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Showing posts from March, 2018

The Hyderabad Playlist : Visit to Shilparamam

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Hyderabad. I never had the slightest inkling that I would spend that the second half of 2017 in Hyderabad. Till June, 2017. I left the job I had been doing for the last two years after graduation and moved to this city with a friend to study for competitive exams. I had taken the plunge without the guarantee of landing on safe grounds. Risk it was, yes, but it gave me an experience of a lifetime.

I had never studied so much and also enjoyed the lectures in equal measures in my entire life. The feeling of going back to being a student was so good. I loved being a student, abiding by the routine of classes, study hours, making notes and being a part of the classroom that had students from every part of the country, of different age groups. I was not really social. But I liked it. A change from two years of monotonous repeated work in the cubicle was most welcome.



We decided to take a bit of break on a certain Sunday and visit Shilparamam- the traditional handicraft village situated in H…
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Theme Reveal #AToZChallenge 2018

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It's again that time of the year. April & the A To Z Blogging Challenge. And as usual the blogging universe is buzzing with excitement and anticipation.

And of course, how can I forget, nervous breakdowns too!

Yes, conjuring up 26 posts for each English alphabet along with a theme can be a daunting task.

The A to Z Challenge is an international blogging challenge wherein the bloggers post everyday of April, except on Sundays. Each post should have a title starting with the English alphabet of that day. Having a theme is better as the anticipation of the next post is kept alive in the readers. It's like a month long blogging marathon (a term I picked up from Preeti Shenoy's blog) , with Sundays off!

So today is the day, we bloggers reveal our chosen theme for this challenge.

I had first participated in the A To Z Challenge in 2015 with the theme 'Characters from the stories I have loved'. I had successfully completed it, without giving up or missing any letter.

…
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Miss Me, Will You?

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Would I fade away in time? Would I fade away from your memory? Like the wisp of a distant wish, Like the figment of an imagination, Like the morning dream That ought to be forgotten.
Or will I linger? Somewhere in the recesses of your mind, Somewhere in between remembrances Somewhere in the multiple folds of nostalgia.
In wintry evenings, In the warmth of winter robes, In bubblegums and Cornettos In voices missed, In silences of words unspoken.
Will I remain Somewhere in blurred videos And ill shot snaps. Somewhere in neon greens, In articulation of my name Somewhere in elevators and stairs And roads that perhaps go nowhere.
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#MondayMusings : Homesick For Another World

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Have you ever felt a yearning for something you can’t even define? A keen longing for something you can’t pinpoint even when you are in abundance of everything you want or need.
A dull ache deep in the heart for something beyond your comprehension. A desire you are not aware of. A pain that has not got its due attention. Some grief, not expressed, perhaps. Something. Homesick perhaps, even in the comfort of your own home, amidst the love of your family. Homesick for another world?

Being eternally homesick
It is a feeling that I have long searched meaning for. I have felt this time and again. Mostly while traveling to new places, leaving back known faces, and saying goodbyes, whenever the canvas of life looms large over me- the miniscule human. What am I but a tiny dot in the vast expanse of universe and time? A strange energy fills me, mostly in moments that I realize would become precious memories of numerous tomorrows. I get goosebumps as the vibes take over and it is as if Life descen…
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The Shape of Water : A Movie that Reinstated Awe and Wonder

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I watched the trailer of The Shape Of Water sometime in December last year. It was enchanting. The voice over started, “If I told you about a Princess without voice….” as the furniture floated about in the room full of water. I was hooked in just ten seconds.

“Experience a connection beyond words.”

The Shape of Water is directed by Guillermo del Toro, the director of Pan’s Labyrinth- the movie that twisted the idea of fairy tales and yet ruled our imaginations for a good number of years. So yet another reason to anticipate the movie and the story it promises.

The movie seems to be a alternate rendition of The Beauty and The Beast. A fairy tale where the beast does not need to change into a handsome prince and there is still a happily ever after.


