Living.

You will bloom if you take the time to water yourself.

Yesterday, I visited places where I used to go when I was not in a life crisis. It is so funny to me that some places remind me of my life, where I was happy and where I was living. I remember the time when living was not hard, and I didn’t have to think about what I needed to do next. And the next moment, I wonder why I can’t be like that anymore, why it is so hard to just live in the present and the endless questions. The sudden realization has led me to denial and deep thought about how I am just surviving the life that I should be living. The realization has opened my eyes to how my life has changed so much. I used to go out and see the world beyond the four walls and now how the four walls have trapped me in them. I have just become a person who thinks about what I need to do the next day and how much pending work I have to complete. And amidst where is the part where I should be happily living and looking forward to life. The sudden realization has awakened something in me that I just can’t let go of, and I feel sorry for myself because the routine I follow is the same, with my stress level is increasing. I really want to just sometimes relax and let it be because I know with time it will happen, and everything is going to be okay. I always think about why life has to be like that, why we have to fight every single day to live the life that is given to us, and maybe I will get the answer to this question when I truly understand when I get back and start living my life again. Maybe I should stop thinking about the next moment; maybe I should start living life the same way before. And I know I can do it; it is just the pressure of my own self that is not letting me enjoy my life.

The world around you is beautiful when the world within you is peaceful.

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

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Creating your own happiness

Being happy is a very personal thing and it really has nothing to do with anyone else.

One of the best things that I love about being an adult is that I know what makes me happy and what I can do to create my own happiness. Every individual is different; the hobbies might be the same, but how one does those hobbies is different. I like seeing humans enjoy something that they truly love; I love to see their passions and wish to have passion for things that I love. Growing up, I was a kid who was all over the place. I had no interest in anything like a hobby that I could do on weekends and brag about how much fun I had. It took me time to find what I truly love because I didn’t want to do things that are common and what most others do to fit in society. I truly wanted to find what makes me happy, and I know it will help me keep going. When I found out there are things that make some happy from the inside, I was content because that is why you need a cold winter when the harsh wind reminds you of your hardship, but doing what you love wraps you around like a warm, cozy blanket. Creating your own happiness is so important because nobody is responsible for your life; only you can make yourself truly happy. If you want to do something, do it, don’t think about others, it’s your happiness that counts the most in the end. Oh, to find things that make you happy is just a graceful fortune that one can own, and it doesn’t have to be big. Remember, finding joy in little things is what actual happiness looks like. So, get up and start doing what makes you happy. The world has already given you a lot of moments to be depressed, but you need to get up and do what makes you happy because, in the end, what matters is creating your own happiness.

True happiness is when we are happy with ourselves.

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

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Book Review: Grave Matter by Karina Halle

Seriously, it is one of the most underrated books I have read. The book Grave Matter by Karina Halle is a gothic fiction, psychological thriller, and science fiction and OMG, what a book it was. I just recently finished it, and I know I need to write about it ASAP. So this book follows an aspiring mycologist, Sydney Denik, who is getting a second chance at life. When a dream opportunity came in the form of working in a prestigious foundation, how could Sydney deny it? However, the prestigious foundation is not what one can imagine; it is isolated, with no outside connection, and everyone around her is hiding secrets. How is Sydney going to survive in the middle of nowhere with people hiding secrets and finding herself falling for one of the residents of the foundation?

Let’s start with the character of Sydney Denik. Just like every horror book, she is very dumb. Seriously, there is no single cell left in her brain. I thought she would be smart at first, but boy, I was so wrong. The entire book is in her POV, and I felt that I was in her brain. I wouldn’t say she was a complex character, but what was happening to her was definitely creepy. The book is more focused on the plot rather than the character, so there is nothing more to say about Sydney.

Then we have Wes, the MMC, and as I said, the book is in Sydney’s POV there was nothing much about his character. However, through her POV, we get to know how obsessive he was. Through him, we only get to see the love he had for Sydney; the boy did everything for Sydney. They have great chemistry, and the instant connection they felt was definitely a spoiler.

