10 Things that make me happy

The top 10 things that make me happy are :

1. Watching the rain
2. Eating Baskin Robbins at night
3. The smell of books, new & old
4. A hug from someone special
5. To sleep on a rainy morning bundled up in my blanket
6. The smell of good food cooking
7. To bring a smile on a someone's face
8. The smell of my favourite Perfumes (D & G, Mango- the top 2 )
9. Getting pampered
10. When things go better than planned :)

Now that I have started listing out the 10 things, I actually can count more than 10! Like the way I love the sand being swept under my feet on the beach when a good wave curls around my feet, eating Cadbury's Fruit & Nut, an unexpected holiday, a long weekend, reading a lot and lot in one stretch, spending time with my loved ones, a good adrenaline rush from something as mundane as catching a train the last minute and so on and so forth! Why waste time grumbling when you have tons of reasons to stay Happy Happy?! And I think it took me this post to remember that! 

Missing the rains

These pictures brings a feeling of nostalgia, especially in the scorching summer heat right now. The feel of rains & the beauty of raindrops on leaves are all things that we take for granted until the moment that we stay away from home & realize how much it means to us.

The winds that come after the rains in the evenings are the best ones. They are the cool ones that embrace you, the ones that give you a chill. How much I miss a good rain right now.

Monsoon time is also the best time to go to sleep as hearing the raindrops and the slight thunder which comes before the rains are really quite soothing and assuring. Of things that we can be sure of, of things that are constant in this ever changing world.

Love

This is one of the images that I got when I googled "Love". And I felt I had to share it here.

The smell of Coffee

This picture reminds me of the smell of Coffee than its taste. And somehow I always find the smell of Coffee much more appealing than the Coffee itself. Don't get me wrong, the taste is great, but somehow, nothing can beat the smell of good coffee brewing. I guess it's like comparing the smell of baking to the cake itself. Somehow its the smell that lures us into these small guilty pleasures that we often indulge in.

And what can beat a cup of Coffee when you spend the evening curled up at home with that favorite book? The smell of Coffee is often the reason why we take a coffee break especially when we go shopping. The smell is just too strong to be ignored.

And what can beat a good cup of Coffee during winter? Coffee, I have often felt, bridges the gap between people. Gossip & Coffee do always go hand in hand as well! The smell of hot Coffee is guaranteed to bring a smile on all faces.

Though, the health benefits of Caffeine and Caffeine addiction maybe questioned by some, indulging in Coffee once in a while can definitely give you an energy boost as well.

So, here's wishing everyone a happy weekend & make sure you grab that cup of Coffee!

Rejuvenate

It's a time to rejuvenate, a time to unwind & relax. It's also a time to do what you have been meaning to do for a long long time. It may be that phone call, that letter to a friend, that book that you have been meaning to read. For me, it's also the time to get my lazy fingers back to blogging!!!

And so yes, here I am blogging for the first time this year. Hopefully, a lot more to follow, since I have been reading A LOT!!! So, till next time... :)

Book review- We need to talk about Kevin

This is definitely not the book you can take as a light read. It is simply one of those books that haunt you and is simply disturbing. Told in a series of letters by Eva to her husband Franklin, the book dissects the relationship of the parents with their first born Kevin. Kevin, just days before his sixteenth birthday kills 7 of his school mates, an English teacher and one of the cafeteria workers.

Told in a series of flashbacks, Eva recounts each of the incidents from Kevin's conception till he is a teenager. Even as a baby, Kevin refuses to bond with his mother right from the moment he is born, favouring his ever doting father. Was Kevin simply born wicked or was it his mother's indifference to him that made him who he is today? Whether Eva's description can be vouched on or whether Kevin is who he is because of the lack of his mother's love and care is left to the reader's imagination.

Throughout the book, we find various shocking and cruel things that seems to give Kevin his pleasure. We are also introduced to Kevin's sister - Celia whom Eva dotes on. Kevin seems to induce an almost sadistic pleasure on his family members including his Mom & sister.

There are some major twists towards the end of the book but you have to read it to find out! A must read for not only all parents but to those who keep wondering the root cause of evils that are so prevalent in today's world. Do give this one a read even if you don't belong to either of the above category, as this one is thought provoking for all.

Goat days by Benyamin

Goat days is a novel based on real life events by Benyamin that is translated from Malayalam by Joseph Koyippally. The book has received the Kerala Sahita Academy award for its original work. Though it is a fiction, it is based on the real happenings of Najeeb, an immigrant who came with high hopes and dreams to work in Saudi.

Leaving behind a mother and a pregnant wife- Sainu, Najeeb boards the plane to Saudi from Bombay in the hopes of realising his dreams. He is a resident of Karruvatta and like thousands of Malayalis hopes to make it big in Saudi Arabia.

But what waits for him is a horrible surprise. Made to live the life of a shepherd, in a desert where there is not even human company to even talk to, other than the Arbab or his sponsor who is cruel in his ways of treating both Najeeb and the animals, he takes solace in the company of the goats, sheeps & camels he herds. In short, he lives a Goat's life. He talks to them,  names them based on real life characters in his village in order to maintain his sanity.He considers them as his true brothers as they even save his life in certain situations.

Giving a vivid description of all the tortures that he has to undergo in order to save himself and finally escape the vast Desert, the narrative can be easily related to. Undergoing the painful torturesfor more than three and a half hours without being able to contact his family once during this time, Najeeb proves that hope & faith would eventually take you home.

I definitely recommend it. It is one of those books which stay with you & haunt you for days to come.