Both Eliza and the aquatic creature don’t need words to communicate. Language is not a big necessity for connection. They communicate through hand gestures, smiles, and eyes. A daring love story that was unsettling for a while but very fairy-tal…
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Why You Should Take The AToZ Blogging Challenge With BlogChatter

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Have you ever felt a yearning for something you can’t even define? A keen longing for something you can’t pinpoint. Even when you are in abundance of everything you want or need.
That for me was a sense of belonging. I needed to feel my thoughts mattered. I wanted to project my ideas, my love for novels and the written word out into the space. I wanted to be understood. I wanted to connect deeply, not just for the sake of having connections. I needed conversations, long unending dialogues with people who could empathize, not everyday small talk. I needed to validate my own worth and existence. And somehow, writing and blogging provided me with all of this.


Blogging provided me with the much needed community, empathetic souls that I couldn't have reached otherwise. I drew my daily motivation from blogs, and I still do.

#Gratitude posts, #ThursdayTreelove tales, weekend coffee share, #FridayReflections and #MondayMusings have become a very essential part of my life. Chatty monologues h…
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Zika Virus: Symptoms, Facts And Prevention

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Zika Virus disease is a mosquito-borne viral infection  that primarily occurs in Tropical and subtropical areas.The rising number of these diseases can be attributed to many factors. This virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes. 
The virus symptoms includes mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, headache, muscle and joint pain etc. Dengue and chikungunya spread through the same mosquitoes that transfer Zika.

Prevention is key for Zika Virus. There is no vaccine to prevent Zika Virus. Protect yourself from mosquito bites to protect yourself from Zika Virus mosquitoes. Battling the disease with the right products, such as that of Goodknight, would help in preventing and ensuring that your family’s health is safe and sound.

Zika Virus - Transmission

Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. These are the same mosquitoes that spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.

Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person already …
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My Last Trip Before Lockdown

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When Covid19 had just put its foot in the country with only 3 cases in Kerala, we had our Ooty trip planned. All tickets and bookings were done since the new year. With just three days in hand, four of us travelled from Mumbai, Pune and Bhubaneswar, to Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, to join a few others staying in the city. And the excitement to finally meet one another after 6 months of that trip to Pune, the Lohagard Trek- we were kids excitedly clicking selfies in our face masks, hurriedly putting a quick dab of sanitizer before hugging one another.


Next day early morning we were to start for Ooty. Sleepy heads, gulping a bowl each of muesli, we started onward journey to Bandipur National Park. Devouring uttapams, dosas and piping hot cups of coffee for breakfast at a restaurant by the highway, chit chats were full on, as was the music and dance in the 12-seater vehicle. Funny anecdotes had us laughing our hearts out, gossips were such a thrill and cooking recipe exch…
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Empress Ki : A story of an epic scale

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Empress Ki is the most elaborate, gripping, and thrilling series I have watched this year. And at 51 episodes, it is the longest Korean drama series I have ever watched. Even though the number seems daunting and too much, it’s worth it all. If you like period dramas, you won’t want to give this one a miss.

It was in 2016 that I first read about Empress Ki, the historical drama that had garnered much praise and accolades from the audience and critics alike. Most Korean dramas are just 16 or 20 episodes long. So 51 seemed never-ending to me then. It wasn’t until 2017 that I decided to at least try the first episode. And I was hooked. But owing to the various circumstances I didn’t continue watching it. It was just last month that I remembered this epic story and watched it to completion within just a few days. Believe it or not, midway through it, I was almost literally pulling my hair out, in anticipation of what would happen next.

I would have given this magnum opus 10/10 had it stopp…
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The One To Leave First

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I have always been the one to leave first. Be it luck or circumstance, it has always been this way. Some of the times it has been my decision to venture out of my comfort zone first before all my peers decide to do the same and I am left behind, alone in the old world. The decisions are out of fear of being left alone, most of the times. Or is it self-preservation instead? 