Now, the main thing that kept me hooked to the book was the PLOT. There was not a single moment in the book where I was bored because Karina Halle’s writing was so intriguing and fast-paced. The plot was outstanding, and even though there were technical terms as it is science fiction however everything was written so easily that I understood it so well. I understood what was happening pretty much early in the book but still, the end plot twist I didn’t see it coming at all.

I truly enjoyed the vibe of the book and the ending as well. The plot is complex, but the writing isn’t, so I think that was the reason I vibed with the book. There was so much creepiness, and at one point, I was truly confused if Sydney would ever make it alive or not. The book was perfectly balanced with mystery, romance, sci-fi, and horror, which made the storyline interesting.

If you would like to read a mixture of horror romance and science fiction, 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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Feeling more grateful.

I am grateful for the good energy flowing through me.

Life is unpredictable some days it makes us touch the infinity sky while some days it throws us on the ground so hard that standing up again becomes impossible. But I have learned whatever happens I need to accept it because life is also inevitable, the more fast I will accept the more I will move on and get better in life. There is no doubt that when life gives us everything we seem so grateful however when it takes us away from things we fall on the negative side of complaining and that is completely okay, I am like that too and should I say was. For a long time, my acceptance level in life has increased a lot I have become more calm about the chaos that keeps popping up from nowhere in my life and I wonder what? Whenever life throws something unpredictable towards me I think of people who are far worse than me and then too they are smiling. They are in a lot of pain but they have learned to smile in that pain and that makes me think how strong those people are. It is all about the mind and the perspective of how we see things if we look at it through a positive perspective then it makes living bearable. Because I accepted things, I have become more grateful for the life I am living. I am so thankful that my life is not exactly filled with thunderstorms, and I need to protect myself every now and then. Being grateful, not only means big things but it’s mostly about small things in life like your favourite food, good sleep, a good friend, and buying a book basically small moments that bring you joy from inside and a smile on your face. I say that life is not exactly a bed of roses as we will find thorns attached to it but that doesn’t mean we will ignore the beauty of the roses. I am feeling more grateful for life and I believe that you also have something that you should be thankful for, yourself!

grateful for small things, big things and everything in between.

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

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Your own speed

Your direction is more important than your speed.

As an adult, there are a lot of things that I have realized the hard way, and one of them is that I have my own speed to achieve things, I have my own speed, and I should not feel bad if at a certain age I am far behind others. In the era of social media, when we look around, we see how fast the world is moving and people are moving too, but we are still stuck at the same page. I have felt that so many times. I have felt that I can’t do that, what is wrong with me, and a lot of why I can’t seem to find the answer. However, there is only one me in this entire world, nobody can be me and I can’t be someone else, so why should I compare myself with others? I think the world has made the perspective about how at a certain age the person should achieve this, but what about others who are fighting so much in their life to just survive? Why is it wrong to lag? Are we in competition with someone? There are many questions and accusations, but there is no sensible answer to them. I know myself, I know I am working really hard for my future and at some point in my life I feel like I need a break, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so because I deserve it. I have my own speed and if the world can’t accept it then I will create my own speed just to protect myself. I want to let you know that everything will set one day, maybe not today, but a day will come when you will look back and be grateful that you prioritised yourself and moved ahead at your speed. Remember we have to go far, so walking and running at your own speed is how it is possible. Walk at your speed, you don’t need the world to cheer you up at the finish line, you are enough for it.

Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up.

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

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Book Review: The Castaways by Lucy Clarke

I randomly picked this book very early in my reading journey, and it’s been a long time since I read it. Guess what? I have not forgotten it at all. Because I hated no wait, despised the ending of this book. The book follows the story of two sisters, Lori and Erin. Lori books a holiday for herself and her sister to Fiji, but a night before the flight, both sisters have a fight. So Lori ended up boarding the flight alone while Erin never boarded the flight. But here is the twist, Lori never reached Fiji and Erin can’t get hold of her, so as a reporter she is trying to find out what happened to her sister.

