7 Favourite Book Series From My Childhood!

I was a complete bookworm in my childhood. I read lots and read fast and read whenever I could. I would sometimes read in low light and thanks to that I became a proud owner of an extra pair of eyes aka my spectacles. My father got me a membership in the nearest library and it was like I got my hands on a whole new world. Nowadays, although Netflix has also taken up some of my attention but in no way can it replace my love for the paperbacks and eBooks. I have earlier reviewed some of my Netflix favourites and you can check that out here.

Sharing with you, 7 of the most loved book collections/series I read while growing up :

    

• The Nancy Drew Series(by Carolyn Keene) : An amazing teenage sleuth living in River Heights with her father Carson Drew and assisted in solving mysteries by her cousins Bess and George and her boyfriend Ned Nickerson.

• The Hardy Boys Series (by Franklin W. Dixon) : Two brothers Frank and Joe Hardy who also solve mysteries sometimes assisted by their friends.

• The Famous Five Series (by Enid Blyton) : The books revolve around the adventures of a group of 4 children and their dog.

• The Faraway Tree Series (by Enid Blyton) : The adventures of three children and an enchanted tree in a wood which takes them to magical lands.

• The Malory Towers Series (by Enid Blyton) : A series of stories on a girl's boarding school and the experiences of Darrell Rivers and later her sister Felicity Rivers.

• The St. Clare's series (by Enid Blyton) : Same as The Malory Towers, this series is on two sisters Pat and Isabel O Sullivan and their years in the boarding school of St. Clare's.

• The Wishing Chair Series (by Enid Blyton) : The flying adventures of siblings Peter and Mollie on their wishing chair which takes them to different magical lands.

Ah, so many happy memories came rushing back while writing this post. So, which one of these was your favourite? Do let me know in the comments below.

P.S The pictures are here are only one of the books in the collection and have been used only for reference. 

The Importance Of A "Thank You" !

 

        

Hello readers!! I watched a Bollywood movie this weekend "RamPrasad Ki Tehrvi" and some words of this beautiful movie struck me hard - Say your Thank you' s before it is too late.

Very true words, aren't they? The power of a simple thank you should never be underestimated. People very commonly will tell you "No thank you no sorry in a friendship" but it is ok to sometimes be grateful for what your friends and colleagues do for you even though small. Maybe I say it a lot more because a convent school imbibes that in you from the beginning but here too I am thankful for the learning.

Some actions automatically call for a Thank you..a present, a birthday wish, a compliment but some actions remain uncounted for. 

When you are down and need someone to listen to your woes, say Thank you to the listener.

When a customer care executive helps you out, say Thank you

When a sales person helps you shop, say Thank you.

When your waiter/waitress serves your food say Thank you.

Say Thank you to your delivery person, your mail man or any other person who makes an effort.

Most importantly say Thank you to your parents, to your family members. We all know they do not need it, but it does not take much of our time to acknowledge their efforts now and then. A sincere and heartfelt Thank you goes a long way. Material returns can never work the same magic as these two words of gratitude can do.

So, here I end with a thank you to all who take the time to go through my blog, and hope you have a great week ahead!!

10 shows you definitely must 'Netflix And Chill' !

Hello readers!! As truly written in my blogger profile details, I am an avid Netflix fan. There were months when I spent 800 INR because I could not find people to share with, but when I found like minded people there was no looking back.

I realize I am also a fan of lists so here is another one.10 Netflix shows/movies I recommend you should definitely watch if not yet seen.

1.The Queen's Gambit :The Story of chess prodigy Beth Harmon played by Anya Taylor Joy, and how she overcame her struggles and rose to become the queen in a game dominated by men in that era.(Seasons : 1)

2. Dead To Me : This tragedy cum comedy show marks the return of Christina Applegate , playing the angry yet grieving widow and her grief is marked with hints of sarcasm. Opposite to this is Linda Cardellini playing her sweet and always positive friend. A fun show of their friendship and a murder mystery.(Seasons : 2)

3.13 Reasons Why : A teenager, Hannah Baker, takes her life and leaves behind 13 tapes each pointing to individuals responsible. Heavy content, real life topics, yet emotionally unnerving as the seasons unfold.(Seasons : 4)

4. Ginny And Georgia : Smart and irresistible Georgia Miller, desperately wants to give her rebellious 15 year old daughter Virginia Miller a normal life in New England. But it is not all roses and very soon her past catches up and Georgia will go to any extent to save her family.(Seasons : 1)

5. Bridgerton : A superb period drama from the talented Shonda Rhimes ( producer of Grey's Anatomy and How To Get Away With Murder).Romance, drama, scandal all come together to make this a one of a kind show.(Seasons : 1)

6.Black Mirror : A sci-fi anthology series showing the dark side of modern day technologies and how our obsession with it is warping our sense of right and wrong. A thought provoking series with lingering after effects on what is the future turning out to be.(Seasons : 5)

7. Enola Holmes : A story on the teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes and her adventures on her mission to find her mother. Millie Bobby Brown is a delight o watch as she plays Enola Holmes whose sleuthing skills are almost at par with that of her brother Sherlock. Personally, I can never see anyone else as Sherlock but Benedict Cumberbatch , and the casting of Henry Cavill seemed quite different than what Sherlock Holmes is supposed to be. The star of course here is Millie.(Seasons : 0 , It is a movie)

8.The Irregulars : Again related to Sherlock Holmes, this is a British crime drama series on a group of teenagers known as The Irregulars who work or rather are manipulated to work for John Watson. The group lives together on the streets of London and encounter some supernatural occurrences on their search for Sherlock Holmes ultimately realize that all the happenings are related to him.(Seasons : 1)

9.Atypical : An amazing and refreshingly woven comedy drama on Sam Gardner, an autistic teen and his search for love, friendship and independence. It also brings forth the lives of each of his family member and how they grapple with all the changes in their lives along with Sam's. A feel good  family show  and quite different from the ones I normally watch.(Seasons : 3)

10.Pagglait : A hindi social drama movie, on the life of a recently widowed Sandhya and her discoveries on her late husband , Astik. Breaking down patriarchy, she turns this tragedy into an empowering beginning for her. Highlight of this movie is the music composed by Arijit Singh.(Seasons : 0 , It is a movie)

That's all folks!! My list may differ from yours so would love to know your choices and suggestions. The more to watch the better.

