Japan Habba-2018

Japan Habba or Japan Festival is an annual event that takes place in Bangalore. To be honest, I never heard of it before. Thanks to Facebook, I came to know about it this year and was fortunate enough to attend it. My husband and I are quite fond of Japan. We were engaged in binge watching about Japan in 2016 and early 2017 through an amazing TV show called Japanology. The series picked up one aspect of Japanese culture or lifestyle and made documentaries about that aspect in an episode and created several videos on different things about Japan. You can find these on YouTube by simply searching for Japanology. There are some other great series about foreigners living in Japan on Youtube such as Sharla in Japan, Sharmander, Kyde and Eric, Life where I'm from etc. These are just my favourite channels out of the several that I have watched. Apart from this, there are a couple of videos from Rickshawali where she quizzes the Japanese on Rajnikanth and Priyanka Chopra and also makes Japanese people try Indian food, which I like as well. My first touch point with anything Japanese though, dates way back in the 90s when I was a great fan of the TV show Oshin. The series is on and off on YouTube maybe due to copyright issues but is worth watching. I also enjoyed a lot of anime growing up.

Today was a great experience at Japan Habba. The theme was Aomori Prefecture. The event was held in IISc and was mainly a cultural exchange programme between India and Japan. The entry is free and there are a few freebies as well.

There were several stalls put up at the place:

- Japanese Language learning programmes
- Studying in Japan
- Working in Japan
- How to apply for different visas for Japan
- Japanese tourism
- Japanese books and magazines
- Popular video games in Japan
- Japanese toys
- Art work (all kinds not restricted to just paintings) from Japan and India
- Food from both countries

My favourite stalls were Ikebana, where the artists displayed several beautiful flower arrangement creations; FOOD- being the foodie that I am, this was hard to miss and dislike; Origami- the display was beautiful and colourful; Paper cutting art- loved the precision in the art.

Some of the several Ikebana on display:

Some of the Several Origami that were on display:

Some of the Paper Cutting Art:

This was made of Paper. There were several different types of faces put up and these were considered the faces of Gods. There was one which resembled Lord Ganesh. Due to the crowd, I am sorry, could not read the name of that God.

There were also performances such Tea Ceremony, Shamisen and traditional Japanese dances. They also gave people an opportunity to try the traditional Yukata which is a cotton Kimono worn in summers. I could not resist and tried on one myself. There were also several people who engaged in Cosplay and they probably did a great job at that but unfortunately, I was not able to recognise any of the characters.

Me in a Yukata

Unfortunately due to other appointments, I could not attend the Shamisen and the Japanese dances but I was fortunate enough to have witnessed the Japanese Tea Ceremony and also having been served tea as a part of the ceremony. I have filmed the video until the point I was served tea but was not sure if I could post it here, so have left it out. They made a few changes due the venue and the number of times they had to do it (I think they might have repeated the performance about 50 to 75 times easily). One of the changes was, not using the tatami for the seating and of course the related sequences. It was all done meticulously and gracefully. It was a really nice experience. All the performances did not require tickets and were free of charge.

My husband and I got our names written in Hiragana and Kenji- There was a display of Japanese Calligraphy too. This was free as well.

Our names in Kanji..I think...

At several stalls, we picked up different brochures (I must add the quality of the brochures is amazing, both in terms of the content and the quality of paper used). Though they call them brochures, these are actually similar to books like Lonely Planet- just more colourful. Some samples shown below. My favourite is the one on Vegetarian Restaurants in Japan.

This was the brochure about the event.

This was about different aspects of Japan. It covered topics from places to see, food, art, Japanese geography etc.

One of the favourite topics in the book- Food!

My favourite.. Not only does it guide us to these restaurants but also make recommendations on the dishes to taste.

A page from the above book on Kyoto Restaurants

What I shopped for- Only Food! Since, I said shopping, of course it is in exchange of money. Except for 2 items which were complimentary at a stall.

I call it the Doraemon sweet as the person selling it mentioned that it is in eaten in the Doraemon cartoon show. I have not watched Doraemon carefully enough to notice it. Please let me know if you know what this is called by leaving a comment below.

This Miso is to be used in the cooking and not consumed directly from the jar

This Miso is to be consumed directly from the pack. It can be used as a dip.  Can be used in cooking as well. They also have a spicy version of it.

