Magic Moments

‘The Mirror Girl’ is a webtoon or a manhwa series that can be read online at Naver  or can be downloaded at here , or  here . Manhwa is the Korean version of manga- the Japanese comics. This is the first webtoon series that I read and I loved it. I liked the pictures, the anime-like drawings, the cute Korean expressions of the characters, and the dialogues. Every chapter was enjoyable with it’s twists and turns and cliffhanger endings, which compelled me to continue. It has just 24 chapters, so one can easily read the whole in a day. The story deals with doppelgangers, impersonators, reincarnations, clones and look-alikes. There are many folktales and legends about people having the same or similar face- like a Korean myth about a rat that became the exact copy of a man after eating his fingernails, or the story ‘The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hide’. Some believe that there are as many as seven people with the same face living on the earth in the same er...

..And colours in my palette... Rediscovered my love for painting today. J J And realised that this is my 101st post...

I have got into watching anime nowadays. Who could have thought that a children’s movie could have such an intricate plot and so appealing a  story-line  to get me hooked till the end!! I really had never expected to like it so much. The concepts of time travel and ample mysterious sequences, makes this animated adaptation of Yasutaka Tsutsui’s sci-fi and romantic novel of the same name, an interesting watch. A teenage girl (a tomboy actually) accidentally acquires the ability to leap through time. She goes back a few minutes, or hours, just by chance at first. Afraid to be dubbed crazy or mad, she  doesn't  tell about it to anyone except her aunt who works in the museum at restoring old paintings. But when she gets saved from a major train accident, she understands the way to travel through time and uses it to her advantage. She uses it to get back home early and eat her favorite pudding; to pass the surprise Maths test with flying colors...

  ‘Laputa, Castle in the Sky’ is an animated film made in Japan in 1986 by director Hayao Miyazaki. The story too is scripted by the director himself. The idea for this children’s movie is derived from the book ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. The name Laputa was first used by Jonathan Swift in this book to describe a fictional flying island. The inhabitants of Laputa had vast knowledge in areas of mathematics, astrology, astronomy, science and technology. They used the properties of magnetic levitation to make the island float in the clouds. Here also it is no different, except, just that the civilization no longer exists there and the land is guarded, protected and taken care of by a robot. The film starts with a little girl Sheeta trying to escape air pirates and the people holding her captive in an airship. She accidentally falls from the plane, but the mysterious turquoise colored crystal necklace begins to glow and makes her descend slowly floating in the air, thus saving he...

‘The Guardian Angels’ by Rohit Gore is, as the book jacket has it, is the epic and tumultuous story of two star crossed lovers who weren't  just soul mates but were also each other’s protectors. Published under The Grapevine Publications, the book is priced at Rs.125. And what appeals at the very first sight and tempts the reader to peek in is the beautiful book cover, designed by Saurav Das. This is a very emotional story of two characters, Aditya Mehta and Radha Deodhar, their lives both together and apart from each other, starting from their first meeting in school, in the seventh grade, to the early thirties. It is a journey through their days, their years, their dreams and aspirations, their successes and big losses. From their preteen days their fates are entwined together, making them almost inseparable, and the numerous tragedies have drawn them nearer to each other. Their bond is their only solace, and their love is the only thing that they draw inspi...

I think I have entered the golden phase of my life now. For the past few weeks time has been working in my favour. There were comments, appreciations, acknowledgements, and now it's an award! I'm so happy. Small tiny steps have taken me a mile ahead of where I was. Now I feel as if I belong here, in blogosphere. I have received the 'Dragon Loyalty Award'. It is awarded to writers and bloggers for consistently writing back their fans and appreciating other's works. It is passed from one blogger to another. All my heartfelt thanks to Natasha for passing this award on to me. She can be read  here. The rules for this award are:- 1) Display the award certificate on your website. 2) Announce your win with a post and a link to whoever presented you with this award. 3) Present the award to a maximum of fifteen deserving bloggers. 4) Drop them a comment to tip them off after you have linked them in the post. 5) Post 7 interesting things about yourself. Ok. No...

She didn’t want to be herself. She didn’t like cowering from dominating and authoritative persons, or losing an argument with a respectable person too soon. Neither could she cope with the repeated failures in her attempts to confront her mother, nor could she win over all her friends. She daren’t talk about her dreams to her father for being laughed at the illogicality of it all. She didn’t ever speak of her precious wishes and ambitions to anyone, for it may be just trampled over by them. She wasn’t sure if anyone would care enough to tread on with a light feet. She needed assurances, confirmations, consolations, optimisms, and a boost to her self esteem on a daily basis. She wanted to be a different person. She wanted to be a child once again, or a baby who has no care in the world. Being an adult is difficult, it’s very tough. She yearned to relive life, being a new herself and starting over once again, when she wouldn’t have to think her step twice; wouldn’t have to...

