Revolutionary Road (****)

Its a story of a couple living on 115, Revolutionary road in an American town in mid 1950s ..a picture perfect couple..2 kids...a picture perfect family..everyone says so too..

But we know nothing is picture perfect...April is a failed artist with an unknown yearning in her heart..Frank is someone who made her laugh once...a regular guy who is aware of his responsibilities and is fulfilling them through a mundane job..he once had some vague dreams and smart mouth...but not anymore..its all lost in the boring job and if there is some dissatisfaction with life, a casual lay here or there takes care of it..

April's yearning keeps getting stronger ..she doesnt knows what she is looking for..but this is not what she wanted in her life...afterall they are unique, they are here to fulfill a destiny..

One day she remembers Frank saying that he had never felt more alive than when he was in Paris...maybe thats the answer...moving to Paris...realise Franks dreams...find a purpose in life !

Frank is made amenable of the idea and things start moving...tickets are purchased...house put on sale...smiles appear on faces and happiness creeps up the eyes...you can feel the energy and joy of new beginings...

You know though - ironically , Frank is 'discovered' by the Big boss and offered a more creative role and better money..he gets tempted...April finds out she is pregnant...putting a damper on their plans...Frank takes it easily, a bit relieved that he doesnt has to find out what he wants to do in his life....

It seems like end of a dream...end of life for April...Frank cannot understand what April wants...why is she not content 'playing house' ...he doesnt realises the depth of her despair and the ending is something that we can predict now, but maybe not in those times...

After the movie , I felt thankful to be living in 20th century where I will not be labeled 'insane' if I want a personality apart from what my family defines me..I wont be called abnormal if I want to develop my interests, pursue my dreams...

We should remind ourselves time and again that all the things in life that we take for granted were all fought for by countless men & women before us...all of them...we have come a long way ahead....and there is longer to go..........

Book ToDos

Since ages Ive been trying to find like-minded readers, some one to share and talk about the books that I read , love , dislike and it was not happening..

Last month things started falling in place and I found a bookclub which meets every month..very near to my house too..

I also found some online reading groups which are inviting commentary, discussions all openly..

 

Suddenly , I find myself trying to keep track of books to read, comment upon,review upon - which is all very good but I think I might slip or not really be able to contribute..I think I need to pick 2 of them , track them and contribute to them and then maybe expand.. So Im tracking it here :

• I shall be reading 'Motherless Brooklyn' for my book club meeting on June 16th - I have it in my hand already and I think I have next weekend to read and take some notes (which Ive never done before)
• I want to contribute couple of reviews at The Orange Prize Project , I have asked for and recieved the membership already. First one I have in mind is 'We need to talk about Kevin' , which inspite of reading before almost 2 years still lingers on in my memory , not concretely but as a vague dream.. I might reread one of the books or pick one from the list ..Im still deciding on that..

How does everyone deals with all those different reading and review deadlines and keeps track ??

 

 

Booklist

With Orange Prize for fiction being announced shortly, I cannot very well put this off longer..This is the list floating around on literary blogs, list of all Guardian longlist books from 1996 - 2009...I have striked out the books that Ive read and it seems very few , i.e 29 (lot of books to add to TBR pile.. yay !).. Some of them I distinctly remember as having loved  - Bel Canto , Half a Yellow Sun , We need to talk about Kevin ; some left me cold - Ice road, Gilead (which I didnt complete..life is short !) ; some forgotten , with some obscure memory - When we were bad etc ; some left me questioning - why should a tribute(copy) win an award ??  ..neway...enough books to add to my TBR pile too...

Neway here is my list : (I found this great blog of readers group for these books ...looks interesting..I shall explore more..)

