Preeti Shenoy's Blog, page 77

The perfect child.

My eleven year old always has stories to share. I listen. Intently.

I learn a lot from her. Always.

And sometimes her stories make me laugh. And she laughs with me.



We treasure those moments--she and I. She is a lot like me, we have the same sense of humour, and we are so completely in sync, it is hard to stop us once we get started. She reminds me so much of myself when I was eleven, and yet in many ways is so different from me.



Today she had a story to share. It was about this perfect girl in her class. This girl is truly something, my daughter informed me.

'You know what she told me the other day Ma?' she said, almost in disbelief.

'What?'

'She said-- I think I will get and ninety nine and three fourths in math.  If I lose that quarter mark, I `think I will kill myself.'

'Oh my God. Is she that good at studies?'

'Yes and very stuck up too. She always scores 19/20 and 20/20 in all the tests. And she is such a cry baby'

'What do you mean cry-baby?'

'She actually bawls. Can you imagine? If someone tells her even a small thing like 'your plait is coming loose' she bawls and weeps like the world is going to end.'

'Oh! She must be a sensitive child then.'

'No Ma, not sensitive and all. She is just a drama queen. She just wants everything to go her way and she can't accept it if it doesnt. So she cries and bawls to get her way.'

'Oh.'



I didn't know what to say to that. The thought that crossed my mind was what was the point being so good at academics if one didn't have a balanced personality? But of course, like a good Indian mother, I said nothing.  After all, which Indian parent doesn't aspire  a child that scores perfect marks in exams? :) So  I kept my silence.



But the story wasn't over.



'But I made her all right Ma. She is okay now,' my daughter announced.

'Oh. How?' I asked, my curiosity really piqued.

'She has been sitting next to me for about four months now.'

'And?'

'Now she scores only 14/20 and 16/20. And she doesn't cry any more.'







I am still smiling as I type this.

______________________________________________________________________




If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)












http://preetishenoy.com/

Wish list Wednesday number 6

As promised, here is Wish list Wednesday number 6.



The results for Wish list Wednesday number 5 as well as this one and ones to follow from now on,  will all be declared together at the end of the month. Because of my travel, it is taking me a while to co-ordinate with my publishers Westland, to declare the winner and the special mentions, and so please bear with me.



For those of you who do not know about Wish list Wednesdays, it is a writing prompt that I am hosting every Wednesday on my blog till the end of January, in association with Westland Books.



What do you have to do to take part?

Simple--answer the prompt below in your blogs and leave a link! If you do not have a blog and still want to take part, just use my comment box.



Write as much as you want or as little as you want.

Please carry my banner for me :)





The writing prompt for today is:



I wish I could touch..........



Leave your prompts below:







That's it?
Fun, isn't it? :)
Dive in and take part! What are you waiting for?
_________________________________________________________________



 ps: Live chat with me today (23rd Jan 2013) at 11.00 am IST on Rediff.




If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)

http://preetishenoy.com/

Of launches, friendships and the silence between.

Apologies for missing the Wishlist Wednesday, last week. If you have connected with me on Facebook, you would be aware that I have been running around like a headless chicken, in the western parts of the country (Mumbai and Pune  to be precise, where I visited a LOT of book stores)  doing book launches (click on the names of cities to see photos of the events) and 'meet n greets' .



The rest of the month doesn't look any less busy either. But Wish list Wednesdays will run as scheduled till the end of the month. The results will be announced all together at the end of the month, instead of the following week. (That will give me some breathing space--thank you :) )



I would also be at the Taj Lit fest happening in Agra between 1st and 3rd February 2013. I would be in discussion with the renowned Prahalad Kakkar , on 2nd february at 2.45 pm. We would be having a discussion on 'creativity in daily life'. Come and say a hi if you are around :)



To tell you the truth, writing a book is easier than doing all this.  Honest.

For one, there is this business of clothes.

I have so many events now that wardrobe planning has become a thing-that-takes-considerable-time. Of course I want to look nice at my events :)

So even though I detest shopping, I am forced to.



