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!!!

Princess by Jean P Sasson

I picked up this book from Blossom Book House on Church Street in Bangalore during Diwali holidays this year. I visited Blossoms' after a long time. They have shifted their premises to another location on Church Street and there is also another book store close to it, mainly used books store called Book Worm. I did go in but could not find anything interesting.

I started reading this book in high school but could not finish it due to my packed schedule back then and the library due date beyond the renewals. When I found this book at Blossom's, I could not resist.  I actually finished the book, cover-to-cover, in a matter of few hours as it was extremely engaging and unputdownable.

The story describes the sad plight and sufferings of women in Saudi Arabia and is a true account.
The book is a story of one of the royal family members, a princess of the large royal family (about 21000 people), who described her life story to Jean Sasson so that it could be carried to the world. Almost all the names have been changed in the book to conceal the true identity of the different members of the royal family and other characters in the book. The princess who describes the story is named Sultana. She is one of several children of the patriarchal royal family and country. The book focusses mainly on the growing up years of  Sultana which I think is through 70s to 90s.

The book is a heart rending account of the despondent lives of women in Saudi Arabia during the above mentioned time period. It describes the crimes against women and the bias of the society towards a man's word as opposed to a woman's, due to which many women never received the justice they deserved. Any kind of revolt against men or disobedience of their "orders" was met with severe punishment for women. However, Sultana, was one of the rebellious few who dared to oppose some of the unfairness in her own way. She has got her way several times by knowing how to manipulate- situation or family members. I specially like the strong actions she took to save her marriage. Though it might seem like an obvious thing to do for most of us not living such circumstances, I can perfectly understand the kind of courage that is needed to take those steps for someone living in a country where polygamy and strict restrictions on women is common. By taking certain simple actions which many not be a big deal in most of the countries, Sultana almost seems to be a hero, championing the cause of women in the country.

There is a great display of wealth in the book. Of course, they are the royals but several times in the story, especially after the Gulf war, Sultana describes her wealth as unlimited. They fly in and out of different countries just for shopping or other forms of entertainment.

I am writing this review in 2017 and so much has changed in terms of women's rights in that country. Women can now vote, drive and even come to the stadiums to watch matches, though there are some rules around those as well. More than 50% of Saudi women are now enrolled in universities. All these may seem to be a contrast to the life described about 25-30 years back. I am glad that Sultana told her story. The country is said to be on its path to progress in matters of women' rights and some day, one from her future generations will learn of the struggles of the past and have an appreciation for the progressive life that they will possibly lead.

Only after I finished reading the book did I realise that it is a part of a trilogy, this book being the first. I will definitely look up for the others. It is an excellent read, written in simple language and gives very descriptive picture of the lives in Saudi Arabia that I felt I was in that country. I would rate the book 5/5 where 5 is excellent.

P.S: Sorry if this post seems a little incoherent. There was so much to say. I have trimmed down a lot as it seemed excessive. I strongly recommend that the book is read.

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

I got this book from Sapna Bookstore in Bangalore. I  got back to reading one of Agatha Christie's book after a really long time. I was really craving to read a mystery and thought this book would be the best to feed the craving. This book is one of the author's most popular characters- Hercule Poirot, the Belgian.

The book is written as a narrative by Poirot's friend, Captain Hastings. There are some parts though, which are pieces of information that tie the story together and are not a part of Captain Hastings' narrative. Christie has clarified the same through the chapter titles.

The story  revolves around a series of murders in an alphabetical order in terms of the location of the murder and the victims' surnames. Of course, Poirot's task at hand is to uncover the murderer. The murderer wrote letters to Poirot prior to committing them, giving him details of the location (only town, not the complete address) of the murder, challenging him to prevent the murders. The story gives an impression initially that the murderer held Poirot responsible for having him/her punished for a crime and that the murderer was now avenging the same. The book shows Poirot's mettle in uncovering the true murderer by scrutinising the seemingly simple and insignificant details as clues. There are also other characters in the book comprising of the relatives of the victims, the cops from Scotland Yard and few others (cannot reveal- will be a spoiler).

