The step-by-step process I used to learn 4 programming languages and clear a difficult interview.
In college, I had to learn three programming languages. For preparing for job interviews, I learned a fourth, a completely new one. As technology evolves every year, being a techie means I have to keep updating my technical skills beyond these four languages if I want to grow in my field. Thankfully, learning a new skill is no longer daunting for me ever since I started using learning journey maps to systematize and increase the efficiency of what I learn.
Doing so has helped me top university among a batch of 400+ students, pick up four programming languages with professional efficiency, clear a difficult interview, and maintain the enthusiasm to stand up to any new learnings I have to take up for my professional development. …
The end of a lengthy terminal illness affects each member of the family in its own ways
I lost my father to cancer in 2008.
His loss was the end of a year-long struggle with the disease. That year, according to WHO reports, 7.6 million people lost their lives to cancer. The number mounts still. 2018 registered 18.1 million cancer-related deaths.
It’s true when they say that unlike other diseases, cancer doesn’t just affect the patient’s body. Studies show, and the sufferer’s peers agree, that it deeply affects their family and friends too.
My experience is a testimony to this statement. …
The detailed plan that cut my food costs in half, cleared my skin, and helped me lose weight sustainably
I remember the wintry nights of December 2019 when I used to finish a 300 ml ice-cream tub all by myself in a matter of an hour or two. Yes, the ice-cream melted. But I hardly cared.
That I’d already gobbled up a ten-inch pizza before this didn’t deter me.
I knew something was wrong with me when copious amounts of the tastiest junk foods stopped satiating my hunger. …
Books that inspire, encourage, and force you to think
“I want to read but I have little time on my hands,” my friend told me the other day. “If you had to suggest selected books for me to read this year, what would they be?” she asked.
I realized I had been asked this question countless times in the past two weeks after the advent of the New Year. I am familiar with this feeling. …
Both I and the nature of calls have evolved.
“No answer is also an answer.” — Anonymous
Yesterday, I officiated myself as a serial call-misser.
I was on a walk when three of my friends called me. I avoided two of them and I missed the third call but didn’t call back. As I was reflecting on the day in my journal, it dawned upon me how, like the phones I communicated through, I’d evolved too.
As a kid and a teenager, I remember being glued to an ochre-colored box phone for hours, waiting for a call from a friend. On the day more than two of them called, I walked about with my head a little high. …
3 techniques to motivate yourself to continue writing till you taste the desired success
While re-reading Anne of Green Gables-one of my most beloved reads-last week, I realized how lucky I was to be holding this book in my hands.
Its author L.M.Montogmery wrote this novel in 1905, a time we know was marred with sexism for women writers. She sent its manuscript to at least four publishers but after all of them rejected it, she staved it off in a hatbox in her closet. Then, in 1907, Montogmery pitched the story to a publisher again, and finally, in 1908, Page Company of Boston, Massachusetts published Anne of Green Gables. …
Here’s why and how you can do it
I spent 3 months reviewing each book after I read it and 3 months not writing a single review. This experiment led me to conclude that writing book reviews are far more beneficial for readers than we realize.
In this article, I am going to share why this is so, how I came to this conclusion, and present a simple review template that can help even the busiest of us readers to write a basic book review in under 20-minutes for the books we read.
The 3 Undeniable Benefits of Writing Book Reviews, No Matter How Brief
So you think your one-paragraph book review is not important? Think again.
Book reviews have the notorious reputation of being beneficial only to the people who refer to them to assess whether they should pick a book or not. But the period I spent actively avoiding writing book reviews shattered this misconception. I realized that my reading was more enriched for books I read and reviewed compared to those that I read but didn’t review. …
Tips I used to become a better version of myself
If you adopt and practice something consistently for a few months, it slowly becomes an inseparable part of your personality.
I learned this in the last few months of 2020.
I’d mindfully consumed a selective set of books, podcasts, and informative articles throughout the year. Out of everything I’d read, listened to, and absorbed, I picked up certain pieces of advice I felt resonated with me and decided to bring them to practice in the last four months of 2020.
As I reflect on the past year, I realize consistently practicing these ideas for just four months has brought about a significant change in my personality. …
Purge people, start afresh
Three things happened on New Year’s eve that made me realize I am better off without three kinds of people in my life.
First, I received a drunken text from an ex, telling me how much they miss me but can’t do anything about their feelings for a certain someone else. Then, while checking my Whatsapp status, I saw a friend’s engagement pictures captioned, “So proud of myself for coming out of this year in a lifelong relationship.” Both these things didn’t go down well with me, especially considering how I am still coming to terms with my recent breakup. …
A summary of the best key takeaways
“All I have learned, I learned from books.”
I don’t doubt Lincoln when he says so. In 2020, all my personal growth has been fuelled by the books I read.
From the non-fiction books, I’ve learned a lot of useful things to live my life by. This being said, even my fiction reads have given me a few good messages. Some of these were so profound that I’ve prepared handwritten notes for them.
As I reflect on this year, I realize a lot of these ideas have helped me grow in a lot of areas of my life. So that I may continue to use them to fulfill my goals even next year, I’ve written this article to summarize the best of ideas from the 50+ books I’ve read this year. …
