I have been reading this book by Vikram Chandra for the last week or so. I picked it up in a 50% sale last weekend at "Odyssey" a bookstore cum gift shop cum stationery shop cum cafe which serves some rather nice sandwiches and sizzlers. And the best thing about the cafe is that you can read as you eat. You can pick up a book from a small selection that is displayed and read as much as you want to. In my opinion, nothing beats the good book and coffee combination.
Though this shop has been there since quite some time but I discovered it some weekends back when I was bored and had nothing to do. Hubby was heading towards one of the pubs to catch the F1 action on the big screen with his buddies and I was not very keen on it. So I asked him to drop me at this place. It had rained a little and the weather was great; I ordered for a latte and settled down with a slim volume titled "All about men and women" or something like that. It was a collection of short writings by Indian men and women. It was serious in parts but mostly hilarious; a cheeky statement about the gender equation in urban India. Good weather, good coffee and most importantly a good piece of writing, I could not have asked for anything better. It is amazing the kind of peace I feel when I am engrossed in reading something. In the business of everyday living and going through the motions of living, there are some moments when you think that "Aha!! this IS Life"; reading something good or watching a good movie or even listening to a good song always makes me feel that way.
The following lines from a favorite song come to mind
ye aasaman ye baadal ye raaste ye havaa
har ek chiiz hai apani jagah thikaane pe
kai dino se shikaayat nahin zamaane se
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Lines for thot
Source:Unknown
Does it help to know that the web is cast around all ? That we are not alone in bearing the weight of it all. And that the prison is well populated with our fellow beings. The commune of shattered dreams. Perhaps it adds a new dimension to our insignificance. Cogs in the wheel of despair.
But how does one explain the beauty ? The obstinate refusal of hope to die away. Of the heart to continue to beat. The sweet seduction of life. Where from did that come from ? Whats our true nature in this merry go round ?
Does it help to know that the web is cast around all ? That we are not alone in bearing the weight of it all. And that the prison is well populated with our fellow beings. The commune of shattered dreams. Perhaps it adds a new dimension to our insignificance. Cogs in the wheel of despair.
But how does one explain the beauty ? The obstinate refusal of hope to die away. Of the heart to continue to beat. The sweet seduction of life. Where from did that come from ? Whats our true nature in this merry go round ?
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Goodbyes are so difficult
I dread that final moment. I spend so many agonizing moments thinking about that one moment when I will say "Goodbye" to a dear friend. But the moment itself is an anti-climax. Things to finish, trains/planes to catch and loose ends to be tied up. There is no time to say anything and it is just a hug and a wave and sometimes not even that.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
My Failed Writings and the Excuse Also!!
So you can see the last post "Attempted Quick Tales"; yeah I know there is no content in that. And that is because I have not be able to write any quick tales. My friends have obliged and their lists are:
DK's list : love, hate, compassion.
Alo's list: sleep,eye-witness, advance
travel,astonish,growth
AJ's list: appreciation, apathy, courage
S's List : palace, joy, distant
5 lists and no story.
It is proving to much more difficult than I anticipated. Moreover, I am running short of time. I am not one of those immensely talented people who can spin a yarn anytime and anywhere. I need to get into the mood for writing. I need to sit with a dreamy expression on my face and a pen and paper in hand and I need to think.Think hard; let my imagination run wild.
This dependence on pen and paper is become a real nuisance in this e-world. Somehow, I just can not bring myself to write anything creative without a pen and paper. I need to chew on my pen; write a few lines, cut them out, write again, edit my words, add a few notes for myself on the margin, change a word and so on. The creative process is complex and the word documents, the wordpads and the notepads fall woefully short of sparking my imagination. I can't chew the mouse, can I? I know I can always change the words on my monitor and edit my sentences but then I lose the history of my work. There is nothing about a Word Document that makes it uniquely mine;not even the handwriting. There is something very cold and impersonal about writing on the system. Nothing beats the feel of a crumpled yellowed piece of paper with random jottings preserved from years ago; would a saved word document on a floppy have the same impact.Never, in my opinion.
Am I just too old-fashioned? Maybe I am!!
DK's list : love, hate, compassion.
Alo's list: sleep,eye-witness, advance
travel,astonish,growth
AJ's list: appreciation, apathy, courage
S's List : palace, joy, distant
5 lists and no story.
It is proving to much more difficult than I anticipated. Moreover, I am running short of time. I am not one of those immensely talented people who can spin a yarn anytime and anywhere. I need to get into the mood for writing. I need to sit with a dreamy expression on my face and a pen and paper in hand and I need to think.Think hard; let my imagination run wild.
