Festive Photos

Well readers I promised you a picture post, so here I am. Photos of Christmas around London.

A decorated window of Selfridges in Oxford Street and one of the Christmas trees by the entrance

The Oxford Street Christmas lights and some of Regent Street too.

Some of the decorations inside the Disney Store

Selfridges lit up beautiful and purple

A Christmas tree in Fortnum and Mason, Piccadilly
And some of their in-store decorations and window displays with the 'Showtime'Theme.

And with that I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Book Review!

Curse my temperamental internet that never allows me to post when I really want to. I have had this problem for the past two weeks, and I only have a small window of opportunity that lets me blog, so here is a short one.

Here is a great review of the Bollywood Breakup Agency by the lovely people at Trashionista

After the first review, it was nice to read some positive thoughts on the book.



And in other news, my next post before Christmas will be a picture post   :D

See you on the other side.

Good Week, Bad Week

Hello all,

It's been a mixed week in terms of the book.

Good Week: 
Here's me being interviewed at Trashionista

Bad Week:
And here is a very bad review (with spoilers) at Chicklitplus

Happy December

I thought I would do a different post today, something that has nothing to do with the book for a change, as I have been doing a lot of that lately.


Things I am looking forward to ...

• Ice Skating 
• Winter Wonderland
• Christmas lights
• Christmas Carols
• Snow (providing I don't have to travel anywhere)

What I am not looking forward to ...
December just reminds me of when I used to work in retail, and as soon as the first of the month hit us, all we would hear was Christmas music. I am no Scrooge, I like this time of year, but there is only so many times I can hear the same songs over and over again, and I only used to work part time.
Not only that, every year we are bombarded with adverts for CDs that contain the same songs, and every year they tell us it is the 'only Christmas album you'll ever need'. So why oh why do they sell that same CD every year with the same songs on it? Surely the people who would have wanted to buy the music would have bought the music by now.


So tell me ... What are you and aren't you looking forward to this December?

Tweet for Me!

"The Bollywood Breakup Agency out today http://tinyurl.com/d8cz78e Retweet & win free ebook http://tinyurl.com/ctxrebj if Bollywood makes Kindle Top 100"

 The book is out today yaaaay!!!

Tweet the phrase above, put it at the end of your blog posts, or even just repost it on your Facebooks and 'like' Prospera Publishing and you'll win a complimentary ebook of Naked in Knightsbridge.



And if you're blogging .... here's the blurb


When party-loving Neela Solanki rejects yet another loser in the long line of potential suitors who keep turning up in the ‘good’ room, her traditional Indian parents finally take decisive action. Fed up with her persistent refusal to provide them with a son-in-law and grandchild, the Solankis confiscate the phone, car and credit cards they pay for, and give her one last chance to comply before she is kicked out of the house.

Desperate for cash, Neela starts up a secret business breaking up the engagements of those trapped in the unstoppable force that is an Indian marriage arrangement. Add to that an addiction to Indian soap operas, being stalked by the latest loser’s father, a jilted ex and a love interest from an unlikely source, and Neela finds life is about to take a turn she never expected.

To all you wonderful people out there, PLEASE take the message and pass it on!!! 

Let me know when you do it!

The Waiting Game

It's a very strange feeling knowing your books are in the hands of the reviewers.

Now they are all reading my story and looking at its good and bad points, sizing it up and deciding their ratings, and I can't do anything but sit here and twiddle my thumbs. I hope my nightmare of a few posts down doesn't come true, and someone out there will enjoy the book.

The waiting game is awful, because now that it is out there, there is nothing I can do. I no longer have any control over my work that I have slaved over all this time. And it's those reviews that will ultimately help people decide whether or not to buy the book.

If you are interested in reviewing, contact Prospera Publishing for more details.

BIG NEWS!!!!

I write this with joint pain, headache and a sore throat.

I went to sleep after taking flu pills, woke up and....


THE BOLLYWOOD BREAKUP AGENCY IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW!!!!!!

If you are interested in reviewing the book, contact the wonderful people at Prospera Publishing for more details.

How exciting!!!

A New Addition

I am truly sorry about my lack of blogging. It's been all change here in the Gupta household, and so I have had less and less time to spend in front of my laptop and blog, and catch up on all your blogposts.

The main reason is that there has been a new addition to the family, and no I have not had a baby. My brother who was married earlier this year, now has his wife living with us. I think that it's important that I spend more time with her, since this is a new place for her to live and just make her feel more welcome with us, as opposed to feeling lonely in her new environment. She has moved far away from her family, and I feel bad for her because I can never imagine being so far away from my own family.

Actually, I had a near miss when I was going through the edits of the book. She walked into my room and nearly read a part of it. I locked my screen so fast and thanked the Gods that she wasn't wearing her glasses. Speaking of the book, I think I am finally nearing the editing stage, so I am now prepared to be scared when those review copies go out.

Hope you are all doing great, and now I am going to catch up on all of your posts.

WISHING ALL OF YOU A HAPPY DIWALI

AND A VERY PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

Edits Edits and more Edits

Sorry I've done a disappearing act on you guys. I have been up to my eyeballs in edits. I have gone through it once, and now I am just going through it again, just to make sure it is all consistent.

I haven't abandoned you, and once I send it off to my editor I'll be back with a proper update, and I'll catch up on all your blogs.

See you on the other side!

Thank you

I just wanted to say thank you for all of your wonderful words in the last post. It is just fantastic to have you guys around being supportive during this time, because I know that you guys are empathetic. You have all been there, or are there at the moment. And since I cannot talk to anyone in my real life about all these fears, the only way to get support is through your kindness. So once again I wanted to thank you so much. You are such a wonderful group of people.

I know that the worst part of that bad dream was the typos and the fact that the book became a mini-book with size 16 writing. You can slave over your edits for days on end, but that one typo in the finished piece is the one that will bug you for days. I'm currently going through a round of edits at the moment, so we can only wait and see.

While bad reviews are inevitable and I know it will feel bad to read someone slamming my story, I know it is just part and parcel of what I was doing. If it wasn't worth it then I would have given up by now. I know I am not going to be on the next big author or anything like that, but I am happy with what I have done, and I hope that some people out there will be too.

The Nightmares have started

How many of you have had the 'Book will be Awful' nightmare?

This morning I had to wake myself up from a bad dream that I was having about my book. The following things happened ...