Matcha green tea. I got it with the intention of using it in baking.

These are 2 types of Mochi (Sweet Rice Cakes)- The one on the left is called Monaka Mochi and smells of Coffee and the one on the right is called Warabi Mochi which is similar to the Konkani sweet. However, it comes with a spice mix and a sauce which I guess have to be eaten together.

Veg Sushi which comes with a deep brown sauce, not visible clearly in the picture

These were Free Snacks at a stall. They were like  elongated cheese balls which had a nice seasoning of herbs and spices

So far, we have had the Warabi Mochi, Sushi and the Doraemon sweet. While I liked the Sushi, it did not receive a positive response from others in the family. The Warabi Mochi reminded everyone of a Konkani sweet called Duddali, which I must admit tastes absolutely same. The Doraemon sweet was like some sweet stuff sandwiched in miniature pancakes. I did not really like the stuffing. My family members thought this to be good but not excellent.

We tried some vegetarian- Japanese curry and rice with Sweet Potato Katsu. The curry reminded me on the Maggi tastemaker of Masala flavour. The rice was traditional Japanese sticky rice. I must admit, we all loved the Japanese curry with Sweet Potato Katsu. It tasted brilliant. The order of my favourites of the Japanese items I have eaten today would be Japanese Curry and Rice with Sweet Potato Kastu, Sushi, the Free Snack (not sure what it is called) and Warabi Mochi. I am sorry I do not have pictures of the curry dish as it was quite crowded and I could not wait anymore to taste.


What surprised me:

- I knew we had a few Japanese restaurants in Bangalore but today I realised just how many! I did not really think we had so many of them in the city. Some of the food stalls put up were by these restauranteurs. They are Japanese people who wanted to bring in their flavours to India.

- Just how many people learn the Japanese language in the city and talk the language quite fluently and just the sheer number of language schools that offer to teach the language. Many visitors today as well as some of the stall owners were from Bangalore but spoke Japanese like it was their mother tongue. I just knew one Indian before today, who spoke the language that fluently.

- Some Japanese folks spoke....wait for it...KANNADA...I was so amazed. At first, I thought they knew a few words here and there but later I came observed two or three who could respond to questions in Kannada too.

The one thing I would like to change, being a stationery lover- Please sell some Japanese stationery. I am sure, you would have good sales.

In case you were not able to make it today, do try going next year- if not for anything else, just for the experience of something different.

Elevator Personalities

I have often observed people's behaviour just as they are trying to make an entrance in to the elevator/lift. Some people display these traits on a regular basis and some display it from time to time, based on the situation. If I think about myself, I have displayed at least 2 of these personalities based on the situation. These are based on my experience and observations at work, at my apartment building, at malls etc. I hope next time you take an elevator, please do look around to see if you can find one of these personalities. Also, I hope it will help in observation of one's own elevator entrance behaviour. There are several elevator personalities after they enter the lift and I can ramble about those for days and months, so, will restrict myself to the elevator personalities based on their entrance.

1. The Conformist

These are who we call "normal" people. They call for the elevator and when it arrives, enter in. Most of the people are expected to display this trait and to a great extent, most people do. This personality does not generate much of an interest for the other passengers in the lift.


2. The Runner

The Runners do not really call for the elevator. They are usually running late for the elevator or maybe just want to capitalise on the elevator which is readily available on the floor. They usually sprint towards the elevator and stretch out their arm through the entry way of the elevator to prevent the elevator doors from closing and breathe a sign of relief once in. The other passengers really appreciate the athleticism and consider the Runner's entry as a personal victory.

3. The Good Samaritan

These are people who are really selfless when it comes to their friends. While the Good Samaritans are on time for entering the elevator, they also want to ensure, their friends who are expected at the lift, but not already there, do not miss the bus. The Good Samaritans are of 2 types- The aggressive and the passive.
The Aggressive: They making an entry like a Conformist but prevent the elevator doors from closing by standing on the entry way of the elevator with half of the body in and half of the body out and usually call out to their friends to be quick. I hope the below pictography gives you an idea of what I am trying to convey.

The Passive: These just hold the >--< button inside the elevator until their friends arrive.

The other passengers in the lift are sometimes patient and sometimes impatient (based on the situation) with this personality.

