Anuish

Guest post Review of  Break Your Barriers :  10 Strategic Career Essentials to Grow in Value   by  Anu Sunil Reviewed by Dr Jose D. Maliekal SDB Break Your Barriers  by Anu Sunil is a treasure trove of practical wisdom for personal and professional growth. It speaks powerfully to educators, HR professionals, and leaders in both faith-based and secular contexts. Having spent nearly forty years teaching philosophy and shaping human resources in Catholic seminaries, I found the book both enriching and challenging. At its heart, the book urges readers to transcend self-imposed limitations. Its message resonates with the spiritual and professional aims of leadership,  human resources management, and  holistic development. One of its most striking insights is:  “The only limit to your success is your imagination.”  This captures the essence of creativity, vision, and human flourishing - qualities essential for training leaders and breaking barriers...

  Sweeping my head to find the best memory only to fail miserably and realize that you dwell in my heart. Mef my F.R.I.E.N.D from forever-land   Funky with  a bright brain that loves the rain and a soul that leans to the moon spreading the same light on a dark day. A solid storyteller who only speaks the language of love and types tales  of kindness into who knows how many minds... Apologies and arigatos for your willingness to be McQueen  when my dramatic self goes on a Mater track or to be Kageyama when my inner Hinata acts up. May every flower dance with you while you make sakuras bloom for me and I sing these lines. 

Manga review Long, lonely lanes are all I see while I walk home to Punpun. I open the manga, flip the pages, see familiar faces stare into my soul. The air is stiffening, oh, so is my heart, as Punpun lies in his tub pondering over existence. Had I been the mangaka, I'd've colored him blue. He'd be soaring heights without the aid of the sky. I fell asleep trying to connect the stars of a constellation that he loves. I heard him whisper, "What's the point?" Or was it the echo of my own screams? How I wish he was real. I'd have a twin. Everyone would. 'cause Punpun is me. Punpun is you. Punpun is every single one of us in our rawest forms. Oyasumi, Punpun.   Oyasumi Punpun  is a manga written and illustrated by Inio Asano covering themes like depression, loneliness, and the absurdity of life.    

Micro poetry  I envy my future self that will rise  from the ashes  of a past torched by  the spark  of vindication I ignited inside me. As of now,  I am content being in this cocoon  of grey, black  and white that I created for me. Both of which keeps me away from my present self that befriends lies and contempt to survive. This post is a part of  Blogchatter WAPAD #writeapageaday challenge.

Where are all the words? They can't all be gone, not this fast! Were they stolen, by any chance? Na, no one's got the key to my head. Unless I stored some in my heart. Did I? I'm done searching inside. I go out with a basket and before I know it, it's overflowing with buds of ideas. I seek the aid of time to help nourish them to form new words, words of mine. They have grown now into pretty little phrases. I give them toys to play with - Commas, full stops. Exclamations! They fight a lot claiming one is better than the other. Puberty. What can I say? I can't wait to see them grow into mature sentences, perfect paragraphs, excellent essays, and big books. Until then  I'll keep feeding them, guarding them from being stolen cause I am nothing without my words. I am only an empty basket without my words. This is the last post of  Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023 . Previous post:  A Familiar Ache  

The quaint expression of his face, his dwindling eyes, her heart widens as he unwraps the layers of the gift she gave him. She went through wild fires  and forests to buy him the perfect present. To bring him back from being haunted by the trauma of loss. The loss of his beloved. One final fold, and with a flash of light she takes him to their childhood to the deathbed of their mother. "Live for the hope of it all", her last words. Unbearable pain and unending sobs. A familiar ache. He wails with all his might. The storm's passed. Her heart widens again as he smiles for such was her gift - a reminder of hope. This post is a part of  Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023 . Previous post:  Naruto Next post:  Empty Basket

  "Ugh, what a mess! How do I clean this up? Where do I start? I have no time."  Tangled earphones are to be untangled from time-to-time to ensure their proper functioning. Tangled thoughts are to be untangled from time-to-time to ensure OUR proper functioning. If only our thoughts were as simple as earphones! A while back, I was in a state of turmoil, my thoughts scattered all over the place. I did not know how to pick it all up. I was scared because I was not sure if I would be able to finish gathering all the parts, and that it'd be too late. I'd end up being stuck in an eternal mess, so vast, that I wouldn't be able to see the door out. But then, one day, a cute little boy with yellow hair and black whiskers opened the door and let his hand out for me. He did not collect the lost parts, that's something I would have to do on my own. Instead, he raised my spirit and told me what to do. He walked with me by my side and suddenly I knew where to start.  There ...

'Makar sankranti', they call it. "Kai po che!", they scream. Kite flying, a desire that flew to me from the songs of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and the stories of Liman and Amma - white-cemented terraces,  silver-bordered churidars, kites soaring high like dupattas in the skies of Surat.  A kite of blue  to match the sea  with stripes of white to thank the wind that took him to the greatest height in the beach of Cherai. Yellow, green and pink - colors of friendship, fluttering into the gang of diamonds. I celebrated as I created a Surat for myself  and a sankranti for many. This post is a part of  Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023 . Previous post:  Spirited Away Next post:  Naruto

Anime review Spoiler alert ! "Collect as many leaves as you can. We'll sort them out later", said Ligi aunty, our teacher. My classmates and I ran around gathering all we could, even dry leaves. But it still wasn't enough for our project.  Out of nowhere, there was a wind, and the trees danced, shedding thousands of leaves. We jumped merrily amid the falling leaves.     "How did the trees know, aunty?" "They know everything, my child. They have spirits of their own. They laugh, cry and feel like us, humans. They are living beings after all!" My 10 year old self was very delighted to hear this. My love and respect for nature has only grown through the years. Spirited Away  is a 2001 fantasy anime film directed by  Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli . It was the highest-grossing film in Japanese history for 19 years until it was surpassed by 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train' in 2020.  It is regarded as one o...

