Nirupama P.R.V.'s Blog: Catty Opinions of a Book Loving Couch Potato, page 9

Reading Challenge- October Updates

Another month, and time for an update on my Reading Challenge.

Hopefully you have been looking at my Monday Motivation posts and you know my happy successful news! I completed my Goodreads Challenge for 2020. Hurrah!

I read quite a bit in October 2020 and exceeded my goal by the time the months got over.

Here’s what I was buried in:

I was engrossed in this 2020 release – a cartoonist’s take on life and motherhood.

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This of course is a classic but so apt for the year that is 2020.

I read a lot of illustrated books this month. My third is a perfect gift for book worms the world over. Ah, the joys of books!

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Another book that I completed reading this month is a book on growth and branding by Wharton Professor Barbara Kahn. I really liked it- it has some extremely interesting case studies and many useful strategies.

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My last book of the month was one on making the most of social media.

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Contrary to the title, the book’s premise is that we can get into the habit of effectively using social media in a month- in a way that our efforts and techniques are aligned with our goals and intentions.

So, that is a summary of my reading. As ever, stay happy, keep reading. And before I end, I have two questions now that you are done reading this post.

For those of you who have read these books, what did you think?

For everyone, do you read comics or illustrations? Who is your favorite?

Share your responses in the comments below.

Only 3 Days Left!

[image error] Photo by Jordan Benton on Pexels.com

Howdy everyone!

It’s October 29 today. That means only 3 days left.

For what? You might ask, if you still did not guess?

For NaNoWriMo!!

NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month is annual event where participants across the globe attempt to pen down 50000 words in the month of November. Novelists, budding and veterans, old and young (part of the Young Writers Program) try to pour their novels, out from the recesses of their minds, onto pages. (physical or digital is your choice!)

It’s all about penning 50K words in 30 days– so everyone focusses on writing. Editing is for later. Ditch the editing. Reach that word count, folks! That’s why it works so well.

Often, we are so driven by our perfectionist tendencies that our stories don’t have a chance to even form fully before they perish under our inner, strict, editor’s ire. No more. This is the time to switch wholly into ‘Writer’ mode and push those drafts out.

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I love NaNoWriMo – because whether you fulfill the 50K target or not, it’s amazing to a be part of. I have written an entire novel in one year, written 30 blog posts in another (yes, you can use this time for that too), and simply caught all the stories in trapped my head in one year.

Want to know the one thing that I did every year I joined? (okay, almost every year) I’ll give you three.

Write

Write daily. It’s an incredible time to build the habit of writing daily. Even if you don’t plan to write daly later, the habit helps you develop your writing muscle memory. Remember, every bit counts.Write daily. It’s an incredible time to build the habit of writing daily. Even if you don’t plan to write daly later, the habit helps you develop your writing muscle memory. Remember, every bit counts.

Enjoy the Community

The NaNoWriMo is an incredibly friendly and enthusiastic community. Blogging and writing can feel lonely. And since may of us, write to pour our thoughts out, we don’t share as often. So, we miss out on the bonding and comfort that comes from being part of a group- with shared experiences, similar goals and aspirations and challenges.

For the month of November at least, be part of a wonderful community of writers through NaNoWriMo. It has first time dreamers and expert writers and everyone in between, so if you identify as a blogger/ writer, join in.

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Inspiration

When you join the event, you automatically get assigned to a local/ regional group. The head or heads, all excellent volunteers, send you pep talks, useful resources, and details about upcoming events that you can use as a springboard for your own writing adventure. All events are virtual this year, which is even more fantastic. I might be writing in my comfy fleece Costco-bought PJs- you can do you!!!!

So, are you joining for a month of writing fun?

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Let me know in the comments your answers to one or all 3 of the questions below:

are you are joining (I am!)what you think about 30-day challenges? (hard but rewarding)do you share your writing with your close family and friends? (blog versions, yes, novels, not at all, until they are done! Don’t even think about peeking is my motto then!! )

Inspiration from the American Girl Magazine

If you are a parent who has bought toys- you probably realize how much of marketing and advertising goes into ensuring that our little offsprings are the consumers of tomorrow.

As an adult, this is why I can’t look past the marketing and the gimmicks when it comes to some of the amazing and creative toys that abound the market. Yep, the Barbies, the Hatchanimals, the Shopkins.

Similar to an Apple device, you buy ONE and then get sucked into buying a whole dazzling array of items you never knew you needed. What’s more the box will come with a list of amazing other components that while not required- will somehow worm their way into your next list of purchases.

Annoying but true. And of course, because they are useful enough, the cycle continues . One of the toys that occupies top spot in this list is of course American Girl.

They are super expensive, have their own superstores, complete with ‘experiences’. And of course, I have ‘subscribed’ to it. Between birthdays and presents and holiday deals, our collection is worth a small fortune.

The one thing that I have a love-hate relation with is their magazine. It’s full of details about their ‘Girl of the Year’ and various products and new experiences. Nooooot good for my purse.

But, over time I have realized that much as I dislike the first two days of swooning on the kiddos part and groaning on mine- and the annoyance at why they need to fuel the kiddo’s dreams of purchasing more of this stuff, I can use this info to direct her to play better.

I can encourage her to use the stuff we already have to recreate those scenes.

I can use those settings to recreate those scenes for the other sets like Barbie, Shopkins, etc. too!

With a little bit of imagination, the same sets can stretch further. Or we can always DIY. Yayy!! Plus, the kiddo and I have fun doing those DIY activities. We can make memories! Win-win!

This year’s book was something similar.

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Thanks to this page, we actually did a nice mix and match fashion collection for one doll.

