Snips n Strokes

Hello people, I have really exciting news to share! It's been one of my ambitions to be an entrepreneur. I have toyed with the idea for a long time, considering various options. Anything involving physical labor is hard. Not only does it demand a lot of time, the logistics are going to be a pain too. Thanks to all my pinteresting, I came across journals and planners. Especially, Project Life journals and Erin Condren planners. Trust me, people take these very seriously. And I can understand why :) Being an insufferable planner myself, this seems the perfect way to combine work and fun. Also, it takes away the pressure of making those too good to be true scrapbooks!

So, coming back to my business idea, I thought why not journaling cards and planner stickers? I can create digital files and sell them on an online platform like Etsy. And that’s what I did :) The fruits of my labor are now elegantly displayed in my online shop *drum roll* ‘Snips n Strokes’ *claps and whistles*. Here, I plan to sell digital art such as pattern papers and scrapbook elements too. It is like my first born baby and I have recorded the date and time of it's entry into this world - 24th December 2016, 7:15 PM.

I have always believed that it is necessary to have a backup skill. In case I happen to lose my job or suffer a burn out, I wanted to have an alternative source of income. Some means of financial stability. Granted, this does not pay much. But it does a lot to my confidence :) Also, it provides the much needed creative outlet I need. I hope to keep working on it as much as I can. I have not started out with huge expectations, but the day I make my first sale will definitely be one of the biggest moments of my life!

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The last book review for this year! *wipes corner of eye* Tears apart, I am quite happy to announce the finale with “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. It is a dystopian trilogy and I have only read the first book so far. Dystopia is a conceptual view of a society characterized by a drastic change in environment or government, towards the negative extreme. Living conditions are pathetic due to deprivation or oppression. “The Hunger Games” takes place in post-apocalyptic North America called Panem. It is divided into thirteen districts identified only by numbers, governed by the Capitol. Each of the districts is assigned an occupation like 11 for agriculture and 12 for coal mining. District 13 dares to rebel against the Capitol and is wiped off the map. As forethought to quell any future thoughts of rebellion, the Capitol designs a competition in which a boy and a girl, aged between 12 and 18, are chosen from each district, to fight for survival by killing off each other. They call this ‘The Hunger Games’ and turn it into a televised event, like the reality show these days, with mandatory participation from each district. The underlying message – we are in control of your life and you can do nothing about it.

Although I found the language a bit simple, the writing is fast paced and engaging. Things happen quickly enough to keep the adrenaline pumping and yet this works against the book too. Sometimes a bit of high tension drama is needed to get the readers curious about how things unwind. Katniss is a very strong female character and I have to admit I kept imagining Jennifer Lawrence in every scene :) She has been taking care of her family since her father’s demise by hunting for food in the forests and cutting deals in the black market. This gives her a strong background, defines her no nonsense personality and makes her a tough competitor with the much needed survival skills. I also love that she is not a damsel in distress. Rather she takes care of Peeta, her companion from District 12, and is openly shown to be more capable than him owing to her brought up. She is sensitive towards the people she loves and does not appear shallow or self centred.

The problem with reading books from a specific genre is to constantly remind ourselves to look at things from the perspective of the target audience. In this case - young adults. May be I have had too much of Game of Thrones, the book seemed too tame for a dystopian world. However, I am not talking about the violence aspect of it. An oppressive government is all about mind games. The whole point of taking in kids is to create terror in the minds of the people. But everybody in the book seems to be indifferent about it, almost accepting it as a way of life. Even within the game, I expected situations that would push contestants to extremes, thereby bringing back the primal instincts of mankind – kill to survive. The competition is ironically named ‘The Hunger Games’ but there is never a lack of food. There are man-made calamities like fire and thunder but no real predators or reptiles. Water is almost always found. Although, I’ll say the wolf mutations made to resemble ex-contestants was inspired.

I am okay with the violence toned down. What about moral ambiguity? The author plays way too safe by justifying every one of Kat’s kills. It is garbed as an indirect insect attack, served as moral justice or simply treated as mercy killing. The other contestants are conveniently wiped out and we do not even get to know how. Kat is extremely lucky being saved twice. My heart went out to the quick witted and elusive Foxface who met an unfortunate death. I have no second thoughts about Kat’s capability, but I would have really liked to see what she would have done, had she been forced to choose between Peeta and Rue or between Rue and herself. At the end of the day, I would like to take away something from the book that will compel me to think beyond my comfort zone.

Despite the above, I was still with the book. But the climax was a huge letdown for me. A faceoff between Cato and Katniss would have brought home the point that we have conveniently forgotten through the course of the novel. Be it utopia or dystopia, children are pure and innocent, and using them as sacrificial lambs is inhumane. Will the survivor ever be able to live a life weighed down by the deaths of 23 others like him? Add to it, the totally unnecessary love angle. How do spectators even connect with the idea of love when kids are being murdered so brutally? I would have liked to see Kat as an independent girl who fights for a cause, rather than be reduced to a Bella Swan whose priority in life, after witnessing cruelty at such close range, is choosing between two boys. I got to know that the district gears up for a rebellion after the sequel. Yet, what a shame that the first book ended on such a low note.

