A First - A Weird One

In Delhi, I've stopped my car because there were cows in the middle of the road, even donkeys or pigeons (right in the middle of the DND flyway, when I was coming at almost 80 kmph, and the car behind me was at 80 kmph), but I did not expect that kind of thing out here. Well, what do I have? A big, fat, probably quite juicy turkey crossing the road in a leisurely fashion just inches away from my car! Now that's a first.

The Choice

After the disaster called The Inheritance of Loss, I sought comfort in the soothing familiarity of a Nicholas Sparks novel. The Choice is about a loving couple whose lives are turned around by a car accident in which the husband escapes with minor injuries but the wife slips into a coma, leaving him to take care of himself and their two young daughters.

It is a typical Nicholas Sparks story with all the usual elements - undying, relentless love, hoping against hope, lasting togetherness through sun and rain. Well written, as usual. With a twist in the story near the end that tells the reader of the choice that the husband is faced with. Like the other Sparks novels, a twist appears near the end of the story which makes the readers feel for the characters even more than before, makes the readers weep with the characters. A beautiful story that touches your heart.

But, well, I think I'm done with Nicholas Sparks for quite a while now. His stories are way too similar to each other. Plus, the promos of The Last Song that I see on TV all the time kind of put me off. I don't know why Miley Cyrus has that effect on me. But this post is not about her. I was talking about Nicholas Sparks. Speaking of whom, I did watch Nights In Rodanthe recently on TV, and it was pretty good. Okay, now I'm just rambling. So here's the thing. If you haven't read anything by Sparks, you must read The Notebook, and The Choice would also make a good read. If you've read a lot of his work already, there's nothing much that's new here, but it's still a good read.

Eat Healthy, Think Better

I don't understand the eating habits of Americans. I mean, they'll eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch (which is not entirely unhealthy but not the healthiest of lunches either), with a side of pretzels or chips, and a cup of yogurt. And they'll pick the fat free yogurt. I mean, hey, there's a bag of pretzels that you're eating, there's all this other stuff loaded with fat and carbs, and how many calories can there really be in that tiny 6 oz cup of yogurt?

I was just thinking, today, that it's so much easier to pack a healthy lunch than one that is unhealthy, if you're preparing either from scratch. Chop a few veggies, boil some chicken in water, mix it all up into a soup or salad (save the chicken broth for later). But there are all these processed foods and takeout lunches loaded with stuff that's not good for you which make people choose convenience over health.

I heard something about how McDonald's switched over to using peanut oil for frying and then switched back to using animal fat and how people who were vegetarians or those who were worried about their health made a ruckus about it. Hello, if you're concerned about your health, why are you eating at McDonald's in the first place and why are you picking the one thing that contributes a drop in the ocean?