Transition of Thoughts

Weaving thoughts into words

Month: November 2016 Page 1 of 3

100 word story: Lunching in luxury

Lunching in luxury

Lunching in luxury

 Image Credit – Timur Saglambilek

When it came to eating out, food wasn’t her most important criterion. She made sure to choose the restaurant which offered the best ambience.

And so, when it came to her birthday, her friends thought of nothing but the best. The view from the restaurant down to the valley below was majestic. It felt as though the clouds had come down. The lighting was just right and the tables had been separated far apart so as to give everyone their space.

This was the perfect atmosphere to have a nice meal amidst the clinking of glasses of wine and cutlery.

Linking to Friday Foto Fiction

NaBloPoMo November 2016

Guest Post: How to stay motivated during the worst days at work?

A tough day at work

A tough day at work

Source: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2013/03/20/17/00/russia-95311_960_720.jpg

We all have seen tough days at work. They happen every now and then. Sometimes it is the presentation you worked very hard on that gets rejected or learning that you are not getting the promotion that was promised. Tough days simply can’t be avoided. While it is not always in our hands to stop a day from turning bad at work, it is totally in our control to sail through the day without letting it hamper our daily work and productivity. Though it is difficult to keep our motivation levels high on tough days, putting a little bit of effort to stay positive can really do wonders for you even when everything seems to be going against you.

Here are a few ways in which you can convince yourself to work through tough days even if you have run out of motivation:

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Movie Review – Dear Zindagi

Dear Zindagi

Dear Zindagi

Starring Alia Bhatt, Shahrukh Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar and Angad Bedi, Dear Zindagi is Gauri Shinde’s second directorial venture after the Sridevi starrer – English Vinglish. Her first flick had an excellent story and some fantastic acting by Sridevi. It was a movie that had soul and appealed strongly to the heart. Does this one work the same way?

The story goes like this –

Kaira (Alia Bhatt) is a cinematographer who is trying to work her way towards directing a feature film. She seems like a determined and career oriented woman who is doing all it takes to succeed starting from ads and short films. But as life goes on, she meets a lot of different men like Angad Bedi, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar and Aditya Roy Kapur each of whom make a mark in her life in a different way. 

A chance encounter with Dr Jehangir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) turns her life upside down. She starts seeing life from a different lens. The rest of the story deals with what all she does to get her meandering life back on track. 

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100 word fiction: The locked room..

The purple door

PHOTO PROMPT © CEayr

The room had been locked for years. Rachel had heard stories about her aunt’s ghost lurking behind those doors. This aunt had failed in love and out of despair, she committed suicide.

Rachel didn’t believe all this until one evening when she heard footsteps from the room. They got louder and louder and finally someone began banging the door from inside amidst cries for help. Even before she could react, the door was thrown open.

Almost immediately, Rachel got up sweating profusely. It was 3am and she looked out only to see the room locked as before. Was she dreaming?

Written for the photo prompt and you can read the other entries here.

NaBloPoMo November 2016

Book Review – The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion

The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion

The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion

Source: http://writersmelon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/peshwa-1.jpg

Truth be told, I am not a big fan of mythological / historical fiction. But then, this book attracted me since Ram was my classmate at Indian School Muscat and I was keen to read his work considering all the good reviews it was getting. Is this a debut to remember for Ram? Let’s check it out.

The blurb goes like this –

It is the 18th century and despite the dominant Mughal rule, the Maratha Confederacy has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Indian Subcontinent. The fragile peace between the two powers is threatened when Balaji Vishvanath Bhat, Peshwa of the Confederacy, foils the plans of Nizam Ul Mulk of the Mughal Empire, and asserts the power of the Marathas. However, little does the Peshwa know that he has dealt the Nizam an unintended wound—one with roots in his mysterious past and one that he would seek to avenge till his last breath.

When the Peshwa surrenders his life to a terminal illness dark clouds gather over the Confederacy as it is threatened by a Mughal invasion as well as an internal rebellion.

All the while a passive spectator, the Peshwa’s son, Bajirao Bhat, now needs to rise beyond the grief of his father’s passing, his scant military and administrative experience, and his intense love for his wife and newborn son to rescue everything he holds dear. Will the young man be able to protect the Confederacy from internal strife and crush the armies of the Empire all while battling inner demons? Will he live up to his title of Peshwa?

