Top 10 Posts of 2015!

          31st December 2015. It's the last day of the year, already. It's been quite a roller coaster of a year. This year, my blog has remained my constant. No matter what happened I could always write it out on my blog. It was a venting machine. It was a thought portrayal. It was an imagination hoarder. It has been everything that made my 2015 good. If it weren't for my blog, it would've just been a sad year with loneliness. But instead, it became a happy and satisfying year. Here are the top 10 posts I've written in this year!

1. An Interview with Shooter, Gautami Pandit.

          This was a post wherein I interviewed a national shooter. It was a great experience knowing the life of a sportswoman.

2. House of Cards. (Book Review #13)

          This is the book review of an incredible book by one of my favourite Indian authors, Sudha Murty. I don't know how it came up on #2 position but I'm glad it did. I enjoyed reading this. You can check out the entire review.

3. 100 Books and Counting.

          It felt exhilarating and adventurous to have read 100 books. In this post, I've mentioned a couple of books which I've rated at 5 stars, 4 stars and so on. It might be helpful for your 2016 TBR list!

4. Coincidental Love. (Part I)

          This was the first love story I had written. It's a short story. Writing this one was one of the best times I had in this year. I hope you liked it.

5. All the Bright Places. (Book Review #8)

          This is an amazing novel. I just loved reading it. The book belongs to Young Adult genre and is brilliantly written by Jennifer Niven.

6. Physical Book Vs E-Book.

          This is a comparison between physical books and e-books. I love reading both kinds but of course, a physical book is always preferred. Can't miss that book smell after all.

7. Readers, Thank You. (Blogoversary Part 1)

          My first blogoversary was this year in September! After years, I had finally stuck with something. I was filled with joy that blogging didn't turn out to be a three-month thing. And I know that it's more like a forever thing. Blogging has become an essential part of my life now and I couldn't be more happy about it.

8. Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

          I remember writing this one. I was lost in deep thoughts about life and people. And I needed to rant it out. Hence, I wrote this one. I hope it helps you if you find yourself wondering about things.

9. Musical Retreat. (Monday Moments #3)

          I love my blog series, Monday Moments. It helps me a lot for writing fiction. I'm glad this post in the series is viewed so many times. Can't live without music, right?

10. Just One Day Series. (Book Review #12)

          Now this is a book series I loved. A lot! It's about love and destiny. It's the kind of story which will rekindle your belief in love. If you haven't read it yet, go and read it!

Veg Out. (Monday Moments #31)

          She worked hard as a head-hunter. She was always busy with something or the other and was constantly sucked into work. After a long time, she got an extended weekend holiday. She was excited about it. She had decided to visit some places outside the city and enjoy the short trip. But, when the day arrived, she just didn't want to get out of bed. She began thinking. Why should I always lead a busy life? Why to take this tour which will make me more tiresome? Why shouldn't I just enjoy this time to relax at home? She was always surrounded with people. She always woke up at 5 and slept late into the night hours. So, she just decided to do the opposite. She decided to stay alone, sleep a lot and just chill. That's what people do when they have an overwhelming life, right? She just stayed in her bed. She put on the television. The show looked familiar to her. Then she remembered. It was her favourite show, 'Pretty Little Liars'. She couldn't even remember the last time she watched it. Being a grown up just changes everything. Priorities change. And you forget about some things which you had loved. She decided to just veg out and watch a marathon of Pretty Little Liars. That feeling was new to her. She never did such a thing. And so it felt marvellously satisfying to just not do anything. At that moment, she was the total opposite of herself but she loved in being so. After a couple of hours, she felt so awesome. Some moments you don't need therapy. Some moments you just need to veg out!

(‘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.) 

It Started With A Friend Request. (Book Review #19)

 Introduction:

          I love Indian writing. When I say that, I mean authors like Sudha Murty, Amish Tripathi, Salman Rushdie. Not authors like Durjoy Datta, Preeti Shenoy, Ravinder Singh and Sudeep Nagarkar. I know that Indians are huge fans of romantic novels and movies. I guess that's the reason why novels like 'It Started With A Friend Request' gain popularity. So, yeah, I didn't like this novel. Sorry to disappoint the author's fans. But when I don't like a book, then I just have to say it. So, anyway, this book is filled with romance. It's as sweet as any love story can get. If you're into that type, you'll end up loving it. If not, you'll just be a disgruntled reader.

