Book Review - After The Rain by Jo Watson

After The Rain is Jo Watson's second book following the immensely enjoyable Burning Moon. I love Jo's sense of humour and she has not held back with it in this book either. Many a times, I found myself laughing out loud while reading this book, but there were also sighs at the lead pairs many romantic moments. The leading lady is as unconventional as they get and the male lead is a man who follows rules almost to the point of being uptight. But they find love during a brief encounter, brought together by fate and some conspiring friends.

The book can be found in Amazon.

A New Book From Kirsty Moseley

Here is a new book from one of my favourite authors. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

Title: Poles Apart

Type: Standalone

Author: Kirsty Moseley

Genre: New Adult Romance

Cover Design: Okay Creations

Release Date: November 18th 2014

He’s pole position…

Carson Matthews, the hottest driver ever to hit the MotoGP circuit, is living the carefree, celebrity lifestyle. With little to worry about, other than keeping himself top of the leader board, his favourite weekend pastime is visiting a certain blonde at Angels Gentlemen’s Club.

She’s a pole dancer…

Emma Bancroft, a part-time lap dancer, is just trying to make ends meet. Her responsibilities weigh heavily on her, as does the secret she’s kept from everyone for the last two and a half years.

The two of them are poles apart.

A new full length, New Adult romance from international bestselling author Kirsty Moseley.

AmazonUS | AmazonUK | iBooks | Kobo | B&N | Google Play

Kirsty Moseley has always been a passionate reader since she was a little girl, devouring books overnight, barely sleeping and paying for it at school the next day. Writing has come similarly to her and once she discovered Wattpad, she finally plucked up the courage to post one of her stories. Seven million reads later, she self-published her debut novel THE BOY WHO SNEAKS IN MY BEDROOM WINDOW, which later became one of 10 Finalists for the 2012 Goodreads' Choice Awards, Best YA Fiction. Shocked and overwhelmed by the response, she published her second novel ALWAYS YOU a few months later.

If she had to sum herself up in one word, it would probably be 'daydreamer' - but unlike most of her school teachers, she doesn't necessarily view that as a bad thing. After all, she read somewhere once that books are like waking dreams....

She lives in Norfolk, England with her husband and son.

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The First Time

I was given a private room with an extra bed. A nurse took me there on a wheelchair and helped me onto the bed. My friend Sush decided to spend the night on the extra bed. He and another friend Joy also decided to stay back in case there was some emergency at night. They decided to sleep on the floor as there were no more beds available.

As I listened to them discussing the plans, my mind wandered to what happened earlier in the evening. Just as I succumbed to sleep, I remembered that before I blacked out, I was on his right side and he had pulled me to the other side.

The following day, friends started pouring in. The doctor said that I would have to undergo a surgery to align the broken arm correctly and attach a steel plate to keep it in place while it heals. In the midst of the chaos and overload of information, I tried to recollect the previous night's events. He had pulled me out of the way and placed himself in danger. After being hit by a bike, he slept on the floor the whole night. Every now and then, he would come to the room with a concerned look and would talk to me and try to cheer me up. I had no words for how I felt.

The next day, I had the surgery and got a full arm cast. By the time I was back, my Dad had also arrived. I recovered from my injuries with time. But I got a very special gift that evening. I found the love of my life. From that day, he has been with me, laughing with me when I am happy and wiping my tears when I am sad. Every morning when I wake up and feel his arms around me, I know that he will always keep me safe. I love him, adore him and look up to him. It has been 13 years since that evening. We have Sunshine in our life now. My biggest wish, no my need is that even if I have nothing, I always want to wake up with his arms around me and his love enveloping me.

The Evening

We had an awesome time on his birthday because he made it all about me and Sunshine. So typical of him. He let me do the things which I had planned for him, but he had planned so much more for us. He is always thinking of his family and friends and ways to make others happy. I guess that is what makes his soul even more beautiful than his physical self.

He put me ahead of himself that evening that changed my life forever. We had gone out with a bunch of friends to celebrate a birthday and were all returning home. Although we had a lot of fun as can be expected of a young bunch of friends who had just started working and were earning good money, we were all tired and eager to get back home. All of us were trying to hail auto rickshaws and it was a bit difficult as it was a busy time. Everybody managed to get into the couple of autos that finally stopped for us and I was the only one left behind. He had a motor bike, so he offered me a ride and I accepted happily. We were crossing the road to the place where his bike was parked and I was immersed in my conversation with him. The next second, everything went black. I do not know how long I stayed that way, but I felt someone pick me up from where I was lying. He was talking to somebody on the phone frantically. I felt my body giving away and my head collapsed on a warm chest and strong hands held me up by my waist so that I do not fall down. There was excruciating pain all over my body, but I felt safe and comfortable in his hold. I protested when I was gently eased to the backseat of a car. I slowly opened my eyes and saw my closest girlfriend sitting next to me. 