The book is written in a simple language with phrases of French scattered throughout the book mostly in Poirot's dialogues. The book also has amazing descriptions of food which, to be honest, either got me hungry or salivating sometimes. Those who know me well, know how much I love well-described food in books. I also loved how Poirot is able to relate to different human minds and the possible actions people would take based on their mental state. His study of human nature and getting inside the mind of the criminal was something that kept me really interested. I must admit though, that a few parts (very few!!) of the book seemed like a drag. I really cannot say that something was wrong with them, just that they bored me.

On a scale of 5 where 5 is excellent, I would rate this book 4/5.

A Home-made Mosquito Repellent

Note: The views, opinions and content mentioned in the blog are solely mine and are not of those of my current or previous employers'.

With the recent heavy rain in most of the Southern states of India, there has been a rise in the number of mosquitoes and diseases carried by them, Dengue in particular, is on the rise (read here). It becomes important for us to protect ourselves from mosquito bites to avoid transmission of the diseases. Even if the mosquitoes are not carrying any disease causing organisms, no one enjoys a bite from them. There are several methods that we use to protect ourselves in India, most popular are as follows:

- Mosquito Repellent Coils
- Mosquito Repellent Diffusers- liquids and mats
- Mosquito Repellent Creams, sprays, patches and roll-on
- In some parts of the country- Mosquito nets (not too effective in my experience)

Most of these methods (except for use of mosquito nets) are quite unsafe and it involves inhalation of a lot of chemicals directly or indirectly. Some people also use Mosquito Repellent plants as well. I think this can be safe as well and if it was possible, I would have grown these at home. Unfortunately, I cannot :-(. I am not sure how effective these are but if you are interested, you can read about 12 such plants here.

Now, I have an "indoorsy" garden just outside my front door and the mosquitoes are usually waiting eagerly in the garden, for us to open our doors to them and they really love our blood. I was using (until this morning) liquid or mat diffusers and they actually worked for me but I always felt uncomfortable at the thought of inhaling invisible fumes of a concoction of chemicals which could harm us in a long run.

Recently, I saw a video on a simple home made mosquito repellent circulating on WhatsApp and thought of trying it out at home. I prepared it today. It is quite easy. All you need is:

- A few pellets of camphor
- Neem Oil

Neem Oil- Brand information and other methods of identification redacted

To prepare the repellent, crush the camphor pellets to a powder- finer, the better. However, I left it a bit chunky. Mix this powder very well with the neem oil. I used about 25 ml of oil and crushed about 5 pellets of camphor.

This mixture can be used in 3 ways:

- Light a lamp using the oil.
- Apply it directly on your skin
- Fill the mixture in an empty liquid diffuser bottle and plug it on.

I used the diffuser method. It has been 3 hours since I turned it on (7pm to 10pm) prior to writing this blog and so far I have not had a mosquito bite. I am not sure if it is because there have been no mosquitoes, or if the repellent is really working. I have to test it out some other time as well and also during different times during the day. I will keep you posted if you are interested in knowing- just drop a comment and I will let you know.

Liquid Diffuser with Camphor-Neem Oil mixture

P.S:
Neem is known to have natural pest repellent qualities. There is a lot of material on the internet to read on this topic.
As per some online content that I read, mainly coming from US, Camphor vapours are likely safe to inhale in small quantities in adults and may have minor side effects. It should not be swallowed whatsoever. Some people are allergic to camphor while applied on skin, so, best to do a small patch test before using it. Please do consult a doctor for the use of camphor, if there are babies, pregnant or lactating mothers around you or if you are one.
Most Indians use camphor as a part of religious worship and are used to it and I have not really known/heard of any one being harmed by its use- but one never knows. In my opinion, this would still be safer than the highly concentrated chemicals (including DDT which our gardener sprays in our garden). Many of the popular vaporubs available in the market also use camphor. Hope you found this useful.

The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy

As you already know that I got this book from Sapna bookstore in my recent book haul (read about the haul here). I wanted to read something light and nothing better than a children's book for it. Now, if you remember my previous review about Sudha Murthy's book (click here to read the review), I had mentioned that I hope that the next book of hers that I read would be different. Thankfully, this book was. The book's target readership is children and hence, written in a very simple language and has some interesting illustrations as as well.

The story revolves around Nooni, a 12 year old who goes to her village in Somanahalli to spend her summer holidays with her grandparents. The book paints a vivid picture of the slow paced village life, constantly comparing it against Bangalore. Nooni's grandma and grandpa narrate to her two different versions of a story of a stepwell related to an ancient ruler Somanayaka. The stories are both intriguing. Nooni makes a bunch of friends in Somanahalli and enjoys the village life a lot by going swimming in the river, picnicking and hiking to nearby places. On one such hikes, she stumbles upon something that feels like the stepwell described in the stories of Somanayaka and that sets the ball rolling for all the forthcoming activities in the village.