Characters:

          Aleesha is a graduate student who has come to Mumbai to pursue her studies. She is the most beautiful and smart girl (what a surprise!) at any time in any room. She's clingy and has trust issues.

          Akash is a dimple-faced handsome guy who works in Mumbai. He has a sad heartbreak story before he meets Aleesha. (There always has to be a sad heartbreak story, right?) He is more sensible than Aleesha when it comes to relationships. For the context of this novel, the word 'sensible' reduces to a greater extent. Because, seriously no one in this story can be deemed as sensible as per my practical way of thinking.

           Aditya is Akash's best friend. Kritika is Aleesha's best friend. These two basically exist to reconcile and help the couple throughout the story.

          Tamanna is a family friend of Aleesha. They stay together in the first few months when Aleesha comes to Mumbai. Tamanna is an introvert. She loves a guy named Deep who works at her office.

The stories of 'Aleesha and Akash' and 'Tamanna and Deep' are shown in the book.

Story Line:

          The story is so unrealistic that I can't describe it without sarcasm. Aleesha and Akash meet at a discotheque, exchange BBM pins and just like that it begins. He acts like a desperate person who has fallen in love at first sight. She, (supposedly sensible) just goes with it and decides to meet a stranger. (A handsome guy is after a beautiful girl and he gets her. So original.)
Once they start dating, they act like a lovey-dovey couple. It's understandable to be smitten but how long should this phase last? This whole obsessed with each other lovely thing lasts for 85 % of the book. The writer should portray the romantic moments in such a way that they actually sound romantic. (Not like a fairy tale.) The cute texts of how they'll be together always, how they're the moon to their sky and what not, last for such a long time that it gets too boring to read. On the other side, Tamanna wants Deep desperately while he doesn't want to get involved with his superior. Now, I understand this thing. But, if they were together, it's foolish to just assume that she'll give him all the perks and bonuses. (I mean, Derek Shepherd didn't favour Meredith Grey just because they were together!)
          There are a few stupid fights between Akash and Aleesha. Firstly, their fights are stupider than those of a school couple. And the importance of their fights is shown so intensely as that of disagreements at international level. So, yeah, doesn't make sense.
          I'll just jump to the climax now because the entire book is just love-fight-patch up-love-fight... The major twist is at the end of the book. (who keeps a plot twist at the end of the book anyway?) Now, this is a pretty major climax. If you read my review, I'm pretty sure you won't read the book. But, I won't spoil this for the sake of the author.
          If you're into such love stories, then give it a shot. Maybe you'll even like it. If not, just read Goodreads reviews about the end.

Overall Thoughts:

          I believe that relationships need the base of trust and love. Two people can love each other no matter what. But it's trust that always lacks. In this story, I found that there is no trust between them. Or I think, Aleesha doesn't trust Akash enough. She keeps doubting him. She keeps second-guessing him. She keeps tormenting and accusing him. And I get that on some level. But, a person is supposed to outgrow that. A person is supposed to start trusting their partner after a certain stage. Akash, who's mostly never at fault, keeps on trying to win her back and keep her happy. He's so blinded by love that he never sees situations with clarity. What kind of a guy can be in a relationship where his girlfriend doesn't trust her? I thought that after the twist, she'll change. But, she doesn't. So, I really think that the book should've ended like this-
a) Either she starts really trusting him.
b) Or they break up.
          Another thing which was off was the structure of the novel. If the plot twist would've been after 50 % of the book, even then I would've liked it a bit better.
          On the positive side, I loved how strong friendship is portrayed between Aditya and Akash. I liked how this story could easily be real for any Mumbaikar. Even if I didn't like their cute texts, I liked them on a very immature level.
          I've rated this book at 1/5 stars on Goodreads.

