Preeti Shenoy's Blog, page 60

A note from Auroville. (blog marathon post 25)

So my vacation in the beautiful, mesmerizing, quaint Pondicherry comes to an end today. (sob sob)
The worst thing about vacations is that they come to an end.

I went to the Auroville Botanical Centre today.


It was a lovely place---so green, serene and tranquil. I loved their collection of plants and how they have done up the entire place.

Auroville is a city based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The energy that this place exudes has to be experienced to be believed. The way they have utilized the local resources, blended into the community and made it a meaningful community that has worked not only towards living in harmony but also developed the economy and contributed to the growth of the Nation, with prosperity, peace and health for all, is something very commendable and admirable. Though I have been to Auroville many times, I never get bored or tired of it.

If you have never visited it, do plan a trip.

I have to leave soon and hence I sign off.
This completes day 25 of my blog marathon.

G'nite folks.
Will blog again from bangalore tomorrow.
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http://www.preetishenoy.com/#http://preetishenoy.com/

Postcards from Pondicherry (blog marathon post 24)

 When you are on a vacation, the last thing you want to do is sit glued to a computer and blog, especially when your eye-lids are drooping from the excitement of a full day!
But that is exactly what a blog marathon is about. Just like a marathon, where you go on even when you don't feel like it, because each step adds up to reaching that goal, each post on each day is one step closer to the goal.

While I am enjoying it immensely, it is also a strain.  But then, I think all good things take that little bit of extra effort.

I went crazy shopping today. Got tonnes of stuff for my loved ones. I have no idea how it it is all going to fit into my suit-case. Will know when I pack. One of the nice things about a great vacation is being able to take lovely things home, for the ones you love.

Am sharing some pictures--all from my day, today.

A shoe store where I found the prettiest prettiest flip-flops.


 This is the pair I picked for my daughter:


 Aren't they so darn pretty?



 And this is where I had my lunch. It was long, leisurely , relaxed.I chatted with my best friend, sipping some Mojito, talking about this and that and stuff that mattered and some that did not.
And oh, how we laughed! Laughter is one thing that connects hearts faster than cupid does. And it lifts your spirits. If you have one friend who makes you laugh like crazy, you must hold on to them.

Isn't the place above awesome?!
I enjoyed my afternoon and felt so good in here.

For those of you who want to know which this place is, it is this:


And here is another interesting picture I clicked, at a shop


 I loved how they did up the wall with the pictures. Those from Pondicherry, would definitely know this lovely little shop in Ambalathadayar madam street. (Any guesses?) I think I bought half their stock as they had some really nice stuff, and I was on a spending spree.

All in all, I am having a GREAT break.
 See you here tomorrow. (of course you will come back--won't you?) :)

Signing off for the day. Adios!
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Read my books yet? Click HERE and go to 'books' section.http://preetishenoy.com/

When you are a true friend, distance does not matter.

Greetings from Pondicherry!

I type this a little distance away from the Aurobindo Ashram. It felt wonderful to walk the streets of Pondicherry again. The quaint street names in French, the JN street which is a shopper's paradise, the houses with even numbers on one row and odd on the other, the tonnes of people who are Indians, yet speak French as their first language, the humid wweather, the unique Gendarmes---all of it brought back nostalgia and a train of memories.

Tomorrow I will explore Pondicherry a bit more, after spending time with my friend. This morning when I arrived, I told her that to me, her home felt like my every own. It is rarely in other people's homes that one feels so at ease. She told me that it was the same for her, when she visited my Home in Bangalore.

I feel fortunate to have such friendships. Close friendships so enhance the quality of our lives, making us happy, serene secure.

I also attended a one-on-one Yoga session today. It was terrific. For years now I have practised yoga buy have never done a head-stand. But today the instructor made me do it! It was wonerful.

A day uselfullu spent, rejuvenating, recharging and simply being.
I am content and I am grateful.