4. The Indecisive

These are people who call for the lift. When the lift arrives, they are very confused. It is as though they never called for the lift and wonder if they can make the best possible use of the lift, now that it has arrived. They come close to the entrance and have still not decided if they should enter or not, while keeping the other passengers within the lift on tenterhooks with the suspense they create. The other passengers usually mentally applaud such personalities when they finally take a decision, if ever.

5. The Chatty

Usually, these are at least 2 people at once. They are engrossed in such a deep exchange of ideas and thoughts that they do not even realise that the elevator is waiting for them. However, when they do realise, they try and enter at the same time- now, based on their sizes, sometimes it is a success and sometimes a fail but eventually, they manage to make the entry. The other passengers in the lift usually do not pay attention to the people but to the topic of discussion- after all, what could be so immersive that you forget the lift!

6. The Missing

The last type of elevator personality that I have observed are the mysterious Missing ones. They call for the elevator, just before they change their minds and decide to leave even before the elevator can arrive. Quite often, the other passengers within the lift see the lift open on a certain floor but do not see the person who called for it. The elevator waits the pre-set timing  and shuts its doors, while generating a lot of suspense for the other passengers- who could that person be!! why would he/she leave?? Is there really no one who wants to get in on this floor??

If you come across, any other kind of elevator personalities, do let me know. I would love to update the post with it.

Godi Banna Sadharana Maikattu and other Kannada favourites

After ages, I watched a Kannada movie today- Godi Banna Sadharana Maikattu (which in English means- Wheatish Colour Medium Built). I am not a big movie buff and usually watch movies only in English and Hindi. I have watched a few French movies, a couple of Korean and a few in Mandarin- all these with subtitles of course. I speak Konkani at home. I have never studied Kannada at school, and have learnt the language, out of my own interest when in New Delhi, and improved on it when my family shifted to Bangalore from New Delhi. Surprisingly, a few years spent in Hyderabad before we moved to New Delhi, laid the foundation for my Kannada. Most of our neighbours in Hyderabad were Kannada speaking and I picked up the language while conversing with them. When we moved to Delhi, there was no sign of Kannada, except for Delhi Kannada School- where I did not study, and an Udayvani calendar at home which my family kept. I learnt my alphabets from the calendar based on some assumptions,trial and error. To this day, my Kannada is not at the level of very fluent and I have a limited vocabulary, but enough to communicate and understand. My Kannada reading is very slow and I hope to improve on it some day.

Sorry for the digression but I guess one can understand why I have not watched too many Kannada movies- exposure to Kannada cinema in New Delhi was limited and my kind of unfamiliarity with the language for a long time just did not help me generate the same kind of interest as a Hindi or an English movie. However, I have loved almost all the Kannada movies that I have watched. There are a few that I have hated but it is just the tapori types which I hate in all languages.

An aunt of ours suggested that we watch Godi Banna Sadharana Maikattu. I was fortunate enough to find in on YouTube. I loved the movie. It is about a 66 year old man who suffers from Alzheimer's and is lost from an old age home when his busy son drops him off at the gates of the old age home. This triggers a search for him by the son and a doctor at the old age home and leads to a discovery of the life, sacrifices, love and greatness of his father. Meanwhile, the father crosses roads with criminals and is held hostage. Not only does the father kind of make the criminals go crazy but also makes a place, a soft corner, in the heart of the criminals. Do watch the movie to find out more. The name of the movie is the description on the an advertisement for missing person made by the son.

What I liked about the movie is the fact that it has been made very well. There are no songs sung by the characters. There are some songs that are played in the background to convey the emotions of the characters. The storyline is impressive and quite unusual, though the theme of a busy son who does not care enough about his parents is not something uncommon. The only thing I really disliked was the length of the movie which goes on for close to two and a half hours but the good storyline, made the length of the movie tolerable. Anant Nag has delivered a superior performance in the movie in the character of the father. I highly recommend this movie.

