Book review: 'The Essays on Love' - Alain de Botton

Author: Alain de Botton
Published in 1993 originally

I would say I've never really been interested in philosophical books but I don't know what but something intrigued me when I saw the book cover of 'The Essays on Love'. May be I was in the process of falling in love or crush or just 'cause I'm going through this look-for-love phase or I'm just this hopeless romantic at heart.

And I'd like to say I'm really impressed by the first book of Alain de Botton 'The Essays on Love". I wondered to myself why did i never heard of this book considering I call myself a self-proclaimed pseudobibliophile because I googled the title, i found out it is actually quite a famous one.

This book touches a chord of your heart somewhere like you could relate to every little snippet from this book.
Even though it's his first book but he very beautifully writes about every stage of falling in love and evolution of love in a romantic relationship. The entire book is in 1st person narration by the main character the guy falling in the love.
The beauty of this book is in its philosophical style of writing mixed with storytelling. This is the forte of the author.
If you are someone who doesn't like reading hardcore philosophy but would prefer philosophy in a storytelling way like applied philosophy and you're somewhat intrigued by the concept of love or looking forward to a love-ful relationship or just simply you're just intrigued by the title, this one book is a deary one.
At first what kept me hooked to this book is that I thought I was getting into the head of a guy falling in love with a girl but later on I realized it's not just about male thinking in love. Instead girls can also relate to most of those feelings.

After reading it, I felt like afterall no matter male or female, we aren't actually that different but the difference somewhere lies in our style of communication.

That might be my personal opinion but I just felt like that. Being a hopeless romantic and an over-optimistic person, I kind of didn't actually like the way the book ended.

I'd leave that for you to find out what happens in the end.

Poem- '82 Avenue Lagrange'

82 Avenue Lagrange

"The address I called home..

Autumn, winter, spring and summer..

I saw it in every garb..

.

The wooden stairs creaked so much at first..

But then it felt like a familiar hum..

.

The quiet riverside..
The bridge..

The stealthily flowing water..

The rustling leaves with soft breeze..

I could hear it all like in a mesmirizing trance..

.

As I walk on the same street..

I ponder..

When did this unknown address

turn into a place so dear..

.

The cargo ships..

The restaurant on the boat..

The lush big green trees..

The sunset through my window..

The riverview from the balcony..

A delight to the eyes..

It had a character of its own..

.

The house became a home in a matter of time..

Faraway from a land I call home."

-  D. Shakti

Poem - "A girl from the mountains"

"Im a girl from the mountains..

green trees..

fresh air..

limitless sky..

the sheer immensity of nature..

makes me feel alive..

.

Im a girl from the mountains..

wooden houses..

cobbled streets..

simple smiles..

cold breeze..

that shine in the eyes..

makes me feel at home.. . .

Im a girl from the mountains..

the slopes..

that carefree running up and down the hills..

the wintery chill..

the foggy views..

brings me back to life..

.

Im a girl from the mountains..

deep breaths..

tippy tap of raindrops..

chirpy birds..

the serenity of it all..

makes me nostalgic..

.

Im a girl from the mountains..

Im a girl from the mountains.."

- D.Shakti

Beautiful French song: 'Je veux (I want) - by Zaz' with French lyrics and translation

Donnez moi une suite au Ritz, je n'en veux pas! 

Offer me a suite at Ritz, but I don't want it!

Des bijoux de chez Chanel, je n'en veux pas! 

The jewellery by Chanel, I don't want it!

Donnez moi une limousine, j'en ferais quoi? 

Offer me a limousine, what will I do with it?

Offrez moi du personnel, j'en ferais quoi? 

Offer me a hoard of  servants, what will I do with it?

Un manoir à Neuchâtel, ce n'est pas pour moi. 

A mansion at Neuchatel, but I'm not for it.

Offrez moi la Tour Eiffel, j'en ferais quoi? 

Offer me the Eiffel tower, what will I do with it?

Je veux d'l'amour, d'la joie, de la bonne humeur, 

I want the love, the joy and the happiness,

C'n'est pas votre argent qui f'ra mon bonheur, 

It's not your money which makes me happy,

 Moi j'veux crever la main sur le cœur.

I want to die with my heart on my sleeves.

Allons ensemble, découvrir ma liberté, 

Let's go together, discover my freedom,

Oubliez donc tous vos clichés, 

 And let's forget all the trivial things,

Bienvenue dans ma réalité. 

Welcome to my reality.

J'en ai marre d'vos bonnes manières, c'est trop pour moi! 

I'm fed up of your good manners, it's too much for me!

Moi je mange avec les mains et j'suis comme ça! 

I eat with my hands and that's just me!

J'parle fort et je suis franche, excusez moi! 

I talk loudly and I am blunt, just excuse-me!

Finie l'hypocrisie moi, j'me casse de là! 

Got over with this hypocrisy, I'm outta here!

J'en ai marre des langues de bois! 

I'm fed up of your pompous tongue!

Regardez moi, toute manière j'vous en veux pas

Look at me, anyway I don't blame you

Et j'suis comme ça (j'suis comme ça) 

And I'm like that (I'm like that)

The trend of social experiments on the internet

Ever since I have been active on the Internet world, it's in the last 5 years that I have noticed a sudden increase in the trend of social experiments on the internet specially on the Youtube.

