Back.. Back.. Back.. Yeah!

Well, to be honest, it’s been almost two months since I got back from my really long and relaxing vacation but by the time I settled in, after all the unpacking and jet lag, it was time for another vacation, a very short one though.. Finally, I’m here with no plans to go anywhere for a long long time.. :-) And with lots of photos to share and stories to tell, one post at a time!

Also, many thanks to these soulful blogfriends (Soumya, Gege, Carolyn, Neenslewy, Myspokenheart) who thought of me while I was away and nominated me for awards. Very sweet and gracious of you all.. :-)  [** If I’ve missed anyone, it isn’t intentional, just that I’m still sorting all the pending comments and will be replying to them soon so please bear with me.]

As much as I enjoyed my time away, I’ve been itching to get back here and see all the updates. Can’t wait to read all the lovely posts I missed. So see you on your space soon.. :-)

Leaving on a jet plane!

All my bags are packed… I’m ready to go…

It’s that time of the year when we go on an annual vacation. It isn’t to any extra ordinary place (although to me it is the best place in the world) but just back home to our parents. And this time around I’m going for a longer duration. Well, I figured I have the time and the opportunity so why not.  However, this means my presence here will be very limited and I won’t be reading or commenting on your lovely posts as often as I’d like but promise to come back rejuvenated in a few weeks. :-)

Until we connect again, keep writing/reading and stay happy. See you on the other side of my break :-) Also, a very Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovey dovey souls out there.. :-)

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PS: Earlier I wasn’t going to post this but then thought I should let those few wonderful souls know who might wonder about my disappearance from here.

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* Pic is from the net.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Black & White!

This week Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is to show off a few photographs of Black and White or Sepia toned photographs.

I choose to showcase the prominent landmarks in Washington, D.C. A quick history lesson of sorts! :-)

Capitol Building

Capitol Building

White House

Supreme Court

Supreme Court

Washington Monument

Washington Monument

The Treasury Department

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Friday Fictioneers!

Every week Rochelle posts a pic and encourages everyone to write a 100 word story based on it. The photo prompt for this week is:

Photo Copyright: David Stewart

Addiction!

(100 Words)

Antilia was a sore loser so winning was her addiction. Be it academics or sports, she outshone herself. The winning streak continued even when she started swimming, crushing her opponents in a heartbeat each time.

However, her recent poor performances at the state level sealed her fate. While everyone saw 15 glorious years, she was devastated by her defeat.

Last night, inebriated, she jumped off the diving board and the water turned red soon after. Her intention wasn’t to die but then she wasn’t living either.

Like I said, she was a sore loser. And winning was her only addiction.

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PS: This is one of those photo prompts where my story has no clear link with the pic but this is all I could think of.. :-) For all other interpretations of this pic, please click here.

For The Love Of Haiku 22!

Hop, skip, slide and swing

Be impish to heart’s content

Childhood Innocence

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The world’s their playground

With no logic or convention

Child’s sanctuary

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Laughter all around

In their loud, mighty empire

Youthful explosion

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* Written for the Love of Haiku.

A Word A Week Challenge: Garden!

The word for this week’s photo challenge is Garden. Join it here.

These photos are from the Japanese and Botanical Gardens we visited in Portland a few years back.

My Gossamer Dream: Haiku!

Your alluring eyes

Entangle me in their web

I succumb, willingly

 

Trampling my feelings

You leave, nonchalantly

I keep on waiting

 

Besotted by you

I wish for our unison

My gossamer dream

 

* Pics are from the net.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Home!

As clichéd as it sounds, home is where the heart is. Indeed. But my heart is a conflicted organ.

While a major chunk of my heart is where my family and loved ones are. So, home means being with family, wherever they are – out in the wilderness or in the comforts of four walls.

A piece of my heart, a wanderer, is where my peace of mind is. So, home for my wandering heart means either soaring high in the sky amidst the dancing clouds or finding solace in the lap of the majestic mountains, far far away.

On the top of a hill

Under the blue sky with a dollop of clouds

Is where I reside

And that’s my home

* For the Weekly Photo Challenge: Home.

Trifextra: Reading Challenge!

I choose these 33 words from one of my favorite books, Conversations with God (Book 1), by Neale Donald Walsch.

“The point of life is not to get anywhere – it is to notice that you are, and have always been, already there. You are, always and forever, in the moment of pure creation.”

 

 

 

* Written for the Trifextra Challenge.

 

The Ligo Haibun Challenge: Melt!

Insatiable Desire!

(218 Words)

Lying on the bed, draped in satin sheet, I gaped at the ceiling and the ludicrous blue color. The hotel room needed a serious makeover and yet here we were every Wednesday. The warmth of his breath made me feel alive. Even in deep slumber, he looked so appealing. Normally, I’d fall asleep in his arms and go our separate ways in the morning but tonight sleep eluded me.

“Wake up.” I couldn’t resist and shook him up.

“Whaaaaat?”

“What do I mean to you?”

“Ugh! Seriously. At this hour? Let’s talk in the morning.”

“I want to know now.”

“You’re the air I breathe. My oxygen. Every moment I spend without you, I die a little.”

“Then why can’t we be together? Marry me. I want to be yours forever.”

“You know, I love you. I really do. But I can’t divorce her. Please don’t ruin what we have. This was our pact when we started seeing each other.”

After a long pause, he continued.. “Now come, show me some love.”

I lay there staring at the flickering candle and the melting wax. A tear made its way to the ear from the corner of my eye.

Love faded. Hope died. One more night.

Melting by his touch

Succumbing to his strong hold

My heart sank again

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* Written for the Haibun Challenge:

Haībun is Prosimetric writing. The haībun format here for the Līgo Haībun Challenge is as follows ~

A paragraph (more than one paragraph is fine, or just a few sentences) in prose form of either

• a descriptive passage , or excerpt from a story/or previously published post
• an explanation
• a tale
• a travelogue
• a news item
• a recipe

and

• the haiku to close