2014: The Year in Books

Though I read over 50 books last year, it wasn’t the best of years in books for me. I started the year with a back log of books to review and with all that was happening, I just didn’t find much reading time in the first half of last year.

Not reading enough leaves me cranky and grumpy. I need my escape time in each day where I leave my mundane life behind (not that it's boring in any way) and slip away into a world of fantasy, where I can be a Bridget Jones, fall in love with a Darcy, solve a mystery with a Mason, and all such stuff.

I spent until about May scrambling, trying to catch-up with the lists, unhappy while doing what I love the most, then it broke and I gave up. I realised that I was unhappy because I wasn’t reading what I wanted in the little time I had. Not that I didn’t like the books lined for review, I had chosen them but I felt I wasn’t reading enough of what I wanted to read.

I let go and started reading what I wanted to. It definitely made me happier in the little reading time I used to get. I did a few reviews in-between but they weren’t much at all.

I enjoyed reading impulsively, choosing what I wanted with randomness and picking stuff from my Forever-TBR without feeling guilt. It’s how I landed up with the Perry Mason series.



Perry Mason was on my TBR in college but somehow there was always something else to be read and I never got down to reading Mason. Now years later I've started and got hooked. Of course it helped that these are fast books so I could read more and catch up a bit with my book challenge numbers.

Two years in a row I’ve tried to read a 100 books in a year and haven’t managed it. I was hoped the Mason series would work out as a good cheat but well, it didn’t. :(

But it did help cross the 50% mark though. :D

I managed to read 59 books out of the 100 I had targeted. Not too bad considering the chaos of 2014. That said, this year I’m back to trying for the 100 number but with a few learnings.

Biggest learning - I need to reduce the number of books I review and read more books from my Forever TBR. :D With that in mind I’m going to be turning down more books for review (I hope), finishing the pending review list and reading lots of stuff I want to.

Ok this post has gone on too long. A post on stats and books and another on my learnings is due but that’s later. For now I’m heading back to reading. ;D

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Video Wednesday: PanCake Art

Pancake Art Shark by Brek Nebel

Thanks to WhatsApp I’ve been getting some awesome videos to watch. Recently Pancake Art has been doing the rounds and I saw these two cool videos, one where this guy creates various apes and monkeys and another with pancakes that look like the Beatles. Here they are -

http://youtu.be/KR2ibLNW_wo

http://youtu.be/9rQNsOfkV_Q

That got me wanting to see if there was more out there. And guess what, I found lots of them…

The ones above are by Nathan Shields and he’s awesome. You can check out more on Nathan’s site SaiPanCakes.com or his Youtube channel and tell him who to pancake next. :D

But Nathan isn’t the only one out there. Jim makes 3D pancake art. Check out his Golden Gate Bridge.

http://youtu.be/BPzu3Whe4xo

Then there’s the Pancake-Designer with this Simpson that even behaves like the real one. :P

http://youtu.be/fAkjAzvuDH8

Check out Miss Recipe’s intricate lacework, birds and flowers…

http://youtu.be/7Lun1umfGHk

And last but not the least is Jenni Price who’s Teaching the Bible one Art Pancake at a Time.

http://youtu.be/cKBPWZu8wIE

And if you are wanting to try it out, here’s Kirby and Charlie trying their hand out at it. It’s a good tutorial.

http://youtu.be/GMsN-6i90wU

If your wondering about the shark right at the top, go check out Brek Nebel's art on his Tumblr blog. Man oh man! He Rocks!

This whole thing about pan cake art is really cool when you think its and art form and yet its food! :D  I’ve got to try this with dosa batter!

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Tuesday At The Movies: 6 Movies in 20 Days!

Che and I enjoy watching movies, of course we don’t have the same tastes but there is enough of an overlap to provide for combined entertainment. Over the years we have watched a lot of movies together, most are his selection as he does a good job of choosing movies to watch. I could count on my fingers the movies I didn’t like out of his selection.

That said, this year I’ve set myself a bit of a tall order. I want to watch a 100 movies this year. It isn’t much if you compute the year to have 52 weeks. That’s two movies a week and that should be easy. Well, here’s to hoping it is that easy. :D

This year I’d like to watch not only the movies Che selects but also quite a few others of my choice. There’s the Sudeep Project I talked about earlier that I’d like to complete this year. I’d also like to re-watch a lot of movies I’ve seen and loved over the years. Apart from this I also want to try and watch some classics, some B&W’s, some milestone movies and a couple from the must watch before you die list. :D

As you can see that’s a lot of movies. I’m going to have to sit down and make a list one of these days. But it’s already 20 days into the year and I’ve made some progress on the movie list. Here’s the movies I’ve already watched.