~All that work that I put into writing the story, and it turned out to be an 82 page mini-book with giant writing to fill up the space.
~Every five seconds someone would come up to me and tell me that I got another bad review online - I looked at the websites and saw that they were all so evil.
~ I looked through the book and it was littered with typos.
~Everything about it had been edited so heavily that it wasn't my story anymore.
~Everyone I know found out it was me who wrote the book getting awful reviews online.

If I could be anyone I'd be ....

To celebrate the launch of Talli Roland's new book 'Watching Willow Watts', I'm taking part in her websplash.

So without further ado...

If I could be anyone I'd be...

Image from Fanpop

Why you ask? Because he's cool. We all love the idea that if we are stuck in some mundane job, something will sweep into our lives and make it just that much more exciting. In the case of Chuck, he is inadvertently sent an email which imprints government secrets into his brain, and the CIA have to take care of him in order to gain access to the information, and protect him from the enemies who also want the secrets. He becomes a spy for the CIA, despite still having to work as a tech guy in the 'Nerd Herd' section of 'Buymore.'
I think Chuck is one of those underrated shows. It is so funny and edge-of-your-seat exciting, with fantastic characters as well. 

About Watching Willow Watts

For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image in a frame.

Instantly, Willow's town is overrun with fans flocking to see the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers -- whose shops and businesses are cashing in -- Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves.

But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village's newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?

My First Suitor - The 'Surprise' Technique

Well well well, with my book being about arranged marriages, I couldn't let this opportunity go by. I must write a post about some people who came to my house for ... well ... me.

While I am not completely opposed to arranged marriages, I don't think it will ever be something for me. However, a family member informed my family that we were having some guests over to our house. I thought, 'oh that's good, I like these people and it would be nice to see them.' It all went well and we all had a very pleasant afternoon.

After they left, I was informed, as well as my parents (who had no idea what the purpose of the visit was either - they would have, and would've made me, dress up for such an occasion), they had come to visit me to see whether I would be interested in their relative's son. Oh dear.

Safe to say I was a little blindsided by the whole thing. If I knew that was why they were coming, I would have made a lot more effort to have gone out that day. I told my parents that I wasn't ready to start looking for a husband, I am still young and I want to live a bit more of my life before I have to settle down, OK well I didn't say that last bit. I think they know all that anyway, but they were just happy that someone was thinking of us.

Luckily, that match possibility is now off, we called them and said we weren't interested and I never have to worry about that family or their nephew again.

News!

The Bollywood Break-up Agency is well on it's way!

At the moment it is going through the editors' scrutiny.

And for those of you who are eager for a taste, you will be able to see a preview of the first chapter in the next few weeks. Yay!


Finally, hello to my new followers! Lovely to meet you.

Bonjour!

I really wish I wasn't a flake with blogging. I am such a terrible blogging friend.

Anyhow my Paris trip.

Paris was fantastic. I am such a city girl, as you know from my previous 'I Love London' posts. When you go out at night, and just immerse yourself in the lights and walk along the cobbled streets, visiting all those cafes and bars and restaurants and watching the world go by, visiting all those amazing buildings - it is just ... indescribable. And who can complain when you find a place that sells pastry and cake on every corner? I also totally re-earned my A in French speaking I got 8 years ago. Damn has it been 8 years? I feel old.

If there is one piece of advice that I could give you, it would be to buy the Paris book from Talli Roland's '24 HOURS' non-fiction range. I took it with me and it was because of that, that I decided to visit the Basilique of Saint Denis. It is the cathedral where nearly all the Kings and Queens of France have been buried. It is outside of the main city area, and because of that, or maybe few people are aware of it, you aren't surrounded by as many tourists. I don't mean that in a hipster-I-knew-everything-before-they-were-mainstream kind of a way. I mean when you go to places like Notre Dame - which is a beautiful place as well - because there are so many people, you get intimidated by the queue outside and you end up following the masses around the makeshift path they are all walking through because everyone is following the person in front. ANYWAY, there are not as many people in Saint Denis, so you have more time to walk around, see and appreciate the building and everything in it.

Back to my original point, get 24hours Paris, there are so many places in there that you wouldn't have thought of going to, and you will be so glad when you do.

Another piece of advice - get an ice cream cone from the Gardens at the Palace of Versailles. They are tasty.

A fantastic week and a bit

Guess where I was ....

It was amazing!

That is all.

I Love London

After a couple of posts feeling a little disillusioned about the state of affairs last week, I thought I would talk about how much I love my city.

Even though parts of London have gone up in flames, I still love this place, and am always happy to take people around and see how excited they get to see the sights, and ask me to take their pictures somewhere that we all take for granted, like telephone boxes, the underground and the big red buses.

I love how London is separated into so many different places with its own life and culture. If you see one part of London, then you have only seen one part of London.

There's the political side of Westminster.
Notting Hill and Portobello Road.
Walking the cobbled streets of Covent Garden and standing in the Piazza and listening to classical music.
Business and skyscrapers in Canary Wharf.
Beautiful architecture in Cathedrals, Churches, Bridges, and Palaces.
Camden Town.
Sitting and watching the world go by on the steps of Trafalgar Square.

I love London and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.



In other news, I have given myself until tomorrow evening to finish my story and send it to my editor.
Wish me luck!

And before I forget I wanted to wish a very Happy Independence Day to all my Indian friends. Especially to those of you still over there, I hope you are going out and celebrating!

"We are doing it because we can't get jobs"

This was an excuse that I heard about the rioting a little while ago on the TV. It really annoyed me for a variety of reasons.

First of all, there are a lot of people currently out of the job market. Myself included, even though I am grateful for this writing opportunity and my part time job on the side. It has been some years since I graduated from university and, I know this sounds crazy but, I would love a job that is secure, one that I can go to on a full time basis. In my family, not just nuclear but extended as well, a job is not a job unless you are there 9-5 or something to that effect. Something where you are getting a regular and steady income, paying national insurance and have some money to put towards pension; even if currently it looks like we will all have to work until 70 to afford to live beyond that age.
None of them know that I am writing this book though (nearly finished by the way ... yay!).

Secondly, if you are rioting because you can't get a job, having a criminal record isn't really going to help you very much when you are trying to find one.

