Tag: that Madras mom

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D’s which help in skincare

D is for dates. Lets start with this little brown powerhouse of nutrients and what it has to offer for skincare. These brown treasures are beauty balms of skin illumination.

Dates is an excellent source of vitamin C and D which helps in maintaining the elasticity of skin. It also helps in keeping skin buttery smooth. Dates play a major part in being one of the main foods which have anti ageing properties and also helps in reducing melanin supply.

Packed with vitamin B5, the highly nutritious dates also helps deal skin frustrations. B5 also known as pantothenic acid is a water soluble vitamin that finds its place in most lotions and creams. This helps in healing the skin.

Dates help in treating skin allergies that occur in the form of breakouts.

Tannin in dates helps in cell damage and reduces inflammation since it is rich in antioxidants.

Softer and smoother skin is definitely guaranteed since its rich in nutrients which strengthen the skin tissues from within resulting in smoother skin.

The vitamin A helps reduce black heads and dark spots and help you in getting healthier skin.

Dates in paste form when applied on skin is a natural moisturizer.

Daily in take of dates can help treat dry lips. Try taking date with milk post dinner to see the difference.

Dates mixed with lemon and orange juice can help heal insect bites and itching caused by it.

DATE FACIAL MASK

FOR RADIANT SKIN:
5-6 dates
One cup of boiled milk
One tablespoon each of semolina and honey.


Blend dates( soaked in milk for an hour)( and milk initially followed by honey and semolina.
Apply the grainy textures paste over face and neck, leave for about 30 minutes. Wash off to discover buttery smooth glowing skin. Repeat this once a week to see visible difference in skin.

FOR FIRM SKIN

5-6 dates
Half a cup of boiled milk
One tablespoon of oats
One tablespoon of honey

Blend dates(soaked in milk ) with milk, oats and honey.
Apply on to face and leave on for 30 minutes. Wash off to discover firm hydrated skin.

Drumstick leaves (moringa)

Drumstick leaves or moringa as it’s commonly known is definitely one of the hidden gems that nature had to offer for skincare. It recently gained more limelight as a magical ingredient for almost certain number of ailments including being beneficial for good looking skin.

Moringa is enriched with vitamin A which is responsible for building up collagen which forms the major part of your skin. Vitamin C which helps fight signs of ageing and vitamin E which is anti inflammatory.



LIP CARE

Moringa is known to have moisturizing properties which is why it could be found as an ingredient in lip balms and cream. Makes lips soft and supple.



ANTI AGEING
The vitamin C present in moringa helps fight signs of ageing. The antioxidants help fight against free radical damage which play a major role in wrinkle formation. The cytokinins present help in increasing cellular growth and prevent cell destruction. It is beneficial in both the powder and oil form. So with moringa you could wave goodbye to dull sagging skin and say hello to firm and healthy skin.



REDUCE DARK SPOT AND PREVENT ACNE
Moringa powder when taken helps in purifying blood and flush out toxins from the body.Toxin buildup is one of the major reasons for breakouts and acne. Flushing them out helps prevent acne.



REDUCE OPEN PORES

Moringa helps in firming up the skin by boosting collagen production, hence also helps in reducing open pores in the skin.

DIYS



For problematic skin
A tablespoon of moringa, honey, rose water and lemon juice.
Adjust consistency and apply on to face.
Wash off after ten minutes.



MORINGA WITH AVOCADO for refreshed skin
One tablespoon of moringa powder, honey and lemon juice to be mixed with 1/2 mashed avocado

Adjust consistency , apply and leave on for about 10-20 minutes. Wash off with lukewarm water.



BLEMISH REMOVER MORINGA PACK
One tablespoon of moringa powder and honey mixed with one teaspoon of lemon juice.

Mix all these with 1/2 mashed banana. Apply this paste on to the blemishes and wash off after 20 minutes.
Repeat to see best results.

MORINGA BODY SCRUB
Mix one cup rolled oats(powdered into flour) with 2 tablespoon of moringa powder, one cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of coconut oil.
This exfoliating scrub gives best results for both face and body. It has a shelf life of about a month.


Moringa has become a superfood in addition to being applied externally over the skin. With its re-entry into the skincare industry matcha and turmeric have taken a back seat.