If I had my way, I would just turn up at these events in my shorts and T-shirt and flip-flops. But a little voice in my head tells me  that it isn't  a good idea  and I think I will listen to that little voice :) For now :).



Then, at all my events there is the press. It is nice of course to be interviewed and asked about my books and to be featured. (Click here for press coverage--I have been getting some awesome ones).

It is hugely stressful to smile and pose for the pictures and answer all questions patiently with a smile on your face even though it is the 100th time you have been asked the same question.



And then there are those people whom you expect to be there at your event, but do not turn up. My book launch is a big event for me, and of course it means a lot for me to have people I consider close, present there. Maybe, much more than I care to admit. And it  is bad when some people are conspicuous by their absence.(It is interesting to note how last minute things crop up all of a sudden whenever my event happens at the city they live in).

So I am doubly grateful for all the ones who take the trouble and effort to attend my launches.



 



I was overjoyed to see Manish Rahul, my classmate, at the launch, and also Vasumathi, my senior. We all studied in the same school, KVIIT-Chennai.



Manish recently completed the Mumbai half-marathon and I was very proud of him. Manish and I used to play basket-ball together and our school  truly encourages sports a great deal. (we both went on to play for KVS nationals later)



 I was meeting Manish after eight years! I was meeting Vasumathi for the first time.



It was wonderful to reminisce about our school days.











I was also meeting a very dear friend after ten years. I was delighted she could make it. We were both very overwhelmed and I had to hold back tears of joy. The photographer captured the moment so well.









There is indeed something magical and marvellous about old friendships that are true friendships (Not all are). Sometimes time stands still and it feels as though nothing has changed, even though so much has happened in the interim. There are  a few friendships in my life that have stood the test of time--and I value them such a lot.  (They always find a way back into my writings--for example the friendship between Tanu and Dikhsa in The secret wishlist).









Apart from my friends, fans and readers, support from my fellow authors  means a lot to me.

I was very happy to have Kiran Manral (author of 'The reluctant detective) launch my book. I was also very happy to have Ravi Subramanian (author of several best sellers including the recent Bankster) at the launch. Thank-you to both of you!

Kiran has blogged about it here .



At Pune, I was in conversation with Dr.Manjiri Prabhu (author and film maker) and that was great as well.



At the end of three days, I was so exhausted, it was a miracle that I managed to stand up straight.While I enjoyed my events and meeting so many well-wishers, I also heaved a sigh of relief when it ended. I had been missing my work outs.I had been missing my yoga.I had been missing my quiet time. I had been missing writing in my blog. I had been missing my comfy t-shirt and shorts. I had been missing just being myself..I had also been missing the three people closest to me--the three who know me inside out, and who love me no matter what. I had also been missing my 3rd baby (my doberman) and I was overjoyed to be reunited with her.













And so for now, it is back to routine.



Until the next round starts.



I am grateful for all the success.

I am grateful for all the peace and the quiet time too.



It is so important, you know, the silence between.

_________________________________________________________________________






If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)















http://preetishenoy.com/

On being a celebrity

So one of the biggest things that has happened to me of
late, is my name being there in the Forbes India long list of the 100 most influential celebrities in India.  I was
in my car, on my way home, after shopping for some clothes for my son, when
author and friend Ravi Subramanian (of the 'Bankster' and  ‘If God was a banker' fame), messaged me and
congratulated  me. I honestly thought he
was pulling a prank on me. He then sent me the image of the list and told me to
see the fourth last name. I couldn’t enlarge it for some reason on my phone and
I told him I would see it when I got home.

As soon as I got home, I rushed to my mac and googled the
link. Sure enough, he was right. There was 'Preeti Shenoy', right along with
legends like M.S. Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar,Farhan Akhtar, Karan Johar , Salman
Rushdie and Vikram Seth. (and for the
record, Ravi, unsurprisingly, is in the list too  :-) )

Of course, I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.   I truly couldn’t believe it and it took two
days for the impact to sink in. Actually it still is sinking in. A list of 100
people will be compiled from this long list of 250 people, but for me, to be in
this long list itself is an honour and an achievement.




