The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book #3)

A distress call from best-friend, the satyr Grover sends young demi-god Perseus Jackson (son of Poseidon) on his new mission. Accompanying him are his friends Annabeth (daughter of Athena) and Thalia (daughter of Zeus). Grover has discovered two powerful new half-bloods of unknown parentage and they need to be escorted safely back to Camp Half-Blood.

Little do the unsuspecting demi-gods know that they are merely pawns in a dark and dangerous plot. The Titan lord, Kronos is slowly but surely reassembling. His latest recruit Luke is putting together a horrifying army of mythical monsters. The clash between the Titans and The Olympians is teethering on the brink. Adding to their woes is the fact that an ancient monster has risen…a monster so powerful, it could lead to the downfall of the Olympians. And the only person, who can track this creature down; the goddess of the Hunt, Artemis is M.I.A.

Entering into a reluctant truce with the Hunters of Artemis, Percy and gang launch into unknown territory yet again. Guided by an ambiguous prophecy, they have to find the new beast and recover Artemis before the Winter Solstice. Their path is obviously strewn with danger, but what lies at the end of the journey : The Titan's Curse, is something which could very well put all previous adventures to shame.

Continuing in the vein of the previous two books, Percy remains an endearing hero.....reluctant but ready to do the “right” thing. The prose is light and uncomplicated. No long ramblings here.....the plot is clear and well-defined leaving enough room for future instalments. Interesting new characters are the Goddess Artemis,a 12 year old; auburn haired goddess who never ages……her brother Apollo, the ever-so-cool Sun God with his penchant for quoting haikus….and the seriously scary General, the head of the Titans’ army.

Definitely a fine read and a wonderful way to learn more about Greek myths, gods, goddesses and the fine soup they manage to land themselves into occasionally. All in all, reinforcing the fact that Gods do indeed have feet of Clay.

.....of Golas and Black-Eyes!

School memories are the best… bitter-sweet even. We tend to forget the back- breaking homework, the punishment-happy teachers and the petty fights. Instead we smile stupidly over “ the good ol’ days ”.

A friend had sent over a nice passage , which more than adequately summed up those carefree days. And the best picture I could think of to accompany it was Norman Rockwell’s “The Shiner”. The little girl with the untidy plaits is someone I can totally associate with!!

So here goes:
Gone are the days!!!
When The school reopened in June,
And we settled in our new desks and benches!
When we queued up in book depot,
And got our new books and notes!
When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays,
yet managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.
We learnt writing with slates and pencils,
and Progressed To fountain pens and ball pens and then Micro tips!
When we began drawing with crayons and evolved to Color pencils and finally sketch pens!
When we started calculating first with tables
and then withClarke's tables and advanced to Calculators and computers!
When we chased one another in the corridors in Intervals,
and returned to the classrooms
Drenched in sweat!
When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors, Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds!
When all the colors in the world,
Decorated the campus on the Second Saturdays!
When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,
Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons!
When cricket was played with writing pads as bats,
And Neckties and socks rolled into balls!
When few played "kabadi" and "Kho-Kho" in scorching sun,
While others simply played "book cricket" in the Confines of classroom!
Of fights but no conspiracies,
Of Competitions but seldom jealousy!
When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks!
When few rushed at 3:45 to "Conquer" window seats in our School bus!
While few others had "Big Fun", "peppermint", "kulfi", " milk ice !" and "sharbat !" at 4o Clock!
Gone are the days Of Sports Day, and the annual School Day ,
And the one-month long preparations for them.
Gone are the days Of the stressful Quarterly, Half Yearly and Annual Exams,
And the most enjoyed holidays after them!
Gone are the days Of tenth and twelfth standards,
when We Spent almost the whole year writing revision tests!
We learnt, We enjoyed, We played, We won, We lost, We laughed, We cried, We fought, We thought.
With so much fun in them, so many friends, So much experience, all this and more!
Gone are the days
When we used to talk for hours with our friends!
Now we don't have time to say a `Hi'!
Gone are the days
When we played games on the road!
Now we Code on the road with laptop!
Gone are the days
When we saw stars Shining at Night!
Now we see stars when our code doesn't Work!
Gone are the days When we sat to chat with Friends on grounds!
Now we chat in chat rooms.....!
Gone are the days
Where we studied just to pass!
Now we study to save our job!
Gone are the days
Where we had no money in our pockets and still fun filled on our hearts!!
Now we have the atm as well as credit card but with an empty heart!!
Gone are the days Where we shouted on the road!
Now we don't shout even at home
Gone are the days Where we got lectures from all!
Now we give lectures to all... like the one I'm doing now....!!
Gone are the days
But not the memories,
which will be
Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and Ever and ever and ever ......
Gone are the Days....
But still there are lot more Days to come in our Life!! NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE ,
DONT FORGET TO LIVE THE LIFE THAT STILL EXISTS……….