This dependence on pen and paper is become a real nuisance in this e-world. Somehow, I just can not bring myself to write anything creative without a pen and paper. I need to chew on my pen; write a few lines, cut them out, write again, edit my words, add a few notes for myself on the margin, change a word and so on. The creative process is complex and the word documents, the wordpads and the notepads fall woefully short of sparking my imagination. I can't chew the mouse, can I? I know I can always change the words on my monitor and edit my sentences but then I lose the history of my work. There is nothing about a Word Document that makes it uniquely mine;not even the handwriting. There is something very cold and impersonal about writing on the system. Nothing beats the feel of a crumpled yellowed piece of paper with random jottings preserved from years ago; would a saved word document on a floppy have the same impact.Never, in my opinion.
Am I just too old-fashioned? Maybe I am!!
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Monday, August 08, 2005
Quick Tales
Visit this site for Ammani's delightful quick tales. Short and not usually sweet, they pack in quite a powerful punch.
As a fund raising campaign, she has invited her readers to send her three random words and she will spin a tale out of it. I think it is a great idea. So, I have also invited my friends to mail me three random words and let us see how I fare.
Update: The site is no longer working :-(
As a fund raising campaign, she has invited her readers to send her three random words and she will spin a tale out of it. I think it is a great idea. So, I have also invited my friends to mail me three random words and let us see how I fare.
Update: The site is no longer working :-(
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Read an Amazing Blog today!!!
Read this beautiful blog by Kanurite today.
I loved the protaganist, loved the lyrical prose and particularly loved the poem (in italics) used in the post. I have a liking for poetic prose; for the abstract pictures painted by words and for the lyrical prose that flows ooh-so-smoothly. Maybe that is why I liked this piece of writing. And also because I could relate to the protaganist who is kind of confused about what she wants in life.
This post also touches upon the daily rituals we all have. Yeah they are comforting most of the times but at times they make me very frustated and restless. Sometimes we do not want to conform, just do not want to conform. We do not want to get up and read the paper first-thing-in the morning like so many people we know. So we go out for a ride on the bike every morning before dawn and watch the sunrise. But does it not soon become just another mundane habit and do we not become a prisoner of our own desire to be different. A strong consious desire of not wanting to conform more often than not leads to total conformation.
This is somehow like the Hindi film industry where everyone wants to be hatke (different) and wants to make movies which are different from the usual run-of-the-mil. But then a new stereotype of hatke movies has emerged; Ram Gopal Varma's movies being a good example of this genre. Well I am hindi movie buff so more on this trend later.
I loved the protaganist, loved the lyrical prose and particularly loved the poem (in italics) used in the post. I have a liking for poetic prose; for the abstract pictures painted by words and for the lyrical prose that flows ooh-so-smoothly. Maybe that is why I liked this piece of writing. And also because I could relate to the protaganist who is kind of confused about what she wants in life.
This post also touches upon the daily rituals we all have. Yeah they are comforting most of the times but at times they make me very frustated and restless. Sometimes we do not want to conform, just do not want to conform. We do not want to get up and read the paper first-thing-in the morning like so many people we know. So we go out for a ride on the bike every morning before dawn and watch the sunrise. But does it not soon become just another mundane habit and do we not become a prisoner of our own desire to be different. A strong consious desire of not wanting to conform more often than not leads to total conformation.
This is somehow like the Hindi film industry where everyone wants to be hatke (different) and wants to make movies which are different from the usual run-of-the-mil. But then a new stereotype of hatke movies has emerged; Ram Gopal Varma's movies being a good example of this genre. Well I am hindi movie buff so more on this trend later.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Cheers!!!
Today is 2nd August, 2005 and I have created "My Space"; this new blog.
Sulekha was my introduction to the world of blogging around two years back and now I am a part of the wonderful blogging community called Dud Sea Scrawls .
But my blogging experiences till now have been more about belonging to a particular blogging community or group of bloggers. I have always posted after considering the "Reading Worthiness" of my posts and the relevence for the group. I have never had the courage to post "nonsense".
So herez this brand new blog which is simply "My Space". A place for my random inane thots and whatever I feel like writing. Life is passing by and there are many moments I want to hold on to; fleeting impressions I want to capture and thots I want to remember. "My Space" is for all of these and my space is all about "Me".
So, herez to me and my space!! Cheers!!
Herez a sample of my writings.
Sulekha was my introduction to the world of blogging around two years back and now I am a part of the wonderful blogging community called Dud Sea Scrawls .
But my blogging experiences till now have been more about belonging to a particular blogging community or group of bloggers. I have always posted after considering the "Reading Worthiness" of my posts and the relevence for the group. I have never had the courage to post "nonsense".
So herez this brand new blog which is simply "My Space". A place for my random inane thots and whatever I feel like writing. Life is passing by and there are many moments I want to hold on to; fleeting impressions I want to capture and thots I want to remember. "My Space" is for all of these and my space is all about "Me".
So, herez to me and my space!! Cheers!!
Herez a sample of my writings.
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