I received the free ebook as a part of the Write Tribe's Book Review Program . The name was not that catchy but seeing the coverpage I was curious. It’s a compilation of three short stories by three different authors- C.Suresh, Radha Sawana, and Karthik L. I guessed the first story was about ‘Sirens’, second about ‘spells’ and third about ‘dangers’. But it is not so actually. I liked reading the book, and being a part of this review program. And hats off to the detailed researches done by the authors. In Greek mythology, sirens are creatures half woman half bird who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of their songs. The Amazon Link-  link Femme Fatale Following a femme fatale he met in the bar to a hotel room puts Vikram in danger. He is trapped in the web of a murder, kidnapping, and a probable terrorist attack. An IPS officer to be, yet his lack of proper judgement and suspicion of the situation, has him in difficult consequences. He is conf...

The Book of Gu/ Gu Family Book Gu means nine in Hangeul(Korean). The book here refers to the bible of a mythical being gumiho- the nine tailed fox(it's not the werewolf of western concept), which has instructions to live life, protect the mountains and transform into human being through penance. Set in the olden times in Josheon, the story is about a gumiho named Kang Chi, who has no knowledge of his actual identity. He was abandoned in a river at birth, and was adopted by the owner of ‘The Hundred Year Inn’. A monk had professed that raising Kang Chi would bring him and his family health, wealth, happiness and prosperity. Playful and adorable little Kang Chi grows amidst the numerous servants, guests, masters, and ladies residing in the inn, unaware of his hidden nature and capabilities. In the meantime, there’s the entry of Yeo Wool in his life, the silly yet tough girl who would prove to be his one true love in future. On his 20 th birthday, Kang...

She didn’t reply to my ‘good night, sweet dreams’. She didn’t say ‘ditto’. Just switched off the lights and covered her face with the blanket. Perhaps this time she was not going to forgive and forget. She hadn’t talked with me for the whole day. Didn’t ask me for water, didn’t send me to fetch the newspaper, and didn’t even ask me to answer the door. I didn’t like her not commanding me. I missed her. Next day too was the same. We were getting ready for a party. She didn’t ask me to move aside when I was brushing my hair, or applying kohl. No competition this time. She didn’t show her distaste to my wacky nail polish designs, while she painted her nail baby pink. She wore a pink and purple salwar suit inspite of my suggestions to wear the white one. She looked beautiful, as usual. ‘This dress looks awesome on you,’ I tried to start a conversation for the tenth time. Again, no reply. She didn’t even ask me if her hair looked good. She asked Mom. Should I just say sorry? N...

Spot the.... I look at our childhood photos and wonder how fast time has flown by. From a chubby and smiling baby she grew into a joyous kid hugging her doll. And now, has transformed to a young little lady, sipping her coffee with style. ....difference. Earlier, she would fit in my lap. I could piggy back her then. I would tell her stories of how we bought her from the fair, selecting from many cute babies, and put her to sleep. Now she has grown taller than me and mother, my dear sis. Hope we capture moments together, forever. God bless her. This is a 100 word drabble for Write Tribe's Saturday post.

  The perpetual traveler says ‘anywhere but here’ every time, on arriving at a destination. He likes the journey itself, not the end of it, where the destination lies. I am no different. Journeys are beautiful, with all their ups and downs, highs and lows. I enjoy it whole heartedly while it lasts, since I’m not good at managing endings. Missing the tidbits and the nostalgia, adapting to newness is a bit hard. Then again, it’s the beginning of a yet another journey. So with little nervousness, and more excitement I welcome the New Year, 2014.   The first day saw me scribbling lists and ‘to-do’s in my diary. I got a new diary, as I get one every year. This time it’s a thin and narrow one. Last year was quite an eventful one. I went through the many jottings, writings in the margins, drafts in my message inbox, and archived messages. Each one reminded of a certain moment, a certain task I accomplished, and a certain thing I failed at. And I once again filled my new dia...

  Read my review here , a guest post at  A Potpourri of Vestiges . Lee Min Ho had been my favorite Korean star since forever, and Park Shin Hye had made her way into my heart little by little through ‘Heartstrings’, ‘Flower Boy Next Door’, and ‘You are beautiful’. And, the joy of watching them together on screen for the first time! Priceless!! They look best as a couple. Loved ‘Heirs’. Loved Lee Min Ho’s acting. He’s such a talented actor. ‘City Hunter’ was one of his best performances. His just one look speaks a thousand words. Impeccable looks, gifted height, and flawless acting make him one of the best actors of the industry. Be it the role of a vigilante in ‘City Hunter’, or a fake gay architect in ‘The Personal Taste’, or the filthy rich 18 year old Kim Tan in ‘Heirs’- he does justice to every role. The story, in spite of its newness and social concepts had its share of repetitions. The poor girl coming to live with the rich guy’s family seemed borrowed from ...