Some of my other favourite Kannada movies are:

-  Bettada Jeeva: People of the hills: Based on the book by Shivram Karanth. Unfortunately, due my reading troubles with Kannada, I have not read the book.
- Belathinagal Bale: Moonlit Maiden: A story of a famous chess player and his incognito fan. Unusual theme and very well made again.
- Cheluvi: The cinematic rendition of A Flowering Tree, a story written by A K Ramanujan: Story of a young girl who has magical powers. It is a powerful movie on the environment and man's greed.
- Amruthavarshini: This is a kind of a love triangle with a very interesting twist in the tale. Worth a watch.
- Gauri Ganesha: This is a comedy where there is a smart trickster who tries to make money off 3 men.
- Aptamitra: Best Friend: This was a remake of the Tamil movie Chandramukhi. Apart from the songs and Vishnuvardhan's entry in the movie, I really liked it. Soundarya's acting as a psychological patient was excellent.
- Sangliana movies about Inspector Sangliana who went on to become the Police Commissioner.
- Nishabda: I do not remember the storyline very well....just that it had a lot of dogs that were helping out a man solving a crime. I remember liking the movie.

I hope to watch the movie Lucia soon. I heard it was a great movie and would love watching it.

A Week Without Sugar

I am a sweet tooth- one of the biggest you will ever see. As I grow older, I try my best to restrict my sugar intake, especially processed sugar, as much as I can. However, during the 2017 Christmas, New-Years' Eve and New-Years', I went completely out of control and gorged on a lot of sweet treats. I felt quite overdosed on sugar (the processed one of course). I just wanted some extreme measure and considerable will-power to restore normalcy in my eating habits. I decided with a strong heart and an even stronger brain that I would go one week completely without sugar. The only reason is to bring back some discipline and give my body some relief from the unnecessary sugar dumping and processing.

This blog is about my experience of the week without sugar. I would like to clarify that I have not consulted any nutritionist/dietician/doctor before starting this. This plan was completely mine. Please use your discretion if you intend to do something like this and have the necessary consultation in place as needed. 

So, what I included:

•  Fruits, as they contain natural sugars
• Other carbohydrates like rice and wheat- according to me, it is vital to not eliminate carbs from one's diet as it is the primary source of energy and plays has an important role of protein sparing action
• Nuts and all vegetables
• Dry fruits
• My daily glass of Bournvita (I know it has sugar but I need it to function)

What I excluded:

• Mithai of all kinds- including purely dry fruit based ones as they could lead to craving
• Chocolates- my favourite :-(
• Sweetened drinks
• Jaggery
• Biscuits

My Experience (excerpts from my journal):

Day 1:

We went out as a family to a restaurant where they were serving one of my favourite dessert- Sizzling Brownie with ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce. Someone close to our table ordered it and the aroma of that hot chocolate sauce and the brownie was wafting through the air, teasing my palate. Since it was my Day 1, I was very determined and did not find it difficult to fight off my temptation. I ordered a Fruit Salad. The fruits that were served were so fresh and delicious that I completely forgot about the Brownie.

Day 2:

Sweets that resembled Fig rolls were being served as dessert at lunch at work. They did look yummy but not enough to attract me. After dinner, I did feel having dessert. I thought of having fruits, but we had run out of them so had a few nuts. It satiated me as any dessert would. I think I should be able to survive the next 5 days pretty comfortably. Looking forward to day 3.

Day 3:

Avoiding sugar came pretty easily to me. The only sweet stuff I had was a watermelon after lunch and a banana after dinner. I do not remember craving for sweets today. I did eat a few peanuts today but it was because I was hungry and not because of craving.

Day 4:

Today, I almost forgot about the no-sugar week. I have to keep reminding myself about it. At tea-time this afternoon, biscuits were being served and I picked up a plate of it but immediately realised that it was no-sugar week. It was as if the angel cooed in my ear about it while ensuring the evil was no where near my head space. For dinner, I had a sweetish curry but was told it was sweetened by dates so it was okay.

Day 5:

Absolutely no craving whatsoever. I had Kiwi fruit after dinner. The one I picked was unfortunately quite sour. It left behind a tingling-prickly sensation on my tongue. I ate a few almonds to get rid of the sensation. It did not help as much I hoped it would.

Day 6:

Today went on fine. I had a banana during lunch. I was offered a piece of brownie by a colleague but I was able to politely refuse. I had made it known to some of friends and colleagues and of course my family that I was on a no-sugar diet for a week. I think everyone has been supportive so far.

Day 7:

I have not eaten anything sweet today. I did not even have Bournvita. I might have a banana later today. I did not crave for anything sweet. I do not feel like having anything sweet at all. I have to make an effort to feel like having sweets and still, do not feel like having any.

Observation:

• I had a pimple. I do not know if I can attribute it to no-sugar or something else but it happened in this week.
• No difference in energy levels
• My mom (who knew nothing about this) felt I have slimmed down a bit but to be honest, I do not see any change.

