My BlindSpot

So, I had a little incident with my eyes. Over a span of few weeks I began to gradually lose vision, leaving me blinded in one and with minuscule vision in the other. Horrendous! I felt like a horse with its blinders on, with no peripheral vision whatsoever - None! This also meant no 3D movies for me! A visit to the ophthalmologist and a succession of tests later, I was told that I had a Vitamin Deficiencies - Vitamin D and B12. Injections, medication and eye-drops soon followed and after a few months I was almost back ... Almost!

Darkness was my friend and a haven for me. It was an eye-opener of sorts. After getting my vision back, and at the risk of sounding too clichéd, I must share that never has the sky looked so blue, the grass so green, the sun so bright and the sound of the birds chirping music to my ears. These were things I've always taken for granted and during this Lenten period I have a lot to reflect on.

With a spring in my step and a camera in my hand I managed to capture natures beauty not only on film but in my mind's eye as well, hopefully not for any future references. ( An added bonus, my dose of free Vitamin D). ~ Voila!

And you can feel the stress ebb!

Morning world!

It's 5:30 am and there goes the darn alarm. The fact that it's Sunday (a day of rest and all) - and not to mention it's cold out, the warm blanket inviting me to stay in and my cr^^ea^^king bones is temptation enough to stay in ... Good reasons to skip the early morning workout.



But the nip in the air, clear and unpolluted, and most importantly the lure of keeping the fat off - is all it takes to get me out and about. So I wear my trusted Reeboks, my ancient Adidas, that has kept me warm on countless occasions, and off I go, to conquer and fight all - stiff bones, groggy mind and all; in search of new ideas.

Picture taken by Arun Kumar Sinha

And there is nature's gift to greet me and a moment that I have to myself before the day commences - I watch the sun rise, kissing away the darkness spreading it's warm rays welcoming a new dawn, a new day. 

And for all my efforts, a little treat is definitely in store - vanilla French toast, a smattering of cinnamon powder and a dusting of icing sugar, accompanied by hot coffee, not to forget James Patterson keeping me company ...

And now it's worth it ~

The Notebook (2004)

Even though the eyes that see, don't recognize ... Alas, life can be cruel. Can Noah stop loving what he has come to love for most of his life? That is one question Noah ( Ryan Gosling/James Garner) must ask of himself every time he looks at his one true love, Allie (Rachel McAdams/Gena Rowlands).
So enamored were Noah and Allie with each other, and  like most young love, they vowed to cherish one another and together surmount every challenge that life may throw their way. Having been born in the opposite stratum of society their love is tested on more than one level. Noah's notebook will help to recite this tale of true, passionate love and help to bring two people together - separated not by time or space but by the cruel hand that fate has chosen to play. Will their love stand to win against life's test?

This only proves, I am but a die-hard romantic. Adapted from a novel by the same name and authored by Nicholas Sparks I would like to 👑 him the king of romance. Enjoy!  

Word for the day : -
ennui - a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom

Cast Away (2000)

Time-abiding Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), a globetrodding FedEx executive, is on his way to Malaysia on an assignment. His plane, while over the Pacific, runs into a storm and the plane crash leaves Chuck washed up a deserted island. Imprisoned by huge waves, deadly reefs and trapped in a world with no clocks, Chuck must adapt to his strange surroundings. To survive in the harsh conditions, he must get down to the basics - learn to build a fire, to crack coconuts, fish for his food and find a place to keep him safe from the elements. There is but one silent companion, "Wilson", a volleyball that was one of the packages that washed up on shore. He also has a watch that his fiancée, Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt), gifted him as she bid him farewell at the airport as he left with a promise to be back for New Years'.
Will Chuck get out of the island alive and meet his one true love whose memory is the only thing that keeps him going? 
Tom Hanks has successfully carried the movie all by himself for a major part of the film. Another true winner!


Word for the day :-
circadian - (of biological processes) recurring naturally on a 24 hour-cycle , even in the absence of light fluctuations

Hamari Adhuri Kahaani (2015)

Flowers can do what a million words could probably not accomplish - With their simplistic and aesthetic beauty flowers brighten the darkest corners, bring a smile to the saddest face, enhance the happiest occasion and also bring two hearts together. Vasudha (Vidya Balan) is a single mother and a gifted florist who works for Aarav Ruparel (Emraan Hashmi), a successful hotelier. Aarav is smitten and eventually falls in love with Vasudha who has many an occasion to showcase her flair and prowess with flowers and her dedication to her job. However, there is one hitch that stops Vasudha from grasping what her new life has to offer. Hari (Rajkumar Rao), her husband who had abandoned her just a month after the birth of their child, has not been heard from for five long years. He soon returns a wanted terrorist. Torn between her filial duty and the love of her life, Vasudha must make a tough choice.

Love transcends all barriers and a field of calla lilies helps to eternally unite Vasudha and Aarav .....

The title track from the film

Word for the day :-
miasma - an unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapor

In her Shoes (2005)

Rose and Maggie - are two gorgeous sisters who are poles apart! Rose (Toni Collette), the elder of the two, is a hard-working and successful lawyer. She is involved in an office romance and living a life where she only dreams of the vacations she "plans" to take some day. Maggie (Cameron Diaz) on the other hand doesn't have a job, knows how to party, has no place of her own or a relationship to tie her down. But she dreams of making it big someday.

Down and out of her luck, Maggie decides to shack in with her sister. While Maggie doesn't mind helping herself to Rose's possessions - her immense collection of shoes, jewelry and her pantry for that matter, Maggie crosses all boundaries when she sleeps with Rose's beau. Furious and unable to take anymore Rose throws Maggie out of her house and possibly her life too. Finding herself on the streets Maggie heads out to Florida in search of the maternal grandmother (Shirley Maclaine) that she's only just heard about. 
Depressed with her situation, Rose quits her high-powered job and is looking to slow things down. With no news of her sister, Rose sets out in search of Maggie and is soon knocking her grandmother's door.

An intricately woven tale of relationships ~ of love and forgiveness.

                              "To Sisters"!

Word for the day :-
unctuous - excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily

Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

US Naval flight officer, Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) and his companion Jeremy Stackhouse make a great team behind their fighter jet. However, after 7 years in the navy, Chris is disillusioned with his role and he hands over his resignation to his commanding officer Admiral Reigart (Gene Hackman). Left with just two weeks on the aircraft carrier in Bosnia, Chris takes a test run with Jeremy during which time they come across some suspicious activity in a demilitarized zone and they decide to veer off their planned course and collect photographic evidence. En route, their plane is shot down by a couple of missiles. Chris takes off to radio in their position and Jeremy is captured and executed by the Serbs'. So begins Chris's ordeal as he  tries to escape from his ruthless Bosnian-Serb pursuers and survive.  

On the icy mountain slopes in war-torn Bosnia - dodging landmines, snipers and hoping to get across evidence of a possible genocide of the Bosnian population, this action packed war film is a nail-biter all the way through.

Word for the day :-

egregious - outstandingly bad; shocking