A L Kennedy Everything You Need
A L Kennedy So I am Glad
Ajay Close Official and Doubtful
Ali Smith Hotel World - shortlist
Ali Smith the Accidental - shortlist
Alice Greenaway White Ghost Girls
Alice McDermott Charming Billy
Alice Sebold The Lovely Bones
Allegra Goodman Intuition
Amy Tan The Bonesetter's Daughter
Amy Tan The Hundred Secret Senses - shortlist
Andrea Barrett The Voyage of the Narwhal
Andrea Levy Never Far from Nowhere
Andrea Levy Small Island - winner
Anita Desai Fasting, Feasting
Anita Desai The Zigzag Way
Anita Rau Badami The Hero's Walk
Anita Shreve The Weight of Water - shortlist
Ann Patchett Bel Canto - winner
Ann Patchett The Magician's Assistant - shortlist
Ann Weisgarber's The Personal History of Rachel DuPree
Ann-Marie MacDonald Fall on your Knees
Anna Burns No Bones - shortlist
Anna Quindlen Black and Blue
Anne Donovan Buddha Da - shortlist
Anne Michaels Fugitive Pieces - winner
Anne Enright The Gathering
Anne Tyler Digging to America
Anne Tyler Ladder of Years - shortlist
Anne Tyler The Amateur Marriage
Audrey Niffenegger The Time Traveler's Wife
Barbara Ewing A Dangerous Vine
Barbara Kingsolver The Poisonwood Bible - shortlist
Barbara Neil A History of Silence
Bella Bathurst Special
Bernadine Evaristo Blonde Roots