Secret Santa Mystery

So there I was, cribbing to whoever had the patience to listen to me about how much I missed playing secret Santa. Our hectic schedules and long travel did not allow these luxuries. Imagine my surprise when I come to my desk to find this.

Gift #1 - Bouquet

Yep, there is this lovely bouquet of orchids sitting on my desk along with a sweet note! :D I couldn't believe my eyes! Who could have sent me such beautiful (and expensive) flowers? I had four main suspects - my sister A, my partner in crime M, my seedha saadha friend R (yes, the lucky guy who got the felt toys) and the monkey C. C is in the US and went straight out of my list. R did not have motive and M did not have opportunity, since she was in a meeting with me. A doesn't have access to our office. So whodunit??

The curious me tossed and turned through the night but did not get any more clues. The next day, work pushed the flowers out of my mind.  Post lunch, M sat down to have a quick skype chat with her hubby and I went to meet A. When I came to my cube, hidden below my desk was this.

Gift #2 - Red Velvet Cake

My favorite Red Velvet Cake!!! And look, there was a secret message on it. But to add to my woes, that message was smudged :( R was not at work that day and M seemed to be skyping. A was with me! So who kept the cake? I had serious doubts on M and gave her a taste of my interrogation skills :P She came out clean and said she had nothing to do with the cake. Then an idea struck us. We called 'Warm Oven' who had delivered the cake. Initially, it looked like my luck had run out but then the voice on the other side of the phone said a name.

Guess who, guess who?

Bingo! It's my sis!! Lol! Had to be her right? She has always been so indulgent towards me. Nothing but the best for her chotu. She had enlisted Agents M & R to carry out her plans, which they did excellently. But they couldn't outwit me :P I think A was a bit cross at me for playing Sherlock, however I managed to mollify her :) I have always got my way with her. She loves me a lot and wants to fulfill every wish of mine.  My week had not been going well and she wanted to cheer me up. Am I not the luckiest person ever? :)

Wait, this is not the end. There were more gifts to follow. My sis had planned a whole week of surprises for me :D Unfortunately I couldn't get pics of everything and I did not want to delay this post anymore. I got a wonder woman bag, cinderella shoes, couple of books and a very cute panda which looks just like me :P

Gift #3 - Cinderella shoes

Gift #4 - Angry panda

Psst: In case you were wondering, the message on the cake said "Ho ho ho..". Would have been an awesome hint, no? :D

Those four shades

I wish I could write as well as this..

https://sahajapatel.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/those-four-shades/

Book Review: Unposted Letter by Mahatria

This month’s book review is claimed by ‘Unposted Letter’ – a collection of insights to life by Mahatria. Let me warn beforehand that you will take a long time to finish this book. Not because it is a hard read. But for the sole reason that you will want to understand what is being said, introspect to see how well it relates to your life and take time to incorporate it immediately. This book does not unravel the mysteries of life or preach philosophy and religion. There is a high probability of you already knowing most of its content. What this book actually does is act as a refresher for all that we learnt as we grew up.

Daily life is a struggle, for everybody. Be it rich or poor, young or old. Each one has his own set of challenges. And in trying to cope with the responsibilities, we often find ourselves getting angry, stressed or depressed. But, there are times when we feel happy and contented too. In this state of buoyancy, we often rise above the mundane and wonder why human beings can’t be at peace with what they have. Why is there a constant greed for more? This brief period of enlightenment tells us not to want more but to do more. And we do try to act on it. For the whole of that day, we try to be a bit more patient, a bit more understanding and a bit more selfless. Unfortunately, the next morning we relapse into our usual state of neglect.

This is where the book helps us. It acts as a medium to reach the neutral state of mind, in a faster way. Each of the simple chapters tells us how we can lead a better life just by trying to be a better person ourselves rather than waiting for the whole world to change. Tolerance prevails as the main theme. An old song from the Hindi movie ‘Guddi’ beautifully summarizes the entire book in these few lines -

Humko man ki shakti dena, man vijay karein
Doosron ki jai se pehle khud ko jai karein

(Give us the maturity to gain control of our mind
Let us triumph over our evils before correcting the mistakes of others)

The general attitude when reading self-improvement books is to question and argue with the beliefs of the author. I am not condoning it. In fact, I have almost never accepted any philosophy without question. It is not arrogance. It is genuine curiosity to know the pros and cons of a subject in order to understand it completely. Some of the teachings in the book may seem contradictory. For example, one of the chapters says that “love is not love that pampers”. Love will constantly provide feedback so that you can improve on your shortcomings and become a better person. But another chapter says “Do not benchmark expectations”. Everybody has their positives and negatives. We must stop focusing on isolated qualities and start relating to the whole being. So, should you help others overcome their negatives or cut them some slack and choose to see their positives instead? Of course, mull over it a bit and you will understand that the teacher is asking us not to obsess over the flaws of your loved ones. What I am trying to say is do not take a cynical approach. Read the book with an open mind. You will have questions, which is a good sign, because you are taking the content seriously. However, do not stop there. Discuss it with family and friends, anyone you deem fit. Arrive at your own beliefs. You are fully allowed to develop your own opinion as long as you have arrived at it in a holistic manner.

