How

How many
People have
Died since
I was born?

Countless

How many
People will
Be born
When I die?

Well, again,
Countless....

Life and Death
Carry on....

They make
Proactive
Progress
With their
Procreative
Process

To me,
They also
Seem to be

Ceaseless
Tireless,
Timeless
And as always,
Boundless....

And no matter
However much
I try to grasp
Them, they remain
As always
Fathomless....

Stories from the Coast

Such an inspiring way to start my day, today :-)

I came across these wonderful creations by Ranganath Krishnamani

https://www.behance.net/gallery/88542945/Stories-from-the-Coast

Here are some more of his awesome illustrations

https://theinspirationgrid.com/illustrations-by-ranganath-krishnamani/

May he keep inspiring us with his stupendous works of art. 

I wish him timeless success in all his artistic endeavours. 

His works are truly amazing :-) Hope you also like his designs and digital painting.

Happy Viewing and Happy Sharing !!!

Cheers

Aparna

Sundays

On Sundays

Instead of

Staying with

His wife, he

Would come

To our home

Perhaps his

Wife was a

Nagging wife

His home 

Wouldn't

Feel like a

Home, so he

Would come

To our home

How about this Song?! :-)

It's really funny and hilarious.

I love the feet-tapping music.

Kareena and Salman look gorgeous.

The singers are Mohit Chauhan, Pritam and Palak Muchhal

The music is composed by Pritam Chakraborty and the lyrics are by Mayur Puri

Hope you also enjoy this song :-)

Happy Viewing !!!

Cheers
Aparna

Khali Salaam Dua

Superb Song :-)

Lyrics by Shabbir Ahmed

Music by Himesh Reshammiya

Sung by Mohit Chauhan. I love his voice.

The filming of this song could have been better as I feel that the visuals mismatch the expression of this beautiful song.

Nevertheless, this song is really worth a listen :-)

Happy Humming !!!

Cheers

Aparna

See if you like this latest playlist :-)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAP2Wr4O1Jakcaj3FY7OZQpGtUDeeZUQw

I made it on Ranbir Kapoor. He's such a brilliant actor and a talented dancer.

Some of my favourite songs picturised on him are:

Jab Se Tere Naina, Pocket Mein Rocket, Tera Hone Laga Hoon, Main Badhiya Tu Bhi Badhiya, Khuda Jaane

There are over 30 songs in this playlist. See if you like any, and if you do, please share it with your friends and family.

Enjoy :-)
APARNA

Some

It's been
Quite some
Time, I've
Seen that
Movie....

Its songs
Keep playing
In my mind

So I thought
Of making a
Playlist and
Sharing with
You so that
They start
Playing in
Your mind

The songs
Are in Hindi
The subtitles
Are in English
The music is
Fabulous :-)
So I hope
You'll have
A listen :-)
And won't
Mind, letting
Them enter
Your blessed
Mind :-)


(wrote this while making a playlist)

You can see all my playlists here

https://www.youtube.com/user/playingplaylists/playlists?reload=9

Short

Perhaps
I should
Write a
Short
Story

I should
Take a
Break
From
Poetry

But I'm
Wondering
How short
The story
Will be...

What if it
Becomes
Another
Poetry?!

;-)

See this :-)

Plant a Tree to Save The World

https://www.my5.tv/chris-packham-plant-a-tree-to-save-the-world/season-1/chris-packham-plant-a-tree-to-save-the-world

Very nice, informative and interesting documentary about Trees presented by one of my favourite TV personalities - Chris Packham

It runs for 55 mins. Hope you'll have the time to see this.

Happy Viewing :-)

Cheers
Aparna

See this series

Seven Worlds, One Planet

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p07dzjwl/seven-worlds-one-planet

It's amazing and awe-inspiring.

Regards

Aparna

Book

I review
Your book

You review
My book

We both
Praise
Each other

Is that
Genuine
Praise?

No.