Beryl Bainbridge Every Man for Himself
Beryl Bainbridge Master Georgie
Carol Shields Larry's Party - winner
Carol Shields Unless- shortlist
Carrie Tiffany Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living- shortlist
Catherine Chidgey In a Fishbone Church
Catherine O'Flynn What Was Lost
Célestine Hitiura Vaite Frangipani
Charlotte Mendelson When We Were Bad
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Half of a Yellow Sun - winner
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Purple Hibiscus - shortlist
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni The Mistress of Spices
Chloe Hooper A Child's Book of True Crime - shortlist
Christina Koning Undiscovered Country
Christine Dwyer Hickey Tatty
Christine Pountney Last Chance Texaco
Clare Allan Poppy Shakespeare
Clare Clark The Great Stink
Cristina Garcia The Aguero Sisters
Crystal Wilkinson Water Street
Curtis Sittenfeld American Wife
Curtis Sittenfeld Prep
Danzy Senna From Caucasia, with Love
Deborah Robertson Careless
Debra Adelaide The Household Guide to Dying
Deirdre Madden One by One in the Darkness - shortlist
Deirdre Purcell Love Like Hate Adore - shortlist
Dinah Lee Küng A Visit from Voltaire
Donna Tartt The Little Friend- shortlist
Drusilla Modjeska The Orchard
E Annie Proulx Accordion Crimes - shortlist
Edna O'Brien In the Forest
Eilis Ni Dhuibhne The Dancers Dancing - shortlist
Elizabeth Knox The Vintner's Luck
Elizabeth McCracken Niagara Falls All Over Again
Elizabeth Strout Amy and Isabelle – shortlist
Ellen Feldman Scottsboro
Elspeth Sandys River Lines
Emma Richler Sister Crazy
Esther Freud Summer at Gaglow
Esther Freud The Wild
Gail Jones Dreams of Speaking
Gillian Slovo Ice Road - shortlist
Gina B Nahai Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith
Gina Ochsner The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight
Haven Kimmel The Solace of Leaving Early
Heather O'Neill Lullabies for Little Criminals
Helen DeWitt The Last Samurai
Helen Dunmore A Spell of Winter - winner
Helen Dunmore House of Orphans
Helen Dunmore The Siege - shortlist
Hilary Mantel Beyond Black- shortlist
Hilary Mantel The Giant O'Brien
Ingrid Hill Ursula, Under
Isla Dewar Keeping Up with Magda
Jackie Kay Trumpet
Jacquelyn Mitchard The Most Wanted
Jamaica Kincaid The Autobiography of My Mother
Jane Gardam Old Filth - shortlist
Jane Hamilton The Short History of a Prince - shortlist
Jane Harris The Observations - shortlist
Jane Mendelsohn I Was Amelia Earhart - shortlist
Jane Rogers Island
Jane Rogers Promised Lands
Jane Smiley Horse Heaven - shortlist
Jane Smiley Ten Days in the Hills
Jane Urquhart The Underpainter
Janet Davey English Correspondence
Jayne Ann Phillips Motherkind
Jeanette Winterson Gut Symmetries
Jeanette Winterson The PowerBook
Jennifer Clement A True Story Based on Lies
Jhumpa Lahiri The Namesake
Jill Dawson Fred & Edie - shortlist
Jill Dawson Watch Me Disappear
Jo-Ann Goodwin Danny Boy
Joan Brady Death Comes for Peter Pan
Joan Didion The Last Thing He Wanted
Joan London Gilgamesh
Joanne Harris Five Quarters of the Orange
Joolz Denby Billie Morgan - shortlist
Josephine Humphreys Nowhere Else on Earth
Joyce Carol Oates Middle Age
Joyce Carol Oates Rape A Love Story
Joyce Carol Oates The Falls
Judy Budnitz If I Told You Once - shortlist
Julia Blackburn The Book of Colour - shortlist
Julia Blackburn The Leper's Companions - shortlist
Julia Darling Crocodile Soup
Julia Leigh The Hunter
Julie Otsuka When the Emperor was Divine
Karla Kuban Marchlands
Kate Atkinson Case Histories
Kate Grenville The Idea of Perfection - winner
Kathryn Heyman The Breaking
Kathy Page The Story of My Face
Kira Cochrane Escape Routes for Beginners
Kiran Desai The Inheritance of Loss - shortlist
Kirsten Bakis Lives of the Monster Dogs - shortlist
Kitty Aldridge Pop
Laura Fish Strange Music
Laura Hird Born Free
Laurie Graham Dog Days, Glenn Miller Nights
Laurie R King With Child
Leila Aboulela Minaret
Leila Aboulela The Translator
Leone Ross All the Blood is Red
Lesley Glaister Now You See Me
Lesley Glaister The Private Parts of Women
Leslie Forbes Fish, Blood & Bone
Lily Prior La Cucina
Linda Grant The Cast Iron Shore
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs
Linda Grant When I Lived in Modern Times - winner
Lindsey Collen The Rape of Sita
Lionel Shriver We Need to Talk About Kevin - winner
Lisa Moore Alligator
Lissa Evans Their Finest Hour and a Half
Liz Jensen Ark Baby
Liz Jensen Egg Dancing
Liz Jensen War Crimes for the Home
Lori Lansens The Girls
Lorraine Adams Harbor
Louise Welsh The Cutting Room
Louise Young Baby Love
Lucy Ellmann Dot in the Universe
Lucy Ellmann Man or Mango?
M J Hyland Carry Me Down
Maggie Gee The Flood
Maggie Gee The White Family - shortlist
Maile Meloy Liars & Saints - shortlist
Manda Scott Hen's Teeth - shortlist
Margaret Atwood Alias Grace- shortlist
Margaret Atwood Oryx and Crake - shortlist
Margaret Atwood The Blind Assassin - shortlist
Margaret Forster Over
Marianne Wiggins Eveless Eden – shortlist
Marilyn Bowering Visible Worlds - shortlist
Marilynne Robinson Gilead
Marina Lewycka A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian- shortlist
Marly Swick Evening News
Mary Kay Zuravleff The Frequency of Souls
Mary Morrissy Mother of Pearl
Maureen Duffy Restitution
Meaghan Delahunt In the Blue House
Meera Syal Anita and Me
Meg Wolitzer The Position
Melanie Finn Away From You
Melanie Wallace The Housekeeper
Michele Roberts Impossible Saints
Michelle de Kretser The Lost Dog
Michelle Huneven Round Rock
Michelle Lovric The Remedy
Miranda Hearn Nelson's Daughter
Miriam Toews The Flying Troutmans
Monica Ali Brick Lane
Nadine Gordimer The House Gun
Nancy Huston Fault Lines
Nani Power Crawling at Night
Naomi Alderman Disobedience
Nell Freudenberger The Dissident
Nell Leyshon Black Dirt
Nicole Krauss The History of Love - shortlist
Nora Okja Keller Comfort Woman
Nora Okja Keller Fox Girl
Oonya Kempadoo Buxton Spice
Pagan Kennedy Spinsters - shortlist
Pat Barker The Ghost Road
Patricia Ferguson It So Happens
Patricia Ferguson Peripheral Vision
Patricia Wood Lottery
Paulina Simons Red Leaves
Pauline Melville The Ventriloquist's Tale - shortlist
Penelope Fitzgerald The Blue Flower
Philippa Gregory The Constant Princess
Preeta Samarasan Evening is the Whole Day
Rachel Cusk Arlington Park - shortlist
Rachel Seiffert Afterwards
Rachel Seiffert The Dark Room
Rebecca Gowers When to Walk
Rose Tremain The Colour - shortlist
Rose Tremain The Road Home
Rosina Lippi Homestead - shortlist
Rupa Bajwa The Sari Shop
Sadie Jones The Outcast
Samantha Harvey The Wilderness
Samantha Hunt The Invention of Everything Else
Sandra Benitez Bitter Grounds
Sandra Cisneros Caramelo
Sarah Hall The Electric Michelangelo
Sarah May The Internationals
Sarah Waters Fingersmith – shortlist
Sarah Waters The Night Watch - shortlist
Sena Jeter Naslund Ahab's Wife
Shauna Singh Baldwin What the Body Remembers
Shena Mackay Heligoland - shortlist
Sheri Holman The Mammoth Cheese - shortlist
Shirley Hazzard The Great Fire - shortlist
Siri Hustvedt The Enchantment of Lily Dahl
Siri Hustvedt What I Loved
Sonya Hartnett What the Birds See
Stef Penney The Tenderness of Wolves
Stella Duffy State of Happiness
Stephanie Grant The Passion of Alice
Stevie Davies Kith & Kin
Stevie Davies The Element of Water
Sue Gee The Mysteries of Glass
Sue Miller Lost in the Forest
Sue Monk Kidd The Secret Life of Bees
Sunetra Gupta A Sin of Colour
Suzanne Berne A Crime in the Neighbourhood - winner
Toni Morrison Love
Toni Morrison Paradise - shortlist
Tracy Chevalier Girl with a Pearl Earring
Trezza Azzopardi The Hiding Place
Tricia Wastvedt The River
Valerie Martin Property - winner
VV Ganeshananthan Love Marriage
Xiaolu Guo A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers - shortlist
Zadie Smith On Beauty - winner
Zadie Smith The Autograph Man - shortlist
Zadie Smith White Teeth - shortlist
Zoë Heller Notes on a Scandal

