once upon a time Oh how things have changed since then It all happened in an instant Today I don't recall how or when As we entwine around each other Our heartbeats together create a tune My skin tingles with every breath To others touch I am now immune Is this love I don't want to know I would call what we share as fire Yes it does come with its share of emotions Enveloped in the cloak of desire I now look forward to every night As we paint abstract in every shade As the morning sun slowly rises I sense your presence begin to fade Let us keep it the way it is Life is more perfect th...

Image Source Title: The Girl Who Played With Fire Author: Stieg Larsson Publisher: Quercus; Film Tie-in edition (29 July 2010) Genre: Thriller Price: Rs. 149 on Amazon . Pages: 576 After reading ' The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo ' there is no way you can not read the other two books in the series. The first one was disturbing no doubt, but highly intriguing as well. Lisbeth Salander was an enigma to me when I read the first one. I wanted to know more about her. For the first time ever, I couldn't identify myself with the protagonist of a book. I picked up the second book hoping to find out more about her and also expecting a thrilling story line. This book too is divided in to fours parts, each of which starts off with Lisbeth's newly found love for mathematics. The prologue opens with the past where Lisbeth is being captured and restrained inside a dark room by an unidentified male. To cope with being captured, she mentally replays a past episode wh...

Image Source You know I started writing a combined post for the action replay of July and August. Half way through, I just happened to scroll down my blog and realized that I have already written the monthly post for July. Seriously, how could I not remember that? Have I been that busy? August just breezed through but not without leaving a bad taste in the mouth. For the first time ever, my birthday month disappointed me. Apart from the birthday and the gifts that came with it, there is nothing that I would want to remember about August. To start off with, I was really busy with work that left me with minimal time for everything else. Work is work, so I do not want to complain much. Apart from work, nothing else seemed to go right too. It was not only me, Cal had the same problems too. Just heavy headed with no peace of mind. And for no particular reason. Horrible, isn't it? I have always lived a pretty open life without hiding anything from anyone. I do what I want to and ...

Image Source You know how well my creative juices have been flowing thanks to the cliched title of this post. So yeah, I turned thirty this month. Also, on a scale of one to ten, ten being the busiest one can get, I turned thirty on that one too. I've been wanting to write this post since my birthday on the 8th, but with 12 hours of work a day and working on weekends, it was almost impossible. Not that it is all done now, but things are definitely better and stable now. So now let's come to my birthday. While I did have a Joey's moment as I cut the cake at midnight, I did not wake up with any blues in the morning. It was a Monday and both Cal and I had taken a leave to celebrate the day. Not having to go to office on a Monday was a gift in itself. For the first time ever, growing old did not bother me. I'm not the one to think much about age and try to act young. For me, when life is going on smooth, I have nothing to complain about. Not even about growing old. ...

Image Source " Promise? ", little Joel asked his father who was leaving him for the second time this year. " I promise , my son. I'll be back in two months just in time for your birthday. I'll run through the door and come in with your birthday gift ." " Double promise ? " A tear escaped Joel's eye. " Triple promise ! " His father picked him up and gave him a long hug. The promise was definitely fulfilled. His father was back on his birthday along with his birthday gift, a bicycle. He did not come running through the door though. He came in a sealed box, having lost his life in the war. This post is written for the #BarAThon Day 7. Prompt: Promise .

Image Source It definitely was not easy But I knew I had to do it In spite of the chaotic pain Burning me bit by it I had signed up for this I want to get till the end I want my body to behave To extremes I want it to bend I stretched more than I ever had Slowly I was able to move an extra inch I hadn't taken care of my body well Now's when I began to feel the pinch Soon, the dumbell and I were one I was able to smoothly glide up and down There was a rising spirit in me Even though my sores were black and brown The toughest hour of my life All about weights and me alone I know this was the price I had to pay To see my body shapely tone I had to be strong in my mind Wishful thinking sure did help Even though at times I gave in Let out a few tears and a yelp Fitness is a top priority now Enough of the ice creams I did lick Sweets and fatty foods have bid goodbye Now I'm happy being a workoutaholic ...