The walk 2 work

Two day weekends had become inadequate. And then I run into a one day weekend. I cannot recall the day when weekends moved on from being a break to follow your passion to a basic recharge which was not enough to get you through the week. The day when my day job had killed my dreams. It did not happen in a day, it was a slow painful death. There was a time when writing a few pages used to get me recharged and add a spring to my step that lasted the day. Days when I used to write were far and few in between, similar to the posts that I have made in this blog. I needed the safety net. I needed to pacify my misplaced ego. In simpler words, I was addicted to my monthly payslip, and the annual hike. It was no different from the bonded labour, humanity had broken free from. The only happy moment I now feel was when I sat slouched in front of the television and saw a good movie start immediately after the previous one got over. I want to wake up again to the dream of writing. My l...

I was never a fan of romantic movies. But then they say, it is the critic who always falls in love, the deepest. Most of these movies were not box office hits, which unfortunately is the easiest way to rate movies. Hence this list. There's something different about these movies. Liberation, something which only a romantic can relate to. So light an aftertaste, so light, you are not sure what the taste was. But so clear, that it caught your passion. It did not let you raise off your chair, or change channels, or step away to refill that mug. All these movies show love, true love, giving those in love an ability to be more. Do what they most wanted to. To have the confidence of their partner in them. Probably to realize what they most wanted from their lives, identify their true aspiration and career. These are movies that have tried to show what it means. Told by those who have known it or known someone who has known true love. I was a skeptic, and hence my confession I...

Every movie and television series has the magic to help us relive the times when we first saw them. Let me start with what I saw today.... I will spice it up with the nostalgic movies and television series that hold a spot in my soul. This post I dedicate to A. Rajan on November 1st, a movie critic like non other, and a friend I was fortunate to have. The Machine (2014) Artificial intelligence and cyborgs. A learning program running on a quantum computer. The genius draws inspiration from his near and dear. An old concept, and the age old magic of lost love. A movie set in a future time that unfortunately could not bring the futuristic touch of a "minority report". The movie clearly shows the restrictions that the movie set had, in the absence of extensive animation. The 100 (2014 Television series) At first look, the concept looks great. The hint at underlying story lines for the main characters, a drive and multiple lead characters are the first signs of what c...

A story of how my self respect was shred bit by bit. How my confidence was rendered into fear... And how I might one day come out stronger. On a whim she wanted to explore the opportunities the land of opportunity had to offer. (She could be my daughter, my sister, my wife, my mother) The first rude shock. My awakening to the American way of life. I have been speaking to her uptil yesterday and she was the happiest thing in the world. Today I hear she had a fall in her room and is in the hospital. Before I even have time to think of a Visa and a ticket, I hear the Resident at the hospital, whom I was able to reach with great difficulty ask, "What quality of life do you expect her to have? Do you want her to continue on life support?" Except for an emergency room everyone else needs an application that their admissions dept and insurance studies and researches with countless interviews of the family in addition to all the paperwork required from previous hospitals. ...

AMONG THE FOOTHILLS –  UNWINDING ALONG WINDING TRAILS   Madumalai National Park offers a drive through the mist, sunrise from amidst the Nilgiri mountain ranges, and maybe some time with the big cats and the giants of the jungle. A trip planned for the weekend in your new pair of wheel, adds new songs to your humming list and good humour into your daily gig. You require to look occupied at work even as the tell tale smile might be difficult to wipe off your face. Life comes down to being a constant countdown to the trip.   On the Road: Bangalore - Mysore Cutting the distance in the late afternoon directly from work, in frenzied anticipation of the holidays ahead of us, we raced to leave the sleeping city behind, before the evening traffic sets in. Shouting over the blaring music blaring, the city passed us by in a blur of evening colour. Stopping only for the toll plazas, we reached the fringes of the city taking every newly built bypasses to cut throu...

Writers “Tools of the Trade” – in order of affordability & linked to usage: Tools of the Trade Cost in INR Sony IC recorder –  inbuilt mike of good quality,  doubles up as a music player Rs.3500 + Microsoft ergonomic keyboard - Bluetooth / USB cable Rs. 2800 – 4500 Android phone with the swipe keyboard/ the erstwhile Nokia communicator / E75 or any slideout QWERTY keyboard Rs.9000 – 28000 Digital camera/ DSLR, could be clubbed with the phone Rs.10000 + Voice to Text convertor (Like Dragon NaturallySpeaking from Nuance) – if you have the patience to train the software. (There are also IC recorders that come with DNS preloaded) Approx Rs.6000 Wireless bluetooth earphones or Music player like ipod Rs.3000+ Portable Electronic word processor: Alphasmart NEO or the Renaissance NEO 2 available in US, UK markets, If you live in India, EBay is ur best o...

Henry Miller’s 11 Commandments for Writing Well (A nice articel by by Michael Edmondstone) When Henry Miller penned these rules for writing well, he was speaking to the struggles that he faced on a regular basis. However, these commandments are useful to all, even in areas of life outside of writing. Here is his most precious advice to creative types, unlocked. 1. Work on one thing at a time until finished. This can be a challenge for writers because of our intrinsic penchant for daydreaming and creating new story lines, but commitment is key. Whatever it is that you’re working on, make it profound enough to dive into, instead of dipping your toe into several shallow pools. 2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.” Miller’s note to himself seems to send a simple message that all writers can use: don’t focus on perfection in your writing. As long as there are words on a page, there will al...