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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