Next, it was found that a lot of the people rioting were young teenagers. There are still years to go until they are in the job market. We don't know what it will be like in however many years time. Who knows, the situation might improve.
What really annoys me is the people who want jobs but are too lazy to go out and get one. I spent a long time sending out CV after CV, it takes time. No one is going to knock at your door and offer you a well paid job. You need to be proactive. And you need to pay your dues.

We can add to that, burning places down. How is making shops and business unable to function the path to a good economy? Just because you can't find work, it doesn't mean that you should ruin other peoples lives in the process. And why would you break into and burn down people's houses? It doesn't make any sense.

Finally, it was the places that they were looting. They were stealing TVs, trainers, HiFis, and other expensive goods. It seemed that the only way to get what they wanted was to loot the shops. The problem with this generation is that they want everything now. They don't believe in delayed gratification. They don't believe in working hard and saving the money to go towards something great. In this world of famous for being famous, it seems that the only way to earn decent  money is to act like a drunken fool on some godforsaken reality TV show, and that really bugs me.

Wow that was a long post.

Mindless Disgusting Violence

It's going to be a serious post today. How can it not be after everything that has happened?
Just take a look at these pictures and you will see what I mean.
Even this one, of a woman jumping out of a burning building to safety. It's just frightening.

Full scale riots and looting for no real reason other than greed.
Businesses and homes set alight for no real reason other than to cause damage.
Violence spreading because thugs want to jump on the bandwagon.
Law abiding citizens sick to their stomach and scared to leave their own homes.

How on Earth can this happen?

What started off as a peaceful protest over a man who was shot by the police, later evolved into violence and looting, which took away from the original meaning of the gathering.
It was a crime of opportunity, there was even a case of people going into McDonalds and frying their own burgers. That's not a protest, that's just stupidity. They are looting places which would give them what they want, food, money, electronics, there were images of people literally ripping TVs off the walls.

Once people saw looters breaking into shops and stealing whatever they could, message spread around the capital saying that others should do the same. Many of them are saying that people could join the riots because they want free stuff, and who would say no to that?
Now, it has spread all over the country.

And if you thought it couldn't get any worse they were using the chaos of the situation to break into people's homes.

It's violent thugs who would use any excuse to cause disorder.

Come on, an 11 year old was arrested, what exactly does he have to be angry about?

These thugs cannot win. Telling them that they will feel "full force of the law" is not good enough in a country where people think that the legal system is a joke and not tough enough on criminals. This is especially true now, since there are planned police and budget cuts.

It's vile, it's disgusting, and we want our country back.

Awards, Summer Time, and Creeps

First of all, I was given a Seriously Cute Blog Award from Rachna's Scriptorium

 

Thank you very much Rachna! Even if I am really late in acknowledging it publicly on my blog. And from that I got one new follower. To all of you, I appreciate any and all plugging of my blog that leads to new followers *cough*

And for the rest of you. I give this blog award to all of you for sticking with me. All nine of you.

It's summer time! We had some glorious weather over the past couple of weeks, reaching 30C last week at it's peek. That slowed down the writing process a week or two, because ... because I wanted to enjoy the sunshine on the days that I didn't have to go into my part time work or college. Like I said before, when you have summer here in the UK, you better spend some time outside - otherwise it's a case of blink and you'll miss it.

[all reference to creeps have been removed now]

To Be Continued ...

I don't usually come across a great deal of suspense in my reading. To be honest, I have never reached a critical moment in a story and then get forced to close the book and carry on with life until my next free moment to open up that book.

Currently, my tube travel time reading is the short story - White Nights by Dostoyevsky.

Wait! Don't leave, I haven't betrayed chick lit and Bollywood. It has everything to do with Bollywood because there is a film that was made that is apparently based on the original Russian novel - it's called Saawariya and while I still have not seen the film, it has one of the most beautiful soundtracks I have ever heard in my life.

But I digress.

The story is about this guy who meets a girl while out walking at night time. She has been waiting for the man that she fell in love with a year ago,  the one who promised that he would marry her one day, and that they would meet at that very spot, but he has not yet arrived.
The guy sees her and they become close friends (after saving her from being attacked in the street first). He has fallen in love with her, while she seems a little ignorant of the fact.
He confesses everything about how he feels to her when, after many nights of waiting together, she is angry that the man she fell in love with has not even bothered to get in contact with her.
She tells her friend that she will get over the love of her life and she does love her friend as well. They start to plan their entire future together.
Suddenly a man walks past and stares at the two of them together and then walks off.

It was the one she has been waiting for.

'This is [tube station]'

I had to stop reading and get off the train.

I don't know why I decided to blog about it instead of reading about it as soon as I entered the house.


[Edit at 18.30] I finished the story.

Working Hard ... Sort of

Hi everyone,

This week I have been reading through my book for the first time since I wrote it. I haven't reached the end writing wise but I'm nearly there now. I think reading through it from the beginning will help me to take everything that happened into consideration and get to a logical conclusion of the end.

You know how they say that you should always read through something with a fresh pair of eyes? Well at the moment It's like I am reading a whole new book by someone else. I am laughing where I am supposed to, caring when I am supposed to and getting annoyed when I am supposed to.

Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling all that well so the writing process is slowing down again. I want to finish everything by the end of the week and send it off to my editor.

Wish me luck.

Wedding No. 3

Hey guys!

So at the weekend I went to another wedding. This was the kind where the wedding ceremony was small, with no more than 100 people, probably less, and the reception was a grand affair. And it took place in a very swanky part of London.

There was a procession to the wedding hall with dancing on the street where everyone joined in, even the hotel staff. The ceremony was simple, not something long, and once again the priest explained everything that was going on. It is great to have priests that explain what to do and why, instead of leading you blindly through the ceremony and you not really understanding what's happening. But yes, great wedding.

The reception was the main event. It was the kind of reception that I have only seen a handful of times. (for a reminder of how weddings used to be click here). There was a seating chart, candles on the table, food was brought to your table instead of you having to queue up, we had proper plates, the hall was amazingly decorated, there were speeches by friends and family, the music was not so ridiculously loud that it was distorted, and everyone had a great time. Best part was seeing everyone go absolutely mad on the dance floor. I just love watching everyone enjoy themselves.

A Strange Comparison

Writing is like ... The first time I ran cross country in P.E.