I turned left to see the mangled mess that once used to be my arm. I looked up to see his worried face and turned around to see my girlfriend almost in tears or maybe she had wiped away her tears. I said, "I think I broke my arm". All the friends in the car smiled - probably relieved to see that I am fully conscious and am talking again. They took me to a nearby hospital in the taxi and he followed us on his bike. 

I was rushed through x-rays and some other tests and finally they brought me out to the waiting area on a wheel chair. I saw my friends waiting for me and he was pacing behind their seats. He turned around, our eyes met and I couldn't help smiling. I looked at all my friends and continued smiling. Everyone remarked later on that they found it amazing that a person with a badly broken arm, a broken foot and bruises all over could smile like that. I am pretty sure they have all forgotten about it now. But he never forgot my smile that night. He has told me that he carried that image in his heart and it has helped him overcome the darkest moments of his life. 

How did I ever get so lucky to have him think of my one smile that way? I have no answers. But what really left me speechless is how he picked me up that night - for the first time.

His Big Day

His big day is coming up next week. He is the man of my dreams. He is the love of my life.

One day many many years back, in a conference room in a posh hotel, as I sat with a group of people working on our team building activity, I heard a voice dismissing all our ideas as downright childish. I looked up with barely hidden irritation to see someone leaning casually against a table next to the one we were all sitting at. He was tall with a lean but muscular build which was not yet in vogue at that point in time. He looked around the table with his piercing hazel green eyes and his smirk seemed to challenge us to disagree with him. He even had a couple of wing men on either side and looked every bit a playboy. His smirk transformed into an almost-smile when our eyes met and I looked away.

He dragged a chair and sat at our table and started speaking. Within minutes, everybody forgot his obvious display of arrogance and dived deep into discussions about his ideas because they were damned good and he had a way with words and a great sense of humour which made people like him instantly. Later in the day, my girlfriend and I were standing in the corridor outside my room when he saw us and walked towards us. He introduced himself and in a matter of minutes, we were all talking and laughing like old friends.

Our easy friendship continued for many months and we could talk to each other about anything under the sun. There was never any undercurrent or tension between us because despite my initial impression, he was no playboy. In fact, he was the exact opposite of that - a perfect gentleman. He was a charmer alright, but I have never seen him take advantage of anyone. We were like two guys hanging out together, mostly with a bunch of other friends. Until one fateful evening, we had that perfectly platonic friendship which did not require any label.

Back to earth - I am baking a tiramisu cake for him. Not just because he loves tiramisu, but also because tiramisu means 'pick me up'. He picked me up - not just that evening, but every time since, whenever I needed to be saved.

Oatmeal Cookies (Whole Wheat)

This recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients:

Walnuts - 1 cup
Butter at room temperature - 3/4 cup
Brown sugar - 1 cup
Pear - 1 medium
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Baking soda - 3/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Oats - 3 cups
Raisins - 1 cup
Milk - as required

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Cool and chop coarsely.

Puree pear with milk, if required into a smooth paste. Beat butter and sugar in a stand mixer until pale. Add pureed pear and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Sift flour, bakind soda, salt and Cinnamon into the above mixture and beat at a slow speed.

Finally, add oats, walnuts and raisins.

Using an icecream scoop, place cookie batter on a parchment lined baking sheet with enough space between each cookie. Flatten the batter with a fork or your fingers.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown around the outer circumference.

Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Cookies, Grissini and Friends

The weekly play date that moms organised for Sunshine and his friends, which DH calls mom's gossip date, started again yesterday after a rather longish break. We had to take a break because of Ms Positive's loss. Since it was after a while and it was going to be a full house, I decided to do some baking. I made some oatmeal cookies adapted from, Joy of Baking recipe. I replaced the egg with a pureed pear and some milk to make it into a paste and the all purpose flour was replaced by whole wheat flour, except for a couple for tablespoons.

I also baked some whole wheat grissinis since everyone in the family seem to be addicted to them at the moment and has been munching on the store bought ones. I hope I can convince them to switch to the home baked ones instead.

It was so much fun to have all the kids running around in our apartment although I wished we had a bigger place with a garden so that they have more place to play their messy games. I generally don't stop Sunshine from messing up the living room since his grandparents are using his room at the moment.

Ms Positive and her family joined us for dinner later and it was a fun afternoon and evening. I went to bed feeling happy although I was tired.

Lotus Seed Pod Hoax

I had the misfortune of seeing the lotus seed pod hoax photo and had two excruciating days following it. A disgusting photo of an alleged skin disorder which is apparently caused by the use of some kind of soap or shampoo is doing the rounds. If anybody clicks on it, your computer gets infected by virus or malware. But for unfortunate souls like me who suffer from some sort of phobia, just looking at the snap downloads nightmares and disgusting images into the brain.

