That One Interview. (Monday Moments #75)

He was unemployed for about 4 months after finishing his engineering course. He was just a young boy with no knowledge or experience of the corporate world. He was an average student who spoke proper English and had a good personality. Even with all these qualities, nobody hired him. It began with campus placements. It was his first time giving interview which made him tensed. About 4 to 5 companies came to his college but he did not get selected in either of them. He saw how classmates less intelligent than him got jobs but he couldn't. He thought that his lack of working experience was a major reason for rejections. But, he never understood the reason until that day when he went for an interview. It was a renowned company with a good work culture, learning opportunities and good pay. He went in and charmed the interviews and got the job. That was when he realised the real problem. Since he was always expecting a job offer, he was always tensed which reduced his confidence. But, this time, he went with a casual attitude. He answered brilliantly. He also showed his sense of humour a few times. He spoke confidently without fumbling just like it was an informal conversation. And just that one day, he got the job by being himself. That was the moment when he realised that his anxiety had to go and confidence had to stay. That one interview brought in a new perspective which helped him in his life.

(‘Monday Moments’ is a blog series wherein I write about an incident or a moment in a short paragraph. It’s not a story, but just a short description to express and explore the most common joys and also the uncommon miseries.)

Eleven Minutes. (Book Review #22)

Introduction:

Never have I ever read something which made me think about things like meeting of souls, pure desire without getting intimate or the existence of an inner light. While this book is a story of a young woman who works as a prostitute, it goes on a complete intellectual level which is found in the pages of her diary. The author has somehow interlinked the brilliance of the mind with the desire of the body in a book which goes beyond the meaning of ‘fiction’ and tries to answer deeper existential questions. I admit that it wasn’t the best of the topics to write upon, but whatever Paulo Coelho writes about, no matter how undiscussed, trivial or gross, turns into a beautiful art of fiction and more. The same has been brought about in this novel.

Characters:

The main character is Maria, born in a small town in Brazil but having huge dreams. She is the kind of person who appears to grab all the opportunities that come her way. Throughout the book, you can see her transition from a heart-broken little girl into an intelligent woman with goals, self-control and something to prove.

Another character is Ralf Hart, the famous young painter. He seems to be a practical person who knows what he wants.

Both are looking for deeper meanings in the other; something that is so pure and meaningful. They knew sex but they were looking for the thing beyond sex which help them understand themselves and each other. They took this path of salvation together, without keeping any hopes or needs from the other.

Story Line:

When Maria was young, she loses her chance at love because she was scared. And after that first heart-break, she decided to never be afraid of anything and going with the flow. As she grows up, she starts working at a cloths merchant who admires her and so ends up saving for a one week holiday. She goes to Switzerland and somehow becomes a cabaret dancer and from there she ends up in prostitution. She does this for a year while also reading a lot of books about economics and farm management. Meanwhile, she still searches true love and then she meets Ralf Hart. They embark upon their journey of finding the meaning of souls and unleashing desire.

Overall Thoughts:

This is the third book of Paulo Coelho that I've read. I absolutely loved 'The Alchemist' but I also did not like 'Adultery'. But, after this read, Paulo Coelho has become one of my many favourite authors. He has kept a balance between reality and imagination. Although, I'd have loved to read more about Maria's diary because those parts touched me and made me ponder. Also, I was sure how it would end but I was shocked at the end because what I hadn't expected happened. The story is a little slow. But, like you should swirl the wine in your mouth to enjoy it, you should enjoy the book with the pace with which it is written. I've given 'Eleven Minutes' 4/5 stars on Goodreads.

She was her own 'Knight in Shining Armour'. (Monday Moments #74)

There was so much inside of her that wanted out. There were unspoken stories that needed hearing. The scars hidden in her soul wanted to surface over her body and get out. The mysteries seeked an ear. As the soul seeked some peace.

The silent stories scribbled in her diary needed a reader. The silent cries into the lonely night needed a shoulder. The silent girl in a boisterous world needed a person.

She had hundreds of friends but no person she could call home. She had many houses but no place she could call a home. She had everything money could buy, but what she desired couldn't be bought.

Minutes felt like hours. Days felt like months. Years felt like centuries. She felt being trapped in a time capsule which just wouldn't start and let her go. And she wasn't alone. Her confidence, passion, optimism and courage was trapped with her body in the motionless aura of dullness that was her life.

She read, without understanding. She sang, without feeling. She drew, without imagining. She saw, without watching. She listened, without hearing. She existed, without living.

