The Whatsapp Mania

So there is a question I am expectantly asked almost everyday “Are you on Whatsapp?” And while feeling like I am breaking their heart I answer in negative. Don’t be so surprised about that. If I be subtle, my phone doesn’t not support it or I say it straight that I don’t have a smartphone. Another I don’t want to hear pings every now and then. Twitter and Facebook are enough distractions already.

Yesterday my father installed it on his phone even after my warnings to him that its not for people like him. Today or I think yesterday only my cousin added him to a group she created for family. Today my father is complaining that he couldn’t take his afternoon nap due to Whatsapp’s constant pings. My cousins had started on some debate or argument. This is the second complain from a family member about how much we cousins talk. One of my cousin’s husband requested to remove him from the group. He complained that if he failed to check his phone for a few hours, hundreds of messages maybe waiting for him. My father finally got it disabled from someone. He tried to do it himself but couldn’t manage. I was not home at that time to help.

Its surprising how Whatsapp, Facebook and other networking sites have become a part of our lives. Or we can even say how we started living two lives. On social network and our life. This reminds me of quote I read on Goodreads.

“There will come a time when it isn’t ‘They’re spying on me through my phone’ anymore. Eventually, it will be ‘My phone is spying on me’.”
― Philip K. Dick

One Amazing Thing - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

I completed Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's One Amazing thing. It was a read you can connect with. A book I would put on a read-again shelf.

The story is based on Nine people trapped in Visa Consulate office in an American city due to earthquake. All nine people are of different nationalities, has different way of thinking and different way of living life. All of them are having problems in their life. Problems we have heard of and we can connect to. Due to nothing to do other than stare each others faces, they decide to share their one amazing thing of life.

Two visa officers on verge of an affair. Malathi is conservative and by her own confession, selfish. She feels guilty of having an affair. On the other hand Mangalam is some sort of playboy. Cameron, an ex-soldier is haunted by guilt. Uma, A student feeling guilty for not informing her boyfriend about her plans of going to India. Tariq, a Muslim who is angry with the changes in America after 9/11. Jiang, an Indo-Chinese going India again after all her life with her granddaughter Lily and grandson. A couple having troubled marriage going to Rajasthan. All of them trapped in basement offices with debris falling now and them.
 
The narration quickly changes from third person to first person. While it might have gone wrong but Divakaruni did well. Characters were well described. Situations in the stories were illustrated well leaving no holes. The stories of characters are very common and predictable. We connect to them very easily. Though common stories Divakaruni managed to keep me gripped. She described the mental state of people very closely. The stories are more on the problems faced by characters than the one amazing thing in their life. Its the only thing that itched me. But some stories makes you make a note in mind not to do that mistake in your life.

Divakaruni has shown the natural tension and distrust between people at first by when people were requested to share whatever eatables they had with others, people had put only half of the things they had at first, People fighting and arguing whether to allow Cameron to handle the whole situation.

Its hard to find loopholes in this book. Its a nice, clean work.

What I think about friendships

Nowadays most of the people are convinced that friendship between two people is only with a reason. I agree here that most of them are. But those real friendships are still there. There are few but they do exist.

For such friendships a great deal of effort have to put by you. Yes you. You have to put most efforts because you want such a friendship. No emotional detachment will do here. You can't fake it. You want to trust them, first prove that they can trust you. Friendships and built on trust. If you are worth it, the person will surely trust you.

Why do we need friends? Because nowadays we depend on them the most and that is why we are complaining too. Everybody wants someone to depend upon. We depend on them in happiness, sorrow, crisis and .. (you complete the list). The main point is you need someone so you are searching. The friend that you think is with a reason also needs someone. They didn't care and you didn't care so you remained friends with a reason.

Another thing you can have only few true friends. Don't try to convert each friendship because you will go crazy. You are a human and you cannot manage everything. I say your life should have very few such friends. Because only than we will appreciate them.

Cecelia Ahern Experiment

Before you think that its a science post let me make it clear. No. Its my experiments with reading.

I recently completed One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern and found something interesting. She has written several novels but she is more famous for her novel PS I Love You. I am not a great fan of her works but I noted something.

From the three books I have read about Cecelia Ahern, I put together that they have three common points. One the main character is a woman, all of them had faced crisis recently and all of them recovered from them quite bravely. All her stories has a touch of feminism. Maybe its unintentional but sometimes you get a glimpse of it.

I read PS I Love You first. No comments on how much I liked it. In there Holly Kennedy is trying to cope up after her husband's death. Her husband has left her 10 letters to help her rediscover herself.

Then I read Thanks For Memories. Here Joyce Conway is recovering from a miscarriage and a divorce. The plot is stupid though but the only gripping thing was her independence and decision to take it her own way.

I recently completed One Hundred Names. Here Katherine Logan is coming up from a court case, trying to save her only job and completing her editor cum friend's dream feature article. I say that Katherine is stupid but  I loved the way she put together all the people to fulfill one task.


While reading I sometimes found plots silly and boring. Sometimes too predictable. The only thing I like was that in her stories women were fighting to withstand the situations and not surrendering to it. It at least made me complete her books.

