#91 a friend has just sent me a book

a couple of weeks ago i was talking on skype to one of my friends who lives in another country and who i do not manage to see often at all. Distance has affected the contact, but when we get in touch, it feels like neither distance nor time has been in between.

This week i got a book from her she posted me. After we talked she thought, i must read it. It feels amazingly great having a friend like her. She could just have told me the title of the book or could have just sent me a link to amazon so i can buy it myself. Instead, she posted it. Sweetness.

Price: strong friendship

Amazigness: it’s awesome

Duration: it may take a week or two to get through the book.

April 14, 2014

 

#31 chilling out with Sunday newspaper

Normally I dont buy newspapers on workdays. It feels like it is already enough with the news i get from Metro in the morning, then Evening Standard in the evening and browsing of BBC and Guardian websites during the day when taking a break from work.

But on weekends, particularly on Sundays there is something very amazing about getting my favorite Sunday newspaper (the Guardian + Observer it is), put a relaxing music on, have a black coffee with some snacks and just read from the first to the last page (except Sports and TV programme sections; those immediately go to the recycling box). And, though more and more news/ articles are also available online, I like this old-school way of absorbing news -via a newspaper.

Price: 2.70GBP

Amazingness: great combination of gaining new knowledge + relaxation

Duration: few hours.

February 2, 2014

 

#12 losing time in the bookshop

.. the beginning is always the same. When i am passing by a bookstore (and when i’m not in a rush) i always say to myself: “i will just go in, quickly, just to have a quick look; i know i have exactly 12 books on my bedside chest of drawers which i have started and have not finished yet and many more in the bookshelf still waiting to be read, but… i will just go in, quickly, just to have a quick look…”

And then I just lose my sense of time wandering around, browsing through books, daydreaming and always, almost always finding a book (or two) which seems to be so timely, needed right now and without which i cant continue my day.

This is what happened today when i did not plan to go to the bookshop but as i was passing by, you know..

I’m starting tonight to read my new book “N.W” by Zadie Smith (it will join the other 12 which i have started), which apparently, as some say, is the masterpiece and a must-read book. References were intriguing and the story is about Londoners. I’m so curious.

 

…buying books on amazon (or anywhere else online) is easy and often also cheaper, but you cant compare that experience with entering the bookshop. Let bookshops seduce you. Do not resist bookshops, but let them introduce you to books you would not otherwise meet. Let them take your mind somewhere you never thought it could go.

p.s. I assume there is no disagreement on the very fundamental thing of this story that reading is good for you. It does amazing things not only to you but to your imagination

Price: 7.99GBP

Amazingness: hopes are high

Duration: few weeks for sure.

January 12, 2014

 

#3 Reflection

The last and the first days of the year, i believe, are the best days for reflection, time of solitude and day-dreaming.

It is this perfect moment to slow down or stop, take a deep breath, look back, evaluate, recharge the batteries and get ready for the next.

“saying that you dont have time to improve yourself, is much like saying you dont have time to stop for gas because you are too busy driving.” R.Sharma.

This article i am sharing with you “Do you want to have a meaningful life or a happy one” is not a twitter size piece of reading, but is absolutely worth your time. Be warned – it may cause more questions than you thought you had, it may even confuse you, but it may help you understand where amazingness of your life is hiding.

Price: none

Amazingness: average now but high in longterm

Duration: few hours of reading and potential life-long impact

January 3, 2014