And then, she got the final document of the finalized divorce from her husband. And then, after a decade, she felt free. She felt happiness. She felt like herself. She wasn't the 'Damsel in Distress'. She was her own 'Knight in Shining Armor'.

(‘Monday Moments’ is a blog series wherein I write about an incident or a moment in a short paragraph. It’s not a story, but just a short description to express and explore the most common joys and also the uncommon miseries.)

Relatable Readings (Monday Moments #73)

          It was just another night. Tears were rolling down her face and the usual moments of breakdown struck. Roughness because she was in between jobs. Heartbroken because of another fight with her boyfriend. Miserable because of financial crises. Pressurized because of her family's stress to settle down and what not. It was just another story in the life of a Mumbai girl who failed to chase after her dream of becoming a painter and got stuck in the mess of the corporate political life.

She browsed through her phone and read those short tales which always made her think about her life and contemplate the greater meanings and depth of existence. She saw a post which read, "Half of her problems were just in her head." And after that, she was hooked.

She read another story, "I fell in love with his mistakes because one of them was falling in love with me."

Then came another, "It hurts because it matters". She thought about it and realised how much she loved her boyfriend and no matter what, he was always there for her.

Then came this, "In a world full of muggles, she was a magical witch." It was followed by, "And then she realised that the only person who could keep her happy was herself." Just these two short tales gave her back the confidence and self-belief she needed at that time.

And finally as she felt good and optimistic, she read, "Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it." She slept like a baby that day with restored faith to be in the driver's seat of her own life. Such relatable tales always helped her. Sometimes they made her cry but sometimes they just made her stronger, wiser and braver.

(‘Monday Moments’ is a blog series wherein I write about an incident or a moment in a short paragraph. It’s not a story, but just a short description to express and explore the most common joys and also the uncommon miseries.)

Gamophobia. (Monday Moments #72)

She had wanted to be with him for as long as she had seen him. They had been friends for over 2 years. Those 2 years had been full of ups and downs. He crushed her hopes time and again. He was never there when she really needed him. She could get many other guys who would be better for her but she was also sure that none of them would love her the way he did.

On the other hand, he was a puzzle. When he met her, his long relationship had just ended. Ever since he saw her, he knew something was different about her. He really liked her. But he had his own issues on moving on and having a stable life. In those 2 years since he had known her, she had been distant. She cared about him but even she was not there when he needed her. She let him down in many ways too.

That day, she had a feeling, this inner voice, which kept telling her that he might propose to her. It was deep down but it kept surfacing again and again. After 2 years of wanting to be with him, she thought it would be easy to say yes. But the thought of him proposing, let alone the thought of her saying yes terrified her out of her mind. She was scared because she knew how much he hurt her. She knew how difficult he could be at times. She knew how devastating it could all end up in. It might even ruin their friendship. There were so many little things which could go wrong and so many bigger things which could just end in them both getting hurt. Being with him was all that she had ever wanted but now that it was going to happen, she was drowning in gamophobia and just hoping that somehow he would come and not let her drown.

(‘Monday Moments’ is a blog series wherein I write about an incident or a moment in a short paragraph. It’s not a story, but just a short description to express and explore the most common joys and also the uncommon miseries.)

Studying. (Monday Moments#71)

          He went to his study table. Cleared all the items on it and then cleaned it. He arranged all his notebooks properly and finally sat to prepare a study schedule. He wasn't a bookworm. But when he did something, it was with conciseness and correctness. He checked the number of days left for his exam, total subjects, total topics to be covered under each. He then allocated days to each subject based on his understanding. After making the schedule, he started with his favourite subject. It's advisable to study the hard subjects first. But, he believed in studying the easier ones at least on the first day to set the mood. He began reading the chapter, referring notes, getting extra points from the internet and then making his own answers. He set some low background music as well. As he was half way done, he just stared out the window. He loved those short breaks where he could fly away from everything. After 2 years gap from studies, he was doing quite well. Just that yearn to gain more knowledge was thrilling at that time. Soon he came out of his maze and onto his books and he just smiled. At that moment, he was only a student with no tensions about exams but just an eagerness to know more about the subject. He wasn't just studying but he was learning. In that moment, he was grateful that he could get higher education. He began studying and soon he forgot about time and space. For some people, studying isn't something done 2 days before an exam. For some people, studying becomes a part of their personality more than anything.

(‘Monday Moments’ is a blog series wherein I write about an incident or a moment in a short paragraph. It’s not a story, but just a short description to express and explore the most common joys and also the uncommon miseries.)