I was unaware that I had any kind of phobia until that fateful day that I set my eyes on that cursed snap. It is a lotus seed pod photoshopped onto the snap of a person's hand to make it look like a disturbing skin disorder. After watching it, the image started flashing in front of me wherever I looked. I couldn't sleep at night and felt suffocated and nauseated most of the day. My body would start itching all over at random times during the day. I could do most of my work and household chores on autopilot, but I was very disturbed. I thought it will go away after a while, but when I couldn't take it anymore, I decided to face it and overcome it. I searched google to find out that it is a hoax and no such condition actually exists. But even after I got this information, there was only mild relief.

I googled lotus seed pod images and looked at about a hundred of them. I tried pranayam and meditation and chanted  over and over again that it is just a flower, a beautiful creation of nature and nothing sinister. I feel much better now, but when I shared this incident with some friends yesterday and as I type this out today, I get mild itching and nausea, but atleast it is nowhere near as intense as it was.

I am trying to be positive about this and think that I just discovered a problem I had and I am still trying pranayam and positive suggestions to overcome it completely.

Feeling Sorry

I have joined the rest of the world, including the opponents Germany in feeling sorry for Brazil. I had sat down to watch the semi-final match of the 2014 football world cup and was supporting Germany, but after the third goal by Germany, I started feeling bad for the hosts, Brazil. I couldn't believe what was going on. Instead of a tough nail biting match that I had expected, it was a one sided match which was so completely dominated by Germany that they stopped celebrating their goals after a while.

I went to bed after 55 minutes because I did not want to see Brazil's humiliation any more. When I went to bed, the score was 5-0 and when I got up, it was 7-1. Poor poor Brazilians. I felt hardly any joy at Germany's victory although I was supporting them. Hope they don't let it get into their heads and play well in the finals.

Today was a back breaking day for me. I had to finish a training at work and pass some tests with 80% correct answers. Then I had to assist the maid in the weekly cleaning, clean the fridge, make jam from some strawberries and raspberries that were showing signs of going bad, stow away some stuff in the cellar, load the washing machine and hang the clothes, empty the dishwasher and load it again apart from making a warm lunch and a warm dinner. I even managed to call my mom and talk to her after many days. I guess I will pat myself on the back.

Home Remedy

Garlic is my magic pill. For cold, I grate garlic into some olive oil and apply it in the nose, ears, throat and chest and repeat it a few times every day until the cold is gone. A friend of mine told me that diluted apple cider vinegar can be used to bring down fever. A couple of days back, Sunshine started the day with a bit of temperature. So we decided to keep him at home although he wanted to go to his kindergarten. During the day, he seemed to get warmer and finally I decided to measure his temperature.

He wouldn't let me stick the thermometer in his mouth; so I decided to check the temperature of his armpit. But he wouldn't let me raise his shirt, so I had to measure over the cloth. Before the thermometer beeped, he pushed it away and the reading was 39.5. So, I assumed that the real temperature might be somewhere close to 41. His grandparents panicked, but I remembered that his doctor had once told us that 41 for kids is not the same as 41 for adults. So, I decided to try my friend's home remedy before taking him to a doctor.

I mixed 1 part apple cider vinegar with two parts water and dipped a face towel in the mixture and wiped down Sunshine's body and face. He complained about the smell and cried because the towel was too cold. However, I could feel his body temperature dropping already. Later, DH returned from work and measured his temperature and it stayed normal. Yesterday, we decided to keep him at home so that he gets some rest, but instead he was out playing in the sun and later in water, but his temperature stayed normal. He had a bit of running nose at night, but he went to the kindergarten today.

I always try to avoid taking medicines for small ailments and these days I am convinced this is the right way since I hear so much about drug resistant variants of diseases from my friends in the medical field. I am glad my friend told me about this very simple and effective in my experience remedy for fever. I hope it is of use to others as well. I am trying to spread the word over FB and Whatsapp and other social media.

Precious Child

The news of a Georgia toddler who died of extreme heat after being left in the car by his dad is so disturbing. The police apparently found evidence that the dad had searched online for details on infant death by overheating. It looks like the dad actually wanted to kill the child. The mom apparently said that she stands by her husband and trusts him.

Nobody knows what the truth is, but if parents do not want to have their kids anymore, why don't they give them up for adoption? On one side there are devastated parents who lose their children to accidents, diseases and crime and on the other side there are parents who abuse or even murder their children. There are numerous couples who cant have children and wish so earnestly for one. I wish people knew that there is another way.

I cannot fathom how anyone can hurt an innocent child, who loves and trusts the adults in its life, especially when it is your own. I do not have words to describe what I see and feel when I look into Sunshine's eyes. It makes me melt and gives me the kind of happiness that I have never experienced otherwise. Ofcourse bringing up a child is hard work, but just the sight of its innocent eyes is worth it. The hugs, the kisses, the milestones, the drama and the incessant array of cute things that little kids do - they give us a lot more than they get from us.

