reading list

My bathroom reading has picked up speed these days (or means longer bathroom breaks) and I am finishing more books. Most of the books completed recently were some that I was postponing for maybe years because I thought it was self-help or bit cheesy, but the nice thing is I liked most of them.

1. Good to great : why some companies make the leap, and others don't / Jim Collins

This was topping many of the reading lists and recommendations, but had postponed. But it was interesting read. I could use some of these advice when I start my company.

2. Tuesdays with Morrie : an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson / Mitch Albom

Again one of those I keep seeing in top selling racks in supermarkets. But it was a good read. I only wished if I had a mentor whom I could be so close to talk so freely. This lead to whole series of day dreaming about playing mentor roles to young kids, which could be life changing for some not so blessed with educated parents or expensive schools.

3. The alchemist / Paulo Coelho

It is one of those books I was prejudiced against due to no specific reason. But I enjoyed reading this. I wish I knew exactly what I wanted and had the courage to follow that till the end.

4. Getting things done : the art of stress-free productivity / David Allen

I went through the latter parts of the book in minutes, but first part was interesting. I have an inbox with zero mails and trying to follow do / defer / delegate / delete for one week now.

5. Execution : the discipline of getting things done / Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

More of getting things done - good read, bit more painstaking to finish though. One thing I noted was to never finish a meeting without clarifying the actions, seeing through to the end of something and staying committed.

6. Brave New World / Aldous Huxley

Another one that kept appearing in recommendations. Didn't like it much though, thought it was kind of dated.

7. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn / Betty Smith

This is one I felt could have been edited better. I felt the childhood was covered in authentic detail and was nostalgic, but remaining story seemed a bit hurried or disconnected somehow. I would still recommend it though, especially to those who loved to finish one book a day as a kid and getting lost in some strange world.

8. Watchmen / Alan Moore

My introduction to graphic novels. It is a great book and one I would have finished in one sitting if it was 10 years back when life was much less complicated. Need to find more of graphic novels.

procrastination

It is 6 months since the "back again" post; I think about writing something very often but usually don't get around doing that. I must have covered the topic multiple times in this blog itself. It is a strange variety of problem though: - if I keep something pending for doing later, I may never do it even if it keeps paining me consistently. It is not that I forget it also; it is on my mind very often. One classic example is my Chemistry lab report during college. I missed submitting it in the first two sessions or so, then didn't feel like doing it next two times, soon it was 2-3 months and I was getting in trouble. Then one day I made up a story that we moved house and lost my lab report in the move - it was somebody else's story. I don't remember whether I convinced my professor, but somehow he allowed me to submit a new one which I painstakingly made with hours of hard labor. Anyway, there are many stories of this sort where it even meant sour relationships where I failed to call for a longest period which was just postponing the call, nothing to do with my not wanting to call or anything else. If only they knew my chronic problem, they would understand when I say I thought about calling often which would be the truth.

What must have pushed me through all these times is that I somehow get things done in the last possible minute; when I really start something, it usually works out well even if it is late and finally god must have also compensated by pairing me with a better half who is my exact opposite in this matter.

Anyway, this post is another promise to myself to return to this more often.

back again..

It has been more than 2 years since I stopped blogging. My usual update to all the friends is, "everything is just the same", but not this time. Life has completely changed. I am a father now - it feels very strange saying that because in a way I still think I am 20 and still in college. My baby girl is going to be two years old in two months or so and it has been a wonderful two years.

I never imagined it will be this much fun and I will adore her so much. I am one of the youngest in my family and haven't been around babies. So I don't have a clue how to handle them and how to play with them. I think there are two kinds of people - those who are absolutely fantastic with kids (and I envy them, it is a great gift) and those who don't seem to know the right things to say or do around kids (looks aloof, but that is not the case, I know now). My wife is one of them in the first category and I am in the second. But to my surprise, I learned quickly on the job with my girl, I wasn't afraid to hold her when she was too small and playing with her is really the highlight of my day. It is an absolute joy and unimaginable fun - I already said that, but it is true.

Everything revolves around her these days. Every small thing she does is ultimately cute and now the baby log must read like an obscure Guinness world records like the first time she fake coughed to first time she walked to first time she climbed on a chair to the first sentence and first song (it might be a song only for us though, but it is the sweetest) and on and on.

With such major events every day and my usual busy work also which hasn't changed much in years, I don't seem to realize time going by. So one of the new year's resolutions is to revive this blog. I hope to keep this up and not succumb once again to my chronic procrastination.