Saturday, 2 January 2016
Friday, 1 January 2016
Books.
So I decided to end every year from now on with a post dedicated to just books. Here, I'd be noting down the number of books I read during the year and the chosen top books will be named and numbered. As I started keeping track of the books I read since the year 2013, I'll be mentioning the top favourite books of the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 below.
Year 2013: 31 books.
TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2013.
#1 The immortals of Meluha, by Amish Tripathi.
#2 The fault in our stars, by John Green.
#3 The princess diaries series, by Meg Cabot.
#4 Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan.
#5 A walk to remember, by Nicholas Sparks.
#6 The confessions of a shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella.
#7 The kite runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
#8 The hunger games series, by Suzzanne Collins.
#9 Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
#10 The last song, by Nicholas Sparks.
Year 2014: 25 books.
TOP FIVE BOOKS OF 2014.
#1 The notebook, by Nicholas Sparks.
#2 Inferno, by Dan Brown.
#3 The lost hero, by Rick Riordan.
#4 The lost symbol, by Dan Brown
#5 Divergent, by Veronica Roth.
Year 2015: 52 books.
TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2015.
#1 Slammed, by Colleen Hoover.
#2 I'll give you the sun, by Jandy Nelson.
#3 Marley and me, by John Grogan.
#4 Gone girl, by Gillian Flynn.
#5 Along for the ride, by Sarah Dessen.
#6 Before I fall, by Lauren Oliver.
#7 What happened to goodbye, by Sarah Dessen.
#8 Never never, by Colleen Hoover.
#9 This lullaby, by Sarah Dessen.
#10 Paper towns, by John Green.
Year 2016: 60 books.
TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2016.
#1 The murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie.
#2 Me before you, by Jojo Moyes.
#3 The graveyard book, by Neil Gaiman.
#4 Anna and the French kiss, by Stephanie Hawkings.
#5 And then there were none, by Agatha Christie.
#6 All the bright places, by Jennifer Niven.
#7 Memories, by Lang Leav.
#8 Malgudi days, by R K Narayan.
#9 To kill a mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
#10 Isla and the happily ever after, by Stephanie Hawkings.
Year 2013: 31 books.
TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2013.
#1 The immortals of Meluha, by Amish Tripathi.
#2 The fault in our stars, by John Green.
#3 The princess diaries series, by Meg Cabot.
#4 Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan.
#5 A walk to remember, by Nicholas Sparks.
#6 The confessions of a shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella.
#7 The kite runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
#8 The hunger games series, by Suzzanne Collins.
#9 Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
#10 The last song, by Nicholas Sparks.
Year 2014: 25 books.
TOP FIVE BOOKS OF 2014.
#1 The notebook, by Nicholas Sparks.
#2 Inferno, by Dan Brown.
#3 The lost hero, by Rick Riordan.
#4 The lost symbol, by Dan Brown
#5 Divergent, by Veronica Roth.
Year 2015: 52 books.
TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2015.
#1 Slammed, by Colleen Hoover.
#2 I'll give you the sun, by Jandy Nelson.
#3 Marley and me, by John Grogan.
#4 Gone girl, by Gillian Flynn.
#5 Along for the ride, by Sarah Dessen.
#6 Before I fall, by Lauren Oliver.
#7 What happened to goodbye, by Sarah Dessen.
#8 Never never, by Colleen Hoover.
#9 This lullaby, by Sarah Dessen.
#10 Paper towns, by John Green.
Year 2016: 60 books.
TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2016.
#1 The murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie.
#2 Me before you, by Jojo Moyes.
#3 The graveyard book, by Neil Gaiman.
#4 Anna and the French kiss, by Stephanie Hawkings.
#5 And then there were none, by Agatha Christie.
#6 All the bright places, by Jennifer Niven.
#7 Memories, by Lang Leav.
#8 Malgudi days, by R K Narayan.
#9 To kill a mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
#10 Isla and the happily ever after, by Stephanie Hawkings.
Sunday, 25 October 2015
LOVE
Most of my friends know me as someone who loves to write so they like to test my skills by posing certain questions. One such friend recently asked me to describe love to her. I told her I'd write it for her.
So, what is love?
Love is the feeling of being understood for what you are, accepted for who you are. When you can be yourself around the person, when you can feel yourself being lifted off the ground, when the shackles you've surrounded yourself with are broken, all this happening without your knowledge; that is love.
