Day 28: Another New Experience!

If you ask me what's new in my life, it would generally be updates and purchases about new clothes or stuff for the house. But after a long time, lately, my purchases have been books! This is the latest one which arrived :) Loving it so far! Another new experience comes, yet again from a book.

This is for the July Photo A Day Challenge. The theme for today is This Is New!

Half Book Review: Curious Lives

Image source: www.shop9.com

I am currently reading Curious Lives by Richard Bach. I picked this book up back in Bangalore, randomly, also probably because I had just finished reading another book by him. I liked the introduction of the book then, all about fables and adventures, reminded me of my childhood - just the introduction. I did start reading it, but it didn't interest me that much at the time. And now that I opened my bag of books transported to Nagpur, I picked it up again.

And boy am I glad I did! In About the book section, one line that I liked was, "This book is best read aloud at bedtime with your kids, spouse or lover." Though I did not try reading it aloud to V, it definitely is one of those bedtime books. It's like being transported back in time, where you would sleep off listening to or reading a fairy tale, with a curious mind and a happy heart. Every book I read, I read it with a free mind. Especially if it's non-fiction, I let my imaginations flow. This book has made the task of imagination a delight!

And I say all of this even though I haven't finished half of the book! Nowadays, I look forward to my special time with this book at bedtime. I cannot believe it didn't interest me previously. May be work life stress was a big reason for me to find it uninteresting and dragging. Now that I have lots of free time on hand, it comes across as a wonderful delight, this book.

Though I strongly recommend this book (yes, already), stay away from it if you're not a fan of fables and tales.

Siddhartha And The Irony Around Us

I was reading 'Siddhartha' by Hermann Hesse in the train, on my way to Nagpur. I was very excited to start the book. Buddha has always charmed me. And this excitement and charm made me finish the book in 18 hrs. flat!!


So here I was, reading this book about Siddhartha, who gave up all of his possessions in search of the ultimate. And there was so much of irony around me! I was surrounded by people who didn't take a minute to to take out their worldly possessions! As soon as the train started, everybody was busy with their laptops, music players, etc. We do carry our world together, don't we! No wonder people don't come across that feeling of 'missing' something or someone! For all you know, unlike Siddhartha, we might google for 'the ultimate'!


For me personally, it feels great to access the net after a whole of two weeks! I didn't miss it, but I like coming back to it. Why is it that we want to carry our worlds with us, is something I wonder so many times... Chuck the technology advancing etc. part. I don't care! What happened to spending time in the train by reading magazines, books, talking to fellow passengers? Yeah, we fear that the person next to us might be dangerous. All these old charms are dying. And I feel sad to witness this, but still hope that they will be alive.


In fact, when you're travelling with your friends and relatives, why do you need your laptop anyways? Oh yes, to keep your naughty child busy by making him addicted to such things. Instead of teaching him manners, you keep him busy with the laptop and let him irritate the other passengers, after he's done with playing on the laptop. You also like to watch that movie for the nth time with your friends, instead of catching up or having fun in the journey.


Whatever happened to looking forward to train journeys with your friends and family, planning what you will do during the journey.... It wasn't like people never travelled alone when we didn't have laptops or such things. I agree on the fact that we have more ways to pass time alone nowadays, but it makes me sad to see people carrying their worlds with them. It's actually a form of addiction.