Memories of 2019

Hello everyone who is reading my blog. Hope you had a fantastic 2019. As the year is coming to an end, I thought of looking back and recollecting some of the memories from this year and sharing it with you. There were some sweet and bitter experiences, sweet ones have to be cherished and bitter experiences are meant to teach us a new dimension to life. In this blog, I would share a few things, that made this year special for me.

Places I visited this year- 

1) Jaipur- 2019 started with a trip to the Pink City. I visited Jaipur with my friends in the second week of January. The historic importance of the city becomes evident as you witness the city, famous for its forts and monuments. We visited Amer Fort, Jal Mahal, Nahargarh Fort, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar observatory. The "sound and light show" at Amer Fort was spetacular in itself. The camel ride at Jal Mahal was a new and unique experience for each one of us. As there is a famous saying- "The journey is more beautiful than the destination", we equally enjoyed our road trip. It was a perfect way to welcome the new year. I have written a blog on this trip where I have described this trip in detail- https://kinshuksrv.blogspot.com/2019/01/trip-to-pink-city.html

Memories from this trip->

2) Pune- As the year was about to end, I planned a trip to Pune in the month of December. I just loved the city, though I only got to spend a few hours in Pune city. The city has its own charm and has a blend of its unique culture as well as the vibes of a metropolitan city. We visited Lonavala and Mumbai during the weekends and this trip gave me the much needed break to refresh my mind. 

Memories from this trip->

Books that I have read this year-

Books are my best friend since childhood, though I don't get too much time now to read. (Thanks to YouTube and Netflix :) But still I managed to read a few books this year-

1) Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki- This book is a must read for the people of our generation who are starting with their financial journey. Robert Kiyosaki explains that the first step to financial independence is changing our perspective towards money. Some of the key aspects highlighted in the book are the difference between assets and liabilities, how to make money work for you instead of working for money, different investment options available in today's world, to name a few. The lucid flow of the book impressed me a lot and it really helped me get a better perspective towards financial management.

2) The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins- This fiction by Paula Hawkins is a masterpiece in itself. The novel basically has a thriller genre, with romance forming the backbone of the story. I couldn't connect with the story initially but once I got hold of the story, I was hooked on to it till the end. If you are a fiction lover, I would recommend you to pick this book and you would thank me after reading this. :)

3) Twelve Red Herrings by Jeffrey Archer- This is a colletion of short stories by Jeffrey Archer and each story has a unique plot. Again, this book belongs to thriller genre and the crispy plot of every story kept me hooked till the end. 

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie- I have just started this novel and have read only a few pages, but the storyline seems to be interesting, though the author has used some French words here and there which breaks the flow of the reader. I will find more about this as I will read through it.

Besides this, I would like to recall some of the memories/hallmarks of 2019 which is special for me-

• Alumni meet 2k19- The Alumni meet of our college "Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology" is held every year in different parts of the country and this year, I got a chance to be a part of it. The Alumni meet for Delhi-NCR region was held on 12th October in Gurgaon. Initially, I was a bit skeptical to attend the function since only a few of my batchmates had registered for the event. I was in a dilemma myself since I had the feeling that I may feel out of place. But still, me and one of my friends convinced each other to give it a try and that was the best decision, since it was such a grand event that could not have been missed at any cost. When we reached the venue, all of my apprehensions vanished and within few minutes, we felt that we are reliving our college lives. Such was the hospitality and bonding visible that bound each one of us with a common thread. We met new people from various batches, and it didn't feel at all that I am meeting most of them for the first time. We had great fun that evening and it will be a memorable evening for me, and all of us present there.

Memories from this event->

• My first story published on Story Mirror- I recently wrote my first story "Delusion" for Story Mirror and I received an overwhelming response from the readers. Having a passion for writing, it gives me immense satisfaction and any appreciation for my work is a cherry on the cake. I would like to thank everyone, for taking out time to read the story and for their valuable feedback. For those who have not read it yet, you can read it at this link- https://storymirror.com/read/story/english/qvjk6rx8/delusion/detail

To conclude, I had my highs and lows in 2019 but this year had a lot to offer and a few experiences have been valuable life lessons for me. Now it's time that we look forward to the coming year and welcome it with new hope and enthusiasm. I would like to wish you all a very happy new year in advance. May all your dreams get fulfilled in 2020. Moreover, in the context of the current situation of our country, I hope that 2020 will bring peace and harmony for our nation. Let's unite together and pledge to make this world a better place to live. On that note, 'Happy New Year' once again. Stay happy and enjoy life. Cheers!!