Janaki's Blog

After a five hour train journey with a train change in Munich, we arrived in Salzburg. We had our eyes glued to the window through the entire bus ride, taking in the sights of the quaint city and the tall, rocky Alps. Mom was especially ecstatic about the the tiny shops selling a variety of things. Our lodging was a little far from the hubbub of Salzburg. We got off at our stop, and then it was a short walk to the Boutique-Hotel, Essigmanngut. The view that met our eyes was incredible. It was the kind of thing I had only gotten to see in movies; large green, rolling meadows framed by the ranges, old-fashioned houses with sloping roofs, and no one around for miles. It was a windy day, and the trees were swaying with sunlight filtering through their branches. We had never seen a place so serene. We did face one issue however- it was difficult to locate restaurants nearby. It took us a while before we finally identified a group of them, hidden away from the main street.

Phew! Class 12 exams are finally over, and I'm done with my schooling. The past few months have been nothing but hectic. Now, I can release that breath I've been holding. The day after the last exam, we arrived in Heidelberg, Germany. We had lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant we’re extremely fond of, but discovered that the previous chef had left, so the food wasn't as tasteful as it used to be. Later, Dad left to attend an SAP event where he was to receive an award, while Mom and I went for a walk and made sure to visit the bridge monkey. We aren't the superstitious type, but that doesn't mean we're ready to take a risk. It was a cold, windy day and we ended up shuffling back to our hotel after a while, thinking about going out later. Despite the weather, I bought a gelato because nothing was going to stop me from getting one. The rest of the day was rainy, which left us disappointed. We watched raindrops hit the wet cobblestones mournfully from our

“Take me to my class, “ said the third grader, tugging Alaina’s arm. “I don’t feel safe here.”  “But why?” asked Alaina, hastily pulling away and staring at her. Sauda watched the situation in amusement. “Because you’re the Captain Security of the school,“ the little girl said impatiently, “and I’m scared to go to my class alone. I want you to come with me.” She tried to yank Alaina with her, but Alaina resisted and just stared at her, flabbergasted. “I’m not Captain Security! I’m Cultural Secretary!” She pointed at her badge, with the words ‘Cultural Sec.’ on it. “Besides, what’s there to be scared of?” Alaina recounted the incident in class, breathless from laughter (“She really thought I was supposed to protect the school!”) with Sauda occasionally chiming in.  Several classmates of ours are school cabinet members (like Head Girl, Prefect, House captains etc) and the encounters they had with the juniors ranged from embarrassing to downright hilarious. “They’re

Before heading off to Antwerp, we visited the Atomium, a huge building consisting of nine spheres made to represent the structure of an iron crystal. At the foot of the Atomium was Mini-Europe, which housed little replicas of important landmarks in Europe, like the Eiffel tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I found Mini-Europe adorable, with the tiny toy people and boats and helicopters. Each replica had a green button in front of it. If the country the landmark was from was mentioned under the green button, pressing it would mean that the national anthem of that country would play. There were green buttons that didn't have any description under it, and on activating them, the toys would move, which made it fascinating. Mini-Europe was definitely entertaining, and the Atomium stood tall and intimidating. Our journey to Antwerp was by train, and we were looking forward to seeing the Antwerp Railway Station, as it is one of the most beautiful railway stations in the wo

On the train to Brussels, I was nearly dozing off when Mom suddenly realized that she had left her precious notebook, filled with things to do and places to see in Belgium, at home in Riyadh. Dad and I weren't surprised. It would be a lie to say that this was the first time Mom had forgotten or lost the research she had done before going on a trip. Sometimes she would lose the paper she had written on, right at home.  Brussels was picturesque and lively. Huge gothic cathedrals and buildings framed the bustling  streets, dark clouds drifted in the sky and the wheels of our suitcases made miserable noises as we wheeled them over the cobblestones while going to our hotel. Catalonia Grand Place was in the heart of the city. After dropping off our baggage, our next step was to begin a tour of Brussels. According to Mom, her superhuman brain had allowed her to store all the information about tourist attractions she had written down earlier, so even if memory had failed her

