Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi | Book Review

Before the Coffee Gets Cold
by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
#BookReview

An unassuming basement café in Tokyo - Funiculi Funicula - lets you travel in time.

But the opportunity comes with certain conditions.

Only one seat in the café allows the time travel.

No matter what you do when you go back, your present will not change.

You must return back before your coffee turns cold.

With time travel at its heart, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a thought-provoking exploration of time, regret, and the human longing for second chances, served in four delicately crafted short stories.

I'd been in a bit of a reading slump lately. Book after book failed to capture my attention, leaving a trail of unfinished books in their wake.

I was on the lookout for something light, comforting, and engaging, when I picked up Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It proved to be the perfect antidote to my reading fatigue. The book is easy-going in its narrative and endearing characters had my attention from the very first page, making it a breeze to read.

Best Harry Potter Quotes to Inspire You

Some months back a friend of mine who happens to be an avid reader shared a Harry Potter meme with me on WA. And I didn’t get it, because, despite the popularity of the Harry Potter series, I had not read it. I had not even watched the movies and I was clueless about anything related to Potter. So, there was no way, I would decipher the meme and have a laugh.

Fast forward a month or so, I was going through a reader’s block of sorts. I was unable to stick to any serious reads at length. So, I decided to give the Harry Potter books a read. I think that was a great decision. While I was immersed in reading it, my mind was totally in a different reality. I stopped bothering about the trivial everyday issues. That to me is the hallmark of a great read. There is a quote about reading that I find very resonating here -

‘Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to live where we are.’

I have read the first four books of the Harry Potter series and I am onto reading the fifth one and I can say this out loud - these books took me places. These books don’t just take you into a world of magic, spells, and adventure. There is so much more to it. It dwells on friendship, loyalty, camaraderie, taking risks, and more. No wonder how popular the Harry Potter series is. And contrary to the popular belief that this series is for kids only, I think, readers irrespective of their age can enjoy it.

The Wellness Sense by Om Swami #bookreview

The Wellness Sense by Om Swami #BookReview

The Wellness Sense by Om Swami dwells on holistic wellbeing from the perspective of Ayurvedic and yogic wisdom. It is not a book that gives you information on Ayurvedic medicines or concoctions, instead, it talks about the underlying principles of health and tells you about various ways to achieve it.

I had first read the book The Wellness Sense by Om Swami at the beginning of the year 2018. I was searching for a book on Ayurvedic principles on Amazon and this book was among the top suggestions. The blurb as well as the readers’ comments on the book looked promising. The book is written in a simple and easy to understand language, and I have gone back to reading it multiple times to soak in the wisdom and bring necessary changes in my lifestyle. I loved the way the content of the book is designed. Any person (like me with no knowledge of Ayurveda whatsoever) can read and understand the underlying principles with ease. The language is jargon-free and a breeze to read and understand. Even if you forget the details, you will remember the key takeaways and the lessons and that is the important thing.

7 Tips to Help You Stay Focused #MondayBlogs #MondayMusings

7 Tips on Help You Stay Focused

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” — George Lucas. 

Have you experienced this? On some days, you might very well try to put in eight hours and not achieve anything substantial, but on other days you might just be on your productive best. Within 2 hours of great concentration and focus, you’d be able to produce fantastic results with which even you’d be surprised.

For someone like me, who has to don many hats at different times within a day, focus easily wanders. From preparing meals every day, taking care of the home, making time to read, write, practice yoga, to spending quality time with the kid - be it playing or sitting down to teach him things if I am not disciplined enough, my to-do tasks inadvertently spill over the next day. Truth be told, it gets the better of me at times and I hit a low.

It is seen that productivity is usually not directly proportional to the time spent on a task on a given day. It is the focus or the lack of it that determines how productive or efficient you can be. While I do not always measure my day by how productive I am, but getting things done at the right time makes me feel happy and content. Certain things have helped me stay focused and get things done efficiently, thereby helping me make time for things I like to do in leisure like reading, making art, or playing with the kid. I am listing them my 7 tips to stay focused below.