Nevertheless, it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Some people might have gone ahead and had a kid, thinking it is, or might have had a kid accidentally. Whatever the case, I wish people would just bring their kids to a safe place when they feel that parenting is not for them instead of hurting their kids.

Football Fever

The most popular game in the world is probably at the peak of its popularity at the moment because of the world cup. Every time there is a match involving Germany, plenty of people can be found on the streets and at the public viewing areas wearing German colours and drinking beer.

The world cup makes me nostalgic as I used to watch the world cup matches with my dad when I was a child. He loved to watch sports on TV and since he didn't have sons and nobody else at home was interested, I think he liked the fact that I joined him. He would patiently answer all my questions and would let me stay up late when the tournament was held in a different time zone. Argentina and Italy were my childhood favourite teams and some of my favourite stars were Maradona, Baggio and Batista.

Now, much to DH's consternation, I support the German team. There are ofcourse no superstars or on court dramatics. They are methodical and consistent and are often accused of being boring. We went for an exhibition match before the national team left for Brazil. While the fans were happily cheering their team, there was no euphoria, no fan-girls or anybody trying to get up close to their sporting heroes. I think the celebrity worship culture has not yet caught up here or maybe it is because they play as a team and there is no one superstar in the team. I do not follow german media and that could be the reason why I have this impression. But, I know for sure that if it were a cricket match in India, there would be plenty of fans going wild trying to get as close as possible to their favourite player. Sachin Tendulkar ofcourse has the status of God in India. I didn't feel that any of the German players enjoyed that kind of cult status. Anyway, all of these factors don't really stop me from enjoying the matches. I would love it if Germany or Argentina won the world cup. Go guys!

Lost in Heidelberg

I had to pick up Sunshine from his Kindergarten yesterday as DH was busy at work and had several meetings. Papa and Mummy also joined us and we went to a park so that Sunshine could play for some time before we went home. He was in a nasty mood and started crying for a lolly pop as soon as we reached the park. I had to put in a lot of effort to calm him down somehow. While the drama was going on, a little blond boy approached us and tried to strike a friendship with Sunshine. He told me in halting German that he was from Ukraine. He was looked about 8 years old and usually Sunshine loves the company of older kids. But he was probably tired and did not pay any attention to the boy. So he left is alone.

A little later, when Sunshine and I were sitting on a bench, the little boy came to us and tried to play with Sunshine again. He tried talking to me again although he was finding it difficult. He asked me if I could speak any Russian. Unfortunately, I cannot. He then asked me if I spoke English. I obviously do, but the boy could speak only a few words in English. Nevertheless, we started a conversation in English and German and he told me that his name is Daniel, he is from Ukraine and he lives in Heidelberg with his mom. His dad is apparently still in Ukraine. He has started school in Heidelberg. An elegant and obviously affluent German lady was standing next to us and listening in on our conversation. She also tried asking him some questions, but he seemed to grow a little conscious and wandered away.

Later, I started thinking about Daniel and his circumstances. He must be feeling lonely in a new country where he can speak very little of the local language. He didn't seem to have any friends either.  He must be missing his father. I felt like a total idiot because Papa can talk fluent Russian and I could have asked Daniel to talk to him. I could have got some more details about him and maybe help him find his feet in this new place.

Anyway, it is too late now and all I can do now is pray that Daniel finds some new friends soon and is happy here. I hope I will meet him again some day.

Sisterhood

It is my little sister's birthday today. We had a wonderful childhood together and were really close to each other despite the four year age difference between us. We were each other's conscience keepers and best friends.

Unfortunately, I must admit that as we grew up and got married, we drifted apart atleast a little bit. I don't know everything about her life and I don't share everything about my life with her like we used to. But despite this decreased communication, I still feel a lot for her in my heart and I can sense that she does as well. 

In my list of things that I want to do before I die, I am adding a new item today, on my sister's birthday. I want to renew our friendship. I know we love each other and will be there for each other when the need arises. But I want more than that. I also want to spend time with her and have fun with her. We spend just a few days together every year and even then we are busy with kids and the rest of the family. At the moment, we live in two different continents and it is physically impossible to spend a lot of time together, but I want to atleast connect to her at a deeper level until I can. I know that we have the solid foundation of love and friendship that was laid during our childhood, but I don't want to take our relationship for granted anymore. Here is wishing my dear kid sister a very happy birthday and a life full of happiness, good health and love. I love you dear.

Heavy Heart

A few days back, I was feeling so happy, but at the moment, a general feeling of gloom is surrounding me. I wish I could shake it off and get back to being happy since I am responsible for not just my happiness, but my family's as well. The biggest problem is that I am unable to pinpoint what exactly is causing the gloom.

I have tried different ways to shake off this feeling, but nothing seems to work. I know that Ms Positive's loss is affecting me a lot, but there seems to be something else as well. I dont deal very well with heat and the temperatures are soring here. That makes me physically weaker and makes the whole situation worse.

