Inks and Reels

  A Personal Reflection on Leaving Instagram For the past few months, I have been feeling strangely restless. Not anxious, not overwhelmed; just restless , as if my mind was constantly buzzing even when I wasn’t doing anything. I couldn’t understand why. Until one day, a simple question came to me: Where did my tiny pockets of time go? Those small moments, between classes, during tea breaks, before sleeping, or while waiting for something ,used to be mine. They were the minutes where I breathed, observed, reflected, or simply existed. But slowly, without noticing, those moments disappeared. And then I realised where they went. They were swallowed by Instagram. Not in big, dramatic chunks of time. Just five minutes here, seven minutes there, another three minutes somewhere else. Little by little, the tiny pockets of silence that once kept me grounded were replaced by endless scrolling, notifications, reels, and noise. The Moment of Realisation My restlessness wasn’t c...

  I never dreamed of becoming a teacher. It wasn’t my passion, not even my Plan B. In fact, I always believed that the education field wasn’t meant for me. But life, as always, has a peculiar way of rewriting our scripts, and here I am, standing in front of a classroom, discovering new sides of myself every day. People often say teaching is a divine calling. I used to disagree. Until I found my own metaphor for it. Teaching feels like standing on the edge of a cliff. From this height, we are aware of the dangers, uncertainties, and responsibilities lying ahead. When we raise our voices, in excitement, frustration, or hope, our words echo, amplified by the wisdom and warnings of the teachers who came before us. Their voices remind us of the pitfalls we must avoid. And when we laugh or celebrate a child’s small triumph, we hear echoes of pride, the pride of all those who once lit the same torch and passed it on. Just like a cliff, this profession has a dual power. It can awaken a sen...

Some days just begin slowly or rather, they barely begin at all. I wake up late, already feeling like half the day has slipped through my fingers. I tell myself, “I’ll start soon,” but soon takes its sweet time arriving. I do nothing much. I scroll through my phone, switch between apps, watch random videos, and then realize an hour has disappeared, maybe two. I think of all the things I should be doing, but I don’t feel like doing any of them. Cooking? Not today. Cleaning? Maybe tomorrow. My energy decides to go on vacation without informing me. Somewhere in between my naps and procrastination, a tiny voice inside whispers that I should be productive : that I’m wasting time. I listen to it for a moment, feel guilty, and then remind myself that e ven motivation needs a break sometimes. Lazy days make me restless at first. I feel like I’m stuck in slow motion while the world rushes ahead. But deep down, I know these days are normal ,even necessary. They’re little pauses that remind me I’...

Writing has always been considered a natural act of expression. For some, it is a profession; for others, a way of making sense of the world. Yet, no matter how experienced or passionate we are about it, writing does not always come easily. There are moments when the words arrive like an unstoppable tide, filling the page with clarity and rhythm. And there are moments when nothing comes at all,when the page remains blank and the mind feels strangely heavy. This is what we know as writer’s block. Almost every writer has faced it at some point. It can happen to a beginner attempting their first short story or to a seasoned author working on their tenth novel. The experience is universal, yet it always feels personal. To the one who faces it, writer’s block is not just a creative pause—it is a deeply frustrating silence, an inner resistance that makes writing seem impossible. In this blog, I want to reflect on what writer’s block really is, why it happens, and how we can approach it with ...

Your growth is real even if it doesn’t look like what you see online. Don’t compare your journey to somebody else’s - you don’t know where they started, which resources they had, how long they’ve been doing it, how many times they failed, etc. So, keep going!!! In your own way♥️

I chose literature as my degree, masters, and for profession. People often ask me what is the use of literature, when I read people ask why you are wasting time. When I write, people ask me who is going to read this crap? When I analyse a film, people ask why this is important? We need to know we are not alone.  - William Nicholson Before I learned to write my name, I learned how to feel through stories. The bedtime tales my father told were not just distractions - they were windows into worlds I hadn't seen, but somehow knew. Even now, long after I have grown up and moved through different cities, roles, and realities, literature continues to be the one constant that listens, speaks and says. In a world that moves fast, where screens flicker endlessly and news changes by the minute, it's tempting to ask: Is literature still relevant? The answer is: more than ever. Literature is not just about reading novels, poetry or even watching a movie. It is the a...