The book was so good from the start, full of thrilling, however, the end ruined it for me. It’s a long book with many characters in two different places and timelines. Throughout the book, I was so intrigued because apart from sisters, there were other characters as well, which were pretty intense. The book goes back in past with Lori’s point of view and in present it moves with Erin’s point of view.

Erin’s character was my favourite, even though she was messed up, she did everything to find her sister. Lori was my favourite until the end. There are other characters with their own story, and we can’t trust anyone, so that was pretty intense for Lori as well as for me. The plot was actually quite fast and it kept me engaged. Since it is more mystery than thriller, I was quite eager to see what actually happened to Lori, so I read it really fast. The plot was messed up, but in a good way, because we have different characters’ involvement and so much was happening, so I can’t even guess what actually happened.

The ending was not good at all. I read so much just to see this ending, I can’t believe it was so unfair for Erin. I didn’t appreciate Lori for the decision she made in the end. It would have made more sense if the ending was different because this ending made no sense. I just found out that it was adapted into a TV series.

Would I recommend? Maybe…

Rating: 3/5

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

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Taking a Break…

Sometimes you need to take a break from everyone and spend time alone to experience, appreciate, and love yourself. – Robert Tew

A couple of posts back I wrote about how as an adult my life has been the same. My daily routine is the same. I do the same thing every day, and I never realized it until now. Even though I do the same thing every day, my energy is getting drained, and I can feel myself getting physically and emotionally tired, and I wonder why. Because the stress is catching up to me, every single day with the same task, my stress level is increasing, and the funny thing is that I don’t realize it until the last energy is left in me. I think I need to do work no matter what because this is what adult life is all about, right? No, it is not, there is so much we need to do other than work, and that is just taking a rest. I see my break as a step back to just relax and appreciate what I have achieved till now, and then believe that I will do the same ahead as well. Everyone says that work is everything but nobody gives enough emphasis on how much a break is needed. Taking a break from a hectic life is not something that will come to mind until we don’t feel ourselves drained from the outside and inside, we won’t notice how hard we have worked, but we need to realize that before we feel ourselves drained, we need to take a break. Work is never going to stop nor the problems, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a break, life is unpredictable, however, life has bound you by fate, what is written in your fate will happen no matter what, so why not live peacefully before any destruction comes. So keep aside all your work, and just close your eyes, let your mind rest and soak in the mandatory break that you need. Doing work is important, but at the same time taking a break is highly important for your mind and body.

Stop feeling guilty for taking a break.

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

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Book Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.” – Achilles about Patroclus.

I had to do a research paper on mythology and literature, so I picked The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I would say this was my first proper historical fiction and I loved every single word of it. The book is a retelling of the Trojan War set during the Greek Heroic Age and is told from the perspective of Patroclus.

The character of Achilles is so complex, seeing him as a leader with no fear and strong passion truly made me addicted to this book. I loved how he was not afraid of anything, the royal blood made him so ready for the obstacles that would come in front of him. I liked his communication skills, just talk how much you need to. I think being a good leader comes with the quality of observing and finding out what one feels rather than talking much, which Achilles nailed. The way the writer has written Achilles’s fighting skills was incredible.

Talking about my favourite character, Patroclus, oh how much I wanted to give him comfort and love. Seeing how relatable he was because of his anxiety and how much his own parents criticised him for being not a good prince broke my heart. I think Achilles’s biggest motivation as well as weakness was Patroclus and people knew that, so we can say how this awkward prince has power in his heart. Till the last this boy fought through everything for his tribe and Achilles because he never wanted people to be against Achilles. He deserves so much and the saying is so true that goodness always leads to one’s destruction.