The book has amazing descriptions of food and had my mouth watering several times. In addition, the village life is very tempting and made me want to pack my bags and visit Somanahalli. I would have loved to go with Nooni and friends on the picnic by the river. However, I really did not enjoy the comparisons between Bangalore and the village. The village life has been glorified a lot and the city life has been shown as a negative.  Both have their own positives and negatives and I would have really preferred if the writer focussed mainly on the village life.

Some of the writing which describes Nooni's thoughts actually sound like those of an old person and not that of a child. For example, Nooni does not understand what a native fruit is, but, in another place she says that people in Bangalore are more interested in eating at weddings. Somehow, the former comes across as a child's thought but the latter of that of an old person, in my opinion. These are some other such examples which are a little awkward and does not seem to originate from the same person's brain. The book does get a little preachy in parts- I guess it is intended to be, considering, the target readers to be children. Otherwise, the book is a great read for kids and adults alike. It was a page turner and unputdownable. I hope to read similar stories from Sudha Murthy going forward.  I enjoyed reading this book thoroughly and highly recommend it for a children's movie too. The book has also touched up on some social issues such as lack of toilets etc.

Overall, a good read and I would rate it 4/5.

The Empty House

I bought the book at Sapna Bookstore during my Christmas vacation last year (again!). I wanted a light book to read as I was travelling to Hubli to attend a wedding. I love reading books on train and thought this would be a great read on the train.

Now, I really picked this book up without reading much on the back cover. The front cover indicated Ruskin Bond- The Empty House and Ruskin Bond was good enough for me to pick book up. However, once I started reading, I realised that this book is a compilation of stories by Ruskin Bond. Except one, all stories have been written by various writers.

The theme of the stories is 'Spooky' and comprises of supernatural thrillers. The Empty House happens to be one of the stories in the book. Probably Ruskin Bond or the publisher thought that this is the best story in the book and decided to put the name on the cover. Though the story was good, it was not the best according to me. My favourite in the book was that of Ruskin Bond's called Gone Fishing about a loyal servant waiting for his master's return who had Gone Fishing years back and the master does return and How!!! Read to enjoy. It was a simple story yet had a superb twist in the tale- Loved it. There were other good stories too of which I liked- The White Wolf of Hartz Mountain and Mrs. Raeburn's Waxworks. Though the compilation is good, none of them could equal Gone Fishing for me.

If I have to rate the book, it will be 4/5 as some stories did not thrill me enough for a supernatural thriller compilation. However, I strongly recommend that you read the book as a big part of it is still quite good.

Book Haul from Sapna Book Store

I went to meet a friend visiting from Hyderabad on Gandhi Jayanti, for lunch. Following lunch, we had a milkshake at the Drunken Monkey and just went to Sapna Bookstore for just a glimpse...thought we would peep in and out without any plans/intentions of buying books. However, we both ended up buying books and I also bought some stationery to make myself feel good.

It is now time to unveil my book purchases.

I observed an Instagramer consistently post pictures of Agatha Christie's books. When I saw the ABC murder, I recalled that the Instagramer had posted a picture of the book with the same front cover. The cover was so inviting, I couldn't help myself and decided to get it. I sometimes, do judge books by their cover. I have read many of Agatha Christie's books in high school. I somehow do not recall if I have read the ABC murders so that gave me one more reason to buy the book. I do not mind re-reading such books.

I wanted to read a fictional story from Sudha Murthy and not a compilation of anecdotes from her life. Though the book- The Magic of the Lost Temple is intended to be a children's book, I do not mind reading it. I love reading children's books to date and read them from time to time.

I have been hearing a lot about Twinkle Khanna as a writer and how witty and hilarious she is, especially in The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, that I had decided to buy the book long back but it was never in sight or on top of my mind whenever I shopped. At Sapna, it was staring at me and did not allow me to forget buying it.

This is it- a small little update from my recent purchase.