Of Sea, Sand and Sunsets - Reflections #GoaDiaries #MondayBlogs

“Every sunset is an opportunity to reset.”– Richie Norton

One of the best feelings in life is to watch a sunset over the sea. It’s a splendid sight to watch, how the blazing sun gradually dims, appears to dip into the sea, and the sky gradually changes its hues. That’s something I relished witnessing on our first getaway of 2021. Last week we were in Goa for a much needed short holiday, and it was a very welcome break for all of us. 

Whenever we are in Goa for a holiday we prefer to have a relaxed stay by chilling on the beach and enjoying the sea. So instead of going and rushing around places, we try to in soak in the sun, have fun in the water, watch sunsets and unwind. With a kid, it makes more sense to keep things simple and it works for us very well. Sharing a few pictures and some musings and reflections from the trip here.

Memorable Quotes from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Memorable Quotes from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is one of the most memorable books that I read in 2020. First published in the year 1890, this novel is Wilde’s most controversial works. The story explores the themes of beauty, art, love, and morality. The protagonist of the story is Dorian Gray who wishes for eternal youth at his soul's expense. That sounds dark, isn’t it? Dorian Gray is not remotely a likeable character and by the end of the book, you would very likely hate him. 

The book explores the dark side of the human psyche and it does it with precision and incisive wit in the prose. If you want to know more about the storyline I would suggest you check out the blurb on GoodReads and this wiki page tells all about why this book was surrounded by controversy when published.

What made the book memorable for me was not the storyline, but the tact with which it is narrated. The author is sometimes absolutely ruthless in stating his opinions – as uncomfortable as they may sound – you can’t deny there is some truth in them. The themes explored in the book are relevant even today - after more than a century of its first publication. You have to read it to know why. It is a relatively thin book for a classic and is a thought-provoking read.

A Visit to Golconda Fort, Hyderabad | Few Interesting Facts About Golconda Fort

Golconda Fort, Hyderabad

In the last week of December 2020, we went for an impromptu trip to the Golconda Fort. We have been living in Hyderabad for more than two years now, and for some reasons, this trip didn’t happen earlier. Even this time when we left our place for the fort, Google was suggesting that the fort might be temporarily closed (most likely covid restrictions, we assumed). But, we took our chances and went ahead with the plan, with the thought that in the worst-case scenario, we were just going on a long drive. But, luckily for us, the fort was open to a limited number of visitors. It turned out to be a great evening for us, and we had a lovely time exploring the fort the best way we could with a 5-year-old in tow.

The Golconda Fort is one of the landmark architectural masterpieces situated at the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad. Resting at an altitude of about 400 ft., it is one of the Deccan Plateau’s biggest fortresses. It has played an important role in the political developments of Southern India since centuries. From the Kakatiyas of Warangal to the Bahmanis and from Qutub Shahi Kings later to Aurangazeb, the fort served all the dynasties that ruled Hyderabad.

37‌ ‌Things‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌Grateful‌ ‌for‌ #WrappingUp2020

 

I have been cultivating an attitude of gratitude for years now, and 2020 has been a year when its meaning took a whole new level. 2020 has been a year like no other in our lives, and it only makes sense to bid adieu to this year while counting our blessings. I have been thinking about it ever since Corrine had suggested this prompt for early December linky, but I could not get around writing it then. But, hey, can you be ever late in counting your blessings? Yes, it’s never too late to be grateful and count our blessings. In case you are wondering why the number 37, well I turned 37 years fabulous and wiser this year. Considering one blessing for each year I have lived till now, listing 37 blessings is not too difficult. Isn’t it? I must add here that adding this number was also Corrine's idea and a fun one at that I say.

Word of the Year 2021 & My Lessons from 2020

Word of the Year 2021 & My Lessons from 2020

What a year 2020 has been? Did anyone imagine how the year would unfold before us when we were sending out the happy new year greetings at the beginning of the year! I didn’t, and I am sure, none of us had ever imagined living through a pandemic and the lockdown restrictions we all have been through this year. Despite everything the world has gone through this year, when I reflected my journey through the year, I realised the year 2020 has not been that bad a year for me personally. There were several inconveniences, but nothing untoward and that I believe is itself a blessing.