This post is written as part of Blogchatter’s A2Z challenge.

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Backaches and chiropractic

Back pain

People with a desk job , IT professionals and couch potatoes usually face frequent backaches. I missed to add people who travel for longer distances. They count in as well.

It all starts with incorrect posture combined with prolonged pressure on your spine especially the tail bone. I’ve also heard from a lot of women about the persistent backaches post caesarian section delivery. I cannot comment on that since I didn’t undergo nor did I came to know of anyone close to me undergoing it. Maybe I will take time to know more about it and make a separate post.

Getting back to the backaches, some happen periodically and some only when the spine is over stressed. A general advice would be to make sure you sit in an erect posture and take breaks at regular intervals so that the spine is not overpressured.

Calcium intake on a daily basis also helps in the longer run. I don’t just mean drinking up gallons of milk so that your calcium levels are high. Make sure to include foods that are rich in calcium, not just the regular milk for calcium.

Adamant creeper which I heard recently or which is probably unknown to many is a great source of calcium especially very good for women to strengthen your pelvic area.

Calcium depletion leading to osteoporosis is altogether a different topic that needs discussion separately.

I recently came across the term ‘chiropractic‘ and the person who practices ‘a chiropractor‘. I’d thought why not share it with you all here so that many would be made aware of such medical treatment that is going to help you with backaches or spinal issues.

Chiropractic and chiropractors

Chiropractic is categorised as Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( CAM) . Mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system with specific focus on the spine can be diagnosed and treated with chiropractic.

Another interesting fact is that a lot of general health issues crop up when there is a disorder in the musculoskeletal system through the nerves. The therapy mainly involves manual manipulation of the spine. Shocking isn’t it? Yes when I actually saw a video of an ongoing therapy I was wondering how would it actually feel to someone actually moving your spine with force.

It is also called as bone setting as it actually involves correction of the discs. Some chiropractors also claim that chiropractic could cure irritable bowel syndrome and asthma.

Vertebral subluxations or simply termed vertebral joint misalignment seemed to interfere with the body’s function and it’s capability to heal itself with an inborn ability.

Chiropractors use x-ray radiography to examine the bone structure. But the subluxation or the misalignment is mostly unseen this is because it’s not something structural that can be captured on x-ray rather something functional that shows up as a limp or a headache.

When it comes to treatment it usually involves one or a couple more manual adjustments on the joints which have the misalignment. The chiropractic manipulates and uses a controlled sudden force on the joints. The goal is to include prevention of injury and restoration of the specific function in addition to treatment of back pain relieving.

Post the treatment a good nutritional diet and an exercise regime goes hand in hand for the continued benefit. This is best suited to treat acute back pain which are the ones that happen due to furniture movement or lifting and tackling an attack. The pain arise due to the sudden injury in any of the above cases.

It’s a strict no-no for people who suffer from osteoporosis, inflammatory arthritis and compression in spinal cord.

Following the treatment people generally give feedback about their ease of mobility, improved pain relief and great sense of general well-being.

Spinal checkups need to be done regularly to make sure future health issues can be avoided in prior.

Conditions that can be treated

  • Slipped disc
  • Low back pain
  • Frozen shoulders
  • Elbow pain
  • Knee pain
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Neck pain
  • Mid back pain
  • Sciatica
  • Numbness
  • Tingling sensation
  • Ankle pain

Chiropractic is hence not a conventional medical treatment but could be combined with conventional medical treatment at times to help relieve certain conditions.

India is slowly picking up on establishing many authorised centers for chiropractic so make sure of you are opting for the treatment you get it done after thorough understanding and enquiry on the facility and the chiropractor.

So maintaining a good posture is all that is needed to save yourself from this chronic condition and treatment to get it relieved.

How to improve posture

  • Don’t slouch. Not on the sofa and the work desk.
  • No soft mattresses. Use something that is firm and keeps your spine stiff.
  • No high heels often and save it for the big night.
  • Beware of text neck. Never heard of the term? Don’t tilt your head to look down at your phone . Just lift it up and move the eyes and not the head.
  • Make sure you exercise and keep your abs toned. A packed up belly is definitely going to put pressure on your spine.
  • Frequently check for spinal issues. If you seem to be doubtful get it checked by the physician right away.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla, and generously SPONSORED BY Bugshield Clothing – Enjoy Outdoors More!

