Rangoli '13

Its time to share pictures of the two rangolis I made this Diwali. It took me around 3 hours to complete them!! And I was so tired. My legs are still paining due to long hours of sitting in one posture!

But, they were worth the trouble :)

I made the peacock outside the main door of our house and the other one was made in the living room. The second one was made completely by flower petals and the first one by using coloured sand.

I hope you all had a great diwali! :-)

P.S : Diyas were placed and lighted later in the evening.

Diwali Prep

Here are some pictures of a paper lantern that I made and diyas that I painted and decorated!! :-)

Happy Diwali!!!

Sensational!!!

Our attention is attracted to the television screen as soon as we read the words "Breaking News" flashing brightly on it! We need some 'masala' in our lives, something sensational!

So when we heard that a certain cyclone called Phailin was approaching the eastern coast of India, our eyes got glued to the television screen. We didn't bother about our phone account getting discharged while we searched the internet for 'latest news' about the cyclone.

The cyclone was supposed to make its landfall at around 6 pm the day before yesterday in and around Gopalpur in Orissa. While the people in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh were surrounded by darkness(owing to the cut in electricity supply), the rest of India was shuffling the news channels!

The landfall was supposed to happen at 6. But, it was getting delayed. Some channels said that it wouldn't happen at anytime before 8 pm. So, we waited.

The cyclone did cause damage in the areas it landed first. But, around 4,50,000 people had been evacuated before the arrival of the storm. So, this cyclone, though capable of greater destruction, couldn't harm us much! :-)

Believe me when I say that a lot of people were disappointed. Why? Because, like I said, we need some breaking news in our lives, something sensational, mind-boggling!

I wanted to have a 'cyclone-experience... But, as I write, I am having a mild experience of Phailin. And? It's NOT good! :-P

But, owing to human nature, I guess I will be glued once again to the television screens when I come to know of an approching disaster(And, yeah, its something to be proud of)...

Navratri Day 4

Couldn't get pictures for the third day, so, lets move on to the fourth day!

Its very different here! Pandals are no where to be seen! There are no long queues of people waiting to catch a glimpse of Maa.

Like I said, there are no pandals here(at least I've not seen any so far). But, you can still see colourful lights illuminating the city. And many places have been decorated for the occassion!

Have a look at these two pics
(outside a mall)...

Navratri Day 2

Yesterday, we came back home at around 11.30!!! And I slept at 1! :-P
This morning I woke up with a sore foot(uh-oh!). I just hope it doesn't trouble me much...

Well I am looking forward to the evening! :D

Today's also my mom's birthday! So, I would like to wish my mom a very happy birthday! Have a great day and year ahead!!! Love you ♡

So, here are two pictures from Day 2 :-)

Navratri Day 1

Okay, so this is the first time I'm celebrating Navratri. Brought up in the eastern side of India, Durga Puja had always been about visiting Pandals. This is a very new experience for me and honestly, I am loving it! ;) 

I had never played Dandiya(something which is very famous here) in my entire life! I had my first shot at Dandiya today. Initially, I was a mess and felt pretty awkward. But, I finally learnt it. I hope I am able to master it in the next few days!!! ;)

So here are some(actually only 2 :P) pictures from the first day: 

Happy Navratri folks! Enjoy!!! 

Shiva Trilogy

I first heard about the first book when I was in ninth. Didn't bother reading it then. And I forgot the name later! On my 15th Birthday, mom gifted me the first part of the trilogy, i.e., The Immortals of Meluha. A few days later I began reading it. I am a huge fan of fiction but I have the least possible interest in Mythology. The names confuse me and my interest never really builds up. I wasn't expecting much from this book.

Like always, I was wrong in judging the book.

The first book was brilliant. It had some really funny moments. At the same time, the story was engaging and I didn't feel like stopping(and I didn't). When the book ended, my mouth was wide open. I was dying to know what will happen next! But, alas, I didn't have the 2nd book. That's when Flipkart came to the rescue. I ordered the last two books of the trilogy and waited for them to come. The books came to me a day before the scheduled date and I began reading.

The Secret of the Nagas reveals a lot of secrets, about the Nagas in particular(true to it's name). But, it takes a while before the secrets are revealed and I could catch myself getting a little bored in the beginning. But, when the story picked up pace, I once again couldn't resist reading for 'a little' while longer. At the end of this book, once again, I had my mouth wide open!

The last book's the best! The story never loses its pace. There is a surprise waiting for you in almost every chapter. Even if there isn't you'll want to read this book without any break at all! In one of the chapters, my eyes welled up with tears. But, I controlled myself. I had more reading to do and the last thing I wanted was my vision clouded with tears!

The last chapter of this book is beautiful. I will not be able to express the beauty of the last chapter using words. You'll have to read the books to get it. I applaud the imagination of the author. But, then again, I am forced to question myself that is it really just a piece of imagination?

Read this and I'm sure you'll fall in love with it. I would place this series at par with the Harry Potter series(and that makes it really great)! A must read for every one of us. I'll be ending this post with the last words of the last chapter of The Oath of the Vayuputras :

Om Namah Shivaiy
The universe bows to Lord Shiva. I bow to Lord Shiva.