Last week, my parents and I set off to Europe. Our first stop was Germany, where Dad had to attend an award function in Heidelberg. We marched like soldiers to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant , which was five minutes away from our hotel, Perkeo. Wonderful memories of the food there welcomed us and we breezed in through the door and into our seats like we were home. After a hearty lunch, we meandered to the Old Bridge, where we saw the Bridge Monkey. According to legends, if you touched its hands, mirror, face and the little mice next to it, luck would grant you another trip to Heidelberg. Till now the legends had not failed us, and I wasn't taking any chances. Later, Dad left for the function, so Mom and I bought gelatos and took photos of them to make Dad envious when he got back. We wandered around for hours before buying pizzas from Pizza Hut for dinner. The evening in Heidelberg was something out of a fairytale; the sky was purple, the streets and shops were illumi

“ The next time you’re absent, phone the new driver, not me. ” Clearly, my old bus driver was making sure he wouldn’t get a single call from me again. I couldn’t blame him, though. I was infamous for taking days off from school, every now and then. Mom didn’t have an issue either because it meant she’d have company at home the whole day. Tenth grade in India was similar, with the only difference being you didn’t need to let the driver know, because the bus would leave on time whether you were on board or not. I stayed at home whenever I fell sick, or had too much to study and too little time. We had exams every week, which meant at one point or another, I felt myself drowning in assignments, homeworks and other school stuff. I’ve never understood how people come to school everyday and have a perfect attendance. For me, that seems utterly impossible. Just trying to wake up early is where the difficulty starts. During the winters, I can’t seem to push my cozy blankets away.

My story “ Bruises ” was awarded first place in the Athena Awards on Wattpad! I had entered in several competitions, but lost. By the time the Athena Awards announced their result for the Mystery/Thriller category , I had forgotten all about it. So it was a pleasant surprise to wake up one morning and see the notification on my phone, which let me know they had tagged me. I realized even without opening the app that there was no other reason for them to do so, and seeing my username in bold for first place made me immensely happy. Being on Wattpad has been great. I’ve read a variety of books from different genres, and it’s encouraging to see the support my own stories get from my readers. It’s something I would recommend for every aspiring writer, or for people who love to read. I haven’t got a chance to see the second season of Riverdale yet, and the suspense is terrible. I did not want to spoil it by reading the plots of the released episodes online, but a few tidbits d

“Look at them.” Vaishnavi scowled at some little kids running nearby, with their laughs ringing through the atmosphere. “All so happy and cheerful; they’ll be suffering like us when they grow older and have a heap of work piled on them.” That’s the same reaction I had when I heard one of Mom’s friend’s daughter had just started going to school. I had said “Oh, poor thing.” Now in eleventh grade, I can hardly believe that only twelfth is left. Somehow, it feels like the years just flew by. These last few weeks have been busy. Chandana, Nanditha and I met up at Pizza Hut for dinner together during the first week of school, and recently, I got a Daydream VR headset. Dad received a Google Pixel as a gift, and when we found out it had this feature called Daydream VR on it, we were obsessed. Mom and I were in India at that time, and I thought Dad had received the headset along with the phone, but apparently, it was something to be bought separately. Kunjunni was pretty thri

Well folks! 2016 is nearly over! Now’s the time everyone has started making their resolutions. I’ve never made a resolution in my life, probably because I know I’ll never keep it.  Besides, James Corden and Meghan Trainor sang pretty accurately- ‘’Resolutions are worthless, we all know that’s why we’re here/ I’ll be the same disappointment I’ve been for the past three years.’’  ‘’My resolutions for 2017, are to complete the resolutions of 2016, which I should have done in 2015 because I made a promise in 2014 and planned them in 2013’’ explains everyone who makes them in a jiffy. I haven’t been able to post much this year, since school kept me busy. I’m going to try to catch up next year. 2016 has already been labeled as a depressing year by the world. Hopefully, 2017 will be better. DPS published its magazine, and all three of the articles I had given made it! Ironically, one of the articles is on blogging where I made a reference to be regular. It’s so hard to

