Twenty- five Seven

Better late than never : Uncomfortable with 4. #UBC day4

January 5, 2017

Are you uncomfortable with no. 4?

pramit_marattha / Pixabay

Trust a clergyman to come up with a saying like “Better late than never”. This oft repeated phrase has become such part of our everyday speech that we rarely give a thought to who came up with it. Today while jumping into the Ultimate Blogging Challenge, I chanced upon it. And being the nosy person that I am, decided to see who said this. It was Matthew Henry, a 17th Century English clergyman who came up with it.

So, as they say, better late than never.

I joined the Ultimate Blogging Challenge in October/November of last year. I can’t remember which month it was. I’ve been so disoriented for the past year that the days have morphed into one big mess. I kept up with the challenge fairly well till I abandoned it half way, literally in the middle of the month. This was largely because I had no time and strangely for another reason.

Somehow I figured out that Paul Taubman was from Sommerville, literally a stone’s throw away from where I was in New Jersey. I mean how dumb is that? What difference did it make where he was and where I was?

It made no sense.

I wanted to reach out and say – Hi! I’m in the neighbourhood.

But then what?

Somehow, I was just paralysed and I completely gave up the challenge.

Four is the perfect balance

I thought that being back in front of my desk top, in my familiar surroundings, it would be easier to keep to this challenge but then again, the 1st of January slowly became the 4th! (For me in India it is already the 5th but I can take advantage of this time difference).

Today’s prompt got me thinking of how 4 completely balances a table. Four completely evens out a family. Four walls make up a perfect room. 4 o’clock is the best time for tea . Four is a perfect square.

But yet, I strangely don’t like the number 4. Weird as it sounds, I’ve not always had the best relationships with people whose birthdays are on the 4th. But 4 is a number we cannot ignore. It comes after 3 and just before 5. Does the date of birth really affect the personality?

I often wonder if I’m the only one who has an irrational feeling about people born on the 4th.

Are you bothered by those born on the Fourth?
1/12 in 2016 – #2017 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

December 30, 2016

1/12 ? What’s that?

Do you remember a childhood story called ‘ 7 in one blow’ ?

If I recollect correctly, this was the Grimm’s fairy tale of a tailor who boasted that he could swat 7 at one blow! No one knew that he was referring to flies rather than men and ultimately the tailor married a princess.

I very foolishly agreed to read 12 books in ONE YEAR or 1 in 12 months.

2016 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Last year I had signed up for Corinne’s Reading Challenge but by the middle of March I’d already given up. And pray what had I pledged to read? A mere 12 books a year or one book a month. That seems easy enough.

I think I may have managed reading more( which is a real shame for a self avowed book lover and former book worm) but as I write this post I can only remember reading about half a dozen……..

This is a sheer disgrace considering the humongous amounts read by other busy bloggers like Corinne, Inderpreet Uppal, Lata and Shanaya just to name a few.

But these are just the ones I remember reading. I’m sure there were many, many more. Especially when I confess that I’ve read out stories to my grandchildren all year long.

2017 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

I seem to be a glutton for punishment . Why would I sign up for a challenge that I barely managed to keep last year?

Call me dumb or plain stupid.

The truth is, I’m always up for a challenge . And the more impossible it seems, the more determined I am to join it.

So:

This year, I, Bellybytes, do solemnly pledge to read 24 books this year.

I will make it a point to not only read the book but also do a review so as to maintain a record.

These book reviews will also include those books I’ve read as a reviewer for Blogadda.

And for all of you who are up for this challenge do sign up at Corinne’s EverydayGyaan.

You do not have to be a blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, LibraryThing, BookLikes, etc., so as long as you have a dedicated shelf for the 2017 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge and your profile is not private. The point of linking up is to have a place where people can see what you’re reading.

Levels:

Getting My Heart Rate Up: read 1–5 more books (or 250–1,499 more pages)
Out of Breath: read 6–10 more books (or 1,500–2,749 more pages)
Breaking a Sweat: read 11–15 more books (or 2,750–3,999 more pages)
I’m on Fire!: read 16+ more books (or 4,000+ more pages)

Happy reading and Happy New Year !
My skies of 2016 #Skywatch Friday

December 30, 2016

My best skies in 2016

#Skywatch Friday is my favourite blog hop because it was the very first blog hop I joined. At that time I didn’t know much about blog hopping or visiting other blogs or even commenting. So for many years I used to visit and leave unnoticed. But now, several years down the line, I realise how important it is to join up with a group of like minded bloggers. Not only do you get to connect and make new friends, but you also get a chance to peep into their lives and on #Skywatch Friday, get a chance to see what’s going on in their skies.

This year my skies stretched from Mumbai to California including some hours IN the sky watching the clouds and earth go by…..

While most of the time I didn’t have time to grab my camera and capture the sky, I did have time to look up and enjoy the different moods of sky – angry, calm, resplendent, annoyed, threatening, happy and above all ALWAYS THERE.

All these shots have been taken with my trusty iPhone 6 and most are of sunsets and sunrises, my favourite times of the day.

Happy 2017 to all you #Skywatchers.

Enjoy!

Join me and other bloggers who share their beautiful skies at #SKYWATCHFRIDAY