I intend to eat sweets next week but I really do not feel like having any as of now.

My Stationery Collection- Diaries and Notebooks

I am a big fan of stationery. I have loved it from a very young age. I am also lucky to have a husband who shares my love for stationery. I have a lot of stationery at home and thought of giving a glimpse of some of my favourite diaries and notebooks to you today. I will also share my other stationery in some of my future posts. Just to emphasise how important diaries and notebooks are for me- at work, I would be completely lost without a diary as it helps me plan on a daily, weekly and month basis and keep a track of the progress I make. On a non-work front too, I use diaries and notebooks for journalling, rambling, scribbling and making lists. Now, I may come across as a very organised person but I am not really one- well, maybe a little at work. However, I do try my best to stay organised. 

Here are some of my favourite diaries and notebooks that I have. Some of them are in active use and some will be soon:

1. Doodle Diaries:

There are soft bound diaries with very good quality binding. My husband gifted these to me and I think he purchased it on Amazon and there was an offer on it back when he got them. It was a set of 3 which came at a good discount. The third of the 3 is the same as the pink one. I use these for journalling. They are single ruled notebooks. The quality of the paper is quite good and also fountain pen friendly. I personally thought they are a bit pricey without the discount.

2. Mario Miranda Diary:

I bought this one in 2013 on Flipkart. The diary is a tribute to the cartoonist Mario Miranda who worked at Times of India, Femina and Economic Times. The diary is interspersed with several cartoons in it throughout. It used to put me in very good spirits. I am also sharing some personal moments present in the diary. The diary cover is hard-bound. I have not used fountain pens on it, so note sure if the paper is fountain pen friendly. It is a single-ruled diary.

Memory of a visit to the Annual Exhibition- Numaish

Memory of Celebrating 5 months of marriage

Visit to Science Museum

3. 2011 Diary:

I did not buy this one. It was a spare diary that my dad had with him and I asked him if I can use it and he kindly agreed to it. I started using the diary only from 2012 though. The cover is hard-bound with a leathery feel to it. The pages are quite thin but are fountain pen friendly. I use it mainly to jot down recipes and I also pin up recipes that I might have taken down when I did not have the diary with me. It is a single-ruled diary.

Glimpse of the recipe diary. Not the neatest I know!

4. Tiger Notebook:

I bought this at Deccan Pen Stores in Hyderabad. This is an ordinary unruled notebook by Classmate. I used this for doodling, scribbling and sometimes journalling. This notebook has been a good friend of mine as it was my only companion for a few months that I worked from home. The cover has a picture of a tiger as a part of the Save our Tigers movement, of which, I am an active supporter. The notebook has a soft bound cover. The unruled paper in it is quite good and fountain pen friendly too.

One of the many doodles in the notebook

5. "Self" Bound Notebooks:

I call these self bound because I bound them myself- yes, really! I took up some paper, folded them, sewed them and bound them myself. One of my husband's friends is so good at binding notebooks that she inspired me at this attempt. I bound these using cookie box cardboard. The one with the zig-zag cover pattern contains 75 gsm JK paper and my husband printed dot-pattern on them. The one with the flower cover has 90 gsm ledger paper and one can comfortable write with fountain pens on them. I am yet to write in them.

Zig-zag Cover

Dot-patterned paper

Flower patterned cover

Ledger paper and oh, I also sewed in a bookmark

6. Lucky Diaries:

I bought these on Flipkart. I have one for 2012 and one for 2014. I was unable to find it in 2013 or they were probably sold out. These diaries are produced by The Ink Pot (click here to read more). The diary in 2012 focussed on the theme, India and the one in 2014 focussed on Spirituality. The diaries have hard cover and wiro-binding. The most amazing thing about the diaries is the high quality pictures which are interspersed throughout and also as separators. Take a peek in the below pictures. I tried getting it again in 2015, 2016 and 2017 but they were no longer available of Flipkart. I tried ordering it through their website and had dropped an email to them as request but never heard back. I have not tried getting it for 2018. The quality of paper is quite good. Again, I have not tried using fountain pen on them. The pages in the diaries are single-ruled.

