Author: Sunandhini R

I suddenly felt like rewatching Kaatru Veliyidai during dinner. Maybe because of the song running at the background or attach a different meaning to it. Don’t know! This time, I noticed the finer details after the pandemic with a different lens.

Watched this movie during my postgraduate days but couldn’t recall much of it. Back then, dumb me didn’t have the maturity or understanding I do now. When we watch something, we interpret it through our own experiences and perspectives. The lens I used then was different from the one I use now, and it might change again if I watch it in the future.

Here are some of the things I observed this time:

• Leela fell in love with her version of VC (through the letters from her brother), but the real VC was different. The movie beautifully highlighted this gap.
• Leela wanted an equal relationship and respect, while VC was otherwise. She propose hiding behind the mirror.
• Varun’s behavior was often self-centered. He didn’t realize some of his actions were wrong until others pointed them out. His ego and desire to control Leela or even others stood out in many scenes.
• The script, dialogue and the careful selection of words – beautifully done
• The conversation between Ilyas and Nidhi stood out and bring out the clarity among the chaos.
• Recurring use of wind and storms in many scenes
• Varun’s transformation at the end was well-executed. The self space in the prison would have helped in the realization.

The realization made sense to me. All those changes happened when he was alone in prison. Call it enlightenment or whatever name we want to give it, but growth happens when we’re left with just ourselves. When we sit in that stillness, we see what we’ve been avoiding. Varun was forced into that space, into facing himself, and that’s where the change began.

 ஒளிகளின் தேடல்
என்பதெல்லாம் மௌனத்தில்
முடிகின்றதே

மௌனத்தின்
தேடல் என்பதெல்லாம்
ஞானத்தில் முடிகின்றதே….!

In today’s world, we are constantly surrounded by people and distractions, yet we feel disconnected. Is it possible?

Cheers
PS: Available in Amazon Prime

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Merry Christmas! This year felt like it flew by in the blink of an eye, leaving little time to process everything that happened. lol! I didn’t create a wish list or vision board at the start, which made the journey feel both unpredictable. Obviously, life takes unexcepted turns! However, as I look ahead, I’m willing to be more intentional.

My prime goal for 2025, is to focus on the positive aspects of life and let go of negativity. Vision board for 2025, yet to begin but I’m excited. I am going to do some retrospection here! You are allowed to skip this one!

Blog

• Blog posts wrote : 124, might write before the year ends!
• Personal favorite: Finding Moments of Stillness and Silent Echoes.
• Total views as of today: 14,646

Books

• Read: Toilet, Do Epic Shit, The Courage to Be Disliked, The Midnight Library, Atomics Habits (re-read) and Metamorphosis.
• Currently reading: Nudge and Man’s Search for Meaning, saving them to finish on New Year’s Eve.

Music and Movies

• Top songs: Apocalypse by CAS and the recent CO2. Spotify and YouTube showed otherwise!
• Favorite movies: Lover, Perfect Days, 8 AM Metro, Laapataa Ladies, Lubber Pandhu.

Memories

• January 12th: Cleared my debt.
• May 21st: Wedding photo that stirred tough emotions.
• October 20th: Overcame a fear.
• December 15th: Visited office after years of remote work.

Moments

• Attended a random wedding.
• Made conscious choices, including saying no when necessary
• Taking time for reflection and introspection.
• Faced moments of manipulation.
• Met kind souls and paws

These thoughts are not meant to flaunt anything, but rather to express my first attempt at viewing things differently and connecting the dots.

I believe you can do the same to better understand yourself, discovering your likes and dislikes along the way. I hope that things improve, and we all learn to navigate life’s challenges, much like learning to surf the wind with more courage and confidence.

Cheers!

PS: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Does life ever slow down? I don’t think so!

As we age, time often feels like it’s slipping away. Everything demands attention. Career, health, family, finances, self-care, and relationships (if any, lol). It can feel like life is a constant juggling act, with no room to pause. Does it slow down? I doubt!

There’s a common notion that effective time management is simply a skill. You can see lot of webinars and courses available. But in practice, managing priorities often requires trade-offs! Sometimes, you have to spend money to save time. It’s less about perfection and more about who juggle their priorities carefully.