As far as I know
It is quid pro quo

So next time
I write a book
I know where
To go ;-)

For we both know
We reap what we
Sow :-)

Lyrics + Music

Yesterday I saw this movie Manmarziyaan shown as part of Channel 4's Indian Film Season

I enjoyed the movie and was surprised to find myself liking all the songs of the movie.

Most of them have been penned by Shellee and their music given by Amit Trivedi.

Superb partnership, I must say, in composing such wonderful, peppy music and lyric.

I wish them success in all their future endeavours and hope they keep entertaining us.

I've added all the songs in this playlist.

Have a listen when you can :-)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAP2Wr4O1JanEGYsWsf4AY27roeP85elk

Hope you enjoy.

Cheers
Aparna

Lock

Have you noticed the 'Lock' symbol on the left side of any URL you type to go to a website?

I see it as a green lock on Opera and as a black lock on Chrome.

If you click it, you'll be able to see the site information and if you go to site settings, you are given the option of blocking JavaScript.

The default setting is 'allow' JavaScript.

For most sites, it is OK and no need to change the setting.

But on those websites where they run JavaScript that doesn't allow you to access the website's content till you subscribe or open an account or disable ad-blocker, on such websites, blocking the JavaScript works wonders.....

For e.g. on some newspapers like

The Hindu

https://www.thehindu.com

The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com

The Local

https://www.thelocal.ch

These websites allowed me to read limited number of articles and then a pop-up came saying that I needed to subscribe / open an account / disable ad-blocker to continue reading.....

But my son taught me today how to resolve this problem, by simply blocking the JavaScript on the site setting.

Now this technique will work only for those websites which run JavaScript for such pop-ups.

It won't work on sites like The Telegraph where for premium articles you need to pay and they don't use JavaScript.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/premium/

But for such sites, my son has added an extension from GitHub and now he can read such articles for free.

https://github.com/iamadamdev/bypass-paywalls-chrome

I've asked him to observe how the extension works.....before I feel confident to use it on my PC as I don't want any bugs.

I've always believed in lifelong learning and for me, learning has no age. We learn from our elders, we learn from our youngsters and we also learn from our contemporaries.....

I feel blessed to learn so many things from my children. Even my daughter has taught me very many things regarding PC and mobiles. My husband who's forever so busy, also teaches me, whenever he can squeeze out some time from his hectic work life and his frequent tours as he's often out of station. All of them are better at PC than me. They are also good in art and can sketch beautifully.....

In this age of instant e-greetings, I was pleasantly surprised to get a very nice, intricately designed, handmade card from my son on Mother's Day this year. He's also done very well in his 1st year of Uni, having passed with distinction and has also made it to the Dean's List.

Nowadays, he's experimenting with all sorts of microwave cooking by trying new recipes and as always, is enjoying his weekly duty as a local radio presenter. Recently, he's started volunteering in a wildlife trust as he loves the outdoors and is always looking for opportunities to be near nature.

I wish him success in his endeavours. Let's see where life takes him. Hope all goes well.

That's all my sharing for now.

Take Care,

L 'n' R,
Aparna

Compilation

Here are some quotes in pix for you to view :-)

https://please-peruse.blogspot.com/2019/10/quotes-in-pix.html

Also, here are some more quotes that I've compiled from various websites.

Happy Reading :-)

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it. - John Lennon

Life is a balance between what we can control and what we cannot. I am learning to live between effort and surrender. - Danielle Orner

Success is not a good teacher, failure makes you humble. - Shah Rukh Khan

If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success? - Jerry Seinfeld

Everything is funny, as long as it's happening to somebody else. - Will Rogers

Love and a cough cannot be hid. - George Herbert

There is no right time and right place for love....it can happen any time. - Shah Rukh Khan

Life seems unending until you or someone you love gets sick. - Joel Klein

It is easy to sit up and take notice, What is difficult is getting up and taking action. - Honore de Balzac