1. Doom 3



We started the new year with this one. Don’t look at me all funny before of our choice. We wanted an all out masala no-brainer to enjoy on Jan 1st and this one fit the bill. :D My thought: It is a masala no-brainer!

 

2. Michael Madana Kama Rajan



According to Che this is a Kamal Haasan classic and I ain’t arguing. For me some of the movie was lost in translation but I still did enjoy the plot and story. Kamal plays 4 roles and manages to make each one of them distinctly different from each other. It’s a well done performance.

 

3. The Imitation Game



Based on the life of Alan Turing, the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, this movie at the end had me sputtering with anger at a society that kills genius because it’s gay!

 

4. Maze Runner



A young-adult post-apocalyptic science fiction, this movie is good masala. Another one on the lines of The Hunger Games. The first part of a trilogy, I enjoyed watching Maze Runner and look forward to the next two.

 

5. Ankhon Dekhi



This movie I highly recommend. No big names and yet a big story. The movie has a simple thought - you should believe only that which you can see, feel, hear and experience for yourself. It is this thought that sets the stage for the entire movie and yet the end is profound and left me dwelling on it for hours. A must watch!

 

6. Big Hero 6



I like animations and the ones made by Pixar always strike a chord. Set in San Fransokyo this is the story of a boy and his special bond with an inflatable robot. It’s an exceptionally cute movie with lots of emotion and morals. Want to know more? Watch it! :)

 

Well, that’s it until now. But not to bad a start eh!? 6 movies in 20 days, I'm quite on track. Let’s see if I can over shoot that 100 number. :D

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Video Wednesday: Namma Bengaluru

I’ve lived my entire life in this city, and that’s not a short span any more; it’s 35 years! I’ve seen this city change, evolve, get modern, lose it’s innocence, you name it.

Bengaluru is hardly the Bangalore I knew and spent my childhood in, and yet it still has hidden treasures that take you back in time to the city of old.

While so much is changing here, some things are still the same, or at least striving to stay the same, like ‘swalpa adjust maadi’. :D These are not just three words, they are the attitude of this city and well, I hope that doesn’t change.

Enough of the nostalgia, here’s the video that got me all nostalgic. ;) The Fatafat Lungi Production guys have put together a Bangalorean version of #ShitPeopleSay. Enjoi!

If you’re not a Bangalorean or don’t speak great Kannada like me, the video has subtitles, just choose the option at the bottom.

http://youtu.be/ezC9b_3JXwI

I laughed my ass off at the louwu, mauz, oota aitha, nice bath, go ya, play off John Denver and lastly the awesome way to learn the Bilahari raga. :D What stood out for you?

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Video Wednesday: My Favourite Top Viral Videos of 2014

 

I came across Trak.in's list of Top 10 Indian Viral Videos of 2014 the other day and took some time out to watch. I was happy to see that some I had already seen and liked. Tastes are getting better! :D

Here’s the ones I really liked out of the 10 Trak.in listed.

 

AIB: Alia Bhatt: Genius of the Year

This one I talked about sometime back too. It's an super neat way to get back at all those talking down Alia.

http://youtu.be/pfHxl46KyZM



 

Nescafe’s Stuttering Comedian Ad

I real like this ad not only for it’s humour but also for bringing the difficulties someone with speaking difficulty faces. I really like the way they have put across the idea that even handicaps can become strengths.

http://youtu.be/u1whG-9BjsQ



 

The Seatbelt Crew

This one came a while back and had me splits. It does a lot of things - entertains, educates about wearing the seatbelt, and puts hijras in a new nice light for a change.

http://youtu.be/muCU6_Y_Kyo



 

Sex Education In India

This is a good one about the state of sex education in India schools today. The Govt. wants to take India forward in leaps and bounds when it come to technology but what about education, especially sex education. :D
Don’t miss the chapters in the text book! ;)

http://youtu.be/EiIxkOah09E

 

The others are good too but they didn’t stand out for me and the Modi Aap Ki Adalat Interview and The Sunny Leone Kapil Sharma Show definitely didn't. But you can check them out here - The Top 10 Indian Viral Videos of 2014.