 

Library Loot

After a long time I went to the Main Library here..I love going to that place ..the pillar columns at the entrance itself tell you all what is valued..there are all those book quotes which I cant resist to stop and read..every time..

Inside,  its a cool and big space with chairs to sprawl on with your individual book piles ..there are discreetly placed 'recommendations' , some 'specials' .. its like heaven for me..for any book reader..

 

Anyway, I usually order and call on my books to be delivered to a nearby library , which is smaller but quite convenient..So with unexpected time on hands I walked to the library today,and though I didnt mean to - I picked up 4 books and couldnt even wait/risk putting them in the online queue..I had to lug them back so far away..right now :) .. My precious loot :

 

The Robber Bride, by Margaret Atwood - I must confess I am not an Atwood fan, I somehow havnt 'got' her ..Ive read couple of her books..but this jacket description was too powerful ..

 

The Almond Picker , by Simonetta Hornby - Interesting name and book jacket description

 

I,The Divine , by Rabih Alameddine - Who can resist a book all in First chapters ! and Ive read and loved his narrative style in 'The Hakawati' ..this should be good..

 

Getting married, by Theresa Alan - My guilty pleasure - a cleverly written(hopefully) chick-lit

 

 

Slumdog millionaire..my perspective..

Times magazine calls it a dervish delight - http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/top10/article/0,30583,1855948_1863826_1863833,00.html 

WSJ calls it first globalized masterpiece - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122661670370126131.html

GoldenGlobe gave it a nod - http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/104

What happens after this ? Expections..high expections...and what happens to high expectations ? The same as to a big wave...it comes crashing down..now Im exaggerating a bit here...my expectations were not crashed as such...but yes...they were un-realised..the movie was not upto what I expected it to be...and I dont really know what I expected..but isnt that usually the case ?

Let me tell you..I am as big a fan of the under-dog getting his redemption at the end-of-the-movie as anyone else...a big fan of Mumbai - where the movie is set...and it is depicted wonderfully..though a bit more block-coloured than I guess it is..I wonder how they paint the slums as colourful when they are struggling for their daily lives...but this is one of the jarring notes...

The lead-actors being another...To give a little back story , this is about 3 kids and their coming-of-age in the grits of the underbelly of mumbai , the slums ! Each of the 3 protagonist are showed in 3 stages of their age , and whereas the youngest characters are so real and believable and heart-rending, as they grow older they do not remain so...maybe thats true with us too..Im sure we arent as cute at 17 as we were at 6 or even at 12...

The issues that are seen are all very humane...very real...very touching..horrifying at times - the beggers gang in which they get meshed for a while..the toughness and survival skills that you see in those kids, even when they are scamming tourists...the red-light area...I mean each and every of them...and no melodrama...just matter-of-fact life..the way it is actually out there...

