Final Post

Folks, don't let the title fool you. I haven't decided to stop blogging. On the contrary I have resolved to blog even more often. But this will be my final post... on Blogger.

I started blogging as a means to publish my views in cyberspace for the the benefit (and critique) of the world. It started with small diary like entries. Later, and for a LONG whole, my posts were all about movie reviews. Gradually I began expanding my topics for blogging and eventually found a groove that I am now comfortable with.

The very first blogging platform I used was Yahoo's 360 Blog. It exists only as a faded memory in the archive of cyberspace since Yahoo pulled it off the Internet. Versatile as it was, 360 wasn't truly a blogging platform. So i decided to explore serious blogging platforms. Since I had begun using a lot of Google products, Blogger seemed like an obvious choice to leverage for my blogging needs.

It's been a great 7+ years journey on this platform and I have gained a significant amount of followers and views on my posts through this medium. However I feel it is time for me to move on. Don't get me wrong, Blogger is still a pretty decent blogging platform, just that I have begun to see some shortcomings that caused me to consider a switch. The switch to Wordpress.

For a while now I have been eyeing Wordpress as an alternative to Blogger. I did my research and read through a number of blogs and opinions. Although the jury is still out on which of the two is the best platform,  at this point I feel Wordpress suits my needs better than Blogger.

I'm not gonna bore you with a lengthy comparison or a list as to why Wordpress is better than Blogger for me. After all it's subjective and personal.

Thankfully I was able to import all my previous posts from Blogger into Wordpress. This was a big sigh of relief since I wasn't able to do so when I moved from Yahoo's 360 to Blogger. So it's not like my Wordpress blog is gonna be starting from scratch. Although in the one week that I have had my blog active, I have churned out two posts (see I told you I was gonna blog more often!).

Before I say my final goodbye to Blogger, I will love to have you, my audience, continue to retain access to my blog posts. So here is the link to my Wordpress Blog - http://mystochasticmusings.wordpress.com

So Long. And Thanks For All The Fish

Conversations with a Singapore Taxi Driver: Part 1

Having stayed in Singapore for over 4 years, I've had the pleasure (and sometimes privilege) of sharing my cab rides around the island with some truly unique Cab drivers. The list of said interesting folks grew to the point that I felt compelled to put pen to paper and write about these fellow humans in a blog post. SO here goes my very first post in what will hopefully be a lenghty and colorful series of posts -
The Couple Detester
My earliest recollection of an interesting cabbie is probably from my first year here of a taxi driver who spoke about a lover's spat that took place in the back seat of his vehicle. The couple in question apparently were already quarreling when they got into his cab.
Things only escalated once they were en route to their destination with tempers flaring further and the woman getting a tad louder than her male companion.
Things took a strange turn when the beleaguered male decided to end the spat prematurely by opening his side of passenger door and rolling out of the (pretty fast) moving cab. At this point the woman shrieked and our narrator, the cabbie, brought the vehicle to a sudden halt. Fortunately injuries to the man weren't severe.
However the poor cabbie had to cease all work for most of the day as he was required to be available for statements to both the hospital authorities as well as the police. His lament was obviously over the lost fares as well as the added trouble of having to be part of this rather outrageous situation which didn't concern him to begin with!
Till today, our friend is overly cautious when picking up passengers who are a couple!

The Bridge.

Alan had seen this view before. He'd loved this view every time he did. The view from the Helix bridge summed up his entire love life.

To the right near the Esplanade theatres is where he had first met his wife. They both enjoyed the concert performance that evening with their friends. Alan and she stayed back for a few drinks. Their conversations revealed that both were orphans who had worked hard to succeed in life. There was a mutual admiration which turned into affection.

The Promontory to the far left was where they had enjoyed the fireworks in the Bay Area on one of their earlier dates. He remembered that the place was packed with people and that gave all the more reason for her to stay really close to him. They walked back home that night and were walking around through the next morning. That was when he realised how much he loved her.

Towards the left behind him was the giant carrousel, the Singapore Flyer, where he had popped the question to her. The setup was planned by him with close friends present while he went down on one knee and asked her to spend her entire life with him. Her answer had been a resounding Yes! Her tears had been those of absolute joy that evening.

To the right behind the theatres he saw the plush Mandarin Oriental where they had their wedding reception. With only their friends in attendance they had a small intimate affair. He remembered the crazy photos they had taken that evening. Even when she was making funny faces, his wife looked gorgeous.

