Preeti Shenoy's Blog, page 82

How to transform your balcony into a lovely garden

The last few days, I have been doing some interesting stuff apart from writing my fourth book. What started as a small idea soon grew into a project and I started reading up and watching videos on Balcony gardens.



Even though I am very fortunate to have  a fairly large garden with a lush green lovely lawn, hibiscus bushes , creepers, jasmine and even a pomegranate tree, I still wanted to make a Balcony garden, because the idea of transforming a neglected space and converting it into something beautiful fascinates me.



I was so pleased with what I managed to do (see the picture above--that is the garden I created) that I thought I'd share it with you. If you have even a small little space, an unused balcony cluttered with junk, you can still transform it into a small haven, where you can retreat and relax with a nice cup of tea at the end of a hard day.



Let me show you how I did it.



This is what my balcony corner looked like, before the makeover.







It was bare and slightly muddy. I gave it a good sweep and washed it with water and cleaned it up. My balcony gets a lot of sunlight and so the next step was to go to the nursery and buy plants which love sunlight.

I went to Lalbagh and the lady there pointed out all the plants which would thrive in direct sunlight.

I bought a lot of plants.

the next step was to plan the garden.

I arranged the taller plants at the back. Like this:





But of course three plants dont make a cozy nook.

So I went shopping for some garden pebbles. I bought white garden pebbles  which cost me Rs.25/- a kilo. I bought about 10 kilos.



Next I wanted some lovely accessories for my garden. I searched online and found some nicegarden stores in bangalore. I spent a day shopping.



Then I arrenaged them and spread out the pebbles.

And Voila!





 I had a lovely little garden.



Here is another picture where my doggie decided to inspect the pebbles and came into the frame :)







Can you see the wine bottles in the back ground? You can easily grow money plants in your empty wine bottles. All you need to do is rinse them thoroughly and top them with water. Now place cuttings of money plants (take care to remove the leaves from the bottom) into the bottles and keep the water topped up every three or four days. (Hold it under running water till the water flows out and gets filled with fresh water. Also wash the leaves).



They make a lovely garden accessory. Here is a close up.









Next I plan to add seating to my balcony (its a fairly big one) and I also plan to add a water body. The sound of falling water is one of the most soothing sounds. I shall keep you posted on how my project develops.



Meanwhile, try transforming your space. This balcony makeover is really not that hard to do. If you are a man with no green thumb you can still do it and impress the woman in your life :) Or so it just for yourself too!



And if you are a woman looking to transform your space--just go ahead and indulge.



Your space and you deserve it.



And if you liked this post and my ideas ldont forget to leave me a comment :)

I too need some  incentives to share, right? :)



____________________________________________________________________________





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

http://preetishenoy.com/

(In)human behaviour

[image error]






Heartwarming Photo of a Dog Sleeping in Its Owners Arms Goes Viral



  In case any of you aren't on the Social Media and do not know about the above story, then please do read it in the link above. I cried when I read it.



The dog's name is Schoep  and his owner is John. They have been together  for 19 years. Schoep now suffers from Arthritis and the condition is terribly painful. The pain was so intense that the dog couldn't sleep. John discovered that water soothes the pain. The water in Lake superior is quite warm at this time of the year and John started taking Schoep into the water and holding him there, so that Schoep could have pain free sleep.



The compassion, the kindness and the pure love moved me to tears. I cried when I read the post and saw the photo. John says that he had rescued Schoep when he was an 8 month old puppy and Schoep had saved him from commiting suicide many years ago.



Do read the link for the whole story. (It has got more than 3 lakh shares!)

It is a shining example of selfless love. This is as pure as it gets.  John is truly a beacon of kindness and people like John make this world a better place.



And then there are folks like these who abandon their pets when they reach middle age (which is when they need the maximum amount of care). I cannot imagine the cruelty involved here. They just leave them on the roads and abandon them totally. It is a case of supreme selfishness. Deplorable really, human nature shocks me, makes me want to weep.



Keeping a dog isn't an easy task. It is exactly like deciding to have a child. It is a LOT of work. Unless you are prepared for the work, do not bring a dog (or any other pet) home. Abandoning a pet because one is fed up  is one of the cruellest things you can do to a voiceless, helpless animal, which loves you with all its heart. (If you live with animals you will know what I am talking about)



 I am so glad there are organisations like Freindicoes who are doing a splendid job for the voiceless.