Cross country, for those of you who don't know what it is or know it by another name, is when the evil P.E. teachers make you run long distance around the park for half an hour, even when it's pouring down heavily.

I wasn't at the peak of physical fitness back then and I didn't know the technique required for long distance running. I went through spurts of extreme energy and walking. My friends were darting past me and I was behind near the back with a couple of people. I had to finish the run even though sometimes I felt like I couldn't.

Although I am not at the 'wanting-to-hide-behind-the-tree-and-then-cheat-and-cut-across-the-grass-and-reach-the finish-line-early' stage, I am going to persevere through and finish the book. I like my story and I am nearing the end now, even if it is taking a while.

And how did I do in cross country?
I was second last. The only person behind me was the girl was fell over and twisted her ankle and had to have other people support her as she hobbled to the finish line. To be honest, I found that really funny.


So tell me ... What non-writing thing would you compare writing to?

AWOL

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the disappearance. My Internet has been very temperamental and I can't do any blogging on any computer but my own - the perks of secret authorship.

I'm still here! And the Internet is back on!

I'll try and catch up on all comments and blog posts in the evening or tomorrow morning.

Getting Lost in Canary Wharf (Snap Happy Picture Post!)

This week I was in Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is an area in London where a lot of financial companies have offices. It's like a whole world on its own, and it seemed that it was only understood by the people who are there on a regular basis.

For someone like me, who doesn't know it that well, it is both really big and really small. No matter where you walk, and for how long, you always seem to be in the same place. I had to go to one of the offices there so, the organised person that I am, I printed out my map and made my way. When I got out of the station, it turned out that the road name of the part of Canary Wharf that I was in on wasn't clearly written down on the map.

I walked towards one of those giant maps that tells you where you are and I was still confused. There are so many damn glass buildings, and if you're not going to one with its name in giant letters on the top you are screwed. I walked around for ages wondering where the hell I was, and ended up in exactly the same place I started.


I asked one city worker on his cigarette break, a taxi driver, and a postman where I was. It took me half an hour to find a tiny office about two minutes away from the station.



At lunch time I got lost again. Although I did find a giant pic n mix stand in the middle of an area filled with cityworkers ...

I looked for a place to eat and ended up in a giant shopping centre underground that seemed to span across the entire area. I found a place and ate half a falafel wrap (which had pickles in it and some sweet and sour sauce - blergh!) and half a brownie that tasted of oranges - I never thought I would see the day when I would force myself to eat a brownie. I always feel so bad about wasting food.

Afterwards I sat in a lovely grassy area ...

And got harrassed by a duck who was probably used to having people give him their sandwiches.

That was my day. Thank you and good evening.

Summer Time! (Allegedly)

Good Things about Summer in the UK
~ People are in better moods
~ Being outside and seeing everyone in brighter clothing
~ More energy to be outside and enjoy yourself
~ The beautiful BBQ smells when you walk down the street
~ Carnivals and funfairs!


Bad Things about Summer in the UK
~ You have to make the most of the one or two days of 20+ degree weather because you will have rain for the next two or three weeks.
~ Spiders
~ Sod's Law that states as soon as you clean your car your entire windscreen will be covered in bird poo the next day.
~ Being on the trains and buses surrounded by sweaty people (at 5ft1 I am constantly underneath the armpits of people holding onto poles and bars)


Go ahead and add to the list!

Weddings!

I was at a wedding this weekend. One thing that has always made me laugh on the topic of weddings, is that when I was younger I had been to more weddings in one year than most people had been to in their lifetime - I think there was a time when I went to five weddings in three months.

Weddings today are a lot different than I remember when I was younger. People of my generation are really going all out on their wedding day, especially if it has been a modern love marriage.

Way back when, weddings used to take place in crowded school halls with the ceremony being carried out on the stage. You would sit on those uncomfortable plastic chairs that came from the classroom and all of the guests would use the wedding as an excuse to gossip and catch up with people who they hadn't seen in a while and not really paying attention to the happy couple. One thing that I remember as a child is never sitting through an entire wedding ceremony - my cousins and I would always be around outside chatting. The food was served up in plastic plates which had sections for you to put each item of food in (sweets, curries, rice, etc) and there were only a few tables around. The unlucky ones who couldn't get a seat at a table would sit on the chair they were 'watching' the wedding ceremony from and either eat with the plate on their lap, or pull up another chair and use that as a table.

These days, things have changed so much. More money has been poured into grand occasions.

The wedding takes place in huge hotel wedding suites that have been beautifully decorated. Wedding mandaps (the structure that the ceremony takes place in made up of four pillars all joined together at the top - Google them) are more extravagant. For example, instead of wood, they would be gold coloured, or have flowers all over them, or be made from glass, or have crystal droplets hanging from the top. People of my generation, now want the wedding to take place in pin drop silence because we realise how rude it was when we were all running around and all the aunties and uncles weren't paying attention to the wedding ceremony. It is also important for the priest to give us an English translation so we know what we are doing instead of blindly following what we are told to do. We also want our non-Indian friends to understand what is happening so they don't get bored.

While some people still have the plastic plates, we now have tables to sit on! All of us! Well sometimes, because the meal takes place straight after the ceremony and there isn't time or space to turn the entire wedding hall into a banqueting suite.

We also put more effort into the registry wedding. Before, it would just be something that would have to be done, because no one was really married until the Indian ceremony. Therefore, no one thought it was important. Now, the registry weddings are a whole other ceremony in themselves. Some brides are now wearing the big white gowns like from the English weddings, or wear an Indian outfit that is similar. There are bridesmaids, best mans, ring bearers, and flower girls.

The receptions are great as well. There are proper plates, and tables with seating plans! No more running after a free table. More people are invited to the reception than the wedding, because the couple want the guests that they really want at the wedding and everyone else at the reception. It's better for them to have their gossip and catch up where it is appropriate to do so.

People of my generation want to really celebrate their wedding day. And I say, good on them!

Books ... Old or New?

I was reading through one of the many listy articles that MSN put up (procrastinating much?) and there was a topic that was titled 'Ten Things you Shouldn't Buy New.'

Number 4 was Books.

Now I am in no way taking this article seriously, but it did bring about a topic for me to blog about so who am I to complain?

The writer wrote about how you don't really need to spend all that money to buy a new book, especially if you are only going to read it once.

