Happimess is a happiness Therapy

As Francis Bacon quoted: “Some books are meant to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be digested.” In this context, I would like to add: “There are some books which make you cry, whereas some books, which act as a happy hour therapy for your mind.” I feel Biswajit Banerji’s Happimess is a happiness therapy for all.

In the current Covid scenario where people have started getting depressed by being at home, this book adds peace in the minds of the reader. The tickling 13 stories not only adds humour but also makes the reader feel fresh. The author has made people laugh through its writings which is no lesser than a miracle.

According to the blurb,” Happimess is a collection of naughty stories that make us laugh while constantly poking fun at social peculiarities. Narrated mostly in the first person, the stories center around everyday situations that get oddly tangled up. Once frantic efforts are made to wriggle out, things only get more messy. Flippant and irreverent, the net of satire is cast wide, spanning conspiring home-appliances, outlandish diseases, nosy insurance agents, die-hard hagglers, a botched farewell speech and the like. It is the constant undercurrent of funny disorderliness that serves to spice-up and unite the stories.”

Biswajit has incorporated satirical fiction, mockery in his writing style. His collection of stories is written in first person where he talks about the stigmas of modern society in a satirical way. He is mocking at this kind of society without hurting the sentiments of people.

Further, Biswajit’s writing style reminds me of Alexander Pope’s ‘An Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot’ where the poet talks about his friend but in disguised way he is mocking at the society of his time, especially his fellow writers who used to criticize him. But here, the author has given birth to a new type of writing technique which is an amalgamation of satire, mockery, fun, lyrical.

Talking about the title, he has cleverly chosen “Happimess” which is misspelled form of Happiness. But this title is the beauty of the author who has smartly stole the attention of a person who wants to pick his book.

The author has left an essence of him in some of his stories. Especially, the Bengali innuendoes gives us an insight about his roots. He is a simple man who is trying to reach people using the most genuine ways. He has connected with his audience naturally through his stories. Some of the stories like ‘from Bad to Sordid’; A Matter of Life (insurance) and Death; With Due Respect To’ self respect’ are well constructed stories of day to day paraphernalias which are closely observed by the author. His 13 pieces are a result of well craftsmanship which the author has beautifully bestowed upon his stories.

In nutshell, I would like to say that Biswajit Banerji’s Happimess is a must-read book as it is lighthearted, entertaining, simple and has a literal meaning for the society.

About the Author

Biswajit is a prolific humorist and author of hundreds of bestsellers- all in his dreams. In reality, this is his debut book.

His satirical ramblings, poetry and travel writing have been published accidentally in several literary journals, periodical and websites. For a living, Biswajit serves in a senior position in a leading Public Sector steel unit.

You can buy his from Amazon.in

Spotlight of Writer’s Toolkit by D.R. Downer

The Secrets of Ghostwriting 
by D. R Downer

 
 

A guide that will tell you everything there is to know about the big, bad, mysterious, and often misunderstood world of Ghostwriting.
 
Grab your copy from 





Connect with the author:

Other books in this series
Why Go Indie? 6 Reasons for Self-Publishing  Vol 1
by Devika Fernando
Walking on the Indie Path Vol 2
Can be presently found in her blog http://www.rubinaramesh.com
by Rubina Ramesh
The Art of Ghostwriting Vol 3
by D. R. Downer
Publishing Your Book on Amazon KDP Vol 4
by Sundari Venkatraman
Fears and Doubts of a Writer Vol 5
By Reshma Ranjan
Boosting Book’s Sales with a Riveting Blurb! Vol 6
By Ruchi Singh

 

 

Internship-A journey from naivety to maturity

The day I entered the Strategic Initiatives and External Relations (SIER) Room no. C3-04, I was hell scared. I saw Shelly and Jess sitting at the table. They were busy doing something. The moment they saw me, they stood up and welcomed me with there real smiles which made me comfortable. Then came, Charlene, followed by Carolyn (my supervisor). Carolyn and Charlene heartily greeted me, and they walked me through the work. The first day included meetings with Carolyn, Charlene, and Shelly.