So one would wonder why Im complaining..its because I think I see all this and I dont see any fantasy element in it..no stretch of imagination...I know it all happens..day in and day out ..along with all the other varied things happening in India..and I think that the audience here love it more because all that they see is not something they have seen or experienced or known to happen...so a sense of wonder is felt more when you see something that you havnt seen before ?? Maybe thats why I liked 'Wall-E' more...

Slumdog is good no doubt..but bollywood has produced many such movies..I mean not nearly as good..but touching one or many of the issues seen here..as well as mumbai...and slums...it just didnt strike me as unique a fare as it did to the audience here... so yeah...a thumbs up to Slumdog..but let those Wall-Es keep coming too...<can anyone tell I didnt know how to end this really ??>

5 starred

Out of the 60+ odd books Ive read so far in the year and logged in Shelfari, apparently only 3 of them deserve 5 stars ..

What does that says about me ..that Im highly discerning or maybe highly stingy in giving out those stars .. ??

Anyways , the great books which deserved the 5 stars according to my self-proclaimed exalted opinion are :

 

Kiss of the spider woman , by Manuel Puig - I dont remember where I got the reference for this one, but I did..and I checked it out from my library and read it..

Its a very different and unique narrative style for an unlikely friendship (I think its based on real characters and events) developed between two prisoners sharing a cell, but from vastly different background and ideology and interests..the premise is interesting but made fascinating by the dialogue between the two central characters..its just great..I will try to read more by the author though I think this is his best and most well-known work..

 

Floating in my mother's palm , by Ursula Hegi - Hanna malter tells her life story in short snippets and each of them make you crave for more...I did read some other works by the author after this one...and though I do not remember the specifics I remember being very enamored by the book when I read it.. (does this happens to everyone or is it just me ?)

 

Shane , by Jack Schaefer - Recommended by some list on great Western novels and it did not disappoint. 'He rode into our valley in the summer of '89' - I am not likely to forget this opening line anytime soon..and though its a very thin book, its very powerful - giving an exact picture of the great historic western mindset..Im not sure if these are just stories or is there some reality behind it..but as a piece of fiction its a keeper..

What a night - last night !

As I took the journey yesterday with millions of Americans, actually millions more across the globe, though safe and alone in my living room , I could still feel it happening...

I was part of History making event yesterday - watching the poll results come in one by one for the Presidential election , an half hour of panic around early results...which brought me back from the mundane tasks to sitting tightly in front of the tele with laptop on...

Pennsylvania called for Obama !

Ohio now..

Every pundit is saying that they dont see how Mccain can add up the numbers after this and no Republican has gone to White house without Ohio..but they are still cautious..not calling it in for Obama..

Virginia , North Caroline, Indiana too close to call..

Nail-biting wait for rest of country polls to come in..

And its 11PM EST, west coast polls close...and all the screens - CNN, FOX, MSNBC sweepingly declare Barack Obama as the 44th President Elect of United States of America !!!!

What a sight...what a moment...overwhelming !! All the tele coverage is on the Grant Park Chicago event and there are no words needed...the crowd is jubiliant..laughing ...crying...jumping...

 

John Mccain gives an extra-ordinarily gracious conceding speech...packs off Palin back to where she came from <grin> ..hope we never see her again !

Grant park again...and the First family arrives on the stage...I cannot even begin to imagine what must be going through their minds right now...its huge, HUGE moment for each of them..

President Barack Obama is sombre and solemn..he knows the weight of the responsibilty on his shoulders and 'though we have come this far, we have to go a lot more ahead'. ..

A quick grin flashed as he leaves the stage and my heart is full of over-flowing emotions...I know that this is not the end of the problems..

but that I have participated in this historical event..tracked it day per day..poll per poll..hoped and despaired..and seen it to its rightful culmination !! GO BARACK !!

My literary podcasts

Being the bookworm that I am , I have a range of literary podcasts that I listen to usually when I workout :

Here they are :

 

B&N Meet the Writers :

This twice a week podcast features some interesting authors and chat with them..

 

Panel with Simon Mayo :

From across the ocean, Simon Mayo and a book review panel discuss and dissect 2 books per week .Its funny to hear 'Sarah Palin' mentioned in conjunction with 'Breaking dawn' hearoine (Stephanie Meyer's book) ..It just shows how notorious she has become in such a short time..was it only the labor day weekend before which no one even knew who Sara Palin was ??

