Silence in loudness…

there’s so much said in the words we don’t say

There is a silence in me that is so loud that it makes me so familiar with myself and my surroundings. I am someone who can understand others without them saying anything, their silence is so loud that I can hear and with that, I truly never understood when I am also getting used to being in silence. The saying is true silence is so loud if you are a good listener and I think I fit in the category. I was never like that but after I hit adulthood I started being alone not listening to anything just sitting in my thoughts. Yesterday I was travelling around and there was so much loudness but my silence was so strong that I did not know when I arrived. I think I like myself in silence where I can focus on myself and my thoughts. I like being the quiet one who observes the surroundings around me rather than the loud one. I think you can find answers in silence rather than in loudness because silence has so much power to give you answers. I love being myself, I love enjoying being with my thoughts, and I like when I am stuck in my silence and the world keeps moving forward it gives me the power to take my time and then move on. The day I got to know how loud silence is was the day I truly got to see the world and myself. I think being the quiet one helps me be in control of my thoughts and when I see people around me I also think about how many feelings they are going through. I also pray that whoever is going through something may get over it well. Being able to be in silence in the chaos of life just sit and think about life – I love those feelings, silence in loudness.

“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.”

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Before the Coffee Gets Cold (#1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I always loved books and movies that let me experience time travel because of the mistakes I have made in the past, which I can’t rectify but seeing fictional characters getting the chance makes me imagine myself in their place and I feel happy. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is the first book in the series and when I heard it’s Japanese coffee-themed and time travel I knew I needed to read this book and I’m glad I picked this up. So basically this book talks about a funiculi funicula cafe in a small back alley in Tokyo that has been serving brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But with coffee, they allow their customers a unique experience and what is that? The chance to travel back in time. But there is a catch, a risk certain rules that need to be followed for the person to go back in time. And I am not going to tell you because it’s the main thing and experience that you need to find out by reading the book. The book follows four visitors who want to make things right using the cafe’s time-travelling offer.

Now the book is divided into four parts with each part a new customer comes and time travels and their story is told. Each story is so different from the others, however, the common thing between them is the regret and how they want to go back and make things right. But that’s the thing what happened in the past can’t be corrected, the choices were made and destiny played its part. All four stories felt like a warm hug, the characters were beautiful and how I can relate to them. In this book, the stories focus on the lovers, husband and wife, the sisters, and the mother and child and each of them felt to the heart.

This book shows the memories we have of our loved ones and the life we have with them, we can’t imagine living without them but circumstances can’t be reversed. This cafe allows people to get the chance to relive the moment differently but with rules that must be followed. The waitress in the cafe, Kazu Tokita is such a pure and heartwrenching character and I loved her the most. The setting is beautiful as it doesn’t give an impression that in such an ordinary old cafe something big like going back magic can happen but that is what makes it unique.

I loved the book because it’s pure and very calming to read. The author did an incredible job with his writing to showcase the peaceful vibe of the book. I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Vulnerability

Vulnerability is terrifying, the courage it takes to reveal your heart is one of the most daunting…and yet rewarding experiences in life, it will set you free.

I think the concept of being strong in life seems to be a little misunderstood. I feel like this world has made people ashamed if they show their vulnerability and nothing is wrong with this. We are humans, not robots, we are bound to have feelings and every feeling is valid just like being vulnerable. In every person’s life, there are moments of vulnerability where they reflect on their life. Some days we just want to sit and be vulnerable rather than strong and just save up the energy of being strong. Our mind needs a rest and it’s okay to have days where your mind is empty and you feel like doing nothing. Our whole life we are busy doing things to keep up with the world but that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve a break. When we are in the stage of vulnerability we actually see who we are, we see our true self without the mask and allowing people to see us which is one of the greatest and fearest things in life. Talking up the courage to open up is one of the strongest things to do. Strength lies in vulnerability. It takes courage to open up about fears, dreams and hopes that we have kept locked inside the heart but connect on a deeper level. Sometimes it is mandatory to show people that we are humans and being vulnerable is not weak but it makes you stronger on a more profound level. There is nothing like being vulnerable means weak, it’s just a time to rest and reflect on how you truly are. There is a fear of how others will view you with your vulnerable side, however, remember being vulnerable means being true to yourself. But vulnerability is frightening too because not everyone can open up about being vulnerable however it will set you free, and it’s a rewarding experience of your life to see who you truly are and what you truly deserve.