Reason is powerless in the expression of Love. - Rumi

Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair. - Sam Ewing

I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her. - Rodney Dangerfield

The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound. - Maureen Duffy

The weaker partner in a marriage is the one who loves the most. - Eleonora Duse

The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire. - Richard M. Nixon

I truly believe that humanity is a lot like me. It's an ageing movie star, grappling with all the newness around itself, wondering whether it got it right in the first place, and still trying to find a way to keep on shining regardless. - Shah Rukh Khan

When you feel neglected, think of the female salmon, who lays 3,000,000 eggs but no one remembers her on Mother's Day. - Sam Ewing

To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be. - Anna Louise Strong

A marriage becomes strong when you constantly work at not taking each other for granted. - Cathy Quon

Success has a simple formula: do your best, and people may like it. - Sam Ewing

If you liked this compilation, then please share it :-)

Thanks
Aparna

Quotes in Pix

These Pix Quotes have been sourced from Famous People  and AZ Quotes 

1891

This victorian hotel was built in 1891.

It is located on Westcliff Parade giving magnificent views of Southend cliff gardens and the Thames estuary.

It has recently been bought by the Muthu group of hotels and so it is now known as MGM Westcliff Hotel.

This is a three-star hotel and so the rooms are quite basic. No air-conditioning, no fridge and no microwave. There is a kettle for making tea/coffee.

However, when you enter the room, the sea-views from the windows are so enthralling, that you forget about the room and enjoy the views.

The staff are nice and friendly. The decor is simple and we did get a tidy room.

The parking is not free and it is permit parking at £2.50 per day.

It's better to buy the permit before you reach the hotel to avoid being fined by the parking wardens.

You can use the Mobon app to buy it online.

https://www.gomobon.com

The nearest stations to this hotel are Westcliff and Southend Central. Both are within 0.5 miles.

The nearest airport is Southend airport which is about 3 miles from the hotel.

The local taxi company is AC Radio Cabs.

https://www.acradiocabs.com/about_us.php

Here are some pix of Westcliff hotel.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/honVYnppPcSnsrPA7

We've stayed in much better hotels than this one but we would love to return to this hotel because of its scenic location.

Also, I would suggest, try to stay in this hotel in spring or autumn when it is not too hot and you can do without the AC.

They are still refurbishing the hotel. So hopefully, one day, all their rooms will have AC.

Till then, you can stay in their hotel and enjoy the sea :-)

Happy Staying !!!

Regards
APARNA

Wishing you all Happy Diwali :-)

with these beautiful photos of Westcliff-on-Sea

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CXkQDogfNcGrkkPNA

Happy Viewing and of course, if you like these, then happy sharing :-)

Cheers

Aparna

Review

We went to India this year and stayed in Muse Sarovar. This hotel in Kapashera was convenient for us as it was near Delhi airport and so it worked well as a stopover for domestic and international flights. Here are some pix of this hotel which is the 8th best hotel in Delhi out of more than 1000 hotels (as per Trip Advisor). The ranking can change as there is so much competition and so we don't know how good the hotel will be in the coming years....

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zKSvkp2nQwnynSK87

We stayed in this hotel twice in August 2019 and had booked 2 rooms for our family. The rooms are nice and spacious. We were surprised to see an all-male staff. We didn't see any women employees in the hotel. Food was good but spicy and pricey. We had to always ask them to make it non-spicy. The bathroom fittings were wonky. The flush didn't work properly. So we asked them to fix it which they did. The mixer tap in the washbasin was giving only warm water and no cold water. We went downstairs to get our room kettle filled with cold water from the kitchen, so that we could boil it and make some tea. There were some mosquitoes in the night on our first visit and so during our second visit, we asked them to give us some plug-in mosquito repellents in each of our 2 rooms which they did. If we again go to Delhi, and we don't get better deals in similar airport hotels, we'll go for this hotel because of their nice decor and ambience, their friendly staff and their tasty food.