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Within a week I got adjusted in this environment as it was friendly, energetic and full of life. The morning started with greetings, followed by meetings, discussions and brainstorming sections. Apart from these, I got a chance to meet Manjeet, Tas, Andrew, and Samantha. Mondays used to start with a discussion about the weekend, health tips n tricks and then with the work.

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We used to have traffic meetings bi-weekly and every other Thursday we had salad lunches. This post will be incomplete without introducing you guys my mentors who added another level of confidence in me and made me a stronger person.

Meet the Director of SIER Department: Andrew Petrou 

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I met Andrew during my third week of Internship as he was away with his family for vacation. When I met him, I never felt like I was meeting him for the first time. His smile and the never-ending energy to handle back to back meetings inspired me all the time. He has always appreciated my presence and made me feel like home. Andrew loves Davids Tea and making coffee for everyone. He takes health seriously, and because of him, I could learn some of the stretches.

Meet my Supervisor: Carolyn Ritchie 

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If Andrew is energetic, then Carolyn is the vibe behind that energy. She is a perfect epitome of ‘Beauty with Brains.’ She has given her heart and soul to this office, and I have been lucky to have her as my mentor. She helped me achieve my learning plan objectives. She made me feel comfortable and taught me how I can channelize my energy and excitement. She is a staunch follower of diet, and she never compromises with that, even though the Naan tempts her nerves out. She has exceptional presentation skills, and she can handle meetings the whole day. I admire her hairstyles the most.

Meet my Savior: Charlene D’ Costa

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Charlene is a ‘Salad Queen,’ ‘Yoga Enthusiast’ and my savior. She is an alumnus of PR course, and she walked me through everything, be it Hootsuite, scheduling of posts, editing them or guiding me for my personal growth, social media plans or the Brandbook. She always listened and respected my thoughts. She made learn how can I put forward my thoughts. I learned to be organized from her and honestly speaking, her diary and bag make me admire her. She loves to give cards, and she gave me a fantastic card on birthday which brought a big smile on my face. Charlene became my confidante in this 8-week journey.

Meet the voice of SIER: Shelly Gupta

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Shelly is the mouthpiece of Solv. service where we act as a catalyst between the industry and the college to bring the best out of them. She handles the internal as well as external relations. Since she is the mouthpiece, henceforth, she is always busy over the phone. I learned how to sell yourself in front of the internal and external team. She walked me through the entire partnership process. She gave me feedback on my social media plan as she was the one who could tell about the partners which I recommended to work with.

Meet the SIER Nightingale: Jessica Vella

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Jess seems to be an inspirational figure who makes the office environment musical and exciting with her humming, and her hunger pangs can make anyone laugh. She is the first person who comes to the office. She is cute, sweet and adorable. She loved my pasta salad, and for the first time, I felt proud of cooking. She is excellent with multi-tasking, be it admin work, writing minutes during meetings or handling excel sheet during traffic meetings. You say, and she will do it. She is a go-getter, and I will surely miss her Indian food stories. I had never seen anyone so proud of the fact that she looks like an Indian. I feel super pumped up around her.

Meet our Heartthrob: Manjeet Kang

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If you ever need to know Funding Opportunities, then you should go to Manjeet. She is just like that matchmaker who will make you meet your soulmate. But in technical words, she finds the funding opportunity for your firm and suggests you apply for it. While I was working on the Brandbook, she was the one who came to my rescue. She gave me a brief tutorial about her work and the way she explained, she nailed it. She is meant to a career coach, guide. She gave me so many pieces of advice which have been carved in my heart, and I have started implementing them already. She adds lots of Indian touch with her food, and I love the way she makes you feel loved by her Shahi Paneer. You say you miss home, she will bring food for you and pamper you like a kid.

Meet our SIER mom: Samantha Corway

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I guess most of the people these days know her because of her super adorable daughter, Delia, who is a star. She is classy, cute and has all the British features one could ever ask for. I met her during my last 2 weeks of internship. I never felt that I was meeting her for the first time. She has that aura in her which makes you intrigued to know her. Our mornings used to start asking about Delia, her picture on the camera. She is a fancy person who brings her super awesome bowls, cutlery and I have been inspired by her teal water bottle. She has given me mesmerizing gifts on my farewell.

