for those who want to get the vibe..
The visit was short and purely professional that kept me busy till 5 in the evening and there was no off or a weekend in that 6 day itinerary which was busy as a bee, but i cut off my sleep to make most of the trip. The country is too small that it can be covered in a 2 day trip if you are an avid traveler. Some of the shots captured by my camera. I know a lot of you will say- where is marina bay sands?
for how long can you sit at home? The travelling has been postponed for more than an year, even domestic destinations seems out of option with the pandemic going crazy all over the world. I wonder, has it changed us for ever. Well! we are humans , we will bounce back, and slowly return to a place before we came to know about that ugly place called Wuhan.
If chinese could have controlled their appetite, or would have tried to bit more honest, we all would have been in a better place. But till then, we have to travel in our imaginations to keep ourselves sane. We, who are bitten by travel bug, are not the right people to be locked behind those closed doors. But heath is important and this pandemic is no scary conspiracies. We must hold back and postpone on all those plans.
Anyways, the Paris is nothing without those crowded cobbled streets and Rome seems tasteless without those beer cafes on its streets and vatican is the place even pope wont explore at this point. It seems even gods have to close its door for us. Forgive us mortals, O lord, for we have sinned and sinned bad.
Imagine your next destination, some where domestic, which you can visit in august when all this disease settles down and medically we are closer to getting the vaccine. I find it funny, when I will tell the younger generations that all these nuclear powered nations having permanent space stations fell short of ventilators when the need arise.
Till then, use your imagination to revisit the beautiful spots and places you have already visited and do let me know in comments your experiences and insights into the cities you have explored and next week, I will talk about my visit to Canada decade back.
With so much time during this extended lock-down, books have come to our rescue, so many of them which were crying for attention on the shelf of my living room, i finished one of the best sellers. There was a time when there was half a dozen books every year that featured in new york times best seller list. These days, it seems its a dozen every month which makes the life all more difficult for critics like me who are any which ways reading one book a month.
The girl on the train is a story about a girl, obviously vying on the train each day. Its very difficult to empathise with her given the circumstances and you feel a bit lost in the story. The story has been written in a very unique which I came across for the first time in a very long time. The entire novel is written as a dairy log of different people, which gives a very personal peek into the characters.
The protagonist is twisted and complicated and had many layers. But even after peeling off all the layers, I could not like her. Sympathize? YES!!! but nothing more. The story revolves around 3 characters and a murder, and gives you very different perspective and cover the plot from all the angles. It grips you somewhere in the middle, but its a task to reach till that page 97. If you could do that, you are good to go.
Since, it is a thriller, I wont say much, but don’t hate Anna, and the rustling of the leaves and the house number 13 on that Blanheim street do play a character in the plot. No one is a saint and Paula Hawkins sets that outright clear in the first chapter itself by depicting the shades of grey from the very beginning. A failed marriage and a murder, you get a page turner.
My Ratings: 3.7/5
for so long as it takes
the yearning of those tired eyes…
to find something new to watch in the four walls of the house…
I saw the flaws in the archs of the doorway
which went unnoticed for 2 decades…
I saw the chandlaire is a little bent,
towards the left.
the plaster at the ceiling of the staircase is peeling off…
the paint has faded from the sunlight coming from the window,
at the curve of the stairs
There is a crack in the sink in the hallway,
but that needs no attention…
as it is only visible when you,
bend down on your knees and look upside down…
UPSIDE DOWN
Just like the lives of millions of peoples has tumbled down
in this lock-down
And we thought this world has forgotten to sleep, it stays awake 24/7 for 365 days. I read a meme somewhere on the internet which said that the history would laugh at us when they will read that how nuclear powered nations fall short of ventilators. The fact behind that humor hit me hard. It is indeed shameful that all the countries were busy getting the best deal at the nuclear summits when what we should have been doing was to improve the healthcare and quality of life.
China has brought the entire world to its knees. We must give them that. The kind of impact it already had on the GDP of the countries can only be predicted to an extent. It will take decades to recover from what it has done. Locking the entire country in a curfew like situation, shutting down railways, transport among all other things has not happened in the times of world war. The situation is grave.
