As I mention recently, this week has been filled with celebrations and traditional food given that we celebrated a nine day (or ten day) long Hindu festival called Navaratri (or Navratri).
Navaratri (means 9 nights) is celebrated all over India, though the mythological story and reasons behind it differs from region to region.
We (from South India) celebrate this festival to pray to the Goddesses (of education/arts, wealth, and power, respectively) and seek their blessings. This is usually celebrated in a grand manner for the women in the family because this is mostly a matriarchal festival.
We arrange dolls (figurines) on tiers for display during the period and invite other women (from the neighborhood and family) for an evening of snacks and devotional music. Usually, these dolls are at least a hundred years because they are passed over generations.
This is our first to time celebrate Navaratri golu (arrangement of dolls) after moving to Dubai. And sadly, that means all our dolls are newly bought. My mom still showcases 100+ year old dolls at my native. Just arranging the dolls here filled me with homesickness and nostalgia.
Of course considering the current COVID situation, we didn’t entertain many guests and kept the socializing part to the minimum. So did my mother and many of my relatives, in India.
What I read this week
I finally completed reading The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner this week. And that brings me with 4 letters remaining on my A to Z reading challenge.
I am currently reading The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith. And it is crazy that this is my first ever McCall Smith’s book. I will let you know how it goes for me next week.
What I watched this week
Believe it or not, this is the first time I watched the movie One flew over a cuckoo’s nest. I had been holding on to it for long, because of the “book first” motto.
But I gave in finally, because I don’t have the book and I wanted to watched Nurse Ratched on Netflix. I will let you know how it goes next week.
I also watched HBO’s Third Day and I really enjoyed it.
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
I remember complaining last week about how I never got anything done. And this week has been hectic. While I didn’t get much done on my to do list, I was blindsided (or was I?) with other works.
We have a series of Hindu festivities lined up this coming week and the preparation work has just left me exhausted. And it definitely crept into my blog and writing time, sadly. It also means less reading done!
On the other hand, I might have quite a bit to write about next week, so stay tuned.
What I read this week
My reading has been a little slow this week, owing to the messy week I was speaking about. But I am currently reading The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner, for the letter J on my 2020 A to Z reading challenge.
What I watched this week
I have been (re)watching Suits over the weeks slowly. And I am not a great fan of the final season, which was too slow and superficial for my liking.
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
Somehow I feel my entire to do list is unfinished and I got nothing done. I hate it when time flies despite my best efforts. On Friday I suddenly realized how the week is almost done and what day it was, and since then I worked so hard to tick things off the list. But failing terribly.
I sincerely hope your week was better than mine. Let’s talk about it and forget this pathetic week of mine, shall we?
What I read this week
I did myself proud this week in terms of reading because I finished reading two books! Yes that means I am on the right track to hitting my reading goal for the year.
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
Kinship of Secrets, The by Eugenia Kim
These books also count towards my 2020 A to Z reading challenge for the letters I and K, obviously!
What I watched this week
I watched a little too much Netflix this week and I am not happy about it. But I have realized my folly before it actually kicked my ass. So nothing is lost yet.
I watched Sweet Magnolia and it took me a long time to get into it. But finally when it got interesting, season 1 ended with a cliffhanger (which I totally hate!)
I was looking for something mind numbing to watch on Amazon, and I stumbled upon Two and a Half Men. While it was for a bit of laughter here and there, man, that series didn’t age well at all.
I could not avoid loathing both the lead characters and can’t get over the misogynistic crap they did. Oh well!
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
Please tell me that your week was great and all went ahead as planned. What did you get done and what are the things that went pending on your weekly duties? Let’s talk.
Okay I will say it for all of us! None of us can believe me September’20 is already done and we are in October already. And I can’t wait to see what the tenth month of 2020 is gonna throw at us. Actually just kidding, I wish there was not any more surprises.
And this week has been a little weird for me. I have not been able to focus on anything, especially on my blog. I hope things will be better this week.
Quick September’20 updates
Let us a quick update on what September’20 was like.
I worked on a few a lot of changes in my website and I am loving the entire theme. There are a few more kinks I have to focus on.
The weather is finally getting better these days and we hit the beach more than once during September and I am considering this a win.
This was a great reading month for me. More on that in a bit.
What I read this month
As I mentioned already, for me September was the month I actually got out of the slight slacking I was doing in terms of books.
I read about 6 books which is a big deal, considering what I have been doing in the past few months. I am so glad I got back into the groove.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin ⭐⭐⭐
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Guest List, The by Lucy Foley ⭐⭐⭐
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Extraordinaries, The by Klune T.J. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2020 A to Z Reading challenge – update
On other news my attempt at A to Z reading Challenge is going on really well and I have only a few more letters to catch up.
So if you have any books starting with the other letters, send me your suggestions.
What I watched this month:
I have not been spending much time on watching the television. But this is what I watched through the month.
Umbrella Academy Season 1 and 2
The Boys
Tenet
Suits (Rewatching)
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
I know I have been complaining about the weather down here in Dubai for a long time now, four to six months now, and it is gonna stop right now – at least for now. YES, the summer is finally gone and the temperature is slowly receding.
By that I mean, I don’t have to run the aircon 18 hours a day right now. I know there is a bit of time for the official “fall”, but I will take it as a win for now.
So how is the weather wherever you are at now? Is the Dubai summer finally done?
Did you see anything new around here? Yes, I made a bit of renovation here and changed the website‘s look a bit. I moved to Divi themes and it took more time than I thought it would. But finally, I am happy with the result. What do you all think?
I apologize if something isn’t working and do tell me. Also let me know if you have any suggestions or updates for the site, leave them on the comment section. I am all excited and I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the changes here.
This was a good reading week for me. I finished reading two books, which somehow feels like a great thing because I have not done that in a while.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin
The reviews will be up soon.
What I watched this week
I am watching the Boys on Amazon and I loving it. Again I try not to binge on it, but I have caught up with all the episodes for now.
I also watched the Tenet last week and I can say my mind blew. I may have as well lived under a rock because this is my first Christopher Nolan movie (I know I know). I am definitely watching more of his movies in the coming week.
On my blog
In case you missed the posts from my blog, last week.
