Anuish

  March 2020. "God, I need a break from all this." My phone pings. 'Tomorrow is a holiday due to the rising spread of the corona virus.' "Wow, that was fast", I thought. What did I know?  Grade twelve had only just begun and the pressure of boards already had me in its web. The first week itself was exhausting. By the second week, I was done. I was longing for the summer holidays and wished they came sooner. I wanted a break, but not one that long!  When the lockdown was declared, I was really happy. I loved being home with my family. My mother, brother and I tried out a lot of new recipes, like everyone did in the beginning of the lockdown. Remember dalgona coffee? We tried making it but it was a failure. I was having a great time in the beginning binge watching web shows and reading new books. But how long did I really expect to continue like that? I had this idea that staying at home, without needing to go anywhere, would be absolutely amazing. Soon enoug

Anime review Spoiler alert ! "Taking on a challenge and creating something is painful. But it's fulfilling."  Your Lie In April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) is a Japanese romantic drama manga series that was written and illustrated by Naoshi Arawaka, and has been adapted into an anime television series.  "Music was everything to me, and I just abandoned it. I don't deserve to be a performer. I put everything I had into performing because I wanted my mother to get well, and what do I have to show for it? I'm at the bottom of a dark sea and I'm going to be all alone. I can't hear my notes. I can't hear the sound of the piano. I'm scared." Kousei Arima is a 14-year-old boy famous for his skills as a pianist. He is well-known for winning several music competitions. However, he stops playing when his mother, Saki dies. He loses the ability to hear the sound of his piano while playing at a competition which completely breaks him down.  It has been

December is my favorite month and Christmas, my favorite holiday season. Ever since I was a kid, December has been my favorite. December is like the cherry on top - it's the final month of the year and the perfect time to splurge and relax. By the end of December, everyone is in a set mood to welcome a new year.  December begins with putting up a star that will shine brightly for the next 25 days. The church offers us prayers for Advent. Each day's prayer involves a small spiritual offering to give to Jesus.  Christmas comes with happiness - cribs, cakes, cards, crackers, carols. The presence of winter's coolness adds an extra layer of joy to the Christmas season.  There was a Christmas I recall where the carol came late. I was insistent on not sleeping until I had seen Santa. However, the stubbornness of my 6-year-old self didn't last long. I soon fell asleep and the next day, I was mad at everyone for not waking me up. The highlight of Christmas Eve is decorating the

  "To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life" - The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty   The Walter Mitty syndrome is a term used to describe a daydreaming or escapist behavior where a person may indulge in elaborate fantasies, often to escape the monotony or dissatisfaction of their daily life. Do not mistake the term for a clinical or medical diagnosis. It is not a disorder either. It is only a colloquial term. It comes from James Thurber's short story 'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty' in which the main character Walter Mitty frequently daydreams about being in adventurous, heroic situations.     I have not read the book. I came across the movie first. Watching The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty was a treat for the eyes. It is a well-crafted movie that subtly conveys multiple messages. The scene where Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) skateboards down a hill in Iceland lives in my

Vazhakulam is my hometown. It is a small city located in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. Vazhakulam is known as the pineapple city. It is a center for both pineapple production and business. Writing about Vazhakulam didn't seem like a good idea to me at first. But then I thought, why not? Several weeks ago, I had to stay at a distant place. It was all fun in the beginning. But I started feeling homesick. A place that looked very charming to me initially, had now begun to look unpleasant. I couldn't stay there any longer. The shops, the streets, the people - everything felt overwhelming. I knew I had to get back home at once.  I was in the bus on my way back home, looking out the window. As I took in the sights of the different places passing by my eye, I thought to myself, Vazhakulam is the best! It's not that any of those places were worse. They were even more beautiful and well-organized than Vazhakulam. The thought came out of sheer love, love for my hometown. T

  A few months ago, my friend and I happened to go to the airport to drop another friend who was leaving the country for her higher studies. It had been so long since I'd gone to an airport. There is something about airports that catches your guts, something that makes you feel both happy and sad at the same time. While we were outside the departures area waiting for our friend to wave her last bye, I looked at the arrivals area right below. I smiled seeing the happy faces of the people meeting their loved ones after so long. I felt happy all of a sudden. I was so caught up in feeling sad about my friend leaving that I completely overlooked the good parts such as the fact that she'll be back in a few years and that she'll have a wonderful time there. That's the same with life. With all the negativity on top, we often fail to look at the positives and smile. We don't realize just how important looking at the other side can be.  The light emanating from the airport ma

Film review Turning Red is a 2022 family/comedy animation movie directed by Domee Shi. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the first Pixar feature film solely directed by a woman.  Mei Lee is a 13-year-old girl who lives in Toronto. Mei is very good academically and helps her parents look after their family temple dedicated to her maternal ancestor Sun Yee. Her best friends are Miriam, Priya and Abby.  One night, Mei has a nightmare about red pandas. When she wakes up the next morning, she has turned into a red panda. She freaks out not knowing what to do. She soon discovers that she transforms when her emotions are high. She hides the panda situation from her parents and goes to school. She tries to stay calm and not let the absurdity of the fact that she can transform into a panda get the better of her. But Ming, her mother decides to pay her a visit at school upon being worried by her unusual behavior in the morning. She

