Empowering Teens with social skills and Time and money management

Glow-up Life skills for Teens from Legacy Spark Press 119 pp

Today’s teens are under extreme pressure from all quarters of life. Gone are the days of just having fun teenage years with friends, parties, movies, and sports. Today’s teens are busy juggling jobs, social life, education, skills, and already trying to build a future. Not all teens are naturally endowed with the talent to excel all these areas or even in one of them. In order to help all teens learning these vital life skills the Legacy Spark Press has come out with the “Glow-up Life Skills for Teens – A Guide to Master Time Management, Enhance Social Skills and achieve Financial Literacy to thrive in the real-world,” a short 119-page volume of information, tips, and tricks.

Inspiring Story of Soccer Legend

Ronaldo Built for Greatness by Max Reed

I like to read biographies to learn about how some people were able to achieve greatness. The stories of triumph against odds, childhood traits that sets these people ahead of others in their generation is what makes for a learning filled read. One such book I recently read is Ronaldo Built for Greatness by Max Reed.

This book chronicles the inspiring life story of Cristiano Ronaldo the soccer great who has become a household name across the world. Born as Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro in a small island Madeira, far from the big cities, into humble beginnings, he started playing soccer barefoot on the streets. Ronaldo had dreams of becoming the best soccer player in the world, people constantly discouraged him and told him it was impossible. But Ronaldo persisted, the more discouraging words he heard the stronger his resolve became to play better. 

In the introduction to Ronaldo itself Reed makes it clear that this soccer great had some qualities that set him apart like his work ethic, not giving up on his dream, self belief, among others. Further the book leads into 10 chapters each detailing a different anecdote from Ronaldo's life; his wild childhood; leaving home at 12; early struggles in England, etc. Each chapter has a subtle lesson to the reader a inspiring message something that everyone can aspire for. 

The book ends with two amazing sections a chapter on Ronaldo Trading Cards which features 25 fun illustrated cards that detail fun facts and trivia. Then there is the 25 question trivia quiz which soccer fans can check their knowledge with.

Movie Review: Ombathane Dikku

It has been a long time since I watched a Kannada movie completely. Ombathane Dikku, a crime thriller starts off with Yogesh acting as Channa, a struggling to start a business in Bangalore while his parents and sister live in Shimoga. While going home for the weekend Channa bumps into Saroja Devi played by Ambuja and there is love at first sight. He goes home and proceeds to Saroja's home with a marriage proposal. When Saroja's father comes to know that Channa's father works for Varadappa a local sawmill owner and rowdy sheeter he rejects the alliance and disrespects the family. Channa gets enraged and slaps the former and tells Saroja that he likes her and is still willing to marry her.

The rest of the movie is focused on Channa's father going missing while on a mission for Varadappa and how Yogi's search for him across Bangalore. There are numerous comedy scenes interspersed which provide no relief to the otherwise fast-paced plot.

Unfortunately the ending is pathetic and makes the whole movie a waste of time to watch. 

Financial Management Guide For Teens

Essential Money Skills for Ambitious Teens by River Ellington, 152 pp 

Teenagers are at a very important juncture in life – the cusp of adolescence and adulthood. Several lifetime habits, friends, beliefs, practices, etc. are formed at this age. Most teens live with parents, go to school, and hang out with friends, they rarely think of money, savings, etc. Their needs for the most part are taken care of by parents. Despite financial literacy being so vital for a successful, and comfortable life, most of us have had to figure things out via trial and error.

In this scenario comes River Ellington’s latest book on financial literacy, smart saving, and investing titled “Essential Money Skills for Ambitious Teens.” Spanning over 150 pages this book introduces the world of money, savings, investments, and other life skills to teens. Introducing the need for this book Ellington writes: “Most teens don’t think much about money until they don’t have enough of it. Whether it’s wanting the latest shoes, saving for a car, or dreaming about financial independence, money plays a huge role in shaping the life you want. Yet, schools rarely teach real-world financial skills, leaving many young adults to figure things out through trial and error.”

