reading – Iniya Writes

Singapore

For winter break, I visited Singapore. It was such a lovely trip- I had lived there when I was 3, so it was great to see all the places I used to know and make new memories.

On our first day in Singapore, we spent time exploring the mall close to our hotel! While exploring the mall, I learned just how cute everything in Singapore was. It seemed like Hello Kitty, and similar characters, were everywhere, on all the packaging and sponsorships. I also had a curry puff and tried a traditional shaved ice.

The next day, we went to the zoo, to have “Breakfast with Orangutans”. It was such a fun and cute experience, and I also got to get up close with owls and penguins! The orangutans were given tasks to solve in order to get their own food, and they were preoccupied with that.

We also took this opportunity to tour both NUS and NTU, two famous colleges in Singapore. Both campuses were more “American”, while still being in a very green and humid campus. They were both so lovely, and I know I’ll be applying to both of them.

Another day, we went to Marina Bay Sands, specifically the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome. The Cloud Forest had a “Jurassic Park” theme, so there were dinosaurs everywhere. The animatronics were all life-size, expressive, and very impressive!

All together, I really enjoyed my Singapore visit, especially as it’s also the site of the very first night race in Formula 1, and I was able to visit where the cars would race, as well as a museum dedicated to F1. It was such a fun trip!

Top Books of August

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
This book was so well-written and filled with so many cool details and characters. Rin has worked hard her entire life, so when her parents announce that she’ll be married off, her hard work gone to waste, she decides to act. She studies for the notoriously hard civil service exams, and someone pulls through, plunging her into a world of danger and intelligence. This was such a well-written book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sanskari Sweetheart by Ananya Devarajan
This was an amazing, sweet book about Raina, who needs to prove to her mom that she can make dance a career. But in doing so, she’s pushing away everyone close to her. She realizes this when she gets stuck in a timeloop, forced to repeat the day over and over until she solves her problem. This book was super cute and interesting!
The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
This was such an interesting collection of stories that detailed different medical conditions- from lacking certain sensations or images to feeling too many sensations. I learned a lot from this book and every story was incredibly interesting.
Love Craves Cardamom by Aashna Avachat
This was such a cute book! Archi is planning to have the best senior year overseas in India. She needs to complete her capstone project and she gets to do it in her parents’ homeland. And, she meets a cute guy who really likes her. But when she realizes not everything is as it seems, life gets complicated. This was such a well-written and sweet book and I really enjoyed it!

The AnDroids

Breakfast these days was a bar of soap. Nothing less, nothing more. Maisie’s grandmother had told her stories of humans and their fragile stomachs couldn’t handle the taste of soap, and honestly, Maisie found that hard to believe. Her kind, the AnDroids as humans liked to call them, had been raised on different meals- the oil of a model car, for example, or the bottom of a letter- the part that contained the x’s and o’s.
She made her way downstairs, where Grandma was just serving breakfast. The radio was on, the AnDroid announcer prattling on about the latest misdeeds of humans. They wanted war with the AnDroids, it seemed, claiming their jobs were being stolen, running amok with no sense of cohesion whatever. Grandma’s snort told Maisie everything she needed to know- it was beneath them.
Breakfast over, Maisie slipped into her room. Grandma would be out for the most of the day, going around, shopping, talking to the neighbors, buying fabrics and funny little buttons that Maisie loved to sort and play with. So, knowing that Grandma would be out, Maisie pried up the loose board in the corner of her room, taking out a CD player. Grandma wasn’t a big fan of human artifact, in fact, saying that she hated them wouldn’t be too far from the truth. But Maisie couldn’t stay away from music. She’d gotten the CDs from a previous classmate- back in elementary school, before the humans decided the AnDroids were too dangerous for their kids to be around.
Maisie knew when Grandma was back, she’d have to pretend to hate humans and all their inventions again. But for now, she swayed to the music, closing her eyes and letting herself pretend peace was the reality.

Selkies and Summer

I wrote this story based off the prompt “Set your story at a party, festival, or local celebration”. I hope you enjoy it!