And many a times, we find love in the most unexpected situations. The people we often run away from can provide us the welcome we anticipate. But do we realize this at the right time? Often we don't. Because we are so busy looking at the wrong people and expecting love from the wrong sources. Look around you, look within you. You're surrounded by love, you only need to open your eyes and learn to embrace it.
And for the lucky ones who do find the love they crave from the very people they seek, a small advice.
If you love someone, love them to the moon and back. Or don't at all. Because if it isn't extreme, it isn't worth anything. Love that doesn't make you want to reach for the stars is not love. Love that helps you grow, and grows with you, is true.
Love needn't make you forget the world, it only has to remind you of itself when you're with the world.
Love is simple, like a drop of rain. But for a soul that's been wandering in the desert, the very drop of rain is a ray of hope. And that is exactly what love is - a ray of hope.
So, what is love?
Love is the feeling of being understood for what you are, accepted for who you are. When you can be yourself around the person, when you can feel yourself being lifted off the ground, when the shackles you've surrounded yourself with are broken, all this happening without your knowledge; that is love.
And many a times, we find love in the most unexpected situations. The people we often run away from can provide us the welcome we anticipate. But do we realize this at the right time? Often we don't. Because we are so busy looking at the wrong people and expecting love from the wrong sources. Look around you, look within you. You're surrounded by love, you only need to open your eyes and learn to embrace it.
And for the lucky ones who do find the love they crave from the very people they seek, a small advice.
If you love someone, love them to the moon and back. Or don't at all. Because if it isn't extreme, it isn't worth anything. Love that doesn't make you want to reach for the stars is not love. Love that helps you grow, and grows with you, is true.
Love needn't make you forget the world, it only has to remind you of itself when you're with the world.
Love is simple, like a drop of rain. But for a soul that's been wandering in the desert, the very drop of rain is a ray of hope. And that is exactly what love is - a ray of hope.
Friday, 10 July 2015
Kellogg's Chocos ke saath 'Khuljaye Bachpan'
Family is the first kind of human interaction a child has. So when his family becomes his/her closest buddies, the kid will definitely learn how to respect relationships. A loving family, a well meaning parent can change a kid's life drastically. It all comes down to how a kid is with his family or close ones, that defines his future.
I'm a single child and both my parents work. There hasn't been a single person who I've met who wasn't concerned about me for being a single kid. 'You must feel so lonely,' 'how do you manage not getting bored,' 'you have to learn how to share with others,' ; people are ever ready with their remarks. But to be honest, I've never had to feel lonely or like I need someone else to play with. Not once have my parents made me feel any more pampered than a child deserves. And so, I've never felt the so called void in my life, the absence of a sibling or a playmate.
My mother was and still is my best friend, I see myself going to her no matter what the situation is. I feel at ease with my father when I need to ask him for anything. They are more like friends and less like parents, to be honest.
This closeness has helped me over years when I wanted to make new friends. And at times when I couldn't make friends or did not like the people around me, I was still fine because I knew I had my parents to go home to.
This kind of an environment helps us to deal with every kind of situations, we almost always know how an elder person's mind works because we know our parents well.
My mother was my first teacher (she's actually a teacher) and I learnt to respect teachers from a very young age, thanks to her. My dad helped a great deal in boosting my self confidence, as he still does. He is and will always be my first hero. This kind of an attachment leads to many happy moments and leaves no place for loneliness. And for a single kid to not know the meaning of loneliness, that's a huge thing.
To note down a few moments, when I was about five or six, I could barely spell the names of my friends. But my mom helped me with the spellings and when I crosschecked the names, they'd be always be right. I was too naive to understand that grown ups could spell better, it was simply magical for me. My mom did play the joke on me for a quite a while before she spilled the beans and taught me how to spell. Now, I find my mom coming to me when she comes across a new word, instead of referring a dictionary.
My mother helped me start writing by encouraging me to keep a journal. She literally helped me in finding my talent. She taught me how to play cards, in return to which I taught her to play solitaire on the computer.
And my dad, he is the one who got me to read, especially mysteries and thrillers. He'd read to me when I was little, even when I barely understood the stories, thus seeding in me the love for reading. And I introduced my dad to the world of classics.
When I look back on those days, I find my parents with me in every phase. I realise that they were everything I wanted - parents, caretakers, friends, teachers. So I've to be thankful to my parents for the wonderful memories, for being such great parents and for all the love they've showered on me.
Monday, 22 June 2015
It has been widely agreed on that dogs make great companions, that they make every moment worth living. I only happened to realise this truth when I got myself a dog. It's so rare for me to acknowledge the fact that my dog is a dog that many of my friends, of course the ones without dogs, find it funny. Truth be told, for me, my dog is so much more than just a pet. He has changed me in ways that were unfathomable, even for my mother. A wave of patience, compassion and love was introduced into my life with the advent of the tiny ball of fur.
Yes, he was really very tiny. All black, furry and very funny looking. I swear I was scared out of my wits when he wriggled out of the box he was brought in because he looked nothing like a pup. But then again, I had never actually seen a pup that young. (He was barely 20 days old when we brought him home.)
It took me a whole hour to get used to his ever so light shivering and the almost audible chattering of his teeth. He was in no way what I would call cute. But I started taking a liking for the little guy, after all it was due to my constant nagging that dad had agreed on getting a dog.
I wanted to name my dog Cookie. But one look at the little shivering ball of fur, I decided to call him Lucky.
My parents were relieved when they saw how quiet and soft the pup was, they had no idea what they were in for... until that night.
As the evening turned to night, we put little Lucky in a cardboard box and placed it in the patio. We had decided to get him a cage of his own (to sleep in when he wanted, of course) sometime later. At around midnight, we were woken up by this little howling noise we weren't accustomed to. Quickly flicking on the lights, we found that the little pup had somehow climbed out of the box. He was exploring the living room, howling at the walls, searching for his mother/his siblings. I felt a knot in my stomach watching the little being searching helplessly for his family that he'd never see again. That was when I promised myself to look after him, to give him all the love he deserved and to make him feel home. And that is exactly what we all did.
We never see him as a pet, he's more like an adopted (and a very spoiled) kid of our family.
I still remember his first day around our place. The way he stuttered around, marking everything as his territory, his first bark which was more like a little cough, the way he gobbled up the puppy food like he hadn't eaten in ages. Everything about that day feels so real, so fresh although it is over three years since then.
I would carry him around on my palm and he would whimper and dig into the skin on my hand whenever he felt cold. He was so warm, so tiny, so vulnerable - anything but cute. And yet, he had stolen my heart away. And I knew I'd never love anyone again as much as I love him, and it still stands true as it always will.
The little pup grew up, every passing day he'd baffle us with a new stunt, with a new headache. The time when he got his front paw twisted in a cloth and I had felt my heart reach my throat and he was so scared we were sure he'd learn a lesson from. Yet the mischievous glint in his eyes kept glowing ablaze and we sure knew we were going to have our hands full with him.
Many collar belts and leashes were bought that he miraculously got out of and dashed out of the gates, so many angry moments spent where I'd shout at him for running away in spite of all the care, nothing seemed to go into his thick skull. He seemed to be more interested in the streets than in being with us and that really broke my heart. By then, he had become even lesser of a pet and more of a best friend, a confidant.
Apart from the running away from home episodes, there was not one thing you could scold him for. He was a well behaved kid from the very first day.
As he grew up into an adult, as if he started realising how much he matters to us, he stopped trying to escape. He understood what role he played for us, he realised how much everyone cares for him. Our entire extension knows Lucky but not me. And trust me, he's not even that friendly. He still barks at all the neighbours when they come home, who he funnily happens to like being fed by.
At this point of time, I'm so used to having him around that I miss his oh-so-doggy smell when I leave for the hostel. I miss his greeting me in the mornings, his tail wagging, his notorious face, the incessant barking... everything about the boy when I'm away from him.
I can never love anyone as much as I love him because he stole my heart (probably gobbled it up, even) exactly thirty nine months ago and I'm not sure I want my now drooled on heart back.
All this was jotted while watching the handsome lad do rolls on the floor, trying to get my mother's attention. I swear you don't need any other sort of entertainment when you have him around, he's all the entertainment you'd ever need. If dogs are angels, Lucky is my angel with golden wings.
Yes, he was really very tiny. All black, furry and very funny looking. I swear I was scared out of my wits when he wriggled out of the box he was brought in because he looked nothing like a pup. But then again, I had never actually seen a pup that young. (He was barely 20 days old when we brought him home.)
It took me a whole hour to get used to his ever so light shivering and the almost audible chattering of his teeth. He was in no way what I would call cute. But I started taking a liking for the little guy, after all it was due to my constant nagging that dad had agreed on getting a dog.
I wanted to name my dog Cookie. But one look at the little shivering ball of fur, I decided to call him Lucky.