Embracing vulnerability unlocks true strength.

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Review: ‘Falling into Your Smile’ C-drama (2021)

“Necklace this year, Diamond ring next year with a marriage certificate. You look great with anything.” – Lu Si Cheng to Tong Yao

Another one of my favourite Chinese dramas that I will never stop yapping about. I love sports in general and drama, especially Chinese are highly invested in turning them into dramas. I love video games I mean I have spent my entire childhood playing video games, so when I came across this drama I knew I had to watch it. It is about Tong Yao, the first female player in the all-male ZGDX team. She is bubbly, however, her team leader, Lu Si Cheng is cold-hearted. They start on the wrong foot but seeing them setting everything right is worth a thousand times.

Let’s start with the plot of the drama, it involves games and the relationship between the teammates. The biggest concern of mine while watching sports drama is that sometimes they focus so much on sports that relationship development is cornered. But I think this drama balances sports and romance very well. Their teammates were hilarious and I liked that in playing games they were equally treated so nobody looked extra. I liked that they did not focus so much on the female lead’s past but they let it flow. Another thing I liked was the importance of playing as a team and how different it is from playing as an individual. The warm-up of teammates and the slow learning of each other were heartwarming to see. I also loved the fact that the drama revolves around the video games only, not another unnecessary act they added.

Lu Si Cheng, the cold-hearted captain of the team and his face card never declines. I love leads who speak less and act more and he definitely falls in this category. I loved the way he played games and truly acted as the leader. He was the first one who understood Tong Yao and made her realize the importance of playing as a team. I love male leads who are very much clear on what they want and he is the one. He realizes his feelings and confesses them directly to Tong Yao, Oh I love that scene.

Now, Tong Yao is one of my favourite female characters. I loved that the drama portrayed female and male leads as equal in the game. She is hilarious and her scenes are so funny. I want to point out that she is the only girl living in the house with boys. And we might think she will be uncomfortable however she is straightforward while the boys feel shy. I love how she is so game-focused and truly knows her path.

The chemistry is electrifying, I think that added another charm to the drama. I loved their confession scene – simple and sweet. The way Lu Si Cheng confesses in a slow and non-hesitant manner shows he truly wants to be with her. Their pets: the cat and fish play cupid for the couple and I adored it. Also, after getting into a relationship I liked how they kept their professional and personal affairs different from each other. There is no misunderstanding or breakup, a positive point to watch.

The friendship between them is so pure and real. I liked how slowly they warmed up to Tong Yao plus all of them were hilarious. The cinematography was breathtaking, and the stage for the game was beautiful and intense. The house of the ZGDX was so mesmerizing and energetic. I want that house.

Overall the drama ticks all the good marks for friendship, games, and romance so I recommend it.

“Do you want to give it a try?” – Lu Si Cheng

“Try what?” – Tong Yao

“Me.” – Lu Si Cheng

My Rating: 9/10

Total Episodes: 31

Genre: Romance, Friendship, E-sport, Youth

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Having Hobbies…

A good hobby can dispel heartache and give zest to life.

When you become an adult you realize the importance of small things like having hobbies. At first, I used to think that being good at something is what you call a hobby and obviously, only a few people can have that, not me. I was not good at anything and never had any hobbies to be honest and never really realized the importance of it. But I was made to feel bad because I could not do something or be good at “as a child,” diabolical. Anyways look at the contrast when you are a child you need to be perfect at whatever you are doing like drawing but in adulthood you do things just to make yourself happy without caring about the perfection of it. Things that can make your heart at ease, things that make your inner soul happy, and things that bring your inner child out are what are called hobbies. Hobbies are meant to bring out your creativity, making you happy without caring about the result. I think hobbies are the only way humans do not care about the result. Having hobbies means enjoying, resting your mind, satisfying your inner soul, filling yourself with laughter, and making endless memories. Just like the smell of perfume brings you back in time, having hobbies brings back your happiness, laughter, and carefree time. As an adult things that bring some enjoyment in the hectic life are what we truly deserve and hobbies are for that. I think being able to just enjoy without the tension of how it will come out is really a matter that is slept upon. I look at hobbies as a recharge to get back to my hectic schedule otherwise I lose my mind just by doing the same thing. And being creative does not mean being exceptionally good at things but it means living a life but in a fun manner.

