Saturday, December 19, 2015

How to select a Self Help book

There are lot of self help books in the market - it's an ocean! But very few are actually good enough to learn from. Most of them are written for the purpose of sharing knowledge by the writer, and they are verbose.

That is not to say they are bad, every reader has their own choice!

But when it comes to buying a book, you want to make sure you are getting all your pennies worth!

How to select a book?

How do you select a book? 

There are some general factors to consider when buying a book:

  • Reviews
  • Favorite Author
  • Reading the summarized sample or the first chapter - to see if you like the writing style of the author.
  • How well do you like the cover (HEY! Don't look at me as if I am the only criminal here! :P)
But when you are buying a self help book, there is one VERY important factor which most people I know ignore and that is, NUMBER OF PAGES.

Let's get into the details: Self help is only effective if it is written in a very crisp style, otherwise it feels like verbose vomit! One very clear indicator of the same is the number of pages.  

If you buy a big book that isn't entertaining fiction or an autobiography, you will end up regretting the purchase once you lose interest in it. Secondly, you will have the guilt to have left the book halfway. 

So, choose your books wisely, for you are what you read! :)

Thursday, December 17, 2015

My review of Tamasha

I don't usually write movie reviews on my blog, but Tamasha has stirred my emotions into a whirlwind... so here it goes! (Hope it doesn't bore you!)



Halfway through Tamasha, I realized I was confused... yet loving the movie! At one point, Tamasha brings out the perception that Love is nothing but a mirage! The way the story progresses is absolute perfection! 

A friend once said that Imtiaz Ali is a spirit animal, I now realized why! It's the most mature love story I've ever seen! 

Ranbir is well and truly back, and Deepika has reached another level! Imtiaz Ali's film making is simple yet powerful, apparent yet complex, beautiful yet subtle! Tamasha is a masterpiece!

Hoping to see more from Ranbir. 

If you like my content, do share this post and mention your views in the comments below :)

Till my next post..
Ciao!

Friday, November 20, 2015

Heights of Insanity

Guess what I just did today?

I came into Pune after 12 midnight from Mumbai and took a tempo traveler cab. He must be taking his last round and sounded drunk as hell. For those don't live in Pune, let me offer a clear picture:

I alighted at Bhumkar Chowk and wanted to get to Pimple Saudagar. The route is not straight-forward and takes a detour at Dange Chowk and could be drive of anywhere between 10-20 minutes in the night. From Dange Chowk, if instead of a detour, you go straight,you will reach Chinchwad Gaon.

Now, there were three people who boarded his traveler, one wanted to get down at Dange Chowk and one wanted to go to Chinchwad, and I wanted to go to Pimple Saudagar - he said yes to all three. I to correct him by asking out clearly. He was so drunk, he didn't even register what any of us had asked - simply said yes.

Then at Dange chowk when two of us were getting down, the other guy gave ten rupees in complete change of one and two rupee coins. I gave a 50 rs note, while we were both arguing the charges, he said it is twenty rupees per person since it's night time (actual charge in any cab should not be more than 10 rupees for that distance). 

The other guy must have sensed the driver was drunk and listless. He handed him his change of ten rupees and got down nonchalantly. This driver charged me twenty and gave me 30 rs in return. 

When I called him out for cheating so openly, he said "meri marzi"  [This is my vehicle, I will charge according to my wish].

I said: "Pay me my ten rupees back or else I will steal my 50 rs note from your hand and run away!". I think the way I shouted must have been shaken him out of his intoxicated state. He quickly handed me the change which the previous guy gave.

I didn't mind the 20 re charge, his argument that it is night time was right. What irked me was his indifference that he had cheated so openly and still didn't care.

I guess, sometimes you have to be an idiot to survive in a world full of morons!

Monday, November 9, 2015

Living my Teenage Tennis Years All Over Again

I still remember that day in Feb of 2005. It was the final point of Hyderabad Open Finals. The final point which Sania won was declared dead since it started on a faulty serve that wasn't reported by the lines judge. One point later, she was holding the trophy in her hand :) smile emoticon

"That's the thing about pain, it demands to be felt"

Today she is the World No. 1 and finished a stupendous season of firsts!

2005 was also a year of my another favourite - Venus Williams had won the Wimbledon finals against Lindsay Davenport. Being the no 23rd Seed and the underdog, her victory was nothing short of marvelous! Her honest and bubbly dance with the Venus Rosewater dish is vivid in my mind grin emoticon
Venus Williams, Winner of Zhuhai along side Karolina Pliskova, the runner up

Today, Venus is back in Top 10 smile emoticon