And I am so glad there are still people like John, in this world.

May their tribe increase.

____________________________________________________________________




If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!




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








http://preetishenoy.com/

Tea with me?

To celebrate the fantastic success  as well as the six month anniversary of my third book 'Tea for two and a piece of cake', my publishers Random House India has come up with a unique contest where 5 people get to have tea with me at a lovely location.



Here is the  link to their post which gives all details. While the contest is open to everyone, do note that the travel expenses to the venue will have to be borne by the contestants..Therefore it is actually a treat if you are Bangalore based. :) Living in the same city as me, has to have some small advantages right? :)



In another exciting thing which happened to me, Zee Business (Zee TV's business channel) interviewed me as a part of a story they are doing on the popular authors in India today.

Here are some still-pictures from the TV shoot.

















 They  asked me interesting questions and they even shot some footage of me with my doggie who decided to co-operate and she was camera happy and enjoyed every bit, unlike her owner who found it all strange :) I have no idea though how much of it would be lost in editing.



You can catch the episode on Saturday 11th August, at 8.00 PM  and there is a repeat telecast on Sunday at 11.00 am and 5.00 pm. The name of the show is 'Weekend edition'.



Youth ki Awaaz (which reaches out to 4.5 million people every month)  published an interview with me, yesterday. This is the link, if you want to read.



I am slowly replying to the tonnes of mails which i have been getting regarding my books and cards. I thank you all for the patience. If you haven't got a reply from me after 20 days, please do resend. I might  have over-looked.



Will post again soon.



Till then, stay positive and happy!



________________________________________________________________________________






If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!




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
  
http://preetishenoy.com/

Have you taken stock lately?

Having got back from an amazing holiday, where I had a lot of time to lie in a hammock, gaze at the blue blue sky punctuated with the deep green coconut trees, accompanied by the gentle lap-lapping sounds of the waves of the beautiful backwaters, as they kissed the rocky embankment, I  discovered the luxury of time, as well as a  lot of answers to questions I always pondered about.







The hammock that brought introspection



I thought about all the people who were in my life who arent there anymore.

I thought about all the people who I thought would remain, but who left.

I thought about the ones I thought who had left for good but came back, with connections stronger than ever.

I thought about the ones I presumed were insignificant but who ended up playing a major role.

I thought about the ones who shaped me, ones who made me laugh, the ones I considered my very own and finally the ones who betrayed, sometimes the last two being the one and the same.



I am certain there are people like that in your life as well.



 I do think it is very important to pause once in a way and take stock.

We are after all the average  of five people we most spend our time with.

(read the article which is hyper-linked. It is worth your time)



Like it or not, people around us do shape us.

Make us what we are and they also have the potential to take us to where we want to go.



But the good thing is:



We get to choose these people.

(Not our parents of course, but the ones we hang out most with.)



We get to filter what inputs that ANYONE gives us.

We get to hear a lot, but we can choose to listen to what we want.



We can choose out filter settings too--to high, low, medium or zero.



Lying on that hammock, I decided my filters.

I decided the people that I want in my life and to what extent I would let them affect me.

I decided what really mattered.

And what really counted.



 I decided to listen to my heart.

Mostly, I  decided to LIVE.



Life is indeed too short to not do the things you badly want to do.





I could lie here forever with a good book for company





Have you  done it lately?



You don't need a hammock really.

You just need some time by yourself--alone with your thoughts.



Take stock.

Trust me, it is worth it.

  _____________________________________________________________






If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!




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


http://preetishenoy.com/

A photo shoot on a Sunday morning

 'Tea for two and a piece of cake' has been doing really well. (Touch wood please, I am superstitious that way.).

It is going  into  third impression soon and my publishers ( Random House India who are really sweet to me) wanted a nice  high resolution colour picture of me.



So Sunday morning was spent in a photo-shoot, the photographers being my husband and two kids (aged 14 and 11).



My daughter of course, doubled up as the fashion director as well. My doggie was an eager participant. She insisted in posing in every picture :)  Fortunately for me, she isn't as tall as me when she stands on all fours. :) (but she is indeed tall enough to put her two front paws on my shoulders and give me a real hug. And she does that often. Not kidding. She is a very large dog)



By the end of it, I was so bored. I have no idea how these fashion models do it day after day. You do need tremendous patience to pose for pictures. I was irritated, frustrated and hated changing so many times. But I had to hide all of that and smile sweetly for the camera.