Do more things that bring you real and honest joy.

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

I hate myself because how could I not read from Sally Rooney until now? I have heard a lot of people say how intricate and different her books are and I decided to read her latest release Intermezzo. Let me tell you I was not at all disappointed by her, I admire this book so much. I just finished the book and wrote the review because I can’t hold back talking about how much I learned. So this book follows two brothers, a 32-year-old Peter and a 22-year-old Ivan, who had just lost their father. Peter is a lawyer, torn between two women he loves equally. Ivan, a chess prodigy, sees himself fall for a woman who is 14 years older than him. The book shows their life and how they are coping after their father’s death and also, the women in their life. It is said from three perspectives Peter, Ivan and Margaret.

First of all, let’s talk about the different things in the book. The highly controversial thing people hated was the absence of quotation marks in the dialogue. To be honest I did not know about this however I got used to it quickly. At first, it might be really hard but when I got used to it I loved the book. Sally very intelligently uses different writing techniques between Peter and Ivan’s chapters. In Peter’s chapters, the writing style is incomplete, choppy, and hard to understand while Ivan’s is straightforward, direct, and easy to understand. The book focuses on the grief of two brothers who do not share a great bond and after their father passed away how hard it was for them to connect.

Peter, his character might be my favourite and very hard to understand. He according to his brother is very social, good-looking, decisive, and a perfect person to live life. But in reality, from my perspective, Peter was a man who struggled a lot and never had anyone to share his feelings with because he was the oldest. Initially, it was hard for me to connect with Peter but as he opened up about his feelings, I sympathised with him. It is truly said that grief is that feeling that will never go away and a person who is grieving will fall in the big hole of regret and guilt. It was the same with Peter, first of all, he can’t seem to move on and let go of the situation that he is in. He is torn between two women and can’t let go of either of them because people in his life have made him confused.

Ivan is someone who lost his father at the age of 22 which is very early and he is the one who was closest to his father. Ivan is someone whose character is shown as rebellious and has a strong opinion about life. It is easy to understand Ivan because of his strong views and straightforwardness. The thing I would salute Sally for is that she has shown Ivan as a character who is young and prone to mistakes. His frustrations, fears, doubts, awkwardness and regrets felt so personal. I definitely connected with Ivan first because he thinks very intensely which is actually kind of scary. After all, being 22 and thinking so deeply about life is scariest.

The relationship between Peter and Ivan as brothers brings tears to my eyes. Ivan already created his thinking about Peter but in reality, he never asked Peter how he was doing in life. While Peter does not think before sharing his opinion on Ivan’s decision. I loved the confrontation scene that screamed that they were real brothers. I loved it when Ivan realised his mistakes and understood why Peter changed and apologised. Their relationship and this book taught me how awkward I am feeling, and how much I dislike someone but if I see someone I will always ask how they are doing.

I love books which show flawed characters because they’re highly relatable. It is a slow-paced book so if you want to read it you need to have an open mind and be ready to meet the flawed characters. I recommend this book at least once because it’s legit literary fiction that made me feel so many emotions and I loved every emotion I went through when I read.

Rating: 4.5/5

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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living someone else’s dream.

you don’t have time to live someone else’s dream, you only have enough time to live your own dreams.