If you happen to visit Delhi, you can also try this hotel and see if you like it :-)

Our stay was not hunky-dory and we did have some issues but what we liked is the way they dealt with it.

We were won over by their warm and welcoming hospitality and service.

Now let me bid you adieu with this hotel review.

Love and Regards,
As always, Aparna

Lack

When we
Lack something
We seek God

When God
Has a lack
Whom does
He seek?

Is it us?
The devotees?

Or is He the
Perfect, complete
Creator of this
Imperfect world?

He was such a Genius :-)

The American columnist who lived from 1915 - 1977. He was William E. Vaughan, known to us as Bill Vaughan.

His witty aphorisms are simply superb !!! I've been reading through his inspiring sayings and saluting the genius in him.

His sense of humour is also mind-blowing !!! I've really enjoyed his hilarious quotes.

Hope you also enjoy his Quotes :-)

The same sun that melts butter hardens clay.

Hay smells different to lovers and horses.

You have to climb to reach a deep thought.

Some idea of inflation comes from seeing a youngster get his first job at a salary you dreamed of as the culmination of your career.

Someday there is going to be a book about a middle-aged man with a good job, a beautiful wife and two lovely children who still manages to be happy.

Aristocracy has three successive ages. First superiorities, then privileges and finally vanities. Having passed from the first, it degenerates in the second and dies in the third.

The wolf changes his coat, but not his disposition.

People who have little to do are excessive talkers.

When gossip grows old it becomes myth.

The tax collector must love poor people, he's creating so many of them.

A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works.

Size isn't everything. The whale is endangered, while the ant continues to do just fine.

Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them.

Virtue, like a dowerless beauty, has more admirers than followers.

A statesman is any politician it's considered safe to name a school after.

It might be a good idea if the various countries of the world would occasionally swap history books, just to see what other people are doing with the same set of facts.

Economists report that a college education adds many thousands of dollars to a man's lifetime income—which he then spends sending his son to college.

A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election.

As a nation we are dedicated to keeping physically fit - and parking as close to the stadium as possible.

If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity.

Now that women are jockeys, baseball umpires, atomic scientists, and business executives, maybe someday they can master parallel parking.

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.

Bottom is bottom, even if it is turned upside down.

Experience is something I always think I have until I get more of it.

By the time you're eighty years old you've learned everything. You only have to remember it.
____________________________________________

That's all my sharing for now.

Bye,
A-C

Traditional

Traditional Pitta with Honey made with wheat flour, soybean oil, salt, sugar, cinnamon and of course, honey :-)

All the ingredients in the right mix to make such a nice, tasty Pitta. It somewhat tastes like sweet paratha.

Whenever my husband goes to Cyprus, he gets it from one of the many grocery shops out there which stock it.

The supplier is Katerina Bakery.

http://www.katerinabakery.com

See if you get this traditional pitta with honey in your vicinity. It goes very well with tea.

Happy Tasting :-)

Cheers
Aparna

Baklava

Have you tried Baklava?

It's a Turkish dessert.

I tried it from one of the Turkish restaurants in my vicinity.

It's so tasty.

Just the right amount of sweetness I need.

It's made with filo pastry, chopped nuts and honey.

This is how it looks.

https://i.etsystatic.com/16152336/r/il/6da08a/1372640594/il_794xN.1372640594_3k8i.jpg

See if you get it out there where you live.

It's really worth a taste. The baklava that I buy is not too sweet, not too oily as I don't like too sweet, too greasy stuff.

So if you have a choice of Turkish restaurants in your area, shop around for the best Baklava.

Not all restaurants will make it so well. But the one that does it, will be your favourite :-)

Baklava goes well as a tea-time snack or you can also have it as a dessert after your lunch or dinner.

So go try it. Hope you love the taste of it. Good luck :-)

Cheers
Aparna

Gathia

One of my favourite snacks.

