The Journey, Mary Oliver

What a beautiful poem by Mary Oliver ! Loved it .

One day you finally knew,
what you had to do , and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice -
though the whole house began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles
'Mend my life!'
each voice cried.
But you didnt stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the winde pried 
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough,and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen 
branches and stones.
But little by little
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly 
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper 
into the world,
determined to do 
the only thing you could do -
determined to save
the only life you could save .

3/12 Ghachar Gochar, Vivek Shanbhag

Picked this book as an impulse buy at Crossword, Hyderabad. I have heard a bit about this book and finally got chance to read . 

The story begins by the narrator sitting in his favorite coffee shop, recollecting they way his life has changed .Several years ago, he was living a midle class life in a cramped house with his parents, sister and his uncle.Life was simple and honest.Things changed as the uncle starts a business that becomes sucessful.Money flows and the family slowly becomes rich and transition from their small house to a huge bungalow. The financial success comes with its own cost. By the end one wonders maybe the old life was better than this new life where everything has gone 'Ghachar Ghochar'

Verdict: **** .I loved the narration of the story .The portrayal of events at a middle class household of the 90's took me back to similair events in my life. This is  a small book written in an easy language . I highly recomend this book for anyone who wants to get into reading books.

Favorite quotes:

The last shreds of a relationship can snap from a single glance or a moment of silence - pg 9

launguage communicates in terms of what is already known. It chokes when asked to deal with the entirely unprecedented - pg 72

there is  vast difference in the moral underpinnings of a business family and the household of a salaried teacher - pg 77.

2/12 : Orbital , Samantha Harvey

Story of six astronauts orbiing the International Space Station. Their job is to perform experiments for the bettement of science and life on earth. But for the most part they observe .Observe the planet from above and feel the fragility of their existance and the spectacular beauty of the place that they call home.

Verdict : 4 *s.  There is no concrete story. But the book captures the experiences of each astronaut vividly which I liked a lot. I found the writing to be really good and the words flowing like poetry. 

It is scientifically and geographically accurate. The author has done her research on life in a space ship and zerogravity and howit impacts the body. 

Favorite quotes:

without earth we are all finished. We couldnt survive a second without its grace. We are all sailors on a ship on a deep dark unswimmable sea - pg 9

you're a seabid on a warm day, just drifting. What use are biceps, calves , strong shin bones; what use is muscle mass ? ...everyday the size of them must fight this urge to dissipate - pg 11

They cling to their twenty four hour clock becuase its all the feeble little time bound body knows...But the mind goes free within the first week. - pg 13.

she feels in space as though her body is young again and there are no aches or pains .

they came to space to be encouraged. They came out of a drive for more, more of every thing, more knowledge and humility ,speed and stillness. Distance and closeness - pg 27

its beauty echoees-- its beauty is its echoing..its ringing , singing lightness.Its not perpetual and its not the centre;its no everytig and its not nothing; but it seems much more than something - pg 28

its easier to have nothing much to love than to keep losing something - pg 38

why would you do this? Trying to live where you can never thrive Trying to go where the universe doesnt want you when there is a perfect earth -

He is never sure is mans lust for space is curiousity or ingratitude.If this weird hot longing makes him a hero or an idiot - pg 49

A person is beautiful not becuase they're good .They're beautiful becuase they are alive, like a child - pg 51.

is it necessarily th ecause that the further you get from something, the more perspective you have on it? If you could get far enough even from the earth, you'd be able to finally understand it . - pg 52

progress is not a thing but a feeling. it is a feeling of adventure and expansion that starts in the belly and works up to the chest - pg 53

she misses her mother, she misses her toughness, her straightness , her distance - pg 59

wherever mankind goes, it leaves somekind of destruction behind it, perhaps the nature of all life ,to do this. - pg 69

isnt it strange  how everything we do in our capacity as humans only asserts us more as the animals we are - pg 106.

