Preeti Shenoy's blog.

Love is a lot of things to a lot of people, but if you ask me what it is I would say this: Love is when you have that goofy look in your eyes and your smile stretches across your whole face and you still get goosebumps, listening to the song he dedicated to you, seventeen years back. Love is when you still do crazy things like calling each other thrice a day even though you're in the same town. Love is still waiting to see each other at the end of the day. Love is that pride in his eyes when he sees me at the book-events signing copies. Love is him telling all his friends about me, proudly.   Love is fighting like crazy but still hugging each other at the end of the day, because you can't sleep otherwise. Love is doing something you hate, just because the other person loves it. Love is each one thinking that they are lucky to have got the other person. Love is something that casts a warm glow in your heart. Love is him pushing me to write my fourth book a

So finally we come to the last day of the Blog marathon! Image from freedigitalphotos.net Oh my God, this has been exhausting to say the least and to be honest I am secretly relieved!  It was so hard to come up with a new post every day.  A new GOOD post that is, not just a filler post.There were times when I was so exhausted that I fell asleep a few times while writing the posts. It was that tiring. (especially as I had to travel for my book events) But it was wonderful to have you along on the ride.  I must make a special mention of Anu, Gayu, Shachi  who commented on almost ALL my posts.Thank you so much!  I did read and look forward to all the comments even though I could not reply. The comments really helped me to keep going! And a big thank you to all, of you who read me regularly too. (The stats are sky-rocketing and I am honoured and flattered!) Thanks for the love folks! I had mentioned that the winners of the card giveaway ( Blog marathon post 23)

Today was a great day in terms of my cards. Like i have said before, I make these cards, in between my writing. I find it an amazing way to de-stress. Today I sold six cards, and one of them was custom made, with a personalized quilled name of the future recipient. I feel wonderful about being appreciated for the cards I make. Here are a few latest ones. To see my full collection go here People often ask me how can they find creativity and inspiration? My answer can be simplified into  a few points which I think are important for creativity and inspiration: 1. Do nothing!  Lie outdoors on the grass (if possible) for a while. Do nothing. Tune off every electonic device you own. Just lie there and gaze at the sky and observe your thoughts. Don't fight them--just observe them. You will be amazed at what you hear, when you listen to yourself! 2. Exercise. This stimulates the brain cells like anything, It wakes you out of lethargy. It';s a boost for your brain.

The other day I was in Chennai for my book launch. (Click here to see some photos of the event).  We stayed at a really nice hotel and my family was with me. My children were in adjoining room.(We had inter connecting room) Early in the morning, I woke up before everyone else. It was magical to see both my children fast asleep. There is something about sleeping children that transforms mothers’ hearts into quivering jellies. I stood and stared for long filled with an indescribable tenderness.   It took me back to their childhood when they were babies.   After a while, I crawled into the bed with my daughter and dived under the luxurious duvet, cuddled her and before I realised I was fast asleep. My daughter woke me up after a while with great urgency. She was all chuckles, smiling widely, her eyes glowing with excitement. ‘Mama when did you come into my bed?’ she demanded to know. ‘Early in the morning baby,’ I answered, still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

Caine's Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo . The above video is a short ten minute film about a little boy who is following his dream that I came across recently. It is definitely a must-watch. Do take ten minutes out and watch it. If you have little kids, please watch with them if they are old enough to understand.  Guess the amount that has been raised at the time of publishing this post? A whopping  1,72,609.070 Dollars !! Isn't the power of Internet amazing? But what is more amazing about the boy is he never ever gave up his dreams! I think we all have a big lesson to learn here from that little boy. Do check out the site here:     http://cainesarcade.com/ In another happening today,  one of the comments I got on my Facebook page (from a reader called Jaimin Udhnawala) said  "Dear preeti, (tea for two & piece of cake) captivating story an underdog soul who carve out her way amidst all odds, loved it thoroughly cos somewhere it connected unswerv

 After Satish's really humorous guest post written yesterday (scroll down to read it) , I must add a few things he missed out. 1. You really learn to live live to the FULLEST by observing a dog.No matter what happens, dogs just get on with life.  2.They don't mope. They don't ask 'why me'. They don't sulk. They don't hold grudges. A dog really embodifies the statement 'Life is short. LIVE it.' 3. The sheer enthusiasm with which a dog greets the owner (they act as if they havent seen you in twenty years, even if you  have gone to the neighbourhood store to fetch something and you took just fifteen minutes) is amazing and has to be seen and experienced to be beilieved. 4. So many articles have emphasised the health benefits of having a dog . (Studies have shown that it outstrips the benefits of having a cat) 5. Having a dog teaches you so much--responsibility, caring for another living thing, compassion, love, devotion. 6. Mos

