Reading list and writing list.

After I purchased my kindle or rather, after I rejigged my reading habits to read more, I began to track what all I read and how much I read using goodreads.com. And the good thing is, goodreads.com is integrated into the kindle itself, though I very rarely connect my kindle to wifi. I prefer to use goodreads.com via laptop itself!

Now that, I keep track, I also got a reading list, where in I have set a wholesome count of 75 books for the year 2015. I know its late in the year, may be I wont be able to make it, I was wondering, if I could set a writing list as well. Like 75 posts for the year 2015. [Though  none of the posts are intended for others read, its for my own satisfaction, that I end up posting].

So I am close to the 50 mark, now I guess, hitting 75 shouldn't be a concern though considering, I have my office cab driver series which shall surely contribute around 7-10 posts.

Only concern is when do I get a time to switch on the PC and post it. Either I am too lazy or just plain occupied. I can open blogger and post it from office as well, but I feel, its unethical. So hoping to post from home.

Regarding reading, I am checking time and again for books which are 200 pages or lesser so that, I can read them quickly and make up for the reading challenge I have for 2015, That's how shameless I can be, of course!

Cheers,

Navalur - Guava

Navalur is a place which comes somewhere in between Hubli and Dharwad, and the place is famous for Guava. Each time I drive though that stretch I am told to stop to buy guavas.

Until the last time, I was complaining that, a guava causes me sore throat. This time considering, my diet and my improved knowledge on what guava has, I am carefree when eating guava and more than happy to acknowledge and make a stop.

Brought around 15 (nos) of guava for around Rs 70 I guess, so for the next few days, my diet supplement of course!

Cheers,

Hubli-Dharwad, aint that interesting anymore!

The first time, I can recollect going to Hubli Dharwad was in the year 1992, and since then I have been going to the twin cities at least once in every 2 years. Over the years, my liking for the cities have become decrimental.

As a kid I loved the place, the railway stations, those steam engines, the laid back life, when I saw the people over there, and above all, the old house of Babu Singh Thakur Pedha, where we would order few kilos before going to the temple and come back in the afternoon and collect the same.

But things look different now, its more or less crowded as compared to Bangalore. Crowd crowd everywhere, the Hubli Dharwad road seems to be in a complete mess since the last 3 times I have been there. I hate driving through the city, but too lazy to figure out the bypass existing over there which makes me drive through that road.

Last time too it was dug up for expansion and laying of concrete, this time too it was dug up for repair and some flyover construction. Made me kick myself of not taking the by pass directly to Dharwad.

On top of that, we went on weekend, and thus there was no south indian meals available at all since it was a holiday. We were made to order north indian food. I am not that food lover, but eating north indian meals time and again makes me crib a lot about it. Somehow managed couple of days across 2 times, once in the afternoon and then in the evening. And then it was Monday, weekday, as usual got my share of south indian meals and I was happy happy.

This was not the case back 20 years, North Karnataka style food was available in abundance, back then. Now its all chaos. Felt like escaping from that place.

How I wish, technology, population wouldn't have peaked this much!

And Babu Singh Thakur Pedha, I dont know where that old house just vanished, now its become a big buck enterprise with franchisees opening stall at every corner of the city, where in a supplier supplies them pedha stock each day. Gone are those days!

Cheers,

PS- I wonder, whats wrong with people of Hubli Dharwad that they prefer Roti/Naan/Curry/Palav over rice/rasam/sambar over the weekends, the case was same across few known hotels, not that I did not try multiple hotels!

There is a first time for everything!

Got fined for not having an emission certificate for my car, that too along Hubli Dharwad highway. It was the first time since I started driving a car that, I was stopped! The policeman seeing the registration of KA-41 was keen on stopping and asking for documents. As the saying goes, there is a first time for everything!

Cheers,

The day I drove through unknown villages

Yes, it was yesterday and the reason was, there was a strike going on across Saundatti, where in the protestors had blocked rather hijacked the highway. Thus I could not get to the Darshan at YellammanaGudda. When I returned back to the original highway after a small detour, there was a policeman who told me to take another road, where in there was no strike and no agitation at all.

I was relieved, I could drive back to Bangalore on the same day I thought. But after driving through hoards of unknown villages and on not so great roads, I realized, there was an agitation everywhere around Saundatti, leaving me with no other option than to return to the hotel,

Thus a drive of around 50-60 kilometers across, unknown villages, amidst intense sunlight, left me all but dehydrated. But in the evening there was a pleasant surprise waiting.

No sooner I hit the highway towards Saundatti yet again, I could see, buses plying towards Saundatti and also saw a bus returning from Bijapur, sure I thought the agitation was over, and it was indeed. Thus ended the day on a high note. Took an extra day to reach back to Bangalore, but worth the effort.

Cheers,

Quick trip admist chaos and strike

I had plans to visit the holy temple of Goddess Yellamma Devi since quite a while. It had been two years, since I had been there and I had lots of praying to do. Last time I went there, I was in a different shape, this time, I would go there in a different shape altogether, thanks to my teacher.

All in all, the trip turned out to be a day longer than I anticipated. Thanks to the Kalasa  Manduri Nala Project agitation, the people of Saundatti had hijacked the highway and blocked,it, making us to return back without a chance to visit the temple.

But returned to the same highway in the evening and had a good neat and nice darshan at the temple at YellamanaGudda, since the agitation was over. That makes me very happy, but at the same time, it costed me a day extra, but never mind, all's well that ends well.

Cheers,