The death toll is horrendous. The country which gifted it to the world has started to recover. The exponential rise of deaths in Italy and United States have left developing countries like India at the mercy of the lord. The opening back of the wet markets in Wuhan is a tight slap on the world leaders still coping with the rising numbers. Its a shame an organization like WHO failed the world in alerting us about the graveness of the pandemic.
The only thing we can all do is to stay at home. Because, we are the privileged class, the one who can practice social distancing, who have more than one bedroom in our home. It has left so many people helpless at the mercy of the government who is feeding them. The daily wage workers who have lost more than just money – their dignity and pride and million others who have lost jobs and have to stand in a queue outside a night shelter for the meals like beggars.
It is time that the government goes beyond PR and drama of banging the utensils and lighting candles in solidarity with the doctors and paramedics, but do something substantial to flatten the so called curve and bring back the life of billion plus people in this country back on track.
The wounds that will remain beneath the scars that this virus would leave will stay fresh for a long time to come.
We all had a friend who used to stay aloof, do not talk much and has severe mood swings, at one time in our life. As we grow old, during our high school and graduation, we have seen classmates who are sad and lost interest in life, feeling empty and hopeless. Some like me might have experienced it in varying shades and degrees themselves. The recent deaths of Pratyusha Banerjee and Jiah Khan has brought the light back to the uncomfortable question of extreme pressure to perform, not able to handle, either-failure or success.
Sadness and disappointments in life and going through rough phase is normal, but if the phase continues for long, it is called as depression. Although the real depression is much more then sadness and emptiness, the symptoms of major depression include loss of appetite, tiredness, addiction to alcohol and stuff, most importantly lost of interest from life and things you once used to enjoy. There are some clear signs of someone struggling from life and depression.
7 SIGNS OF DEPRESSION:
• The person cannot concentrate at work and personal life, gets irritated at small things, restless and even violent during any argument
• Loss of interest from all things the person liked, most important of it socializing.
• The feeling of worthlessness and aimlessness, is one of the most easily visible symptom, where person cut from all near and dear ones.
• Loss of appetite and weight, and interest of grooming specifically in females can be seen, while others may start over eating to the extreme.
• The person feels he is responsible for every wrong happening in his life or anyone connected to him.
• Suicidal thoughts and attempts to end life in cases of persistent and long term depression.
• Fear of bringing disrepute and ill name to family and its legacy in society by his/her past action or unethical act.
The last point can trigger suicide even before a person fall into depression, as he tries to end life in the heat of the moment.
The only way of bringing someone out of depression is being with the person, and providing him unconditional emotional support as he is weak in the head, and depression is all in mind. The friends of the person should interact with him more and should not leave him in the middle of road, because of his changed behavior and extreme mood swings. People with suicidal tendencies talk about harming themselves, calling friends and relatives to say goodbye, giving away their expensive stuff to friends and cousins.
Loneliness and lack of support from family and peers is one of the most important causes of depression, although depression because of financial stress, substance abuse and relationship problems can best be treated by medical and psychological experts. Parents have to detect the symptoms and causes by observing the pattern and should not force anyone to go to a psychologist as it may lead person to start avoiding such people. Friends and family should indulge the person, make him know that how much they appreciate the patient and their mere existence make them happy.
WHAT IF YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION?
I can answer this question well, because I have seen people close to me in clinical depression, maniac depression also known as bipolar depression, in which person is over-happy for a week and extremely depressed in the next.
I, myself to an extent have gone through some minor depression for a month or two, 3 years back and can say it with confidence, there is always a door to come out of it.
The only thing one has to learn is if you have more than 2 of the above mentioned symptoms for more than a month, you probably are in early stages of depression. As causes of depression are different, so are the cure. What works for one person to get out of it may not work for other. The best approach is to change the lifestyle, confide in someone you trust, and don’t leave yourself alone as isolation may fuel depression. If it is severe, there is nothing wrong in getting medical help. Therapy and antidepressant, along with counseling can work wonders, and fastens the process of recovery. Manage your emotions and stress well, understand the basic fact that – the only constant in life is change. Remember what P.B. Shelly said–“ If winter comes, can spring be far behind?”
Try to read motivational books and look at people who have suffered and fought and came out glorious. Remember what legends have said to inspire us to bear the pain.
