Thursday, March 24, 2011

COFFEE BERRIES

I went back home a month ago and the whole estate was full of ripe coffee berries ready to be picked. So beautiful and red. 

Monday, March 21, 2011

'THE BEACH' BY ALEX GARLAND

I spent my whole Sunday, doing one of the best things ever-reading in bed. And I read such an amazing book too, ‘The Beach’ by Alex Garland. I watched the movie adaptation of the book when it first came out but to be honest, don’t remember much of it now. I was browsing through a book store the other day and came across the book and just picked it up on a whim. And I am so glad that I did.
I loved the book. Truth is, I like almost every book I read and every movie I watch unless it is extremely bad. But I didn’t just like this book, I loved it. There is something so appealing about being the only ones on a beautiful untouched beach, co-existing peacefully with the few others with you. But of course, paradise is not always what it seems and I like the way the author manages to bring in that concept in his book.
 The story is so beautiful, emotional, dark and twisted- I could not put the book down once I started. I tried hard to put the book down and do other things but I kept thinking of the protagonist, Richard and what he was going to do next. There is not even one moment in the whole book, where I thought it was even a teeny weeny bit boring. The clichéd word that millions of other people have used to describe millions of other good books is ‘gripping’ and I use it here to say that this book was absolutely ‘gripping’.
For some reason, I cannot stop raving about the book. Granted it’s not the best book in the world, not even close but something about this book really drew me in and kept me captivated from the start to the finish. The plot was so wonderfully exquisite ( I don’t even know if I can use the word in this context but I am) and the characters were so interesting. Alex Garland did such a good job of putting his thoughts down on paper, I think the book is extremely well-written and I loved the protagonist in spite of his extreme flaws.
The book captures the longing to travel, and the difference between a tourist and a traveler. One of Richard’s sayings that I really liked was-“If I'd learnt one thing from travelling, it was that the way to get things done was to go ahead and do them. Don't talk about going to Borneo. Book a ticket, get a visa, pack a bag, and it just happens.” Funny how it comes at a point in my life where I have been all talk with nothing at all happening on the travelling front.
This book is a must read for everyone. It truly takes you into another world and does what a good book is meant to do-stops you from putting it down until you are done with it!




Friday, March 11, 2011

A YEAR OLDER

It has been a while since I last blogged. Since then, I have turned a year older, returned from a great and refreshing holiday and also come to some conclusions on my life and the general direction that I want to go. 
Getting fit in the next few months is on the top of my agenda. I went on a couple of short treks when I was on holiday and kept wishing I exercised more since I wanted to do a longer trek but my legs just wouldn’t let me! I did manage to make it up one mountain after a lot of huffing and puffing and the view from the top was incredible. This holiday was all I wanted it to be- visited some new places, made new friends, caught up with an old friend and reaffirmed the love and affection of the people I hold most dear to me.
This month has been an enlightening one of sorts. I know what I DON’T want to do with my life which is a start. But that’s just a start and I still have a long way to go in figuring out what I really want to do with my life. I spend all my time thinking of the direction I want to head in and it is confusing me like crazy. It’s very vague at the moment but I am hoping that it starts making more sense and becomes clearer as the months go by.