Divided into nine easy to read chapters, the book also gives some bonus information and benefits including: a. Teen money toolkit; b. Side hustle starter pack; c. Money mindset makeover workbook; and d. Scam safe teen cheat sheet. These digital resources are free and beneficial for the teens starting their journey into adult life of earning money, paying bills and managing finances.

Essential Money Skills for Ambitious Teens lists eight habits – a chapter dedicated to each that would transform a naïve teen into a financial savvy young adult. Starting off with a chapter on “Shift your money mindset,” the book delves into “Pay yourself first,” followed by sections on budgeting and spending wisely, aligning with values, monetizing skills, among others. Concluding with a two page epilogue the book reinstates the eight habits of financial savvy children and provides a 3-year plan to implement the habits and strategies in this book.

I think this book is a must read for teenagers heading to college, being out of the security of home first time in their lives, as also to parents of teenagers, and anyone that is starting out on their financial independence journey.

Book that entertains and enhances brain power!

It is said that as we grow older the brain undergoes atrophy or becomes smaller, with that our reflexes get weaker, memory becomes less quick, and other declines happen. But all neuroscientists and gerontologists agree that the best way to keep our brains working at its best condition is to learn and develop new hobbies. Playing word games is one of the most recommended sedentary activity to improve brain function.

A simple search will provide 1000s of wordfinder books one can buy and play. Into this already crowded space comes the Summer Word Search for Adults and Seniors by Garrett Monroe. There are several unique features of this book that make it stand out including content, design, presentation, images, etc. Containing over 100 word search puzzles this book starts with an introduction and instructions on how to solve the summer themed puzzles.

The puzzle section is further divided into four parts each deals with a different aspect of summer, the beach, water fun, relaxation, leisure, summer food, music, etc. all have several interesting puzzles. The book will accompany you through this summer and help you pastime and improve brain function at the same time.

Inspiring Biography

Inspiration to go above and beyond our normal life and achieve something great comes from various sources. It could come from nature, literature, poetry, and often from other people around us, those who have overcome great odds to become the best version of themselves.

One such individual that overcome almost insurmountable odds and became successful is Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi. Born into a middle-class family of steel factory manager father and magnet manufacturing workshop employee mother Messi developed a passion for soccer from an early age. He suffered from a growth hormone deficiency at age 10, when he started treatment a year later, his parents could barely afford the $1,000 per month price tag. Eventually he was able to overcome this health condition and become an internationally admired soccer player.

This compact 152-page volume by Max Ryan captures the life story of Messi with each chapter chronicling the struggles and how he triumphed. The book culminates with a journal section on how to replicate strategies to overcome your own personal challenges and rise like a phoenix. To enhance the legitimacy of this volume Ryan has provided a list of references for further reading and/ verification, much like a researched piece of work.

While the content of this book is well presented and easy to read, the typography can use some expert/ professional touches. The layout of the book is currently very busy and verbose can be interspersed with the pictures and graphics to provide relief and information to the reader.

Beginners Guide to Grilling

Mastering grilling is tough and time consuming process. Every summer BBQ will become a failure if the person manning the grill fails to produce tasty food and juicy meats. Not everyone has the necessary skills or experience to become a grill master right away. The Blackstone Griddle Cookbook is for those of us that are just getting into grilling and want to learn the basics and slowly progress towards mastery.

Presented as the ultimate guide to becoming a grill master by Robbie Kev, the Blackstone Griddle Cookbook spans a bit shy of 100 pages and is an easy to read and understand primer. Neatly organized into three introductory sections in which Kev gives a short history and evolution of grilling techniques, temperature control, blackstone grilling, essential tools and finishes off with a chapter dedicated to choosing the right meat to be a successful grill master.

The next sections deal with specific types of food/ meats including beef, poultry, fish and seafood, etc. There is a complete chapter on vegetarian and vegan grilling techniques and options. I liked the section on preparing desserts on the griddle which includes simple staples like pancakes, to complex sweets like the white chocolate raspberry s’mores. Each recipe has detailed instructions, materials needed, and an approximate preparation time.

Overall this book can serve as a good primary guide to starting off on the grilling journey with the black stone griddle.