Bummer

Those of you familiar with my retail adventures would know I’m getting perilously close to being scarred for life, courtesy those shopping expeditions with D. It was only my timely inaction that helped me come through the latest one, when a PYT near me told the salesperson, ‘Hi, I’d like to see a dark bottom’

until next time, know when to butt in

Write, said Ideasmith

On how to write, and since some of the best bloggers have been part of the tag and written well about it, and since subjective views can go on forever, i shall impose a constraint on myself and try to express what i feel makes the written word interesting to the reader... The constraint is that i will stick to the brief, to the letter

Words - Not because Boyzone said so, but they remain the only means with which to convey the writer's expression to the reader. Hence they must be chosen with care, for a single word can open up a world of emotions or reduce it to nothingness. In essence, words being the building material for any literary work, should be used with care.
Rhetoric - While words might be the building material, the writer has to sense how to use them. Just like good building material can be wasted without a plan, if the words do not flow in a manner thats interesting to others, their reason for existence is lost.
Imagination - What makes the written word interesting is not just how it is written, but what is written, and this is where the mental wanderings of the writer come into play. While its definitely possible to make the oft repeated tale interesting, a new thought definitely has the advantage in holding the reader's attention.
Translation - The wandering can throw up several images for the writer to use, but if they are not translated properly into the written form of expression, they are wasted. The success of the written piece depends on the clarity with which it is communicated to the reader.
Introspective - The writer should be open to introspection, becuse more often than not, the best ideas are within. And not just the ideas, but the words of expression and all of the final text. For if an idea is given to a person, so is the power to fulfil it.
Non Subjective - It is often debated that the writer writes for self expression, and the views of the reader have only so much value. I, for one, would love to get the perspective of the reader too, and therefore, when writing , view the written word from a vantage point that i think the reader would have.
Gripping - fiction, non fiction, humour, drama - whatver be the context and content of the writing, it should be able to holdthe reader's attention. If its through a new idea or perspective, great, if not, at least through the way in which it is presented. For if the interest wanes, then the purpose is defeated.

until next time, write on.

PS. Austere, Prerona, Tys, would be great if you can pick up the tag :)

Peak Peek

He was a beach boy. Gimme the sea any day, he said when quizzed on vacations. That was until he met them, and no, it had nothing to do with the Indian fascination for whiteness. Tall and majestic, with a grave look that came from having seen it all. Silent, eternal, awe inspiring, the Himalayas.

until next time, mountains due :)

Reply All

SMS wishes have never been my forte. So I never initiate wish smses, since they might end up wishy washy. But I religiously reply to all the ones I get with a ‘Thank you. Wish you the same.’ But this Diwali, some unknown personstumped me with this ‘Wish you and your family the same’

until next time, cracked you up?

Guiding lights

He ran up the stairs to the terrace, excited. Lighting rockets was fun, and so was watching them zoom. Years later, he’d watch other rockets as they soared randomly, as though preempting the future of those who lit them. As time passed, there’d been brighter lights, the diwali lights were fading, just like the memories.

until next time, happy diwali

Arsine

True. The five elements are in us. The water coursing within, in various forms. The earthy smell that’s emanated. The air breathed in, leaving in myriad forms. The fire burning within, but embracing too, and the combination creating the effect of floating in space. No, not an abstract post, the result of a gastric infection

until next time, gut wrenching :(

Time to say Tata

Sometimes it takes a traumatizing event to force one to think in hitherto neglected directions. Directions which one thought would never appear in one’s consideration set, directions which have the potential to create more life changing experiences, perhaps joys, perhaps sorrows. Cable operators have a way of orchestrating such events. Life’s about to become jhingalala.

until next time, sky's not the limit

Thinking Big

Not that he needed a chewing gum brand, but it was all in the name. It made sense since he was getting a huge brand ambassador. It wasn’t a big task considering the friendship and his friend’s endorsement appetite. Big Adda, Big Flicks, Big Music, Big FM, Big Babol. Brand Ambassador – Big B. Sounded right.

until next time, not a big deal?

