Of Rusty Cages and Monkey Butts

So in spite of having lived within stone’s throw of the oldest zoo in India for most of my life, I can count the number of times I’ve visited it on one hand. Recently I decided to pop in and see how much it had changed (hopefully) with rollingstones2k16 and though I could see some difference, it was still vastly disappointing.

Not in the case of the animals housed, mind you. They had a very good ‘collection’. My issue was with the tiny spaces the animals were forced into and the general hygiene. It felt awful to take pictures, but you know what they say- a picture speaks louder than a thousand words. (Or something to that effect)

So the trivandrum museum is a pretty beautiful place.

I like going here, especially with friends, because it’s just a great place to sit and talk. Maybe take a couple of photos because the green of the grass in the background will make us look 110% better.

The zoo is a part of the Museum, and adults have to pay 20Rs as entrance fee (extra if you have a camera and plan to use it). Unless you run pretty fast, it’ll probably take you more than an hour to explore it.

How my Art grew when my Heart broke

During my second year of college I had to deal with a lot of crap. My depression started affecting my daily life to the point I often left early from class. I had body image issues and the slight teasings from classmates made it worse. I lost a few friends and it hit me hard. The final nail in the coffin was my boyfriend at that time telling me I had become unlovable.

But every cloud has a silver lining- this was the time I realised that drawing was catharsis for my soul. So I drew. I experimented with many styles till I found one that suited me. And then, I drew every time something brought me down.

This might not shock you, but it did me. I’d never drawn something this grotesque before.

They’re not all great works of art. Most were done in between crying sessions, so they were quick, messy and frankly not very aesthetically pleasing. It it was very different from the perfection I usually practiced. 

Book Haul and TBR!

So I’m currently having my fifth semester examinations at college, and it’s a double head-ache for me as I am, unapologetically, an avid procrastinator.

And to make matters worse, both Amazon and flipkart decided to have jaw-dropping sales at this exact time. Add two book fairs to the mix and you give me an irresistible offer.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession. I am a bookaholic. My shrink says it’s chronic. I blame my whole family for giving me this disease. It’s in my genes. And I spent almost all the money I received for my birthday on books this year.

Almost all of these books, I got for more than 50% discount. (Viva le online shopping!)

Classics 

The Phantom of the Opera is about Erik, a man with a disfigured face who teaches the beautiful Christine the art of singing. His love for her turns obsessive, and apparently following that, shit hits the fan. Gothic romances are a HUGE weakness of mine  (think Wuthering Heights) so I’m looking forward to this so much!

The Picture of Dorian Gray is the story