Meet the SIER magical cook: Tasnuva Hasan

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Tas is known for her khus khus and super fantastic Chicken. She loves to cook and can make any dish out of the given ingredients. I love the way she handles her work and life. When she is around, you always feel elated.

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The last day of my internship reminded me of all the sweet memories that we guys shared, be it laughing at jokes, getting sad at my sickness, cheering me up on birthday, appreciating me for juggling internship and security job, making teas, birthday lunch, or potluck. I cannot forget the time I had spent with them, and I am going to miss them a lot.

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Love you SIER family (my second home)

Yours,

Surbhi Sareen 

(Social Media Intern at SIER)

 

 

 

Confessions of an Immigrant- 13

365 days Theory

I had thought before that I won’t be there at one place for a long time. I had a plan for 180 days theory just like Sachin Garg’s book. But all went in vain. I felt a strong ephemeral connection with the place I was living that whenever I plan to move out, I end up moving in again in that same place. This has happened thrice. And finally, I am leaving the place. Technically, it’s been 358 days since I have been living in this house.

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Now I have moved to Brampton, the Minnie India. The relocation is the toughest segment in a person’s life. I felt the same here when I was leaving India. The zeal of emotions overpowered me. A connection theory revolves around this. Whenever I used to plan to leave that place, I had always changed the decision but this time the decision turned into an action. I lived there for one year. The memories that hover over my mind are ethereal. The time spent with roommates, trying different restaurants, shopping, showing dresses to each other, sharing emotions and giving endless advice and at times fighting too. All these became parts and parcel of our life. The separation was difficult but still, it was never a goodbye, but always a reason to talk again and again.

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Brampton, the new phase sounded ecstatic but came out to be tough. The same thing, finding the routes were a roller coaster ride. I can’t believe that using Mr. Google can also make me lose my way. The reason being, Mr. Google never tells that the area I am going to have a ravine or a construction zone. Mr. Google will be Mr. Google, isn’t it?

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There are different modes of transport here. Zum Bus stops at Zum stops only, whereas for reaching other places or interiors of the area, you need Brampton Transit. If you want to travel Mississauga, then Mi-way or Zum comes to your rescue. Further, if you want to go to Toronto then Go Bus or Go Train is the best. These transits actually baffle my mind as in one day sometimes you have to take all the transits. My travel revolves around two cities: Brampton and Downtown henceforth, I take Brampton Transit, Go Train, Subway and TTC Bus. If I make any passes, then they come out to be a wastage of money, so I use Presto which can be used in all the four places. Now I have connected my Presto with student ID so I get 18% discount.

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Talking about the Brampton Transit, the frequencies are much lesser here. One bus comes after every 30-40 mins or even after an hour. If you miss your bus, then you are late. So, it is better to plan your journey one day ahead. Should I boost my reaching college half an hour before in spite being living almost 2 hours away! Most of my classes start at 8:30 so I get up at 5:15 and reach my bus stop at 6:10 where my bus comes at 6:19 and by 6:26 I reach the Go station. From there, I take 6:32 Go train and reach at 7:25. Then I take Southbound subway followed by another Eastbound Subway. I reach Pape station at 7:50 and then the final TTC I take. Mortimer Avenue is just 2 stops away. You can walk too but in mornings, you are sleepwalking, so I take that. I reach at 8:05 and I have my breakfast. This is my routine. The journey is tiresome, but I get some sleep in that time. I cannot believe myself that, I do all of this. I am not a morning person and here I am getting up early and managing everything. Sometimes, I like to give myself a thumbs up for being courageous to do that.

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Perks of traveling in Go train can be sleeping, reading and writing your thoughts while experiencing them. I met many amazing people while traveling and got to learn so many tricks.

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My uncle is my train buddy. I am almost flabbergasted by his tricks, but I feel they are perfect. He takes the third compartment while going and takes the first compartment while coming back. On being asked, he told me his theory of compartments. He says that the third last compartment opens at Bay Street from where he can take the Southbound Subway easily while coming back, the first compartment opens near the parking side. It sounded weird but when I tried it, made some sense to me. Mostly, students and working-class travel on Go train.