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Ps; Grab my books!--they are mostly on love and friendshiphttp://preetishenoy.com/

A vacation for the soul. (blog marathon post 22)

So tonight I leave for Pondicherry. It is definitely a place I love. I lived there for two years---loads of happy memories bout the place. My third book Tea for two and a piece of cake also features Pondicherry.



We used to live very close to the Aurobindo Ashram, which is located in the 'White town area'. Pondicherry is divided into two parts---the white town area, which is very picturesque, quaint with all the streets having French names and the rest of Pondicherry which is like any other small south Indian city.

I have explored so many streets of  Pondicherry on my trusted Kinetic Honda. The streets are too narrow to drive, and the best mode of transport is a cycle or a scooter. I love the beach too, as too Auroville.

I am going to spend a few days with one of my closest friends, who lives there. An impromptu vacation. A time to rejuvenate. A time to reflect, introspect and to come back, happier, calmer and ready to face anything that the world hurls at me.

I think everyone needs a soul vacation. In a couple of hours, I leave for mine.

I will be blogging tomorrow from there--I can't let something like a vacation, come in the way of my blog marathon now, can I?

So see you tomorrow. Same place, and maybe same time :)
Till then, take care and God bless.
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Buy my book Tea for two and a piece of cake, a part of which is set in Pondicherry, at just Rs.111/- You can also pay cash on delivery! (You don't need a card)http://preetishenoy.com/

Five myths about happiness (blog marathon post post 21)

When I was a little girl, I thought about what to pray for. I decided that high on my list were health and happiness, for me as well as my loved ones. That was all I wanted---to be happy.
As an adult, I think that is what most of us want to too--happiness. How do we achieve that? What beliefs do we hold that limit us from being happy?

Here are top 5 myths about happiness.


1. To be happy, everything has to be perfect: Many believe that to be truly happy, every thing has to be perfect. But this rarely happens in real life. When you find the perfect woman of your dreams, she is older, married or already has a boy-friend. When you find the perfect job, the location is not what you desired. Rarely will you find something that is so perfect and has tick-marks in all departments. And even if it does, it is usually transient. If you wait for everything to be perfect, you will never be happy.
 
2.  I will be so happy if : If you depend on external factors that are beyond your control for your happiness, you are going to be forever chasing a chimera. There are so many factors beyond our control and you cannot influence the outcome of anything--merely hope for it. If you lower your expectations about outcome, the chances at happiness becomes higher.


3.Career success make you happy : Career success might make you happy but that would only be temporary. Once you achieve that milestone, you are running for the next one and the next promotion and then the corner office. You slog, you work hard. Someone else gets the promotion. End of happiness. Sometimes you do. What next? The corner office. Then? MD of the company. After that what? When are you going to be truly happy?  Get my drift?


4. I will be happy when I find The One: Studies show that Wedded bliss comes with a shelf-life. It is on an average two years. After that the blinkers come off. The initial euphoria vanishes and the happiness quotient is back to where it was. Also, no matter what you do, there will always be The One You Cannot Have.


5. The best part of my years are over: Those in a job might believe that college years were greatest. Those in college might say that school days were the best times. Those married for several years might long for that time, when the relationship was new. if you are going to forever lookback and crave for what has-been, you are never going to be happy.

Happiest people are those that make the best of a situation. They express gratitude for what they have. They live in the here-and-now. They are warm, cheerful and have a great sense of humour, enabling them to laugh at themselves. They know that happiness comes from inside oneself.
It is a state of being, an art.

And it is something we owe ourselves. We all deserve to be happy!

___________________________________________photo credit: __MaRiNa__ via photopin cc

Read a part of my latest book, The One You Cannot  Havehttp://preetishenoy.com/

Some pictures from my home (blog marathon post 20)

All three picture, clicked by me, from the various balconies/terraces of my home.

A sunset, with it's brilliance running riot---like turmoil in a confused mind.
Except that you remember---the sun sets only to rise again.




My favourite bird is definitely the eagle. Majestic, powerful, Alert---and a symbol of freedom.

