Goodbye, dear Summer.

Travel, Books and Movies. This is Life. 

Except there is a tiny glitch. They say you never get everything you want at the same time.
But I found a way to make that happen this Summer. This inescapable lovely time of the year when everything is sunny and bright and needless to say...absolutely cheerful.

And that is precisely why, dear Reader, I'd like to bring this season to an equally joyful end with this little post.

1. It started with getting drunk.  

                                                     

                                         

No, not the lying-on-the-floor-puking kind of drunk; I'm talking about the intoxicating Indian-ness. Singapore is really diverse, but I prefer experiencing the culture of one country at a time. There's so much to learn from this colourful, Bollywood-crazy, fast-paced nation. Whether you skim the lush green fields, watch the river twisting it's way to the sea or immerse yourself into the smoky concrete laced with a British touch, Kolkata has an appeal of it's own. There's an enthralling beat to every step you take, there's a blend of pinks, reds and corals in the clothes you wear and last but not least, there's a spice in every meal you take. The music is shimmering, the language is sweet; and despite all this flowery description what I REALLY did is this: I learnt a couple of swear words, some dramatic Bolly dialogues, ate a lot of butter chicken and paneer and inhaled tons of carbon monoxide. Way to go, I say.

2. Then it escalated to singing in the rain.

                                                          

                                       

                                         

Not like literally singing of course. I didn't want to ruin my chances of having immeasurable fun by lying bed-ridden with the flu or pneumonia or the like. BUT what I did was sing all day until lunch. Singing actually elevates your work efficiency. I sang while painting, played a bit of soft rock while reading and of course sang out loud on car rides. How can you really avoid singing when you're sticking your head out of that window, or playing The Beatles when you sit down with a cup of hot coffee near the window. Impossible so far as I know. And also impossibly good.

3. I went to War.

                                                             

Game of Thrones really, really got me going. I mean few books take more than kingdoms and battle to increase the adrenaline rush. This introduced me into a new fandom, and I cannot be more thankful. It also got me interested in Monarchy, a system of government I always thought more fascinating than a Republic. Kings, queens and knights. Oh, the wonder. IF ONLY I could wear chain mail and run into battle. It took me a while to wonder which House I really fancied but I think I made my decision fast enough. Lannisters everyone. Followed by Targaryens. That pretty much sums up everything. And yes you can hate me if you want to. 

4.  I came back to Earth with a thud.

                                                           

 I crash-landed on Europe, diving right into Dan Brown's bio-terrorism wrought thriller Inferno. It got me thinking and I transcended from the dreamy world of fighting on battleground to actually facing current world problems. This is not a problem which can be solved single-handedly by an intellectual. Rather, it's a maze which only has a visible exit for a team player. We need to rise above the petty issues of selfishness to combat real-world problems. There are terrors which are huge in magnitude and can bring down mountains to dust. For the love of God, this book opened eyes. 

5. And then there was this affair with the memory of Clark Gable.

                                                 

I am not really a movie person. I could do with a few classics now and then, but I'm not a regular and I will never be. But this actor just raised the bar so high for other men, I'm finding it hard to digest the fact that I will find my special someone after all. It's not about the looks, (in which case I would have chosen a certain Mr. Pitt) but I guess it is the acting which matters. Flawless acting, flowing like watery silk in between your fingers. Although Casablanca's Humphrey Bogart made romantic drama seem effortless, I still feel Gable (with his Bugs Bunny iconic act) tops my list of favorites. And he sure as hell deserves it. 

6. Finally culminated in falling in Love.

                                                              

No matter how hard I try to consider stoicism (it's good for health, you know) I almost always end up melting after a touching tale. With my annual pilgrimage to the doctor done, (all organs intact) I was led to believe that I had toughened up after all. But I had no idea what was in store for me until I watched Sherlock. That brought the roof down. While I dashed through this nerve-wracking, mind-boggling mystery of a roller coaster, I realized something. The steel resolve I had formed of not watching mystery fiction or crime drama had gradually melted away. Thanks to fabulous acting and of course, extraordinary plots. And well, who can forget, Benedict Cumberbatch. I swear it should be  illegal for someone to be this good-looking.  

And now finally as I embrace The Hunger Games, I realize that nothing can be this exhilarating. Waiting for your favorite movies, books, episodes. Travelling from Venice to Istanbul to Paris to New York and then London. What really matters is being everywhere in spirit. This summer is marching to a wonderful end. 

While many people aspire to create an eternal happiness, I choose to find happiness in little things. 

This by itself, is enough motivation for me to go on.