The Life Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo

I ordered this book on amazon.in last year. I watched a video on youtube on the efforts put into Tidying Up in Japan and this was one of the books that featured in the video. I found the concept, described briefly in the video, to be very interesting and, placed an order for this book.

As the name suggests, this is a self-help guide to tidying. Though the title of the book states, "tidying", it mainly focuses on decluttering and, organizing to an extent. Also, it focuses only on certain categories of items such as- Clothes, books, old photographs etc. However, the concept described in the book should be applicable to other categories as well.

The writing in the book is quite simple and clearly indicates the author's fanaticism, obsession and passion about decluttering and organizing things. The main selling point of the book is that one has to follow the steps she has  mentioned, only once in a life time and would never have to worry again about tidying, for the rest of their lives. She refers to the method described in the book as KonMarie method- obviously derived from her name. 

The book describes about how one can go about decluttering and organizing in a step-wise manner. She has also included some real life experiences while dealing with her clients on decluttering- some of the which are quite hilarious. She has tried her best to inspire and encourage people to tidy up. Sometimes, it does get too repetitive but in my view, she really wanted to drive the message home. Her passion for tidiness is quite evident throughout the book. 

The other thing about the book is- the author personifies all her belongings and treats them like humans. She also encourages people to have conversations with inanimate objects. One can either view this superficially and think of this as something crazy or look deeper and view it as act of gratitude- being thankful for a home, as an example. Several shades of the Japanese mindset are evident throughout the book- mindfulness, gratitude, respect etc. While it looks like I am defending the book, my genuine intention is to highlight that certain writings need to be looked into deeper. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and did feel motivated for days while reading, and also after. This being said, I am a procrastinator when it comes to decluttering and organizing my belongings and I have not yet implemented KonMarie or any other methodology for decluttering or organizing (I am not to disorganized). I hope I will be able to at least give KonMarie a try some day.

I did search for people who have actually implemented what they thought about the effectiveness of the method described in the book. Click here to read more from another blog, which I absolutely loved. I wish I could style my blog that well.

I rate this book a 4/5 for inspiring me, specially in a time in my life when I as a little low on motivation. 

1984 by George Orwell

This book was gifted to me by my uncle several years ago but I got around to reading it only last year. I think my uncle bought this book at Landmark book store in Bengaluru.

When I picked this book up, I really did not know what to expect. The description at the back of the book created a very different image of the story in my mind and when I actually started reading it, I was completely bowled over. It is a rather unusual story.

The story revolves around a different world (really, I mean it, do read it to find out more), in a fictional country called Oceania, where everything is controlled by Big Brother, who maintains a constant watch over every move by every single citizen via telescreens- does this ring any bells? Yes, the British show Big Brother and its Indian variant Big Boss, has been inspired by this very book. People are trained hard to think that Big Brother is their Godfather and that they have to commit absolute loyalty to him in every action they take. Oceania is projected to be in a constant state of war and people in the country are living in extreme austerity where everything is rationed out.

Big Brother, (who comes across as an organization, rather than an individual as there is a constant reference to "the Party") has a force called the "Thought Police" that ensures that every single thought by every single individual conforms to Big Brother's requirement and belief system. For example, if Big Brother calls broad daylight as darkness, people have to accept it without questioning, failing which, they would be subjected to arrest and extreme torture- I think you get the picture, basically no independent thought process. Amidst this, there is a man named Winston, who has a different thought process- a rebellious one but he keeps it suppressed as much as he could, however, he and his lover defy the rules of Big Brother secretly. Their defiance, leads to a series of events which are not pleasant.

It is one of the most creative books I have ever read. It is very obvious that a lot of careful thinking  has gone behind the conceptualization and planning of the plot. It is not the easiest book to read and understand. The reader must be able to read between the lines and sometimes beyond, to really appreciate this book. One is bound to have several questions about various events and characters in the the book. There are a lot of online forums where the book is discussed in detail- I never used any, as I have understood the book (I think). My husband read this book years ago and I discussed some parts of the book with him to gain a better understanding.

I would rate this book 4/5. It would have been a 5/5 if it ended the way I wanted it to, but did not. It is still an amazing book and I highly recommend it. However, this should definitely not be one of your first books if you are only beginning to cultivate reading as a hobby/habit or even if you want switch to this genre of books from your preferred ones.

Landour Days by Ruskin Bond

I am writing after a long time- was suffering from Reader's and Writer's block. This is my attempt to unblock. I realise the only way to get rid of the block is to actively work on whatever you have a block on and eventually, one would get out of it.

Coming to Landour Days- the book was gifted to my husband by his friend and it had a surprise in store for us when it arrived. The book was personally signed off for my husband by Ruskin Bond himself. My husband's friend travelled to Mussourie and the nearby hills during summer vacation and came across this book store which Ruskin Bond frequently visits, and requested the store-keeper if he can get us autographed copies of Ruskin Bond's book by the man himself. The store-keeper kindly agreed and shipped the book to her in Mumbai. It was an amazing surprise for us.