Vikram Rana Investigates: Tales of Murder and Deception in Hyderabad by Sharmishtha Shenoy

I picked up this book at the Sapna Bookstore in Bangalore last year during Christmas vacation and read the book in a couple of days. I could not find many interesting books when I went book shopping that day. This book caught my eye, as, mystery novels woven in Hyderabad are not common, and since I live in Hyderabad, I was drawn to it instantly.

The book consists of 2 different stories- The Sonia Sinha case and the Mysterious Affair of the Lohia Mansion. The common factor is a former cop Vikram Rana, who leaves the force and starts his private investigation agency. The Lohia mansion case is the first case he investigates. The other common factor is inspector Reddy who is 'formally' investigating the case in both the stories. There is a brief description about Vikram's wife as well, who plays a bit of a role in Vikram's character building in the eyes of the readers.

Vikram Rana bags his first case when his friend hires him to investigate the murder of his sister-in- law, a socialite in Hyderabad who dies under mysterious circumstances in the Lohia mansion. The story obviously revolves around how Vikram resolves the mystery.

The second case that is brought to Vikram is by Mrs. Raju who wants to prove her son (a suspect), innocent in the murder of her husband. He is awarded this case based on his famed resolution of the Lohia mansion case. This story is about how Vikram reveals the true murderer in the case. Of course, he takes support from Inspector Reddy.

The writing style is quite casual. The book is fast paced and easy to read. There are a few spelling mistakes which seems to have not been at the time of editing. There are some irrelevant descriptions in the book. Example- about autodriver woes in Hyderabad- does not help readers make a connection, is completely irrelevant and does not contribute to anything in the story; and an irrelevant quote by Groucho Marx when Vikram meets Gaurav, a character in the Lohia mansion story. Certain things are stated quite directly and plainly, where making it more experiential would have been nicer. Also, some sentences seem as passing narrations without any proper basis. As an example- Full lips are a symbol of fertility, seems a little far-fetched. The chronology of events in terms of dates in the Sonia Sinha case are quite messed up and a complete put off.

I liked the descriptions of food in the book and references of different localities in Hyderabad. It makes it very relatable to the Hyderabadis. The non-Hyderabadis or those in RR district of Hyderabad may find it a little difficult to relate to all the places mentioned. However, I appreciate the author's effort in painting a picture of Hyderabad in the minds of such readers.

Since this is the writer's first book, I sincerely appreciate her effort, as, in the current generation of writers, we do not have too many Indians venturing into this genre of writing- crime, thriller and mystery. This is a difficult genre to write and requires a lot more research, perspective and understanding on means, method, psychology, deduction than writing a drama or a love story. However, I would rate it 2 on a scale of 5. The main reason being the predictability of the culprits of the the crimes committed. It just happens too early in the story and I did not have the 'What!!" or "Aaaahhh!!" moments in both the stories when the culprits are revealed which generally happens with good mystery novels. The writer made it too obvious, especially in the Sonia Sinha case and one could easily figure out the murderer very early in the story and the only reason I read it was to understand the motive behind the murder, which I lost interest in once it was obvious who the murderer was. I like mystery novels where we are kept guessing on the murderer until the very end.

I hear the writer's second book is out already and I will definitely pick it up- I actually looked for it but could not find it in bookstores. I would like to encourage more Indians to write in this genre and I surely hope and have gut feeling that the second book would be way better than the first. Wishing her all the best and look forward to reading the next book.

My Top 5 Pure Veg All-You-Can-Eat Places in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is a paradise for meat lovers. There is also a popular chain of restaurants called Paradise, famed for its Biryani. For those of you who did not know, 99% of Telangana State's population is non-vegetarian, which is the highest proportion of meat eaters in the entire country as per a survey conducted by Registrar General of India. Click here to read more. I have not come across exclusive non-vegetarian restaurants there myself but most places have a mix of both veg and non-veg dishes on their menu. Some restaurants have a minuscule number of veg dishes. However, the city is not devoid of pure veg restaurants. In this post, I will make a mention of my top 5 pure veg all-you-can-eat places: some have a nice buffet and others an all you can eat thaali. I have to thank my colleagues and friends for helping me find these. In Hyderabad, veg food is synonymous with Paneer. So, do not be surprised if you find an excessive number of paneer dishes on the menu.