Messages of congratulations started pouring in. Satish and
the children were so darn proud—I felt moved and blessed to see their love and
pride. So were a few of my close friends. I felt and still feel deeply
overwhelmed by all the love.




This is what Satish posted on his FB. He was elated.















This achievement seems to have catapulted me into a
completely different level. My phone has been ringing non-stop for the past
four-five days now. I have now started saying a firm no, to a lot of things,
simply because I have to prioritize now. There is only so much that I can do in
a day. So I schedule what is most important to me.  The Telegraph newspaper called me up yesterday
where they do a column on the turning points in a celebrity’s life—and they
wanted to feature me. Till then I had not even looked back and even thought
about my life –about what the turning points were. It required some intense
introspection.




 I am also a part of the Taj literature festival in Agra where I will be in discussion with  the legendary Prahalad Kakkar .




Roohi Dixit, a film maker  
(Of Freaky Chakra fame—a movie I loved) and founders of an all woman production house--zero rules, 
is making a movie featuring a few passionate women, who (in her words)
live their life, are successful in following their passion—and I am being featured. When she
called to co-ordinate the dates for shooting, I had to actually look through my
diary and  give her the dates on which I
would be available. She laughed and said “Preeti—you are a busy girl now”.







She was right. This was never the case earlier. I had the luxury of time. Each
day was one long stretch with plenty of hours waiting to be filled, doing
things that gave me joy.

I guard my time fiercely now. It is too precious to be
squandered on things that are not so important to you. So now my days are
planned and scheduled.




Life has indeed got busier. 
But fact remains that I am still the same person that I was when I
started this blog as an unknown somebody. Just because I have now been
officially declared a celebrity, I haven’t sprouted two horns! :-)







Yet, what I notice is some people I consider(ed) close have
started viewing me differently now. They look at me and judge me. That hurts. These are people who have known me for at
least twenty years now and people who have been a part of my life for so darn
long and who know me really well.  Even
the most innocuous stuff that I joke about is screened,  analysed and looked through a ‘Is- that
arrogance- speaking—has she changed—is- she- still –the- same- or- has- fame-
gone-to- her- head’ filter.




When I call up (or message) a couple of people  (who I considered close to me), meeting whom
was never a problem earlier, I am suddenly greeted with stony silences and curt
messages of ‘I am not free’ . No—don’t tell me they suddenly got busy. They
haven’t. What I notice is the ‘You are busy-I will show you I am busier’
attitude. I just see the futility of it all—but there is nothing I can do about
it really! When egos talk, reason makes a quiet exit through the back door.




The Media has been featuring ‘The Secret wish list’ a lot.
Click here to see all the clippings.




I am suddenly confronted with the ugly face of jealousy and
negativity, two emotions that I have kept at bay and I keep running away from. Now I am being
confronted with them, larger than life, all their darkness blown up manifold.
The green eyed monster transforms even the nicest of people into unrecognizable  caricatures—a fact I am
struggling to cope with.









There was a formal launch of the book at Phoenix mall
Bangalore and it was a great event. Click here to see some great  pictures. 































I also had
a ‘meet n greet’ session at Sapna book house, Residency road, Bangalore . The
interaction was fantastic.  I met so many
of my readers, they shared their stories and we left as friends.






Most of the readers who turned up were surprised that I was
there much ahead of time. They remarked that usually celebrities make people
wait for them---and here I was waiting for my readers to turn up. I replied
that as far as I was concerned, I was the host and they were my guests. I did
not believe in making my guests wait!

This is what one of my readers said after the meeting:

Thank u so much. You are not like
other eminent writers. You are very unique. You don't have ego n you made us so
free and frank towards u. I’ ll be praying for your future of both family and
writing career.

Another reader has blogged about
it here.