 

New York Times book Review :

Every week Book review editor Sam Tanenhaus talks about books, authors, current best-sellers and other sundries happening in book world. Fast paced overview of the book world.

 

KCRW's bookworm :

Michael Silverblat, the show's host and guiding spirit talks to established , new or emerging authors every week with particular insight on the their works..the host has his own thoughtful and philosophical style that I found a bit slow at start but really started to admire henceforth..

 

New Yorker Fiction :

This podcast show introduced me to Mavis Gallant and I shall remain eternally greatful for that..

Every week , New yorker invites one of its current authors to pick and read a short story of their own liking..Both the author reading and being read reveal a lot about their works and thoughts..

 

New Yorker out loud :

A weekly conversation about whats new in the New Yorker . Touches on various current issues with the New Yorker contributing authors.

 

NPR Book Tour :

In the inimitable style of Neda Ulaby , this weekly podcast invites authors to read from and discuss their works.

I particularly liked the Bastard of Istanbul, Enchantress of Florence , An age of American self loathing and so on..

 

World Book Club (BBC) :

The host and studio audience hear and talk to world famous authors once a month.

Isabel Allende's interview was such a beautiful dialogue that I could just go on listening to it ...

 

 

 

 

Do your bit

You think about contributing in some ways and the doors open one by one...

 

I found 'Bloggers Launch TrainforHumanity.org Humanitarian Initiative' today ..do take time to read, think , assimilate and do your bit :

 

Over the past five years, 200,000 civilians have died due to violence, malnutrition, and disease in Darfur and an additional 2.2 million people have been displaced. We want to do something about it.

Fed up with watching humanitarian crises on the evening news and not doing anything to help, a group of bloggers (most notably, Leo Babauta of Zen Habits) have created and founded the non-profit Train for Humanity, which is an online humanitarian awareness and fundraising organization.

Over 150,000 new blogs are added to the internet everday. Train for Humanity’s mission is to utilize the web, social media, and blogging, in tandem with athletes in training, to support organizations that help prevent suffering and alleviate the pain of children, orphans, and refugees who have been displaced due to genocide or internal strife and war within their country.

Quite simply, they believe - getting fit + social media + blogging = social good

The three pilot project athlete-bloggers, Mark Hayward, Dan Clements, and Leo Babauta are hoping to raise awareness for the current crisis in Darfur and funds for the organization Darfur Peace and Development. All three are training for endurance events of varying distances ranging from a triathlon to a marathon.

They hope to show people that with a little creativity and innovation, anyone can assist and make a difference in the world. If you would like to learn more, have a look at the Train for Humanity website and please consider sponsoring one of them or spreading the word.

 

My stomach is churning

since yesterday when I read about the polls favoring Mccain-Palin..I feel physically sick ...my husband's birthday was just a dull day...I feel doomed..and I hope I am wrong...

and let me tell you - I am a non-american person working here in USA, I cannot vote , I cannot claim to be an expert in politics but I do understand that Mccain - Palin to repeat a cliche, will be more of a same or worse since Palin will be one step away from presidency..what will she do if such a situatin arises ? Ban abortion ? Ban books ? Are we moving ahead in the 21st century or backwards ? Since when did war became a word from God ??

I am not so naive to assume that Obama is an answer to everything and all the problems in the country will go away if he is elected..but atleast he does not seem to a bible-thumping, self -righteous prig to me..and the party, the democrats stand for liberal values which do resonate with me...

I cannot express or expound on all the thoughts going on in my head right now..but it is with a disbelief that I am looking at this situation right now, as I did 4 years back when Bush was re-elected..

 I  dont know if I should distance myself from this political process..shut my eyes and ears and my brain..how else will I survive the next 8 weeks ?? I cannot change anything anyway...

Im not sure I can do that though...I cannot be aloof from what is going on around me..even as an observer..

I am perversely attracted to every political tid-bit on the internet and I am a zombie from trawling all those news sites...so guess I am doomed till November and I shall be keeping my fingers crossed and praying with my eyes tightly shut (its more effective that way ) that American people make the right decision and take this country back to the right path of being the great nation that it was....

My International Literacy day participation

Today , listening to the book podcast on KCRW bookworm, I thought I should contribute to this effort, which brings me so many author's voices and such thoughtful and gentle voice from the host - Michael Silverblatt.