In no particular order, my top 5 are:

Purani Dilli- Himayatnagar

This restaurant is a part of the Dadu's franchise and has an amazing pocket-friendly buffet. The restaurant focusses on a North Indian menu. A welcome drink, soup, starters and bread are served at the table and the rest have to be self-served. They have a wide variety of pickles and desserts. One can enjoy the view of Himayatnagar (which is mainly heavy traffic- if that is enjoyable!) while relishing the meal. Service and ambience is ordinary. Food is good.

Jiva's Imperia- Begumpet

This is one of the popular Ohri's franchises. It is located in one of the White House blocks (nothing to do with US), beside Lifestyle. It is a multicuisine restaurant but is again heavy on the North Indian menu, with a bit of Chinese and Italian thrown in. The ambience is really nice and their lovely chandeliers are hard to miss. The lunch buffet claims to start at 12pm but they are usually not completely ready before 12:45pm (Hyderabadis love late meals). They do have a nice spread of starters and desserts. Soup and breads are served at the table. Food is good. Service and ambience is great.

The Venue- Hotel Fidalgo- Nampally

This restaurant is close to the Nampally Railway Station (also known as Hyderabad Deccan Station). Even though the restaurant is a part of Hotel Fidalgo, it is quite pocket friendly. The spread is not very extensive. The number of dishes are limited. Though they claim it is a multicuisine spread,  it is dominant on North Indian and South Indian flavours.  There is a bit of Chinese and a teeny bit of Italian. Since I visited it during the Mango season, they were celebrating the flavour and it was quite enjoyable. Food and ambience is good.


De Thaali- Begumpet

This restaurant is right next to Jiva's Imperia and is also a part of the Ohri's franchises. This restaurant is an all you can eat thaali restaurant as the name suggests. The cuisine is from Rajasthan and Gujarat. The thaali is quite extensive and best visited on an empty stomach. The flavours are quite subtle and you have to be mentally prepared to enjoy this if you are accustomed to heavily spiced food. Clad in traditional Rajasthani attire, the people who serve the food at the restaurant take a lot of pride in their service and do their very best to please the customers. The restaurant is reasonably priced. I have visited the restaurant twice and the first time, the food was great and the next was quite ordinary. The quality of food in terms of taste is quite inconsistent.  Ambience is fair and food can be great (or not).


Woodlands- Himayatnagar

My family would definitely be surprised to see this make it to my list. It is our most visited restaurant in the city.  This place is not an all-you-can-eat place. However, their thaali is. It does not have a great ambience and is not a place to visit if you are looking for a fine dining experience. It is quite ordinary in terms of ambience. However, in terms of service, quantity of food served and the taste (even though on a very spicy side), it is quite good. It was our go to place when not in mood for cooking or going to far off places. We usually get the Special Combo Plate meals here which, I had mentioned it in one of my older blogs as well. It is special for me as it was the first restaurant I visited in Hyderabad in my adult life.


These are my picks from the pure veg, all-you-can-eat restaurants that I visited in Hyderabad out of the few that I have visited. There are other good veg restaurants as well but have not featured on this list either because they do not have an all-you-can-eat option, or  because they also serve non-vegetarian food. Do let me know if you would like to know of such places in Hyderabad. I have visited quite a few of those. Those who know me well, know that these cuisines are not my most preferred ones but I enjoy them if the taste is good.

P.S: Sorry for no pictures. I do have a few but of empty plates, smacked clean while eating :(

What I Know I Will Miss About Hyderabad

By now, most of you know that I would be leaving Hyderabad and relocating. Like most people, I too share a love-hate relationship with the city that I live in. I love certain things about Hyderabad and hate a few things about it. Now that I would be relocating, I would like to focus on the positives as those are the things that I would be missing about the city. So, in no particular order, here are the things that I know I would definitely miss:

Street Shopping at Koti-Sultan Bazaar:

Every city in India, I believe, has its own landmark street shopping area. In Hyderabad, Koti-Sultan Bazaar is one of the popular places for street shopping. It is an amalgamation of some exquisite shops and the usual street vendors. One can find a whole lot of things here from clothes, furnishing, hobby stores, books etc. Being a foodie, one of my favourite shops there is Rajshree Dry Fruits. The name may suggest it is a dry fruit shop, but it also sells amazing packed food, ready to eat/cook, instant foods from Maharashtra and Gujarat. Do try and get their instant Misal, which is extremely close to the freshly prepared one. It is a must visit for all the foodies. Another must visit is Joshi Pickles which sells many Maharashtrian delicacies (strange! I know, too many Maharashtrian places there!)


