travel diary – hiking through the himalayas || trekking sandakhphu || life & literature ep. 7

3rd Nov 202115th May 2023 maya rajesh42 Comments

Hi, there.

It’s definitely been a minute.

In August, life spiralled into a tornado of exams, competitions, performances and worse: deadlines. Since then, I’ve deserted this space, but don’t worry – I’ve got no intention of leaving.

Two weeks ago, my exams finally ended (time. won’t. fly.) and the next day, we left on vacation. Of course, my parents were vaccinated and my sister and I needed to test negative to leave the state, but up in the mountains, there are little to no coronavirus cases.

It’s the best time I’ve had since, well, last year. This March will mark the second anniversary of the virus and I’m glad to say things are looking up. Even simply being in the airport was such a novel feeling – the lines, the security checks. Today’s post is a travel diary and chronicles the entirety of my trip – so enjoy!

august slipped away || days past: a july & august ’21 recap || life & literature ep. 6

29th Aug 202127th Jan 2022 maya rajesh65 Comments

“But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time
‘Cause it was never mine“

Starting one of my longest wrap-ups starting with the beautiful august by Taylor Swift (go listen to it just once if you haven’t and you will fall in love with her voice – do it.)

But honestly, how is it that July and August just disappeared? (~~Ignoring the fact that I question time practically every. single. recap, of course.~~)

July & August were beautiful months, and I did pretty well all through – in terms of school, reading, mental health & my online presence so I’m hoping that the second half of the year – which we’re already partially through – will be one in which all of us shall fare well in.

I read, watched, and listened to a lot these past two months and now I have a number of new favourites. Let’s talk books, movies, songs & life!

journaling: how i do it + why you should too! || life & literature ep. 5

10th Aug 202119th Jan 2022 maya rajesh42 Comments

Ever felt the need to channel all that mental energy you’ve built up somewhere? Or perhaps you have a plethora of thoughts you need to jot down somewhere: but you don’t know where! Well. you’ve come to the perfect place.

I’ve had piles of notebooks stacked up on the top shelf of my wardrobe ever since I was a child. The ones I received from birthday parties with Frozen characters tattooed onto the spine, those bound by secrecy with a lock and a key, and my favourite of them all – the ruled notebooks with floral quotes on the cover.

It’s always been hard for me to start using a notebook: I’m always second-guessing myself – ‘is a travel journal really useful’ or ‘this notebook is too pretty to be used as a dream journal.’ And the cycle goes on and on, and hoarding notebooks is now my speciality.

Honestly, though, this never seems to stop me from buying them. Nevertheless, on my thirteenth birthday, I finally found something that stuck: journalling. So, let’s get into why I love it so much!

days past: a june ’21 recap || playlists, books & movies || life & literature ep. 3

4th Jul 202127th Jan 2022 maya rajesh64 Comments

June disappeared, in all honesty. It’s almost as though this month was non-existent and we’re already in July. Halfway through the year. We’re still self-isolating a year later and I keep reminding myself that there is still hope. June was absolutely a blur. I know I say that so much, but I started out in a most terrible reading slump.

Nevertheless, I did have a lot of fun and I kept up with the blogosphere (for the most part, I suppose!) I had my whole family over and the summer weather is absolutely gorgeous here. All the flowers are in bloom, we had, like 3 birthdays (which meant 3 different cakes, haha!) and we’ve been out on long walks through the gardens. June and July have the best weather in the whole year (except for February and April).

Well, that’s enough rambling! Let’s talk books, movies, songs and life!

what to watch for teens & tweens (ft. disney+ and netflix)

6th Jun 20211st Feb 2022 maya rajesh104 Comments

Are you looking for something to watch on TV that’s fun and entertaining? Well, look no further! Here’s my personal list of favourite TV shows and movie series for fans of YA books, for tweens and teens and for anyone who’s confused as to what to watch!

Between the ages of 12 and 14, there seem to be very few options for us tweenagers on Disney+ and Netflix. Everything seems to be too young and schmaltzy or too inappropriate! Today’s (rather long) post will be covering the main four genres I watch: Sitcoms, (my personal fave!) Mystery, Fantasy and Fiction (with magical realism).