Colourful Lucky Diaries

One of the Separators

An excellent photograph inside one of the Lucky Diaries

7. Happiness Diary:

Though the official name of the diary is The Multiply Diary, I like calling it the Happiness Diary. I ordered this again on Flipkart. The book has a lot of high quality pictures as separators. The book mainly has children as a theme in their happy place. Most pictures make you smile but some do make you think- ewww. It is a wiro-bound book. It has a soft cover and the quality of paper is good. It also has lovely book marks throughout. Take a peek below. I have not tried writing with fountain pens in this. The pages in the diary are single-ruled.

The Cover of the Diary

Example of a separator

Example of one of the bookmarks

8. Store 67 Notebook:

I bought this notebook at Sapna Book Stores in Bengaluru. I have not found this notebook in any other shop so I am inclined to think that this is one of Sapna's own brands. It is just my guess though. This is an ordinary soft-bound notebook used by school-goers. It has unruled fountain-pen friendly pages. I used it for taking notes, journalling and testing out colour pencils for drawing occasionally.

9. Authority Wire-Folder

I bought this at Deccan Pen Stores in Hyderabad. I carry this usually in my bag. I take down notes, important things I randomly remember, shopping lists etc. The outer folder holds the smaller inner notebook. The inner notebook is a single-ruled wiro-bound and low width notebook. I have not tried writing with fountain pens in it yet. 

 



While writing this post, I realise it is extremely lengthy. I will do a part 2 of this soon. I would love to show you some notebooks that I got from a trip of mine a couple of years back and some regular diaries which I use to work out my finances in as well.  I did not really think I had these many notebooks and diaries until I started writing this post. Maybe at some point this year, I will get rid of some of them to make space for new ones :-) Sorry for the quality of photographs. I shot them in my phone and they look amazing there but not that great on the post.

2018 Goals

After the eventful 2017, I thought it was a good time to think about the goals for 2018. This time, I sought inspiration from this blog. What I like about this particular post is that its main focus is on the “how” to achieve goals and not really when. The heart of the article is about scheduling activities that will help you reach your goal rather than, by fixing deadlines. It made complete sense to me as we do not often take time to plan the goals of our personal lives well. If I do not schedule some time for journalling everyday, I am not going to be able to finishing writing on all pages of the journal (example of my last year’s goal). This year I have decided to set up my goals differently. Simplifying things- ought to make things easier.

My 2018 goals in brief:

Health: Keep up my daily exercise routine and ensure that I work-out atleast 5 days a week. Eat healthy meals every day- monthly once cheat day would be allowed. I would also go to bed at a pre-defined time and wake up everyday at the same time.

Sharpening My Culinary Skills: I have decided to not just cook regular homely meals but push myself to prepare more gourmet dishes. I have made some in 2017 as well but would like to take things to another level. I have decided to cook 10 gourmet savoury dishes and 10 gourmet sweet dishes in the year. I will be scheduling this in my monthly planner. It will take an effort to get the recipes and ingredients together. It is a little ambitious but I will do my best.

Blogging: I have decided to blog once a week in 2018. I do not want to blog sporadically but keep to a schedule. I have been inspired by Mr. Vinod Ekbote who has been blogging for the last 10 years and has been posting every Friday on his blog without fail- click here to check out the blog. I just think I need to set time aside for it and do it every week. I have a diary that is full of things that I would like to put up on my blog but due to several reasons have not been able to do so. However, I am determined to do it in 2018.

Watercolour Art: I am enjoying learning watercolour art from various online resources. I would make at least 10 proper watercolour paintings in 2018. It just must be scheduled in my monthly planner.

Launching my Youtube Channel: This has been on my mind for some time. I have still some way to go. I am not sure if it will be possible in 2018. I have to shoot some high quality videos and do some high quality editing. This is a good-to-do goal for 2018 and not must-do as I do not want to rush into it and put up some shoddy videos out in public.

Writing: in my journal everyday and at least one page a day. The goal I had in 2017 was to finish writing on all pages of the journal, which in the hindsight, did not make much sense. The goal for 2018 will not only ensure that I keep to my habit of writing, but also as a bonus, would help me finish writing on all the pages. I hope I will not get demotivated like 2017 and give up.

Reading: I have lowered the number of books to read in 2018 to 10. As you can see, there is a lot on my plate and I do not want to make the activity that I love so much to be one that induces stress. I would also like to read some good literature, and not just fun-light reading books. I think reading before bed works for me great and I think a good 15-30 minutes before bed would be great.