Their favourite Italian restaurant was at the centre of this view. The last time they were there was to celebrate their wedding anniversary. He remembered they had shared a sinful dessert at the end of their meal, compliments of the restaurant. She looked radiant that evening!

Yes, his life with his wife was almost summed up entirely with the view that lay before his eyes as he stood on the Helix bridge.

But that life was now only a memory. His wife had passed away last week. He lost her in a car accident. Alan had been devastated since then. But now he was calm as he stood their admiring the view. He had walked down from his office to the bridge after a day's work and was still in his business suit.

Alan stood their motionless as he saw his life with her flash before his eyes. After what seemed an eternity to casual observers, Alan moved to take support of the railing of the bridge as he lifted himself up.

It is then that people around Alan noticed a handcuff around his left hand chaining him to the briefcase he was carrying. They realised what he was about to do. But before anyone could react, Alan had already taken the plunge into the Singapore river below and was propelled all the way to the floor due to the weight of the stuffed briefcase. An hour later when his body was recovered, his life was long gone.

Earlier that day Alan had decided to end his life. But wanted to have one last glimpse of all the places where he had enjoyed a happy life with his now late wife. He left a simple note on his work desk which read -

"Headed to The Bridge, one last time."

Shingeki no Kyojin

Thought I'd post a random update on what's got me excited recently. Last week I got hooked onto a pretty popular anime called Attack on Titan. For those of you familiar with Reddit, 9gag and the Internet in general have probably seen references to this anime for a while now.

Well last weekend I began binge watching season 1 of the anime and I have to admit I am now a fan of the series eagerly awaiting season 2. So impatient was I that I ended up reading the original manga on which the series is based to see how the story progresses!

The story is set in a post apocalyptic world where humans are living within the confines of fifty feet walls protected from the menace of mindless humanoid giants, called titans. After a century of peace suddenly one day a titan taller than the walls suddenly appears and kicks a hole into the outermost wall allowing the other titans to breach into the human city. What follows is humanity's battle for survival against the renewed threat of the titans along with many other internal struggles.

Although there are certain central characters to the story, there are a lot of secondary characters that are introduced in subsequent episodes of the anime who begin to gain significant importance in terms of the overall story arc.

Like most manga/anime the series isn't necessarily targeted at young minds as there is plenty of gore and violence to make a grown adult flinch. If you're not comfortable with grotesque images of disproportionate giants who eat humans and some really freaky monstrous ones, this anime/manga isn't for you! 

The original manga, on which which the anime show is based, is still being written in chapters. So there are a LOT of plots and subplots that are still waiting resolution. And of course there is the big mystery urrounding the origin of the titans themselves, although there have been some pretty substantial theories stated within the manga. 

And now thanks to this one particuar anime/manga I have been turned on to the entire genre. Downloaded a tablet app to read the COLOSSAL  collection of manga available and also started adding Anime series to my Netflix queue. If you like complex story lines and are especially partial to the animated/ comic book medium, manga and anime may just be your thing!

Oh and if you're wondering about the title of this post, that's the original Japanese title of the manga and the anime

Aperture Closed. Now What?

The inevitable finally happened. Apple's in-house pro photography software, Aperture, is being phased out and will be replaced by their new Photos app come Fall 2014. As a photog enthusiast who has relied on Apple's solution for image editing and cataloguing on my Mac, this news obviously made me a little sad. Although as I mentioned I wasn't completely surprised since there had been no significant updates to the software in a while now.

Logically the next step for me would be to explore other software solutions (ones that won't be phased out anytime soon!) and begin expiring my photos to said alternative. Folks tuned into the image editing realm would know that the direct competitor to Apple's Aperture is S/W behemoth Adobe's Lightroom. So i've been spending the better part of this Saturday morning exploring the various pricing options on this puppy.

Now ever since Adobe introduced their Subscription based service, i.e. Adobe Creative Cloud (CC for short), stand-alone software licences are becoming a thing of the past. In a way it's not entirely a bad deal considering that the subscription gives you a lot more compared to the stand-alone software licence.

However at the end of the day you are going to pay much more for the software in the long run. In Singapore the stand alone software cost is 193 SGD whereas the monthly subscription to Creative Cloud is 13 SGD. Although the latter appears cheaper at first glance, you begin to realise that the stand-alone price is a not time deal which you can consider recovered within a year and a half when compared to the cost of the CC subscription (which requires a yearly commitment or a one time annual fee)

Making matters a tad more monopolistic is the fact that a few key features are not available when the software is bought with a stand-alone licence. The biggest one (at least for me) integration of the desktop software with it's iPad/iPhone counterpart. This was one of the main reasons I was initially attracted to Lightroom (way back in March) as an alternative to Aperture.