A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl.”– Stephen Hoeller.
DEPRESSION BY STATSTICS:
• Depression affects 121 million people worldwide. Severe depression can lead to suicides and is responsible for 8.5 million deaths every year.
• 80 percent of people who have clinical depression are not taking any specific treatment to cure it.
• The number of patients with depression increases by 20 percent every year.
• Depression is most probable in age group of 42 – 64 years. Overall women are twice more prone to depression then men.
• In India, as per a survey in 2011, 36 percent of the population suffers from depression.
Before taking the extreme step, think about those who are alive just to see you smile. Don’t take their purpose of life away from them.
If Pratyusha, would have thought of her million fans who loved her unconditionally. If she would have confided in her parents or friends, and have stood against her abusive live in partner, without thinking about how society will judge her, for having 3 consecutive failed relationships; she would have been alive today.
Explored the traveler in me few years back. This blog is for all those who want to get a true experience and want to get an idea of what the vibe of a place is… what should not be missed. I am one of those who do not travel on tight budget, so those who love a bit of luxury, and some holiday pampering – watch this space for more
I recently visited Thailand for a short trip to the picturesque beaches. Its embarrassing to admit that its been four months since i visited the place during the new year, but the word ‘recently’ always reduces the guilt of not writing that regularly.
I have always been good at describing places but the serenity of the town left me speechless. They say that the pictures can speak a 1000 words, so i will let the pictures do the most of talking here.
Not only because, I am short of words, but because the memories always clouds you in a manner that you do not really remember the sequence.
Here is Krabi through my eyes. I will put a detailed itinerary for sure, but you have to be a bit patient. Come on guys, its not that you were travelling there tomorrow.
Private Beaches
If I have left something, do let me know. I was too intoxicated to click pictures and too relaxed by the thai massages I took there.
You may have seen so many hysteria quizes on the sitcom but I am sure you wont be able to answer these questions without googling it. I will keep it short before I declare the biggest friends fan.
1: According to the original plotline- Joey was supposed to end up with whom?
2: What was the first thing Ross said in the opening episode?
3: What and who said the last line in the last episode of season 10?
4: What was the name of the band chandler and Ross were a part of during their college years?
5: Ross is allergic to what kind of fruit?
I am not giving you options. Lets see if I find the Biggest fan of the series.
P.S. Don’t spoil the fun by googling it.
Although I am reading books left, right and center, there are very few I pick up a pen to write about. The years since pandemic has been full of chaos and contradictions for all of us, and that has impacted the authors I have read because of the desperation to cry out a little louder behind that tear jerkers and save a few bucks of the therapy sessions which are getting expensive by each passing week. The books which made me cry this year were – The diary of Anne Frank and the Man’s search for meaning of life.
I will talk about the latter today. The book is based on the real life sufferings of a psychologist who had survived a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. The real life sufferings of a human being always had a strange connect with the masses. The books talks about the loss of will for survival and the gravest of fights happening for a loaf of bread and how losing dignity each day makes you fall in your own eyes and the impact it had on the prisoners in these camps.
The author Victor Frankl has put forward the details of the camp, the rituals performed and the sufferings as vividly as possible but it still lacks the magic a tragedy so humongous when described by a writer should have created. It is probably because of the the authors credentials as a doctor who was trying to capture the psychological impact of the monotonous existence of then Germany. The second part of the book was more difficult read as it gets into a note for fellow practitioners of psychology with examples going all around with medical jargons taking you off track of the a subject. Nevertheless, the book is a must read to understand the horrors of the decade and bring some motivation for all of us, who are scared as hell sitting in the laps of luxury.
I would recommend this book as it talks about the possibility of coming out of worst of tragedies with prayer on your lips and faith that keeps you going in the darkest of times.
My Rating would be 6.5/10
I don’t know if this makes sense to you but with the post lockdown reality, it seems that a lot of people are suffering from this issue. I normally am a person who is sorted and composed but the lack of motivation and the tiredness of the everyday life in this post Covid world has left me surprised and shocked at the same time.