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Self-discovery through Jasmine builds on shifting sands

Fiction and self-help are two of my favourite genres of books. I really don’t know the time ticking when I settle down in my reading corner with books in any one of these genres.

What I look for in self-help books is strategies, lessons, case studies which tell you what to and what not to do.

When I came to know that this book has both self-help and fiction entwined I knew I definitely had to pick it up.

What I could also relate is that the book is set in modern period and so is something everyone of us millenials could resonate to.

It takes a lot of time for us to understand ourselves in a better way. The process of understanding oneself, about what we can and what we cannot, how we can and when we can is called self-discovery. Not everyone of us do this at the same time. Time plays an important role in making us realise this. This book embarks you on Jasmine’s journey of self-discovery.



The picturesque views of Himalayas while describing the journey to Kedarnath, would make you embark on a virtual journey. The pure relationship between the author and his spiritual teacher , their conversations mentioned provide a lot of learning.

Jasmine who was about to land into a professional career eventually landed into the world of modelling. So how does she handle it ? Does she succeed or fail ?

She had her parts of failures, jealousies, competition, wrong ways and finally rose above all of it. The author has a lot of learnings from life which he’s penned out beautifully through the story of Jasmine.

Everyone of us has a dream, a goal or an aim. We pursue our actions towards them . Did you know that the universe also has a major role in making our dreams come true?

A motivational book that helps you to stay focused and have a positive approach to rise above hurdles and accomplish the dream. The connection to the universe and it’s integral part in making our dreams come true also is a lesson to be learnt.

I love the writing style of the author which he serves to keep it lucid and brief. Overall a good guide for self-motivation and self-discovery.

The QR code scanning of certain chapters, through e-micro-learning is a completely different experience which is suggest all book lovers and people who are digital fan boys must check out.

Following our passion by overcoming hurdles should definitely be made a mandatory life skill to be possessed.

About the author

Sanjay is an entrepreneur and an ex-banker, an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and a Chartered Accountant. During his successful career, Sanjay has been integrating the essence of a parallel spiritual journey with his material pursuits. He has now set out to share the ways and means of seamlessly traversing through the material and spiritual world. Thereby, enriching each journey.

Click on the book cover below to purchase this motivational guide .

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Review of Jasmine builds on shifting sands

Jasmine builds on shifting sands

BLURB

Integrated with hybrid multimedia learning tools, Jasmine Builds on Shifting Sands is a unique self-help fiction offering. Its captivating narrative ties two seemingly distinct tales in an intertwined journey that explores the manifestation of dreams. At the center of the book is Jasmine’s journey of making it as a successful model in the cut-throat world of fashion. Her tale of victory and failure is enveloped within the master narrative of Sanjay, an erudite knowledge-seeker who meets his spiritual guru- Ma. Set between the esoter ic location of the Himalayas and the urban bustle of Mumbai, the book offers an enhanced learning experience which is further amplified through the embedded microlearning content that is interspersed throughout the text, making for a truly immersive experience.

MY REVIEW

Jasmine builds on shifting sands

Fiction and self-help are two of my favourite genres of books. I really don’t know the time ticking when I settle down in my reading corner with books in any one of these genres.

As much as I enjoy fiction, I also enjoy reading self-help books and try implementing principles which suit my way of life. That’s what they’re written for right?

What I look for in self-help books is strategies, lessons, case studies which tell you what to and what not to do. They should make you feel that you could try attempting to implement lessons learned. Examples which state what went wrong and how could that have been handled to make it successful are stuffs which anyone would basically look for in self-help books.

When I came to know that this book has both self-help and fiction entwined I knew I definitely had to pick it up.

What I could also relate is that the book is set in modern period and so is something everyone of us millenials could resonate to.

It takes a lot of time for us to understand ourselves in a better way. Not knowing about ourselves and instead looking out for others to accept us is something that is not plausible. The process of understanding oneself, about what we can and what we cannot, how we can and when we can is called self-discovery. Not everyone of us do this at the same time. For some of us this process happens early and for some later on. This book embarks you on Jasmine’s journey of self-discovery.