Floral Mandala ~ Putting Ideas to Practice ~ Not So Wordless Wednesday

Spending time mindfully on social media needs a lot of discipline. Do you agree?

How many of you have saved ideas about things on Pinterest and never got around to rechecking them?

I tell you there was a time when I would save ideas about all sort of cake recipes, icing, decorations, etc., that my Pinterest feed would be so full of the sugary cakes. Then came different phases when I would look up words, quotes, parenting, kid's activities, and most recently, art ideas. I think of all the ideas I have saved there, only a tiny part of it has been actually put to any use. A visual platform like Pinterest is so full of exciting ideas that it is so easy to get lost, and if you are not disciplined enough, you could end up wasting some productive hours. If you are wondering why I am in this rant mode, well, because I have been there and have eventually learnt to use the platform mindfully.

When You Change The Way You Look at Things, the Things You Look at Change #MondayMusings

I have been meaning to write a post about living in the pandemic times since long. In fact, this post was lying half-written in my drafts for over a month now. The thing is when you are leading a quarantine life, things seem to move rather slowly (at least so has the case been with me). It has been more than 5 months since our normal lives were replaced by the lockdown/quarantine life. While we are living safe and sound (*conditions apply) within the comforts of our homes, but life is not the same as before. Like most of us, I prepped myself mentally with the mantra - this too shall pass and for the most part, I like to believe that I did fine. There were some days in between when despair and anxiety would take hold and I would step back and just breathe and let things be.

20 Years Ago #WordsMatter

20 Years Ago #WordsMatter 

20 Years ago I had passed my 10th board exams and had chosen 'Science' as my preferred stream of further studies. When I think about myself then, I realize how serious I was about life. There was zeal and a desire to do something. I was a sincere and hardworking student and academically I did pretty decently for myself. But did life turn out to be the way I envisioned during those days? Well, not very much. There have been detours and curveballs along the way and I believe I am where I am meant to be (maybe), but not where I thought I would be.

Come to think about it, I think most of us given a chance to go back in life would want to do certain things differently; certain things that might even change the course of our lives. At some point or the other, we have all said if only I had that chance, if only I had this opportunity earlier if only this and if only that. The list can be unending.

When It Rains #WordsMatter

When it rains… 

I crave for a plateful of freshly fried onion bhajis and a cup of strong adrakh-wali chai. And as I write this, the memories of many rain-soaked evenings spent with friends in Pune indulging in these small pleasures of life come to my mind.

I love rains. I always have. I love the freshness and moisture it brings to the air. I love how everything green starts looking lush after the rains. I grew up in Assam, so I have always experienced the rains of the torrential kind – not for a few minutes on some days - but for hours, for days on - like the sky would pour incessantly – relentlessly. As a kid, I would listen to the pitter-patter of the raindrops falling mercilessly on the slanted tiled roof of our house, in some rhythm of its own. just by the sound of it, it was easy to know when the intensity of the downpour increased and when it stopped.

Outside My Window #WordsMatter

The scene outside the windows can serve as an inspiration - if we are looking for it. The seat by the window has always been a coveted one - I can remember numerous occasions as a kid and as an adult when I had wanted that seat - during a car journey, on a train trip or on a flight. But what I am sharing today is not from a journey, but a scene outside my room window one evening some days back. Some days the sky can amaze us with splendid colours. Well, that was one such day and I can tell you this much - my phone camera did it's best to capture the scene - but there is still so much that you can perceive through your eyes only. 

I am not much of a poet, but seeing the sight these lines came to me automatically - simple lines written by a heart that was enchanted by the sight.


The Evening Sky Outside My Window

I looked up at the evening sky
It was painted in shades of pink
Telling the story of the day gone by
Go home I heard it say
For the sun has set for today

Another day will dawn tomorrow
And will bring sunshine and hope
Or it might rain and bring some cheer
And sooth the scorching land
Both the sun and the rains do us good
So take them both in your stride.