The Namesake

He liked writing stories, and always tried to surprise his readers. Though some of his readers said he wrote well, he was never quite sure. After all, he just wrote on his blog. The appreciation was limited, never a huge number, and that was why he was quite amazed and humbled when he saw this.

until next time, lol, couldnt help it :D

Playing favorites

He changed screensavers four times every year, each with its own variations. Every change was an occasion people looked forward to. It was just a screensaver for him, but for them it was much more. Although all screensavers were his creations, when he looked down, he liked rain the most. Even He allowed himself favorites.

until next time, whats your favourite screensaver?

And that leaves only

Kolkata. Which is phenomenal by my standards, as though of you who've read the previous post might have realised. As for the others, all it takes is one sentence to bring you upto speed- i hate travelling.

But this year has seen me visiting 3 of the (erstwhile only) 4 metros in the country.

Mumbai - February - last visited 2006 April, and that was only because i had to get inducted, professionally, that is. Judging by my tenure, fat lot of good it did. I was a frequent Mumbai visitor in the 80'sthough - before the bhai stuff became popular. No, there's no connection. Shivaji Park was the usual venue, with a bit of Peddar Road and Malabar Hill thrown in. And then i stopped going to school, and that ended the summer vacations.Sigh

Chennai - August - last visited 1999 or was it 95? Damn, i'm really getting old. 95 is easier to remember because of the 12th Std results and the giant B&W poster of Aishwarya Rai to celebrate it. Yup, its 99 coz i boarded the Corromandel Exp from there for my first Kolkata trip.

Delhi - September and October - last visited 1993. And a much forgettable trip.
I dont think I'll do Kolkata, at least that leaves my tarnished record some chances of redemption ;)

until next time, traveller's outlook

The Travel Bug

All the travelogues, all the travel programming on TV, and all the photos on image sharing platforms- I've read them all as messages, but never picked up the bags and set about travelling regularly. Now, i can give operational excuses, but i also know that those are not the real ones. For quite sometime now, I've had a block in my head, but could never decipher it myself. And the worst part is that it wasnt always like this. While i've never been a travel freak, i've never shied away from it either.

It took Nude Ellie to give me an insight into this bug. The first and easiest insight is that i am incredibly lazy. Even that trip might not have happened if it werent official :). And it is perhaps only fitting that it was an office space that gave me a thought.

I've realised that travel necessarily means meeting new people. And not just meet, but also see large amounts of humanity that i may not meet, but faces that i know exist. In this case, floorsand floors of cubicle farms.

Now this might sound weird to many, but that to me, is a bit like those starlit nights. And while i love staring up at the sky, I've slowly built up a revulsion to the other thing that evokes in me a feeling of insignificance, a feeling that i haven't done anything to be truly special.Ego/ Frustration? Or plain old existential angst?

untl next time, wanderbust?

Ok Tata Bye Bye

And its time to say bye. Its been a long time and I’d been planning this for sometime now, never actually got around to doing it. But it’d be sheer injustice to postpone this any longer. Most readers would agree that this is way too melodramatic for a week’s vacation. But hey, its a 55.

until next time, see you next monday

Insectuous relationships - 55

These days, there's tremendous amount of sexual activity happening in our house. I confess, I do not spend a lot of time thinking about it, but D does and she is extremely unhappy about it. After all, she's the one who has to deal with the increasing number of cockroaches and lizards in the house.

until next time, did that bug you? :D

Mind Games - 55

He didn’t mind the rain. It meant that the idiots who paid lots of peachish Gandhis got to see only 50%. He wasn’t much into the mass sport now, 20-20 win notwithstanding. He’d get up early tomorrow to watch the F1 race. He did, and saw a track beset by rain. His expression was priceless.

until next time, are Suzuka and Bangalore cosmic twin cities?