The Prologue and the Epilogue add value by providing a powerful context arising from the author’s own personal experience.

The realistic description of the travel to Kedarnath, the picturesque views of Himalaya would make you embark on a virtual journey. The divine relationship between the author and his spiritual guru , their conversations mentioned provide a lot of spiritual learning.

Jasmine who was about to land into a professional career life eventually landed into the world of fashion. Now that is two extreme opposite fields. So how does she handle it ? Does she succeed or fail ? Is she happy or keeps brooding ?

The field that she landed was something completely new to her. She had her parts of failures, jealousies, competition, wrong ways and finally rose above all of it. The author has a lot of learnings from life which he’s penned out beautifully through the story of Jasmine.

Everyone of us has a dream, a goal or an aim. We pursue our actions towards them . We chart out a goal plan to achieve the results. Did you know that the universe also has a major role in making our dreams come true? Now that is what the author tries to convey.

A motivational book that helps you to stay focused and have a positive approach to rise above hurdles and accomplish the dream. The connection to the universe and it’s integral part in making our dreams come true also is a lesson to be learnt.

I love the writing style of the author which he serves to keep it simple and crisp. No beating around the bush or extravagant descriptions. Overall a good one for self-motivation and self-discovery.

About the author :

Sanjay is an entrepreneur and an ex-banker, an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and a Chartered Accountant. During his successful career, Sanjay has been integrating the essence of a parallel spiritual journey with his material pursuits. He has now set out to share the ways and means of seamlessly traversing through the material and spiritual world. Thereby, enriching each journey.

Click below on the thumbnail to buy yourself a copy.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla, and generously SPONSORED BY Bugshield Clothing – Enjoy Outdoors More!

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Staying positive when you’re pregnant during Covid19 times

Staying positive when you’re pregnant

Pregnancy is a great period and one of the most looking forward moments in a woman’s life. Though there are a lot of stressful moments , the anxiety and happiness to welcome a new human being she created sure does bring in a lot of excitement.

Being pregnant in covid19 times

But coming to our current situation of the global pandemic #covid19 and the continuous lockdowns that are imposed I came to know that a lot of women went into stress and depression.

✔️Keep your mind open for changes happening around. With lockdown in place new rules are made every minute so don’t keep your mind rigid. Be open to changes.

Think happy be happy. St

✔️Stay calm and all this is just temporary and will be alright in a few days. The changes happening around are just for few days. Things would be back to normal in few days. Focus on your baby and keeping yourself stress free.

✔️Keep tracking baby growth with apps like @oviahealth @babycenter. Tracking baby growth is of utmost importance, the current situation shouldn’t hinder you from doing it in regular basis. Know your baby well. We now have a lot of applications on phone to help us with it.

✔️Make sure you don’t miss your doctor appointments or scans. Lockdown is not a reason to skip appointments or scans. Even if your hospital isn’t accepting patients, there are a lot of maternity speciality or childcare hospitals which are working in full swing to help pregnant women at this pandemic times.

✔️Don’t miss out on your walks or light workouts. The terrace or the car parking could be a great place to walk. A mild workout is necessary during this time. Most commonly people can opt for walking as it’s less strenuous and also aids good physical activity.

✔️Make meals that is favourite to you and your family. This is a great time to start experimenting new cuisines . With no time restrictions to pack lunches for kids and family, you’re at your ease to try out those new dishes , videos of which you had saved long back.

✔️ Set up a candle light dinner with your partner, while the toddler can spend time with grandparents. Who said you can’t go on date nights when you’re pregnant. Going out could be risky during this time but a good dinner at home cooked by both of you together sure does rekindle the spark and gets the libido working.

✔️ Pretend play a sleepover with your toddler. Toddlers are great mood changers. One smile from them or a tiny action sure does light up our minds. Especially if you take part in their pretend plays, it makes our mind relaxed and also makes them happy. You can also read about various activities to do along with them . Read on activities to do with toddlers to know more. The kids could also be a little out of routine, due to lockdown me staying home; which could make them cranky at times. Moreover the new arrival taking the attention would be playing a part in their mood swings. Speak to your partner on how you could handle it. You could also read along how to handle work and make time for them here.