  How many of you feel sad when the school closes for summer holidays, but then feel sad again, when the school reopens? I'm presently on summer break from my second year of college. Thank goodness we don't have vacation classes because the heat would have killed us. I am having so much fun this vacation, thanks to #BlogChatterA2Z. I have also begun taking guitar classes and bought a guitar recently. Learning to play a new instrument is the best way to refresh your soul. Although it's the hottest summer ever, I feel cool on the inside. All of my summer vacations would either include me doing absolutely nothing at home or going to cousins'/friends' homes. There have been summer vacations with trips too. I am not a particular fan of summer; winter is my favorite season. What I do love about summer is that it brings mangoes along with it. My house is surrounded by mango trees, and on summer, the gardens would be filled with mangoes. On the months of April and May, brea

Film parallel "You know when you know you've got rotten? Really rotten? Fruit flies. Dirty little fruit flies come to feast on what's left of you when there isn't much left to feast on anymore." - Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical musical/drama film directed by Bryan Singer and Dexter Fletcher. Starring Rami Malek, the movie showcases the life of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British rock band Queen. Farrokh Bulsara is an ordinary man with an extraordinary skill in singing. Recognizing his talent and wanting to do something with it, he joins a band. The band plays gigs across Britain with Farrokh as the lead singer. Farrokh changes his name to Freddie Mercury and the band's name to Queen. Around the same time, he proposes to Mary Austin. In 1975, their song Bohemian Rhapsody becomes a global hit bringing Queen to the limelight. Freddie begins an affair with Paul, his manager. He soon comes out to Mary

I can't sleep not 'cause of the mosquitoes  that go on and on with their unbearable whining. Not the heat that cooks me up like a meal.  But my mind that never stops thinking, and my thoughts that buzz louder than bees.  I twist and turn, stuff my head in a pillow,  cry like a baby. Wanting it to be quiet, wanting it to go away. But the noise inside is too loud for my shrieks to be heard. I finally fall asleep trusting my dreams. But they get even louder than my screams  making me sweat more than the heat. I have lost the joystick to my mind. Tell me what is worse! What is worse than being trapped in your own head?  Eid Mubarak  This post is a part of  #BlogChatterA2Z 2023 . Previous post:  Pune Next post:  Really Rotten  

Travel memoir   This is my fifth and probably the last travel writing for #BlogChatterA2Z. Out of all the amazing trips that I've had, it would be unjust if I didn't write about Pune. Let's go back to 2019, one of the most memorable years of my life. I had just completed grade ten. It's no secret that grade ten can be the most exhausting year of a student's life. I had been drowning in the pressure of scoring good marks and then the results came which left me bouncing between the decision of choosing a stream for grade eleven. Although the answer was pretty clear to me from the start, I still had doubts if I was making the right choice. Pune assured me that I was. Pune is a happy, sunny place, radiating positivity. My brother, mother and I were there for my cousin brother's wedding. My cousin brother and sister were keen to show us around. Fun fact: That was the first time I ever hung out with elder cousins of mine. The night we spent in a restaurant at Phoenix

Travelogue While taking a short break from #BlogChatterA2Z for two days, I had an even shorter visit to a place I could only think of in my dreams. I feel terribly upset that I couldn't stay there longer than I could. Words won't do justice to express how it made me feel but let me try to put it subtly. Dewalokam is an organic farm homestay situated in Karimannoor, Kerala. It is a paradise, to say the least. The tranquility, the greenery, the hospitality - everything about the place was so beautiful, it felt like it was out of a dream. The serenity of the place embraces you like a big teddy bear, mildly massaging your mind. Kaliyar river flows alongside the estate and it adds to the total harmony of this dreamy place. I am compelled to use the word 'dream' repeatedly because it still feels like a dream. The place was too good to be true. All my trips from previous years combined cannot match to the five, maybe six hours I spent there. It has changed me in ways I can'

  I chase the drowning sun, screaming, Why do you run away from me? Have I not praised you enough?   Where do you set off to leaving me stranded  in this ineluctable pit of darkness that you call the night? Is it a daily reminder  of who I am?  Of what my interior looks like?  A broken heart and its shattered pieces.  Like the crescent moon and its adjacent stars. Perhaps it is you crying for help. Showing me your other side. Telling me  we are the same. What else could it be? The night is nothing more than  a shadow of your never-ending light. The moon can never be  as radiant as you. It needs you  to stay alive as much as I need you to feel alive. So stay. I need your light. I need you.  I'll sing songs for you. The night is a nightmare, far beyond repair. Stay  and we'll shine together so bright that time bows before us for infinity to come. This post is a part of  #BlogChatterA2Z 2023 . Previous post:  My Mango Tree Next post:  Organic Farm ~ Dewalokam