The last blog post I posted was the review of ‘Love Next Door’ K-drama and when I wrote the review the only thing that kept running through my mind was how the female lead never had a dream because she never thought what she liked she just knew she has to top the school and secure a very good job to make her parents proud. And when a question was raised about her dream when she was in school she did not have any answer and that was astonishing to think about. Having a dream or not both is okay but living off on another person’s dream, on another person’s expectations and on another person’s will is something we never understand until we realize that the pin has reached its limit and is now poking you every now and then. Everyone should have the right to think about what they want. In school, it is not known to us how adulthood is and we are ready to live off our parents’ dream of us becoming what they want. But I have seen that the fuel of it doesn’t last a long run and with that, all fears of breaking our parent’s expectations, starting new, and finding out what we like, get a lot real. I fear that when someone in the future will ask me what my dream was, how I am going to answer them, and if I am happy with what I am doing right now. I don’t know what I will answer to them because in school you don’t realize the importance of what a dream is. You don’t realize that living off another person’s dream will make you so exhausted and fill you with a lot of fears about upsetting people around you. I just want to let you know that the dream and the life you are living should only be worthy of you, you should only be afraid of upsetting yourself, and you should have your own expectations of yourself, and it’s your life. At the end of the day, you will realize that no matter how much you do people are still going to be upset with you so live the life the way you want. Start fresh and I know it is frightening but what makes you happy is worth everything.

Life is too short to be working on someone else’s dream.

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Review: ‘Love Next Door’ K-drama (2024)

“I doubt my decision a dozen times a day and wonder if I’ve made the right choice. But I still think that it’s better to regret doing something than to regret not doing something”. – Choi Seung-Hyo

I am so frustrated and angry with the writers of this drama. OMG, you guys don’t know how excited I was to watch this drama as it was supposed to be a friends-to-lovers trope and it was told that the couple would be chaotic, I mean it makes sense they are friends. However, all my expectations went down the drain, the writers did not make the right use of the chemistry between Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min, they would be such a power couple if the storyline was great. So it is about two friends Choi Seung-Hyo and Bae Seok-Ryu. Choi Seung-hyo is a successful architect while Bae Seok-Ryu works outside South Korea but leaves everything and returns. She tries to reboot her life and her relationship with Choi Seung-Hyo.

Let me break down how it went bad. The first two episodes were perfect, they were chaotic and showed their friendship. It fulfils and shows that the drama will be chaotic and have a healing vibe, and I wanted that. But then the third episode happened and I knew it would not be my cup of tea as in chaotic and happy vibes. In the third episode, the writers went too crazy and included a lot of Seok-ryu trauma altogether, which should have been done in later episodes or in parts. My mood went off then too I continued it and it did get better the next episode, but then the writer did the worst thing by making Choi Seung-Hyo, an idiot. I mean in the beginning he was with her and he was the only one who understood her then why did they make him such an idiot later, he was such a green flag.

“Looking back now, I feel a bit sorry for myself. I cared about how others saw me, and I don’t think I paid attention to myself.” – Bae Soek-Ryu

In the later episodes, Choi Seung-hyo starts ignoring Bae Seok-ryu as he likes her but cannot confess. I mean where is the friendship, she needed him the most and he left her all alone without explaining anything. Love comes second but what about them being friends since childhood? The writers destroyed that by making Seung-hyo ignore and cold to her, I am sorry hello, it makes no sense. Then their exes entered the drama and actually, it was good but the worst of the worst happened they added the disease plot and I would not watch it. Nothing makes sense at all, the fact is most people continued it because Jung Hae-in gave the spoiler. Seok-Ryu endured so much all alone that she did not even tell Seung-Hyo, I mean the way he was with her, how could she tell him.

I wanted to see their friendship, chaotic side, bond, and understanding, but all went downhill. We just get to see their love but I did not feel any chemistry because the writer did all the damage in the beginning. I could not enjoy their love moments because their bond was supposed to be built on trust, not revelation and regret. The chemistry would have been so fierce and I was so excited to see them on screen together but a huge disappointment.

Now let’s talk about the things I love about the drama, actually apart from the main couple I liked everything. The side couple, Kang Don-ho and Jeong Mo-eum stole the spotlight. They were everything that I wanted the main couple to be. They were chaotic, understanding, hilarious, and lovable. Then comes another couple, the parents of Choi Seung-Hyo, they were my favourite of all. If you have watched Queen of Tears, the parents are the older version. I love them, I thought their story would be incomplete but their plot twist was the best. I love the character of Seok-Ryu, she represents all the children out there who are buried underneath the expectations of their parents. I was so touched by her and how strong she was and I am glad she gets to reboot her life the way she wants. She shows it’s never too late and too easy.