I am a person who takes time to adapt, make new friends, get accustomed to new surroundings- an unlikely one to leave first- yet I do. You might think me selfish, but I am just afraid, and I decide to take care of myself first. Some might see this as a major risk-taking attitude, but I mostly see it as fleeing before the 'desertion' hits me instead. Now that's a strong word indeed. I am always in search of safe ground, always so insecure and calculating my moves lest I end up being alone on the island.
Paranoiac. Several things bother me at once. What if my peers get on with their lives leaving me behi…
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F.R.I.E.N.D.S

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I had expected to be bored thinking it to be some over-the-top comedy and quit watching this midway. I had not expected to be sucked into their lives, in upstate Manhattan, and feel their life change over the ten seasons so personally. Ten years in the lives of these characters. And this attachment to that apartment. I had not expected that this sitcom that had been airing globally for ten long years, to not at all be ‘over-hyped’. I wish I had set aside my judgement and for once watched this during my college days. It would have been such a cherished experience. It would have validated all the emotions of those days.Watching the six friends’ personal trajectory from Season 1 to 10, over the ten years, through ten Thanksgivings and Christmases and Hanukah, was such a pleasure. I never knew I could enjoy comedy, and in comes Chandler. I remember how in the first few episodes, I couldn’t even remember their names, and now they feel as real and relatable as any other person. We all have …
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Burst That Ego If You Want Genuine Connections In Life

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"When the ego dies, the soul awakes." - Mahatma Gandhi
Why do you have such a huge ego? You cannot wear your family's name on your sleeve as an identity forever. The world wouldn't see you through the eyes of your parents who have pampered you so much for the better part of your life. Here in the real world, you will get what you give. Respect begets respect. Selfishness begets selfishness. Hate begets hate. And your 'i don't care', 'i don't give a damn', 'i am paying money for that', 'i will do as I please' attitude will give you the same.

Respect is earned. Agreed. But you should give it first to earn it back. The other person should and must be respected by default despite his class, caste, job and family background, until and unless he proves unworthy of it with time. I stand strongly by this belief.

There can be no excuse for disregard. The way you speak to me about people tells me the way you might be speaking about me t…
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Latest Binge - Emily in Paris

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There is a certain allure to a foreign land, a foreign culture, a different language, unchartered territories and a promise of romantic adventure. The latest offering from Netflix ‘Emily in Paris’ gives us all of these and more. It is all of 10 episodes of 25 or so minutes each, and is worth a binge-watch. It’s about a social media content strategist, Emily Cooper, played by Lily Collins, who moves to Paris from Chicago to work for a marketing firm, a big career opportunity, dreaming of a wonderful life. It’s about her adventures both in career and romantic front, as she learns French, making hilarious mistakes and feeding her Instagram with all-things-Paris.

We watch the beauty of Paris in its culture of life-first-work-second, all things luxurious- from fashion to perfume to wine, the spiraling staircase of a hundred-year old building where Emily stays, the ornate architecture, the old-world charm mingling effortlessly with the new, the elaborate office dinners, the picturesque water…
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When Breathe Becomes Air

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It was towards the end of the book that I realized that this is almost an unfinished manuscript. But still it feels complete in itself. I was constantly wondering throughout why this book is so short. He is an amazing writer and you know that when you hear his thoughts while reading the book - his narrative - his writing style just reveal his love for poetry, literature, philosophy and spirituality. It was striking that he had persistently wondered about death- the meaning of life- its purpose throughout his growing up years, even while choosing a career. And even after he was first diagnosed with lung cancer, he did the same. 
 "Literature not only illuminated another's experience, it provided, I believed, the richest material for moral reflection." - on the love for literature.Paul draws the difference between a job and a calling, something you are meant to do for the world in the limited span of your mortal life, in the first few chapters as a Doctor, before his diagno…
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The Baztan Trilogy

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The first movie 'The Invisible Guardian' begins with the killings of several teenage girls and elaborate staging of their bodies by the river in the damp valley of Elizondo. Amaia Salazar, our protagonist, returns there, her hometown, as the Chief Investigator for the case. She heads the homicide department. The serial killings seem aimed at young girls who don't uphold the traditional norms and have begun exploring their sexuality. Through the case, Amaia grapples with her own demons, her relationship issues and traumatic memories of abuse from her past. We get to know that her mother had abused her, being seemingly senile herself, and was then admitted to a facility.The setting of the damp valley where it rains all hours of the day, the cloudy scenery, the fog covered thick forest maintain a sinister vibe throughout the movie. It is an apt backdrop for a crime thriller, with supernatural undertones. The mythical beast  basajaun, the big hairy beast of the forest, seems t…
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