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Book Summary - The obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday

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  Ryan Holiday, has taken the philosophy of stoicism and bought it into everyone’s living rooms by simplifying complex notions from stoics like the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, statesman Seneca, a former slave turned professor Epictetus. He has made it relevant for the modern-day individual with plethora of examples and actionable wisdom. The premise of this book is that the unique path your life takes is due to the obstacles you encounter on the path you wanted to take. What stands in the way becomes the way – this book shows how you can use the interconnected disciplines of perception, action and will; to see clearly, act correctly, and accept the world as it is. It is a good read to equip you for any challenge life throws your way. Perception Is about building the muscle to see an opportunity within the obstacle. Skills to cultivate: - Steady your nerves – acknowledge what you are feeling and consciously discard the unhelpful emotions. This skill sets the base for the rest to
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Book Summary - So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport

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I first heard Cal Newport  on a podcast promoting his book "Digital Minimalism" post which I looked him up. He is a New York Times best selling author of seven non-fiction books in addition to being an associate professor of Computer Science at the Georgetown University. He coined the term "deep work" in  his book by the same name which redefined the concept of work.  I liked that his books address real world problems - how to get into a flow state with all modern world distractions, how to build a compelling career, how to manage digital clutter - and provided actionable frameworks to tackle them. A lot of books talk about discovering your passion, following your passion, monetizing your passion, living the dream etc. I picked this one up as it was a refreshing change - it upfront says that following your passion is dangerous advice. I believe this book will benefit anyone aspiring to have a fulfilling work life. The concepts in the book can be easily applied. They
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The Thinnai - Book Review

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Picked this up on a whim at the Chennai airport earlier this year. I was intrigued by the story of how the book ended up getting translated. It was originally written in French by  Ari Gautier and translated to English by Blake Smith. Ari commented on Blake's essay. He expressed irritation as it failed to mention current francophone writers and only mentioned the writer whose work Blake had just translated. What followed was a series of interactions that ended up with this masterpiece.  The book retains many Tamil words like thinnai, kaili, vaatiyar, suruttu etc. which gives it an authentic feel. The characters are only referenced by their nick-names – Joseph One-and-a-half eyes ( he squinted ), Three-balls six-faces ( he had 3 balls ), Emile Kozhukattai-head ( his head was like a watermelon ), Killer Widow ( she supposedly murdered her husband ) etc. Having mean, hilarious nicknames is a common phenomenon in Indian households with everyone forgetting your actual name because nobod
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5 days in Benares - The City of Lights

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Mark Twain called Benares 'older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together'.  Called Kashi in the Vedas and more recently Varanasi, Benares is one of the oldest cities in the world. The temple, and the king's honorofic have Kashi in their name ( Ka shi Vishwanath Temple, Kashi Naresh ); the university, the saree, and the paan have Banaras in it ( Benares Hindu University, Banarasi sarees, Banarasi paan ). Have not come across anything with Varanasi in it except the airport and the train station. Personally I prefer Benares; that was what I was calling it while planning my travel, while there and upon my return when talking about my trip. I was in Benares for 5 days in the December of 2021 when there was a cold wave. It was a solo trip. I limited my interactions with the locals and other travelers.  My first trip to Benares was 8 years back in the November of 2013 for a friend's wedding but I had not ex
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