The room was dark and silent. It barely looked like two people were living in it. There were no windows to open—not because they chose to keep them closed, but because none existed. The air conditioning was faulty, yet somehow they could still breathe. It was a jail. The rich preferred to call it a prison, but inside those concrete walls, wealth and status didn’t matter. Everyone there had been punished for something they did. In this room lived two thieves. One was Emerald—tall, dark, and strong. His silence made him intimidating, and his chiselled build betrayed a lifetime of hardship. He rarely spoke, but when he did, he often stared into the emerald ring he wore—perhaps as a reminder of his crime. He had stolen a priceless emerald from a museum, only to be caught soon after. The other was Harry, who had a gentler face. He was tall and handsome, with lips that were unnaturally red and light brown eyes that glinted even in the dim light. His crime was poetic in its own way—he had sto...

Hello beautiful people😍... First and foremost, thank you to each one who takes time and energy to read my little words. Some of your comments feel like warm hugs, and that means the world to me. In a world that cheers louder for vlogs than blogs, you give me the freedom and courage to keep writing❤️.  Ever since I restarted my blogging, I have been choosing topics that come straight from my heart. I have always felt this deep urge to express what I think, feel, create.  Today I had planned to write a short story (I have the idea tucked safely in my head - just waiting for the right words to find me). But something else bubbled up- something honest and personal. A thought that came randomly, but felt important: Me Time. There are days I feel like a background character in my own life. From packing lunch at dawn to winding up chores at dusk, life keeps happening around me. Somewhere in between, I began to wonder - where am I in all this? That's when the idea of...

Can we read cinema? Is it just watching images on screen? Is it only about visuals???? In this blog, I want to share my thoughts on this. You may not know, I am currently working as an assistant professor. For my first-semester students, I teach a paper titled READING CINEMA. I am quite new to this paper, but what I truly enjoy is my love for cinema. In my recent class, I asked my students a simple question: Why is the paper titled ‘Reading Cinema’ and not ‘Watching Cinema’? Their eyes sparkled with curiosity. When we say “reading” cinema, we are not just talking about watching the story unfold on screen. Reading involves the story unfolding on screen. Reading involves interpretation - just like how we read between the lines in a poem or notice subtle emotions in a novel, films too are full of layers. A close-up shot may reveal a character’s inner struggle. The background music might tell us something that words don’t. The lighting, costume, silence, and even pauses - ever...

Hello readers, For a long time, I stopped reading. Life got busy, days felt short, and books quietly moved to the back of the shelf. But recently, something changed (which I mentioned in my last blog https://inksandreels.blogspot.com/2025/07/my-return-to-reading-after-long-break.html). One day, I picked up a book — and it felt like coming back to an old friend. In the past month, I’ve slowly started reading again. It hasn’t been perfect or planned, but it’s been beautiful. Each book reminded me how calming, inspiring, and exciting reading can be. Today, I’m sharing the first five (okay, six!) books that helped me fall back in love with reading — and maybe, they’ll inspire you too. THINK STRAIGHT by Darius Foroux I’m not really into motivational books, but this one surprised me. It’s short, clear, and honestly, gave me a fresh way of thinking. The best part? It helped me understand the power of saying NO (both to people and to my mind) when something doesn’t feel...

Hello, readers… Welcome to Inks and Reels ❤️ When I first started blogging, many people asked me,“Why blogging? Why not vlogging?” “Who even reads these days?” Honestly, I had those doubts too. But slowly, I began to discover a quiet community — people who still love to read. The comments on my last blog were proof of that. They weren’t just numbers; they were real words from real people who read, felt, and responded. —https://inksandreels.blogspot.com/2025/07/meena-and-me-lesson-in-kindness.html  (you can see for yourself if I’m making this up!) And that’s why I write. That’s why I’m here, once again — sharing something from the heart. In this blog, I want to take you through: • What made me want to read again • The books I chose • How reading changed me • And whether I want to keep reading What made me want to read again? I was stuck in a reading slump. I hadn’t read a book since 2021 — quite a long break, wasn’t it? In April, I took a vacation. Travelling, exploring ...