So here's my dilemma. Should I spend the big bucks now and get the stand-alone licence for Lightroom or should I bow to Adobe's "Creative" push and go the subscription route. Looking at the current limelight that Adobe has been giving their Creative Cloud solution, I wouldn't be surprised when eventually the stand-alone licence purchase model may cease to exist altogether.  So really I believe it's only a matter of time that my decision would be made for me!

Last Night

She woke up with a smile. And why not? Last night was phenomenal! HE was phenomenal! There was a spark that she hadn't seen in a while.

He had just taken her as she lay there,without any warning or any hesitation. She found it brutal and sensual at the same time. That had excited her.

The foreplay. The caressing. The kiss. The lovemaking. All of it felt sublime. Almost surreal but in a fantastic way! She didn't even have time to turn on the lights. And after they were done she just fell off to sleep.

This morning she awoke before he did. He was facing the other way and seemed in deep sleep. She decided to surprise him with some breakfast in bed.

She tiptoed out of bed and into the shower. The shower helped her feel a tad fresh and relaxed. She stepped out of the shower and noticed that he was still asleep. She made her way to the kitchen.

As she stepped towards the kitchen she saw the main door swing open. Startled at first, then completely astonished, she screamed!

The man who walked through the open door was her husband, the man who supposedly was making love to her last night.

Gandhi's 52 in 2014: May Update

Woe is me!

I have severely dropped off my planned resolution train in the last few months. Although there are a number of tasks on which I am lagging behind, the ones that truly get to me are the ones related to health and fitness. Gone are the regular walks/runs I went on during January. And I have yet to kick start the tasks pertaining to Travels!

The money challenge this month has been moot, primarily cause I used that money to fund the wife's 30th birthday gifts, all thirty of them! Hopefully I can get back on track starting in June.

On a positive note I am sticking to the tasks pertaining to my photography challenge as well exploring new restaurants in Singapore. Outings with friends and conversations with family back home have also been on the rise. So if nothing else, I'm definitely becoming more out-going and getting in touch with my loved ones.

Almost coming to the six month mark. Guess things need to get into overdrive for results to start showing on some of the lagging fronts. Let's hope I have a better update come June end.  

What Motivates You?

Its been five months since I made my new year's resolutions for this year. A lengthy list of 52 items that I want to complete before this year ends. And although I may be making decent progress on a few of those, I am nowhere close to my required goals at this point of the challenge! Mainly the ones involving a healthy lifestyle and a fitter body.

It's no surprise that one of the main reasons for this is the lack of motivation. Goals seem to only mean something when there's something enticing you to achieve them. But the enticement needs to also help you overcome you resounding sense of procrastination.

There's always a sense of excitement and adventure before you embark on any journey. However over time that excitement and dazzle seems to wear off and the spark that had you all gung-ho at the start just extinguishes.

Is it just me who has this issue? I wouldn't think so considering that there's another 7 billion people on this planet and am pretty sure there's someone out there who has faced this before and perhaps overcome this to achieve his/her goals.

So here's my question... how does one get that spark to light up again?

My Thoughts On Taxi Driver.

Finally watched the Martin Scorcese classic Taxi Driver from start to finish. Had always seen bits and pieces of the flick in the past and was keen to watch it in one sitting. We'll I got my chance during  my recent trip to Mumbai.

Despite being set in the 70s there are certain themes of the movie that ring true even today and in that sense the story of this movie is a timeless one.

Sure some May wonder what's the whole story about considering there is no obvious plot line in the conventional sense. But then again I believe that was  the intention of the film maker. To not have a defined story with the traditional first second and third acts of standard story telling. Although one could argue that the movie can in fact be broken down into said conventional three act story.

The story is undoubtedly about Robert DeNiro's taxi driving character Travis Bickle and how his occupation as a taxi driver in the metropolis of New York is affecting him psychologically. The movie is a journey into the very mind of Travis and his interpretation of what is right and wrong. His disdain for society and humanity in General is what we highlights the first act of this movie. 

The one anchor that could have possibly brought some stability in his life, Betsy the presidential campaign volunteer, shuns him due to his awkward social demeanor, viz. his choice of date venue (an adult movie). 

Things begin to take a different direction when he realizes that vigilante justice isn't a bad thing after all and so he acquires an arsenal of weapons and begins training himself to dispense Sid vigilante justice.