I need more pranayam and meditation time and I badly need to read an inspiring book. But more than anything else, I guess I need to accept any TLC that comes my way.

Loss

The loss of a dear one is always a devastating experience, but when one knows that the person has lived a long fulfilled life, it does give some degree of comfort. When one loses an unborn child, it leaves one feeling perplexed, clueless and helpless along with the grief that comes with a loss. I think almost all mothers also feel some degree of guilt if they lose an unborn child. I have experienced this loss in my first pregnancy and although it was towards the end of first trimester, it left me completely devastated. It took me a long time to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Even today, after I have had Sunshine, sometimes I wonder what went wrong, what could have been and what could I do differently.

My dear friend, Ms Positive is going through the loss now and for the second time in her young life. She is fluctuating between several emotions, but she is still trying to keep it together and make it as bearable as possible for her and her family. She is taking help and strength from her friends, but at times, she loses trust in herself as this is happening the second time. She is questioning herself and her actions in life and priorities.

Although I know that a strong and positive person like her will eventually come out of this, it saddens me immensely that a good soul like her has to go through this. I guess no one has answers to why bad things happen to good people. At the moment, I am just hoping and praying that she gets the strength to go through her pain and comes out of it without losing her spirit. The only saving grace at the moment is her sweet little child. 

Family Time

Family is visiting next week - my mother in law, father in law and DH's grandmother. Sunshine is eagerly waiting for his grandparents to arrive and is busy making plans for summer. His grandparents will be with us for 3 months and DH's grandmother for a week.

DH's grandma is one of the most loving, positive and open minded people I have ever met. Just being around her makes me feel loved and makes me want to be a better person. Despite her advanced age, she is always eager to travel around the world and meet her family. She likes to have fun and doesn't let the aches and pains that come with age, stop her. She smiles all the time and her embrace is healing and uplifting. One week feels too short.

We have been trying to find a house to move to before their visit, but unfortunately nothing worked out. With a growing Sunshine and me working from home most of the time, our 2 bedroom apartment is increasingly feeling smaller. I am sure there is the perfect little house or apartment waiting for us somewhere; we just haven't come across it yet.

At the moment, I am reading Illusions:  The adventures of a reluctant messiah by Robert Bach. It was recommended by a friend from school. He said it is not an easy read and it takes time to digest the ideas in the book, but I find it surprisingly easy to read it and accept it as well. I am immensely influenced by the books that I read. So I am happy I am reading this book as it seems to put me in a happy state of mind.

A new era in Indian politics

DH got up in the morning and eagerly switched on the TV to see who has won the parliament elections in India. As one can expect of anything and everything that happens in India, the multiphase elections and the campaigning was full of drama, colour, sound bytes and sensationalism. The results seem to indicate an unprecedented and resounding victory for BJP and its allies while the incumbent Congress party and their allies as well as most of the unaligned regional parties have faced a washout.

The post election hullabaloo is as entertaining as it was leading up to the elections. In a few days, a new government will be formed and new ministers will be appointed. At the moment, all that is clear that Mr Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister of India. People of India have given a clear message - they are fed up of the status quo and they want change. Since BJP led NDA has got more than simple majority, they are in a position to turn around the country. I hope they succeed. The stock exchanges in India seem to believe that they will deliver on their promises. They have reached historical levels and the rupee is also strengthening by the minute. 

A nation of 1.2 billion people are now looking up to Mr Narendra Modi and his party to make their country achieve its true potential. They hope that the new government will give them a chance at a better life. Several years back, the Congress party was the face of hope. After delivering a few years of growth, things started looking bleak with rising inflation and slowing growth.

A lot of things need to be fixed and the new government is going to be weighed under high expectations. We need to urgently tackle the infrastructure situation. The corruption that is eating away at the foundation of our very society needs to be eliminated. We need investment, jobs, roads, trains, growth, safety; the list is very long. But today, I also feel hopeful like most people in India. New energy will come with the new faces and atleast for a while we can expect lot of positive things for India.

Book Release

I love books and I came across an amazing author Kirstey Moseley on Wattpad. She is now a published author and her new book Enjoying the Chase is being released today. It is a sequel to the book Nothing Left to Lose, but it can be enjoyed even without reading the first book. Now, more about the release.