Please comment, follow and share if you like.

3 Things I would go back in time and redo !!

 

Hi readers!!

Have you ever wished you could travel back in  time and redo somethings.I know if time travel was an option we all would like to change quite a few things😋 but this is not a post on  things I regret  but rather  some things you wish you could have done better.

I confess I have thought about it many times, so listing 3 things I could have changed. Let us have some fun!

I wish I would have been little more involved in sports I have always been involved in activities that did not involve much movement.😀😀.The only sports I am good at is badminton. My passion was reading, writing and I do not wish to change that at all. In fact I am proud to say I am a good elocutionist and won accolades too. I wish I had got into some more games like Basketball, Volleyball or even Table tennis.

I wish I had studied further Once I got a job I forgot all about wanting to study further. The fear of waiting some more years before I get a job and maybe not getting a job later crept in. I thought I  can surely study for my higher exams even if I get into this job, but I was wrong. Time passed and I did not even try further. The only pro to this is that I am proficient at coding now and actually love it, something I always hated in college and school. Strange, right?? Maybe the phrase "Everything is going to be fine in the end" by Oscar Wilde is true to some extent.

I wish I was more fluent in my mother tongue My mother tongue is bengali but as I was born and brought up in Jharkhand, I did not learn reading and writing Bengali much as it was not my first or second language. I can read Bengali (all efforts my mother) but I take double the time it normally takes. That is the reason why I miss out on the amazing bengali novels.I wish I was skilled in the language and could explore the beautiful literature here.

That is all folks!! Let me know your 3 things which you wish you could redo/relearn in the comments. Nevertheless always remember life is too short to dwell on the past, and worry about the future so let us enjoy every moment of our present.

My Night Pamper Routine

Hello readers!! Who does not love to unwind at the end of a day and what better way than a skin pampering routine before you hit the bed. I know its work from home for most of us now still it is good to give our skin the nourishment it needs. Keep reading to know my basic CTM(Cleansing-Toning-Moisturizing) routine.

Step 1: Clean like you mean !! 

On days when I have make up on I first clean my face with a make up remover and then go for a facewash if I need that deep clean feel. I use the  Wow Skin Science Charcoal Facewash. It has small charcoal beads and gel consistency.It cleans effectively without drying out my skin at all.

Price 249 INR/100 ml

Step 2: Tone and groove into the zone !!

I use the WOW Coconut Super Rich Facial Toner. This has no chemical smell that toners usually have rather  a sweet coconut fragrance that I love . Winning points also for the no stinging sensation and affordability. I spray the toner directly on my face and then pat it with a cotton pad. I feel this toner enhances the effectivity of my moisturizer.

Price : 349 INR/200 ml

 

 

Step 3: Moisturize and let your skin rise!!

After around a minute, I use my moisturizer - Fabindia Vitamin E Night Cream. This also has a very sweet smell and is super hydrating yet does not feel heavy on my skin. Every morning my skin feels a lot softer and brighter.

Price : 450 INR/100 ml

 

That's all folks on my short and sweet night skin care. Let me know on the products you use and comment for details on any of the above.

 

Good night and sweet dreams to all..👩😴

Travel diaries : Nainital-Ranikhet-Corbett Part 2

 In continuation with the first part of my Uttarakhand travel, bringing part 2 for you. If you have not yet read the first part, please find the link here

Nainital-Ranikhet : Late morning we started for Ranikhet and decided to do the local sightseeing on that day itself. 

Places Visited-Chaubatia Gardens-famous for its orchards of apples, peaches and many more, Haidakhan Temple-Built by Haidakhan who was believed to be the incarnation of Shiva, Jhula Devi Temple-You can see a huge number of bells here as devotees offer a bell when their wishes are fulfilled, Upat Golf Course-A beautifully maintained golf course believed to be one of the highest in Asia.

Our stay in Ranikhet is my best stay till date. Bay Berry By One Earth is till date the most exquisite and unique place I have stayed in. The rooms are in the form of a luxury tent  with an excellent view of the mountains amidst the pine trees. The only drawback is that it is situated after a good walk downhill , and naturally uphill when you leave the place so maybe a problem for some but the stay makes the efforts worthwhile. 

Ranikhet-Corbett : We did not want to leave the place as everything was just so beautiful and we were regretting staying there only for one night. Anyways, we left after a superb lunch for our last destination : Jim Corbett. The weather in Corbett was opposite of what we got in Nainital and Ranikhet and good for us, the hotel had a swimming pool. 

We had our safari next day early morning. There are different zones for safari in the reserve- Bijrani, Jhirna, Dhela, Durga Devi, Garjia, Sitabani, Dhikala. We had chosen the Bijrani zone as this was the second best after Dhikala and had already got our entry permit with the help of our guide. Unfortunately, we could not spot any tigers but we did see some deers and elephants and the safari felt quite adventurous. 

Corbett-Delhi-Kolkata : Next day we started for Delhi and then back home Kolkata taking with us some amazing memories and stories.

Ending this diary here with some captured moments. Please comment,
follow and share if you like.