So , thats one of the things..I will go home and donate to this literary endeavor ..<since all the KCRW sites are blocked from my office :( >

 

Two, is getting a kindle (as a gift) counted as a literacy pursuit..I guess I could..since it allows me to read more :-)

 

Thirdly, I thought I would read some good book yesterday , but I was not in a mood..was a bit low ...cause of which is thought for another post...

 

Lastly , the Booker shortlist is announced and it has one of the books that Ive been dying to read - Amitav Ghosh's 'Sea of Poppies' .. I shall renew my efforts to get hold of it ...The full list is :   

• The Clothes on Their Backs by Linda Grant
• A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
• The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher
• Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
• The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
• The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Happy International Literacy day !

Today is International Literacy Day and this year's slogan is "Literacy is the best remedy" .. linking good health to literacy !

 

I was inspired to celebrate and found this on the internet <courtesy http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/literacy_day/ild_local.html>

Suggested Activities for Individuals

• Take a field trip to a local literary landmark.
• Learn about and support local literacy projects.
• Join a book discussion group.
• Develop a home library.
• Sponsor a child in a reading program.
• Give a book as a gift.
• Volunteer to read to patients in a hospital or nursing home.
• Get a library card and use it.
• Share your enthusiasm for a book with a child.
• Read books aloud to family and friends.
• Reread a favorite book.
• Ask your friends to tell you about the books that shaped their lives.
• Help a child write and illustrate a book.
• Attend readings at your local library or bookstore.
• Recommend a favorite book to a friend.
• Use television to encourage reading.
• Teach someone to read.

I am going to think about it and see how I can contribute or celebrate my literacy :-)

I have been thinking

Where does inspiration comes from ?

 

Watching Olympics last week, one thought came again and again to my mind - how does it happens that one day , somewhere in a distant country someone wakes up with dream of going and winning in olympics ?

Someone who is not connected to Olympics in any way...who had no idea about what it is..still finds some inspiration..some motivation ...to dream...

Where does it comes from ? What drives people to spend years of their lives training for an obscure skill or sport...

 

Similarly, we keep reading...hearing about the freedom fighters who fought for Indian independence..there were some who were totally unaware of having any personal life or ambitions..who gave up wealth , love and comfort for a cause which so burned them...that they could NOT not do anything about it ..

What drives a person to rise above the mundane, the humdrum , to dream of something even they dont know exists ... what drove them to walk to their deaths with open eyes and arms extended...

 

I search in the dictionary and find Inspiration defined as Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.

Passion is defined as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

 

Is this what is the driving force of the athlete from an unknown country or Shahid Bhagatsingh who marched to the gallows with 'Inquilab Zindabad' on his lips ?

 

Is what Im describing called Inspiration or Passion or does this phenomenon has any other name ?

Mania

I dont know when it started...was it the olympics..or was it much before that..click click click...searching for news on the web...on anything interesting that is going on..

Olympics made it quite obvious to me I think...never before in my 8-olympics past life have I been so fascinated with it...and media fueled it...I keep looking for more information ..dont know what exactly..but keep looking...never satiated...

After Olympics I was lost for a day or 2 and on I started again with DNC - it is quite fascinating to watch a man's unprecedented rise to power...but I think im getting a bit obsessed here...I am looking for all the obvious news coverage...and as if that was not enough I want to go into the specific searches...and the history...and opinions..

Why do I care so much about what others think of something...Do I even know what I think about all these things ??

I like the change..

There were days...when our weekend..or rather Sunday would start with me waking up late...lying in the bed some more to read a book...and then R and I heading for a niice breakfast...brunch maybe ..come home satiated...watch a movie...langorous days..come to think of it not so bad...

but now...we want to wake up early..so as to miss the weekend crowd on our biking trail ! pack off our bikes and off to a 6-10 mile of biking workout..and it makes us sing ..makes us want to do better...again...gives us a great sense of accomplishment in the day...what could be better than that ?? I like it !

Skipping...

So I skipped rope today...and it was great ..cant even remember how long ago I had done that last...! I remembered my cousin who skipped her way to weight-loss...and did she loose it...

Im not really looking at weight loss as a goal..rather being healthy...eating good..staying fit...Im getting more and more invested in that..

I used to be so anti-gym...they are pretentious ..boring..cooped in ..blah blah..

On the other hand I do not have enough self-discipline or patience to do what needs to be done at home..Im just thankful I realised that about myself and my need for some sort of physical activity just got too big to ignore and I joined the gum ! and Im discovering new stuff everyday...today was jumping rope !!