The characters of Achilles and Patroclus are moulded in a way that shows every aspect of the relationship. The chemistry, the intensity, the friendship, and the understanding of everything about them is so beautiful and heart-wrenching. They both were two peas in a pot, and both couldn’t live without each other. Achilles, the strongest man, gave his weakness to only Patroclus while Patroclus, the awkward prince found solace in the strong-headed Achilles.

The story is so beautiful and heart-wrenching. There is something so surreal about reading about mythologies of centuries and seeing how that has incorporated the world today. Greek mythology is beautiful but shattering at the same time. The end was so emotional and heartbreaking, that it still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.

If you are someone who likes reading about mythologies then I highly recommend this because it might hurt your head seeing so much going on altogether.

Rating: 3.5/5

“He is half of my soul, as the poets say.”

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

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Don’t ever stop.

Never stop trying.

Never stop believing.

Never give up.

Your day will come.

I have always known that life is a cycle of happiness, sadness, happiness and just like that life continues. We humans tend to feel a lot of emotions that make us feel good and bad about ourselves. But do you know if we never feel sadness how will we ever realize the importance of happiness, how will we ever know how happy we are? Thoughts keep pouring into my mind about myself, whether I am doing well enough, and why I can’t see myself feeling satisfied with life and my goals. Because I always focus on my negative thinking and ignore my success and how much life truly has brought me happiness. Life indeed makes you think that your negative weighs over your positive and we just sit and question our lives. But I always remember how much I have done and how hard I am working and I am going to be okay. The important thing I have learned is to never stop, life is going to throw many challenges towards me but I have to keep pushing myself. Don’t ever stop, believe me, you are worth everything you want. Somedays might look tough and it will be difficult going through it but life is not always bad it’s the way you can see the good side of life and yourself. Don’t ever stop believing in yourself, you can do so much and you will realize that one day but before that please keep trying hard. Don’t think just do, because thinking will only make the scenario worse and what is not even true. Don’t ever stop for anyone, do whatever you want, you just live once and make the most out of it. The major thing that keeps me going is to try, at least try without caring about the result because trying won’t leave you with regret but not trying will.

don’t stop when you’re tired stop when you’re done

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

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Book Review: What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

Clearly, we can see that I am in my thriller era and my next pick was What Lies Between Us by John Marrs, it was my first book by this author. The book follows the story of a mother and a daughter, Maggie and Nina. However, their relationship is very different from that of a typical mother-daughter relationship. Every night Nina helps Maggie after dinner to go to the attic and ties her with heavy chains that keep her there. Because Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she has done to her. Also, there are many secrets that Maggie has kept that Nina doesn’t know and she will keep it that way no matter what.

I don’t really know what I felt while reading this because it is more than a thriller, there are thrilling vibes however it is not exactly like a thriller book but more a horror story between a daughter and a mother. Nina’s character is one of the most dangerous characters I have ever read in a thriller. The way she was from the start showed and gave me all the hints of the plot twist. I was actually traumatized by Nina, her point of view was so aggressive and just out there, it’s crazy.

Maggie’s character shows a lot to the readers. I can understand she loved Nina a lot and would do anything for her but I felt like if she asked for help a lot of people would be alive. But a mother can go to any extent to save her daughter. I was so shocked reading how Maggie, the mother, did anything possible to save her daughter, Nina.

The storyline is very traumatizing and very deep. The book gave me a headache because there are shocking revelations throughout, and all of them are deeply disturbing. The plot twists were not shocking at all because I guessed almost all right, and that is what makes it not a thriller for me but more of a horror story about a daughter and a mother. Because as the revelations are made, the story turns crazier.

The vibe is so creepy and I was shocked by what I was reading. Nina is a very complex character and reading her different phases of life gave me creeps and I can never forget her character. The book gave me a headache in what I was reading, however, I felt it was more horror than a thriller. And the book was kind of slow so that did not fit right with me. The setting is very disturbing as well as the characters of Maggie and Nina.

I wouldn’t put out there to recommend this book but if you want to read please check the trigger warnings.

Rating: 3/5 (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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