Here are the pictures they clicked. One of these will go into the new book cover.







 Tried to pose like a typical author here :)






 

 I love the beanbags in my home.






























 This is one of the few pictures where I am not smiling sweetly. I like this one. A good friend said he loved the 'intense look'. He said it makes you want to know what is behind that serious expression.















































































I wasn't kidding when I said that my Doggie wanted to be a part of every snap :) In her last birth I am certain she was a fashion model  and a splendid one at that!







And the two I really liked are:



This one inside the house--I am wearing one of my favourite shirts.











And finally  this one in the sun:









Nice? Did you like the pictures?



If so, indulge the narcissism a bit, will you? :)

_______________________________________________________________________






If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!




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
http://preetishenoy.com/

How much do you love me?

I tell my children and I tell them often how much I love them. I think it is important to say the words. I also crush them with my hugs and smother them with my kisses and they do the same to me.

I love it. It is bliss. On some days, it is truly all that keeps me going.



When my son was very little, (probably when he was three or four)  he would ask me 'Mummy how much do you love me?'

I would say 'As much as the sky, that never ends'.

He would then gaze at the sky and give me a large grin and a larger hug.



As he kept growing, he would keep asking me this.



I would tell him that I loved him as much as the water in the ocean, as much as the milky way galaxy, as much as the  entire Universe and so on. My answers would change each time.  I would modify my answers to suit his understanding  of the world around him, according to his age.



Oh, the joy it brought!



Now my son is fourteen and is already taller than me, and he in jest, he calls me his 'baby 'and says he will take care of me. :)



Yesterday, when I was in the kitchen chopping vegetables, he came up behind me and gave me a hug and asked ' Mummy, how much do you love me?'



'As much as the number of grains of sand in this whole world multiplied by the number of grains of sand,' I answered.



When they are fourteen, you have to work that much harder to impress them and appear cool in their eyes.



'Awww mummy', he said and his hug got tighter.



'How much do you love me?' I asked.



'As much as the number of atoms in all the substances in this world, raised to the power of total number of atoms existing in this world,' he replied.



Yeah, I know. :)

That's what I felt too.



And I just had to preserve this memory by blogging about it.

_______________________________________________________________________________


PS:




If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!




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



http://preetishenoy.com/

Why SMS lingo irks me

Ppl hu cnt b bthred 2 type prply do nt dsrve 2 be rd..




It took me at least five whole minutes to type in the above lingo. I detest it. Period.




The common arguement given for the usage of such deplorable language (sorry, it cannot be anything else) is that




1. The 'Older Generation' usually have a problem with it. But younger generation is okay.

2.It saves time 

3.It saves money.

4.It is how everyone types and who types whole words anyways.

5.It is no big deal. What is the harm if you use it? Why fuss over such a thing?




Allow me to elaborate on why the above are  invalid statements.







 It is not because of age that people have a problem with butchering words. It is because you care about the language. I know many twenty year olds and many teens as well who think it is just 'not cool' to use wrong spellings. (Thank God for such people.)




 I cannot for the life of me, imagine, using 'thout' for 'thought' or 'thinkin' for 'Thinking'.Are you going to save tonnes of money by typing that extra letter? At
the most your message would run into three texts instead of two.







To me it is irritating because misspelled  words  jar on my eyes.



 Also, the more you use it and the more you see it being used or the more you read it, the  greater are the chances of it becoming an unconscious habit. There have been so many reports in the media  not only in India, but also abroad, about how SMS lingo is creeping into answer sheets too. Students use 'btwn' instead of writing 'between' and many more such words are being distorted, maimed.




Welsh Journalist John Humphrys asserts that 'sms lingo' or 'textese' is essentially lazy  and sloppy behaviour. It simply results in eventual ignorance of proper grammar and punctuation. In other words, it just makes you stupid.




I tend to agree strongly.




If I am sparing time to text a person,  then the person is important for me. If the person is important enough, I think that person deserves a proper message. A message typed hurriedly in textese just doesn't cut it for me. And now with the auto complete option in all phones as well as the built in spell-check, there is really no excuse too.




And it is not just texts. I am also talking about such lingo being used  on Instant messengers on smart phones, on the social media, on chats, on e-mails. In short in every online media of communication.




When I get messages or mails or Facebook comments typed in SMS lingo or textese I cringe. To me it spoils the pleasure of reading.

