Bluestocking

I always found ratios fascinating, How somehow it amounted to perfection after equating. Soon I realized our days aren’t easy as maths, Trying to find a solution to all our problems would turn us all into psychopaths! I picked yellow nail paint on a bright summer afternoon, For a nice day with manicured hands would certainly be a boon. Ran out of the sunny color with a fingernail still left naked, That, is when this poem was created. As we transition into adulthood with responsibilities on our mind, Are we as content as we show ourselves to be, or is it simply a blind? A little inch always holds us behind with the baggage we carry, In the end, we are truly only nine parts happy !

The Three Muskeneers is a story of 3 cousins with an annual ritual of taking a vacation together. All 3 of us are the only child of our respective parents and we’re actually second cousins, but the bond has grown over the years due to our closeness in age, our siblinglessness and of course these yearly vacations we’ve been going on for over nearly a decade now! 3 years ago, we took a trip to Kerala. It was a 4-day vacation planned around Dussehra. Kerala is huge so in this trip we did Thiruvananthapuram, Varkala and a few places around these locations. My cousin and I took a night bus from Bangalore to Thiruvananthapuram – to be honest I don’t vouch for this because our flight back was so much more comfortable. The bus takes 11 hours and for reasons unknown to us it rerouted to Kanyakumari in the morning which further increased the journey by about 2 hours! From Thiruvananthapuram we drove down to Varkala where we stayed at the InDa Hotel . It’s a lovely hotel with an earthy feel to it...

Having taken 3 different solo vacations for 3 consecutive years, I want to provide tips on how to navigate travelling all by yourself, if you're ever so brave to take that step. Quite honestly, my decision to do these solo trips happened as a result of friends or cousins not wanting to take that trip or not having the time to. If there's one lesson I've learned living this very lovely life is that either you can wait for experiences to happen to you or create them yourself. When riddled with a choice, always pick the latter. So, I chose to do it all by myself and looking back, I have zero regrets. My all-time favourite movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara released when I was 16 years old, and like many other teenagers, I was also bitten by the bug to attempt scuba diving. But it did take a whole decade for that vision to come to life. I was 3 months away from turning 27, and woke up one morning to the thought, how cool would it be if I learnt how to scuba dive on a solo trip thi...

Buongiorno is a story of Italy's cuisine, architectural styles and gorgeous landscapes. You may use Google Translate in a foreign land, but you'll know Italy's greeting soon enough without any need for translation. Buongiorno! has to be said out loud with the same zest every time you greet another, no matter what your mood. I traveled to Italy last year with two other friends. The whole process of planning out an international trip without guidance from a professional tour organizer can be quite tricky, but also exhilarating. Start off with booking your flight tickets. We did this about three to four months ahead of our travel dates to get a good bargain, and also because once your tickets are in place, there is good motivation to not cancel the trip and plan ahead. Skyscanner is a decent website to begin with, as it will route you to various flight booking sites, comparing each based on price and other factors. Don't forget to look out for discount coupons! You can eas...

Yencha Ullar is a story of Mangalore's culture, food, and pristine beaches. The local languages spoken in Mangalore are Tulu, Kannada, and Konkani, and Yencha Ullar is a term that will win you brownie points with the locals. In Tulu, it means "How are you doing?". This article is a product of my multiple visits to Mangalore and Manipal over the years. So all of these places that I write about were not done on consecutive days. Let me begin by taking you to a place from the 18th century built by Tipu Sultan, a watchtower called Sultan Bathery . This spot is recommended for viewing the sunset against the blue waters, but I'd suggest taking the ferry to Tannirbhavi Beach to do that. Sit on an abandoned boat or ride on a horse; Tannirbhavi is just perfect for a lousy day at the beach. We also indulged in making some beach specimen discoveries. Starfish and little crabs frequently get washed over onto the shore, and you can just while away your time watching them making m...

Ayubowan is the story of scenic hills, waterfalls, and spirituality of the island country, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's version of Namaste is Ayubowan. They use this word as a greeting with folded hands, and you will realize this much before you even step out into the country. The airport banners in every direction are filled with the same slogan, Ayubowan. We spent the first two days in Sri Lanka at a city called Kandy. Kandy is a beautiful mountain town. If I had to associate this place with a colour, it would be jungle green - dense and luscious. One of the most famous places to visit in the city is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic [Sri Dalada Maligawa]. The sacred tooth is said to be of the Buddha, but a little heads up, you don't get to see the tooth at the temple because it's kept reserved inside a box. Also, since this is a religious place, the rules stay the same. Wear clothes that cover your shoulders and legs. Something that I often forget, so I'll say it out lo...