The book is published by Westland Ltd. and it surely has quite an eye – catching cover showing Bajirao riding a stallion. This is sure to capture your attention and you surely want to move on to the story as soon as possible.

While I haven’t seen Bajirao Mastani, I must say that Ram has an excellent concept at hand. I am not sure why so less has been talked about Bajirao in our history books. But he sure was a mighty warrior. The book starts off by tracing the journey of his father – Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath who trains Bajirao initially and then finally Bajirao grows to be a successful soldier in his own right leading his troops onto the battlefield with utmost confidence. The conversations and the emotional connect between both father and son is quite effectively portrayed.

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Why is speaking English important?

Speaking English can take you places

Speaking English can take you places

Source: http://grafweb.se/wp-content/uploads/sites/144/2014/06/Språk-1.jpg

There was a time when speaking English was associated with a person’s status and financial standing in Indian and many other societies around the world. But the times are changing fast. English is slowly but surely becoming one of the most widely spoken languages on the planet.

While Chinese and Spanish are the top two most widely spoken languages in numbers, English which comes in third in the list is one of the most widely accepted among the global market whether on the business or political landscape. While many countries give importance to their own languages like German, Japanese, Russian etc., even in these countries English is regarded as a 2nd language which is an important criterion to move higher up the career ladder in any multi-national organization.

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Skywatch Friday: En-route to Domodedovo Airport

Snow as far as the eyes can see - Enroute to Domodedovo Airport, Moscow

Snow as far as the eyes can see on a dark & gloomy day – Enroute to Domodedovo Airport, Moscow

It might be dark out there stormy and gloomy but tomorrow is always a new day. The sun will shine it has to, there are 4 seasons, it’s a given.

– Jasmina Siderovski

Linking to Skywatch Friday

NaBloPoMo November 2016

Cee’s Which Way Challenge – Wordless Wednesday

Roads of Oman

Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!

– Bob Marley

Linking to Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge

NaBloPoMo November 2016

India’s Demonetization Exercise: 5 Eye Openers

India's demonetization exercise

India’s demonetization exercise

Source: http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/khu9H4ll176QP-6UAz3L7e-LNh4=/950×534/2016%2F11%2F14%2Fc4%2FAP_16318310145601.dd930.jpg

Since 8th November 2016 when the Indian Prime Minister made the dramatic announcement to de-legalize Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes in order to fight the huge problem of black money in the country, there have been views and counter views of all and sundry on each and every move associated with this major exercise.

While there is a lot of support among the general public, there are a lot many dissenting voices too with opinions ranging from the bizarre to ones that are much more thoughtful and balanced. Whatever be the case, this has been the major topic of discussion in news rooms, at bus stops, at shopping malls, at markets, at restaurants, at movie theaters, at hospitals and almost any either place you could think of.

Rather than going into the pros and cons of this move, I will list down a few eye openers regarding this exercise.

86% of cash

Before 8th November, did you all know that 86% (Rs 14 trillion) of the cash flow in India consisted of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes? This high percentage is also one of the key reasons that we have more than 90% transactions in India in cash making it a cash based economy. Now if I think of it, I almost always struggled to get Rs 100 notes from ATMs. There was always a constant need to get change from the nearest shop once the cash was withdrawn.

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Microblog Mondays: A visit to the Lucknow Gomti Riverfront

Lucknow Gomti Riverfront

These days it’s becoming really difficult to find lush green spaces amidst most overpopulated Indian cities. More and more youngsters of today are spending their time with their gadgets rather than coming out and taking a walk in fresh air. As various kinds of health problems like heart diseases, hypertension, obesity etc. mount, it’s becoming more important than ever to go out for walks if heading to the gym is not your cup of tea.

Lucknow Gomti Riverfront

And that’s where something like the Lucknow Gomti Riverfront comes in. Constantly ranked among the most polluted cities on the planet, Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh in India has been in desperate need for green spaces. And looks like finally a start has been made. This 1500 crore project has involved cleaning up the Gomti river which flows through the city along with ensuring that more than 30 or so nullahs are cleaned and the sewage is not dumped into the river.

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