Title: Enjoying the Chase
Author: Kirsty Moseley
Release Date: 25^th March 2013
Cover Design: https:// www.facebook.com/mjwilsondesign1
Tour Host: All Things Books (http:/ /all-things-books.com )
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20639678-enjoying-the-chase

Book Description: Nate Peters is living the playboy life. He has great friends, a great job, no responsibilities, no girlfriend, and he loves it. Nate, being incredibly skilled with a pick-up line, has never failed to get a girl in his life… until one day he meets Rosie York. Rosie is completely uninterested in him. Being unable to stand a dented ego, Nate makes it his mission to win her over. Not used to putting in much effort, Nate is surprisingly enjoying the chase of this off-limits little brunette. Maybe he has finally met his match… But Rosie has a few surprises of her own which will make it remarkably more difficult for him to get close to her.
*Please note that this is a companion novel to Nothing Left to Lose*
The Author My name is Kirsty. I was born in Hertfordshire, England. In 2000 I moved to Norfolk, it was there that I met my husband, Lee. Now, what can I say about Lee, apart from everyone should have one? He's my biggest supporter, and I wouldn't be where I am today without his encouragement and endless support. He is my inspiration behind most of my male leads, I always try to bring a little of him in somewhere, be it his kindness, selflessness, or just his ability to make me feel treasured. In 2005, I was gifted with the birth of my son. He is, and always will be, the best thing I have ever done in my life. As you can probably tell, I'm a very proud mummy. I have always been interested in writing, but after the birth of my son I accidentally came across an amateur writing site. After a couple of months of just reading on there, I finally plucked up the courage and posted one of my stories. I was shocked and overwhelmed by the support of readers on there and they gave me the confidence to get where I am today. In April 2012, I self-published my first novel ‘The Boy Who Sneaks in my Bedroom Window’. And in October 2012 I took the plunge again, publishing my second novel, 'Always You.' Lastly, if I had to sum myself up in one word, it would probably be ‘daydreamer’ – but unlike most of my school teachers, I don’t necessarily view that as a bad thing. After all, I read somewhere once that books are like waking dreams….
Where to find Kirsty:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy Links Enjoying the Chase
Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks (Global) | B&N | Nook US | Nook UK | iBooks

Tour Host

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Fun and frolic

It was a Wednesday again and it was time for our play date. All the amazing ladies turned up with their little ones and soon, Sunshine herded them all to his room and left the mamas alone to chat and gossip. I feel so blessed to have these Wednesday afternoons with these lovely ladies because it is such a great stress buster. Like my dear friend Ms Positive described it, our Wednesday afternoons are loud, crazy and full of fun.

This week, my neighbour also joined us with her kid and she had just come back from a couple of months in India. Somehow we started talking about which is a better place for us to live - India or Germany. We all miss India for sure, but we also like a lot of things about life in Germany. We analysed, reasoned, theorised and came to no conclusion whatsoever. We are all human after all and we would like our German salaries, infrastructure, the cleaner air, law and order with our families and friends, celebrate life itself like in India, the spontaneity, the warmth, friendliness and make a new world for ourselves. Since we do not know of such a place yet and it is not within our power to create such a place, I guess we are enjoying a slice of such a life on Wednesday afternoons.

Holi is coming up and we could not find any colours in the Indian stores in Heidelberg. Fortunately, I managed to find some in Frankfurt, although they were ridiculously expensive. Now, all we have to do is go wild and smear everyone with colour on Monday. Holi hai...

The scarf

It is glorious in our region this week with lots of sunshine and nice spring weather overall. On Sunday, Sunshine, DH and I decided to cycle around a little. I have a collection of scarves and stoles which I rarely use. Since it was really sunny, I decided to tie my hair in a pretty fuchsia scarf. After cycling a little while, I pulled the end of the scarf over my nose and mouth because the sun was really strong and I don't use sunscreen as I am allergic to most of them. That is when the weirdness started.

Before I decided to pull the scarf across my face, I got a couple of curious looks from people who were cycling or walking and even some nods or 'hellos', but after, I got a lot of dropped jaws and strange looks. A bunch of men who probably took cycling very seriously by the looks of their cycles, their outfits and shoes, actually heckled me about the scarf. DH was a little ahead when that happened and Sunshine was on a child seat on his cycle. After that, he asked me to stay close to him and avoid such unpleasant experiences.

I am not a Muslim or a hijab wearer, but I believe I got some first hand experience of the prejudice some women have to face for the choice of attire that they make. I used the scarf only as a environment friendly sun block and I am determined to continue to use it despite the not so pleasant experience.

And I should mention that every time things happen that make me lose a little faith in humanity, something good happens immediately after, to restore it. On our way back, we were lost and asked directions to an older couple who accompanied us all the way back, talked a lot to us and tried to fool around with Sunshine. They saw the same scarf that everybody else saw, but that didn't stop them from being so friendly.

A little pampering

It was not a little pampering, but quite a lot; at least for me. We had our big day over the weekend and it was a landmark one, so we decided to celebrate it a little more than usual. Our initial plans were on a much grander scale, involving family and friends, but we had to forgo those due to logistical problems. So we booked a cosy little luxury wellness hotel in Karlovy Vary, a famous spa destination in Czech Republic.