Have you tried it?

It goes well with roasted, salted peanuts.

Next time it is tea-time, try this nice savoury.

If you want to see how Gathia looks, please click here.

http://kenajaye.blogspot.com/2019/06/ShayonaPhooliGanthia.html

Some people also call it Ganthia. I don't like the spicy variety. I like the plain ones.

The peanuts I have also don't have much salt in it and so I like it.

http://kenajaye.blogspot.com/2019/01/StockwellAndCoRoastedAndSaltedPeanuts.html

That's my snack-sharing for now. Happy tasting :-)

Love,
Aparna

Lightning

I've been following some amazing news about Lightning happening in East Sussex.

Eastbourne sees 1,000 lightning strikes in one hour

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48688194

The pix are awesome and today I came across another picture of lightning from South Essex.

https://www.southendstandard.co.uk/resources/images/10011561.jpg?type=article-full

This one has been photographed by Foster Congrave

A visual delight of this celestial happening, sharing with you for your happy viewing :-)

Cheers
Aparna

Tanuja Samarth

I heard that the 75-year-old actress has recently had surgery for Diverticulitis.

https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/newstrack+journalism+english-epaper-nwstkeng/tanuja+samarth+undergoes+operation+for+diverticulitis-newsid-117564398

May she recover and regain her health. My best wishes are with her.

This news made me reminisce those days when I viewed her movies.

So I thought of dedicating a playlist to her. Hope you enjoy these songs.

L  'n' R,
Aparna

Very soothing song :-)

The lyrics are nice and the music is captivating.

I've even added it to my playlist as I love listening to this song.

Hope you also like it.

Leaving you, as always, with some quotes for your notes.

Happy pondering :-)

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. - Eric Hoffer

How little do they see what really is, who frame their hasty judgment upon that which seems. - Daniel Webster

We sleep in separate rooms, we have dinner apart, we take separate vacations - we're doing everything we can to keep our marriage together. - Rodney Dangerfield

I don't need you to remind me of my age. I have a bladder to do that for me. - Stephen Fry

Well done is better than well said. - Benjamin Franklin

Love is not a because, it's a no matter what. - Jodi Picoult

Take Care,
APARNA :)

Gun

Twenty-one
Gun salute
To commemorate
A day.

What about
The birds?

Don't they
Get scared
Away?

What is this
Commemoration
When it spreads
Trepidation?

Why guns
Are needed
To give a
Salute?

It's time to
Do away with
This dated
Practice of
Gun-salute.

It hurts the birds
Don't scare them
With such loud sounds.
It's time we heard them
Why blast their peace
And smother them with
Fear - why make them
Mute with our twenty-one
Gun salute?

For the sake of nature,
Let us do away with this
Pompous practice of gun
Salute.
There'll be less of noise
Pollution, and peace will
Prevail if we do some silent
Contemplation, observation,
And introspection on the day
Of commemoration.....

This Place

This place is a very nice place to stay, a nice getaway on a holiday :-)

It has spacious rooms, sprawling lawns, beautiful trees, a captivating fountain and ample parking space.

The food is good and staff are nice and friendly. If the weather is good, you'll really enjoy this place.

It took me over an hour just to explore this hotel as it has so much to offer.

Restaurants, Gym, Swimming pool, rooftop terrace offering amazing views of the countryside and lots of walking spaces around the hotel.

We went during the Easter break when the roads get clogged with traffic and it's a struggle to find parking spaces as the towns get busy with holidaymakers.

So we were surprised to see that that this huge hotel which was also bustling with a lot of activity, had no dearth of parking as they had plenty of spaces for even coaches to come and park there and usher in large groups of people.

So if you are on a driving holiday and want to avoid the towns and cities for overnight parking, then this is the place to be :-) but you need to be in UK.

This place is within a couple of hours drive from Leeds, Oxford and Cambridge and a little over two hours from London, Manchester and Chester.