95% of the time I do not read them and just delete them.




Yes I am that finicky.




I do spend at least 16 hours of my day with words. I live with them, I breathe them, I string them together and create complete new worlds with them.




So  the least you can do, as a favour to me is, give me whole words and proper words. Please.




I would consider half eaten, butchered words an insult.


N ys, if U wanna  txt ur frnds usg sms lingo i dnt mind at al jus lv me out of it. ;-)

__________________________________________________________



PS: If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!







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.

http://preetishenoy.com/

Some people have all the luck

'But it is so easy for you. You are so talented and good at everything. Not all of us are as talented as you. So unfair,' she said.





We were having a conversation about loving what you do and doing what you love and whether it is indeed possible to follow your passion and make a  decent living out of it.



I wanted to tell her that most people saw only the sheen, not the grit, nor the passing through the cogs a million times, bearing the pain as you discovered you were much stronger than you thought and that you did not crumble after all.



I wanted to tell her about the thousands and thousands of pages I have written before I was considered worthy of publication. I wanted to tell her about the  back-breaking hours of  meticulous research I have done, sometimes to write just a single para, so that the facts I am stating are accurate.



I wanted to tell her about how I travelled in so many Indian cities, in the unrelenting heat, going to far flung colleges that offered art courses, looking for someone who would teach me portraiture specifically, but how I returned back each time disappointed.



I wanted to tell her  in the UK, when I finally found the portraiture course that I wanted to do, how I walked through four inches of snow, in freezing sub-zero temperatures for 35 minutes to reach my class and how I was the only student in the course who had the rare distinction of not missing a single class.



I wanted to tell her about the time I cried and cried when I lost my dad, and the people I considered 'friends' turned away and how strangers who I met online turned out to be my biggest support systems (and later good friends).

 I wanted to tell her that the best way I discovered to overcome my grief was to immerse myself in work and more work.



I wanted to tell her about all the opportunities I had grabbed even the seemingly useless ones, because I was so afraid that if I did not, the void that was inside me would engulf me.



I wanted to tell her that I wrote  and I painted as I had finally found my calling.

I wanted to finally tell her that  'I really think it is not about talent, it is about hard work. But most
people do not seem to see that.'



But I do not think she wanted to hear.



So  I smiled and said  "Yeah, you're right you know. Some people have all the luck. It is so unfair."

__________________________________________________________________________



 If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!





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



http://preetishenoy.com/

All in a day's work.

So here I am again. (see I am keeping up my promise of coming here often !) I did finish my self-assigned target of writing (for my fourth book) and hurried here to keep my date.



Someone asked me on Facebook whether I sleep :) Made me smile. Then I thought about all that I did today and realised it was blog-worthy :).



 So here is what I did today:



Woke up: 5:45 am (without an alarm. My body just had enough sleep) and let my dog into the garden. Made black coffee.





Made Idlis and Red chutney for lunch, Toast and fried eggs for breakfast.



While the above was cooking on the stove, I did my yoga. I did 30 suryanamskars consecuitvely. Yes, 30! :) Then did a few more Asanas. Then did a few crunches on TRX. (Google it if you do not know about it).



Made this card while the kids were getting ready.









The card was for Nikita's mom. Nikita is my daughter's 'bestest'

 friend and Nikita's mom had bought three of my books and sent it through Nikita who gave it to my daughter for me to sign as she wanted signed copies. I sent her this card  as a thank you. (It is a small card. It looks big in the photo)



Then I sent the children to school and Husband left for work.



Skype chatted with a good friend in the U.S for about 40 minutes.



After the chat, I got down to checking the messages on facebook and also wrote this post about the 'Busy Elf'.



Then I worked on my fourth book and wrote about 2400 words. (Yay!). Felt happy with the progress and some of the rather marvellous sentences I churned out. (even if I may say so myself). Immediately mailed the completed chapters to satish. Shared the 'marvellous' sentences with a good friend who praised it.



Tweeted a lot.



Had lunch (the same idlis and red chutney that I made in the morning. I don't bother to cook just for myself and I eat the same lunch that I make for kids and husband. Saves me so much time)



Had a nice long relaxing time in the Jacuzzi. Treated myself since I completed my writing goal.



Then had a lovely conversation with Ravi Subramaniam. (The author of 'If God was a banker'  and three other books)



The kids came home at 3.30. Made them some Iced tea and delicious mayo-carrot-onion sandwiches.



