• Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power

    Timothy W. Ryback

    Timothy Ryback’s Takeover is an absolute thriller, even though the outcome is known history, and it doesn’t let go until the nail-biting finale because even five minutes before President Paul von Hindenburg was scheduled to acknowledge Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany, the coalition partners were still in disagreement. It is fascinating to realise how differently things might have turned out for the world if even a small move from any of a bunch of personalities had slightly diverged.

    (more…)
  • Toit Mahadevapura

    We’ve now made around three trips to Toit Mahadevapura, which we fondly call ‘our rural Toit’. The only problem we have encountered is Google/Uber maps showing a route through the tech park when coming from the Whitefield/ Varthur Road direction. The security guys won’t let you in, so do use the ORR entrance.

    (more…)
  • Frowndation

    Oct 2nd was Gan Ja, but the first Friday in October is also World Smile Day. AI & I came up with some fine lines for you. 😉

    Frowndation
  • The Worm at the Core

    Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Tom Pyszczynski

    A big theme of my reading in 2024 was around answering “why am I like this?” The Worm at the Core has given that understanding a paradigm shift. The basic premise of the book is that the awareness of our own mortality is the hidden engine of human thought, emotion, and culture.

    (more…)
  • Kumarakom Coconut Lagoon

    When I think of it, it’s pretty surprising that it took us this long to get to Kumarakom.

    ‘Better late than never’ became even later thanks to a red alert in the district because of heavy rains in early August. We finally got there at the end of August.

    Where to stay in Kumarakom

    We had finally pulled the trigger on CGH Coconut Lagoon when we found a good offer. Thankfully we didn’t have to pay much extra for the new dates.

    For the last mile, you have to resort to a ferry to the resort. #oksorry Well, there is a road, but why kill the mystique. This is their jetty, where you wait for your ride. Yes, it has a toilet, in case you’ve been holding it all in during the 2.5 hr ride from Kochi Airport. 😀

    Coconut Lagoon Kumarakom
    (more…)