The things that went awry
Take lessons from them
The good moments
Forget not to rejoice
Life goes on regardless
So stop sometimes to marvel
At the splendour of the sky.

PIN IT

If you like what you read here, do share your thoughts with me on my Facebook Page, Twitter Handle or tag me on Instagram @jyotibabel using the hashtag #jyotispages 

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I am participating in the #WordsMatter Blog Hop initiated by Corrine, Shalini and Parul. The prompt for this month was "Outside My Window".

I received this tag from Shalini at Shalzmojo. It’s my pleasure to pass on this tag to Pragnya at Life With My Penguin There are 47 of us on this Blog Hop and it will be spread over 3 days – 2, 3, 4 August. Do follow the #WordsMatter Blog Hop and prepare to be surprised!

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Gearing up for The Write Tribe Reading Challenge #MondayMusings

4 months of the year has already passed by and I am miserably lagging behind in my reading goals. I didn't aim for anything too far fetched as a part of the GoodReads challenge - just 2 books a month. Should not have been that tough right? But it is becoming so, given the fact that I am also putting my hands into a number of other things. So, to get myself back on track, I am signing up for another reading challenge. Although I am pretty late for it already, Corrine of Write Tribe has been kind enough to let me into 'The Write Tribe Reading Challenge 2019'.

As a part of the challenge, I am hoping I will be reading 24 books (book lover level) of which 12 can match up to the book prompts listed in the challenge plus I will be posting a review of at least 1 book a month. Of course, there will be some catching up to do. But then, that's my intention for taking up this challenge.

‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini | Book Review

‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini  #BookReview

I had read ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini long time back – almost 10 years ago after it came highly recommended to me by my college bestie GD. I remember I had found it a heavy read – maybe I wasn’t fully ready to understand the complexity of the story and all that it had to offer. This January when I went to my hometown, I found this book in one corner of my bookshelf there and I picked it up again. And I must tell you what a fabulous read it has been and I am so glad to have read it again. It is an emotional and heartbreaking read, one that will need you to stop and reflect deeply about the grey shades of human behaviour. If that is something that piques your interest, you should definitely pick this book next (in case, you have not already, given the popularity of the book).

The story in ‘The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini’ is complex and layered and spans over decades; it explores the themes of loyalty, friendship, betrayal and redemption. Set in Afghanistan that is on the brink of political upheavals after the fall of the Monarchy, the story walks the readers through the political scene in the country over the years – the Soviet military intervening, the fleeing of refugees to Pakistan and the United States and ultimately the rise of Taliban.

At the heart of the novel are two main protagonists – Amir and Hassan. Amir is the son of a rich Pashtun businessman in Kabul and Hassan is the son of their servant – Ali, a Hazara. Even though they are a class apart, Amir and Hassan grow up together to become pretty good friends. Both of them love flying kites and are experts in their own right. Amir in a bid to win his father’s attention and love ramps up to win a local kite festival with the help of Hassan. Hassan is unflinchingly loyal to Amir and can go to lengths to stand up for him. However, Amir (often painted as timid) comes with his shades of grey and is unsure about his feelings for Hassan. So, when a time comes where he should have rescued and stood up for Hassan, he cannot muster the guts. This incident haunts Amir for the rest of his life and is instrumental in deciding the course of events later in his life.

I will not dwell on the storyline here as it is the thing to read in the novel. Hosseini is a master storyteller and just knows how to keep the readers hooked with a brilliantly constructed plot, an unwavering narration and beautiful prose. The characterization is superb – each one of the characters painted in various shades shines in their own space and as a reader, you can empathize with them. The story has all the elements in the right balance – there are tales of friendships, drama, romance, and suspense and with all that is happening throughout the novel, there is also a sense of hope in the end. That makes it all worthwhile. In the final chapter, many loose strings in the novel come together which personally makes it a gratifying read for me.

Throughout the book, I kept bookmarking lines worth quoting in this review. I think I should do a separate post on the quotes from this book because there are so many of them worth sharing here. But for now, I am going to quote a few of my favourites here.