Balaji Grand Bazar:

While we are still on the subject of food, Balaji Grand Bazar is one of my favourite supermarkets in the city. They have about 5-6 branches in the city. The ones I have visited most often is the one in Basheer Bagh and the other one at Masab Tank en route Banjara Hills Road No. 12. This store is very unique as it sells some of the rarest spices- many of which I have not even heard of, and a lot of difficult to find food stuff, including imported food stuff. Since many products sold in the shop are imported, rare/difficult to find, the prices are on a slightly (only slightly!)higher side. However, I loved the place and never ever left it with light bags :)

Balaji Grand Bazar- Masab Tank Branch

Sunday Book Market at Abids:

On Sundays, almost the whole of Abids market area transforms into a massive book market, mainly for used books. One can also find very rare books, magazines and comics at throwaway prices. I have bought books at prices as low as Rs 10 and 20. If you are a book worm, this place is a must visit for you. Now, in the last 2 years, I have not been visiting it too often but it was always reassuring to know it exists and one can just go over if bored on a Sunday. You can follow this blog of someone who visits it almost every Sunday.
Other things about Abids, not related to books but worth a mention- Hollywood shoes. This is a big shoe shop in the heart of Abids where one can find their style and size. Those who know me well, know that I struggle to find my shoe size in India, especially because it is in between 2 sizes. However, Hollywood has never disappointed me. It gets extremely crowded there during the weekends (I have always visited the place during weekends) and you might find it difficult to find people to attend to you.
I also visited Deccan Pen Stores in Abids quite frequently for my love of stationery. They have 3 branches in the city if I am not mistaken and I have visited all of them. However, the one at Abids and Ameerpet (below Haldiram's) are my favourites. The store is dedicated to pens, inks, refills with some amount of other stationery as well. They also make their own pens which they will display and tell the story behind them to you with a lot of passion, even if you are not interested in buying them. They take a lot of pride in making them. Now these are not pens which will cost you a few hundreds  (they have those as well) but the really good ones go up to thousands and sometimes, hundreds of thousands too.


Numaish- The annual trade fair:

I love visiting Numaish, the annual trade fair that happens in Nampally Exhibition Grounds every year from Jan to Feb. It draws traders from all over India and consumers from all over Hyderabad. I understand the daily footfall at this event is approximately 1,00,000. I had written about my 2017 experience earlier this year. You can click here to read more. My family and I have purchased a lot of things from Numaish, from instant geysers to dry fruits and nuts, clothes, junk jewellery etc. It is not a place if you hate crowds but a must visit if you do not mind the crowd and just want to have fun.

The Commute- Way to Work and Back:

I really love the route that I took to go to work and come back. Coming from Bangalore, the roads in Hyderabad are relatively congestion free for a big part (although of late, some signs of Bangalore style traffic have become common in a few parts). Apart from that, there is a beautiful and cooling KBR Park and an upscale Banjara Hills area which are just lovely. I also consider myself lucky to have the Buddha on the Hussain Sagar lake waving a hello and blessing me every day. In the evenings, the Buddha statue on the lake is illuminated and it is quite a beautiful sight. One of India's largest flags is hoisted at the Sanjeevaiah Park and it is nice to see it in all its glory, while going to/coming back home from work. Near the Masab Tank area is a hospital- Virinchi but it looks palatial- always has people wondering if it is indeed a hospital. There is also a glimpse of the sparkling white marble from the Birla Mandir, which I love viewing.

Glimpse of the Virinch Hospital

A view of the illuminated Buddha. Taken on the go with zoom- Sorry for the image quality.
It is much more remarkable in reality. My friends from Hyderabad will vouch for it. :)

One of India's largest flags and I am lucky to have the bright moon in the backdrop.
The  image is not doing any justice to the actual view. Bad shot :(

My Workplace:

Last, but not the least, I consider myself very fortunate to have a remarkable workplace. In terms of facilities provided to employees, it is in the 5 star category with a huge cafeteria  (FOOD on my mind again!!) which would remind one of a huge food court in a big mall. It caters to all, with a wide variety of food and special dietary requirements (including Satwik meals!!). There is a lovely restaurant and a great coffee shop in the campus too with great quality of food. All other facilities provided to employees are great as well. However, these are only material in nature. What I am going to miss the most is the great set of people I worked with, the healthy working relationships built and the good and bad times we have lived through together. I have worked with some not-so-great people as well but it has only helped learn better and understand how to deal with people. Like I said, I would like to focus on the positives- it was a privilege for me to work with a set of great minds and terrific human beings. The culture of collaboration was great and be it my functional team or my project teams- I loved working with all of them and will surely miss everyone a lot. To be honest, I do not really feel like I have left the place. I feel I am on a long vacation and will be back some day.