Now I don't know about you but I love buying brand spanking new books, even if I do read them only once.
I love going to a bookshop and walking among the shelves with all the classic, new, bargain, and special offer books surrounding me.
I could spend ages in one shop reading through the blurbs in the back and through the first pages of different books to see if it is the one for me.
I look through five copies of the same book to one the absolute perfect one ... un-used, no rips, creases or dog ears.
And apart from the sunlight changing the colours of the pages, my books are kept in that condition. Even if I read it more than once.

I am fully aware that there are reasons for buying used books, but I love new books.

How about you? Old or New?

Amazon, Writing Progress, and Weekend

Amazon!
I now exist on Amazon! Have a look. Now my book is real. It's exciting! Now I'm more in a rush to finish the thing.

Writing Progress
I think the Musical May worked in my favour for a couple of reasons. It allowed me to talk about something other than writing, and just gave me the space to just get on with the writing process. I am just under 43k words, which is a number I didn't even think I would get to all those months ago when the book started. I feel so happy with myself that I have got to this stage. I feel like such a newbie writer when I say I want to send it off to the editor already. If there's one thing I know you writers hate is revisions. At the moment I want to see someone else's take on what I wrote and what things do or don't make sense. Naive much?
And another way all the Bollywood worked in my favour? I have been getting traffic to my blog from people all over the world who are looking up Bollywood music. And you guys learned a little something too. I hope you enjoyed it.


Weekend
I had myself a fantastic weekend because on Saturday I had a Spa Day. I was at the Sanctuary in Covent Garden and it was great. Had some pampering, ate lovely food, bought stuff, got free gifts and generally just lounged around. There is something about walking around in a giant bathrobe that goes down to your ankles (yes I am that short) surrounded by giant sofas, and relaxing music that makes you want to do nothing but sleep all day. I went because it was a birthday gift for my mother (paid for by my brothers too), so I took her. Just being lazy all day really emptied out my brain from the mental block I have been suffering. It's like all of these ideas were just trying to push through the door at the same time and as a result all of them are stuck and no one is moving. Does that even make sense?

Now I have been tapping away at that keyboard, I started at about 9 this morning and hope to finish at about 12, maybe 1 (it's a beautiful day outside and I want to enjoy it). I have been getting back to scribbling away with a pencil and more sheets of paper are floating around my room with chunks of my book written all over them.

Make May Musical # 11 - Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

Imagine there was a film that you saw in the cinema when you were a kid.
Now imagine going to the cinema, however many years on, and it was still showing in the theatres and it was still as popular as ever.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), or 'The Good-Hearted will take the Bride', is one of the most famous Bollywood movies there is. In Mumbai, there is a cinema that is still showing it. And yes people still go to see it.

It tells the story of two British born Indians, Raj is modern and spoilt while Simran has had a traditional upbringing.

Before Simran goes to get married, she begs her father to let her go travelling because she will no longer be able to after she is married. He is reluctant at first, but lets her go on the condition that she behaves herself. On her trip she meets Raj who, after being a bit of an idiot at first, falls in love with her. She falls in love with him after they part, and she realises that she does not want to marry the man of her father's choosing.

When Simran confesses this to her mother, her father overhears this and is furious with her. He takes her to India to marry her off as quickly as possible, because her groom is the son of a friend of his, and they promised to marry their two children to each other a long time ago. He however, is everything Raj is not, and she wants nothing to do with him.

Raj goes to India to save the woman he loves from this horrible man. He befriends the man she is about to  marry, in order to help with the wedding preparations and gain everyone's trust. Simran's mother realises who he is and tells the two of them to run away together because she sees that the two of them are in love.

Complications arise when Simran's father finds out who this Raj really is, and tells him in front of everyone to leave. Simran's fiance and his friends beat him at the train station for lying to them. They then try to beat Raj's father, but Raj intervenes and stops them.

Simran's father tells both Raj and his father to leave, so they get on the train just as the rest of the family arrives at the station. As they leave, Simran tries to follow but her father stops her. However, after some begging and pleading, he realises that Raj really loves his daughter, so he lets her go to be with the one that she loves.

This is the signature song:
Tujhe Dekha To from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

The song is longer but, for some reason, once again the channel have only put up the first part of the song.
And a note - the actress - Kajol - is famous for that unibrow!


Is there a film you would love to see from your childhood, brought back to cinemas for today's generations?

Make May Musical #10 - Mere Haath Mein from Fanaa

A few weeks ago, I told you the story of Fanaa, where blind girl Zooni, fell in love with Rehan, who faked his death in a terrorist attack.

When they saw each other again, she had gained her sight (because he helped her get the operation) and had his child. He did not tell her who he was, because he did not want her to know the reason why he had to leave her all those years ago. To do that, would mean he would have had to admit to the kind of activities that he was involved in.

When she finds out that the injured soldier (terrorist in hiding) who came to her door, was Rehan and they fall in love again and get married (he doesn't tell her about his real past), and this song is played:

Mere Haath Mein

It's a lovely song, but the lyrics don't translate well in English, in summary, their lives are complete when their hands are together, and now they have no use for anything else in life - they are content just being with each other.

Just enjoy the music.

Make May Musical #9 - Joote De Do, Paise Le Lo

An Indian wedding is a fantastic place to make money, even when you are not the bride or groom. 
Why?

Before the bride and groom enter the wedding area, they have to take off their shoes, because they will be entering a religious area. The bride's side (mostly her sisters and cousins) steal  the groom's shoes, so that he can't leave and take their sister away from the family.
And they won't give the shoes back until the groom and his family pay for them, and it's up to the bride's side to decide whether they have been given enough money (within reason)

It can happen in many ways ...

• It can be discreet, the shoes are hidden, and no-one will realise they have gone until it is too late. 
• Sometimes the groom's family notices it happening and then shoes are being thrown across the room like a giant game of piggy in the middle.
• Sometimes the groom's side will hide the shoes beforehand and another person's shoes will be put under his chair so the bride's side will take the wrong pair.
•  Even better is when the groom's side bring a spare pair and let them keep the shoes they take.
• There are times when it can turn into a stalemate and no-one will budge.
• I'm waiting for the wedding when the bride and groom are literally carried out of the wedding hall, so shoes are redundant anyway.

It is not uncommon to hear this retro Bollywood Number:
Joote De Do, Paise Le Lo   from the film Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994)
These old videos are funny to watch after a long time. And put your speakers on a lower volume, old songs sound so loud!

