I really don't know how to recap November. This has been all-round weird month, probably the weirdest I have had in years. It was super-quiet at work with time generally hanging on my hands after the major October product release. This allowed me to focus a lot more on family and fun.
Yet, it wasn't a tranquil month. There are going to be some major changes in my lifestyle in 2019 and that was in my mind all the time. While November in itself was great, there was this quite unnecessary buzz of anxiety coupled with excitement playing in the background of my mind throughout.
Eventually, life went on as usual in most areas, and here are my November updates.
I started and finished The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K.Le Guin. This book has been on my TBR for ages (since my early teens), but I only got to it this month. The book is quite strange and quite unlike other science fiction books from that era. Quite advanced and far-thinking, although the focus is more on the central theoretical question (what would society without gender look like?) rather than a strong plot.
In October, I embarked on A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I got disinterested pretty soon though and dropped it. In November, I started the massive Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. The synopsis is very catchy and interesting, but maybe it's the mood I am in, I am having a hard time getting to grips with it.
So yes, November was a fail as far as reading was concerned. And I'm really looking for a book that hooks me in. I really want to be able to finish a book I start.
Movie watching too has been pretty blah. I started Pretty Little Liars last month, and although the series is ludicrous, the shenanigans of these four pretty little liars has kept me engrossed this month. I am now on season 6 now, and should be done with it by the end of the year.
Thank goodness I am going to be done with it soon! I really don't like getting sucked into these massive time-wasting and ultimately pointless TV shows. These shows are called a guilty pleasure for a reason, and right now I think the guilt is outweighing the pleasure.
On the personal front, November was delightful. It started with a late Halloween celebration where Piglet finally overcame his fears and walked boldly trick or treating with Snubnose and friends. I might have been a little more scared and followed them through the dark streets lurking in the shadows, just so that I don't embarrass either of them 🙂 .
Almost immediately after Halloween, there was Diwali. My parents came and stayed with us for a few days, and we had a lovely family bonding time.
Second and third week of November was exam time for Snubnose. Without her to play/fight with, Piglet was bored out of his mind. He spent most of the days busy planning his calendar for December (birthday month, Christmas month, and holiday travel month).
By the end of November, Christmas trees were out in full flow. As a kid, Piglet used to be crazy about Christmas trees. He's still into them, just not as wide-eyed as he used to be. Still, we did enjoy the Christmas vibes at VR Bengaluru, and took an obligatory photo with the Christmas tree there.
One last personal high point of November was learning the basics of diving. Snubnose and I have been wanting to try it out for a long time. When the folks at Planet Scuba offered to teach us the diving basics in the safe zone of a swimming pool, we couldn't resist.
We ended up having a great time, and now planning/day-dreaming of doing an actual dive in the sea someday. Let's see how that goes.
One fallout of our diving session is that I am down with a massive head cold after our session in the near freezing water. Snubnose remained unaffected though. Huh!
Overall, skimming through this blog, I see this was a month where I did nothing much apart from chilling with family. I don't see that changing too much in December.
How did your November go? And please do send over book/Netflix recommendations. I really want to get out of this reading/watching slump. What are your plans for December looking like?