The third act encompasses his efforts to free an underage prostitute Iris (an unrecohnizable Jodie Foster). And this is where we see his psychological behavior taking shape and finally culminating in his version of justice s eh guns down not one, but three men (of which one is a mafioso type dude) on order to liberate Iris from her forced prostitution.

The climax is in fact one of the most ambiguous ones in cinema history as there is speculation that everything tht follows the shoutout is in fact inside Travis head and that he is possibly in coma. This theory I feel is further cemented when we see that after his Tiamat the hospital his fare is none other than Betsy, the stable anchor who had shunned him earlier in the movie.

Taxi Driver isn't a movie that you would enjoy watching for entertainment alone. It's a movie with layers that need to be appreciated for their simplicity. If you enjoy movies that deal with the human psyche and offer more than what's shown on screen, Taxi Driver is a definite must watch.

Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - March Update

It's been a while since the last update and since weekly updates became a tad difficult to post I switched to a monthly one. I know I know this was one of the tasks in the challenge.

It's been a stagnant two months in terms of the health tasks. Haven't gone for the planned walks three times a week! And not much movement on the weight loss either. So obviously these need to get pushed into overdrive to catch up on the lost time.

Have also been a tad behind schedule with the learning new things routine. Have cooked only 2 out of the required 3 new recipes for the year. And only one cocktail of the 3 new cocktails. This will probably be not too difficult to catch up to, hopefully.

On the books reading challenge am behind by two books. But at least due to the challenge I have read more books in the first quarter of this year than I did in the entire previous year.

About the only task that I have been able to execute consistently are the weekly photo challenges and the selfie project. Well at least something is going as per plan.

Did begin spring cleaning of electronics in the house and the first items to be sold were the old iPad 2 and the Galaxy Note 8 tablets. Although I did use the money from that sale to buy myself a shiny new iPad Air. Well at least there's one less tablet in the house, so that's progress.

Have taken a keen interest in my forgotten hobby of sketching. Even started sketching on the new iPad (bought recently, thank you very much)

So far it's been a slow start. But there's still time to catch up and get back on track. The next three quarters may offer some respite and hopefully I am able to recover lost time and of course get back on track.

Another Book Read - The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'll admit the only reason I picked up this book to read was after watching the ostentatious movie adaptation by Baz Luhrmann. The story set in a continent in an era which isn't very familiar to me did put me off initially. However I'm glad I decided to read this classic after all.

The first person narrative is without a doubt the highlight of this book with Nick Carraway's observation forming the entirety of the story telling. The book is as much as about Carraway as it is about Gatsby.

Through Nick we traverse the diverse landscape of America from the mundane and boring Mid-West to the Ultra Jazzy and exciting East. His daily routine describes how Americans lived during the age of excess - long commutes from lavish country homes to the boisterous metropolis of New York working in high paying Wall Street jobs. His extended family, viz his cousin's lifestyle provides a glimpse of how old money lived and how new money - Gatsby, was looked down upon by them.

The book isn't just about the humans but also about their environment. It's a great insight into the heart of a country that was just coming out of a world war and reaping the rewards of victory. The contrast of the Long Island landscape against that of Manhattan as well as the purgatory-like region in between is brilliant.

This book was written at a time when language and prose meant something. When the use of fancy words was not a fad but the norm. Reading this book is a delight for those who enjoy such rich prose albeit it can get a tad confusing and a re-read is called for. It's no wonder this classic is a staple for most middle and high school reading courses.

If you enjoy good writing, simple stories but rich complex interpretations of text, this is your book. At 180 pages it's an absolute quick read.








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Book Review - Last Train To Istanbul

Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Picked up this book last year with the intention of exploring stories from the Middle East and European regions. The title sold me since I have been somewhat fascinated by the country of Turkey. And the backdrop of the second world war was an added bonus.

The story primarily revolves around two sisters, Sabiha and Selva and their families during the German occupation of France in the second world war. Sabiha is the wife of a Turkish diplomat living in the Turkish capital city of Ankara while Selva is living with her Jewish husband in Paris.

Separated due to a past and by conflicting national boundaries the eponymous train seems to be the only chance of the sisters and the families of reuniting and reconciling their differences. The train also provides hopes for many Jews trapped in German occupied France to return to neutral nation of Turkey and beyond to the promised land.