Took the dog for an hour long walk.



Laughed heartily like a mad woman as my doggie ( a very large ferocious looking terrifying Doberman) scared the living daylights out of a driver who had no clue she was there. ( I can't possibly shout saying 'dog alert--beware' can I?!). He screamed like a little child! Poor guy. (I couldn't help laughing though)



Walked around in my garden admiring the yellow hibiscus and clicked a picture and  tweeted about it.

 



Completed reading three newspapers.

Completed reading 'The Graveyard book' by Neil Gaiman (felt super-motivated. Neil Gaiman is my new God.).

Started reading 'One Moment one Morning' by Sarah Rainer.



Did research for the next chapter I am working on in my book. While I was researching I applied a face-pack. Thought of scaring the courier guy while I had the mask on but refrained.



Made these quilled ear-rings. I am trying making quilled ear-rings for the first time.









I made these for a friend whose birthday it is next week.I had no idea until today how to make them. I just tried and it worked. I was so pleased I sent the picture immediately to Satish and three other good friends. (One male and other two women. The women immediately responded and oooohed and aaahed and fed my ego, making me feel great. No reaction at all from the guy friend :) )



Sat and taught Hindi to my dauhter for an hour and a half as she has a Hindi test tomorrow. I can tell you in 'शुद्ध  हिन्दी ' the defintions of भाषा , व्याकरण and लिपि  :)

I can also tell you a hoard of समानार्थक  शब्द  :)



My daughter gave a very nice back-massage as a thank you for teaching her Hindi so well :) (The tiny perks of being a mother)







Had brief exchanges with fellow authors Madhuri Banerjee and Kiran Manral and Durjoy Datta.





I posted a whole lot of interesting stuff on my Twitter including how to calculate your sleep cycle in order to wake up refreshed.





Replied to posts on my Facebook page.

 

Had dinner with my family.



And finally as a pat on my back, I treated myself to a large glass of some really good Australian Red wine :) (what the heck, I earned it!)



And I told my family today that I wish the scietists invent some pill, where if you take it, you get an equivalent rest of eight hours sleep.  I would be the first to take it!



And so there it was--a typical day in my life. I do try to squeeze the maximum out of life, don't I? Down to the last bit? :)



I don't do it deliberately. Really.

I do  it as I know no other way.



What to do--I am like this vonly :) :)



Addendum: After reading some of the comments I am hastening to add, that ALL my days are not like this! I am no super woman! There are days when I do nothing ( well I read and sleep) whole day :) But the one I blogged about--it was one of those super-productive days--that's all!



____________________________________________________________



 If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!



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



http://preetishenoy.com/

More stuff from The Busy Elf

A big thank you to all the lovely people who ordered stuff from 'The Busy Elf' after reading my post. 





If you haven't read my post, and don't know about 'The Busy Elf' or Keshrie please do read it before you proceed!



Keshrie was really elated when the orders started pouring in and she made a good sum in the first month.



The online store which I set up for her, doesn't seem to be working out and so we are now taking orders directly. For any orders please mail me on ps(at)preetishenoy(dot)com. The entire amount will be paid to Keshrie as soon as it is transferred by you.



You can view all her products (and the prices) on her Facebook page (which I set up for her) here:



https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.121481467993018.20560.121477524660079&type=3



Meanwhile Keshrie has been busy making some more stuff in between working in two houses.



Here are more of her beautiful creations:





Rs.200/- for this fabulous crocheted outfit for that little girl's doll







If you have a special girl in your life who loves her doll she will love this doll's outfit. Rs.200/-





Rs.200/- for this  crocheted dolls outfit.







 Rs.100/- each for the hairbands. The colours can be customised.

Shipping will be extra for all orders. (add Rs.100/- for shipping)















Aren't her creations really lovely?

These make great gifting options too.



Mail me [ps (at)preetishenoy(dot) com ] to place your orders.



And please note I do not take a single paisa out of  all this! I am doing it (depsite being hard pressed for time) as I want to encourage her and help such a talented person and she would never be able to sell stuff online.



Now I am getting back to my writing. (Stole some time to post this as I had promised her I would.)





See you as soon as I hit my word target for the day!

Cheerio, Toodles and Buh-bye for now :)

__________________________________________________________________________


 
psst: If you still don't know about my  Ted talk, go watch!

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







http://preetishenoy.com/