Internet is such a blessing...it has every kind of info...you just need to know what to look for....I am finding out all kind of things about workouts and diets and trying to apply it all..

 

Im quite proud of myself for taking this step..

Im also happy for quitting on coffee...It had become addictive ...even though it was just a cup a day..but still I didnt like the dependency and I quit !

I thought it would be tough..but it wasnt ..except for weekend ..when we go out a lot ..then I just have a coffee..I dont want to be too obsessive about having/not having it...

 

I just had to jot somewhere about the positive things in my life right now...

 

 

Health tips

Courtery http://www.dumblittleman.com/

 

White is Not Right: Having a love affair with white bread, white potatoes and white rice? Kiss them goodbye. Although you were taught otherwise, breads and cereals made from white flour are not good for you. White flour simply breaks down into sugar. Not only is too much sugar bad for you, you ultimately crash as quickly as you peak and therefore you are hungry again in no time! Guess what. You eat more and more until you fall asleep. In the morning, you wake up and have a muffin and start the process all over again.

 

Go Nutty for Nuts: Stop worrying about nuts being fattening; forget calories. Scientific evidence suggests (but does not prove) that eating a handful of nuts daily will give you less probability of heart disease. Nuts are rich in fiber, and antioxidants and high in Omega 3 (the good fats shown to lower LDL cholesterol). Personally, I have a handful of walnuts, almonds, pecans and 2 Brazil nuts each morning, with my coffee. (Yes, I do drink coffee).

 

Avocado is your Best Friend: You are probably thinking right now, this whole list is full of fat (!!). It is - but it's GOOD FAT. And, if eaten in proportion, it won't make you fat; that's a promise. I eat half an avocado every day. Avocado is considered the world's healthiest fruit, because of its nutrient contents such as vitamin K, dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C and copper. Health benefits include lowered chance of heart disease, stroke, cancer and Alzheimer's disease; keeping you young, fit and fabulous.

 

Reverse your Meals: Most people don't eat breakfast, have a sandwich for lunch and gorge on a big dinner. This my friends is waistline suicide. Its been said a million times before, but eating a big breakfast, a smaller lunch and a tiny dinner will do WONDERS for your jean size. Also, try not to eat after 9pm. Can you possibly imagine the joy of going to bed on a stomach that is not bloated or having to concentrate on digesting that rack of lamb you just ate? For one, you will sleep better and secondly, you'll wake up with a healthy appetite.

 

The 80/20 Rule: Eat healthy 80 percent of the time - the other 20 percent - eat whatever the hell you like (but not after 9pm). The whole point of eating well for the long term (your whole life) is knowing that you can also have whatever you want sometimes and that yes, a little bit of what you fancy really does do you good.

 

Leo

Following the Obama news trail it suddenly struck me that maybe Obama is a Leo (sun sign) , that would attribute to his phenomenal rise..and indeed I found it to be true...as seen in the wiki entry :

 

    "Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (born August 4, 1961) is an American junior United States Senator from Illinois and the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election. He is the first African American to be the presumptive presidential nominee of any major American political party."

 

and ofcourse I am not the only one thinking about this, as you will see if you do a simple google search with 'Obama Leo' ..

 

I have a few Leos in my life and have a healthy respect for their effortless personality and conviction of belief in themselves..or ego as you might call it...but in this case warranted ..

Im just glad my hunch proved to be right :-)

 

 

I think the world is sinking

Yesterday a friend mentioned that he checked out a book from library 'The world is flat' and I quipped ..no..its sinking !

But then I realised its true...given the situation in China, Burma, Afraica .. the soaring fuel prices , the food prices , it does seem

to me that the world is sinking...and unless we take a consious step ...live more consiously this will just go on...

 

Do you feel the same way ? Are you doing something about it ?

Going to try this today .. thanks Allrecipes !

Easy Pesto

Submitted by: Rebecca Jane Thompson Rated: 4 out of 5 by 71 members

Prep Time: 2 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ready In: 12 Minutes Yields: 6 servings

"This is the easiest pesto recipe, using easy to find ingredients. It can be prepared in 2 minutes after you toast the almonds."

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup almonds 3 cloves garlic 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil 1 pinch ground nutmeg salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place almonds on a cookie sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
2.	In a food processor, combine toasted almonds, garlic, basil, olive oil, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Process until a coarse paste is formed.

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Printed from Allrecipes.com 5/15/2008