✔️ Don’t get upset if things don’t go as you planned. It’s okay that sometimes things don’t go as per plan. Think of plan B. Divert yourself and don’t keep brooding about what didn’t happen. Just think there is a better way to handle right in front of you. Getting upset or depressed sure will affect your baby too.

✔️Divert yourself into something more interesting like sewing, crochet , doodling or listening to some peaceful music. Picking up a new hobby is always fun. But when you are doing something for the little one inside it doubles the joy and satisfaction.

✔️Devote time to reading good books that boost positivity. Parenting books provide great knowledge at this time. You could also read about how to handle your labor in a relaxed manner. There a lot of books that help how to lead a happy life like IKIGAI.

✔️Talk to your baby in the womb. That is much more comforting. Babies start responding to the mothers voice sooner. It could be in the form of kicks. Start talking to him/her , trust me this will have greater benefits once they’re out.

✔️Self care is much needed and you don’t get better time to do it than to maintain and enhance that pregnancy glow. Get all the scrubs and face masks that are hiding in your closet and waiting to be used. Get going girl,it’s time to bring out that glow. I had a lot of time to try out products and my most favourite and a great recommendation for Ayurvedic products are here. You could take a look and invest , I’m sure you won’t regret buying.

✔️ Maintain a pregnancy journal of start writing posts on to a blog. Document what you feel. If you’re well informed of health sciences during pregnancy you could write on that. This would help fellow women who are pregnant. If you need help on how to start a blog you can read on. How to start a blog.

✔️Most importantly step out for some fresh air and breathe. Fresh air is all we need to keep our mind relaxed it also helps you in bringing in a lot of positivity.

On another note I came across a wonderful technique that my friend had shared, an idea about a gratitude bubble and being grateful and thankful at the end of day for things that we would like to make a note. Do read about it here. I’m sure this would be a great way for positivity too.

The points that are documented above are based on my experience as a pregnant mom during #covid19. I know that many of you or people whom you may know might feel the same. Do share this with them and make them stay positive. We can get through this sooner.

“I am learning how to grow my blog with Neha from Bloggingmadeeasier.com. In case if you are interested – Learn how to grow your blog here . In this learn how to grow your blog will link to this post https://bloggingmadeeasier.com/grow-your-blog-challenge-fundamentals-of-a-profitable-blog/”

Related read : Improving child immunity during Covid19.

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Book review – HEARTQUAKE

BLURB:

Once upon a time there was a city plagued by greed, corruption and mysterious deaths… A patriotic IAS officer, Vikram, decides to expose a corrupt and powerful minister, Rudra Pratap Rana (aka RPR), during the latter’s visit to the IAS training academy. The video of Vikram asking the minister some highly embarrassing questions in front of a packed auditorium goes viral. Instead of having Vikram suspended from service, a vengeful RPR unleashes violence on the officer’s family, and to continue the torture, RPR gets Vikram posted as the sub-divisional magistrate in Laxmipur—the politician’s backyard. As soon as Vikram joins duty, RPR resumes his vengeance. However, a new drama unfolds when a large number of people start dying of heart attacks across Laxmipur. As Vikram tries to unravel these mysterious deaths with the help of Veda, a cardiologist, and Raghu, a police officer, extreme panic grips the city, which soon leads to riots and pandemonium. Vikram is left with no other choice but to risk his life to get to the bottom of this mind-numbing situation. Join Vikram in this fast-paced thriller as he fights to save Laxmipur from HEARTQUAKE.

MY REVIEW:

I loved the Author’s first book and yes I did wait for his second. Knowing that it is a thriller made the wait even more excited. The protagonist of the book is Vikram, IAS officer who wants to bring in a change in the system, by working in the system.

His friend Rakesh tries to run away from the academy one night, the academy seems like a jail and he decides to run away to fulfill his dream of being a standup comedian. Rakesh bumps into Vikram who tries to convince him, that with a good career he could make way into the dream of being a standup comedian. Rakesh is convinced.

RPR is a corrupt politician visits the academy post which Vikram decides to expose him. IN his first step, they plan for an interview, where Vikram has the Minister embarrassed. Rakesh, on the other hand, records the interview which goes viral within minutes. RPR decides to take revenge not by suspending him but to post him in his territory, Laxmipur and also unleashes violence on his family. Laxmipur is RPR’s backyard where he plans to continue his plans to avenge the embarrassment by Vikram.