These were the first things that came to my mind. There are a few other things as well, like the community Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, the Ganesh Visarjan- it is quite different from other states and in 2017, it was managed incredibly well by the Hyderabad Traffic Police- kudos to them. If I think of more things or if I genuinely miss some other things, I will do a part 2 of this blog.

P.S: I do not know if you recall my post about my move to Hyderabad. You can read about it here.

How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories by Sudha Murthy

I am writing today after almost a month. The book I am writing about today was purchased from Sapna Book Store in Bangalore during my Christmas vacation last year and I finished reading it in a day.

The book, How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories (HITMGTR and OS), is a series of real life anecdotes and stories compiled by Sudha Murthy. Now, this is the second book of Sudha Murthy's that I read, the first one being- Wise and Otherwise. To be very honest, and I know a lot of you will disagree with me or will come out in defence of Sudha Murthy and her writing, but I just hated Wise and Otherwise, as it comes across as a book that treats/talks about the current generation of people as flawed and a bunch of good-for-nothings and Sudha Murthy epitomises  herself as an embodiment of perfection and actually comes across as arrogant. It is tolerable in the beginning but when it becomes the theme of all her stories and one has to keep reading it story after story, the book comes across as a bitter box of complaints. I know people will hate me for saying this but this is exactly what I felt about the book. Having said what I have, I have a great respect for the lady and her contribution to the society.

This particular book (HITMGTR and OS) too has a few stories with a similar theme. However, it is relatively refreshing compared to the first one as some (only some) of the stories are quite captivating and have a positive vibe in them. My most favourite ones are the title story and saving for the Rainy Day. The title story is easily the best and I could really imagine all the events in my head and the grandma's earnest to read and be independent. All other stories can be ignored as they are similar to Wise and Otherwise, where she is boasting about herself, her achievements and her family (all of whom are supposed to be perfect) and makes her look arrogant. There is just one story in the entire book which is quite hilarious, but easy to forget (I've forgotten already).

The writing is quite simple (as it was in Wise and Otherwise) and probably meant for Children's reading. It can qualify for one in teaching them morals and about life. However, I would not recommend it even for children as I would not want to pass on other things to them such as excessive pride in one's education, achievements and family. On a scale of 5 (5 being synonymous with Excellent), I would rate it at 3 and the rating is solely for the title story. I am planning to pick up another book of Sudha Murthy's soon and I really really hope that it would extremely different from the ones I have read so far, as I feel she has so much more to her than what she has shown in the 2 books mentioned here- do let me know if you have a good recommendation.

One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat

I think I have read all of Chetan Bhagat's novels except One Night at the Call Centre. I have always enjoyed reading his books a lot (except Revolution 2020). I find that they provide a very good entertainment value. I always feel like I am watching a Bollywood masala movie and not really reading a book. No wonder, almost all his books have been made into movies. To be honest, I have not watched every single movie of his books but the ones that I have, do not end in the same way in the book (except for 2 States maybe).

Coming to One Indian Girl. I pre-ordered it on Amazon. It was first of Bhagat's book where he is writing from a perspective of a woman. Now, before the book was released, I heard that it is going to break stereotyping of women. Unfortunately though, he was unable to do it well. I actually thought, he did the exact opposite.

I understand completely that it is not easy for a man to write from a perspective of a woman. While I appreciate his effort, it fell short of my expectation. For example, no woman is going to think- "that is what we women do..". I wonder if men think like this- I doubt it. The book has several such unrealistic dialogues and phrases which are a put off. I thought he was trying way too hard to not leave any speck of doubt in the minds of readers that it was a woman. However, using unrealistic phrases and sentences made it obvious that a man has written it and could not make the necessary connection especially with female readers.