There have been times when I have been grateful about the privileges’ I enjoy and having all the necessities and dare I say borderline luxuries, feeling low seems like a crime? I have always been a kind of person who would look at the other peoples miseries and feel blessed and entitled, but over the past few months or years, the perspective have changed from that exponentially. My new response to such situations is I don’t give a damn! and that astonishes me. The immediate retort to such situations my mind raises, and in the past I have used it to humble myself when my heart got a bit fussy and arrogant do not work anymore.
The fear of the unknown, the uncertainties’ of the times, the anxiety, the feeling of helplessness is hard to bear for someone who knew what the next step was. There have been so many things that have been postponed and I have lost interest in so many hobbies that were dear to me. No amount of comfort food is enough for the body when your soul is hungry and malnourished. The aches and pains rising from the random parts of the body crashes on the mind like waves of fear gripping your cores.
I remember me breaking down the first thing in the morning by a decade old memory. It feels like each day passes so fast and yet leaves a vacuum that leaves a yearning for better times that doesn’t seem to be in abundance. With wisdom of years, I have lost the innocence and the faith. probably that’s the price we pay for our independence.
There have been times I felt the urge to meet a soul…
A partner to travel along…
The longing for the shared passion…
to travel the breadth of the world,
with a twist of gin and tonic in a fine glass.
There have been times I have travelled as a couple but,
what we want from the journey was so different…
I wish them well as I left them there,
who judged me for travelling heavy..
for those who laughed at my fancy joggers
and my insistence on luxury stays.
Its sad I am afraid of the solo travelling,
I wish I had the desire for it…
I have seen people feeling euphoria,
and finding themselves on the road.
I feel betrayed by instincts I don’t have…
Its a sin to travel business as they say it out loud..
making me feel small and superficial.
To each his own was all I could fathom
with the courage I collected on my way back to hotel.
For the past year and a half, we have all been locked up at our homes, leaving only to buy essentials. Travelling has taken a backseat. So, when I had few friends who made a short plan to visit Jaipur, the traveler in me jumped at it with gusto. As I am all about safety first, no doubt I made sure it doesn’t take a backseat in the SUV we have hired. A group of 6 friends with their backpacks on a 36-hour journey.
I made sure the car was sanitized before we jumped into it. We avoid hiring a chauffeur and self-drove it taking turns to drive. We chose Air B’Nb over the regular hotels as Jaipur is a city visited by thousands of foreigners and the Omicron cases were already reported in the city even before our visit. So, we kept the stay short to one night and booked a 6 BHK bungalow. The drive from Delhi started at 7 in the morning. It’s just a 5-hour drive in which we stopped at a food court somewhere in the noon for our brunch.
Jaipur has so much to offer. Of course, it was impossible to cover it in one day. Immediately after reaching the guest house around two, we called for a cab as we did not want to get lost driving the SUV we brought in the lanes of Jaipur. As the entry to Amer fort stops at five, we made sure we do it first. It is beautiful fort built by the King of Mewar with breathtaking views of the city from the top. We hired a guide to understand the historical significance of the place and were surprised to know the strategic location of the fort made it possible to win so many wars against the mighty Mughals. In the evening, we went to Hawa Mahal, which is the biggest attraction of the city. I am glad we went there in the evening to see it all lit up in hues of orange, saffron and amber. We took our seats at a lounge with a gorgeous view of the palace and relished on hot fries and coffee in the biting December cold of this rooftop lounge.
We roamed in the streets of the city trying to capture all the moments in our DSLR, and went to the guest house late at night. Next morning, we had to leave for Delhi.
As we are ready to put a bow on 2021 and looking forward for the upcoming year. It is yet again the time to look back at the past year and collect the wisdom it has gifted us as a parting gift. No doubt, the lessons it has taught many of us are harsh and for others, it has tested their patience to the core. I often wonder in hindsight, was 2020 not just a few months back? So much of our time spent at homes, yet there have been times when we couldn’t be further apart from our loved ones even when we were sitting next to each other.
The unsettling whistles of the passing ambulances would break the gloominess of the news playing on the television sets. The second wave of Covid-19 was much worse than the first. A lot of us lost someone in our acquaintance. The third wave is already on our doorsteps with numbers plummeting with the new variant each day. The Christmas was dull and the new year wishes I receive also seem to be a mere lip service. Is it that time where faith slowly starts to lose grip?