  I had heard about The 40 Rules of Love many times—through whispers from readers, glowing Instagram quotes, and friends who told me, “This one stays with you.” But I never picked it up until now. When I finally did, I was a little shocked. So many pages, two stories in one, and a lot of names I couldn’t pronounce at first. I wondered if I’d finish it. But I did—and faster than I expected. Some parts flowed like poetry. Others slowed me down with questions I couldn’t easily answer. But that was part of the beauty: it didn’t just tell a story, it made me feel, think, and pause. It gave me insights about love, not the filmy kind, but something deeper. Love that breaks you open, makes you uncomfortable, yet gently teaches you who you are. And though I had moments of confusion, I also had moments of stillness, like the kind that comes from sitting beside someone wiser than you. This is not just a book review. This is how The 40 Rules of Love spoke to me, rule by rule, page by page, an...

Last Updated: 11/07/2025 Welcome to Inks and Reels ❤️ Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you visit our blog. --- 1. Information We Collect We may collect the following types of information: Basic analytics (like country, browser type, time spent) through Google Analytics. Comments you leave on blog posts (name, email address if provided). We do not collect or store sensitive personal data such as passwords or financial details. --- 2. Cookies This blog uses cookies provided by Google to: Track site traffic and performance (via Google Analytics). Serve personalized ads (via Google AdSense). You can choose to disable cookies through your browser settings. --- 3. Third-Party Services This blog may display ads via Google AdSense. Google may use cookies to personalize ads based on your previous visits to this or other websites. You can learn more or opt out here: Google Ad Policies --- 4. Your Consent By using...

In this deep silence was my guilt, and my fear slipped away. I couldn’t forget her cry — she was miserable. Meena, that was her name. She is smaller but older than me. I am eleven years old; she is twelve. But Grandma told me not to call her Didi because she is our servant’s daughter. In fact, I like her, but we are not friends. I have many friends, and they don’t like including her in our games. So, I would avoid her when my friends were around. She doesn’t understand English. One day, my friends tested her with some spelling, but she couldn’t spell even a single word, and then she cried. Amma told me she goes to a different school, so she couldn’t understand English. When I heard this, I thought of teaching her some English, but she was too shy. Amma is proud of me; on the contrary, Grandma always seems unhappy. Yesterday was a holiday. All I did was sit and watch my favourite movies. Meena came to help her mother but kept glancing at the TV. I know her family doesn’t have a TV like ...

Welcome to Inks and Reels , a space where my love for books, films, and stories finds its voice. I'm Anna Sibi Yogyaveedan , a writer, reader, and quiet observer of the world around me. This blog is my creative journal — a place to reflect on the stories that shape us, the words that linger, and the moments from cinema and literature that leave a lasting mark on the soul. Here, you'll find: ✒️ Book reviews that go beyond plot to explore feeling and meaning, 🎬 Movie reflections that speak more about experience than critique, 📝 Poetry and personal stories, sometimes raw, always honest, I post every week (will be on Sunday), with the hope that each entry brings something soft, stirring, or thoughtful into your week🌱. Inks and Reels is not just a blog — it's a way of collecting beauty, piece by piece, more over it's me, my passion, my love. This blog features posts in both English and Malayalam — feel free to explore whichever speaks to you😊. Thank you for reading. I ho...

I'd love to hear from you! Whether it's about a book you’d like me to review, your thoughts on a post, or simply to say hello — feel free to reach out. 📧 Email: annasibiyogyaveedan@gmail.com Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/anna__sibi?igsh=MXdreHZmODlsZjB1bw== You can also connect with me through the comments section under each post. Thank you for reading Inks and Reels and being part of this journey.