2026: 1/12 The Serotonin Addict, Manoj Surya

My first read of the year is 'The Serotonin Addict' by my friend Manoj Surya. 'Okkasari commit aithe naa maata nene vinanu' (Once I commit, I don't listen to anyone else (or even myself) 

The popular dialogue from the movie Pokiri describes my friend correctly.Be it running a 12 hour ultra marathon,or reading 52 books in a year,I admire Manoj for his bold goals (hobbies as he calls them) and his hardwork and commitment towards the end goal.

In this book Manoj has given us a playbook that we can follow to hit our goals working in a methodical way  and experience joy in it.It  is based on the most authentic source he could refer to - his own lived experience.

Quotes I loved:
"Fun doesn't mean easy. Fun means fulfilling"
"Knowing that there is at least one thing (in your life) in your control will make you feel powerful"
"Dont think about tomorrow or even the week ahead.Think about showing up today"
"Make sure you aren't missing (your committed task) two days in a row"
..contentment comes not because you started that task feeling happy ,but you showed up despite your feelings and then completed it "

"All goals are crazy when you are by yourself and in isolation.
No goal is crazy when you belong to the right community.
Put as much effort as possible into finding the right group"

Verdict:If you are someone who made a resolution to achieve something in 2026 (be it fitness, travel, new skill etc),then I highly recommend this book.It has a lot of practical suggestions to work towards your goal,stay committed and make it a habit.It is a small book that can be completed in a single sitting.

#bookstagram #nonfiction #booklover #bookworm #library
#reading #tbr #bookreview #readingchallenge  #selfhelp #2026

Coimbatore Half Marathon 2025.

In the Tamil movie Basha there is the scene where Rajnikant's brother comes back with the medical report of the villain, asking who he really was? because only a man whose whole body was soaked in violence could cause such injury to the body.

My injury wasn't that bad, but I remembered this scene when I saw the perplexed look of the doctor after he looked at my report.Strangely I wasn't sad, in fact I felt a bit happy becuase now I know my transformation as a runner has entered deep inside me !

Jokes apart,The past 6 months was a  roller coaster 🎢 ride in my running journey.I had the full experience of the  FOMO lows 😢when I had to cancel runs that I have been training for ,the guilt trip 😩 when a veteran runner called me up and gave me 'gyan' for a good 1 hour and the shame spiral ꩜  when fellow runners asked (with good intentions)why I am not running as I used too. 

It was not all doom & gloom. I was fortunate to have a good coach who kept checking on me.He was really worried (more than me)and kept checking on my progress.Thank you Siva I wouldnt have made it until now without your help.Also grateful for the tips from coach Rama!

Things got better from September ,when I found a good yoga place and dabbled a bit into swimming as well (Hello Ironman 😃)  My buddy Nishikant recommend a sports rehab specialist which finally turned things around.
I restarted my runs slowly and tested  my legs with a hard 10k last week.That went fine so I took a leap of faith today by doing a HM at the Coimbatore Marathon today. 

Race execution : My plan at the start line was to stick to an easy pace until 10.5K and switch to harder efforts for the next 10K if I felt comfortable .The weather this time was pleasant ,with lesser humidity and dry and cool skies.The energy of my fellow runners pulled me gradually to higher pace, and I was slowly inching towards sub2 pace. 

The body was warmed up and getting to a rhythm by 10K. Took a sip of my gel (Fast&UP ,non caffeine ) and switched gears to a higher pace.I was really happy with my energy levels and form until the 18K mark. By 18, I could feel the HR getting higher by the km. 

A young runner came to the company and helped me push through the last 3 kms with a great sprint finish !! 

I finally made it past my injury (at least for now). Now it is time to rest and recover and focus on sustainable running ,as I enter 2026!

Race organisation : Excellent race management with no traffic hiccups,well stocked aid stations  and a good post run arrangements for stretching and physio. Not to forget the delicious south indian breakfast.Thank you to the organising committee for the excellent arrangement. With its flyover and (slightly) humid weather, this is a test ground if you are planning a longer race at Chennai Marathon.