The complete title of the book is, "Landour Days: A Writer's Journal". It is true to its name and is a compilation of excerpts from Ruskin Bond's personal journal (at least it looks like it is from his personal journal) and is organized a little randomly, but has been done beautifully nonetheless. It is a very simple book and easy to read. It is not a bulky book, but rather small with not too many pages and can be read in an afternoon.

The book is a mix of his description of nature in the hills which Mr. Bond has observed, interspersed with several anecdotes, many of which are really hilarious. As I mentioned earlier- a simple book which is easy to read. Some parts of the book might not be appealing to all readers and some might find it boring, but not me- I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Sometimes in our stressful lives, all we need is some simple joys in life and this book provides a complete flavour of the same. Writing anything more about this book here will not give you the experience you deserve while reading.

On a scale of 5, where 5 is the highest, I would rate it a 4/5. If you are having a reader's block, you might want to try reading this one- it will surely pull you out of the slump.

Visit to Numaish- 2017

Every year between 1st of January up until 15th of February, there is a very very large scale All India Industrial exhibition at Nampally Exhibition Grounds, Hyderabad. Most of the stalls put up at the exhibition are related to clothing and bedroom accessories, one can find a lot of other things- packed food, furniture/upholstery, electrical goods, plastic ware and some innovative tools. Apart from this, there are a whole bunch of games and of course- FOOD stalls!!!

People/merchants come from all across India to sell their goods. There are stalls from Kashmir, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Andra Pradesh, Bengal, Bihar, Orissa etc.

This year, I happened to visit the place twice- once on a Sunday and once on a weekday. Sundays are extremely crowded and best avoided. Also, heavy crowds arrive between 5:30pm and 6:30pm. On both days, I went to the grounds at about 2:30pm. At this time, the crowd density is low. Also, we have had beautiful weather this year in Hyderabad, so it was not too warm to walk about. Please bear in mind this is a large scale and expansive exhibition and demands a lot of walking around. So, please ensure that you wear very comfortable footwear. Another thing to bear in mind is to not visit using your own vehicle. There is no space to park your vehicles. I highly recommend using public transport (if auto rickshaws are to be used, be prepared to shell out about Rs.20-40 more than required). Using services like Uber and Ola would delay you considerably as the traffic in the area is quite bad as long as the exhibition runs.

The atmosphere is quite colourful and electric and gives you a feeling of being in a fair. My biggest purchases were dry fruits and nuts from Kashmir.

Sharing some glimpses of Numaish shared below. Enjoy!!

Sarees and Dress Material from Bengal

Lemonade Shop and Insect products stall

One of the numerous Cosmetics and Imitation Jewellery stalls

Ittar Fragrance Stall

Games and Rides seen at a distance (Giant Wheel)

One of the several chaat stalls

I had Pav Bhaji at Gokul Chaat Stall

Chocolate Fountain

One of the several Dry Fruit and Nut stalls

Colourful Clothes

Wooden and Clay Toys stall

Lungi Stall

I hope you can visit it in these last few days or definitely make a point to visit next year. You will not be disappointed!

P.S: I know this is not really a post related to travel but I just thought it is the most appropriate of the labels. You may disagree but this is my blog, my mind on paper ;)

Money For Nothing by P.G Wodehouse

I bought this book at the Blossom Book Store in Bangalore years back and never got around to reading it until July-2016. I read it partly during my commute to work and partly at home.

I started reading this book right after Innocent Erendira and Other Stories. After the depressing atmosphere of that book, I needed a strong dose of P.G. Wodehouse humour to bring me out of the gloom, and Money for Nothing really delivered.

The story is about a rich miser Lester Carmody who along with his acquaintances- Dr. Twist, Soapy and Dolly Molloy try to orchestrate a robbery of certain antiquities at Rudge Hall (owned by Lester Carmody) and cheat the insurers and make money. Dr. Twist, Soapy and Dolly in turn plan to rip Carmody off his insurance money. There are other characters at Rudge Hall- John and Hugo, Lester's nephews who are completely unaware of the grand scheme brewing. There is also Pat Wyvern, who is the lady love of John and a smart-ish dog Emily who is John's pet.

Hugo is a young man looking to set up a club in London but does not have the necessary funds for it and Carmody who is entrusted with Hugo's share until he is mature enough to handle his own affairs, refuses the money to Hugo and thinks of Hugo's best friend, Ronnie to be influencing him for the worst. John's pursuit of Pat and Hugo's pursuit of funds for his new business, unfolds the wretched scheme of Carmody et al in the most humourous manner possible.  In the end almost everyone is happy as expected.

The book really keeps one on tenterhooks right from the inception of the fraud, all the way to the end.  One really looks forward to turn the pages over and eagerly devour the story. The food descriptions in the book are not aplenty but whatever exists is sufficient to feed my appetite. This book is yet another gem by P.G. Wodehouse. It came to me especially at a time when I really needed a good laugh due to the stress I was undergoing at that moment.

On a scale of 5 , where 5 is excellent, I rate this book a 5.

