Twitter – The Pensive Reverie

A Fresh Start in 2022 – Updates and Changes to the blog!

Belated New Year Greetings to all my readers!

It took a while but I finally have my own office up and running in my new home in Calgary! Along with the new home and the new year comes a fresh start for The Pensive Reverie.

The tail end of 2021 saw me take a considerate break from writing of any form. Starting a new job, being a father, finding a new home, etc. meant I needed to step away for a while. In retrospect, this turned out to be for the best. It provided me fresh perspective on how I wish to develop this blog in the long run.

The Pensive Reverie lacked a definitive theme. The blog’s original tagline, when it started back in 2016, read,

A journey through the occasional thoughts of a free spirit…

Back then, I had just completed my MSc. degree and my thoughts were, for the most part,

Six years down the road, I have found my calling. Looking back at all the posts, the answer was always there. Writing is my passion and I’m fortunate, during these rough times, to have found employment in an environment that idealizes this passion.

I now spend my day as a science writer. After my day job, my evenings revolve around my efforts toward becoming a full-time author and artist while spending time with my family.

I want The Pensive Reverie to be a direct reflection of the same. While I haven’t made too many changes to the overall appearance of the blog, there were a few tweaks and updates that were facilitated behind the scenes.

Here are the changes:

(1) I will no longer share my posts on The Procrastinating Scientist, my science blog, here at The Pensive Reverie as I wish to keep the two blogs isolated.

(2) My weekly posts will now solely focus on the following topics:

My adventures in life as a father, writer, and just another guy stumbling along towards his dreams (Slice of Life),
My journey to become an artist where I will share my artwork (Art Corner),
Fun reviews on things I love: books, games, movies, anime, etc. (Locke’s reviews)

(3) There will also be a new category of content called 100-word stories, where I will write short stories based on random and inspiring pictures I find online.

My published works will remain accessible as always. The social links on the sidebar will now direct you to the blog’s Twitter feed and Facebook group.

I have also added the Instagram link to my art, a venue where I hope to build my portfolio.

With big plans for the future, I intend to continue engaging with all of you in earnest over the many years to come, here at The Pensive Reverie where I will be,

Writing my journey one thought at a time…
It’s the new tagline.

I will see you all again this weekend with a fresh new post, as we play catch up from 2021, starting with “Celebrating Hindu Festivals.”

Get your e-book signed!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update!

My book sales have going quite well so far, and I’m really thankful to all of my readers who jumped on the opportunity to get a free copy of the e-book version available on Kindle. Do spread the word to your friends! While the free sale may have ended, the book is still available on Kindle and Paperback via Amazon (Amazon.Com; also available on .ca/.uk/.de/.fr/.es/.it/.jp/.nl/.br/.mx/.in/.au/) and my Createspace E-store at ALBOECreatespace.

I also made a small change on the blog. I’ve set up an Authorgraph widget on the right-hand side corner of the webpage (located right above the Calendar).

Authorgraph makes it possible for authors to sign e-books for their readers. Just click on the link and it should take you to Authorgraph, where you can search or browse my books.

You can then click “Request Authorgraph” for your selection, and if you would like, include a short message to me, so you can get your e-book signed! You will receive an email once I have signed your Authorgraph.

I will be posting more updates on further sales and promotions to come in the near future. I have been quite busy hitting a small bump of writer’s block as well as getting ready for the start of a new school year as I begin my PhD. But do not fear, come this weekend, I shall soon continue with the general regiment of posts (apart from book promotions) planned beforehand.

I hope you are all enjoying the book so far! Do provide a rating on Amazon whenever you get the chance! I’ll see you all again this weekend. Toodles!

Introducing Me, and the Pensive Reverie!

The comfortable silence is apt for inspiration. In my case, it lasted a year. A lot has changed since, so I find it necessary to once again begin by asking the question, “Who am I?”

My name is Ajay Peter Manuel (my pen name is Locke.) I’m a deeply inquisitive individual, with momentous dreams, aspirations, and a great appreciation for life! I currently live at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and am on the verge of completing my MSc. degree in Physics (September 2016, to be precise), at the University of Alberta (U of A)

You-did-it-2af41c25b13f24a47b25a44c21902154 — CAN’T WAIT TO FINISH MY DEGREE!!!!

Having left my hometown at Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, I completed my Elementary, and Middle School education at Cairo, Egypt. A four year stay at Khartoum, Sudan would see to the completion of my High School studies, followed by my journey to the U of A. The culmination of my journey from Sudan to the successful completion of my BSc. degree in Honors Astrophysics was the publication of my autobiography, Our Last Summer: A Personal Memoir, and the commencement of my first blog @ourlastsummer2013.wordpress.com

This was inevitably followed by broken, disconnected posts, and eventually after the eve of my 24th birthday, a year-long silence, during which I consciously acknowledged my identity crisis. I struggled to come to terms with myself, my friends, and my family. It was an experience that taught me the price of freedom, and individuality.

29731 — Coming to terms with myself, is possibly the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to confront in my life.

I now find myself embarking upon a new adventure in my life, where I could fulfill my deep-seated, far-fetched, and momentous aspirations, and dreams. Broadly speaking, I’m looking at an individual who has integrated his various passions in education, innovation, writing, art, music, science, critical thinking, accompanied with an endless appetite for life. It’s a lot to handle for sure, but I’m excited for the adventures that may lie ahead, and the challenges to be met.

Of course, there is much more to what has already been said, and this is where The Pensive Reverie takes the stage. The title pays homage to my most beloved of all hobbies: sitting down, staring off into space, and thinking about a plethora of things (and at times, absolutely nothing.)

gai__s_thinking_face_by_bronzeathlete-d509884 — Thinking hard…in Gai’s case, “Should I challenge Kakashi to another hot contest of youth!!!”

This blog will be an infusion of my personal life, hobbies, and interests. I’m an avid reader, and thinker. As such, the content of the blog may vary between discussions on book reviews, philosophy, science, and just about everything that is fun, and interesting in life. On a weekly basis, I will be posting an extensive review or discussion about a topic that serves to pique my interest. On a daily basis, the blog will be a haven for snap discussions, inspirational quotes, daily news, and the advertisement of my literary works, and activities.

I intend to keep the blog, and my posts open to all for discussion. I invite rational criticism from my fellow bloggers, and readers. This blog will also be linked to my social media platforms on Facebook, and Twitter etc. Currently, much of this is under construction, but the transformation will be soon complete.

I look forward to interacting with you all, and in the coming days, complete the transformation to The Pensive Reverie.

Pass your thoughts to:

Pass your thoughts to:

Pass your thoughts to: