April 2018 - The Month That Was #GratitudeCircle


I can't believe it's already May. 2018 is going faster than I thought. And as months pass by I feel the need to write about all that has been, all that is going to be and all that won't ever be. It's a way to document and curate my journey through life. So today I chose to write down about all that I am grateful for in the month of April, joining in the blog hop and hashtag party organized by Vidya in her blog here.

Firstly, I successfully completed the A To Z blogging challenge this time. Last year I had given up midway through the craziness and fun. This was the second time I survived the marathon of continuous writing, reading, sharing and interacting. It was hectic, yes, but so much fun. The high I would get every morning seeing so many comments in my blog posts, and reading and commenting on so many other amazing blogs is beyond comparison.

Sisters!! :D

I interacted a lot on Twitter this time, and I declare it's my favorite social media channel. I am loving every bit of 280 characters, the conversations taking place there, the blogging network, the bonding and encouragements coming in my way. It makes me giddy with excitement. Blogchatter Writing Festival is one of the sole reasons I had joined this platform regularly, and now I am loving it.

Through this challenge I had my first beta-reading experience too. I read Medha's novella that she was writing for the A To Z Challenge on her blog, and tried providing her with valuable feedback. I was a new experience for me as well. So glad and thankful for it.

Discovered Old Letters from School friends


I also volunteered for helping Blogchatter with the Writing Festival activities, along with a few other bloggers. It was a great learning experience, working closely with the team, summarizing the Twitter chats with authors and guests, and writing recaps for Facebook lives as well. It was a very new and unique experience. Much thanks!!

I won a book giveaway from Blogchatter too- a signed copy by Sutapa Basu. So excited!!

I read Punyatoya- the second novel in my mother tongue, Odia. I was so grateful that I could read this masterpiece by Pratibha Ray. This World Book Day celebrated on April 23rd, Twitterati talked about translated books, and it was a very knowledge sharing discussion through threads and replies. An insightful one. I so wanted to read a translated book, so I began searching for titles to request in Netgalley and thankfully landed on this one: 'In Your Hands' : my current read. Read a quarter yet and enjoying it so far.

Apart from these, I attended a cousin's wedding and a thread ceremony, which meant get together with cousins and relatives after long. We had good time.
Beauty Subscription Box

:D :D :D :D :D

I gifted a beauty subscription box for a bestfriend's birthday, and it turned out to be awesome.

Went to Kolkatta for two days with my father for an interview (for Masters), and was selected for it. Smiles!! I liked the yellow taxis and hand pulled rickshaws along with the slow and steady trams running on the same busy road. Kathi rolls, misti doi and choicest teas were the best buys.

Read a Children's Graphic Novel

Some of my posts I am particularly proud of:

A Thousand Paper Cranes
'I'll Give You The Sun'
Conjuring up the artistic flair
Manisha Samal Talks about her first love: Painting
Friday Follow: Illustrators, Artists and Word Weavers
Going Nowhere

Had 6 more subscribers to my email list in the month of April. One inquiry about book reviews through the contact page. 4k views per month at Pinterest. Bounce rate reduced to 65 % from 79%. Blog traffic has doubled, from 3k visitors to 6k this month. Google Analytics says I am getting a lot of traffic through referrals and social media; and the average session time has improved to two minutes. I feel I am on the right track. Feeling thankful, so grateful for all these.

Last but not the least, I enjoyed the morning teas, occasional evening coffees made by my sister, and the cool summer drinks (lassi, butter milk, aam panna, mango juice, water melon, and so many goodies).

Happy Reading, Writing and Blogging!


Gratitude Circle

Comments

  1. Well done on a busy and productive month! Next year, your turn to do the A to Z Challenge! I'd love you to link this post to my linky on https://shirleycorder.com/thankful-thursday-20/

    ReplyDelete

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju

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