Random Ramblings # 11 - Nature Song

 

            As I pondered what to write for the day, the rain started coming down heavily. A sudden calmness sinks in. Why don't I write about rain itself?

            Rain instils a serene feeling inside me every time. The downpour, the plants and trees getting their actual colour, the puddles, little streams being formed, and the smell of soil all invoke a sense of calmness.

            The first thing that strikes me when I hear rain is how the sound of rain can drown most of the other sounds around us. I guess this is why that sound is like therapy. Some people I know are not comfortable with the sound of heavy rain. But for me, the heavier the rain, the louder the sound, which in turn blocks every other sound, except perhaps the thunder. I read somewhere that there are different kinds of noises, like white, pink, brown, etc. The sound of rain is a pink noise, and it is considered more pleasant and softer compared to the white noise (the radio static sound is a white noise). This might be the reason why rain is so much associated with sleep and creativity.

            Have you tried to do something creative during the rain? If you have not, do try. For me, the sound is therapeutic and soothes my mind, which helps me to do something creative like write or draw. For a bookworm like me, the rain and the drop in temperature do wonders. The sound provides an immersive effect and elevates the reading experience.

            In this fast-paced world, I am not sure how many of us are taking the time to listen to this beautiful symphony of nature. But ironically, people listen to rain in sleep and meditation apps. Rain is one of the greatest gifts of nature. Listening to nature sing through the rain reminds us of the simplicity of life. We should learn to appreciate the same. All across the world, films and cultures adore rain.

            You might be office, house, in college, travelling or working. But whenever you cross your path with rain, take a pause, listen to the pitter-patter with your ears and heart. It can be a lullaby, a song or a story to you. Take a deep breath and experience the tranquillity before carrying on. After all, life is so simple.

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby." - Langston Hughes

Have you taken time to listen to the rain song?

Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones - Book Review

 

                

                I am a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies, which I binge-watch quite often. One of my favourites among them is 'Howl' Moving Castle'. Recently did I came to know that the movie is based on a book. Luckily, I spotted the book in the library and ended up taking the book for the week. Let's see how it fared.

             Sophie, from Market Chipping, grew up with her two sisters. They have a hat shop run by her stepmother. While her two sisters move out to learn, Sophie gets stuck in the shop creating hats. She accidentally crosses paths with the Witch of the Waste, who curses her to be an old lady. Sophie leaves the house and encounters the moving castle of Howl, who had a bad reputation for taking young girls' souls. Sophie meets Howl, Michael and the fire demon, Calcifer, at the castle and starts to live as a caretaker. She enters a pact with Calcifer to break the curse. Is Howl evil, as people believe him to be? What pact does she make with Calcifer? Is she able to break the curse? forms the rest of the story.

                I had a certain expectation while reading the book. All this is due to watching the movie. This was the wrong thing to do. The story progressed differently in both the book and the film. Since I had watched the film many times, the story from the movie often crossed my mind, spoiling the reading experience. The story was good enough. But the tempo was undulating. What started well slowed down in the middle for some time, and picked up pace towards the end. The language and writing style are simple enough to enjoy the read. Young readers might be able to connect well with the book. The various characters and the underlying characteristics are well written. They may appear one way, but behave in a totally different way. A few underlying themes, like resilience, adaptability, courage, and acceptance, are explored well. The mystery surrounding Howl makes him the most interesting character of the book.

             To sum it up, a charming book that can be fun at times but slow otherwise. Nevertheless, a fairly enjoyable read. Those who have already seen the movie should read this with a fresh mindset. 

Random Ramblings # 10 - Talking to oneself

 

Do you talk to yourself? You heard it right! Do you?

I do often! Being a loner, I have all the time in the world to talk to myself. Some people find me talking out loud to myself and look at me like a crazy fool. I admit that self-talk can be bad at times. BUT... It is more suitable for you too. You can take my word on that. Based on what you talk to yourself.

