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.