Apart from the poignant tale of the two sisters and their families, the book also touches a lot on the geo-political situation of the region during WW II. Turkey's diplomatic situation with the allies and the Axis powers is well explained and that too on a un-boring fashion. We are introduced to a few other secondary characters that aren't all that important( or required in some instances) but I presume these were fashioned out of the true accounts of Jewish people who undertook this arduous and treacherous journey from France to Turkey via German and German occupied nations.

The writing is very fluid and simple with each chapter flowing effortlessly. I found myself gobbling up numerous chapters in single sittings (A major achievement for me!!) Perhaps it's the fact that the book is translated to English from Turkish and maybe some of the more "purple prose" passages got trimmed down.

At around 360 pages this is a short read and good one too. The only complaint I would state is the length being a tad too short for the scope of the story that is being told. Especially with the myriad characters that get introduced throughout the book. But the last chapter somewhat makes up for that with a rather touching revelation.




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Book Review - Shantaram

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Almost everyone I know has read this book. And their reviews have been unanimously positive. Suffice to say that was enough to get me to read this pseudo-autobiographical account of an escaped Australian convict who called India (and specifically Bombay) his home.

Our protagonist (for lack of a better word), Lin, is on the run from the local authorities back home in the land down under and is just arriving at the Bombay International Airport in the early 80s as the story begins. From there begins his humorous, at times bizarre, uncanny and ultimately spiritual journey through Bombay, India and beyond.

Lin's journey, as penned in the book, spans five parts with forty-two chapters across the slums of Bombay, a village in Maharashtra, shady hotels in Africa, the mountains of Afghanistan and finally comes full circle to an enlightened end at the slums. The experiences he narrates are often interlaced with philosophical teachings as well personal observational conclusions which at times do sound kinda as though he's some sort of Guru. But if you remove the prejudicial thought from your mind, the experiences do provide some truly pearls of wisdom.

The author bases the anecdotes and stories based on personal experiences and his knowledge of the land is undeniably first hand. One of the elements of the book that really made me re-read certain chapters was the brilliantly detailed description of the geography of my home town of Bombay (Mumbai if you want to sound politically correct!)

Another aspect of the book that made it entertaining (and also run over 900 pages) was the author's attempt to vividly describe every single character, minor or major, on every page. Barring a few descriptions that were completely uncalled for, this approach does provide a great visual interpretation of the characters you are reading.

At 933 pages, this is no simple read and took me a good amount of time to complete (but then I'm a slow reader!). But the long reading journey will reward you with the experience of an absolutely unprecedented journey into the life of Linbaba aka Shantaram. And who knows, his journey may inspire you to embark on one of your own!




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Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - Week 5

Firstly, I've got to apologise for the miss on last week's update on the task. Returning from the holiday in Vietnam we were so exhausted that logging my weekly progress was the last thing on my mind! Hopefully this doesn't repeat in the future.

Additionally it would appear that the holiday was a little too good since I ended up gaining a significant amount of weight on the trip and am considerably behind my target (Damn!!!). The holiday also has me off my weekly walking and kilometres target. Bottom line, on the health and fitness front I am really in the RED! To track these misses I am now tracking the tasks with the colour RED and will do so till I am able to make amends and come back on the required weekly target.

Achievements wise I did make some progress on a few tasks. Despite all the negative impact the holiday had on my health objectives, it did provide me with multiple photo-walks and as a result I have over 2000 pictures that I will be sorting and processing. The flickr set for that photo walk should be up by the end of the coming week. The holiday also helped me score some journal entries, one each day! My total journal entries till date are quite impressive and the ones from the trip also have great polaroid pictures accompanying the hand-written entries.

Last week I also celebrated my birthday (February 5th) and since I was turning the big 30, the wife helped me with one of the items on my 52 in 2014 list, viz. the Mac Mini. Woohoo!!! So with that I have my first official item crossed off the list which also means that I have been able to kick start my task to give my self $10 for every completed task.

Although I haven't seen any of the movies on the list, I did indulge in some new series and will be updating that list soon to reflect the additions.

The first month of the challenge officially ended last weekend but let me recap the progress in this week's post. Overall I am in the RED on the health and fitness front, but seem to be making decent progress on all other fronts. Guess I know what needs to be the priority for the next few weeks.

Until next week!

Link to the list

Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - Week 3

Another week, another update on my 52 in 2014 challenge. This week onwards instead of adding the list in the post, I'll simply provide the link to the page (within this blog as well) where I keep the list updated. Saving space you see!