My Drizziling Vacation

Exams are finally over. Last 15 days were not just a test of my academic work but also of my self control. I was on a Twitter Break from last 12-15 days. It took every ounce of my willpower not to go there. My reward was exams went excellent, I gained followers in my absence without losing any, Got to knew that my morning wishes were missed and people noted I was missing.
So finally I have a vacation and this time I would like to do something productive for a change. I have three things on my mind. The list goes like this-

• Grab some extra knowledge
  First I was planning to do some internships but as my exams were postponed most of them have already started. So I have decided to do some online courses on Coursera. They have some certificate courses called signature track where they provide a certificate if you complete the course successfully. The course I am going to pursue is not a signature track. But its totally free and professors of Standford are going to teach. So I am going to catch some free and extra knowledge.
• A foreign language
  I am suddenly very enthusiastic for learning a foreign language.  I still have to find some good classes but I am surely going to attend one, now or sometime later.
• Bengaluru visit
  I desperately want to visit my sister for two reason. One, I haven’t seen her for nearly five months and lately I have been remembering her often due to some incidents. Second, Its a long time since I have made a journey and this blog waits a travel post.

Its a monsoon vacation sadly or I would have put swimming at top of the list. My mother suggested to learn cooking but as usual I am going to run. I have to find a company in my city for my company project this year.
I can this see holidays can be productive if even two of the three things are done successfully. I hope so. I am going to get regular in writings. I want to get regular on blog. I have time and I better use it.

When love and friendsip are two different coins..

She was sitting in the  college cafeteria when they came hand in hand. They stopped at her table. They were Samarth and Aaliya. They were the most popular pair and her best friends. Their presence liven up things. She stood up, hugged her tight.

" You got late! How is your dad now? And this dress suits you" she complimented.
"Am so sorry. His fault. He got me late" Aaliya complained. She saw in his direction. He smiled sheepishly.
" He is recovering fast. And I like this dress too. After all this is your selection it can never go wrong." She gave her proud smile.

Aaliya was wearing a yellow floral knee length dress she had selected for her on their last shopping trip.

" You choose well." Samarth said.
" She always does." Milan seconded coming from behind.

She turned and hugged him. He was a good friend and her class mate. Everybody knew including her knew that he was genuinely interested in her. But the unfair game of life. She is pulled to someone else.

"And you look beautiful as usual". He turned to Aaliya.
Aaliya gave her shy smile in return.

They sat on a table.
"Coffee?" She looked at each one.
"Of course" said Aaliya.
"Sure" Samarth seconded.
She turned to Milan.
"I know you don't drink coffee. So what would you have? Sandwich? Tea?"
Milan smiled to himself. She knew him well enough.
" Sandwich. If someone.. you share"
She smiled.
"Okay."

She stood up and started for the counter.
"Rati"
She turned. Samarth had called.
" I will come with you"
She started going away without answering.

She reached the counter and placed the order.
" Sorry" Samarth said standing beside her.
Their eyes met. They stood there that way till the counter boy interrupted by delivering the order.
She gave a doleful smile, paid and returned to the table.

ON THE TABLE...   
They were talking movies. Samarth promised Aaliya for a movie tomorrow.

"You will come right?" Aaliya asked her.
She shook her head and looked down.
"Why?"
"I am not in movie mood." She looked up and saw Samarth staring at her
"What would you do alone?"
" I won't be alone"
She winked to Milan. He smiled.
" I am sure he won't mind me boring him."
"You never bore Rati."
"Oh Rati you are so selfish. You are keeping him from the movie just for your sake." Aaliya said animatedly
"Stop your pointless dramas Aaliya. I am doing you a favor though. " Rati teased..
Aaliya rolled her eyes.

Aaliya narrowed her eyes at Milan as he laughed . He shrugged trying to hide his laugh. Samarth looked at Rati. She had started laughing. But her laughter was little off. And he knew why.

To be continued..

(P.s I thought something like a story as Valentine's day just went. I wrote one last year too. )

Those stars that shine on me..

            I have been seeing these seven stars everyday oh sorry every night every year for these three-four months. I see these cluster of seven stars for four months from November to December and its breathtaking. I don't really know they are which part of constellation but definitely its not Saptarshi.
         
           Because of the habit of seeing them every year I have managed to get the almost precise time I can see them up in the sky from my balcony. I start this affair of seeing them in November at 8:30,  In December it gets 10:30, and before January comes its already midnight. In those cold nights with icey midnight winds of January, I take my double blanket and stand in the balcony just to see them. The night looks like a rich pitch black cloth with shining gems on it and these seven gems particularly shine more. There is nothing special in them but still something special, special to me. So I guess they seem more bright to me then others. I don't really know why are they special to me but I don't fail to see up in the sky every night looking out for them.
         
           It has been my routine every year. As the November gets near its like my small voice or say my inner voice sends a reminder of this event coming. I wish I could put an image of those seven stars formation. But I sadly don't own the Hubble space telescope.
         
           I talk to those stars sometimes if I have not got enough people to hear me that day. Those stars don't stop if I go on speaking, they don't question me they just listen. Its a very good option for people like me who can talk all day.

* I have tried here to give the impression of the positioning of stars. I know this will have no effect but I think I want to give one *

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A rectangle and three stars in it. In the sky it looks mesmerizing

            Well there is no particular reason for writing about these stars for you people. But thinking for topics I felt I can write on this. We all have things that makes us happy, changes are mood, soothes us, everything on your mind is diverted and you only feel happy with only having them in front of your eyes. For some its some special people and for some there are varying things. For me these stars are one those things. Thats why I don't mind standing in icey winds this January. Just find those things again so you also feel the happiness. If you already have those things have it around you more so that you smile all the time because we all know smiles are infectious.