Manu's Medley

In 2024, I made a conscious decision to read regularly. Instead of treating reading as a past time activity, I adopted it into my daily routine - aiming to read 10 pages each day. There were days where I couldn't read due to various reasons - sickness, time constraints, fatigue or other commitments. However, I managed to meet the target of 10 pages a day (on an average), over the year. This approach helped me overcome the reading slump and voila I could finish one book each month, totaling 12 books in 2024. In this post I would like to share all the titles I read last year. The Art of Happiness: My quest to learn more about Buddhism led me to this book by His Holiness Dalai lama in collaboration with Howard C Cutler. The content of this book is deep and highly relevant to everybody's life irrespective of one's region, religion and culture. The authors put forth "How to be happy" in very simple terms, while implicitly explaining the essence of Buddhism and Buddhist...

It's the holiday season and what better way than to spend reading those magical Christmas stories to your kids. Whether you have a cozy story time by snuggling under the blanket or read the book sipping hot chocolate by the side of the fireplace or just before tucking your little ones to bed, these wonderful books are sure to bring joy and lots of Christmas cheer to your little one(s) and your family.  You may check out my  youtube channel  for such amazing Christmas reads and many more. I also have some exciting ideas for you to make the most of this holiday season, along with creative tips to keep your kids happily engaged during the winter break. Do check out the below articles. I am sure you will find them useful. Things to do during Christmas Activities to engage kids during winter break Winter worksheets for kids Now, let's dive into the books that are going to win those tiny hearts and spark their imagination this holiday.  1. How Many Sleeps Till Christm...

When we are away from home, almost every meal we make brings back the memories of home. Festivals are no less. That too when we are from that wonderful generation who has witnessed and experienced festivals at their best, undoubtedly our hearts get full with those fond memories.  Deepavali is celebrated with much pomp and show and is considered the biggest festival in Tamil Nadu. Undoubtedly, festivals bring in a different vibe and of course new dress(es), good food and family gatherings. But Deepavali is much bigger than this because of the brightness it brings along with it, yeah the fireworks undoubtedly. When I was a kid, we start prepping for the festival for almost a month before - thorough cleaning of the house, shopping for clothes and crackers and the most interesting aspect for me was preparing special sweets and savories. Mom and I used to make at least half a dozen varieties of sweets and snacks. The constants used to be muruku and mixture.  A week before the festi...

The Light We Carry, my latest read is written by Michelle Obama. This author needs no introduction. She is well known as the Former First Lady of the United States of America. She has authored three books so far - American Grown, Becoming and The Light We Carry. I loved her memoir Becoming and this my second of her works. In Becoming, she took us through her life, right from her childhood to the time she spent as the First Lady of US. In The Light We Carry, Michelle Obama focused on a more specific topic. She provided us a glimpse of her habits, practices, attitudes and beliefs she follows to stay balanced and confident, even during times of high anxiety and stress, both in her professional and personal space. She calls them as toolbox which she developed over time based on her life experiences and calls it as her own ongoing process of “Becoming”. Through this book, Michelle Obama discusses about finding personal power, communal power and the power to override feelings of doubt and he...

The day you first held your little one, the first time he smiled at you, those first steps, first tears, first words, first bike ride... You would have experienced countless firsts with your child so far. Before you knew it, your kid is just few days away from a very important milestone - his first day of school.  If your kid is starting kindergarten this academic year, I totally feel you. I was in the same state of mind, exactly an year ago. After tending to my son for more than 3 years, that too as a stay at home mom, he is very attached to me. I was with him literally 24 x 7, except for those very few minutes I sneak into the washroom. The thought of how he would survive those 7 hours of school without me, haunted me for days. Next his preparedness to face the whole new world (without us) was dreadful. I had infinite questions/ doubts in my head. It is quite natural if you have an endless loop going on in your head. In this post, I sum up my experience of preparing my child and ...

If you are from 80s, like me, it is most likely you would have started your reading journey with a Sidney Sheldon's novel. Hands down, he is a master story teller known for his thrilling plots, inspiring characters, suspense and unexpected twists. Looking at the name of the book  Sidney Sheldon’s The Silent Widow , don't mistake it for written by Sidney Sheldon. Tilly Bagshawe is the author of this book.  Tilly Bagshawe is originally known as Matilda Emily Mary Bagshawe. She is a fictional writer who has written many international best-selling novels like Adored, Flawless, Temptation, The Show, The Bachelor etc.. Sidney Sheldon's estate thought Tilly's writing style is similar to Sidney Sheldon and chose her to write under his name. Thus far she has written 8 books as part of Sidney Sheldon series. Coming to the story of The Silent Widow, Nikki Roberts is the main character and she is a psychologist. She lost her husband in a car accident and since then is heartbroken n...

Are you moving abroad? Whether you are planning to move to another country as a student or on an official deputation or as a permanent resident to a country like Canada, I am sure you have innumerable questions - amongst which " What to pack? " tops the list! Should I carry my certificates, daily essentials, food items, clothes and the list is endless. And this is one of the most frequently asked questions in social media groups and (or) amongst friends/ relatives/ colleagues who have travelled before.  While some genuinely respond, I have seen many mocking the asker, quoting it is too stupid to carry lentils, tooth brush or any basic essentials that will be available at the destination or just brushing it off as a dumb question. There is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers. In this article, I shall try to answer your question "What to pack while moving abroad?" as much as I can. If you find this article useful, please don't hoard it to yours...