Click here to see the pictures of
the event at Sapna book house.



















I am doubly grateful to the precious few who are still the
same towards me. They are proud of all that I have achieved. They share my joy
and acknowledge what a journey it has been and they express how happy they are that
I have got to where I am.

I hold on to these people.




I hold on to little moments in my life each day.




Like being
greeted by my dog in the same enthusiastic way (whether or not I am a Forbes
celebrity) :-)

Like, reading to my
children each night,

Like joking with Satish about  various things.

Like admiring the flowers in my garden.

Like reading great books.

Like making Art.




Those are the things that matter really and keep me going. I
feel blessed.




Thank you for reading me and thank you for all the love.




It matters, you know.

A lot more than you’d think.

 _____________________________________________________________________________

ps:   I will be in Mumbai tomorrow , at Crossword Juhu, at 6.30 pm, in discussion with Kiran Manral. (author of The reluctant detective). Come and join in, if you happened to be around




pps:



If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)






http://preetishenoy.com/

Wish list Wednesday No. 5

Wishlist Wednesday is here again!



For those of you who do not know what it is, it is a writing prompt that I am hosting, every Wednesday, till the end of January. Westland  India, will pick one entry and send them a copy of my latest book, The Secret Wish list which has been getting some great reviews.





A big thank you to all of you who took part in Wishlist Wednesday number 4.



I am sure you will all agree that it is a lot of fun taking part even if one doesn't win the book. It is also fun to read what others have written.



However, the entry which won the book this time is:



http://ruminating-optimist.blogspot.in/2013/01/writing-prompt-i-wish-everyone-loved.html



 Hearty Congrats! Please send me your postal address with phone number on ps(at)preetishenoy(dot)com



 Two entries  which got a special mention  are:



 http://mirrorsshadowsnreflections.blogspot.in/2013/01/a-wishlist-wednesday-post.html



 http://anish-nair.blogspot.in/2013/01/i-wish-everyone-loved.html



The prompt for today is:



I wish I had one more chance to ......................................................



 Write as much as you want or as little as you want!

Please carry my banner for me in your posts, and please link only the relevant posts and not the whole blog.





Here is where you can leave your entries:







And for those of you in Bangalore, who have written to me saying you want to meet me, come and say a hello on 12th. It is a very informal meet and we can chat about wish lists and writing and other things :) I promise it will be fun :)


Here is the invitation :)



Please feel free to share the invite with whoever you want.  I will be happy to meet  all who read me :)









happy writing folks!

___________________________________________________________________


If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)















http://preetishenoy.com/

5 things women really want from men

Reams and reams have been written about how women are complicated and how women are from Venus and men are from Mars and how it is impossible to understand what a woman wants.



Mel Gibson even got inside women's minds to figure it out.



But I think it is simple.

Here are five things every woman will want from her man.



1. Tell us we look beautifu l . Notice the small things about us. Like the ear-rings and heels. Notice the new eye-liner. I know most men don't even notice something as trivial as an eye-liner. :)



[A few years back,  I wanted Satish to notice my new eye-liner. I stood in front of him and coyly fluttered my eye-lashes. He genuinely looked puzzled. I fluttered them some more. Then an enlightened look dawned on his face. I waited for him to compliment me about how lost he was in my eyes.  He asked if I was trying to imitate Lalita Pawar.  :D



You can be sure he now appreciates not only my eye-liner, but he can also distinguish between a water-proof mascara, a non-water proof one, eye shadow, smudge and  Kohl. yeah, he has progressed a lot since then.  :)

(The things men have to do to please women, I tell you!) ]



  

2. Please talk. Articulate! Talk to us about stuff that interests you. A new movie? A new book? Even call of duty black ops is fine! Really :). What do you like? What goes on inside that head?  Just talk!



[I think I ought to put Satish on National Television--under Arnab Goswami's scanner and say 'Preeti demands answers and she needs them  now. Talk Satish Talk!]



