It's Cloudy in here! 

Silver Linings Playbook 

To watch a film like this when you're feeling down and dusted yourself - not really a good idea! But then again, to watch Bradley Cooper look super dishy and dish out a performance that makes you want to hold him and never let go could possibly hook you right out of your lowliness.

It's confusing at first when you can't understand why people would go off the deep end and be sent to a mental facility especially someone as heartbreakingly handsome as Cooper. But when you are exposed to the mess that Pat Solitano Jr (Cooper) is, you wonder if even the beautiful are spared from being broken. 

Jennifer Lawrence as the 'love interest', well not up till the very end, is intense yet removed and watching her in SLP is like getting home after a shitfucked day and pouring yourself a Whiskey on the Rocks and slugging it down. The harsh brown liquid burns your throat yet calms your nerves. Takes off the edge but you can't deny the fact that tomorrow's going to be as fucked up as today. 

Robert De Niro is a delight to watch and if you aren't reminded of your own dad when you're watching him in SLP, you just aren't involved enough. He's interfering, he's hoping to overcome the pitfalls, he'trying hard to be loving and rock-like when he's shaking inside. He's perfect and undeniably flawed. 

If you're looking for a date movie that will give you a walk through the rose garden and the fountain of wishes and innumerable romantic cliches, avoid SLP and focus on getting a reality check. SLP moves at a real pace, shows you what family is all about and at the same time tells you what real love can be like - hurtful, vengeful, stormy, passionate, compassionate and can't-live-without-able. 

Settle in to watch SLP with your favorite scotch, a few cubes of ice and water to top it up. 

Things Spain taught me

At 26, I took my first solo trip to Spain. No friends, no family - just ME! It's a big deal! Indians don't travel that way usually, Indian girls lesser so or almost NEVER! My family was scared shitless, my friends thought I was pulling their leg. I went anyway. I went and lived and went crazy and lived some more. Lived enough to come back and immerse myself in the senseless monotony that my 26-year old being has been trapped wordlessly and unflinchingly.


Spain taught me a lot of things about myself and the world. And I can only say with the hugest smile ever - I'm definitely traveling by myself some more. Never too late to live your life your way. Few people take that choice, everybody has that choice!


Things that Spain taught me:


1. Smile and say 'Ola!' Even the hottest guy will smile right back at you with unquestionable genuineness!


2. Wear a bikini despite the love handles. Walk with confidence and feel loved! The Spanish love a curvy body

3. Cook and eat with in the common kitchen if you're staying at a youth hostel. No better way to break the ice and make fantastic new friends!


4. Never say no to sharing your booze. The stories, the games and the naughtiness that follows such a request can never be spontaneous enough!

5. Even if you're backpacking carry your best, shortest, sexiest dress and those killer heels! *Trust Me*


6. You can survive on tapas and cerveza for as long as you want!

7. Don't hesitate to try anything alone .... just close your eyes and go for it! May it be skydiving, cage-diving or of course ... shopping!


8. Remember names and add 'em up on Facebook! Don't TRY to stay in touch! Just DO!


9. Don't talk to people back home too often. Being alone and being disconnected can turn you into a new, independent person you didn't know existed!


10. Go back to Spain and do everything all over again!

Seeks

"Run, but don't Hide."
Said He to Me.
I tried and tried
And collapsed inside.
When I opened them Eyes
It was bright Outside.

"You and Me", Said I to Him
"Could be playing this whim
Of Hiding and Not
being able to Find."