My parents were relieved when they saw how quiet and soft the pup was, they had no idea what they were in for... until that night.
As the evening turned to night, we put little Lucky in a cardboard box and placed it in the patio. We had decided to get him a cage of his own (to sleep in when he wanted, of course) sometime later. At around midnight, we were woken up by this little howling noise we weren't accustomed to. Quickly flicking on the lights, we found that the little pup had somehow climbed out of the box. He was exploring the living room, howling at the walls, searching for his mother/his siblings. I felt a knot in my stomach watching the little being searching helplessly for his family that he'd never see again. That was when I promised myself to look after him, to give him all the love he deserved and to make him feel home. And that is exactly what we all did.
We never see him as a pet, he's more like an adopted (and a very spoiled) kid of our family.
I still remember his first day around our place. The way he stuttered around, marking everything as his territory, his first bark which was more like a little cough, the way he gobbled up the puppy food like he hadn't eaten in ages. Everything about that day feels so real, so fresh although it is over three years since then.
I would carry him around on my palm and he would whimper and dig into the skin on my hand whenever he felt cold. He was so warm, so tiny, so vulnerable - anything but cute. And yet, he had stolen my heart away. And I knew I'd never love anyone again as much as I love him, and it still stands true as it always will.
The little pup grew up, every passing day he'd baffle us with a new stunt, with a new headache. The time when he got his front paw twisted in a cloth and I had felt my heart reach my throat and he was so scared we were sure he'd learn a lesson from. Yet the mischievous glint in his eyes kept glowing ablaze and we sure knew we were going to have our hands full with him.
Many collar belts and leashes were bought that he miraculously got out of and dashed out of the gates, so many angry moments spent where I'd shout at him for running away in spite of all the care, nothing seemed to go into his thick skull. He seemed to be more interested in the streets than in being with us and that really broke my heart. By then, he had become even lesser of a pet and more of a best friend, a confidant.
Apart from the running away from home episodes, there was not one thing you could scold him for. He was a well behaved kid from the very first day.
As he grew up into an adult, as if he started realising how much he matters to us, he stopped trying to escape. He understood what role he played for us, he realised how much everyone cares for him. Our entire extension knows Lucky but not me. And trust me, he's not even that friendly. He still barks at all the neighbours when they come home, who he funnily happens to like being fed by.
At this point of time, I'm so used to having him around that I miss his oh-so-doggy smell when I leave for the hostel. I miss his greeting me in the mornings, his tail wagging, his notorious face, the incessant barking... everything about the boy when I'm away from him.
I can never love anyone as much as I love him because he stole my heart (probably gobbled it up, even) exactly thirty nine months ago and I'm not sure I want my now drooled on heart back.
All this was jotted while watching the handsome lad do rolls on the floor, trying to get my mother's attention. I swear you don't need any other sort of entertainment when you have him around, he's all the entertainment you'd ever need. If dogs are angels, Lucky is my angel with golden wings.
Friday, 8 May 2015
His & Her Story
She looked up at the guy beside her. There he was, smiling at her like she meant everything to him. Holding her by her waist, he was walking beside her. She hadn't once asked where they were heading to, she didn't care about anything as long as he was beside her. It had been a year since the day he had asked her out and still she could feel herself blush every time he took her name.
"Hey?"
She realised she had been looking up at him for too long. She smiled a shy smile and placed her head against his shoulder. She was in love with everything about him; the way he walked, the way he smiled, the way he spoke her name. Everything.
As if he sensed her feelings, he pulled her closer to him and planted a kiss on her head.
"I love the smell of your hair," he murmured into her hair.
"I love everything about you," she said, still smiling.
She knew he was waiting to say something, she could sense the nervous energy in his gait. She stole a glance at him and realised he wasn't looking at her anymore, his eyes were stuck on something else. She saw that he was looking up at the sky.
"What is it that you want to say?" She spoke in a hushed tone.
"Look at that star there," he gestured toward the sky. "The brightest one, over there."
She followed his gaze and found the star he was pointing at.
"Yes?"
"That is the polar star. The brightest one. It guides people, you know." He looked down at her, and smiled. "It reminds me of you."
She blushed a deeper red. The clouds had hovered over the moon and the night was dark, but he could still see her clearly.
He held her by her shoulders and turned her to face him. She looked up at him, right in the eyes, and smiled. By the way she looked at him, he knew how much he meant to her. Her love for him was obvious, like his love for her was.