It literally means, 'give back the shoes, and we will give you the money.'
And the girls side are telling them to give the money first and then they will give the shoes.


How else can you make money at an Indian wedding?

• Before the newlyweds leave the wedding hall, the bride's sisters/cousins will stand in front of the car and won't budge without financial incentive.
• In some cases, when they have reached their family home, the groom's sisters will stand in front of the door to stop them from coming in and won't budge until he gives them money.
• The bride and groom are tied together during the ceremony. When they reach home, one of the groom's sisters has to untie them, and won't do so unless she is given some cash.

I love weddings!

Make May Musical #8 - Main Yahaan Hoon from Veer Zaara

The first song I uploaded here was Do Pal from the film Veer Zaara, where I told you about Veer and Zaara, two people who fell in love with each other despite Zaara being engaged to another man and being from a different country. When I wrote that post, they left each other at the train station realising just how much they really felt about each other. That was just the first half of the story, and here is another song to go with it.

Main Yahaan Hoon from Veer Zaara

After Veer and Zaara left each other at the train station, Zaara cannot get Veer out of her head and she is thinking about him constantly. That is where this song comes in.
Veer is singing (in her imagination) that he is always there (not in a creepy way), the distance between them has now gone, he is the secret that she cannot hide anymore, he is the voice in her heart, he is in all of her thoughts, her questions and her answers, and so on and so forth. He has now become every part of her.

At the end of the song, after seeing him in the grounds of her house, she runs back in and tells her friend all about him. Her friend (Shabbo), calls Veer back in India and tells him to come and get Zaara because she is in love with him and doesn't really want to get married to her fiance, she is only doing it to keep the honour of her family. Before he goes to Pakistan, Veer has to resign from his job in the Indian Air Force, then he goes to find Zaara, and he has to stay at Shabbo's house while he does so.

Their secret comes out when Veer goes to see Zaara and, in front of both families she runs to him and embraces him. This causes her father to have a heart attack and the other family to call off the marriage. It is a scandal because both families are political and it would bring shame on them that Zaara is in love with an Indian. Zaara's mother find Veer and begs him to give her daughter back to her. Veer tells her that a mother should never have to beg for her children. Veer and Zaara agree to part ways for good and carry on with their lives, despite being in love with each other, and Veer proceeds to go back to India.

However, because of the shame brought on his family, Zaara's fiance frames Veer and he is arrested before he leaves, and is accused of being an Indian spy. The fiance blackmails Veer, and tells him that if he doesn't 'confess' to being a spy, he will make Zaara's life miserable. Veer agrees to confess and spends 22 years in prison, in order to uphold Zaara's honour.

Zaara is unaware of what happened, and when she sees the bus that was carrying Veer crashed and there were no survivors, she calls off the wedding.

This film shows the sacrifices the two characters have made for the sake of love. Veer spent 22 years in prison to uphold family honour, and Zaara spent 22 years alone because she thought the love of her life was dead.

We learn about their stories because a human rights lawyer is fighting to have Veer's name cleared and have him sent back to India.

My Very First Interview!

Check out the International Chick Lit Month Website where they have posted up an interview with me!

Interview with Naina Gupta    << clickity click

Since I can't tell my family about it, I send you all virtual hugs of excitement.

To all of you who visit here from the International Chick Lit Month website ...
Hi There!


And don't forget to take a look at the Make May Musical post below. I have chosen a cheerful and colourful one today. 

Make May Musical #7 - Jogi Mahi from Bachna ae Haseeno

When I started Make May Musical, one of the categories of song that I talked about was great big musical numbers that are splashing with colour. I have been lacking in those, so here is a great one for Friday. There's some great dancing in this one.

Jogi Mahi from Bachna ae Haseeno

Unfortunately the channel only put up half of the song, but if you enjoy what you hear then I'm sure you would be able to find the full song somewhere.

Bachna ae Haseeno tells the story of Raj (the man in the video dressed in black) who has a habit of breaking women's hearts and only caring about himself.

The first woman that we meet is Mahi, who is looking to be swept off her feet and fall in love. He takes a liking to her, and pretends to miss the same train as her so he can talk to her. She falls for him, especially after he reads her a poem that he wrote just for her, and they kiss. He takes her to the airport so she does not miss her plane. She tells her family all about this great guy that she met, and when she looks for the piece of paper that he wrote the poem on, she finds that it is blank. When Mahi looks for Raj, she sees him wth his friends bragging (and lying) about all the other things that they got up to. He sees that she saw him, and leaves the airport, leaving her heartbroken and humiliated.

The next time we see Raj, he is living with another girl, until he gets the opportunity to move to Australia for work. She is willing to marry him and move to Australia, but he doesn't want this. He gets on the plane for his new life abroad on the day that he was supposed to be married.

In Australia, he meets and falls in love with a third girl. He wants to marry her, but she does not want the same thing. He is heartbroken now, and realises what he had done to the women in his life. He goes back to India to make ammends with the women he left behind.

When he finds Mahi, she sees that he is married to a man called Joginder (Jogi for short), hence the song Jogi Mahi. You see the two of them at the start of the video before the song starts. Jogi loves his wife but is upset that she cannot trust anyone, even her husband, after what Raj did to her. Raj wants to fix their marriage, to make up for what he has done in the past. In this song he is comparing their love to another famous Punjabi love story Heer and Ranjna, which is similar to the tale of Romeo and Juliet. He wants to show her that he has found the man she was looking for when he first met her all of those years ago.

Will he find forgivness from all the women in his lives?

Now I pose a question to you ....


Would you ever want someone from your past to come back and make ammends, even if you have moved on?

Writing a novel in secret is very hard when most of the people in your house (including you) are home because they are ill.

Make May Musical #6 - Teri Deewani by Kailash Kher

Teri Deewani by Kailash Kher

Ok, so I slightly cheated on this one. It's not from a Bollywood film, but the guy who sings it is a Bollywood singer.

I love this song, I can't explain why. I think Kailash Kher has a unique voice and his songs are not like any of the other Bollywood singers who, even though they sing great songs, have similar sounding voices. I also like the fact that people in this video don't look like the typically gorgeous Bollywood actors, dancers and models.

Deewani is a word that is to describe yourself when you are crazy in love with someone. Teri means 'your'.