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Then I had an encounter with an HR Professional who always takes the fourth compartment from the last. I happened to sit there so I met her. She cleared so many notions about the HR field. My previous course was Human Resource Management, so I was curious about this field and her work culture. She told me that this field involves writing too and I was unaware of this fact. Meeting with her came out to be knowledgeable.

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Also, I met this Pakistani lady who told me about her experiences in this country. She told me that she had been in Canada for 45 years and I was wondering how she can live here for so many years. She told me about her family and about her languages. She speaks such an amazing Hindi and Urdu. Despite being 75 years old, she likes to travel. She had come to Brampton to meet her daughter and she was going back to her son. She talked about the people of Canada and how beautifully this country accepted her and her family. The Go train experiences had been fabulous, and I feel that my other write-ups would include Subway and train journeys as my most of the time is spent here.

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Talking about the bus drivers, they are helpful. I happened to take Zum bus once where I asked about the stop from the driver. I told him that I was new. He welcomed me and told me about the Zum stops and the helpline numbers where can I call if I lost my way. There was another bus driver who helped me a lot. I was running late for my work in Mississauga. I had to catch another bus and I had missed it in front of my eyes. The driver had no passengers to drop, so he helped me catch the bus. He took me from another side and I could catch the bus.

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Brampton city has been friendly, helpful and amazing for me. I never felt so positive and lively after coming here. I feel that my decision of coming here, despite the distance has been fruitful. I hope things go positive this way.

Confessions of an Immigrant- 9

It took me 5 months to realise that writing confessions on my blog gives some sort of peace to me. My tired mind gets relaxed while writing it. The past two months have been a roller coaster ride. I hardly knew what the hell was I doing and where I was going. The non stop assignments, tests made me so busy that I didn’t even get a single minute to think like what the hell was I doing with my life.

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The days in Canadian lifestyle have never been good for an immigrant. At times it is the never ending homesickness, the grief of losing your loved ones, the situations, managing finances, trusting wrong people and to add more, the jobless times. There are times when you feel homeless inspite of living in an apartment. Sometimes you are so alone in your class. You have a company of 39 more classmates still it feels lonely. Only at the time of in class you realise you have classmates as thats the time you talk to them.

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In this one semester I guess I have lived those segments which I have never went through in my past 21 years. I ended up meeting wrong people at wrong time and made mistakes which could have avoided. I won’t say I am sad, upset or depressed. In fact a feeling of aggression hover over mind where I badly want to do soemthing but I can’t. I try to mend the broken pieces of my life but always end up breaking new pieces. Every time the struggles are doubled or tripled. When we were in school we were taught two things, “HELP OTHERS!” ” BE A TRUE FRIEND TO SOMEONE WHO IS IN NEED!” Well, thankyou my dear teachers for these two things but unfortunately in Canada the situation is reverse. Canada goes with three rules, “THINK ABOUT YOURSELF!” “NEVER HELP OTHERS!” “NEVER TRUST OTHERS, NOT EVEN YOUR CLOSED ONES!”

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After going through a major down phase I realised this thing. Sometimes you learn by falling down. But what you learn from that downfall makes you. It is your life and you make the best out of it. The exam phase taught me one thing about teachers. They are generous in giving marks and adjusting the scores. These assignments actually saved us. Even in Canada bad things happen to Teachers. They are misjudged. Here also, our teacher was accused of something which for which she was not at fault. She was hurt and left the college. She performed the duty of a true teacher by conducting the exams. She could have left the job immediately. But she never did. When she hugged me and cried, that was the moment I realised, how dedicated she was. The whole semester she was telling us about the major assignment and she gave us extensions for that. After all that struggle and hardwork we got our grades but what she got? An accusation! I have never seen such a behavior and ached my soul. This incident actually made me respect her even more. Before going she told me, Surbhi, now you have a story to tell to your readers and here I am writing about her. I can only say, I will miss you Mila.

