Magic Moments

Every year December comes with a baggage full of delights. It bids adieu to the passing year, and welcomes the arriving year wholeheartedly. It brings with it the much awaited winter (and relieves us from the perpetual heat), Christmas celebrations and New Year revelries. Reasons for which we love December (I love..) are numerous. In a brief… Of the Wintry Connections The nip in the air, especially in the evenings; the warmth of sweaters, shawls and soft fluffy blankets; the various types of delicious soups, pakodas , and numerous cups of coffee with family and friends, describe winter for me. And that also includes spoonfuls of Chawanprash, and honey every morning by my nagging mother. There’s a continuous good, blessed and happy feel, and everyone’s mood swings are at bay. Winter most certainly casts magic spells. Of the Marriage Season Attending marriage ceremonies of relatives in December is fun. It’s like a family get together. With all the siblings, cousin...

Source: Spiritualityandpractice One Friday evening, as I was feeling a bit lonely and homesick with nothing much to do, not even strolling on the terrace viewing the ever so beautiful mountains since it was raining hard- thus it also contributing to my gloomy mood, I decided to watch Before Sunrise. Yes, once again. A first for me. I rarely re-watch a movie. Yearning for a light-hearted yet meaningful conversation this was the best choice I had. My hostel mates were out in the city and all the people I called up were busy. Luck by chance. Thanks to the superb uninterrupted internet connection I had a great 1 hour 40 minutes that evening. "Experiencing the otherworldly. When morning comes, we would all turn into pumpkins." Even though it sounds like a cliche today, unplanned trips, adventures in life, serendipity and providence are romantic. Before Sunrise has all of these, when strangers indulge in light conversations, grow intrigued about each other's live...

View from the terrace of my hostel at Dehradun - Once upon a cloudy afternoon - ***** The picture that I had clicked on my phone camera was a bit dull in color and contrast. This filtered and beautified image was suggested by Google Assistant as I was uploading it to the Google Photos app. Loved this version. Much nearer to the actual scene. :D ***** Linking this post to #WordlessWednesday

It is human nature to dwell in the past, worry about the future and forget all about the present. I still miss the days spent in Hyderabad. I miss the study schedules, eating out, street shopping, and the city tours. I miss the roads, the townships and the metros. But I clearly remember that I just wanted the days to pass quickly so that I could return home, while I was there. And today I miss the view from the terrace of the ladies hostel we stayed in, the floral decorations with chalk, colors and flowers, the flower market, the abundance of curd during lunch hours, the constant ‘amma’ recitals by our wardens and so much more. One of the highlights of the hostel life in Hyderabad at Sri Kamali was queuing up for tea, puri and dosa during breakfast time, and then hurrying to secure a chair the very next moment. And conversations and complaints flowed unhindered during these hours in many languages at once- the most prominent ones being Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and...

The Book Blurb: “Ready to travel to Pakistan, London, Nepal, China, New York, India, in one single book? With 11 stories encompassing 11 major events of the last decade, this anthology is a concoction of tragedy, romance, mystery and thriller, brewed to perfection to ensure a nail biting experience. Reminisce and relish the events which shook the world. Breathe the freshness of past, dive into the reasons that shaped the world as it is now, walk through your bygone times, fly across the continents marking your longest journey ever- for you hold the Time’s Lost Atlas in your hand.” My thoughts: The name of the book speaks of something lost in time, or of some things perhaps forgotten. It is the debut book by the Half Baked Beans Publishing. I like this name. ‘Half Baked Beans’- to me it means something that’s in process, midway in the journey of ‘baking’, not accomplished yet aspiring. Many thanks to Namrata for introducing me to this wonderful collection of short ...

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be some kind of library.” — Jorge Luis Borges I came across this book tag on Twitter at  Zezee With Books , Life Of a Female Bibliophile , and PaperFury . I wanted to write on it, but somehow couldn't and my sister was searching for prompts to write on and happily took this one up. So over to my sister- Samikshya Mishra, as she shares her bookish savory delicious indulgences.                                 ************************************************ I love doing recommendations. When I chanced upon a few posts talking about books and relating them to delicious desserts, I wanted to write one too. So here’s a list in which I’ll tag books and movies with a flavor of cake. All the tags I read before writing this made me imagine delicious cakes in a small café in a countryside, a sweet old lady baking bread and cookies, the warm a...

  ‘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...