Kher is singing about how he cannot stop loving someone, he is crazy about her and would do absolutely anything for her.

(translated from the point of the guy with the red scarf)
I will live in your name
I will die in your name
I will do anything for you
Look what you have done to me
I am crazy about you

(or thereabouts)

The video is a bit odd though. I cannot explain to you why there is a guy weilding a knife at a girl and then falls in love with her.

Make May Musical #5 - Chalte Chalte from Mohabbattein

Apologies for the lateness of this post. Well we all know what happened to Blogger on Friday, and when it came back I was already at work until late in the evening, so I was far too tired to do any kind of posting.
So please forgive me.

I was walking around my house and suddenly found myself humming this song ...

Chalte Chalte from Mohabbatein


Mohabbatein (from the year 2000), is a story that has been compared to the Dead Poet's Society. It tells the story about a laid back music teacher Raj who gets a job in a strict boarding school, and inspires three students to follow their heart, and in true Indian film style, that means to fall in love.

There are three main students that we meet. One is Vikram, a cocky confident guy who falls in love with Ishika, a girl from another school, who is big headed and thinks she is too good for him. Another is Sameer, a shy, really nice guy who falls for his best friend Sanjana, who happens to be in love with someone else. The last guy, Karan's love is a little tragic. He falls for Kiran a widowed woman who has been requested by her father in law to keep acting like a good wife and wait for her soldier husband every night at the train station, because he refuses to believe that his son is dead.

This is the song that is played when they all realise that they are falling in love.
"I walk, but then suddenly I stop*,
I sit, and then get lost in my thoughts,
I talk, but then I am silent,
Is this what love is?"


*because they are thinking about the other person.

The headteacher, Narayan, of this very strict school keeps the gates closed to ensure that his students remain studious with no distractions. However, he has suffered from his own tragedies. His very obedient daughter, Megha, fell in love with one of his students when she was younger, but he did not give his blessings for her to get married to him, and then expelled the student for falling in love with his daughter. The standard of the school is such that when you are expelled, you will never find a place at another school.
At first she carried on with her life, but then could not live without the love of her life, and eventually committed suicide. This made the headmaster more determined that love should always take second place to everything else in life.

The music teacher begins to loosen up the school rules, and tries to create situations where each of those three students can spend time with the girl that they love, and convincing Narayan that these extra-cirricular activities will make them into better students. Unfortunately, the rules bend so far that the headmaster cannot take it anymore and shuts the school gates for good, and tries to fire the music teacher. That is when Raj confronts Narayan about who he really is. He was the student who fell in love with his daughter Megha. The very student who, when Narayan banned the two of them from seeing each other, was the reason for Megha committing suicide. He is back to spread love and happiness into a school where the very thing is banned.

There is a much more heartfelt/moving song in this film, but I am trying to put videos that don't have the same people in them.

Make May Musical #4 - Laung da Lashkara from Patiala House

I've chosen this one because it's a fun, catchy song that holds great memories for me.

I'm just in this for the music, I haven't seen this film, and I had to check various websites about the film, and what the lyrics mean.

Laung da Lashkara from Patiala House  << Click the Link

The film, which came out this year, is about a second generation Punjabi family living in Southall (although I'm not sure Southall looks anything like this film). Patiala House is the name that they give their home. You wouldn't tell from this song, but actually the film deals with culture clash and racism.

The song has him singing about how beautiful she is, and she is singing that he is saying everything under the influence of his family, and he is never like this when they are alone.

Although I have to state for the record, that English lyrics in Indian songs really bug me. I personally think that, especially in this song, it is unnecessary. So if you want to skip to 16 seconds ahead into the song, then you are free to do so. If you do not, then the woman at the start is saying "something special to all the brothers and sisters-in-law" - it's a shout out to all the extended families! How Asian!
Another slightly annoying thing are the flashing words across the screen.

So why does this song hold memories for me? No it does not remind me of any love stories of mine (I'm lacking in those).

In fact, it reminds me of my recent trip to India earlier this year, where I learned that maybe some Indians do just burst into dance. There was a kite festival, second biggest festival to Diwali in some places, where my family and I were flying kites on the rooftop during the day. Everyone else in the town was doing the same - there were literally thousands of kites up in the air, it was warm, the sun was shining in the clear blue sky and it was such a beautiful sight. They do it for fun, and they have kite fights in the sky where you have to try and cut down another person's kite. Some people write messages on theirs for whoever will find their kite on the ground.

After we had dinner, we all went back to the rooftop, played loud music and started dancing into night. This was one of the songs. 

Make May Musical # 3 - Chand Sifarish from Fanaa

Fanaa is a strange film. But I like this song.

The original meaning of Fanaa is from Sufi philosophy meaning annihilation of the physical self (metaphorically) and reach a state of ultimate spirituality for God. In this film, it means to completely destroy yourself in Love.

Click the link >>> Chand Sifarish from Fanaa

The film tells the story of blind girl Zooni who, for the first time, is travelling around India without her parents, but instead with her friends. There she meets Rehan, a tour guide and huge flirt, who at the beginning of the song is singing to her:

"If the moon is telling us to drop the veil of modesty/decency, then I want to cross the line with you*, I insist on destroying myself with you."

*If you know what I mean ;-)

Later on, the two of them go on a private trip where they do spend the night together before she has to leave and go back to Kashmir. Before she leaves on the train, Rehan takes Zooni away, and during their time together, he helps her to undergo an operation to have her sight back. Before she opens her eyes, he promises to collect her parents so they can be there when it happens.

Unfortunately, Rehan is killed in a terrorist attack, Zooni is devastated and returns back to her home and has his child.

A number of years later, another attack is planned, where it is revealed that Rehan is not dead, but in fact one of those who orchestrated the previous attack. He goes undercover into the Indian Army, where he is to make his way to Delhi to provide the vital part of the next attack. When he is found out, he escapes wounded, and lands in Kashmir. He find his way to a remote home to try and get help for his injuries. The door is opened by Zooni, who obviously doesn't recognise him, but invites him in to take care of him. He also meets his grown up son, also named Rehan.

He does eventually admit his real name, but he does not admit to who he is, and why he disappeared in the first place. What will Zooni do when she realises the person she is in love with, is planning this terrifying attack?