The party was in full swing. Kids were running around the boardwalk, ice cream cones in hand, dripping over to create sticky fingers. Everywhere you looked were classic carnival games, stocked with balloons and plushies of all shapes and sizes. The sun was shining, bright, and the water was a glistening shade of aquamarine. By all means, it was a perfect day. Ana really did feel content as she strolled through the streets of the idyllic town, clutching a plush of a bunny close to her chest, the other hand holding a camera. The streets were empty, everyone attending the summer festival. Albatross, the city which she had grown up in, faced a major spike in tourism every summer, visitors loving the sunshine-y energy of the town. Ana didn’t mind. Sure, sometimes the tourists were annoying, but it meant more people to photograph, more experiences to capture.
She crouched down at the cove she’d discovered a few yards away from the beach, setting the plush bunny down at the edge of the water cautiously. A few minutes passed, then a seal flopped up onto the shore, nudging the bunny curiously, to which Ana offered an enthusiastic nod. She turned away, and when she’d turned back around, the seal had turned into a human- a human Ana had come to know and care for. Naida’s smile was small, “Hey. Cute plush. You won it?”
Ana nodded, “Mm. Summer festival. Did the hammer bell game-thingy. You like it?”
Naida nodded. She was a selkie, her seal skin now wrapped protectively around her body. Ana studied her, then grinned, slipping a hand inside her bag to grab a big tub of cotton candy.
“Here. You mentioned you wanted to try more sweets last time. I love cotton candy. It just…melts in your mouth.”
Naida furrowed her brow but obediently pulled a small chunk of the pink sweet away from the tub, touching it to the tip of her tongue carefully. Ana’s camera was there to capture the moment her expression lit up, delighted at the rush of sugar. Naida glanced at Ana, eyes sparkling. “It’s…wow.”
Ana grinned, dimples flashing, “Good, right? You can get some year-round, but I think it’s the best during summer. It’s like…infused with joy. Or something.”

A distant shout rang out, in the direction of the cove. Ana glanced out, “Shoot. I should go. Take care. I’ll…I’ll let you know when I can meet again, ok? Take the plush. Think of it as…a replacement me.” Her smile was easy, not betraying the upset roiling underneath. Naida nodded, slipping the seal-skin back on, diving into the waters below. Ana resurfaced, cotton candy back in the bag, a sunny smile on her face, just a girl who was exploring.
But later, around the bonfire, Ana couldn’t help but smile as she admired the photo she’d taken- of Naida, her eyes bright, her cheeks flushed, the cotton candy melting into sugar. She’d see the selkie again soon. It wasn’t goodbye, it never was.

Primp the ghost

This was another writing prompt based story! I hope you enjoy!

When Marie-Ellis saw a ghost for the first time, she thought it was a speck of dust. A rather large, somewhat translucent speck of dust. So she had picked up her broom and swept the poor thing away. The ghost, Primp, she had learned, had not appreciated this in the slightest. Yet, that hadn’t stopped him from being all too intrigued by Marie-Ellis. He insisted on following her everywhere she went, which led to their current situation- the small pouch tied onto Marie-Ellis’ belt. Primp resided there, all cozy and comfortable. Of course, the pouch lent itself to questions. Marie-Ellis was the managing director of a huge firm, known for dressing and acting sensibly, no frills or bits and bobs. Yet, all of a sudden, a pouch appeared. Marie-Ellis didn’t respond to any questions thrown her way, just flashed the questioner a serene smile and went on her way. It was evening- a time of day when Marie-Ellis didn’t really do much. She lived alone, and was happy that way. Primp had truly thrown a cork into her plans, but she supposed it wasn’t a bad cork. Not really.

As she sat down at her sewing machine, she raised an eyebrow at Primp, “Well? What today?”. Primp had grown obsessed with plush toys. He found them enjoyable, reminiscent of his own childhood. So, today, he requested a plush dinosaur. Marie-Ellis sighed, then reached into her sewing handbag, pulling out the necessary green scraps of fabric and stuffing. She hummed a little tune as she worked, quite content with the little life she’d created. It had taken a while- she’d quit her first ever job on the second day of work- turns out, some people weren’t made to be air traffic controllers and her second job didn’t go much better. No matter how much propaganda they push out, being an undertaker is truly an awful job.

But now, as Marie-Ellis sat at her sewing machine, and the rain began to first patter, then pour, she knew in her heart that she was truly happy.

Winning the Lottery

Recently, I tried out a new writing website! It generates ideas for you to incorporate into your writing. The result, while a little over the place, was very entertaining and I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you enjoy!

You’d think that when you won the lottery, you’d spend the money on something grand. Something that truly wowed, something magnificent. Maybe you’d do something nice for your parents, maybe you’d treat yourself…Max bought a chicken. Just one. Not even a fancy chicken- to compete in shows or to eat. Just a chicken. And his reasoning? “I wanted a friend!”.
I finally convinced him the chicken wasn’t the best idea and he should buy something else with the money. He bought a cat. A cute one, sure, but a cat. I did not see how this would help us in our investigation. Ms. Emme had hired us to figure out who had been behind the airplane crash that had killed her youngest daughter. And so, I’d advised Max, pretty wisely, I would say, to buy something to help us figure out who did it. Maybe save some money to bribe some corrupt officers, you know what I mean? Instead he bought a cat. And a chicken. I can’t forget the chicken.
He said he’d “try to do right by me” today. I’m hoping he’ll use the money for information, for something that’ll help us take at least one step in the right direction.
…There’s a knock at the door. It better be Max with the information.
I’m back. It was not, in fact, Max with the information. It was Max with a random guy. A cameraman, for heaven’s sake. We don’t need a cameraman. And we definitely don’t need the eggs that the chicken’s been laying all over the place. I walked in this morning and there was one in my hat. My nicest one, too, fit with feathers and fabric.