School ended more than a week ago, leaving us less than one more  week before we reach 10th grade. To be honest, ninth grade seemed to be the longest year of our lives. At the beginning of the year, we were glowing; at the end, everyone looked dazed. Teachers would love to make us scared out of our wits. They’d say how much of a traumatizing effect ninth would have on all of us, and how hard it was, and only the strong-minded managed to make it out alive. At  the end of every spiel, we’d exchange nervous looks with each other and look up in desperation. Of course, the teachers didn’t actually say all this out loud,but it was clearly implied when they talked. Then of course, we had friends to assure us, that all this was true. But, they said, tenth grade was much more easier. I know this all sounds like we had been condemned to hell last year, but trust me all future ninth-graders when I tell you the experience wasn’t that bad. Well, not as much as it was told to us an

I wish to convey this simple message to all parents- when your child says ‘I miss school’, he/she means that they miss their friends, the regular fun and their favorite teachers. Not the school. Because eventually, this simple line can backfire, when your parents make the mistake of thinking you miss the studies, the waking up early in the morning and the exams. News Flash: ‘ The Conjuring- Part 2 ’ releases on June 10 th ! I nearly fainted when I saw the news yesterday. I rather go bungee jumping, or parachute diving, or surfing with sharks, if it means I can stay out of the way of all creepy things possible. Of course, I applaud Valyamma and Valyachan for their bravery, for they saw ‘The Conjuring’, at the  theater , in 3D. If it had been me, eventually I would have been found lying on the ground yelling “MAKE IT GO AWAY! MAKE IT GO AWAY!” ­ Actually, since it being so scary, no one below the age of eighteen was allowed to watch the movie at the  theater . I find i

2016 is finally here! I woke up at 7:45 today, since I knew the New York ball drop would be live on CNN at about 8. And yes, it was worth getting up early in the morning [FUN FACT- Over a million people see the ball drop in New York while a billion watch it live on TV. I’m in the billion.] Quick facts on 2016- 1) Its a leap year, meaning, it’s a lucky year for anyone who was born on February 29 th . 2) The Olympic Games are to be held in Rio. 3) I don’t really have a third fact. Let’s compromise with the above two. My parents and I watched ‘ The Good Dinosaur ’ last night. It was okay, like, 3 stars out of 5. The dinosaurs looked kind of like rubber. The first day of the year, January 1 st , is always the best day. There’s just that feeling that there are so many things to look forward to , like birthdays, festivals, holidays, vacations and more. Then again, there are the New Year resolutions. I never make New Year resolutions because, well, I don’t s

This week has been a very busy one. On Sunday the juniors had their drill in advance for sports day, Monday and Tuesday were Sports Days, Wednesday (I stayed at home and slept till 11) was the talent show….. It’s been the most exciting week by far. And guess what? Starting this Sunday, we have two weeks of winter holidays. Holidays, in my opinion, is the best word in the English dictionary. (Well, second best. Food comes first. Exam comes last). Anyway, we had our march past yesterday. After winning the last year’s competition, I was hoping the same would happen this year as well, so I stepped in. There was a long queue of students trying out for the march past. But it was mostly the students who got selected last year that were selected this year. Mainly because no one could master the perfection of marching as we could (I discovered marching for a few days sticks for a long time. Even after the march past competition was over last year, I marched everywhere without r

‘Excuse me; can I go to the toilet?’  A third-grader asked me. I nodded my head and he left the classroom. I was watching over the boys’ class of 3 C, as to the request of one of my teachers. I had already done this sort of thing few times before, so it was nothing new to me.   Usually, I’d drag one of my friends along, but this time it was just me. This was fun actually; all I had to do was stand there and watch the kids, interfere if there was any problem, occasionally raise my voice and tell them to sit down and lower the volume, threaten to call the teacher if they still wouldn’t settle down. Of course, childhood memories never leave us either. When you look around and see small kids crying for the littlest of things, or fighting with someone else because one guy called the other a fool and that was one of the biggest, meanest words that the child has ever heard, you’ll finally understand how annoying you might have been at their age. I can still remember, when, a