The city suddenly is startled where people suffer from massive heart attacks and bleeding from the eye. Vikram works seriously to uncover the mystery. He along with Veda( a doctor) in RPR residence as caretaker work together to uncover the mystery. Vikram now not only has the challenge of handling RPR but also to find why the sudden heart attacks were killing people.

The versatility of the Author is clearly seen once you finish this book as you can clearly see the distinction in plot and the genre is chosen. The transition in this book was smooth. This tightly gripped medical thriller also had little elements of humor and romance. It is highly appreciable that it did not disturb the plot anywhere.

The book gives you a complete picture of how the political situation is and how politicians work. Loved the way how the mystery element was contained till the end. With his writing style already proved in his first book to keep readers gripped, this book is another accolade. The medical terms used in the later parts were something new to learn about. The fact that you learn things from a novel is good too. How people work in the IAS sector is also described in detail, which gives you a sneak peek into the life of an IAS officer.

BOOK DETAILS:

· Paperback: 160 pages

· Publisher: Rupa Publications India (20 July 2019)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 9353335329

· ISBN-13: 978-9353335328

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

K. Vijayakarthikeyan is a medico-turned-bureaucrat well known for his hugely popular initiatives as an IAS officer. He has won several awards and accolades for his pioneering work in land, solid waste and urban management. He has authored the national bestseller, Once Upon an IAS Exam, as well as five Tamil bestsellers, Ettum Dhoorathil IAS, Adhuvum Idhuvum, Orey Kallil 13 Maanghai, Jeyippadhu Yeppadi and Oru Cup Coffee Saapidalama. On sunny weekends, he can be found wreaking havoc on the cricket ground with his explosive batting and deceptive spin.

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Book review – Who stole my job

BLURB:

Creative Tech has been one of the most successful IT companies in India during the last two decades. Only that it has started faltering of late. In a challenging and tumultuous business set-up, Marshal Scott, a newly hired American CEO, embarks on a transformation journey that starts on a high note, but soon gets entangled with many unexpected issues.

The employees experience disenchantment with the demanding leadership, frequent policy changes and cultural conflicts. Satvik, a mid-level manager sees the direct implications of these changes that lead to multiple business disruptions and exits of many of his colleagues.

Will things ever be same then again? Can Creative Tech tide over the disruption wave and reclaim its glorious past? What does employment mean for individuals and the corporate in the new digital world? Will the future of work be different from what was perfected after the Industrial Revolution?

MY REVIEW:

A book that lays a strong message that skills are necessary to survive in the field of Information technology. The lucrative salaries might have many eyeballs peeping out, but to be able to get a job like that you will have to keep yourself updated with technology and skills. This does not stop once you get a job. You need to keep updating yourself as newer and new technologies seem to be developed.

The plot here is Creative Tech a successful IT company appoints a new CEO, Marshall. Marshall is competitive and lays down strategies to run the business smoothly. But what happens when there are conflicts coming in? How does he resolve them? A thing to keep in mind is we not only need strategies but also a backup plan or ways of resolving conflicts handy.

Being in the industry for over 20 years, the author sure does narrate the instances that are factual and by someone who knows what happens in and out. People working in the IT industry can relate to it very much because of the life quotes mentioned and insights.

Strategies devised by Marshall seem to be working fine until several conflicts start showing up. Here Satvik, a middle-level manager and someone whom you could say had completely no idea of what “DIGITAL’ meant, was forced to accept the changes due to the digitalization.

The story is being narrated from point of view of different people makes it better for us to know who is able to take in the change, who suffers and who is forced. Satvik having worked for a longer period in the company is now not in a position to switch jobs because of the “SKILL” companies lookout for now.

The characterization has been done well. Each character having a different mindset of the changes that happen. You can finish the book in one go provided you are not affected by the minor disturbances

The language used is simple and easy to understand with not so many complicated terminologies. But I felt the story was stretched longer than it should have at places. A strong message that people need to adapt to changes is the takeaway the author provides the readers.