3. Please dress well. Please make some effort in looking nice when you take us out. Please don't dress like this.



 [Fortunately for me, full marks for Satish in this department. After all, he asks me now and then if what he has picked to wear goes well or asks me to pick out his clothes. :P :D ]



4. Get us little presents for no reason. Anything really! Flowers, a book, a card, a music CD. The gift need not be expensive, but please show that some effort went in choosing that gift. while on the subject I must clarify--table-mats for the house is not a good gift. Neither is a weighing scale :)



[I must further clarify that Satish has never gifted me either of the above. But he came close once when he gifted me Speakers :) They were not even Bose. So ungrateful I am, I know. The poor guy goes and gets a gift for me, and I crib about it on my blog. Women I tell you--so hard to please!]



5.Please listen! I mean really listen when we speak. Pay attention. I know what our girlfriend's sister's cousin wore and whom she talked to and where she went and what her boss told her at work, doesn't really interest you. I know. But listen, will you? And empathise. Be genuinely interested. Or at least try. Women will love you for it.



[Satish has perfected this art too. When I speak (usually a long monologue with 'hmms' from him at appropriate intervals) I pause after five minutes or so and then test him. I ask him 'what did I just say?' and he will repeat verbatim the last few sentences. Then I say--but you didn't react. His standard response to that is 'Oh I didnt know I was supposed to react. What do you want me to say?'

(Yeah I know--women are not happy even when you listen. What do they want really!)]







Recent pic of satish and me. I made sure he appreciated not only my eye-liner but also my bindi, saree, Jhumkas, bangles, everything ;-) and several times--not just once :D







I am quickly and gleefully publishing this post while Satish is watching some cricket on TV :) He has no clue what I am up to. I told him I am working and not to disturb me.

By the time he realises what I have done, it will be too late. Heh heh. Wicked wicked me.



The best he can do as a retort is a come-back post on what men want from women.

And yes--I shall be graceful enough and publish it as a guest post on this blog :)



__________________________________________________________________________


If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)






http://preetishenoy.com/

The week that went by

This morning, I just looked at the date and realised that the New year is already a week old!



Looking back at the last one week, It has been a really hectic week for me.I have been giving press interviews and radio interviews among other things.



DNA as well as the New Indian express carried a piece about The secret Wish list.



















Click on the highlighted words to read the online versions of the above.

The book has been getting some great reviews.Click here to read.



My publishers also told me that it has hit the top 10 in the Nielsen Book scan. I was elated to hear that. So the week had started off on a grand note for me and I am grateful as well as glad.



Among all the madness and the rush of daily life, one of the things that makes me truly happy is books. Every room in my house has books, apart from a dedicated family room, which houses two large antique cupboards (from pondicherry) full of books. One houses Satish's and my books and the other houses the children's books. (I totally love children's books too)









Here is another view of the same room.



















Notice the small cupboard ? That is full of comics :) Like Amar chita kathas, Calvin Hobbes , Asterix and Obelix and Mad comics :) I love them :)



And then there is the work-out room which houses the treadmill. That too has shelves full of  books :)









Even when I am on the treadmill, I read.

Apart from this, you will find books on my bedside table, books in the wooden shelves opposite my bed, and books in my study (where I work and create art). Satish too is a voracious reader and so are my two children. It isn't
unusual to find all of us sitting together, reading our respective
books. We're like that :)





Somehow I hate e-books.


Look at the pictures above. Reducing all those books to this..







It just doesn't cut it for me!



I need to feel the pages, I need to touch the book and somehow curling up with an E-reader on those sofas isn't the same as curling up with a real book!

Sure it is convenient and all that . Sure--I have listened to all the advantages of the e-books.



But I still prefer reading the old fashioned way.

I still use an ink-pen to write. I still send hand-written letters to a few special people.



In this day of modernity., I still cling to some timesless things from the 'old world'.



How has your week been? Has 2013 started off well for you?


Broken any resolutions yet? :) Or didn't make them at all?