Make May Musical #2 - Maar Dala from Devdas

I picked this song just to show how extravagent Bollywood can be. When Devdas came out back in 2002, it was the most expensive film ever produced in Bollywood history, and just watching this video you can see why.

Maar Dala from Devdas <<< click the link.

Devdas is one of those films which has had a few remakes, and this is the one of my generation, and yes the man in the video is the same one as in the last video I posted. His name is Shah Rukh Khan, and he is one of the top actors in India, you may recognise him from the posters of 'My Name is Khan,' which did become popular outside of the usual Indian cinema-goers.

Devdas tells the story of two childhood sweethearts - Devdas and Paro. They hadn't seen each other for many years because Devdas was away at law-school. Paro meanwhile, had kept a diva candle alight all those years which she had never allowed to go out, in honour of her friend. When he comes back to his home, his mother hopes that he will go to visit her first, but instead he goes to visit Paro, and the family realise that their childhood friendship has blossomed into something more. They were initially very happy about the match until Devdas's sister in law doesn't hesitate to tell her family that a match between the two would not be suitable, because Paro comes from a family of dancers. This pushes the two families apart, and Paro is made to marry a widowed man who has no interest in falling in love again, instead he just needs someone to be the lady of the house. She keeps her candle alight, still in memory of her love.
Devdas gets into an argument with his family, and takes refuge in a brothel. He tries to convince Paro to run away with him and she refuses, because of the way that he treated her. He moves into the brothel permanently and his depression leads to alcoholism.
One of the courtesans, Chandramukhi, falls in love with him, and that is where the song Maar Dala appears. His alcoholism then leads to being disowned by his family and extreme health problems. When Paro hears about this (after accusing said courtesan of pushing him towards drink), she begs him to stop drinking, he refuses but promises to return to her doorstep one last time before he dies.

That's not the end, it's a very famous story, and I don't want to give too much away.

Beginning of the song ....

"Whose footsteps are these? Whose shadow is this?
There was a knock at my heart? Who is it?
Who has spread this vibrant colour all over me?
I have died from happiness"

Hindi lyrics are very metaphorical, and not everything translates well into English.

Make May Musical #1 - Do Pal

I had to think long and hard about what song I wanted to put as my first song here. Did I want to put a classic song that everyone knows? A love song? A jumpy fun musical number splashing with colour that Bollywood is known for?

Do Pal from the film Veer Zaara <<< Click the link

This is a sad song, and it's one of my favourites. Veer (from India) and Zaara (from Pakistan) met while Zaara was on her way to conduct the last rights of someone who had died and was very important to her. There she met Veer, from the Indian Air Force, who rescued her when the bus she travelling to India on crashed. They spent two moments (Do Pal) with each other, he helped her with the last rights she had gone to India for, and she spent time in his village with his family and community. He began to fall in love with her. When he took her to the train station, she was met by her fiance. She introduced her husband to be to the man who saved her life. Veer was devastated, and when he was asked by this man what he should do to thank him for saving her life, he said to just make sure that Zaara was happy for the rest of her life. The song takes place at the train station (and again later on in the film), after they have said goodbye and they both realise that they are in love with each other.

The chorus of the song (roughly) says that 'our love story lasted for only two moments, and then we both parted, where did you go and where did I go?'

Make May Musical

The alliteration works well here doesn't it?

I have decided, that I need to put something in here that isn't just me complaining about the writing process. You need variety. So I have decided that since my book is entitled the BOLLYWOOD Break up Agency, that I should show you a bit of Bollywood in this blog.

I may not have seen a lot of the films, but I know a lot of the music. So that is where 'Make May Musical' comes in. I am going to post a link to a Bollywood song (providing that the song been uploaded by the official channel), so that you can listen to some of the music that I do. I will also tell you a little bit about the film and the song so you can understand it a bit better as well.

Make May Musical will take place every Monday Tuesday and Friday starting from May 3rd! (skipping the Bank Holiday Monday)

Sunshine? What Sunshine?

My set up in my home has my desk facing in the opposite side of the window. I didn't even realise what it was like outside until about five minutes ago when I went outside to talk to the builder who had knocked a load of bricks into my kitchen.

It's like holiday weather out there - a beautiful 24degrees. It may not seem like much, but having lived in rainy London all my life, you really do have to cherish days like this because it could stop at any minute.

However, I have spent a significant proportion of my day writing. I wanted to get a lot of work done before I go off to my other part time job in the evening. This was inspired by the great Talli Roland, fellow Prospera Publishing author, who has been interviewed and asked about her writing process. Watching it, and starting up this blog, I have a lot more of an urge to write, which is a great thing. I feel like my story is going somewhere again, which I haven't felt in a long time because I have been stuck in front of my laptop suffering from a great deal of writer's block over the past few weeks.

Time to get back to the writing process.

(Temporary) Book Cover

[Drumroll]

This is the temporary cover for the Bollywood Breakup Agency!

It's temporary because someone who my publishers described as Internationally acclaimed Art Director Guy Moore will be designing the cover of all of my books, yes ladies and gentlemen there will be more. For me that adds more pressure to not just present the goods, but do a pretty damn good job of it, which scares me a little.
A phone call with the (wonderful) people at Prospera Publishing said that this book will be coming out some way or another so I guess I have to write the book voluntarily, or they will superglue my wrists to my laptop and make me write it.

So everyone ... What do you think of the cover?

Hi!

I'm Naina, and the lovely people at Prospera Publishing have given me the amazing opportunity to write a book.

It is called 'The Bollywood Breakup Agency' and that's all I'm telling you for now, until I can come up with a coherent blurb/summary.
My publisher has described it as a "hilarious chick-lit take on Indian arranged marriages."
And no, I am not just aiming it at the Asian market.

Thus far, I am half way through writing the book in secret, because if anyone I knew in real life knew I was writing it, they would probably chase me down the road and send me into hiding anyway.

However, when I was at university, one of my psychology modules said that if you want to reach your goals, you are more likely to achieve them if you make a statement out to the world. That way you feel the pressure of trying to live up to everyone's expectations. So here it is.

And that is where all of you come in. I need you to help me through my highs of confidence, and low motivation and self doubt.

So once again....

Hi Everyone and welcome to my blog!


*Yes I am fully aware that the followers widget is not showing up. Try using the link at the top. I have already spoken to Google Help*