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Today I was in my most bad spirits when all of sudden out of the blew my friend called me. She knew I was not in a good mood. And to make the mood light she asked me to tell everything what was going on my mind as she has gone through all those things in these 3 years so she can imagine my situation. I felt light after telling her my thoughts and made it lighter by telling her about her situations and how she found a way out. She made me realise that there is a way out to everything. Its just you need to figure them out and sort it in the best possible way. At times you have to put a major cut down on things you want to have and at times you need to sacrifice your sleep to earn something. Hard work pays off. She cited those girly examples which actually cor- related to the things. I felt a bit sorted in my mind while talking to her. So immigrants, if you ever feel in that situation, talk to a friend, listen to a song. For me its talking to a friend who has gone through so much and writing my thoughts out so that I can be at peace.

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Parents are always with you. Sometimes you end up making mistakes but its parents who will listen to you, love you and give you the right direction. Your parents are your family and trust me, nobody will come to rescue you or help you when you will be in need. At times, you can manage on your own but then their are cases where everything can’t be managed on your own. Maybe its best to talk to them and tell them how you feel about them. Since you are away and busy, you can’t tell them how much you care about them, you can’t express your true emotions. At times you need to tell them the best things that has happened to you but back home its night and you have to wait for the morning. Now in morning you are late and you are unable to call them and tell them the news. Then the news become a casual story. And here comes the misunderstandings. Love is on both side but this stupid moron distance and time gap acts like an evil. Same goes with friends and relatives. The best taunts you ever hear is “You have gone so busy or you have forgotten us.” Nobody has ever forgotten you, you will always be there in the heart, its just the time and priorities which have changed.

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I have cleared my semester1 and now one more to go. Things can be harsh and harsher but you should know that you are a fighter and you have to fight every battle alone and inspire yourself all the time because your parents, friends and relatives will never be there with you all the time. It is you and you only who has to work hard, make them proud and bleed till you succeed.

Book review of Fierce Kingdom by Gin Philips

First of all, I would like to thank Penguin Random House Canada for sending me this beautiful book Fierce Kingdom by Gin Philips along with a surprise gift for the review. When I got this book, I was stuck with my final exams but now I am can’t wait to write about it. I finished this book in two days and it was a great experience reading this book.

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The cover of the book is fantastic and the horses in the picture have unique significance but it reminds us of a circus scenario or some show. The color scheme is black and red which is appreciable.

The title Fierce Kingdom is an appropriate title as it matches the internal theme.

An electrifying novel about the primal and unyielding bond between a mother and her son, and the lengths she’ll go to protect him.

The zoo is nearly empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the last few moments of playtime. They are happy, and the day has been close to perfect. But what Joan sees as she hustles her son toward the exit gate minutes before closing time sends her sprinting back into the zoo, her child in her arms. And for the next three hours—the entire scope of the novel—she keeps on running.

Joan’s intimate knowledge of her son and of the zoo itself—the hidden pathways and under-renovation exhibits, the best spots on the carousel and overstocked snack machines—is all that keeps them a step ahead of danger

The story revolves around the mother who tries her best to protect her son. A beautiful bond between son and the mother. It reminds us of Oedipus Complex where sons are attracted towards their mothers.

The crisp writing style of the author makes the book worth readeable. The third person narrative and descriptive writing makes it poignant. I really loved the way the author has portrayed the emotions of mother and the son. This book is a must read.

Grab y0ur copies from amazon.in

Confessions of an Immigrant-6

Hello lovelies,

Life in Canada is so hectic and busy that you hardly get time to do your daily routine things. At times you forget to do your laundry or you hardly get a chance. At times you are so stuck with your assignments that you don’t get a single minute to breathe. Last week was a roller coaster ride for me. Can you imagine I was working hard on my assignment even during the weekends. I have not visited or met any of relatives in these past weeks which is really irritating.

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Wrote this quote for a contest!

Earlier I missed my Niagara Trip and this time I missed my cousin’s Bridal Shower. Well guys, Bridal Shower is a celebration and Gala time for the bride where they invite relatives and guests, bless the bride and enjoy their heart out. This was a theme based bridal shower where everyone wore White dress and the bride wore a Black dress. I can guess that she might have been looking good. But I missed the chance to see this as in India we never have Bridal Shower. It is the worst feeling when you are close to your family and still not be able to attend it.