He bent down to kiss her on the cheek.
"You make me so happy," he spoke against her cheek.
"You're my happiness," she said, with a smile.
He held her face in his hands for a moment and looked in her eyes. They were them shining in the dark, like the stars in the sky. The very eyes he loved so much, the very eyes that conveyed her love for him when she found it hard to speak out.
When they looked up at the sky, the moon had come out of the clouds and everything was brighter under the moonlight. He put his arms around her again, pulled her closer and beamed at her.
"I love you so much," he whispered.
"I love you much more," she whispered back to him.
"Hey?"
She realised she had been looking up at him for too long. She smiled a shy smile and placed her head against his shoulder. She was in love with everything about him; the way he walked, the way he smiled, the way he spoke her name. Everything.
As if he sensed her feelings, he pulled her closer to him and planted a kiss on her head.
"I love the smell of your hair," he murmured into her hair.
"I love everything about you," she said, still smiling.
She knew he was waiting to say something, she could sense the nervous energy in his gait. She stole a glance at him and realised he wasn't looking at her anymore, his eyes were stuck on something else. She saw that he was looking up at the sky.
"What is it that you want to say?" She spoke in a hushed tone.
"Look at that star there," he gestured toward the sky. "The brightest one, over there."
She followed his gaze and found the star he was pointing at.
"Yes?"
"That is the polar star. The brightest one. It guides people, you know." He looked down at her, and smiled. "It reminds me of you."
She blushed a deeper red. The clouds had hovered over the moon and the night was dark, but he could still see her clearly.
He held her by her shoulders and turned her to face him. She looked up at him, right in the eyes, and smiled. By the way she looked at him, he knew how much he meant to her. Her love for him was obvious, like his love for her was.
He bent down to kiss her on the cheek.
"You make me so happy," he spoke against her cheek.
"You're my happiness," she said, with a smile.
He held her face in his hands for a moment and looked in her eyes. They were them shining in the dark, like the stars in the sky. The very eyes he loved so much, the very eyes that conveyed her love for him when she found it hard to speak out.
When they looked up at the sky, the moon had come out of the clouds and everything was brighter under the moonlight. He put his arms around her again, pulled her closer and beamed at her.
"I love you so much," he whispered.
"I love you much more," she whispered back to him.
Saturday, 21 March 2015
A new year day out.
Last year, year 2013, on New Year's eve I received a text, reminding me about the meet up we had decided on. My high school friends had decided to meet up for a New Year's day out. I was excited, by the thought of getting to see all my high school girlfriends after so long. It had been almost two years since I had seen them.
People get busy after high school, what with all the new exposure the college life tends to give us. I got busy and so had they. Not many words were exchanged either in the span of two years, so I was looking forward to meeting all of them.
I realised that I hadn't replied to the message about my consent, so I did. Everyone was happy that I was finally trying to bond with them again.
High school is like a rocking boat for everyone, but for me it was harder. I had just shifted to a new school and I took a lot of time to adjust to the new surroundings. Maybe too much, for which I will always feel bad.
The girls had been nice to me, they had accepted me and were easygoing. But I had still stayed aloof, God knows why.
So I thought of this as my chance to change it all, to go there and make things better between us and I took my chance.
All of the girls had agreed to come, except two girls. One who was busy with college and another who wasn't with us anymore.
A much closer friend of mine and I got to the place we had decided on a little early and we were having a casual conversation, when the girls started coming in one by one.
By the time everyone had assembled, the place was bustling with people and we were all still trying to get comfortable.
I'll admit, it was weird at first to talk to them after so long. I started with listening to their stories and let myself slowly blend in. They hadn't changed much, still the easytalkers they once were so I could quickly pick up the beat. Soon it felt like our surroundings didn't matter anymore. We felt like we were back in our school, like we were having a break time chat.
We talked about our time in school, the kind of fights we used to have, the fun we had during the sports classes we would beg for, our beloved teachers and how much we missed them. It was such a refreshing way to spend the first day of the year. It still makes me smile, to just think about that day.
We had no idea how quickly time had passed, but it was already time to leave. We promised to keep in touch after that and we departed.
It was indeed the perfect beginning to a new year. After all, old friendships always bring a feeling of nostalgia when you meet them after a long time. The day filled me with optimistic approach towards friendship, even the ones that were not very well maintained.
This is my story of togetherness. Of true happiness. For more, you can check the link below.
#together
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