Today's post is a picture post. Am sure the uniqueness of the photos more than makes up for a lenghty post.
Which of the three pictures above did you like best? (For me it is a close call between sunset and the Eagle behind the curtain).


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An adventure camp day (blog marathon post 19)

So we spent the day at Bheemeshwari in Karanataka today. It is about 100 kilometres from Bangalore and is a beautiful place, on the banks of river Cauvery. Very green, very picturesque--and in the middle of the forest.


It was truly beautiful.

There was a camp run by Jungle Lodges and Resorts and we opted for the adventure package which had zip-line, tight rope walking and many such adrenaline pumping activities.

Tight-rope walking was extremely scary. It had my heart pumping at thrice it's normal capacity.The zip-line was fabulous and not scary at all.

All in all, a day well spent.
I only wish it had been a little less crowded, and they had organised the booking s better.

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Buy my latest book: The One You Cannot Have



http://preetishenoy.com/

Freedom. (Blog marathon post 18)

This morning, we attended the Independence day celebrations in my daughter's school. The children had put up a splendid performance that enacted the relevant snippets of Indian History,  ranging from the mutiny of 1857, going on to depict the lives of various freedom fighters, a fantastic performance rendition of the poem 'Where the head is held high and the mind is without fear..', an enactment of Mangal Pandey episode, dances, patritoic songs  and  also how India has progressed and evolved.
I had goosebumps as the children performed---so powerful were the emotions invoked.


Later when I got home, I began thinking about what 'Freedom' means to us in a personal context.

To a young professional who has just started a career, Freedom might  mean having enough money to indulge in whatever they desire, without worrying too much about spending. Many people spend their entire lives in pursuit of this.
To a teen , freedom might mean not being accountable to anyone, especially to parents.
To some others freedom might mean, having a choice for attire they wear.

To me, Freedom is the ability to travel wherever I want to, for whatever length of duration, without being answerable to anyone for my actions. To me freedom also means expressing what I believe in,  without any kind of restrictions. Freedom also means choosing what I opt to do in my life. It means that I can go where I want, at any time I desire, wearing whatever I think is appropriate.

Freedom, to me, is a need. Without Freedom, I might exist but it would kill the spirit in me. For me freedom is as essential as the air I breathe and without it I would suffoctae.

What does Freedom mean to you?
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On books, writing and how i work (blog marathon post 18)

The thing about writing a book---most people do not understand when I say I need solitude. They think it is the noise that bothers me. Honestly it isn't. For me, when I write, I want to cut off from the outside world. For me, even a ping on Whatsapp annoys, as it encroaches into my mental space. I don't want to think about anything other than the characters in my book. And the inadvertent  'pinger' does not know this. Especially if the pinger happens to be an acquaintance rather than a good friend.

So I tune off. I go off whatsapp. Go off mail. I don't answer doorbells or phone calls.

That's the way I work.

When I write, I am creating a new world from the scratch. I have to be involved and immersed completely in the creativity process. And I do whatever it takes to get me there. It is very hard most of the time. There a million things at home that need attention. There are a whole lot of things that need to be co-ordinated.
When you work in an office, away from home. you can forget whatever issues exist within the house. But when you are working from your own house, it becomes impossible to.

That's why I always admire any new book (yes, even the badly written ones) that come out. Because I can exactly relate to the sweat, blood and tears that have gone into writing it, apart from battling  million distractions and possible rejection.

The next time you come across a book in a store, spare a thought for the person who wrote it.
And then, if you like what the story is about, in a style that appeals to you, do buy it.

You will be doing the entire publishing industry a big favour! So be kind folks!
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Wordless Wednesday no.43.( Blog marathon post 17)

Fresh organic Mint
Organic spinach, ready to harvest
Organic tomatoes. The dried leaves have now been pruned
I don't know what this flower is, but it is lovely!

These are all snapshots from my garden. This is my post for today, which is a part of Wordless Wednesday.
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Gnite folks. See you tomorrow! http://preetishenoy.com/