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2014: The Year in Review

Now that I’ve written out my plan for 2015, going forward will not be complete without a review of the last year. I’m repeatedly told not to dwell in the past but I believe the path to the future lies in the past. One must deconstruct and understand to past to move forward into new mistakes and learnings. So, a 2014 review post just has to happen. :D

Then the other day I came across Vidya’s post on ’Thank Outside The Box With Gratitude’ and I was like ‘Hey! That’s a nice way to approach the 2014 review.' Vidya and Corinne host the Gratitude Circle, a way to share gratitude for at least very thing once a month on the 4th Thursday of every month. :D ( I’m looking forward to joining in)



As I sat thinking about all I am grateful for, it hit me, being thankful changes things, the good starts to look great, the bad shrinks and fades to back. The world and life starts to look all shiny and new. Ok Ok, enough of my philosophy, now onto thankfulness. :D

2014 for quite a year for us, we had some sticky situations, tight spots, crazy days, mad upheavals and yet we also had moments of intense happiness, thrilling achievements, successes that make us proud and awesome memories to take away.

We started the year with moving house, getting 5 dogs together and settling in. Life seemed like madness as we all learned to live together and work it out. But looking back I am so thankful for those days, it has made me stronger.

Walking the dogs everyday seemed like a chore, now it’s something I look forward to everyday, it’s my time with the dogs. I am so thankful for my pack, they complete my family, they are my friends, confidantes and they know me better than me.



Our first house was lovely, all stone and without corners, but our second out does it, or so the dogs think. We moved house mid year and went through the whole logistical nightmare again. The madness of packing and unpacking was just a part of it, moving five dogs is another thing all together. But we survived that and have moved up a level in the Pro-packing team.

‘Pawsible’ is a lovely place. As I sit here and write I have a spread of lawn a step away in the shade of coconut and arecanut trees. Dogs passed out in dappled sunlight. A largeish house where granite dominates and keeps it all cool. There is so much to be thankful for here.

I’m thankful to the powers that be for giving my Granny a long life and to all who helped me be there in Bombay for her 90th birthday this year. It’s was a immense joy to be there.



With 6 dogs overnight holidays are almost impossible but in 2014 we did this too and not once, twice! I am so grateful for Devisri who is amazing with dogs and someone who I can trust my six with.



And now since we’re are already on the fringes of people let me dive into the sea of people I’d like to thank this year.

My Mom and Bro; there is just so much i couldn’t have done without them. Two moves and settle-ins would not have been possible with out Mom’s excellent skills and Bro’s logistic handling.

Doggie friends that helped us make it Pawsible - Parinita, Raji, Devisri, Preeti, Anitra, Chaitanya and anyone I missed. These people jumped in when the going got tough and helped me make sense of a lot of the chaos.



My Dogs - We started out with one 5 years ago and now have six. Each one brings so much to my life. Senti, my forever baby, Buddha the one who teaches me peace and calm, Cuckoo who brings the chaos in her wake, Max whose all about food and love. William the only dog who ever made me pee in a garden, and Elu the little heart of it all, she is a free spirit, a bridge between worlds and a calm before the storm.



And lastly the man who I come close to throttling quite a few times each day. The shore to my sea, the boat to my river, the polariser to my sun, … and more such cliches. All said and done Che has his moments and I’m thankful. :P

P.S. - Vidya and Corinne, Thank you for getting me started on the Gratitude Trip. :)

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2015: The Year of Me

Happy New Year Folks!

This post should’ve gone up yesterday but we woke up to a rainy morning that shouted out for cozying up and hot cocoa. The rest like they say is history. :D

I don’t do well with New Year resolutions. Every year i tell myself that there will be new rules, a list is made and most often these don’t even last a week. Then of course comes the guilt of letting go, not having enough will-power and all such things.

Then there is the guilt over time. Over the years there are just so many things I’ve wanted to do and just never got down to doing. So many resolutions broken. There is always something more important and these little things I want to do just slip through and get forgotten until one day the sheer weight of all that is not done bends me over.

This year I figured things would be different and done different too. This year is about ME.

About all I want to do, be, see, and gee, I hope that will take some things off the bucket list. This year instead of resolutions I am going to make a bucket list for the year - things I’d like to achieve before I get a year older. Nothing that has to be done, today or everyday but rather before 31st December 2015.

1. Weigh between 53 and 55 kgs. [I so need to put on and keep some weight]


2. Learn to whistle. [I'm embarrassed to admit that]


3. Run a half marathon. [This one's been on the list a long time]


4. Watch 100 movies. [Ooh! and those cheap masala films too]


5. Swim for 45 min. at a stretch.


6. Revamp my blog and find my blogging sweet spot.


7. Read a 100 books. [And actually do it this time!]


8. Get the kitchen garden up and running.


9. Learn at least one new craft.


10. Shave the head and don’t shave the legs. (or eyebrows) :D [The Hairy is Beautiful Campaign]

I’m hoping to achieve all of this by the end of 2015 in-spite of all of life’s googlies. Wish me luck. :D

Have you made resolutions for 2015? Do you manage to not break your resolutions? How? :D

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