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Side view of Centennial College

Another bomb that exploded in my Immigrant life apart from these hectic assignments is the mid term. Can you imagine that a teacher walks in the class and suddenly tells you that you have a mid term next week. Then another teacher says and its so hard to digest. Above all, the assignments, group work and everything goes hand in hand. Nothing stops, no prepatories given. Now I realised, this is Canada.

 

The only positive part was that I met my relative when I was unwell. He gave me the medicines which healed me so quickly. Another thing is, this is June, the month of holidays in India. My mom is in her maternal home and this is the first time I missed being there. The memories I had with them are memorable.

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New wind Sheeter!

I don’t understand one thing, inspite of getting so dead and tired how can anyone come up with a happident smile? This thought is so infectious. Some of the people I came across with are great. For the first time in Canada, I celebrated a friend’s birthday. This was something new. I realised that for the first time in my life I will celebrate my birthday without my parents and best friends. This made me nostalgic.

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I have started some of the reading but I realised my speed has slowed down. Assignments are the only monsters in my life. But when you get an A or A+ life seems bearable.

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Next week Father’s Day is coming and again this time I won’t be with him. Earlier, I used to be in Delhi and now I will be away from him. I miss my dad alot. I love him so much and I wish I could get a hug from him. He is unwell and I will pray that he gets well soon. Stay happy papa. I am your bahadur bacha. I love you..:)

Author’s Note: Sorry for updating so late! I will be back with more such confessions so stay tuned.

Confessions of an Immigrant-5

This is wierd, whenever I write a new episode, my post starts with apologies. But can’t help it. Things are going on hectic and a running mode. My simple, stagnant life is running. Here time plays a major role. You can’t afford to be late. I was working on a Law assognment today but I realised that this is my limit and I need a break. So, I thought of venting out my thoughts.  These two weeks have been totally confusing and unpredictable. Many changes have taken place.

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The most important change is my eagerness to learn the Canadian accent. So, I have started watching Netflix. I am watching seasons of Pretty Little Liars, Supernatural, Riverdale and there are some which I am trying to watch. Moreover, I listen to English songs and I realised that they are relaxants. They serve as a catalyst in my life.

I got more interactive with my classmates and got to know many things about them. They help me with many things. They talk about their cultures and lives which interests me the most. They do tell me that they have some stories which they would love to share and it excites me alot. Groups have been made and my group is different. We have group discussions and we have a good understanding. The most horrible thing is APA citation. Actually, I am used to MLA citation and with APA style, I get confused sometimes. Last week we had 3 assignments. I was super tied up. Guess what, I missed the date of Niagara Falls trip. I thought its on 15 June but it happened last week on 3 rd June. Actually, 15 number was 15$ and this is pathetic. I so wanted to punch myself. Anyhow, why to lament for the gone chance. I will get many more chances to explore things. For now, assignments, scores and grades matter. Till now I am getting A+ or A which is great.

An improvement about playing pool is that, my balls finally hit the right point. I am still a slow learner but its great. Moreover, I got many new facts. I now know about Uber app, uber eats and many others. I have started writing about recipes I make. I made cornflakes sabji, banana chips snacks and many other experiments which turned out to be successful. Here, grocery shopping is the most dangerous thing for me. I always end up spending 3-4 hours which is worst.

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Since Ramzan is going on, it is difficult for muslims but they do the things religiously. I went to new Tim Hortons which is in Sheppard side. Mosque is just opposite it. The night view is just so awesome. I just can’t believe it. It is the most beautiful site one can ever notice.

By the way, I found one more place to sleep in the college. There are relaxing sofas in D block where you can see the site of college too. Moreover, the other place is near the cafeteria where you find a seat just like a bed. I feel relaxed but sleep is out of my side.

I always talk to my parents and friends. I miss them so much. I am not homesick though but their hug is the only thing that I miss. So, I have started this Magical Hug thing with my roommate. With this thing, I feel good and she thinks I am becoming her lucky charm. Whenever I don’t hug her, her day goes bad so I always make a point to hug her. This is wierd but its good as far as its going on a positive note.