♪ മാവേലി നാടു വാണീടും കാലം മാനുഷരെല്ലാരുമൊന്നു പോലേ ആമോദത്തോടെ വസിക്കും കാലം ആപത്തംഗാർക്കുമൊട്ടില്ല താനും കള്ളവുമില്ല ചതിയുമില്ലാ എള്ളോളമില്ലാ പൊളി വചനം ♪ Onam is the official festival of Kerala, celebrated in remembrance of king Mahabali and his prosperous reign in the state. It is a rice-harvest festival commemorated by Malayalis around the world with much zest and fervor. The carnival of Onam, which spans a duration of 10 days stands as a hallmark of Kerala's culture and tradition.  I'm not particularly inclined towards the grand festivities of Onam. I'm more interested in watching people have fun adorned in varieties of sarees, mundus, pattupavadas and kuppivalas(glass bangles). It surely is a feast to the eyes as sadya is to the belly. The ethereal scent of mullapoo(jasmine) enhances the beauty of the festival. People unite in the lively colors of the Athapookalam, and the spark of celebration shines on their faces. Everything and everybody look gracious with a light d...

"Just when you think you know something, look at it in another way." - John Keating, Dead Poets Society Recently, I came across an Instagram reel where one among two girls sitting next to each other looks upset and tells the other, "No one cares." But the other girl has a completely different attitude. She is all happy while saying, "Exactly, no one cares!"  Tap to watch the reel . This is very similar to a famous social media meme of two guys looking out of two different windows of the same bus.  We are all bad in someone's story. For a man stealing food out of desperate hunger, he might not look at himself as a thief, but in the eye of a person viewing the act, he is. It's all a matter of perspective.  The way we look at things holds great significance. This works with our problems as well. Many a times, we are unable to find solutions because me might not be looking at the problem properly. With all the nervousness, fear and sorrow piling up, it...

Some people come into our lives at the right time. And when the time is right, they leave. People play a very important role in shaping our lives. Every person we meet, constitute a part of our life, no matter how short their stay is. Where we end up or who we end up with can often depend on specific people we come across in particular places. But 'ending up' is not final. We can never say "I 'ended up' doing this job." because we don't know for sure. We might 'end up' doing something else. And while it's difficult to deal with everything we lose in this ghost ride called life, we can have faith; belief, that whatever happens, whether good or bad, occurs for the best until God reveals to us what the 'best' truly is. But that also means never looking back and walking forward without turning our heads. But sometimes, that's the only way. We are obliged to lend our ears to a whole lot of people saying, "This is how life is!"...

Image generated by  Bing AI The beats, the music I want every part of me to move, to sway. But I can't seem to  stand on my feet.  I feel heavy.  Have I put on?  Or is it the weight of the burdens placed on me?  Maybe I am the burden.  My lips haven't touched a drink and yet, I'm the most drunk in the room.  Green, blue, violet in a loop. Am I falling asleep?  Or falling into the abyss?  All I know is that it's pitch-black at both ends.  So, I keep my lids open. I'd rather be in the light that blinds me,  than in the darkness that kills me. This post is a part of  Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023 . Previous post:  I Pity The Skies Next post:  Loss  

  The sun smiles at me. But not you You've never pleased me. But today, I pity you. You're all alone. Vast and wide and blue. Sad and embarrassed because your friends didn't show; the clouds. You're like a mannequin without clothing. Shy and delicate. So I decorate you with my thoughts. Wanting them to float away like your friends Far-off and free unlike me. Unless they know not their way and in a moment of darkness, they burst into tears. Smoke, dust, and dirt filling the air,  they say it's never too late. But look at you now! Eroded and polluted. I wish you stayed a mannequin. Shy and delicate. Unaffected by my thoughts My unbenign thoughts. This is the first post of  Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023 . Next post:  Sangria

Film review  Spoiler alert ! "We are all part of the same rainbow." - Suzy Kassem 🌈 Love, Simon is a 2018 American rom-com/drama film directed by Greg Berlanti. It is based on the novel 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' by Becky Albertalli.  Simon Spier is a teenager. He has three best friends - Nick, Leah and Abby. Simon is discreet about his sexuality and is scared to come out to the world as gay.  In a school full of bullies, a student uses the pseudonym 'Blue' to reveal his sexuality on the school gossip site - "Sometimes I feel like I'm stuck on a Ferris wheel. One minute I'm on top of the world, the next I'm at rock bottom. Over and over, all day long. Because a lot about life is great. But nobody knows I'm gay." An astonished Simon strikes up a conversation with Blue online. They soon fall in love with each other.  Martin, another student, discovers the chats and proceeds to blackmail Simon, threatening to expose the convers...

  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...