Well! Our vacation in India flew past and here I am again! As usual, vacation was a blast. This was our evening schedule- Kunjunni and Kunjichechi would come over regularly every evening. When it would be time for dinner, Kunji chechi would make a beeline for the kitchen. She would be the one to flip the chapattis for she really loves to cook. At 8, everyone would make themselves comfortable in the living room. Then we would watch “Sell Me the Answer” until the show ended at 9, which was the time Kunjunni and Kunji Chechi would get shooed away by Granddad to go home. Mom and I would watch them cross the street to their home and then wave to them from our window. Everything went on like this for a few weeks. When we went shopping for groceries once, I spotted mehandi cones and bought one. I like putting on mehandi and I rarely find good quality cones too, so this was a golden opportunity. When I had put it on my palm and showed it to Kunjunni, he was intrigued. Kunji c

Phew! So the FA-2 exams are finally over! The last exam was yesterday. Now, its officially time for summer vacation. Mom and I are going to India tonight and Dad’s coming later. Last week was really hectic so I’m looking forward towards the vacation. Kunjunni has already taken leave from school so that he can greet us at the airport. Kunjichechi’s first year at college starts in August, and since she was not able to spend much time with us last year due to studies, this time she plans to  be at our home 24/7. My grandparents are eagerly waiting for us as well. So it’s clear everyone is excited. We’ll reach tomorrow morning at 9. That’s always what I like; reaching India in the morning. You can start off with the new day instead of the time when you reach there at night, and everyone nags you to go to bed even though you are not sleepy and want to do something else.  Nanditha’s plane was today too, only hers was at noon and mine’s late night. Her flight had got postponed an

Oookayyy, it’s been a pretty long time since I have posted anything and sorry for that. 9 th grade has been taking control of my life so I have barely time to breathe.   Heidelberg looks straight out of a Disney movie. An old castle, river, vintage   bridge, scenic hills, churches,  paved streets - everything together added up to its beauty. I was pretty sure this was the ultimate place for all poets of the world.  We stayed at Goldener Falke . It was right in front of a square with several shops and cafés, and a fountain with a statue of Hercules on top. The hotel was interesting and cool. There was a majestic view of castle outside the window. After getting refreshed and having our breakfast, we set out to explore Heidelberg. Our hotel was very close to the Heidelberg castle. We could see the castle from anywhere. I soon noticed that we had no trouble finding our hotel and that it was in the perfect spot. Somehow we always wound up in front of it. We felt like Fe

Hi everyone! School reopened on the first of April after 2 weeks of fun-filled holidays. Now it’s back to school. My classmates and I are now officially in 9 th grade! Both the ninth grade girl’s sections have been combined to form one section, 9B. So in the morning, when I reached class, I found everyone sitting separately; former 9D (my classmates) in a row, the other girls in another row. So our now-class teacher, Namrata Ma’am said that she will have to shuffle us in order to make us ‘mingle’. Namrata ma’am is pretty and fun, and she taught us social studies last year, so we already know her well. We did not receive our books on the first day. The day of receiving books is always torture.   It involves carrying a set of heavy books in your bag, and another 2 books in your hands(for the fear that the school bag will tear open), and walking down 2 floors of stairs to the ground floor, and trying to find your bus in the sizzling heat. After that, at home Moms are

Are you itching to turn on the AC? Do you need a break from the sun? Are you getting a tan INSIDE the house? Not to worry! Al Manahil Fitness centre is the place for YOU! Here we are provided with all facilities for those who wish to become thinner, lighter, muscular and healthier! And also, to break away from the heat and sweat, go for a jump, a dive and a swim in the pool. This is the place I went to yesterday since I was dying for a swim. The blue of the water blinded me and the place itself made me stand in awe. It’s a really lively place, only for women though. I usually go during the vacation. I learned swimming in the second grade and take every opportunity to swim. I had trouble swimming the first few laps, but after that, it was a breeze. In the shallow part of the pool, there was a swimming class going on for the little kids. Dad waited outside till we were done. I was starving, so we went to get a few bits to eat.