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I am in love with Junior Chicken of McDonalds. I have stopped consuming French Vanilla because there are other things that I want to try and explore. I tried mcCafe coffee which is yuck as ever so you better never try it. I hate the sugar here. 6 spoons of sugar makes 1 spoon of sugar in India. So, soemtimes I feel I am sugarless things. Green Tea I always take without sugar. Its only black coffee that I take with some amount of sugar. Blueberry muffin is the best thing I have ever tasted. It keeps me pumped and happy. Begel with cheese is the stupidest thing I ever had. I seriously hate Begel. I want to try butter chicken and fish. I miss curry , rajma rice and even that stupid ghiya, rama tori prepared by my mom. I wish I had listened to her before. I just know some of the things.

I can’t believe it that its been more than a month that I am away from everyone and reading too. My reading has slowed down. I get cravings for book reading but the assignments, quiz keeps me busy. I just don’t want my writing to stop as that would be tragic. So, at times I force myself to write.

I have made friends. The reason I don’t write about them is, I don’t want to share their life stories. If I start writing, I will end up telling their stories which would be wrong. They trust me and so do I. But I have got caring friends. Thats all. Now going to write down my Law assignment. Will be back soon. Stay tuned.

 

 

Confessions of an Immigrant-3

Hello lovelies,

I hope you are having an amazing Sunday. In my previous post, I gave the tips the people should follow who are planning to come to India. Today I will talk about my experience in college. So, as you all know, I have taken up Human Resource Management Program in Centennial College. My college life has been a roller coaster ride in this week.

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The best part being the classmates. I met many new people from diverse cultures. Everyday it keeps on increasing so I can’t tell the number exactly, although I have the class list. Some of them are Indians so a relief feeling that I can interact in my own language. I won’t name them as I haven’t taken the permission from them to mention their names. I have many Brazilians in my class where I get to know about their culture, lifestyle and how they are dealing with things here. Everyone has a unique story to share. I have met someone whom I admire and she is from Jamaica. I feel she can be my inspiration for a story. When I was asked to introduce myself, I just couldn’t stop telling them about my writing skills. The best part is, teachers also liked the way I introduced myself as a storyteller. Some of my classmates call me Sur, storyteller or sometimes author. It is such a refreshing feeling. Guess what! I have a theatre artist, singer, dancer too in my class along with those HR people, bankers. It is been just a week so I could gather only this much but all are so interesting that I feel like talking to them for hours and know their stories. I know I am talking like Savi Sharma from Everyone Has a Story. But now, I can relate myself to her as how her character struggles for the story.

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Night View

 

Apart from these, I met some amazing teachers here. I never got the chance to personally interact with them but their was one teacher whose story I would like to share as I have taken special permission from her without disclosing her name. She is a part time teacher who is basically from some other country. She told about her experience, her background and how she also struggled to learn English. We all have our own accents of speaking a particular language and it takes time to adapt the things around you. I could so much relate to her. She teaches in Humber as well as Centennial College and has done various jobs in different departments of the college. Her day starts at 6:30. When I heard this, I felt like giving her a salute as its such a hard job. Teaching is not everyone’s cup of tea. I felt inspired when I heard about her story. I guess it was the first time in her class only, when I got the chance to introduce myself.

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Coming to the education system, its way too different from India. We study on laptop, power point slides. I guess books are the last things we ever talk about. Though some of the teachers lay emphasis on books. Then we call or teachers by name or by their last name. This was the difficult thing for me as I have always called my teachers by Sir or Maam and this is entirely new thing for me. The workload is not much. In India, we had semester exams but here, the exams are divided into parts like quiz, assignments or sometimes written test. We are in a professional course so we are working hard to know the knack of things. When I study law, I feel like I am some lawyer, when I study Organizational Behavior I feel like a psychologist, when I study Staffing, I feel like I am a recruiter, when I study accounting, I feel like an accountant and when I study Management I feel like I am managing things. Every subject gives me a different vibe. It is not easy to crack everything but not difficult also as you have access to the power point slides the teachers prepare and even you get to know teacher’s plans before hand so it is the best chance for us to prepare and know about the things. Next week, they are planning to assign us some groups so I am hoping for the best. I will get a chance to interact with more people. There is a lot to learn from the people here.

