Neha's Notebook

Image Credit:  4artgarden.com  via Pinterest viz.  https://in.pinterest.com/pin/401875966721367818/ Its only when the mind becomes wordless is that, the true words start flowing through the pen. — Neha’s Notebook

In late December, just before the beginning of 2021, I had been engaged in organizing some files and folders in my laptop. Meanwhile, I wanted to view and trim a series of videos using Microsoft Photos. And having this done, once I tried to delete the old video files, I discovered that the videos weren’t getting deleted from the system, despite of my persistent attempts. Instead, I ended up receiving a pop-up message which read,   “ The action can’t be completed because the file is open in Shell Infrastructure Host. Close the file and try again. ”   And thereupon, I came across the term ‘ Windows Shell Infrastructure Host ’. I do have a background in information technology, but let me tell you the truth. This term was as stranger to me as Mr. Bill Gates in person. That’s another matter anyway.   But the moment I googled it, I found the concept behind this term quite interesting. It spoke something to me. So, I decided to write a piece on it. And, here it is! https://pixab

  There are good days. There are poor days. There are days that feel ‘ just went well ’. And there are days which you ‘ wish that never really happened ’. But among this wide variety of days, there is a kind of days called as ‘ the zippy day ’. Image Source:  https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ba/ce/8b/bace8b74c8ac6c63c313fb70853605ac.jpg What is a ‘Zippy Day’? Well, the word ‘zippy’ comes from the word ‘zip’ which implies, “ to move, act or function with speed, energy, momentum or vigour ”. Thereupon, a zippy day refers to a kind of day in which we find ourselves moving through the day with fullness of enthusiasm, energy and flow.   Remember that day when everything seemed to be as perfect as it could be. From the moment till you woke up till the end of the evening, each moment appeared to be strung into a perfect harmony with each other. That morning, which led to an unlikely stream of surprising events throughout the day; or that call which made you jump like amazeballs, hence, ma

   [Courtesy:  https://vintagesareeblouse.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/radha3.jpg ] It’s early morning and already there are pleasant smells coming out of Nancy’s kitchen window. As a cube of butter melts in the glossy black pan, Nancy scoops out some crushed herbs from a glass jar and slips these into the melted butter.   Just like this morning, Nancy wakes up each day, early in the morning, to prepare the family breakfast and to pack the lunch boxes for her school-going children. While her younger daughter loves to relish over toasted sandwiches and spiced potatoes, the elder one is crazy for the fudgy pastries and cakes. While her parents-in-law’s demands incline towards soft foods like idlis and dhoklas, on the other hand, a tray of biscuit-sized barbeque patties almost always fulfils her husband’s gastronomic goals.   Nancy is a self-made chef. She works from home, occasionally selling packets of dry snacks and homec

Sometimes Love is Not a Story. It's a Samosa. Image Credit:  https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/3e/a3/0d3ea3b77525071aef18139b1bcb2ac0.jpg Note: This is one of the short stories that I submitted in Write India S3. It wasn’t shortlisted for a prize. So, I decided to publish it here on my blog. June-21, 01:10pm With every heart beat, mixed feelings rose and fell. The engine vig o rously blew its last whistle and the train, grumbling, began to haul itself out of station. As the train crossed the platform, a rush of jittery restlessness gripped my body and in a few minutes, the wheels too were gaining momentum. I was still settling in, just then the waiter onboard came around and shoved off a water bottle on my tray table. It was already rolled out, perhaps due to a loose-hinged clip. With palms sweaty yet frozen, and lips ziplocked tightly, I unlocked the blue bottle cap and took a sip of water from the plastic bottle. The droplets felt cold in my throat, which was still rummaging with