A Jolly Good Life

  Cookie!! With heavy hearts and tearful faces, we returned our adopted pup Cookie back to the shelter on 27 th October. She had started showing signs of aggression and anxiety and it was getting impossible to manage her. The people at the shelter also told us that we were probably doing the right thing by returning her to the shelter. As we walked to the shelter, for the first time in the last few days that we had spent with Cookie, we felt that we were doing something right. Cookie came home sitting inside an Amazon cardboard box in the back seat of our car.  At that moment, we never thought we would ever have to let Cookie go. It was a hard decision to let her go, but it felt as though we had made a mistake by uprooting her from the animal shelter and we had to rectify that mistake. Yes, we had spent a lot of our time and love on her, but I guess there are things like freedom that money can never buy and love can never provide. Cookie came home in cardboard box All Coo...

  A few weeks ago, my parents and I had visited CUPA, an animal rescue and rehabilitation center. In simple words, it’s a place that provides a home for animals that have been abandoned or are injured. Now, given the circumstances (COVID and all), travelling anywhere is a highly risky affair. So, you may wonder, why did we take the risk to go to a place like this? Well, after years of begging, my parents finally agreed to get me a puppy!! It’s been my life’s dream to have a pet, and I was finally close to getting one. It all started off as a joke when we all were looking through pictures of a bunch of puppies up for adoption. I used this opportunity to deliver to my parents a long and emotional speech about why I wanted a pet. One thing led to the other and believe it or not, my parents actually agreed! So, as I was saying, we were on our way to check out a particular puppy that was up for adoption at CUPA. When we arrived there, we were greeted with the sight of dozens of dogs cro...

Corona virus - an infamous name now permanently engraved in our minds. It has befuddled scientists and doctors, all of whom have no idea how to control this mysterious virus that is now spreading at an alarming rate! This virus has changed the lives of millions of people all across the world. Even when people didn’t have anything to eat, they couldn’t step out from their houses for the fear of catching the virus. The death toll has risen up dramatically and the world superpowers are desperately trying to control it! Corona virus, also known as COVID – 19, has in some way or the other affected each and every human being on this planet. Let me tell you about how this virus has changed many things for me – especially schooling. In the absence of in class education, online classes have begun. Online classes were something I hadn’t heard of before. Now it’s a regular thing. Every morning I sat in front of the computer for 5 hours straight, attending class after class via Zo...

I was surrounded by inky darkness. Not a speck of light anywhere. No sound and no living being in sight. It didn’t even appear like I was standing on solid ground. Suddenly everything felt heavy and I started tumbling down into infinity at breakneck speed. Yes, I was going to die! And then I woke up with a start, all comfy on my soft fluffy bed. Ever had dreams like these? Well, I would regularly have such dreams till  I  got over my fear of sleeping alone. This is the story of the various phases I went through before I learnt to overcome my fear of sleeping alone. How I changed from being scared of the dark to absolutely loving the idea of my own room and my own bed. When I was about 6 years old, my parents got me a fold-able bed which they would place at the foot of their bed. I was so excited about the whole idea of opening and folding the bed that I just couldn’t wait for night to come. Every night my mom would read me bed time stories and put me to sleep on this b...

Last summer vacation, on one of the days when i was really really getting bored, and couldn't find any good ideas to write about, I decided to write a long poem narrating the story of Hansel and Gretel. Hope you read and enjoy my version! In a village outside a wood, there lived two children nice and good Hansel and Gretel lived alone with their father, due to the untimely death of their mother Their father, depressed and sad, married a woman, mean and mad The women hated the young children, and they hated her too And one day a cunning plan she drew, she planned to take the children out And say, "I'll be hereabout", then leave them on their own To die in the woods all alone Hansel heard this and ran outside and he filled some stones in his bag Next morning when they got up, their step-mother grinned and said "We're having a picnic in the woods and here's your sup, now wash your face and make your bed!" Hansel walked behind, a...

If I was asked what my best memories of my trip to Edinburgh was, undoubtedly the Harry Potter walking tour would be in the top 3. If there is one place in the world a die hard Harry Potter fan must go to, it is Edinburgh - the very birthplace of Harry Potter! So, after months of grueling research, we found a good tour guide that would take us around the city, showing us the prominent Harry Potter attractions. The places that inspired the settings of the films or the people who inspired a few characters in the series. I just couldn’t wait to see it all!!  This was a trip I was planning for months in advance. I had re-read all the Harry Potter books and packed my Harry Potter sweatshirt and scarf. I was all set to enjoy the best evening of my life! We spent that morning at the National Museum, looking at various ancient artifacts. I was so excited that I barely remember all the things we saw there. My eyes were on my watch, waiting for it to turn 4. Quarter to 4, we walked...

Imagine standing on top of an extinct volcano. One that had erupted millions of years ago. People say that it is extinct, but who knows when it will erupt again.  Imagine seeing an entire city from the heights of a towering mountain with the graceful ocean at the far fringes of the city. Imagine icy cold wind hitting you on the face, and sending your hair flying in all directions. And above all, imagine breathing fresh, clean air, and the feeling of being on top of the world!  Wouldn’t it be an amazing experience? I definitely thought it was, as I trekked up to the peak of Arthur's Seat. Today I would like to share with you my experiences while trekking up Arthur’s Seat during a trip to the scenic city of Edinburgh.  Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland is a city of brooding castles, towering churches and ancient cobbled streets. Arthur's Seat was a refreshing and cheerful change after all these serious sights. There are many, many interesting legends rega...

It was yet another busy day in the city of Aurangabad, home to the awe-inspiring Ajanta & Ellora caves. My parents and I had come to Aurangabad just the previous night for a short vacation. And today we were going to see the first UNESCO world heritage site in India, visited by thousands of people from all over the world - the Ajanta caves. It was a trip which we were all looking forward to for the past month, and we couldn’t wait to get started. We had booked a taxi and a guide and were all set to go. Our guide Mr. Golati was a very nice and knowledgeable person. He explained about the paintings in the caves and the history behind them. He also took extra interest in explaining all the concepts to me. He told me that he would be asking me questions at the end of the trip, so I took out a paper and pencil, ready to jot down everything he was saying. Being a big fan of history, I couldn’t wait for the tour to begin. Travel to Ajanta Our journey started around 6 in the morning...