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Library

 

I am falling in love with the library here. Mostly library is for reading books but in our college we can borrow laptops, iPad, MacBook, notebooks which is so intriguing. I once borrowed a laptop for 5 hours. I was so excited to explore the things. I always had a dream of using a MacBook so it’s a dream come true. Now I have no regrets, if I don’t have any MacBook. Yesterday, I was working on something in the library and I ended up sleeping there as the sofa was so comfy. At around10:30, the security had to wake me up. It was one of the hilarious moment I ever had here. I wish I could stay long in the library. With this I forgot to tell that our college closes at 11, by 10:30 they vacate the college and library timings keeps on changing.

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I guess I told you guys enough about this week. My college is like a puzzle. I am still trying to solve it. I will be back with many more incidents about my college. I guess by next week, I can tell you some of the people I came across. People here are trustworthy and that’s the only thing I loved in the college apart from library. I will be back next week, till then stay tuned.

P.S- I am sorry for updating this so late. A lot is happening here so I got the chance just now.

Book Review of The Fragrance of Rose

The Fragrance of Rose by Chirajit Paul is a romantic thriller that takes you to a roller coaster ride of events, situations that affects the life of Rinita Bose. It can also be called as an inspirational journey as the protagonist never lose hope. She keeps on moving with new hopes.

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Cover: The front cover is mind blowing and makes you fall in love instantly. The colour scheme is vibrant and those who judge the book by its cover, this book is the perfect choice. The Rose in the cover is a symbolic figure as it signifies fragrance, love but also reminds us of the thorns it has which signifies betrayal, pain, suffering. The back cover has a blurb and author’s bio in it which seems just apt.

Title: The title is mind blowing. The Fragrance of Rose signifies all the good happenings. Whereas the subtitle Beauty. Diginity.Ambition talks about the desires, self respect and the beauty of the protagonist which are beautifully structured in the novel. Hence, the title and the subtitle gives us a lot of information in key words.

Blurb: Rinita Bose is an ordinary middle class girl with extraordinary beauty and unmatched aspirations. While chasing her dreams, she comes face to face with harsh realities. That’s how she learns the valuable lesson – what most men really want. In a twist of fate, she picks up enmity with a powerful man and flees the city. She switches careers and hides her identity behind the garb of Rose to make a place in Bollywood. She earns money, fame, adulation and success. But love eludes her. She witnesses the darkness of life in a drunkard father, a lecherous boss, a scheming producer and a friend who wants to take advantage. But then there are those that she can rely on in the worst of situations, her friends from childhood who stand by her through thick and thin. Those who don’t judge her; just love her unconditionally. Will Rinita be able to find the love she craves for? Or will she be mercilessly crushed for The Fragrance of Rose.

I picked up this book because of the cover and the blurb. The blurb is so powerful that it has sudden pull that makes you want to read the story. A book is incomplete without a strong blurb that gives us an insight of the plot sequence and I am glad to say that the author has done a fantastic job in it.

Plot Structure : The book is divided into three parts where the author has artistically delineated the life story of Rinita Bose, the protagonist, who has beauty with brains. This book talks about her life struggle with different men where some were leacherous, schemy, worst to her while there also lies her friends who are always there with her in her thick n thin. Life seems like a cakewalk infront of her in the start but when she refuses to fulfil the leacherous needs, she has to pay a heavy price. The plot is strong and surely a movie material. If it gets converted into movie, the audience will love it.

Characterisation: The author seems to have mastered the skills of characterisation. Rinita’s character is simple as well as complex. It is hard to understand her dreams, desires and her actions. Sometimes she sounds so bold while at other times she sounds the weakest. In all this while she has two friends who never leave her sight. Everytime she falls, she comes up with a bangon. There are so many variations in her character.

STyle: The language conveyed in this book is lucid and condensed. The way the author has expressed his thoughts using flashback team of narration. There is not one narrator but many. We come to know in the end at the hospital scene when notice everyone narrating their side stories in form of letters. The use of epistolar style of writing along with different perspectives gives us flavours. This book is a must read and I am sure you will want to see this book turned into a high voltage drama thriller.

Grab your copies from Amazon.