E-books or paper books for you?



If you want to share, I am listening :)

Use my comment box please :)

______________________________________________________


If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)






http://preetishenoy.com/

Five P's for Success

Some time back I had written a post - -5 powerful tips to achieve your goals

This was very well received and became very popular.



This is a part-2 to that post.



I have this little black board in my kitchen. I write on it, messages for my family and sometimes, whatever happens to be on my mind at that time. My children too use it to express themselves. We write quirky stuff, amusing stuff, and at times just messages of love and gratitude. I love this little black-board (the one you see in the picture above).



The other day, I was just thinking, what are the core qualities that one needs for success--be it success in anything--personal goals, professional goals or even just achieving what you have set your heart out to achieve---something you badly want?



The 5 p's scribbled on the board is what I came up with. I was thinking mainly from a writer's perspective but later felt these could be applied to anything--hence sharing them here.





Patience : 



No matter what you do, instant gratification is something which is rare. Results take time. It can be very frustrating to wait, once you have done all that you can do. But most of the time patience pays.

Believe that whatever has to come to you, will come to you at the right time. If it doesn't perhaps something better was meant to be.



Persistence:



Sometimes, persisting in something can give rich dividends. However there is a fine line between knowing when to persist and when to turn away. Many a time, if I wanted something badly I have persisted endlessly. Most of the times I have been lucky to get it. But there are times when I have failed too. When that has happened, I have cut my losses, put it behind me and moved on.



Pushing yourself 



On the first glance, you might not perceive a difference between persistence and pushing yourself.  Persistence is doggedly chasing something where the final outcome is not in your hands. Example, before I became a published author, I used to persistently take part in a writing prompt on something called Writers Island, week after week.

After I became a published  author, I push myself to keep a track of my word count, I push myself to sit at the key board and churn out those words. I might decide to junk it the next day--but write I must, push myself I must.



Promise



Make a promise to yourself and keep it up, no matter what. Promise can be about anything--maybe a toxic relationship that is pulling you down? Maybe that you will walk away from everything that makes you unhappy. Maybe a promise that you will try to see the best in everything . Maybe a promise that you will be kinder to yourself. Most of us are so harsh on ourselves. I found  this visual which I have pinned on my pinterest, which resonated with me.





 










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Source: myrandomstuff.se via Preeti on Pinterest



So make that promise  to yourself today!



Pride



Most of us are taught from a young age to not acknowledge our own achievements. We are told  'Don't boast', ' You should not praise yourself, others should.'

This is somehow deeply ingrained in us and soemtimes, we fail to give ourselves credit. if anyone praises us, we feel extremely uncomfortable and say "oh I was just lucky."



But I do believe you need a certain amount of pride to succeed.

You should be proud of how far you have come from where you were. You should have pride in your work.

You should allow yourself to feel good about YOU. Be proud! Celebrate you! :)



May all success be yours!

___________________________________________________________________

ps: Liked this post? Want more like these? Let me know by leaving me a comment below.



pps: 


If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)






http://preetishenoy.com/

Wish list Wednesday No.4

A very happy new year to you all!

 Hope you have a wonderful, peaceful and a joyous 2013.



Welcome to Wish list Wednesdays.  In case you  are new and do not know what Wishlist Wednesdays are, it is a writing prompt hosted by me, every Wednesday, in association with Westland Books , the publishers of  my new book 'The Secret Wish list' which has been getting some great reviews.



Each wednesday I shall host a writing prompt and you can answer the questions in your blogs or in my comment box. One person wins a copy of the 'The Secret Wish list' which will be mailed to them by Westland.



I have really enjoyed reading all the entries in the previous prompt.

I have also managed to leave comments on many entries. (I might not have been able to leave on some for technical reasons--but I did try).



This time, the winning entry is :



http://iamalittlemorethanuseless.blogspot.in/2012/12/wishlist-wednesday-number-3.html



Please send me your postal address and Westland will mail you a copy of the book.