Basically this is the concept of a Capsule wardrobe but for a doll.

I only took a few photos- the rest of the time was spent in changing clothes for dear Julie (the doll). I think the kiddo had more fun trying to fashion settings and props to have the ‘photo shoot’ for her doll.

WordPress Wednesday – Technical Tips

In today’s post, I’d like to share a WordPress tip that is extremely useful but also highly under utilized.

The Search functionality.

When you have been blogging for some time, it’s quite common to come across one of the following scenarios:

You try to recall a former post you yourself have written – because you want to share it with someone.


While writing a post, you want to link another post and you do not recall the title.
You want to update an older post.
You are writing a new post and would like to duplicate an older post to use as a template.

You get the gist.

Here are some cumbersome ways to do it:

– Scroll through the post on your dashboard under Posts.

– Use the Search tool on your site. If you do not have one, go through the step of adding one via the widgets function.

– Do a Google search with relevant terms and your blog name.

All these work. But they are clunky. Not to mention we still need to go back to the dashboards to search (scroll) if we want to edit.

The best feature to use in such cases is the Search functionality within the dashboard and posts itself.

Here are the exact steps to take:

1. Navigate to the dashboard if starting out.

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2. Go to blog posts- Published ones.

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3. Type in your query for the post.

I used the example of “food” to retrieve a book Review titled ‘Food of Love’ years ago.

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The one I needed was second in the search results.

4. I even tried a different tag- I wanted to get my safari adventures post. I started typing Cumberland but after the first three letters , I got my ideal post.[image error]

5. Best of all, you can edit or view the post directly as required for our original purpose. Yahoo!!

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Have you used this feature?

What is your experience- let me know in the comments below.

Monday Motivation

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Props make reading fun!

Monday Motivation

[image error]It all adds up!

Reading Challenge Updates- September

Hello everyone!

After a month of writing every day about 3 things I am grateful for, it felt odd not to write today. (I miss the #LensOfGratitude series!)

So, I decided to post an update on my Reading Challenge.

This month I finished three books:

One was the witty and funny comic- essay book by Brian Gordan: Winging It.

Second book was a Re-read of Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Mr.Quinn. I love her books and always reach out to those classic mysteries- it’s like spending an evening with your bosom buddies. Your conversation is pretty predictable, but it’s warm, comforting and you can be your usual self.
The third was a historical romance by Anna Campbell. While the story is the same hate-them-love-them plot, the description of the Scottish scenes, attires and castles were pretty detailed. I like romance novels and all the more because they up my reading count quickly.

At the end of three quarters of this year, my tally stands at:

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I am still plowing through a couple of other books I began this month. So, hoping the counts improve a lot more this October.

Slow and steady has worked in my favor- keeping me well on track to the final goal. Hurrah!!!

What strategy are you adopting for reaching your reading goals? Let me know in the comments below.

Lens of Gratitude- Day 30

The month ends today and so does the #LensOfGratitude challenge.

I am so pleased that I wrote everyday about the big and small things I am grateful for. Not a single day was missed. Considering how the month was, I am so happy. (Gratitude #1)

Of course, this would not have been possible without amazing readers who held me accountable to the challenge and spurred me to keep going with their Likes and Comments. Truth be told, this blog has stayed in existence because of you wonderful folks! (Gratitude #2)

And of course, the main lesson from this whole exercise is the Lens of Gratitude. Whether it’s looking at the silver lining, spinning a situation to see nicer aspects that were not visible at first, or simply choosing to look at other things that are wonderful and beautiful- it’s taught me that it can be done! (Gratitude #3) In the words of Daniel Tiger:

“When something seems bad, turn it around, and find something good.” 

Lens of Gratitude- Day 29

Ahoy there! Day 29 to writing about what I am grateful about and I am massively delayed.

But the day has been progressing nicely, so the rosy lens is not even needed today.

I am grateful for the kiddo’s interest in books. She finished a whole book in one sitting and I could not be prouder. In this age of digital distractions, staying engrossed in a black and white, silent, thick book on a title her father randomly picked from the library is certainly an achievement to applaud. (Gratitude #1)

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Further, the kiddo wants to blog about the book! I am simply swooning with delight at this point. (Gratitude #2) While I am still debating the merit in that thanks to a conversation on this decision with the husband (more on that some time soon), it warms my heart to see my baby so accomplished, so grown up and more importantly, finally showing glimpses of ME in her pretty self. (Gratitude #3)

Amid this of course, the baby needed attending. Work and household chores needed to be completed. Classes were attended (on time!). We even squeezed in a nature walk.

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And that is why this post was delayed in being published.

But all’s well that ends well! See you with the last gratitude post tomorrow! Stay cheerful, stay grateful.

Lens of Gratitude- Day 28

3 days to go for this challenge to end!!! I am so pleased I stuck it out – last leg now.

It’s a pleasant Monday.

The kiddo did not have an early class due to Teacher Work Day. She has assignments instead. So there I was, making baby talk with our little one, enjoying not having to dash madly. (Gratitude#1)

I am still smiling from having spoken to two of my sisters yesterday. Sisters are so awesome!!! (Gratitude #2) And having become moms, I think we are really bonding on a lot more. Yay!

My current read is Brian Gordon’s book titled Winging It. It’s all about parenting and features not only his clever comic strips but also one essay on every chapter. The book is about the realities of parenting, so the chapters cover important things like poop, food, sibling rivalry and so on. Penned in his true to account, hilarious, witty style- they are so amazing. I am only half done but have already laughed so much. (Gratitude #3) Every parent needs to read this!

Hoping the week is full of sunshine and laughs for those reading this too! Stay optimistic, stay blessed.