Some may call it drastic, but Max’s delusions and unorthodox behavior have gone on too long. It’s time for some revenge.
First. I’ll steal the money. There’s still around 10 million left. That’s enough for me to buy a new office, snoop around, and have tons of money left over.
Then, I’ll get this company off the ground. We’ve been a small private investigative company for too long and with this money, anyone would respect us.
Finally, I’ll buy a better fan for this office. Well. I guess that goes with buying a new office. But, seriously. Who rents a space with no fan? Max, that’s who. We’ve been surviving with paper fans. Paper. fans.
Maybe I’d give some money to Max too. He was my best friend, after all. He never really enjoyed being an investigator. He’d probably become a DJ. He’d be good, too. Or maybe a blacksmith, though maybe that job interest was just a passing fascination.

And that’s how much I wrote in 10 minutes! I definitely enjoyed this exercise.

The Classroom

I recently wrote a short story for the prompt “Start or end your story with someone arriving somewhere for the first or last time”. I hope you enjoy!

I remember the first time I walked into that classroom. It was bright, welcoming, almost calling to me. The posters on the wall beckoned me to examine them- those childish drawings of friendly animals, the bubbly lettering a symbol of happiness, of comfort. I met my best friends in that classroom, when we were sitting around a multicolored rug. I remember the teacher- Ms. Miller- reading a ridiculous book. Something about dinosaurs in classrooms. It was all so perfect, so sweet, so innocent.
That’s all I can think about as I step back in the classroom- almost a millenia later. I shouldn’t be here. None of this is right. But the sun’s implosion was unexpected, especially as it shouldn’t have happened. All science predicted a collapse, anticipating the formation of a white dwarf. So, when the implosion happened…it caught everyone off guard. Not everyone survived. It happened so suddenly; a massive shockwave rippled through the streets. Buildings were hit especially hard. Not to mention, everything started working differently. People aged differently, the seasons merged into one, and most schools shut down. The world returned to an almost Pre-Neolithic era; no more complex societies, humans were on their own. In short, the sun’s implosion was an apocalypse of sorts.
And now I’m back. In the place where my first memories began. The classroom was found to have dangerous sources of radiation, set to be destroyed, but…I couldn’t just never see it again. The desks are pushed up against the wall, the very same mat I remember dragged to the center of the room. It’s…painful, in a way, to see this place of life, of vibrancy reduced to a room of ash and rubble. And soon, it’ll be gone. Gone, just like the park I used to play in and the house I called mine. Everything’s gone. Everything will be gone. Forever.

Independent Book Store Day

Last Saturday was Independent Book Store Day, a day to celebrate small bookstores. I visited 2 indie bookstores that I’d never been to before and thoroughly enjoyed both of them!

In today’s world, where we can order anything online, bookstores aren’t getting the same traffic as they used to. Therefore, Indie Bookstore Day encourages readers to support these small bookstores to help them thrive and continue to serve the community.

The first bookshop I visited was Good On Paper. Their shop was so pretty and had such a great collection of books for all ages- kids to young adults to adult/nonfiction. They also had lots of stationary, with cute journals and pens. It was so nice to check out a new bookshop and I can’t wait to read the book I bought from there!

After Good on Paper, I visited Kaboom Books, a used book store. They had so many books, filling every shelf, on all topics. I loved getting lost in the maze of books, just scanning the shelves. I exited with two books about mythology and have already started reading them!

Support Indie Bookstores!

The Meteorite Sample

Meteorite samples weren’t unusual, per say, but this was my first time dealing with one. Exciting for sure, but also nerve-wracking. The bosses were strict about anything from space- even the smallest misstep could lead to your reassignation to a lower, dingier job. So. No pressure or anything. The sample I’d gotten was small, just a speck really, especially compared to what Alice, at desk 9, had. But everyone had to start somewhere, right? So the speck it was.

I’ve worked at the lab for a good 3 years now. 3 years before I finally got to do what I’d always wanted. 3 years to achieve my greatest dreams. I’d spent all morning fiddling with the microscope, knowing that if I messed this up, I’d miss my opportunity. For good. And that…that would be awful.

When the sample was finally delivered to my station, I had to physically hold myself back to not tear open the packaging. Careful…careful. This thing is worth more than your entire life. The meteorite sample I’d gotten was barely a shard, but it was enough. My hands shook as I carefully lifted the sample out of its package and set it on a slide, placing it under the microscope. As I adjusted the lens, twisting it ever so carefully to zoom into the rugged surface of the rock, something that looked almost like words caught my eye. But…surely not. How could there be English words on an outerspace rock? But as the lens panned across the meteorite, it was clear- words carved deep into the rock: “If you see this, call this number. Do not tell anyone”.

My hands shook. But in my mind, there was only one thing for me to do- call the number.

Category: reading