The other two entries which got a special mentions are:

http://rockinglyff.blogspot.in/2012/12/wishlist-wednesday-3.html



and

http://meandmoments.blogspot.in/2012/12/the-one-thing-that-i-wish-everyone.html



Congrats to all who took part.



The prompt this time is:



I wish everyone loved  .......................................... 





You can write as much as you want or as little as you want. Leave your links below but please link only the exact post and not the whole blog.



Please carry my banner for me :)







Please leave your links below:





 
























Happy writing! And please leave me a comment after linking :)

Have a great day :)
_________________________________________________________________________




If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

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My best of 2012

The last day of the year.

I thought I would do a post on the best movies, songs and books of 2012.



When I say 'best', it is just my personal choice. It isn't based on sales or any official figures. It is stuff that left an impact on me, stuff that I felt was worth remembering.



First the  movies. I do not watch Television at all but I do watch movies. Three movies that i totally loved were:











This one really made me cry. I could so identify with the protagonist. If you haven't watched, do watch it. It is a story that will touch your heart.

Another movie that I loved was:









Surprisingly most men I spoke to didn't like it. They said it was neither a typical James Bond movie, nor was it a 'very good movie'. Me--I totally loved it! Daniel Craig was just wow :-)



 Another movie which blew me away totally was:







Since I have lived in Pondicherry (I love the place) some of the frames were very places I have been to innumerable times! Life of Pi is a 'must watch'.



 The other movie I liked was Zindagi na mile dubara . It was a fun watch. I also liked Talaash especially the sensitive way in which the brothels were portrayed and the irony of the love story between the pimp and the prostitute and the dreams he wove. (this was not the main theme of the film, it was a minor thing but it struck a chord with me). I also enjoyed Vicky Donor .



And the one I totally detested, abhorred, gagged over was the much touted 'Barfi' ( so many scenes --a blatant copy of many movies). It gave me such a head-ache. I wanted to run out of the movie hall after enduring twenty minutes of this torture.And to think that this absoulte crap was nominated as India's entry for Oscars. (*runs to the toilet to puke*)



The songs which made an impact on me in 2012:



The best song which totally bowled me over was

Gotye's somebody that I used to know.







 I must have listened to it at least a 100 times  by now.







The video is amazing too.



Another one which i liked (even though it is very teeny-boppish) was:







 I also liked Swedish House mafia's 'Don't you worry child '.  and also Lenka's everything at once.



When I think of Hindi songs,  the only ones which come to mind are 'Ishq wala love'  (from movie student of the year which i refuse to watch--just not my kind) and 'Subah hone na de' (from Desi boys which was fun). I liked both these songs a lot.



Guess I am not that big on Hindi music--I am sure there are many more great songs but I am just ignorant or they didn't make an impact on me.



Now for the books that I absolutely loved  and are a 'Must read'.



(and by the way, click here for the official list of TOP FIVE highest selling books of 2012 and  guess  what--my 'tea for two and a piece of cake' has made it to top five!!)



If I were to pick books, I would pick the following:









 I totally love Mitch Albom's writings and his book 'Tuesdays with Morrie' remains one of my all time favourites. 'The time keeper' is a book which is brilliant and a must read.



Another book I loved was Ruskin Bond's Maharani.







Ruskin Bond's story telling skills are legendary and I love his writing. Maharani was a story which left an impact on me and transported me so effortlessly into his world. (which is what a good writer should do. the reading has to be effortless and the prose has to flow smooth)



Two other books I loved (which i read in 2012--but they were written much earlier) were  Neil Gaiman 's Graveyard book and Eva Ibbotson's Platform of Secret 13. Both are not really adult books, but I loved them both. :)



Do you have a list of the best of 2012?



Share it with me (with links please) :) I would love to know.



Wishing you all an amazing 2013, filled with joy, peace and happiness.



Until next year--take care! :)



________________________________________________________________


If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them here. (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them here

 And you can interact with me on my FB page. I always reply :)






http://preetishenoy.com/