The post is a tad earlier than usual (well just a day earlier really!) cause I'm flying out to Vietnam with the wife for a week long holiday! As you'll see from the updates below, obviously the excitement of the impending holiday has been a small factor in some of the slips this week.

Kinda lagging on a lot of tasks this week. Was able to only for a walk once in the entire week so am going to have to catch up on the target in the next few weeks. Unfortunately am also on holiday next week so that means I'll have to catch up on a whole lot of walks!!! Ah well, it shall have to be done.

Also was unable to complete my 5 journal entries for the week (only managed 2). Aaargh, and this despite the fact that I had SO much to vent about and talk this week. Next week's holiday should provide for some truly memorable and picturesque journal entries though.

On a bright side, the weight loss task saw a positive turn this week with the excess baggage dropping another 0.6 kgs (it's not much, but it's still something!)

Also had another great evening out with friends (second one this month) mid-week (Thursday to be precise) with drinks, food and sheesha at Istanbul Cafe. Although it's also a new restaurant that I've tried, I'm not really chalking it up against my task to dine at 12 new restaurants. 

Completed re-watching all 8 seasons of That 70s show this week as well. Bittersweet feeling when you watch the final episode of any series you've enjoyed watching. Although I must admit the final season was a tad lacklustre and was all over the place with plot lines and stories. I can see why it didn't get renewed for a ninth season.

Also watched another critically acclaimed flick - There Will Be Blood. A tad different than most movies I usually watch, but then that's what this challenge is all about, experiencing new things!

All in all not a completely bad week, but I'll need to really work hard in the coming weeks to catch up on some of the slips of this week and the potential ones of the next week owing to the holiday. 

Till next week!

Link To The List.

Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - Week 2

Hello folks! Here's the status as of week 2 of Gandhi's 52 in 2014 challenge. 

Progress on all fronts as per the weekly quotas were manageable to achieve this week. Finally finished reading my first book of the year and was also able to write a short review. You can read it here.

However it wasn't all that great since I also had my first miss on a target this week. This one is for Task #29. Also had a reverse movement on the weight loss task. Need to ensure that I focus on this one a little harder!

Thanks for all the motivation folks!



Green = Completed
Orange = In Progress
Blue = Not Started 

Health/Well Being

1. Reach my target weight of 85 kg. Need to lose 20 Kg (1/20).
2. Log a 500 km cumulative walking distance on RunKeeper (23/500)
3. Sign up and run a 5K event.
4. Go for a morning walk at least 3 times a week (6/156)

Travel/Treks

5. Go to Hong Kong/Macau.
6. Go to Cameron Highlands.
7. Go on a cycling trip to Pulau Ubin with the wife.
8. Go for a trek to Bukit Timah with the wife.
9. Go for a trek to MacRitchie Reservoir Park.
10. Visit LegoLand in Johor Bahru
11. Visit 5 new attractions in Singapore (0/5)

Finances

12. Spend no more than $5 for lunch for an entire week. Have at least 12 such weeks in the year (0/12).
13. Complete the 52 Week Money Challenge (2/52).
14. Complete the Monthly Money Challenge (0/12).
15. Pay myself $10 for every task completed in this challenge. (0/52)
16. Pay all my Credit Card Debt

Family & Friends

17. Go on intimate date nights with the wife more often. One every month at least (1/12)
18. Get a professional couple photograph taken of the wife and I.
19. Host at least one movie marathon at home.
20. Call/Skype with family back home at least once a week (2/52)
21. Go out with friends at least once a month (1/12)
    

Hobbies & Interests

22. Go for a photo walk every month (0/12).
23. Submit my photos to a contest.

Reading

24. Read 24 books (1/24).
25. Complete the following books before buying any new ones
26. 1. A Dance With Dragons
    2. Shantaram
    3. The Wolf Of Wall Street
    4. Matterhorn
    5. Last Train to Istanbul
    6. Trojan Horse
    7. Dongri To Dubai
27. Read at least 6 Non-Fiction books (0/6).

Blogging

27. Write at least 2 blog posts each month (2/24).
28. Additionally blog weekly about the progress of “Gandhi’s 52 Things In 2014 Challenge” (2/52)

Self Improvement

29. Journal 5 times a week (7/260).
30. Take a selfie every-week (2/52). 
     - Link to Flickr Set
    
    
31. Create a time-lapse of selfie images. Participate in a 52 week photo challenge (1/52).
    - Link to Facebook Group
    - Link to Flickr Set
32. Go a week without eating any junk food. Have at least 6 such weeks (1/6).
33. Go to bed before 11:00 PM for a week.
34. Don’t stay in the same role at work by the end of the year.