                                                    Living with a Doberman             Guest Post by Satish Shenoy   The kids had settled down well in the UK and loved the place. I guess not having to learn Hindi, Sanskrit nor having any homework to do, helped a lot in the process. When we moved back from the UK to India there were a number of groans and moans. We had to throw in a carrot to offset the huge level of pressure that they would go through, settling back in to the Indian educational system. Preeti always loved animals and my son takes after Preeti in this regard. As a child I too was fond of dogs until my brother was badly bitten by two Pomeranians.  I have been wary of dogs ever since.  However, with an extra-large heart and without realizing what I was getting in to, I bravely volunteered to get a dog for the kids when we got back to India. I think I was partly clouded by what I had seen in the UK. When people take their dogs for walks in the UK, there i

Recently I watched two very different movies, both at the same Multiplex. I had watched the Tamil movie '3' (the movie which has the epic song Kolaveri di) and today I watched the new 'Titanic' in 3D.(Which is breaking all records at the box office) I did like both movies, although Titanic in 3D  of course, completely swept me away. James Cameroon has done a splendid job indeed. I was so engrossed in it, I am still under the spell. If you by any chance are one of the few who haven't seen Titanic, go watch! Even if you have seen it, the 3D version is still something else! In the Tamil movie '3,' they refer to the disorder as Bipolar disorder, but the symptoms they depict are completely different. I know, because I now consider myself somewhat of an authority on Bipolar disorder (as my second book completely deals with it and I have researched it thoroughly). The term they should have used is 'Schizo-affective disorder' (again very different from

 These are a few more cards I made  this week. Like I mentioned, I find it to be a fantastic activity to de-stress. Judging by the number of cards I am making, you can imagine how stressed I must be!  You can see my whole collection of cards here .  Many of them are sold. Most handmade cards sell for anywhere between Rs.100/- and Rs.250/- depending on the amount of work involved.Check out some  handmade cards   made by some talented people here I feel happy that finally the worth of these hand-made products is being appreciated and the artists are getting the price they deserve.  As a thank you to my blog-readers I am giving away the cards I made. They are blank inside (so you can write all that you have to say)  and they all come with envelopes. On the back it says ' handmade by Preeti Shenoy'. :) (I designed them myself--I ought to get full credit, no? :)) The first two cards will be given to one person and the second two to another person. What do you hav

 The online link to the above is : http://www.thehindu.com/arts/books/article3300189.ece   IBN also had  said something really nice about me. Read the article here. 'Tea for two and a piece of cake' is on all the best-seller lists currently. I am happy it has got such a wonderful response . However, today more than anything else, I miss my father.  People say stuff like "time heals" and "he is watching you from above" and such things. They lie. Time does not heal.  And 'watching from above' brings no comfort really.   It is now been five years, seven months and six days. It still hurts like hell.  Every victory is bitter-sweet. Every happy occasion is tinged with sadness. Each time I achieve something, I call my mum up and we remember him and wish and wish and wish he was around. Sometimes we cry together.   Every little memory with him is guarded jealously, cherished and re-lived a million times o

Today I had a really interesting conversation on my Blackberry messenger. Let me copy paste a part of it it here. I am only changing the name of the person I conversed with and naming him TS. (He  does not mind me sharing this conversation. I checked with him before posting it here) He had asked me to listen to  Tiesto maximal crazy--something which I had never heard before. Even the name was new. If you haven't heard it too, here is the  video: Preeti Shenoy: U in the car? TS: Ya Preeti Shenoy: Ok TS: Liked tiesto? Preeti Shenoy: Ya baby!!! TS: He is awesome, one of the worlds best DJ TS: Genre; trance and house and stuff Preeti Shenoy: Its lovely. I like!! Preeti Shenoy: We need to put on giant speakers TS: I know. B-) TS: Init? Preeti Shenoy: And sit there and shake our heads Preeti Shenoy: B-) TS: Like a boss Preeti Shenoy: :) TS: Wuu2 Preeti Shenoy: U should also listen to deadmau5 TS: I know deadmau TS:  and  I need

It's Wordless Wednesday again.       _________________________________________________________________________ If you like my blog, you might enjoy my books :) Grab them   here .   (You don't need a credit card. You can pay cash on delivery) or if you are an Amazon Fan, you can grab them  here  And you can interact with me on my   FB page . I  almost  always reply :)