This is my 150th review. And I intend to make this one special. Not because it is my 150th review, but because I had decided long back that I will quit Mouthshut once I reach 150. So, friends, welcome to the last Mouthshut review of Maddy.
INTRODUCTION
As always, five is too less a number for this category, especially for Mouthshut, where there are so many prolific writers. So, instead of listing 5 best reviewers, I will just follow my journey of 150 reviews, during which, I met some brilliant writers online.
THE JOURNEY
When I joined Mouthshut, I was amazed by the sheer concept. After all, it was my first review writing site. The first comment I recieved was from i4net. He was a brilliant writer in his own class.
That was a time when I was in awe of writers like Venchasa, Achougoo, jilmil, Sujay_marthi, Cousin2 and cuchillo99. These writers were my guidelines. I was also impressed by some writers who had ceased to write even before I joined. Writers like sahil137 and jasbirdyn (who came again later on). Truly, these were the pillars of Mouthshut when I joined the platform.
As I got acquainted with the site, I came across just-did-it, spookaay, farid, milinddesai, pooj, meleahk1, Suyog, satyakl, nanda, angel009. One cannot forget folks like prk_mids, loverboyforu_17, rit_gary, ranjran and others. These people were literally a school of MS writing. I confess that I was always influenced by all these writers throughout my MS period.
Just when Mouthshut was losing its charm, a fresh generation of writers came up. MS was graced by the brilliant stuff by thumb_in-mouth, premjit, ganeshb, fatcat, rajasagar, santoz, rjois, karana23, saaz_ar, rekh, prashd, pavithrashinde, firstautumn, disskonnekt, vivekbp and MonicaMcLean.
Now...as I am hanging my boots, I can see some superb writers in milind9x and mouthshutdotcom.
In between all these great experiences, a few which impressed me were pixie, ford_prefect, starbucks, yamraaj, loofh, spacejunkie, teena_sri, pankhuri_chopra, bhavna, venugopalanv, corbett, relsr, dhavalhirdhav, eyesopen and sweediv.
Some members like imran and amrita impressed me for their controversial reviews. Creating a controversy is also an art, I believe.
Heh heh...I am writing so boldly, maybe because this is my last offering to Mouthshut.
SOME MEMORIES
During this journey, I also managed to collect some memories. Like the time when I had written a review on Sion Hospital. I had a horde of members coming in with their support. In fact, it seems some members called up the Mouthshut office, and I had a call from them offering to take up the issues in the media. However, nothing was done about that! Whatever be the reasons, this event built up my trust in the MS members.
Then there was the time when Mouthshut had offered me the Star Writer status, just after my 50th review. I had to turn that down, as I always hated this system on Mouthshut. As I always say- The community centre builds a bond, the Star Writer system builds a wall.
I always wrote for my own self, irrespective of what others may feel. I wrote what I felt like writing. This Star Writer status puts on undue pressure on you to write well. These are of course, my personal thoughts.
Then there was the time when Nan (firstautumn) decided to arrange a Mouthshut meet...and succeeded! We had an attendance of 14 members. Not bad, if you ask me!
Looking back, I am indeed proud that I had written at least two good reviews.
BEING TRUE TO THE CATEGORY
I am listing my all time favourites at Mouthshut. Please note that I have at least 30 to 40 favourite writers at Mouthshut. However, being true to the category, I am listing 5, who are active as of today.
Tongue_in_Cheek
A superb MS writer, TiC is also a good friend offline. In fact, he was the first MS member I met. He writes simple and to the point. Sometimes he writes like a schoolboy, just for the heck of it. I can never forget when he had come up with two continuous reviews on the Iraq war- the first being for it, the second being against it...both were convincing. That is, what I call, a great writer.
Spookaay
Humour has found a new synonym in Spookaay. I still read his reviews on beauty pageants and Zaheer Khan, just to have a hearty laugh. Truly, a gifted writer, I have always been mesmerized by the supreme being.
Just-did-it
A Mature thinker- that is how I will describe this fantastic writer. His reviews are well thought out, and well worded. I guess he is the most respected member of Mouthshut. A serious thinker, he showed us his versatility when he wrote a humorous review on how to gift a wife (no pun intended).
Ganeshb
Another joker in the pack. His reviews are bound to make you laugh. May it be his experiences with MTNL, or his thoughts on spam mails, or his comments on Reliance. You cannot ignore this chap. In real life too, he is a fun guy to have around.
Premjit
Another prolific writer of MS, Prem has influenced a lot of writers at Mouthshut. His reviews are beautiful, with a dash of humour in everything he writes. A writer with style.
A PASSING DECLARATION
Though my list above is an all male list...I like some female writers too. I have found some great writers in the likes of rekh, firstautumn and Pooj. I would like to specially mention the name of amrita here. Though her reviews raked up some controversy, I cannot deny that she is a brilliant writer in her own right.
IN CONCLUSION
So, that brings us to the end of Maddy's short stint at Mouthshut. To all those who are wondering, let me tell you that I am not leaving the site with any bad experiences. My experience at Mouthshut has been fulfilling and very rewarding indeed. It is just that I have begun to get addicted to the site, and need to get on with my life. I am sure that all of you will agree with me and give your Maddy a smiling farewell from Mouthshut. I would like to thank everyone, and also point out that I am saying farewell to Mouthshut, but not to those great friends I made on this site. Always remember, Maddy is just an M2M away.
I love you all!
Thank you, once again!