I enjoyed the storyline though and I am sure it would be made into a movie as well. The way the book has been written is also indicative that Chetan Bhagat wrote it with a movie in mind. Trust me when I say this, it does feel like one is watching a movie and not like a book is being read. The plot is quite unique or rare where a highly educated woman doing very well in her career is in a place getting ready for her wedding and the book flashes back into her past where there are 2 exes in 2 different locations and the dilemma that she faces on her wedding day- choosing her past or present. I would not be able to reveal more details as it would be a complete spoiler.

I read this book at a time when I was going through a lot stress and this book definitely helped me unwind. Read this book for pure entertainment- you will not find anything deep or profound in it. I rate this book 3/5.

Impulse Buy: The Adventures of Mr. Pink-Whistle by Enid Blyton

The Adventures of Mr. Pink-Whistle was one of the first books I remember having read...actually my Dad and brother read the book to me and when I was able to read, it was the first book I ever read. I would have never parted with this book but I guess we lost it while moving houses years back.I have been looking for it for quite sometime and I was so overjoyed to find it.

I found this book on Amazon long back but it was really expensive but I continued looking for it on Amazon and book stores, and finally found it at a very reasonable price on Amazon. I have moved on from reading children's books like and thought I would not buy it but just make sure it is around in circulation. However, I just bought is nonetheless without thinking about it too much.

As a child, I read and re-read this book several times. I just loved the book and still do, and it has made a lasting impression on me. Some of my user names of various social media platform have been inspired by the characters in this book.

The book was delivered to me a short while a ago today (earlier than expected) and I "unboxed" it just a short while back. I was happy and a tad bit disappointed but the balance tipped more to the happy side. The only reason I was disappointed was- the cover illustrations of the book that I had as a child was:

The book that I got had a different cover illustrations (see below):

However, the illustrations inside the book (it is not heavy on illustrations) are just the same as the book I had as a child.

This is a perfect book to start reading to children or get children into a habit of reading. It is a book all children are going to love. I do not think I should be rating this precious gem.

The book has 11 extremely short stories. As the name suggests, the story revolves around Mr. Pink-Whistle who does good to people. I know it is not much of review but the stories are really small and I really cannot say much other than the fact that children are going to love it. My favourite story from the book as a child, A Surprise for Dame Gentle. Another reason why I love the book is- the description of food in many of the stories is just yummy!!!

If you ever get your hands on this book, do grab it and enjoy it thoroughly.

It's All in the Planets- by Preeti Shenoy

I pre-ordered this book by Preeti Shenoy on Amazon and to my surprise, I received a personally signed off book by the author after it was released. I have read all the books by Preeti Shenoy except 34 Bubblegums and Candies and Why We Love the Way We Do. I had also reviewed some of her books in the past. Please click here to read those reviews if you are interested.

Coming to this book- I really felt like I was watching a movie. The book is very fast paced and the storyline does keep one hooked. However, some of the things mentioned did not feel very Indian- maybe, I am still living in a completely different time. One example would be someone having a relationship coach. There are a few other things which does make the book feel a work of fiction and unreal.

The title of the book suggests that the planetary movements and the like have an impact on our lives. Though the writer has tried her best to incorporate this element in the book, it is not very obvious or clear and does not even seem like the main theme of the book.

The book is a story of love which Aniket has for Tisha, who are NOT made for each other but they seem to in a relationship for a long time. On a train journey, Aniket meets a relationship blogger- Nidhi, who seems to be the right person for him but is engaged to a man named Manoj. Aniket is madly in love with Tisha. Nidhi and Aniket become the best of friends just after one meeting. When things are not going well between Aniket and Tisha, he asks Nidhi to be his relationship coach. There is a series of events which turn all four lives upside down and how they deal with this.

What I really love about the book is the lovely description of Nidhi's home. I could just picturize how it would be like in my mind. I also loved how she lead her life- the description is amazing and liberating.

There are some other characters in the book as well- Aniket's friend Subbu, Nidhi's family, Aniket's family, an astrologer (sorry, I forget her name) and a few other random characters. Most of these characters just make very brief appearances in the book. While some play an important part in the book (I really cannot reveal as it could be a spoiler) in character building, others just appear to make the story more real.

Though the post may not look like I thought too highly of the book, I actually liked it much better than some of Preeti Shenoy's other books. It is not as good as Life is What You Make It. On a scale of 5, I would rate the book 4/5.

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 ;)