BOOK DETAILS:

· Paperback: 192 pages

· Publisher: Srishti Publishers & Distributors; First edition (10 April 2019)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 9387022579

· ISBN-13: 978-9387022577

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sunil is a software professional with over two decades of experience in the field of banking technology. Currently, he is working with Infosys in India in the area of digital technologies and start-up ecosystem. He has earlier worked with McKinsey, Accenture and I-flex solutions. Sunil’s previous book Transit Lounge was a travel memoir of thirty countries. Sunil is an MBA from IIM-Lucknow and holds a B.Tech from IIT (ISM), Dhanbad.

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Book review – Alumni of the year

BLURB:

Dave is ambitious, has a demanding boss, and is struggling to balance work and life, especially the relationship with his five-year-old daughter. Dave cherishes the memories of his school days. However, due to an incident from the past, he hardly keeps in touch with his best friends.
When Dave learns that his arch-rival from school is nominated for the prestigious Alumni of the Year Competition, he buys his way into the nomination by donating to the school library.
Travel on a life-changing journey with Dave—from Dubai, to Goa, to Kochi—as he goes for the School Reunion function. See how he confronts his past, his ambitions, his fears, and discovers about what truly matters in life.

MY REVIEW:

If you are looking to relive your school or college memories, this book could be one of those which would rekindle your memories of those golden days. Most often after school, or if I have to say it clearly or accurately we suddenly drift our mind and doings only towards a successful career, status. We tend to forget friends, he happy moments. That after getting a good job we fail to regain happiness but only concentrate on climbing up the ladder. That is where the balance of work and life stumbles a lot.

The effect of a bad work life balance starts showing immediately. And if you’re having a kid, it starts affecting drastically. Dave here in this book, is bossy, well settled and is exactly the kind of person who climbed up the ladder I was talking about previously. He is very much commanding when it comes to being the boss. The work life balance in Dave’s life is stumbling badly and as I had told he is struggling in his relationship with his five –year-old daughter. Also an incident from school has been troubling him to keep in touch with his schoolmates.

Dave learns that his arch rival has been nominated for the Alumni of the year. So what does Dave’s mind think of now. He decides and buys off the nomination. He travels from Dubai for the Alumni Meet. What happens is the rest of the story which I would leave it in your hands.Dave any day would represent any one of us, who is stuck between family and work pressure.

The writing style is simple and lucid. Initially I wasn’t into reading it at one go. But as the story progressed, it became interesting.

BOOK DETAILS:

· Paperback: 158 pages

· Publisher: Notion Press; 1 edition (19 July 2019)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 1684668255

· ISBN-13: 978-1684668250

MY RATINGS:

Title :4/5

Cover -4.5/5

Plot -4/5

Writing and presentation-4/5

Overall -4/5

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Review of Life in the sunshine

BLURB:
Sat, Sam, and Trib (a.k.a Triple sundae gang) are teenagers and they love cricket. They spend most of their time watching and playing the sport they love. They dream of making their living in the sport.
When they are not playing the game, they put on their thinking cap and come up with alternate versions of important matches or provide parodic answers to questions that have plagued cricket fans over the years.
However, fate intervenes in their idyllic life. On 18th April 1986, Javed Miandad hits Chetan Sharma for a six in Sharjah and leaves their cricket viewing life in tatters. The after-effects of this fateful event, continue to haunt them for many years.
Their problems don’t end there.
Sat fails to graduate from school level cricket to state-level cricket. He is heartbroken by the loss of his dreams and faces a mini identity crisis.
How do the boys solve their problems?
Will the boys ever recover from that Javed Miandad incident?
Will Sat get his mojo back?
Come, join the heartwarming ride and find out the answers, as Sat takes you through his nostalgic memories of the sport and narrates his coming of age story, which is deeply influenced by the sport!

MY REVIEW :
With the world cup fever coming to an end, reading this book brings your cricketing spirit up. Something that you have serious passion about is evidently seen when you work on something about it. Such is the work on weaving this book.

The author who was introduced to the game as kid, grown up being told about and playing it, has done complete justice by choosing this to be the main theme of his book. The inspiration being transferred from the book is a treat to ardent lovers of cricket, if I must say clearly to people who live and breathe cricket. When your tribe loves watching, playing and talking about the game, how would it be if you chose that to be your career and make a living out of it.

