Its time

The past year has been sluggish, to say the least. I cant recall if this was the always the case or its just me realizing it now having had a tad too much time to spare and not doing anything productive out of it. Anyway I've had enough of the playing-it-safe me. I'm tired of the regrets, the missed opportunities, the I-am-going-to-look-stupid's and what'll-others-will-think-of-me's. I know its going to be hard but I'm up for the challenge. Its time to let go.

I want to look back at 2010 and for ONCE in my life think, wow I did good this year. Time for a new me. And I am going to document things more (here and in private) cause writing must be the only medium in the world which makes it possible to record what you were at that point in time.

Its the year to liberate myself and become the person I've always wanted to be. Happy 2010. Cheers.

Self nudge

Been pushing myself to make a blog post for a long time now. I know I *want* to write but I am not able to execute that wish into action. My basic problem seems to be a lack of topics to write about. I don't consider myself an expert in any field and the semi-perfectionist kind of person that I am, its hard for me to just ramble unless I am sure that it is worthy of something. Not to say the posts I have made so far are any good, but lets just say those are the times that the not-so-perfect side of me took over.

Anyway, I told myself I would make a post today at any cost and so this one. Here's hoping for more in the near future.

Book read: Hitchikers Guide To the Galaxy

By far the funniest book I have read so far. This was also my first science friction book and it was a lot of fun reading it. Although I found the first half of the book more hilarious than the following parts, nevertheless I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I am a big fan of humour of any form, text, graphic or in person and really admire those who have a knack of making others laugh. I plan to pick up more writings from this league.

Book read: Dream Laboratory

As I made my fortnightly trip to the library, I saw this one peeping out from the shelf and it was the word "dream" that caught my eye. I have always been fascinated by dreams. I used to even maintained a dream diary some years ago though I found it too cumbersome after a while. So anyway this book seemed too irresistible to miss. I had to pick it up and for the next two weeks my train journeys from work went zooming by.

The book is all about the thought process that runs through the mind of James as he deals with being dumped by his love Delphie and in the process of digging his past with her we learn about his association with a study group of dream and sleep disorder patients. The first half of the book passes by a little slow with James analysing every moment spent with Delphie and all the hints on the way which lead to her ultimate departure. But as the book progresses it gains speed. Gradually James finds himself looking at the world around him differently and finds himself in the process. I especially liked the open ended closure to the book which leaves the reader asking for more.

Book read: Tuesdays with Morrie

Once in a while we all need to be reminded of the things that really matter in life and be jolted back to basics. This is one such book. Made me ponder about all the things that I have left unsaid to family and friends about how much they mean to me and how I am who I am today because of them. Its a definite must read for everyone.

Book read: Flow - The Psychology of Optimal Experience

This book is about an interesting concept called flow researched by the author which we unconsciously experience every time we are deeply involved in a task enough to forget ourselves. For those few moments we forget our ego and everything around us. This sort of an experience leaves us with a deep sense of joy and satisfaction unlike anything that can be experienced with materialistic things.

What I liked about the book is it got me thinking about my routine of things and how seldom I have experienced it. I think the few instances have been when I am coding a difficult piece of code, solving a sudoko puzzle, solving a math problem or when playing board games like taboo and pictionary. I am really glad I read it. Now I will try and incorporate more activities in my lifestyle that will make me experience it.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who takes the occasional time off to ponder on life and wants to have a better living. I must admit it wasnt' exactly a cant put the book down sort of read for me, maybe because I am picking up a book after a long break. But without too much expectations its a good book to read.

Another attempt

So I haven't exactly stuck to my resolve to write more often. Oooo what a shocker :P I seem to be more worried about what others would think of me when they read this. More than anything else I disappoint myself in the process really. Even as I type this I re-read to ensure it looks ok. I dont know if its just me or everyone does that. I am sure they arent as paranoid as me anyway.

Alright so the point of this post.. I have finally got the time and right resources to catch up on all the reading I have missed out on over the past 10 years or so. Yeah I was full on from Enid Blyton till the Sydney Sheldon days and then I lost it except for the occasional book or two an year. Its time to get back now and I am going to start slow with a mixture of suggestions from friends and the most popular ones, the must reads. I will use this blog to keep track of the books I have read. So stay tuned..