The other day, I checked my website analytics. I don’t look at them often, maybe once or twice a week. The graph made me think. It showed my habits. You might see as well!

Guilty as charged! Some days, I’m fully engaged (peaks) and present, other days, I disappear (flats) for 10 – 15 days. Then, suddenly some inspiration hits, and I dive back in.

Its been a week since I touched the book! Hoping to read!

It’s not that reading or writing isn’t important. It is. but are just one of many priorities, often shifted around with others. You simply need to master the art of juggling between them!

With that said, which is better? Juggling priorities or maintaining consistency?

And how do you balance?

Cheers

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Finished reading Metamorphosis. At first, the book takes you to an imaginary world. So far, I’ve been reading non-fiction or self-help books, where the scenes are easier to imagine. This was different. I found myself trying to visualize the vermin as described in the book. I’m not sure how much it matches Kafka’s. No where near!

The first two chapters didn’t affect me much. It was interesting to see how people initially react when the breadwinner of the family turns into a vermin. But the third chapter hits you hard. It truly made me understand the meaning behind the title Metamorphosis.

Here’s what stood out to me:

• His struggles to accept the transformation: At first, he finds it hard to believe he has turned into a vermin. The physical appearance!
• Hiding from others: He avoids facing anyone and hides. By the end, he doesn’t even care. Swept off by the violin music.
• Losing his voice: He tries to speak at first but eventually loses even the thought of communicating.
• Family dynamics: Grete, his sister, cares for him. She tries feeding him different foods. But over time, even she gets tired of cleaning and feeding him.
• Adapting to darkness: He gets used to staying in the shadows.
• Pain changes: The pain is sharp at first but dulls over time.
• Family’s independence: The family, once dependent on Gregor, slowly learns to fend for themselves.
• Longing for connection: Despite everything, he craves human connection especially Grete.

While reading, I kept linking this book to The Courage to Be Disliked. I’m not entirely sure why. One is a novel, and the other is philosophical. Yet, both made me reflect on this: to feel alive and truly live, a person needs to feel useful to others

Now, if we consider Adlerian philosophy, it teaches us to find meaning by contributing to others without expecting recognition or validation. However, Gregor longed for connection. His value was lost, and complete isolation broke him. This shows how isolation can harm us psychologically.

While internal meaning is important, we are social beings at heart or by nature. The real challenge is finding balance. Feeling worthy on our own while staying meaningfully connected to others or to the community. Balance is one of the hardest things to do, extremes are always easier!

Books like Kafka’s Metamorphosis and The Courage to Be Disliked explore these intriguing ideas. They teach us that human value isn’t just about productivity or society’s expectations. It’s much deeper, multidimensional and complex. Hard to get a grasp of it!

That’s what I’m taking away from this book.

Cheers!

P.S. Nudge – Next reading!

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There was once a traveler called Sara (Iykyk) who carried two different maps in her backpack. One was old, crushed, torn and marked with lines. The other was new, still crisp but with soft edges.

When she was younger, she thought the map was everything. Each destination was a goal. Every mile was a success to her. She walked with a fixed pace, following the lines with no questions and arguments.

But maps do change right? Landscapes changed. And so did she.

As the years passed, she learned that paths are not always straight. The journey itself had its own stories. The stones underfoot, the unexpected turns, and moments of doubt became more evident and important than any destination.

She also learned that companionship changes the journey.

Some people she met were like strict compasses. They always pointed north and didn’t understand if the path shifted. They measured progress by their own rules. They judged, instead of encouraging and hindered the path (Kulla nari).

Other companions were different (Buji). They walked beside her. Sometimes their steps matched, sometimes they didn’t. When the journey got hard, they helped to carry the weight.

When new things came along, they looked with curiosity and not criticism. They didn’t just see the path their way and they were open to seeing it through others’ eyes.

She understood that the journey is about moving forward and not being perfect. It’s about all growth. Their presence invited her to explore, not to follow a set direction.

In these moments, sometimes it was quiet. Sometimes full of conversation, she realized that a journey isn’t about how far you go. It’s about how much you understand and make it meaningful.

The destination once important, now not mattered. The journey was and with the right company. The journey could become something shared something richer and beautiful said Dora. Who knows, in five years, Dora might say something else!

Cheers!

P.S. Couldn’t use Original pic ! (CRs)

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