Travelling: It is my goal to travel to 5 different places in 2018. I better get started on my vacation planning soon.

Apart from this, I have a couple of personal goals for my professional and personal life which I prefer not to share publicly. Both are good-to-do goals and not must-do. Another learning I have had in 2017 was to not live “life” only on weekends. I generally put off everything to weekends and there comes a point when I just feel too overwhelmed and end up procrastinating. A lot can be achieved on weekdays as well. It requires a bit of planning- which I hope to master in 2018.

Wish you a very Happy 2018!!

2017- Year End Review

It is that time of the year where everybody is busy with their self-assessment for the year. Even Facebook did not spare us and showed us what we have been up to in 2017. In Feb this year, I had posted my Goals on this blog. I think since it is the end of this year, it would be good to share an update on how I fared. I also did a mid-year review but did not put it up on the blog as there was hardly anything to show and tell.

If you remember well, (here is a reminder in case you do not- click here) the theme of the year was Finishing the Unfinished. I must admit that I was not 100% successful but would rate myself 85% successful. During the year, there were some changes in priorities that took place and also some positive new changes to life that happened due to which I achieved a few other things that were not planned as goals for this year but I am none the less happy that I could achieve them. By the way, the goals do not appear SMART here but in my book where I have written them down, I have applied SMART principles.

Let us see how I fared (just took a deep breath):

Goal 1:  Finishing reading books that I stopped reading half way or those that I bought meaning to read but did not get around to.
The Verdict- My Self Assessment: While I read several books this year, unfortunately, except for a couple, all were new books that I purchased and read. I could not resist buying new books. So, not a big A+ on this one but definitely not an F. I was just happy that I could keep my reading momentum going.

Goal 2: Finishing off my half done craft projects.
The Verdict- My Self Assessment: I did some of this but not all of them. I still have several to finish and I do not think 365 days would be sufficient for me to complete all of them. Having said that, I really focussed on the things that I loved and my new found interests. I took up water colour art more seriously this year and painted a few things- will be up on my blog early next year. I also took up filming videos and learnt a lot about editing them and have also shot a few videos and uploaded them on YouTube....don't go looking for them, they are on a private mode. I still have a few things to do before I start posting videos publicly. I also learnt a bit more of graphic designing with the free tools available online. Most of the graphics on this blog are done by me using those tools but what I learnt is at a whole new level.

Goal 3: Finishing trying out cooking the huge number of recipes that I keep marking to myself favourites to read and try later.
The Verdict- My Self Assessment: I am proud to say that I am 100% happy with the progress that I have made. Though I cannot say I am finished with this, as, the more I read, the more I keep marking recipes as favourites. My biggest accomplishment was the Gujarati thali that I made with several dishes on the go simultaneously- felt like I was in the Masterchef Kitchen with the axe of elimination dangling over my head; and also several cakes that I baked for colleagues and friends. There is a still a long way to go but having come this far, I feel quite confident. My 2018 goals which will be up soon on the blog, will have a refinement of my goal setting with reference to cooking.

Goal 4: Finishing off writing in the journal I am currently writing in.
The Verdict- My Self Assessment: I get a D here. Though I wrote, it was not enough to finish off the journal. It feels as though the journal keeps magically producing pages- the more I write, the more blank pages I see. At one point, I de-prioritised this goal completely- was not worth the stress. In 2018, I have planned a better way to achieve this.

Goal 5: Taking care of myself
The Verdict- My Self Assessment: I think I have done a good job here. I have been walking and exercising more regularly this year. The last I did it so regularly was in 2011 when I took up yoga for a year. So, I am proud of myself. I did have some crazy times at work which would throw me off schedule but I made an effort to crawl back to a routine. In the past few months, the exercise has definitely gone up. Except for the period between April and August, I think I did not look like I have walked out of a jungle and have looked well-groomed (at least in my mind :-))

Goal 6: Regularly updating this blog.
The Verdict- My Self Assessment: I think this year has been exceptional in terms of blogging. I have blogged my highest this year in comparison to all the years since I started blogging.

Goal 7: Personal Life Goals.
The Verdict- My Self Assessment: Though I cannot say what it is, this was the biggest contributor to that 85%.

While I feel there has been a lot of achievements, there is scope for several improvements as well. Hoping for an even better 2018- Wish you a Merry Christmas!!!