Paper & Pencil

Paper and Pencil

My cupboards are littered with things,
Good things I have been saving,
Pencils too pretty to sharpen,
Notebooks too pristine to fill,

Feeling I didn't have anything important enough to write,
I was saving these beautiful thing,
For when my thoughts would match their beauty,
For when my words would be deserving,
Of sharpening the pencil and filling those pages,

While I was waiting, my thoughts had nowhere to go,
Nowhere to explore,
Nowhere to grow,
Without using up the sheets of paper and sharpening all pencils down to stubs,
My words were never going to start transforming into the beauty I longed for,

So I sharpened my most precious pencil and started writing in the whitest of all notebooks,
This poem that you are reading here now,
Wondering where it will take you,

Every mark on this page is an adventure,
A trial, a test , a jump, a leap
No matter where it takes me,
It has broken open the seal.

Thought for the day, 16th August : Now here now gone

Sometimes, uninvited, you get this surge of energy and creativity, suddenly there is a spring in your step. You can do this, and that and everything. You feel inspired and upbeat and the stars are aligned. But just as it appeared unbid, it suddenly leaves when you put pen to paper or nowadays finger to calculator. It all feels a burden- this, and that and everything. You wonder where the feeling went. If only I could capture that surge, that feeling, that alignment and release it when I am at my lowest. If only I knew how to invoke the feeling, to bring it to the fore and unleash the pen again.

A la recherche du ciel Part-III: Re-opened Oxford Book Store, N-Block Connaught Place

The Original oxford Bookstore closed before I could write about it. But now it had reopened. I was as excited to see that Oxford Bookstore had reopened as I was sad to see it close down in Statesman House. But my excitement lasted only till the moment I entered the doors. At the door, are neon signs in multiple languages and I got the first inkling that this is not going to be the Oxford of the old I fell in love with and I was right. The entire store had stark white walls with a bright white glow light coming from a mysterious source almost implying an extra-terrestrial presence. The alcove at the entry had coffee table books about India and then you enter the main area. The sections were all there : Indian fiction, International fiction, business, food, you know the deal. In front of the bookshelves were charming little carts on wheels ( like vegetable vendor carts) which held special collections for example the cart in front of the international fiction shelves held Nobel winners. I liked the idea of bringing out a certain part of the collection this way. There was also a play/reading area for children which looked inviting and I am hoping they will hold regular events for kids. In the middle of the huge main area runs a big wall shelf with coffee table books on one side and all things bookish on  the other: merchandise from Playclan, stationery items, Oxford bookstore mugs, bags and also (funnily) incense. The coffee table books were great to flip through and there was also a moderately extensive collection of magazines. There were a whole rotating thingamajik with cute little cards and envelopes- just the thing you need to write a message to go with a book you are gifting. The International fiction collection wasn't something I would complain about but many staples were missing and they didn't seem to have many new releases. 

The delightfully named Cha bar (the other half of the bookstore-cafe couple) has been turned into a minimalistic cafe - all black and white. Though it didn't look anything like its previous version, I still remembered the horrible coffee I had the last time and didn't try anything this time. Now the name "Cha bar" feels even more unsuited for the cafe.

Though the old Oxford bookstore didn't boast of a line-up of hard to find books or new treasures to discover, it made up by being a place you could lose yourself in. The first time I went there they were playing soft instrumental old Bollywood music and I just roamed around in the shelves, hidden from view, busy pretending it's just me and the books. Though the store is huge, it has lost the intimate cozy feeling of a  great bookstore. I say increase the books and decrease the empty space. I miss the old Oxford Book store but hey we need all the bookstores we can get so, Welcome Aboard Oxford!

P.S. A word of caution. Do not get scared by the uniforms of the sales people. Gently turn away your eyes and fix them on a soothing book cover to recover form exposure to the uniform colors and pattern.

Thought for the day, 20th February : Life is a book

Life is a book in the process of being written.

Quarter Life Crisis: Signs that you are approaching the wrong side of 25

1. Your ability to maintain digestive composure after ingesting what used to be perfectly healthy food ( read pizza, pasta, burger) has diminished drastically. You used to be able to eat nails, soil, detergent (once), glue, but now, one indiscretion and you regret for two days straight.

2. Your ability to function after a late night ( read post 12 o'clock)  is almost nil now. You used to pull all-nighters and used to claim that you are at your creative best at night. Now you  are lucky if you manage not to fall asleep on your desk most days.

3. Your ability to function without caffeine seems like a myth like Santa Claus or Shaktiman. Coffee is equal to consciousness. Full stop. 

4. The adrenalin rush you felt from buying things during sales ( even ill-fitting clothes and outrageous colors) is a funny memory. Let alone a "sale", you dread shopping with the weekend crowd and are have taken to online shopping because of the no-trial convenience.

5. You have realized that watching a bad movie just because you bought the ticket is a colossal waste of time and just think of the opportunity cost! ( p.s. the fact that you know the meaning of opportunity cost itself points to your age)

6. You no longer think songs based on cuss-words are cool. As a consequence, you no longer care who Alice is.

7. The frequency of updating and checking Facebook reduces from every hour to every two hours.

8. You have stopped saying you are about to get a tattoo.

9. Your friends are getting married faster than rabbits are mating and you are alternately disgusted and jealous.

10. You have stopped giving useless birthday gifts to friends. In some cases you have stopped giving birthday gifts at all. 

Congratulations! You have started on the journey to Adulthood.

This post is dedicated to my gorgeous, funny, intelligent, independent, informed, practical friend. Happy 25 Rupu! Trust me it will only get better. Italy here we come!