Vodafone Chota-Credit Ad

Another one of those refreshingly sweet yet meaningful ads of Vodafone!!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)

I did what an ardent yet lazy fan of Harry Potter would do : As soon as news of the last instalment filtered in, I scurried into my pre-ordering ritual. And then I sat pretty, soaking in the 'Potter-Mania'.....the buzz, the excitement...which was a live and breathing thing.

And along with the rest I gave reality a hard shove and prayed fervently that the good hero.....the self-effacing Harry Potter wouldn't be snuffed out by the end of the series.

When I finally laid my hands on the book, I read it in a blur of feverish excitement. My only aim: to finish it and savour that feeling of mini-achievement that only a speed-reading geek would feel!!

It was only a week back, that I decided to revisit it...sit down and actually read it in full and pain-staking detail. And once again I was left with absolute admiration for the supreme story-teller.

Harry sets of on the quest set to him by the now-deceased Dumbledore : to find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. He also stumbles upon the legend of "The Deathly Hallows" - the possession of which would make the bearer virtually impossible to defeat. And accompanying him on this penultimate adventure are his best-friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

As the three tread into new and unknown territory.....faith, trust, courage and friendship are tested. Was Dumbledore as pristinely unblemished a character as we were led to believe? Does the unwavering friendship of Ron, Hermione and Harry survive in the face of a seemingly impossible task? Will Harry choose 'The Horcruxes' or 'The Deathly Hallows' to fight Voldemort? Was Snape the loathsome toad we were always led to believe?.... and the biggest query of them all...who will die in the final battle... the battle between "The Chosen One" and " He Who Shall Not Be Named" ?

All these questions and many more are effectively answered. Rowling has managed to tie up all the loose-ends; the niggling queries that remained suspended in limbo. Events, objects and people that appeared to be just a part of the magical scenery are effortlessly woven into the larger picture.

The beauty of this book lies in the fact that long and winding though it may seem... every paragraph, every seemingly tedious monologue is actually crucial to tying up the saga that began eleven years ago.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows is a fitting and fantastic conclusion to the tale of one of the most endearing heroes in contemporary literature. And a fabulous treat for all who, as J.K.Rowling puts it in her epigraph, "stuck with Harry until the very end".

The Princess Diaries : Give Me Five (Book 5)

HRH Mia Thermopolis seems to be on the verge of achieving “self-actualization”. She is finally getting the hang of the whole princess gig and things appear to be smooth-sailing on the love-front.

But what’s a good, coming-of-age novel (or any other, everyday garden-variety novel for that matter) without a generous helping of angst, frayed tempers and the occasional hissy-fit???

The Senior-Prom is just around the corner and Mia is sure that Michael would be delighted to escort her. But, surprise…surprise Michael abhors the concept of the Prom and all the nonsensical sentimentality associated with it.

Add to that the fact that Grandmère has been up to her usual shenanigans. The temperamental Dowager Princess has managed to get an innocent bus-boy sacked and subsequently start a change of events…..culminating in a hospitality industry strike, that effectively brings Manhattan to a standstill!

All this translates into Mia’s “story-of-my-sad-life” saga. She vents, frets and fumes……all within the pages of her ever-faithful journal.

The Princess Diaries : Third Time Lucky (Book 3) ; Mia Goes Fourth (Book 4)

Mia should be deliriously happy. She’s living in Manhattan, has a great bunch of supportive friends, is an actual honest-to-goodness princess and finally has a boyfriend. What more could a previously self-confessed “flat-chested freak” ask for??

But the truth as usual is pretty murky. Her love-life is a disaster. Her boyfriend makes valiant displays of affection and Mia is unable to reciprocate. The reason? She’s madly in love with the brilliant Michael Moscovitz. And he’s apparently carrying on with a fellow senior, Judith Gershner…a girl who is able to clone fruit-flies within the four walls of her bedroom!

And the freakishly scary Grandmère continues her reign of terror and mind-games. The princess lessons are on in full swing and the dowager princess has no qualms about adding to Mia’s considerable woes.

So while Mia is not busy getting geared for her stressful entrée into Genovian Society, she’s busy fending off the kisses of her love-struck boyfriend. Fun and games all the way 'round!
Here’s hoping that Mia does strike lucky, the third time around!!