My Goals for 2017

I have read in several places that people tend to stick to their personal life goals if they make it public, as people feel really accountable towards achieving them once it is public. While, I do not really always miss on achieving my goals, I must admit that sometimes they do take a back-seat due to other priorities, so much so that they are  completely forgotten. I usually make a mental note of my goals and never put them down on paper. This year I would like to see if it really works to publish my personal life goals and if I would achieve most of them. It also depends on whether people would actually read my blog and if my goals are going to interest others who might happen to bump in to my blog to make me feel accountable towards them. Well, I have decided to try nevertheless.

This year, all my goals are going to revolve around a common theme- Finishing unfinished business.

This would mean:

1. Finishing reading books that I stopped reading half way or those that I bought meaning to read but did not get around to. I have loads of these. I stopped reading some books as they were boring and some because I wanted to read them when the time and setting was perfect. With passing time, I have learnt that there is no perfect time for reading. Any time is perfect or a book makes any time perfect to read. I have already started working towards this goal. I have made a list of books which I must finish reading and I am really looking forward to finish reading and move on to newer books.

2. Finishing off my half done craft projects. I have started many art and craft projects in the past few years but have not been able to finish them either due to laziness or extreme "busy-ness".  I am determined to take them all to a conclusion in 2017. Again, I have made a list of these projects and based on my interest levels in each of them, have decided which ones to finish first. I will try to post these on the blog once done.

3. Finishing trying out cooking the huge number of recipes that I keep marking to myself favourites to read and try later. However, I have not even looked back once to see what I have marked. I kept waiting for an occasion to try those out. Again, with experience, I have learnt that I do not have to wait for an occasion (what if they turn out to be disastrous- it would make the "occasion" very painful) to try these.

4. Finishing off writing in the journal I am currently writing in. I try and write as and when I find the time. I just need to make it a habit to write very regularly. My friends who had started journalling at about the same time as me have moved on to their 3rd or 4th journal while I am still writing in my first. Mind you, my handwriting is much tinier than theirs- still...I do not want to be so far behind even if it is not a competition.

5. Taking care of myself. This is an ongoing thing for every one. However, I specifically mention this here as I have stopped taking care of myself the way I used to once up on a time. This is partly due to laziness, boredom and work related priorities. I used to run 5km in 30 mins and walk 10000 steps every day for some time. However, I stopped tracking them and completely or just got too busy to take care of my health and this should be a priority for everyone. I also started consuming some unhealthy food which makes me too lethargic to do anything. I have also stopped looking well groomed. In addition, I need to focus on a good work-life balance. I really need to take care of myself in 2017!

6. Regularly updating this blog. I have several half-written posts or posts in draft which I need to review and publish. However, due to the want of time or sheer laziness, I have not published them. So, this year, do not be surprised if you see a flurry of posts on a given day. You know what may have happened ;).

7. Miscellaneous personal projects- I wish I could be more elaborate about this but due to their very personal nature I am not revealing them here. However, these are extremely important and probably more important than any of the above mentioned goals. Some of them are about travelling :). I would write about them once I accomplish them as then it would not be this anymore.

I have a whole bunch of professional goals as well but I know we tend to meet them or at least work on them. I would love to hear from others on their goals. This is it from me for now :).

Innocent Erendira and Other Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I got this book at the Hyderabad Book Fair last year. The description seemed good. I did not have a chance to read it for a long time. I read a big part of the book during my commute to work.

I have never finished any book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez before, though I started reading a few. I own 'One Hundred Years of Solitude', started reading it but never finished it. I was a student back then and my exams got in the way of finishing the book. Innocent Erendira and Other Stories is the first book by Marquez that I actually finished reading.

As the name of the book suggests, this is a compilation of short stories. Most of the stories have a common theme of supernatural and some of them are single active character stories. Most of the stories came across as a drag, some of them were good but not memorable. I have actually already forgotten them. I liked the story that made its way to the title- The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and her Heartless Grandmother. This story is about a young teenage girl who is forced into prostitution by her grandmother and how she finds her freedom from the dreadful life. This is not a modern day story in terms of setting. From the description, it is either an ancient or a medieval times setting. There is a lot of superstition, intuition and a very small bit of super natural element in the story. I think this particular story was the best in terms of writing when compared to the rest of the book. My heart really went out to Erendira and I would think of ways to rescue her from the predicament. Truly, this is a story worth reading but you can easily pass up on reading any other story without feeling guilty.

Marquez's books are originally in Spanish, which have been translated to English. It could be that it is a brilliant book in the original language of writing but may not be the same when translated. Sometimes, the magic can be created only in the original work and not in a translation, no matter how good the translator is or how best he has done the translation. So, it is quite possible that this is an amazing book in Spanish but lost its charm in English.

Another possible reason why I may not have liked the book as much could be the amount of negativity in the stories. When we lead stressful lives, we look for strands of positivity to hold onto. Most of the stories in the book are depressing and I do not think I was mentally prepared for the volume of negativity.

On a scale of 5, I would rate this book 2/5. Innocent Erendira is the only reason for 2. All other stories are pretty ordinary.