If you read this book, do share your thoughts with me on my Facebook Page, Twitter Handle or tag me on Instagram @jyotibabel using the hashtag #jyotispages 

“People say that eyes are windows to the soul.”

“I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”

“For you, a thousand times over”

“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime...”

“And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.”

“There is a way to be good again...”

“It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn't make everything all right. It didn't make ANYTHING all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird's flight. But I'll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.

“Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don't have to say anything”

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means, that if you make a purchase through the link, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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Whole Wheat Dates & Walnut Cake (Eggless) | How to Bake Dates Cake | Healthy Cake Recipes

Whole Wheat Dates & Walnut Cake (Eggless) #Recipe

Whole wheat dates & walnut cake, as the name suggests comes with the goodness of dates and walnuts. In this particular bake, I have gone a few steps ahead and have replaced the sugar with jaggery granules and butter with oil. And yes, there is no refined flour used. I got the bug of baking healthy from my dear friend and blogger Bhawana of Code2Cook. She has a penchant for baking with healthy and non-refined ingredients. I am a fan of her spiced pumpkin bread.

The school holiday season is upon us - so you know when the kid is around at home all the time you need to have something handy to serve as snacks. I try to serve my kid healthy and homemade stuff as much as possible (of course, there are cheats days). This cake is just one example.  I have noticed that my boy doesn't mind whole wheat cakes (completely opposite my DH). So, I have all the more reason to bake one for him. 

Whole wheat dates and walnut cake makes for a good snack – you can have it in the morning with a glass of milk or with your afternoon cup of tea or coffee.

Looking Back - January to March 2019 #GratitudeCircle #MondayMusings

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Anonymous

A gratitude post and a post about life, in general, have been long due on the blog. The first quarter of the year is done and dusted with. So it makes sense to look back at the months gone by so far this year. I have had a lot to be thankful for, quite a few things to ponder about and lest I forget about it as the year goes on, I should make a note of it here on the blog. So, I will not beat around the bush and straight get to the point.

The year so far has been a happening one. Of course, there were highs and lows too. And there were things to be grateful for. The universe keeps people aligning on my path to show me the way - to say the things I need to hear, to get the lessons I need to learn to grow and most importantly to not give up on trying - opportunities are just around the corner. We just need to make sure we aren't just walking straight.

Nolen Gurer (Palm Jaggery) Ice Cream | How to Make Nolen Gur Ice Cream | Ice Cream Recipes

Nolen Gurer Ice Cream # Recipes

Nolen Gurer Ice Cream is something I had been meaning to try for a long time now. Nolen gur aka Palm Jaggery has a dark and intense caramel flavour which I absolutely love, so much so that I often nibble on it whenever I have a sweet craving. I get my stock of nolen gur whenever I visit my mom’s place in Assam. She has been buying it locally from a seller since years now and I can surely vouch for its quality. 

I remember once I had got it in Kolkata from a random seller at almost one third the price; one look at it I knew it was adulterated and was no match for the nolen gur my mom gets for me.

Nolen Gur

Summer is upon us in Hyderabad. It is only March now and the way the mercury is rising, it takes no special skills to imagine what the coming months are going to be like. So in such times it only makes sense to buckle up and fill your arsenal with all you can to beat the heat – first is - lots of water throughout the day to keep oneself hydrated followed by fresh juices, homemade drinks and of course ice creams.

You can also check out my Natural Style Chikoo Ice Cream and Paan Ice Cream recipe.

Where Are You From? - Some Pictures From My Jan Assam Trip #MondayMusings

This January I made my annual trip to my mom's place. Some of my new friends and acquaintances asked me to share some pictures from my trip. That is when I realized I have never really shared anything about my hometown in this space. This space has been primarily for book reviews and sharing recipes, so I guess I had never given it a thought. Now that I have voluntarily taken a break from food blogging for a while, I guess it is fair enough to share some snippets from my life here to keep the blog going.

Where are you from?

This is one of the common questions I am often asked whenever I make new acquaintances. For that matter, I think it is one of the common questions posed to most people. For me, however, the answer is not as simple.