If you just want to drive for about an hour, then Birmingham, Coventry and Leicester are the places for you from this hotel.

If you want to explore the countryside, then Shropshire Hills, North York Moors National Park and Peak District are about two hours' drive from this place.

So this place is very centrally located when it comes to visiting so many places and every time you enter the hotel, you are so relieved to find a parking space after a long day of sightseeing.

Inside the hotel buzzes with people but outside it feels as if the hotel is vacant because of so many empty parking spaces. That's what we really loved about this hotel esp. because we have a big car, an 8-seater Mercedes Viano and so whenever we are out and about, we always feel happy if we are able to park easily :-)

So if you live in the UK or are planning to come to UK, and you need a hotel which is accessible from so many destinations, then this hotel is the place to be esp. if you are on a driving holiday :-)

I would suggest not to visit this country when it's having its school holidays as whatever journey times I've given you might increase by a couple of hours here or there depending on which motorway is clogged by what kind of traffic because during the school holidays, it seems the whole of UK is out on the roads, including us :-)

So the best time to visit UK is when its schools are in session and you'll be able to travel without the hiccups of crowds and congestion.

That's a lot of travel advice for now - Take it or leave it :-)

Let me bid you adieu with some pix of this hotel I've been yapping about....and No, nobody has paid me to advertise this hotel.

We stayed here, we liked it and so I thought of sharing this resort with you.

https://please-peruse.blogspot.com/2019/05/jurys-inn-hinckley-island-hotel.html


Happy Viewing :-)

Cheers
Aparna

Jurys Inn

Photography by Aparna Chatterjee

Hope you like this photo :-)

There'll be many more I'll be sharing with you.

This photo is one of those that I'm now uploading to create a new album.

I took this during my recent trip to Hinckley Island in Leicestershire.

It was so nice, serene and calm with lovely views and I loved walking in the spring sunshine.

That's my sharing for now.

Happy Viewing :-)

Cheers
Aparna


Image © Aparna Chatterjee

Free Movie :-)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3aqrze

without Ads

I don't know if this video is ad-free or if my browser's ad-blocker made me watch the movie ad-free.

I enjoyed the experience :-)

Hope you also like this movie.

Cheers

Aparna

Aisa Kyun Hota Hai :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCD0Qmm3MA0

Very nice song picturised on the pretty and petite - Amrita Rao

She's a talented actress. I've seen her in Main Hoon Na, Ishq Vishk, Vivah and Masti

The lyrics of this beautiful song are by Sameer.

It has been sung wonderfully well by Alka Yagnik.

The music has been given by Anu Malik.

Enjoy :)
Aparna

If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week. – Charles Darwin

Setting

Sun :-)

Well, I took these 2 sunset photos one after the other, and so I'm hyperlinking both the photos, because if you can't see one, hope you'll be able to see the other :-)

If internet works glitch-free, everything we can see :-) Hope my blog reaches you without glitches.

Here's another compilation of Quotes:

As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it. - Dick Cavett

Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever. - Charles Lamb

A man who gives his children habits of industry provides for them better than by giving them fortune. - Richard Whately

Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker. - Zig Ziglar

The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well. - Horace Walpole

Music is moonlight in the gloomy night of life. - Jean Paul

It is love, not reason, that is stronger than death. - Thomas Mann

The more refined and subtle our minds, the more vulnerable they are. - Paul Tournier

Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner. - Lao Tzu

The best way to keep your friends is not to give them away. - Wilson Mizner

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. - Carl Jung

I’m just a speck of sand in the desert of time. - Arnold Weinstock

That's all for now.

Take Care,
~ Aparna ~

Setting

Embed from Getty Images

Setting my
Bed, I remember
How you used to
Set your bed

What an
Arrangement!
What a perfection!

Gone are you
Leaving me
With days of
Silent recollection


Poetry © Aparna Chatterjee

Pic sourced from Getty Images