You could see the authors attempts of intertwining real world instances into his story. Being a 90s kid, this brings back age old memories at some places for me when the author narrates the story. The characterization by the author makes it easier for us yesteryear kids to easily put ourselves into the shoes of the character.
A bag of emotions are sprayed throughout the plot- dejection, happiness, excitement and love. The language being simple and lucid makes it interesting even for a non cricket fan to read it. A lot of romantic and humor elements added here and there makes reading interesting so that the reader is glued till the end.
The cover design is good with an enthusiastic youngster with arms wide open in the air , much relative to the book we are about to read.
A lot of hard work put in to realize your dream, a book that showers inspiration is the best description for this book. IF you are a sports lover or no, just to experience the inspiration from the book, i suggest you to pick this up.

BOOK DETAILS :

Format : Kindle
Publisher : Notion press

MY RATINGS:

cover : 4.5/5
Plot : 4/5
Title :4/5
writing and presentation : 4/5
Overall : 4.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Sathish is an alumni from IIM Kolkata and is a director with Cognizant technology solutions. He is an avid sports fan, bibliophile and a writer. He writes columns about cricket in a popular online magazine. life in the sunshine is his debut novel.

This post has been written as part of the #BlognBookswithus Blog Train hosted by Kapila from Every Little Thing: Happiness and Kavita from the Momtastic World. We are posting about books on our blogs. So hop on and enjoy reading these wonderful posts.
Thank you Ujjwal for introducing me. I would like to introduce Snigdha.

Please check out the posts shared on their blogs.

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Review of Virago

BLURB:

Radhika Mishra is a successful Chartered Accountant. she has everything that one could ask for. Yet, her heart desires for something more. Something else. something that requires unsettling the settled. an urge so strong, it forces her to put everything on stake. An endeavor so bold, that would mold her into a new being. Will she be successful or regretful? One needs to read to find out.

MY REVIEW:

I would suggest that you give this book a read if you haven’t till now. And if you’re wondering why I am saying this without even giving you the review, you will know by the end.

Woman are often brought up with the notion that they could do only certain things. Some activities are not made aware to them intentionally just because they are women. We also have a say that certain things cannot be done once women get married. I understand once a woman gets married, she gets a new family, a new role to play more responsibilities; but that doesn’t or shouldn’t be stopping her from what she wanted to be.

You cannot put this book only into the fictional genre. But if you read carefully or if I put it right read it in depth, the book provides you with more of motivation and positivity to go ahead with what you wanted to be.
Radhika, the protagonist here has a well settled career, but she feels that is not what she wanted to be. A 30-year-old lady, with 8 years into marriage and having a three-year-old son, well settled suddenly taking a U turn to pursue something else is definitely a head turner.

The plot is well thought about to convey a deeper understanding or a sense of self estimation to the reader. If the reader fails to go into a deeper understanding or in depth, then this is just another ordinary book telling you the story of a woman whose married life is failing.
Radhika, here is initially portrayed to being the selfless, adjustable, sacrificing and managing all character but in the later stages works real hard to mark an identity of her own. She is a role model to all women out there, to not just shut themselves up and look after the house after marriage. We have our own dreams and the right to work hard and make them come true.

The narration is simple with lucid writing style but conveys a bold inner voice of a woman. I loved the characterization. It’s a good read, but as I said it all depends on the mindset of the reader.

BOOK DETAILS:

Format: Paperback
Publisher: PAPER TOWNS PUBLISHERS (21 December 2018)
ASIN: B07MGK6H4G

MY RATINGS:

Plot: 4/5

Title:4/5

Cover:4/5

Writing and presentation:3.5/5

Overall:3.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ritiqa Pachauri is an English teacher who loves telling stories to children. Virago is her second novel after ‘The Affair’. She lives in Jaipur with her family.

This post has been written as part of the #BlognBookswithus Blog Train hosted by Kapila from Every Little Thing: Happiness and Kavita from the Momtastic World. We are posting about books on our blogs. So hop on and enjoy reading these wonderful posts.
Thank you Ujjwal for introducing me. I would like to introduce Snigdha.

Please check out the posts shared on their blogs.