Thursday, December 3, 2015

Monthly Rewind: November

So...November wasn't a great month in terms of posting, or reading for that matter. But, it was a much-needed break type of month. I did a lot of reading for my classes and my final papers and rested over Thanksgiving break and spent the rest of this month really sorting out what I wanted to do next summer, next semester, etc. I booked tickets for a conference I'm attending, organized a huge weekend-long choir concert, and applied to study abroad. So, it's been a really busy month, socially, so forgive my limited online presence. I will definitely be getting a lot of reading done over the holidays so come January, I will actually have reviews to post! For this month, we'll probably be seeing some more mini-reviews, likely, and hopefully another post or two I can wrangle up to end off 2015. Mostly, I just want to say that I'm so grateful to have such a loyal readership despite the fact that my blogging presence has really been diminishing this past year. 

3 Things About My Life This Month

1. Thanksgiving! I spent Thanksgiving with my best friend and I had such a good time! We visited Longwood Gardens, ate some truly fantastic burritos, and made tacos from scratch. It was filling, restful, and most importantly, fun! 

2. Diwali! So I had midterms throughout the month of November (again!) and Diwali was in the middle but, regardless, Diwali was amazing. It's always such a lovely, relaxing few hours and Indian food always makes everything that much better.

3. I cut my hair! So...my hair used to be half-way down my back and now it's just by my ears. I hadn't cut my hair in two and a half years and now it's about 11 inches shorter than before, which is crazy! But, I love it.

Best Book I Read This Month


Power to Choose: Bangladeshi Women and Labor Market Decisions in London and Dhaka by Naila Kabeer. I read an excerpt from this for my class on Gender and Power in South Asia and promptly bought the book to read the entire story. Kabeer is an economist who has done extensive research on microfinance and the impacts of that on gender are powerful and compelling. I loved this book and as an economist and feminist myself, microfinance fascinates me. I've read quite a few other nonfiction books on microfinance this month so if you're interested in the issue, just let me know and I'd love to provide some recommendations. 

Obsession of the Month


Scandal! I started over Thanksgiving break, am already a little over half-way through Season 2, and am 100% obsessed. Needless to say, this will carry me over through to February when HTGAWM is back on TV. ;)

3 Things I'm Looking Forward to in December


1. Last Day of Classes! I love all of my classes SO MUCH this year--like, I cannot even explain how much I love both my classes and my professors--but I'm really excited to just be done. I'll have time to sleep in, study, and then just ace those finals and get a much-needed break. This semester has been so incredibly rewarding, not to mention a ton of fun, but it has also been a LOT of work.

2. I'm going to India! For the first time in five years I am finally going to India and I can't wait! I'll be spending New Years with my cousins and visiting the Taj Mahal, among other historic sites, with my grandparents. I've never been to North India so I'm really looking forward to spending time as a tourist in the country I was born in.

3. Reading! I'm finally going to have time to read! I desperately want to finish up Winter which I just barely started, Cam Girl, and Ilona Andrews's newest novel to say the least. I've missed reading so much so I'm really looking forward to just curling up with a book for a few hours.

How was your November? Any fun Thanksgiving stories? Any plans for December? Christmas? New Years? Vacation? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below! :)

11 comments:

  1. That's great you had a really fun November even if you weren't able to read as much as you had wanted! That's great you had a nice Thanksgiving with your friend and Diwali. And yay for cutting your hair! How fun - that's awesome you love it. Ooh that's so exciting you're visiting India and seeing family. Hope you have a blast. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon but I'm ready for classes to be finished too. I graduate from grad school on December 18, which is great, but no more school will be weird. haha

    -Lauren

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  2. Keertana, it looks like college is keeping you SO BUSY. But, I had a fabulous and relaxing Thanksgiving as well and that's awesome that you spent it with friends. Indian food seriously makes everything better - it's definitely my favorite form of comfort food :) I'm actually interested in reading more non-fiction and books on economics, so I'll have to check out POWER TO CHOOSE! I'll let you know if I read it for sure :)

    Have fun in India next month!! And of course, enjoy CAM GIRL ;)
    My plans for December are pretty similar to yours, aside from the fact that I'm not going to India. I'm just excited to finish up classes and read over the break! I think I'm staying home and just spending time with family, but that's 100% okay with me.

    I hope you have a wonderful December, Keertana! You deserve a nice, long break!
    Jen

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  3. What a great month! Oh and you look beautiful! You are also making me hungry with all that food talk. Glad you are enjoying yourself at school and hey... swing by and pick me up on your way to India... k? ;) Have tons of fun!

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  4. Regardless of your limited blogging time in November, you still had a very productive, fulfilling month. I could only wish for the kind of readings you enjoy, Keertana. I've been meaning to read books about feminism and other social issues that are of interest to me, but life and career just keep on getting in my way.

    Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in your exams and have a fantastic time in India!

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  5. Keertana, your November sounded awesome! I know you had a busy month, but it looks like you had so much amazing things going on. And you look so adorable in your photo! I hope you're thinking of studying in England, it would be great to see you! I hope you have an amazing time in India and enjoy your break! :)

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  6. Hey, I totally understand, I started university this semester , and it gets hard to remember post or even read when you running all over the place.Other than that sounds like your month was really good , great post :)

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  7. I'm so happy to hear about all the things you accomplished in the month of November. I love my shorter hair. It's freeing! Hope you love India. :D

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  8. Indian Food always makes things so much better ;)

    FUNNY STORY THOUGH. My hair is down to my waist and I am thinking about cutting it short too because I am done with long hair. It's nice when its all flow-y but I cannot do it anymore. I have TOO MUCH HAIR.

    ALSO YAY FOR SCANDAL. I stopped watching last year and IDK if I'll continue but it was SO addictive. I also just watched the pilot for HTGAWM and I am kind of obsessed already? I want to binge watch it. LIKE RIGHT NOW. Like do nothing besides watching it. I know, I have a very interesting life.

    YAY for last day of classes. I love that my college lets out early though (I've been on break since before Thanksgiving.) I had a pretty great term but towards the end of the term, you're just ready for everything to be done and take a nap. I spent my first week of vacation sleeping over 9 hours each day and then taking afternoon naps because I was SO worn out!

    I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN AT THE TAJ MAHAL! Take photos! Share them with us! :) And have fun in North India in general. Lots of good street food to be had ;) *cries because she wants food*

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  9. Hi, Keertana!

    But your hair doesn’t look short on this photo. :)

    It sounds like your November was busy but productive, and I’m glad to hear that despite your stressful midterms you still found time for Diwali. It’s wonderful that you had such a good time during Thanksgiving break. Thanksgiving is not a holiday here in Russia, so it was usual month for me. You’ve mentioned that you were thinking about abroad program, I’m glad to hear you finally made a decision. Like you I’m looking to winter holidays, it’s been a busy semester for me too. And yes to more reading! Looking forward to your reviews, and I hope you’ll share your photos from you trip to India!

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  10. Hi Keertana :)

    I dropped by to see if you were still posting because I know you're busy with school. Just wanted to say Happy Holidays and that your new hair is adorable!

    It looks like the Parvati-book is not going to happen anytime soon, but I'll reach out to you next year about maybe doing a guest post for one of my 2016 books.

    Best,

    Paula

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