The hotel, Retro Riverside was small and exclusive and it sat on the bank of a small dam. The building was very old, the lake in front was frozen and it was in a deserted area, which made it look like a castle in a fairytale. The spa area was small, but adequate for the 20 or 25 rooms that they had. There were 5 different types of spa - Finnish sauna and infrared sauna, steam bath, laconium and herbal bath, besides a whirlpool and an indoor swimming pool. We spent 1 hour each in the wellness area on the first and last days and 4-5 hours on the second and third days. It was very relaxing and we mostly had the area to ourselves. The hotel itself was made with love and with attention to the smallest detail. The whole experience was very personal and enjoyable although there was a minor misunderstanding on the last night.

On the last night at the hotel, when we reached our room after spending some time in the city, I found a letter from the hotel manager informing us that the maid had found a pen mark on the carpet and a dirty spot on the wallpaper and that we need to pay 300€ as damages. There was of course a pen mark on the carpet which was left there by little Sunshine while he was exploring his artistic side. But when I checked the wall, I found several little pen or pencil marks which I didn't see before because they were old and faded. So I had a talk with the hotel manager and I must admit I got worked up because I thought the amount was a little too steep for a pen mark on a carpet which was just a normal plain beige one. Also, we had some not so pleasant words about the five star quality. In the end, she apologised and reverted the charges and her eyes teared up before she left the room. This left me feeling guilty as the staff were all very friendly and like I said before we really enjoyed our stay at this hotel.

We thanked the staff and expressed how much fun we had and I hope there was no bad feelings. I would really like to go back if we go to Karlovy Vary again.

Relationships

I recently heard some disturbing news from one of my friends. She is the warmest, friendliest German that I have ever met. She reminds me of a butterfly, always full of energy, talking and smiling. She is a pleasure to be around. Then suddenly, two - three months back, she disappeared. None of her friends saw her any more on the roads, in restaurants or shops and she stopped turning up for our get-togethers. We didn't think much of it because in December many people went away for their vacations or visiting family. When her disappearance continued into January, I was puzzled and I am sure other friends were too, since we started asking each other if anyone has met her. 

One day, I saw her on the road and she smiled and waved and looked her usual cheery self. Since I was in a hurry to catch a train, I didn't stop. That evening, she sent us all a message that she and her husband have separated. She had deliberately avoided all of us as it was the most painful period of her life and she wanted to sort herself out before she met anyone. I was really shocked. I somehow could not picture this happy, cheerful woman, always full of energy, in this predicament. She has told us that she needs some more time and will meet us all in a month or so. Of course nobody asked her how exactly their marriage broke down although I suppose somebody will when they meet her again. Some of the more observant ones in the group seemed to know that something was wrong even before she messaged us.

I feel very sad for my friend and her lovely kids, but I am not very good with words or expressing my support in such crises. I hope the family finds happiness again. In the last couple of years, this is my third friend who is separating. Each of them belonged to a different group of friends and that means different nationalities, social background etc. I don't want to turn cynical about marriages and it is scary to think that not all marriages last a lifetime. 

The Outsiders

I recently read a friend's facebook post about how out of place she felt at a Pilates course that she had just joined. She introduced herself in German (she is American, but speaks fluent German) and tried to be friendly with everyone in the class, but soon after the introductions, all the other participants ignored her and started talking among themselves. She was extremely annoyed and resorted to fiddling with her iPhone to ease her discomfort.

The above scenario is unfortunately all too common in Germany. I admit to gross generalisation, but Germans are definitely not the friendliest or warmest people in the world. My friend is a white American with a German husband and speaks very good German. She even has German roots. Now add brown skin to the mix and the problem will be multiplied ten times. I cannot count the number of times I have been in a new group which consists mostly of Germans and they turn and talk among themselves the moment initial introductions are done. I have experienced this in different companies that I have worked for, any courses that I have done, at my kid's playschool and kindergarten - you name it. I am a person who loves to talk to other people and interact with them. I feel extremely awkward if the people around me ignore me. I have no problems in initiating a conversation and I almost always do, but sometimes it is frustrating here since you don't really get the response that you were hoping for.

Having said that, I have to say that I have a few German friends, many colleagues and acquaintances with whom I am extremely comfortable and can talk for any length of time. With some of them, it took a few months to get to that level and with some a few weeks. Once you manage to reach that comfort level, Germans are like any other people - they come in all shades. But the initial reluctance to open up seems to be very widespread and just about every immigrant faces it at some point or other.

Romance and reality

I am a sucker for romance and despite work, a small child, a busy husband and a household to take care of, I often spend time in my own dreamland. When I just had a baby, I had to give up on reading for sometime. I didn't miss it at that time though, because I was too busy admiring the beautiful thing that I had brought into this world. Now that he is a little older and I have some free time, I have started reading avidly again. Although I read all kinds of books, newspapers, magazines and blogs, I love romance above all.