“Parents aren’t always right, they make mistakes with their children too. When you argue over it, you end up feeling guilty for no reason.” – Love Next Door

I love the contrast shown between Seung-Hyo and Seok-Ryu’s families. His family doesn’t care so he can be whatever he wants and do whatever he wants but there is no love. But then Seok-Ryu’s family has a bond that binds her to her parent’s expectations, and she doesn’t want to hurt them.

I personally would not recommend this drama as it’s nothing special but infact boring.

“Not everyone can be special. Most people just live ordinary lives. So don’t be too obsessed with becoming someone great. Just find what’s valuable in your life. That’s more than enough.” – Bae Seok-Ryu

My Rating: 6/10

Total Episodes: 16

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Family

Side Note: I just want to clarify that this is entirely my opinion, you are free to love this drama and I am free to give my opinion on this drama. I would be very happy if you loved this drama but please do not take this review to heart; it is okay to have different tastes. Thank You.

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Learning to appreciate small moments

you learn to appreciate the moment once you realise that the moment will always end.

Just a few days ago my exam result came and my feelings at that time are something I wanted to write about. So if you don’t know I have talked about my feelings a lot in the past year on my blog. And here I am again but with progress about how happy I am with my result, and I did not even once doubt myself. It means I am very happy with my result, I talked to my best friend about how since my result came I am just laughing happily and that means a lot to me. It makes me think that I have truly made progress in my life, I have learned to appreciate myself, and that makes me feel so energetic. As I have written previously, life is all about happiness and sadness it keeps on rotating, and it won’t stay still but as humans, we need to appreciate small things in life. I have learned to live in the moment because we know nothing lasts for a long time, especially happiness. But let me tell you that once you learn and reach the stage where you start to appreciate yourself more, you will be happy. I walk with the motto that if a thing brings you happiness even for a short time, just do it and feel that feeling because it will make you stronger to take the next step. Creating a moment of ease amidst the busy life and heavy expectation is something we all need. I never knew that a small thing would give me happiness, no matter how big or small, my heart felt at ease that is what I am happy about. I just want to share this and let you know that I am happy for you if you have made progress in your life and if you are still stuck don’t worry your guardian angel is just behind you pushing you forward, so all the best.

Life is short. Time is fast. No replay, no rewind. So enjoy every moment as it comes.

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn is one of the first thrillers I read when I decided to step up my thriller game. And I loved this book because it definitely checked all the boxes as the new thriller girlie. It is about a woman named Anna Fox who has not left her home in ten months and during that time she has haunted her rooms like a ghost lost in her memories. The only thing that connects her to the world’s reality is her window where she sits all day and watches her neighbours. One day, Russells moves in, a picture-perfect family of three and Anna is instantly drawn to them. Until one evening she heard a terrifying scream and saw something she was not supposed to and from there, her life changed completely.

I loved this book as it was creepy and thrilling. It kept me on edge the whole time especially when the first plot twist happened. The first plot twist OMG, I still remember my jaw hanging for five minutes because I just couldn’t grasp what I read. And you know what after the first plot twist the story gets more creepy and gripping which makes the book interesting. The plot was great from the start I felt like such a good family and then I was gasping at the fact that it was not like that at all, not even close.

Anna, the main character, what can I say about her, she never left me feeling any less creepy, with her thoughts I felt like I was stuck in her mind. Her loneliness was so horrifying because if she wanted to get out of it she couldn’t as she herself had locked the door to her mind. Her mind did not let her accept the reality and that is why she was stuck living in a dream that her mind had created for her that she feels is the reality. What happened to her was heartbreaking and she can’t get past it and that is the reason why her life is like a facade created by herself. I loved the scenes in which she started to realize life and situations. I loved that in the end she realized what truly she is and that is what saved her life.

The other characters in the book are all mysterious and actually deranged. They kept me on the edge and their interactions with Anna were creepy. The pace of the book is fast, and the writing is simple which kept me awake the whole night about what is going to happen next. The ending was good as I did not see it coming but again in a thriller where is the fun if predictable happens, right?

I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5 (Please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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