Author: Hosein Kouros-Mehr
Publisher: Hosein Kouros-Mehr (self-published), 2017
Pages: 215
Genre: science fiction, self-help
Obtained: from author in exchange for an honest review
Summary: It's 2029 and a team at Google is working on Project Bodi, an assignment to develop smart glasses with a new technology. The team has a strict deadline and are stuck. How can they release their minds' full potential to move forward?
Thoughts: This book is a unique combination of a science fiction story and self-help book. The story shows that as society gets more and more into technology, we are less present in our minds and bodies. It does not portray technology as evil, but shows how it helps us. It does show how some aspects of technology and addictions can be distracting and how we can use mindfulness and meditation to focus. Members of the team practice mindfulness and have insights for innovation from this method. Other themes are compassion, devotion, ethics, and putting aside the ego to help the world.
Throughout the book mindfulness is explained very well. The author demonstrates how there are ideas and solutions to problems in the subconscious which can be brought into the conscious. He uses simple, clear language and diagrams to explain the process. He also has three characters in the story use these techniques to have insights.
The author was able to weave the story and what he wanted to teach wonderfully. The book was organized and flowed well. It was straightforward and not overwhelming. Although the characters and setting were not the main point to this book, they were believable. I felt like this could be a realistic future and these characters could be actual people.
To me, this book was enlightening. I have done mindfulness meditation to help with relaxation and focus. By seeing the experiences of these characters, the author showed me how I could bring this to another level to help in different aspects of my life. To be even more helpful, the author lists six brief exercises in the back of the book that characters used in the story so that the reader can try them out.
I recommend this book to any high school student or older. Be aware that this is not a hard core sci-fi novel, or you will be disappointed.
Tea: Green Rooibos
Obtained: purchased
Green Rooibos tea is an herbal tea grown in South Africa. It comes from the same plant as the more popular Red Rooibos tea, also known as Red Bush tea. Green Rooibos is not oxidized like Red Rooibos. This gives it a totally differnt color, aroma, and taste. Since this is an herbal tea, it has no caffeine.
I purchased the Green Rooibos Teas Sampler from Adagio teas. Today I tried the Green Rooibos tea. The thin leaves were a mixture of brown hues. The leaves had the scent of fresh, sweet hay. I put two teaspoons of leaves into my tea maker, added sixteen ounces of water that had been boiled, and let this brew for five minutes. The aroma of the yellow brown liquid reminded me of popcorn. The taste was earthy, woody, and somewhat nutty. It had a slight sweetness to it. It was a smooth taste like red rooibos, but lighter. It was similar to a regular green tea, but not as grassy. I enjoyed this very different tea. Green rooibos is said to have many health benefits. It is high in anti-oxidants, may help to stabilize blood sugar level, may prevent cancer, and may be good for your heart.
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