I would like to believe otherwise. The last two years have been tough and the upcoming one is also starting on a bad note. But, it will be wrong to judge it too soon. We all have been through our ups and downs, but the lessons we all have learnt is to come out stronger in times of adversity. Humanity has won battles far crueler than this virus. Let’s move into the new year with renewed resilience and a prayer for a better tomorrow while being smart enough to take all the precautions and celebrate it with our loved ones. Ending it with a quote from Shelly- If winter comes, can spring be far behind?
The year 2021 is about to end. The year has left me shell shocked to the core. The very habit of reading books which I have so reluctantly and forcibly mastered over the years and in past few years had actually become a hobby is no longer the case.
Ken Follet’s master trilogy, did not hit the right cord for me. The book is filled with details of mid thirteenth century United Kingdom, talking in details of the reign of Edward 3, and revolves around four leads, who all turned out on different paths determined by the stature, greed , ambition and revenge. Love will also breeze around you in parts that do not do justice to the book.
I may have been biased in my dislike for the book, based on the fact that I have read in the middle of the pandemic, which makes this never ending war saga more unbearable. This 1100 plus paged book is probably the longest I had taken to finish one, although it was on my Wishlist for almost a decade.
The character development has been done fabulously, be it Gwenda, who became indifferent after being sold so many times, each time losing more than her dignity or be it Ralph, whose inherent nature has been explained with instances from her childhood every few chapters.
I will ask you to read it only if you have the spine to finish. The wars are gruesome and well etched. Make sure you brush the prequel before you lay your hand on this one.
My Ratings: 6.5/10
The reunion episode has been launched and could we be more excited. For all the original diehard fans of the show are all grown up but still find their comfort from the hilarious show that ran 10 long years. There is so much said and we waited for the reunion with bated breath. The 4 things about the reunion that very few people know.
1:Inhibitions: Everyone was keen to the show but no one did it. thanks to Mathew Parry, who never was interested in recreating the magic. To some extent even David Schimmer was less excited. Nothing wrong with playing with the legend that the friend was.
2: Money: As everyone is enjoying the royalty from the show still being released worldwide across platforms. Trust me, the amount they earn each year is in millions. They took 2.5 million dollars just for 45 mins reunion. They made it 90 minutes by adding directors interviews, fans, celebrity shout outs among the bloopers.
3: Baggage: The 6 cast members have been haunted for almost 2 decades since the show ended. Everytime they enter at any place, They are called by their screen name. If you look at Anistons’ career, all the movies she did had a glimpse of Rachel in it. It must have been daunting to get off those roles. They all failed miserably and never got anything worth remembering.
4: Old wine: Even after 2 years in the making, the makers did not get any idea to put the 6 people together and use their talent at all. Never mind the pay cheque. There was nothing they said that they have not said a million times on shows like Jimmy kimmel, Jimmy fallon, Ellen. The most common line – THOSE WERE THE BEST 10 YEARS OF OUR LIVES.
5: Future: What the future of such reunions is. Now, since they all got nostalgic about how much they miss each other, are they going to be more such episodes. Well, Courtney put the end to such gossip mongering. Although she did not say it officially, she said it to Le blanc as this is not possible, we don’t want to come on stage at age 70. Although she added, we should arrange more dinners for all 6, not just the girls who at least make it a point to meet once a year. Who knows if you increase the pay cheque, everything is possible.
If you are fan, you may be interested in more such unknown facts, and let me make it easier for you to find it. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/27/arts/television/friends-the-reunion.html
2021 would be different, I thought, the virus is so 2019. Then an year passed and here we are. This time the numbers are more scary than the people. The fear is gone, but the anxiety is back. How much can one try. Has the government failed or we as a society?
Its been a long time I havent written and I have not been to a lot of places lately. Everyday you hear news that makes you a little more worried and lost. Where are we heading and where is the destination. Taking a holiday is a necessity than a luxury. Isn’t it?
The normalcy would return anytime sooner or not, I have no idea. DO YOU THINK THAT VACCINATION WOULD BRING THE WORLD BACK TO NORMALCY? I am sure to a great extent but one thing is for sure. We are in the 2nd quarter of 2021 and next 6 months or probably this year will also suck. Hopefully things get back to normal by September at least. Till then, pray and pray harder..