TV & Movies (This list may grow as we go along)

35. Catch-up/ Complete watching the following TV Shows -
36. • Boardwalk Empire
    • Breaking Bad (Currently on Season 2)
    • Californication (Currently on Season 1)
    • Downton Abbey
    • Dexter (Currently On Season 7)
    • White Collar (Currently On Season 4)

35. Re-Watch all episodes of the following TV shows -
36. • That 70s Show (Currently on Season 8)
    • The Practice (Currently on Season 2)
    • The Wonder Years (Currently on Season 2)
    • The West Wing (Currently on Season 2)

35. Watch 12 new movies released in 2014 (1/12)
    - Dedh Ishqiya
    
    
36. Watch the following critically acclaimed movies -

• Apocalypse Now
• Platoon
• Milk
• Frost/Nixon
• The Wrestler
• Raging Bull
• Lawrence Of Arabia
• Amadeus
• Annie Hall
• Fargo
• Taxi Driver
• My Left Foot
• Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
• Trainspotting
• The King’s Speech
• No Country For Old Men
• Rush
• Traffic
• Full Metal Jacket
• Once Upon A Time In America

Charity

39. Donate Blood.
40. Sell/Donate excess electronics and gadgets

New Experiences

41. Eat at 1 new restaurant every month (1/12).
    PAUL
42. Watch at least 1 musical.
43. Get a Tattoo.
44. Learn to mix a new cocktail every month (0/12)
45. Sketch more often.
46. Cook one new recipe each month (1/12).
    - Fettuccine with Spicy Tomato Sauce
    - Link to Flickr Set
    - Link to Recipe
    
    
47. Learn to play poker
48. Learn to make mulled wine.

Purchases & Collections

49. Get a Mac Mini
50. Build Blu Ray disc collection with one new addition each month (0/12).
51. Upgrade to a new DSLR camera body.

52. Make a new List for 52 Things in 2015 Challenge!

Book Review - The Wolf Of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Disappointed.

The book starts off like a Hollywood screenplay and does hold some promise in the first few pages. Alas this isn't a book about Wall Street! What ensues is a repetition of a series of anecdotes about drugs, hookers and illegal money making schemes of a rather dysfunctional individual.

This is an autobiographical account of trader from the late 80s early 90s yuppie generation who believed the world was his playground and anything that made him more money and brought him pleasure was his for the taking. It's a rather comical account of his life with some truly bizarre incidents that sound that they were totally written for a movie.

There are a few chapters that deal with really gritty financial dealings and probably only those well acquainted with that world would truly appreciate them. Yep, I did enjoy those portions of the book!

The author obviously is recounting his glory days which he later admits weren't his noblest. Nonetheless the absolutely insane shenanigans and over the top experiences of the protagonist are kinda too much to handle.

The last few chapters provide a tad relief from the drug infused lifestyle of the protagonist, but not enough to rid you off the sour taste of the remaining book.

I chose to read this book after catching the trailer of the Martin Scorsese movie adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio. So obviously I pictured the talented actor as I was reading this book. However there are a number of chapters in the book where I find it hard to visualise Leo enacting them on screen, but then again he's a great actor, so who knows!

Overall, I'm kinda disappointed with the book and wouldn't recommend it unless you're in the mood to learn how different drugs (prescription or otherwise) can be combined in a perfect balance while you are being given a blow job by a set of high priced hookers aboard a private jet headed to Zurich. On second thought, maybe you'd like reading about that kind of stuff!



View all my reviews

Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge - Week 1

Here it is folks, the very first progress report of "Gandhi's 52 in 2014 Challenge". Glad to report that I did manage to kick start quite a number of the listed items this week. 

Started maintaining Flickr sets as well for posterity and easy reference of the selfie and food challenges. Links can be found against the respective tasks. Plus the week's selfie and other relevant images are also available for viewing at the bottom of the post.

A few changes/modifications to the list -

• Task #4 was slightly modified to accommodate walks both in the evening and in the morning, mainly because I'm not a morning person, yet.
• Added the total weight to be lost for task #1 to better track my progress.
• Added a few more titles for task #38 and #36
• Task #31 has been changed to now include a 52 week Photo Challenge. The Facebook group link and the Flickr set links are next to the task.

Some notable achievements this week - 

• Went a whole week without eating any junk food (WooHoo!!)!
• Cooked a new recipe for lunch based on a recipe sourced from the internet with a few personal touches.