A Crush. (Monday Moments #30)

          She liked him for as long as she could remember. It was even weird how she knew everything about him. She remembered the first day of high school when he walked in. When she first glanced at him, she knew he would be the popular guy with a major girls following. He seemed such a cliché at that time. And she was mature enough to not think of him. Yet somehow her eyes kept following him and she couldn't help but think about him. Sometimes even the most sensible people get dilemmas about listening to their heart or brain. And somehow, she developed a crush on this most clichéd guy. A girl with specs who has her head in books and not in other people's business starts liking the handsome and popular guy who doesn't know anything about her. It was a typical high school scenario but when it happened to her it all felt like a breath of fresh air. Liking him didn't feel boring or monotonous or consuming. It just felt normal. From her point of view, it was a crush which wasn't going away and she was fine with it. She knew little things about him which was adorable. When he does that tilted leg thing while clicking pictures. When he does his full wide smile thing when he's flirting with girls. When he keeps shaking his leg when he's bored during lectures. The way he imitates the teachers. The way he shows off his great collection of sunglasses. Some may call it an obsession but she knew it was just a crush. A crush that was just not going away. As he entered the classroom, he glanced at her and came to talk to her. She hadn't even considered the possibility of him having a crush on her. But, sometimes, just sometimes, something as amazing as that happens.

(‘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.) 

Souvenir. (Monday Moments #29)

          There was just a month left. After that one month, she would be in a new country, doing a new job and exploring new people. Being a travel writer had its perks. And earning from your favourite hobby is the ultimate dream. She was busy visiting monuments, hills and beaches. Now was the time when she finally had a chance to collect souvenirs. From every place, she reserved the last month for this task. Her souvenirs weren't from the Souvenir Shop. They were from real places which she had visited. Like a rock from a river, a leaf from a forest, a wrist band from a concert and so on.From some 20-25 places which she had visited, she chose her favourite. She went there, no matter how far it was. She went to that one special place. This time, it was something really outstanding. She had discovered this place and knew she'd be back there. It was an isolated mountain. Only, it wasn't a tourist spot. It was secluded from the main spot and no one was seen there. She knew that the view from there would be inexplicable. So she began the journey. It was tough to reach there because of the uncemented natural mess of the wonderful tree roots. But it felt very natural to walk on those roots, on a tiny path surrounded by trees. She reached the top of the mountain. And, as she had expected, the view was breathtaking. It was the tallest mountain in the vicinity. The wind was blowing through her hair while leaving a wide smile on her face. The sunset was making her eyes bigger as it left her body drenched with its last rays. The leaves of the trees whistled and the birds chirped as if they knew she needed some wonderful background music. She took it all in. And as the sun set, she captured the perfect picture of it. That was a souvenir she knew she will never forget. It was for herself. Because the feelings of infinity she had in those moments were just unexplainable. As she looked at the picture, she was content. In that moment, she knew that this was the best souvenir of all.

(‘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.) 

Success. (Monday Moments #28)

          Both the girls had practiced diligently for their Badminton doubles match. This match was vital for their career in the sports field. If they won the finals, they would be selected for international tournaments. And that was a big deal for them. They had devoted their entire lives to the beloved game. At the age of 21 and 22, they had a bright future in the sport. They played most of the time. They practiced with their coach and learned something every day. They improved on their weak points. If one was good at smashes, the other was good at backhand strokes. It wasn't just a game for them. It was their dream and passion. They even spoke Badminton slang while conversing with people. As they went on the court, they were anxious yet confident. They were ready for the big match. Soon, they won the first set. Their opponent team had won the second set. It was a crucial stage during the third set which could declare either of the team as winners. The rally was on-going. The opponent team were in positions expecting a long toss but instead one of the girls sent a drop near the net. It was her classic shot which opponents couldn't throw back. They had won! They hugged each other and sat down on the court yelling 'Yes!!' They actually won the tournament. That moment was so precious. From disbelief to acceptance to happiness and finally more happiness. As they digested the fact that they won, there were smiles on their faces. Those smiles were never going to leave anytime soon. Their proud parents were thrilled. Those two girls were the stars that day. They were exuberant with delight. In that moment, they weren't some girls with unachievable dreams. They turned to those girls who had, in fact, achieved their dream. At that moment, their ecstatic selves were dancing with merriment within themselves. That moment they were the success and they knew how Badminton was their whole life and more.

(‘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.)