I have been a pessimist all my life. So, my self-talk involves a lot of negative things. Ever heard the saying 'You are defined by your thoughts'? True! Negative self-thoughts always pull us back on our path and are like quicksand that can pull you down. This leads to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. But there are times when I say something positive to myself. Whatever I think starts with "I am not good enough", "I am worthless", "I am destined to fail", and "I do not deserve to live".

Then I heard the word manifestation, which involves positive thoughts, goal visualization, affirmations and actions. Whenever you start manifesting positively, the world around you works towards uplifting you. I started with positive self-talk, which started building a certain confidence in me. The positive self-talk started to cultivate some amount of confidence, resilience and success. This, in turn, created a good impact, inspiring me to attain some of my goals.

As I mentioned earlier, being a pessimist, maintaining a positive outlook and positive self-talk is tough for me. Whenever I try to take a step forward, it starts to pull me two steps back. But small steps lead to big changes. Hopefully, I can positively look at life.

Likewise, everyone needs to follow self-talk positively. You should not make room for negative self-talk. This is unavoidable, but you can always change your perspective and try to convert the negative talk into a positive way. Affirmations, journaling, and mindfulness can help induce a positive approach in you.

Do you talk to yourself? How has self-talk changed you?

The Time Machine - H.G.Wells - Book Review

                                

One genre that fascinated me greatly during my childhood was science fiction. I used to read many abridged books of Jules Verne. Those were my versions of fantasy at that time. One writer I largely overlooked at that time was H.G. Wells. Forgotten, for a long time, I recently saw a collector's edition of 'The Time Machine' in the library and was quick enough to grab it to experience H.G.Wells.

The story is set in the Victorian Era, where the author, with a handful of people, gathers at the house of a scientist who claims to have invented a time machine. The second time he visits the house, the scientist claims to have actually done a time travel. Most of the story follows the scientist's experience during the time travel and what happened after that.

First of all, what a concept! I have always dreamed about being able to time-travel during childhood, and this book brings vivid childhood memories. Yes, this is a classic and needs patience to read. The reading was very slow at first. This picked up pace when the scientist started describing his time travel experience, and the tempo kept on till the end. HG Wells has blended science, society and philosophy in a balanced way. There are instances where you can experience deep philosophy as you read on. The Victorian Era was well depicted. There are scenes towards the end where the scientist time-travels on a fast-forward mode to somewhere in the far future and back. Those portions, even though of a few pages, were spellbinding for me. I could not help but wonder about the thought process.

 

In short, despite being a slow-paced read, this is a wonderful classic that triggers the thought and imagination of time travel in every person who reads it.

In a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware - Book Review

 

This year, reading has been on the downside. I do not mean the numbers, but the variety and the experience. I have been struggling to maintain the pace for the past three months. I have been catching up on the missed experiences shortly after I landed upon this book. Ruth Ware's 'Turn of the Key' was interesting for me. I decided to go ahead with the read.

Leonara (aka Nora, aka Leo) is a writer who lives in a studio apartment in London. She is a recluse with minimal contact with other people. One day, she receives an invitation to the hen party of her erstwhile best friend, Clare. She is hesitant at first due to a bad past involving Clare and her fiancé, who is Nora's boyfriend. They arrive at a glasshouse in the English countryside along with a couple of other guests. As the party starts, things go awry and Nora realises that not everyone is here to celebrate. What happens at the party forms the rest.

First of all, the novel has a decent storyline. A handful of characters that at times tend to irritate us and not. The tagline was to get scared, but there was nothing scary about the novel. The so-called flashback was easily guessable. But there were multiple places where there was a lead to flashback until the climax, and this really tested my patience. The story started well, but quarter past into the book, it felt dragged at places. The characters were well written, even though a few of them irritated me at times. The writing style and language were simple to follow. The climax seemed rushed and cinematic. The unwanted length in the middle portions could have been used at the end for a more refined climax. Plus, the book cover was a major turn-off.

In short, a normal one-time read marred by slowness at places. Don't be fooled by the title or tagline. A wannabe thriller that can be a quick read.