It makes me wonder is it because nowadays Internet is available to everyone easily and which is because now we can access internet through our ever new technology mobile phones.

I think I answered my own question. While I see some social experiments in which the experimenters (!) try inciting a reaction from the common people, in others I notice where the "youtuber" takes up a challenge on himself/herself to see how many people of opposite sex he/she can kiss.

And this is not the most astonishing part, the suprising thing is these social experiment videos are very popular among the masses and get views upto 1 million or more which inspires others to do such experiments too.

The thing which is not exactly comprehensible is that why do people enjoy watching people's reaction to certain situations. For example, in one of such videos, they showed an abusive husband (actor) and his wife (also an actress) fighting in a restaurant and somebody was recording how other people at the restaurant would react to such a situation. A few people tried helping the victim lady while others minded their own business.

We, as sentient beings are a curious species. Such videos which stir the emotions are viewed by a considerable number of the people online. Even though the only thing we get to know from it is that how other people would react to a certain situation. But I'm supposing in this way we also try being in the shoes of the people who witness such incidents. In our own mind we decide how we would have reacted.

But can we say that such social experiments really portray how we are as a society? The good and bad we see in the people in such videos?

Would such experiments help the viewers take the right action on being faced with the real situation?

But at least some make us think. May be for a minute, an hour or a day but they do.

While on one hand some make us think the other experiment make us think what the society is upto?

Playing with people's emotions just for the sake of entertainment of viewers?

Where is the fine line? Who decides it?

To the man I met during my train journey in France.. (1)

First of all, I dedicate this post to Fabrice whom I had a chance to know for a brief period of 2 hours.

For the first time when I arrived at a railway station in France, I felt totally lost. My being near-fluent (!) in their language didn't help and I realized I still need to learn a lot about how native French people speak french.

Despite the handicap I felt in explaining my queries regarding my train, I somehow was enjoying being lost in Europe. It all seemed liked an adventure where I was the protagonist. I talked to four people about the whereabouts of my train and way to the platform. One old French lady couldn't understand what I was asking exactly but still tried explaining me pointing towards the screen. She seemed as helpless as me. But she kept asking others what I had asked her and then directed me towards a 'personnelle' of SNCF train.  I wasn't somehow convinced what the local people tried making me understand or may be I failed to make them understand what I was asking (And here I was thinking I am near-fluent in french!)
After talking to the different people of SNCF twice and thrice, I finally managed to get to the right  platform, right train and right seat!

*While all this was going on, on the back of my mind I was wondering that Simran had met Raj on a similar setting in a European Train (That's what DDLJ does to your mind when you watch too much of it).*

I finally found my seat number by the window. And I see a French guy seating on the aisle seat and I ask him if thats the right seat number ..? "Bah.. oui!" , he replies.
Geeky. specky. slender.

I looked at my big valise and wondered where to keep that and how. Before I could say anything about valise being heavy, I think he read my mind for a moment and swiftly picked my valise
and put it on the upper deck and I noticed his athletic strong arms and that he was quite tall.

*Quel gentilhomme!* (What a gentleman!) I regaled in my heart.

I could just murmur merci beaucoup.

A little part of my heart was smitten. Also I was smitten by the beauty of the landscapes I saw through my window.

Through the corner of my eyes I saw him checking his phone and I was eager to talk to him. I checked my ticket again and asked him if this is the right train.

*Ne vous inquietez pas! (Dont worry!) This is the right train and seat* He said smilingly....

.. to be continued

'Diary entry of a rain-lover'

It rained today..

It wasn't the first time that it rained here. But this time it seemed special.. the tapping of rain drops on the ground felt musical. Why is it that rain is so loved by so many people? 

Does it invigorate some kind of chemical reaction in the human brain or does it create some kind of magical spell?
It makes people nostalgic, romantic and fills them with tranquility. And the ones of my kind become poetic awakening the writer within. One can't help but scrawl on paper whatever comes to mind.

With rain, comes the raining memories of years gone by. A love lost, a love found, the childhood paper boats, the snacks and coffee, the rain songs, carefree dancing in the rain, cuddling with your favorite book at the window side and musical rain in the background or just simply watching the rain drenching everything..
You think of the rainy days in the school.. the pitty-pat..how happy it made children. And in college, how you would miss the class just to gorge on hot samosas and coffee with the company of friends.

You don't think of the days to come but enjoy the present looking at the sky.
The pleasure is all you feel.. doesn't matter you are alone or in company.

The petrichor fills up your senses.The rainy fragrance makes every breath you take delicious. You want to breathe deep. You don't want to blink even for a moment. You don't wish anything more but you wonder about nature's beauty. While watching the beautiful ripples made by raindrops, you think of love and life.

Even the departure of rain leaves you with rejuvenated self. For it's all drenched. There's a new you.

The ambient air is cool and fresh.

You breathe deep and you don't want to blink...
You don't want to close your eyes..
For rain has made ever

ything afresh..

And your heart smiles..
You can feel it smiling...