I won’t dwell on why we should read this book because the reason for picking up a self-improvement book is self-explanatory. This particular book appealed to me because it is not heavy duty like most other books of this genre. It suggests making simple changes to everyday life which can be followed by anybody willing to make the change. I don’t recommend it as a must read. I recommend it as a daily read. Stay in touch with it until it becomes a part of you. Let your heart rejoice in its new found peace.

Buy n Save

I had been thinking of buying some clothes online. There was a BOGO offer going on in an online clothing store yesterday. I selected two tops each costing Rs.795. They had free shipping on orders above Rs.995. Since there was nothing reasonable for 200 bucks, I did not add any more items. The total amount with delivery charges and VAT came up to Rs.874. When I went to check-out, I was pleasantly surprised to know that the store had credited me with Rs.200 :D Happily, I decided to pay my bill of Rs.674 using my online wallet. The best part is that I had Rs.150 in this wallet as cashback from some other transaction. I paid Rs.524 like a boss and could hear some reward points falling in my credit card kitty :P As you understand, I had to brag about my great achievement to somebody and my parents were selected for the honor. I saw them suppressing smiles, though they pretended to listen to my tales of kanjoosi with absolute awe. But I chose to be smug about it :P As I walked back contented, I received a message. It was from my online wallet company and said I had received a 10% cashback for my recent transaction!! I went running to my parents to announce the message and all of us rolled in laughter :D If we were to do some quick math, the actual bill amount with revised VAT is Rs.1709. I paid just Rs.524. So I got a whopping discount of Rs.1185 which is almost 70%!! Now, that is a very very satisfying shopping experience! ;)

Up in the Loft

Yesterday, we went to this amazing place called Loft 38 in Indiranagar. Although we have been having a slew of parties recently, this was a proper night out with the dirty dozen. The lounge bar looks exquisite with a high roof and purple lights creating an electric atmosphere. The dance floor is the focal point on the ground floor with tables placed on different levels at the sides. Perfectly suitable for those moods when you want mehfil mein tanhai, privacy amidst chaos :) We got our private space on the second floor with our very own drinks counter. The dance floor has a bar nearby and was beginning to get crowded by 10 P.M. Towards midnight the place was jam packed!

For starters, we had Crispy Avocado Pastry, Nachos, Peri Peri Basa, Go Chu Jang Chicken and Chicken wings. All of them were yum especially the Avocado Pastry. I skipped main course which looked reasonable. However, the walnut brownies and vanilla pannacotta with strawberry coulee were deeliiiccious!! My heavily watered Virgin Mojito was a let down. The fruit punch kind of made up for it but I heard the cocktails were better. All the same, I stuck to orange juice for the better part of the night because you need vitamin C for non-stop dancing! We had DJ Answer churning out music. It wasn’t exactly dhik-chik dhik-chik but we were more than glad that it wasn’t like the trance we got to experience at Blue Frog. There was one particular guy who caught my attention. It looked like he had come alone but that did not keep him away from the dance floor. He was unstoppable going from hip hop to Bollywood like a man under spell. When I wasn’t dancing, I was busy admiring his moves :D

An evening of fun was about to end with a long-lost tradition - being thrown out by bouncers :P We were amongst the last ones to leave. As we sat waiting in our cab for the traffic to clear out, I was mindlessly staring at the cab ahead of us on the next lane. Out of nowhere, a bike sped straight ahead and hit the cab! Bam!! Fortunately, there was no bloodshed, just a dent on the car. As the rider got back on his feet, I noticed that he was the same guy who waited on us in Tipsy Bull last week. Such a small world. It also made me wish we had gone home sooner. I am terribly scared of accidents and watching one at close quarters does not help.

Although, I was initially reluctant to attend the party yesterday, I am glad I did. Bangalore is my birth place and I am totally in love with it. Being alien to its happening night life, which has become a distinctive feature of this beautiful city, does not go down well with me. And thanks to my cousins, lazy-ass me gets to be a part of it :P More than that, there was this really special moment when one of my brothers called me aside and said “You are my sweet sister. We will always be by your side no matter what. You don’t have to worry at all. We will stay together”. Ignoring the fact that he was terribly high :P and that I have no brother of my own, this rare display of affection caught me off-guard. I looked around and realized that despite all my cribbing, I love each and every one of them. I am so happy and grateful to have this mad, crazy family with me. We do have our share of squabbling and back-biting. But I also know that we will always be there for each other. And that, my friends, is the best feeling of all :)