A book which I read recently and totally loved is Knight in Shining Suit by Jerilee Kaye. I discovered it on Wattpad and was instantly hooked. Many a time, I come across romance novels which can be summed up as the story where a rich and drop dead gorgeous alpha male comes and rescues the poor little helpless heroine and they live happily ever after. There is a rich and gorgeous alpha male in Knight in Shining Suit as well. But he doesn't rescue the poor little heroine. She faces betrayal, humiliation and heartbreak, but draws from her inner strength to overcome it all. She takes matters into her own hands and fights back. She has her family and set of true friends to whom she turns for help when she cannot do it on her own. That is how normal people react, right. Ofcourse there is also magical romance that may or may not exist in real life. Slowly and steadily she learns to trust her Knight and lets him into her heart. She even goes on to rescue him and their love when he is in distress. This book is a bit of reality and a bit of fantasy, but the message I got and loved was that we women ought to be strong and independent and every once in a while we should don the shining armour ourselves and rescue our knights.

Knight in Shining Suit is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. 

Gross food

I just read an article about a delicacy from Philippines called balut. It is a fertilised duck egg and when you crack it open, there will be a duck foetus which you then eat. It obviously grosses out many many people. I am a vegetarian at the moment, but I eat eggs. To be honest, I love the taste of fish and I always enjoyed eating chicken. Sometimes I do crave for these things. Maybe that is why I think that it is snobbish to feel superior about what you eat and don't eat.

There is so much prejudice all over the world about the culture, food, habits, celebrations etc of 'other people'. I have been the target of such prejudices because I am an immigrant in the country where I live and belonged to a minority group in the country where I was born. In my childhood, I was oblivious to it because I did not realise that I belong to a minority group. As I grew older, started working, got married, moved another country, I faced it from different sections of people at different times. Although it mostly made me angry at the time that I faced it, later on I realised that it is universal and almost everybody has to face it in one way or the other. Now-a-days, when I hear a prejudiced opinion, it just amuses me; even if it is directed at me.

I hope with all the technology and exposure, we will move forward to a world where people don't judge others based on their race, religion, ethnicity, nationality etc. There is definitely hope for one world where all of us are just human beings.

Birthday Indulgence

It is not my birthday. It was a friend's daughter's birthday yesterday and we were invited along with Sunshine. The little girl's mom had cooked a very elaborate Indian dinner for the guests. There was a papdi chaat that tickled the senses, kachori with green chutney, palak poori and mattar paneer, malai kofta, biryani, nariyal ladoo and gulab jamun. She had cooked everything by herself, from scratch with a little help from her husband. I forgot all about medicines and weight gain and indulged myself. I had to work full day yesterday and instead of some quick fix dinner, we had a feast.

Sunshine had a ball of a time with the kids and I met some new Indian people. I find it very refreshing to meet people and I love to talk. I guess I talk so much, even to people who I meet for the first time, that sometimes they find it strange. Even my not so good German skills do not deter me from talking. Eventhough it was an all-Indian gathering, there were people from different states with different languages and we had to speak in English most of the time. But I suspect that most Indians like to talk so much that if they had no common language, they would probably still communicate with each other using sign language.

House Hunt

I am involved in a massive house hunt in two different countries at the moment and it has left me dazed and confused. We are looking to rent in Germany and something to buy in India. In Germany, things are slow. Not many new houses come on the market very often. But those that are there apparently do not get tenants that easily either. I see the same houses over and over again in the on line ads. On the other hand, in India, the market seems to be exploding and the options seem to be endless. Every single dream and wish you have ever had can be met and money is the only constraint.

When I say that money is the only constraint, it is a bit of an understatement. You have to see the prices there to believe how expensive real estate has become in India. I cannot fathom how people who work there and earn in rupees all their lives manage to buy houses or apartments. We have lived in Germany for so many years and a euro is more than 80 rupees at the moment. Still, I have to always remind the agents in India that my budget is limited, but my wish list is not.

Although it is time consuming, I am enjoying the hunt. As usual, it left me wondering if I should choose this field as my career. No wonders there. Every time I start a new project, I end up feeling that that would be my new career. I guess it just shows that I am immensely bored with my job or my field. Maybe it is time to start a career hut.

Soul Food

2013 has not been particularly good for me. I had to face some health issues which were bad enough to mar the quality of my life in general. So, this year, my resolution is to get my health back on track and get the other aspects to life right as well.

I have started practising yoga regularly. I have put on a lot of weight because of some of the medicines which I have been taking. I tried every possible exercise to lose it or at least control it and failed. That is when I started watching videos from Baba Ramdev, the great yoga guru. I am at a loss how it works, because for a given time, one burns a lot fewer calories with yoga than other exercises. Yet, where all else failed, it worked. It is not like those miracle pills or diets or exercises where you get a supermodel body overnight. But I have managed to finally halt the weight gain. And it has started coming down albeit at a very slow rate.

I also started practising Pranayam or breathing exercises along with yoga. I actually look forward to getting up in the morning and doing yoga and pranayam. Also, the unhappiness and helplessness that I felt at times last year seems to be slowly lifting. I feel more hopeful and happy. It is the perfect recipe for physical and mental well being and probably will atleast help start the spiritual journey as well.