You can check out the details of the progress using the colour legend listed below. Thanks for reading and motivating!!

Green = Completed
Orange = In Progress
Blue = Not Started

Health/Well Being

1. Reach my target weight of 85 kg. Need to lose 20 Kg (1.2/20).
2. Log a 500 km cumulative walking distance on RunKeeper (12/500)
3. Sign up and run a 5K event.
4. Go for a morning walk at least 3 times a week (3/156)

Travel/Treks

5. Go to Hong Kong/Macau.
6. Go to Cameron Highlands.
7. Go on a cycling trip to Pulau Ubin with the wife.
8. Go for a trek to Bukit Timah with the wife.
9. Go for a trek to MacRitchie Reservoir Park.
10. Visit LegoLand in Johor Bahru
11. Visit 5 new attractions in Singapore (0/5).

Finances

12. Spend no more than $5 for lunch for an entire week. Have at least 12 such weeks in the year (0/12).
13. Complete the 52 Week Money Challenge (1/52).
14. Complete the Monthly Money Challenge (0/12).
15. Pay myself $10 for every task completed in this challenge. (0/52)
16. Pay all my Credit Card Debt

Family & Friends

17. Go on intimate date nights with the wife more often. One every month at least (1/12)
18. Get a professional couple photograph taken of the wife and I.
19. Host at least one movie marathon at home.
20. Call/Skype with family back home at least once a week (1/52)
21. Go out with friends at least once a month (1/12)
    
    

Hobbies & Interests

22. Go for a photo walk every month (0/12).
23. Submit my photos to a contest.

Reading

24. Read 24 books (0/24).
25. Complete the following books before buying any new ones
1. A Dance With Dragons
2. Shantaram
3. The Wolf Of Wall Street
4. Matterhorn
5. Last Train to Istanbul
6. Trojan Horse
7. Dongri To Dubai
26. Read at least 6 Non-Fiction books (0/6).

Blogging

27. Write at least 2 blog posts each month (1/24).
28. Additionally blog weekly about the progress of “Gandhi’s 52 Things In 2014 Challenge” (2/52)

Self Improvement

29. Journal 5 times a week (5/255).
30. Take a selfie every-week (1/52). 
     - Link to Flickr Set
    
    
31. Create a time-lapse of selfie images. Participate in a 52 week photo challenge (1/52).
    - Link to Facebook Group
    - Link to Flickr Set
    
    
32. Go a week without eating any junk food. Have at least 6 such weeks (1/6).
33. Go to bed before 11:00 PM for a week.
34. Don’t stay in the same role at work by the end of the year.

TV & Movies (This list may grow as we go along)

35. Catch-up/ Complete watching the following TV Shows -
• Boardwalk Empire
• Breaking Bad (Currently on Season 2)
• Californication (Currently on Season 1)
• Downton Abbey
• Dexter (Currently On Season 7)
• White Collar (Currently On Season 4)

35. Re-Watch all episodes of the following TV shows -
• That 70s Show (Currently on Season 6)
• The Practice (Currently on Season 1)
• The Wonder Years (Currently on Season 2)
• The West Wing (Currently on Season 1)

35. Watch 12 new movies released in 2014 (1/12)
    - Dedh Ishqiya
    
    
36. Watch the following critically acclaimed movies -

• Apocalypse Now
• Platoon
• Milk
• Frost/Nixon
• The Wrestler
• Raging Bull
• Lawrence Of Arabia
• Amadeus
• Annie Hall
• Fargo
• Taxi Driver
• My Left Foot
• Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
• Trainspotting
• The King’s Speech
• No Country For Old Men
• Rush
• Traffic
• Full Metal Jacket
• Once Upon A Time In America

Charity

39. Donate Blood.
40. Sell/Donate excess electronics and gadgets

New Experiences

41. Eat at 1 new restaurant every month (1/12).
    PAUL
    
42. Watch at least 1 musical.
43. Get a Tattoo.
44. Learn to mix a new cocktail every month (0/12)
45. Sketch more often.
46. Cook one new recipe each month (1/12).
    - Fettuccine with Spicy Tomato Sauce
    - Link to Flickr Set
    - Link to Recipe
    
    
47. Learn to play poker
48. Learn to make mulled wine.

Purchases & Collections

49. Get a Mac Mini
50. Build Blu Ray disc collection with one new addition each month (0/12).
51. Upgrade to a new DSLR camera body.
    

52. Make a new List for 52 Things in 2015 Challenge!