I am in high spirits. I HAVE FINALLY OBTAINED MY PHONE!

You know the impediments of not possessing a smartphone in today’s world, right? It is subversive, against the norms of social etiquette. Your friends are continuously comparing game scores, discussing their lives over WhatsApp, planning trips, contributing to important decisions like climate change and habitat loss(or so it seems) discussing projects animatedly and listening to their favorite music and what are you doing, suffering in FOMO? This phone-free status had turned my world upside down and made me feel like a “recluse”. It didn’t matter if this device provided you with uninhibited access to the inevitable, cyberbullying, vulnerabilities, and distractions (A huge list provided by my well-wishers), I was not OK to live in the pre-historic times, you see! And clearly, the positives outweighed the negatives. (At least, for now…)

“…where the Grove of Dodona is”, I read, engrossed in the 1^st book of the Trials of Apollo. I had recently started the series and already, I loved it. I walked into the bedroom, looking for a comb to tame my unruly hair. It was disrupting my reading and I was exasperated. As I set the book onto the table and looked into the mirror, I nearly screamed, but managed to suppress the urge to. There, perching on my forehead, distorting my reflection with its horrifying presence, WAS A PIMPLE RIGHT AT THE CENTRE OF MY FOREHEAD! No wait! There was another one peeping out from the left corner of my hairline.

OK! Isn’t it entirely inequitable that my parents do not trust me with a phone? It is utter injustice! It is unthinkable that even after years of being perfectly responsible (at least I feel so), I could not dispel the grave misperceptions that I am a certified accountable individual who can tame the sense of urgency to flip through new messages or switch off unwanted notifications when they pop up on the screen! However, looking on the bright side, my mother let me use her phone for all my WhatsApp groups and chats. Making the most of it, I spent all my time changing her profile picture, until I discovered her status. Today, something hilarious happened regarding her status update!

No Em! Lizards are not adorable! And no, I was NOT having a staring contest with a lizard! Sigh…

Oh! Hello everyone! As you can see, Em is TRYING to dig into my emotions by referring to an awkward incident (if I MUST admit) about me and a lizard. Let me tell you about it!

That Monday, I was lounging on my bed, reading Sherlock Holmes. It was quite an interesting read, and I was completely engrossed in it. Suddenly, I looked up. My concentration was broken and I was shocked and devastated. My head reeled and disgust seeped into my soul. The reason- A big, brown lizard with ugly spots was perching on a painting that I had created recently!

This poem was composed jointly by my mother and me. Today, my brain could not conceive any idea about what my poem would be about. I could say that my mind was blank. She helped me to organize my thoughts and frame this poem. However, the drawing is my own creation. We hope you enjoy this read!

In my earlier blog, I had listed out the top 5 things that I disliked. But as I mentioned, I do have my favorites. It took me quite some time to narrow it down to my “Top Five”

Number 1: Reading, reading, and more reading….

Reading fiction holds the topmost rank in my list of hobbies. I have a vast collection of books from which I read EVERY SINGLE DAY! My mother gets extremely annoyed when I read late into the night or sneak to read in the morning while they are asleep. Rain or shine, I must read. My love for reading was inculcated in me by my Kindergarten teacher, Miss. P. She was the first person to introduce me to the wonderful world of storybooks. I mostly enjoy genres like mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, and suspense. I have loved reading “The Young Elites”, “ Harry Potter”, “Percy Jackson, “The Trials of Apollo”, “Nancy Drew”, “ Agatha Christie”, “Hardy Boys”, “The Spider Wick Chronicles”, “The Dragon Pearl”, few works of  William Shakespeare, etc, etc, etc. (The list is endless, so I better pause here).  J.K Rowling is my favorite author and a big inspiration. Someday, I wish to create a magical world of my own with my writing.

It is Friday. I am happy as I have just returned from a swimming session. But at the same time, I am truly exhausted and craving a plate of delectable food. Lunch is served and the first thing that I notice on my plate is CABBAGE ! Really ?!

“For the millionth time, Mum ! I do not like Cabbage”. I stomp into the kitchen to express my annoyance and I see my Mum smiling at me while pointing towards that big bowl of bitter gourd.

Over the years, we all have come across several articles suggesting the possibility of the existence of aliens. My interpretation of the existence and behavior of aliens was primarily because of the many alien movies that my parents had made me watch {Or I had forced them to watch😉}. Growing up, I must have watched about twenty alien movies, either at home or in the theater. I don’t regret it😊. Initially, it was always alien invasions, but eventually, I got introduced to movies that didn’t always have “horrible, terrible, evil aliens”. I would be screaming off my face cheering for a few of them when the aliens were so angelic (Remember E.T?). The weirdest part was, based on the type of movies, my feelings towards the aliens would change! My parents had the painful experience of seeing me prance around in weird clothes, trying to resemble an alien.