Book 4 begins with Mia back from her first official trip to Genovia. And finally she can get started on her love-life! Unfortunately, there’s still a long way to go before Mia gets to have her first, all-crucial special date. Grandmère continues to be the friendly-neighbourhood nemesis, wrecking havoc with Mia’s social life!

And there’s the teensy-tinsy fact, that grandmere has a royal escort in mind, for Mia (something which Mia definately doesn't need!).

The Princess Diaries - Take Two (Book 2)

The saga of her Royal Highness continues.

Mia’s mother is expecting a baby.....and the father is Mr.Gianini (a.k.a. Mr.G), Mia’s algebra professor. With a wedding in the very-near future, Mia has a new load of worries.

Her dear demented grandmère has decided that the wedding should be a grand affair hosted at The Plaza, attended by the crème de la crème of New York's celeb-scene and dignitaries from around the world. Unfortunately Mia is aware of the painful fact that all her mother wants is a simple, quiet function and will resist grandmère's authority with all her pregnant might!


Another blimp on the horizon is the fact that someone is sending anonymous gushy e-mails to Mia and she’s intrigued to know who her mystery lover is. She thinks (alright, hopes!!) that the sender is Michael Moscovitz, her bestfriends’ brother.

Another instalment of “synaptic breakdowns” and mass-hysteria for Mia and her entourage. Entertaining as ever and loaded with laughs.

This is a quote from "Grey's Anatomy" by the eternally confused Dr.Meredith Grey. Succinct and matter-of-fact, it made a lot of sense to me. So I am storing it for those times when I get really mad and am all ready to throw the mother of all hissy-fits!!!

"Love the people who treat you right, forget about
the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get
a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it'd be
easy, they just promised it would be worth it.”

The Princess Diaries (Book 1)

Ahh, the blistering summer is here…time to sweat bullets, crib constantly, guzzle tall cool drinks and catch up on some light-hearted reading. And for the past couple of years, I tend to start my summer-reading with a relatively new favourite: “The Princess Diaries” by best-selling author, Meg Cabot.

Meet Mia Thermopolis. 14 years. Frustrated with teen-life and its innumerable woes. Namely:
1> She has feet like skis, is the tallest girl in her class and is flatter than a surf-board.
2> Her mouse-brown/dishwater-blonde hair is “triangular” in shape and has a rampant life of it’s own.
3> She is a child out of wedlock and is being brought up by her mother, the scatter-brained, avant-garde artist Helen Thermopolis. Who by-the-way is dating her algebra professor, Frank Gianini a.k.a.Mr.G.
4> She regularly gets picked on by her school nemesis, the predictably pretty but obnoxious cheerleader, Lana Weinberger
5> She has an unrequited crush on the most popular senior in class, Josh Richter.
6> Her best friend, Lilly Moscovitz has an IQ of 170, is opinionated, a radical speaker and loves to psychoanalyze Mia at every given opportunity.
7> Lilly's brother, the cool and nonchalant Michael Moscovitz would make the perfect boyfriend....if he would only stop thinking of Mia as his kid sister's best friend.

And if that carpet-bombing wasn’t enough, she wakes up to a startling discovery. She isn’t plain old Mia Thermopolis. She is in fact Her Royal Highness, *Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldi*, Crown Princess of Genovia.

Yep, that’s right, a true-blue Princess! A “small” fact that her father (the current ruler of Genovia) would have gladly kept hidden. However, Mia’s dad has had testicular cancer which rendered him infertile, which is why Mia, an illegitimate child, is heir to the throne.

So while finding out that you are a princess sounds like every girl's dream come true…for Mia it’s just another can of worms that she has to deal with. And guiding her through would be the grandmother-from-hell, Clarisse Marie Grimaldi Renaldo, the Dowager Princess of Genovia.

Suddenly Mia has to deal with Princess Lessons and everything thing else that being royalty entails. So say hello to drastic make-overs, unwanted paparazzi and gold-diggers galore.

Written in a series of journal entries, the book is hilarious and at times even drop-dead funny. Mia’s hyperactive approach to life and it’s vagaries is captured perfectly by the supremely talented Meg Cabot.

A book which should have been around, when I was going through my own personal blend of heaven and hell in college.....The Princess Diaries is sort of like a fun talisman that every teenage girl should own, read and commiserate with.

The Fray - How To Save A Life (from Grey's Anatomy)

The unofficial theme of Grey's Anatomy : "How To Save A Life" by The Fray. Fans of the entertaining medical drama will definately love this superb combination. All the key moments captured and effortlessly weaved in with the song.